Chapter Text
Becoming the ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe was a job that had a lot of responsibilities. There was always little to no leisure time that Katara had for herself, especially when she was somewhere other than her home.
Since ending the war, she found herself to be a new person— being more emotionally intelligent, patient, and ultimately stronger. She changed physically, becoming leaner and muscular. Her look changed, earning traditional tattoos as she grew older, the ‘v’ on her forehead marking the start of her womanhood through her cycle, personal hand markings to show her honor to Tui and La, and vertical lines on her chin to represent her coming of age.
But despite becoming someone new, and earning honorable positions, Katara felt like something was missing.. Like someone was missing. Most nights she found herself at sea, staring off at the moon, and feeling the pull of the waves before her. She seemed to think about the same person every time, though she struggled to keep a face on her. It’d been so long since she had been around Yue, she eventually forgot the beautiful face to the name.
The feeling of cold snow on her back shocked her out of her thoughts, turning around to see Sokka with a dumb smile on his face. She groaned as she got up, brushing the snow off of her back. “What do you want, Sokka?”
He threw an arm over her shoulder, palming her head and messing up her hair as he spoke. “Oh cheer up! You’re going somewhere I think you’d like.”
They started to walk back towards the village where she saw a familiar Air Nomad and flying bison at the entrance of their village. Katara sighed, she wasn’t upset to see Aang. It was that every time she saw him, it meant that they were going somewhere else. She brushed Sokka’s arm off her shoulder, walking towards Aang and Appa. Softly, she laid a hand on the bridge of Appa’s nose, rubbing back and forth. “Hey Appa.” She cooed.
Aang surprised her, flinging his arm over her shoulder and running a hand through the sky. “Are you ready to go on another adventure?” He said enthusiastically with the same old smile on his face. His smile couldn’t help but make Katara smile. He had one of those smiles that made other people smile.
She took a deep breath in before moving Aang’s arm off of her shoulder preparing herself for another adventure. “Where are we even going anyway? Sokka wouldn’t tell me.” Aang smiled, but it wasn't that kind of smile that was uplifting.. It was the one that was mischievous, like he had something up his sleeves. Katara put a hand on her waist, giving Aang a glare before raising her eyebrow.
“Aang…Where are we going?”
He grabbed her hand, pulling her onto the flying bison. “Appa! Yip Yip!” She let out a tiny yelp of surprise as Appa took off into the air. Katara was suspicious. They never went on a diplomatic mission without her knowing where they would go. But, they were already in the air so there was nothing she could really do.
She leaned over the saddle, putting her head down as she watched her tribe shrink off into the distance until it completely disappeared. Katara looked toward the clouds, the night sky softly giving itself rest, and the sun warming the Earth with its presence. Her eyes started to get heavy, the lack of rest finally catching up to her. Eventually, she succumbed to the exhaustion, drifting off to sleep. Unfortunately, not even the sanctuary of her own mind was safe from her thoughts.
Katara gasped as she sat up. She looked around, only being able to see the ocean around her. Despite being on water, she found that she wouldn’t sink. She was able to run her fingers through the water, feeling that it was ice cold. Though, it was colder than the South. It was the water like the North. Removing her hand from the water, she softly tugged at it, causing a current to follow her hand. She let the water return to its home before looking towards the sky. Instead of the moon, she saw a familiar figure before her.
It was so bright—although it was not blinding—that she could not decipher who was in front of her. She squinted her eyes, inching closer before she spoke.
“Who are you?” As she spoke, she heard her voice echo across the entire ocean. The figure had shifted closer to her, placing a hand on her cheek. The touch felt familliar…in a way that made her feel known with just one touch. “I, Katara…am your moon” They softly put their other hand on her other cheek, slowly pulling her in for a kiss. Katara slowly closed her eyes, before feeling a pulling sensation underneath.
She fell from below, watching as the light in front of her became dimmed by the water. Bubbles of air escaped her mouth as she tried to breathe. She tried to create a bubble…anything that could help, but she lost all ability to bend. Panic filled her core, water rushing into her lungs and suffocating her from the inside out. She couldn’t see the light anymore, only to become surrounded by darkness. Her vision started to blur, black coming in from the corners of her sight as her lungs blazed from the freezing cold water. She reached out for something, anything to pull her out of this hell. But no one was there, no one could save her…Until a shining hand plunged into the water, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the surface.
Closer…
Closer…
And Closer…
Until…
Katara gasped for air as soon as she awoke, her hands flinging towards her throat. She tried to fill her lungs with as much air as possible, but she couldn’t. It felt like any amount of air she took in wasn’t enough. She couldn’t really focus on anything. Her vision was blurry, and she started to become dizzy. She felt her mouth flood with saliva, a familiar feeling before she…Immediately, she grabbed the edge of the saddle, pushing herself over as she threw up continuously. She felt a hand on her back as she got sick. It was comforting, rubbing her back in rhythmic circles. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, laying her head sideways on her arm.
“Are you okay Katara?”
She looked up towards the concerned voice, her focus finally coming back as she saw Aang. She let out a groan as she felt a headache come to her. She wasn’t one to get sick on her duties as an ambassador, but unfortunately, there’s always a first time for anything. “I-..I think I just got sick.”
Despite her shitty mood, Aang still was able to let out a chuckle, heading to the reins of Appa. “You threw up, Katara. I can see you’re sick.”
Katara was able to let our a dry laugh before looking down underneath. “But, good thing! We’re at our destination!” She stared at the walls of ice below her. And there was only one other place besides her home that look like this.. She slowly sat up, looking towards Aang. “There’s no way..”
