A/N: Thank you to CallMeClandestine and E.V. for reviewing the last prompt!

Prompt #39: Let's Go

Characters: Aang/Katara

The air was frigid, the kind of cold that could suck the breath right out of a person, especially if the air gusted just right. Aang might have had control over where the wind gusted, but he really didn't mind the cold. He'd grown up on top of a mountain not far from the South Pole, after all. Besides, it was an exhilarating feeling, that mix of freezing air and water everywhere. It reminded him of Katara. Not just because the South Pole was where they had first met, but because this was what Katara was.

Katara was standing at the prow of the ship, her eyes closed and her arms spread wide in the wind, as though welcoming the home she hadn't seen in a year. Aang stood still, content to watch her, at least until she opened her eyes and looked back at him, reaching a hand toward him in invitation.

Smile widening, Aang crossed the deck to stand beside her. His gloved hand folded around hers, and she leaned into him. "It smells like home. I wonder how much it's changed. Master Pakku said it's grown a lot."

Aang nodded. People from the Northern Water Tribe had apparently been trickling south over the past months, choosing to live in and help strengthen the Southern Tribe. "Are you okay?" he asked, catching a flicker of something else on Katara's face.

Her answer was too quick. "What? Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Aang's eyebrows rose slightly, and Katara sighed. "It's just going to be strange," she said, her fingers tightening on his. "I guess nothing can stay the same forever."

"Would you really want it to?" Aang's voice was soft as he searched her eyes.

Katara's gaze flickered down to their joined hands, then back to his face. "No. Not everything." She leaned forward and kissed him lightly. No matter how many times she did that, Aang didn't think his stomach would ever stop doing insane flip-flops. Eyes sparkling mischievously, she whispered, "But there are some things I don't want to change."

Aang brushed a thumb over her cheek. "Katara, everything changes--but some things just change because they get better and deeper."

"Katara! Katara, there it is!" Sokka's excited voice brought their attention forward again, where the Southern Water Tribe village had finally come into view.

Katara's breath hitched. The village was still small, nowhere near the magnitude of the Northern Tribe, but it had definitely grown and developed since Aang had last seen it. There were some intricate ice buildings and igloos amidst the tent and large igloo that had been there before. The Waterbenders from the North Pole had obviously been busy.

Aang looked between Katara and the village. He could almost see her struggling to reconcile her longtime home with the place that now stood before her. Then her face lit up, and when he saw the children running from the village to wait for the ship to dock, so did Aang's.

"Halla! Rana! Marena! Mikku! Oh, Aang, look how much they've grown!" Katara waved at the kids.

With a shudder, the ship came to a stop, and the ramp was lowered onto the ice and snow. Sokka was one of the first down, dragging Suki by the hand. Katara took a deep breath and looked at Aang. "Let's go, Aang."

Hand in hand, they headed down the ramp, where they were immediately swarmed with children, all asking questions and talking and tugging on Aang and Katara.

Katara grinned at Aang. He just heard her words over the clamor of the kids. "Better and deeper, right?"

He returned her grin and swung one of the kids up into the air, listening to her squeal of delight. "Right."