[July 25th] [Avatar: The Last Airbender] [Dedication]

[echoinautumn.livejournal.com]

Title: Dedication
Day/Theme: July 25th: "No matter what."
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Character/Pairing: Aang/Katara
Rating: All Ages
Warnings: Spoilers for Sozin's Comet, except... not really.

“No matter what.”

Aang swore himself to many things over the duration of his life. When he was born, he was taken in by the monks, separated from his parents and given over to the brotherhood and their care. When he was considered old enough to understand the choice he swears himself to their order, to becoming an air monk. When he grew to understand his bending powers, he swore himself to the mastery of his element, and later to all elements. Then the world changed, and so eventually did his loyalties, to the world rather than the Air Nomads; to the wellbeing of other people rather than himself.

The only unchanging constant from the time when he awoke to her world was Katara. From the moment he opened his eyes to see hers, he knew he had found someone worth swearing himself to, no questions asked. He made good on his word, failing very few times in protecting her, in seeing to it that her every hope was fulfilled. Before he knew what “love” was, he was deeply immersed in loving Katara, wishing fervently that she might find herself loving him; that she might one day realize how much she loved him and cease her endless puppet-play with his heartstrings.

At the end of the world, facing Fire Lord Ozai, Aang only let his mind drift away from the battle to think of Katara, to wonder where she was, and whether or not she was safe. Her face conjured strength beyond his physical capacity; the will to press on and fulfill her final hope of peace for the world. Then, and only then, did he realize just how far he was willing to go for Katara and the secret promise he made for her sake, and he pushed beyond his limits for her sake.

No matter what happened to him, or the price he would need to pay, it was always for her sake.