They started to descend towards the Northern Tribe, their wall of protection parting way at their presence. She saw a small crowd of people start to surround them as the began to land. Katara’s whole being became flooded with anxiety, causing her to lean over the saddle, vomiting all that was left in her stomach.
She groaned annoyingly as her head thudded back on the saddle. Aang got the crowd to disperse, resolving the chaos as always. And Katara was here, sick and exhausted. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe in as much fresh air as she could. Soft footsteps had started to approach her, but she felt no energy to bring any of her focus towards it. They stopped right in front of her, causing her to open her eyes. She slowly looked up, a pair of light blue eyes looking into her own. It-.. It was Yue. But, she looked different. She had her hair in a different style, having a beautiful half up, half down look.
“Are you alright, Katara?” She spoke with pity as she raised a hand, placing the back of her palm on Katara’s forehead. She looked quite sad as she removed her hand, but not in a way that made Katara feel bad, but in a way that made her feel cared for. “I think I may be sick, Your Highness” She croaked. Her voice sounded wrecked, as if the acid on her stomach burned right through them. She slowly sat up, trying to make her way onto her feet, but only failing. Yue quickly caught her, helping her remain steady. “Do not overdo yourself Katara.. I have you.”
Aang came back, excited and with a smile on his face. He waved excitedly as he spoke. “Yue! I see you got my message!” Yue returned his excitement with a soft smile, bringing Katara’s arm over her shoulder, allowing her to hold her steady. “Oh! Do you need me to bring Katara to her room?” Katara groaned in pain as she placed a palm to her head. She moved herself out of Yue’s embrace, hunching over with her other arm keeping her steady. “I can take care of myself.” She stood up, a rush to her head immediately sending her back hunched over. Her world started to spin, an unbearable feeling of light headedness rushing her senses. She let out a guttural groan, voicing her discomfort. “Okay..maybe some care.” She hurled, stomach acid plastering over the ice, melting away at it.
Yue and Aang rushed to her side, Yue softly placing an arm around her waist. She carefully bent her knees, placing an arm behind Katara’s legs, carefully picking her up in order to keep her from becoming nauseous before turning towards Aang assertively. “Aang, would you please get her medicine? I’m going to bring her to my quarters.” She pleaded. Aang quickly went away as Yue walked towards her home with Katara in her arms. She didn’t mind taking care of Katara in this sense. If she was quite honest, she was waiting for a moment like this. Where Katara was finally relaxed— not like she is now— but relaxed enough where she isn't all over the place…Literally. Like this, she’d finally be able to express how she feels.
“I'm sorry..” The soft voice in her arms caught her attention. She looked down at Katara. In some ways she resembled that of a child, teary eyed after they get sick. She knew how vulnerable she was in this moment, as Katara was a very independent woman. “Don’t be sorry Katara.” She cooed.
Her soft voice hurt Katara. She wasn't hurt by any words, but she was hurt by the pity. She felt so stupid for getting sick…she was just fine at home. And to bring Yue into this, she felt so weak. She was the strongest waterbender in the world! How could she become inebriated by a sickness? Well…if she was in this situation, she could at least take advantage of this leisure time. She leaned against Yue, listening to her heart and allowing herself to close her eyes.
Yue had reached her palace, the guards opening the doors for her. “Please be sure to give Katara anything she needs, as she is sick.” She said firmly as she made her way towards her personal room. Abruptly, she stopped walking, causing Katara to open her eyes. Yue was looking right at her with the softest look in her eyes, and it absolutely melted Katara’s heart. She gave her a small smile before she spoke. “Do you think these stairs will cause nausea?” There was genuine concern in her voice, causing a faint blush coming to Katara’s face. She turned her head in the opposite direction, being shocked by the amount of stairs in front of her. “How.. do you even walk up that..” Her surprised tone brought a laugh out of Yue before she started to make her way up them. Amused, she kept a smile on her face. “You’d be surprised”
She made her way up the stairs, walking towards her room before two guards blocked the door. “Excuse me, Your Highness. But, who is this you bring into your room?” One had spoken awkwardly. He obviously didn’t want to interrupt..whatever was happening. Yue gave him a look at first, until she sighed and answered. “This is my—“ She seemed to bite back on her words before she spoke again. “I mean, this is Katara. She is sick, and I will be caring for her.” The two guards glanced a look at one another before they parted, opening the door for the two.
The size of Yue’s bedroom was astonishing, she really was living luxurious. From what Katara could see, it was incredibly spacious, and her bed was big enough to fit more than two people comfortably. Yue brought her to the edge of her bed, softly laying her down. “Someone told me you didn’t sleep last night. ” As she spoke, she walked to the other side of her bed, crouching before grabbing a blanket made from wool. She softly draped it over Katara before lingering for a moment. “Since you are ill, I suggest you get some rest.” Katara tried to detest, attempting to sit up, but her raging migraine just caused her to lie back down.
“Ugh…I suppose.”
Yue placed the back of her palm on Katara’s forehead again, having a look in her eye as if she was contemplating a decision. With a bit of hesitation, she placed a kiss on Katara’s forehead before taking a step back. “When you wake, your medicine will be on this bedside table.” She placed a hand on the table beside her before making her way towards the door. Her face was completely red and the look on her face suggested that she somewhat regretted what she’d done. Opening the door, she turned towards Katara. “Rest well, okay?”
As she was going to exit the room, Katara called out her name. “Hey Yue?” She tilted her head in question in response. “Thank you for the kiss.”