Journey Through The Chakras

Grounded

Aang stood at his bedside and tied the red sash around his tunic, giving it a slight tug to keep it in place. He took a full breath, exhaling forcefully as if he was fogging up a mirror. The airbender looked out the window and gazed at the sunrise. Being a firebender, he usually feels excited in the morning, but not today. He felt the tingling of nerves flowing through his limbs causing slight soreness in his legs. He felt like he could float away. At this moment, he gave a weak smile to his beautiful fiancee who was still sleeping in bed. His mind began to race through many different scenarios, all of which kept reminding him of times when he could not protect the ones he loved. He felt afraid that marrying Katara meant that whatever danger he faced as the Avatar would bleed into her life, too. He replayed over and over memories of his friends, his race, and his culture being targeted and destroyed because of who he was. "Is it safe to bring Katara into my life knowing she will never be safe?" he pondered. He walked outside barefoot, feeling the earth beneath his feet at every step. In the distance amongst green rolling hills and broken rocks, he saw Toph digging her toes into the dirt, sighing loudly and fully.

Aang wobbled as he walked over to Toph, feeling unsure of his movement in every step. Before he could properly announce his presence, she exclaimed in true Toph fashion "Mornin' Twinkle Toes!" He heartily laughed and waved at the happy earthbender. Aang sat down next to Toph and greeted her glumly, "Hey, Toph". He fixated on a tree in the forest, trying to gain a sense of stability. Toph continued to dig her feet into the dirt. The earthbender felt annoyed that she would have to give him a pep talk for his inevitable wedding anxiety. "I was trying to relax but I can't because all I hear is your heart going a mile a minute! So let's get it over with, what's got you freaking out?" He continued to stare at the tree in the forest and sighed forcefully. "Do you ever feel that I put you in danger? Do you ever regret knowing me?", Aang asked.

Toph frowned quickly but resumed her smiling facade. She countered, "Look, Twinkle Toes, you make a lot of dumb decisions, but I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't trust you. If you remember, I had safety and security but I gave it away! I like adventure and I'm sure Katara does, too. That's why we're here". Aang blushed and quickly remembered, "Katara? I didn't say anything about Katara". She laughed for a few moments and told him, "Oh man, you really think I don't know you? You're getting married today and you're a nervous wreck! You've never been good at keeping cool before big life changing stuff". He finally looked over to his friend, a smile forming on his mouth. "You know, you're right! I did this right before the invasion." His mind suddenly flashed back to his anxiety dreams, not being able to sleep, and constant worry about possibly not defeating Ozai. He shook his head at these memories and continued with a frown, "Ugh! That was so bad. You know, Monk Gyatso used to say to me 'We can't concern ourselves with what was. We must act on what is.' Sometimes I forget that. Being scared won't help anybody and won't make me feel more secure. We're all safe now and that's what I need to focus on. I know all of you wouldn't fight with me if you didn't want to be. Thank you, Toph."

Aang smiled at Toph. Almost immediately she gives him a hearty punch on the arm. "Hey, whatever gets me some peace and quiet works for me!" She turned her head away from him, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. He continued to stare into the forest. She spoke after a few moments of silence. "Well, now that you're feeling better, I'm going back to lying down. Nothing like solid ground to cure whatever ails ya." As she laid in the warm Earth, an idea struck Aang. He laid down next to his friend, feeling the pebbles and dust against his skin. As he took a long inhale, his mind began to imagine roots coming up from the ground and tightly wrapping around his body. He exhaled and felt steady for the first time all morning. Without moving, Toph spoke in an almost whisper, "Told ya."

As Aang walked to his room, he felt heavier, calmer. He felt like he could lay down for hours but knew he had to finish getting things ready for the wedding. As he reached for his bedroom door, Katara opened the door. He has become pretty good at reading the emotions on her face, and this one said "worried". "Katara, before you say anything, I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry if I messed any of the planning up this morning. I needed to get out. Not because of you! I mean- because of me. Not anything bad! I mean- ughhhh" he groaned, walked inside the bedroom, and leaned his back against the wall. The waterbender's mind raced through worst case scenarios 'Does he not want to marry me? Have I been too angry lately?'. "Aang, are you okay? I woke up and you weren't here. I got nervous because you like to disappear before big life stuff". He sighed and thought to himself 'Wow, I guess I really do disappear a lot'". "Katara, I'm okay, it's just...I was nervous about what I would get you into with marrying me. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't putting you in danger. After hanging out with Toph, I realized that if you were scared of what it meant to marry the Avatar, then you wouldn't be here."

Katara places her arms around Aang's neck, looking into his gray eyes without breaking contact. "Aang, whatever happens, I know that it won't be anyone's fault. Years ago, I was scared about telling you how I really felt. Not because I was unsure, but because I thought that telling you would cause you to lose focus. I was scared that I would ruin your chance to fight Ozai. I was also scared of losing you. I see now that even if I lost you, my pain would have been much worse if you didn't know how I felt." As he looked into her tearful eyes, he wiped her tears with his thumbs and put his arms around her waist. He placed his forehead against her forehead and whispered, "I think I could've died happy knowing you loved me". She blushed and kissed him softly, holding tightly and securely onto his neck. She leaned out of the kiss, continuing to look into his eyes. "Whatever you think you need to do to protect me, I promise it's not worth it. I want you to be happy and I don't want you to worry about me. I couldn't live with that. I want us to just be". He kissed her deeply and passionately for a few moments. He leaned back to admire her. He was overcome with the reality that someone so beautiful, caring, smart, and strong wants to spend the rest of their life with him. He hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear, "I love you so much, Katara. I promise I'll try to live in the present more." Katara, finally smiling, whispered to Aang "I love you, too. No matter what happens in the world, I know I'll always feel safe with you."