THAT EVENING, Kida and Katara watch the sunset together and recount the events of their respective days. Katara was almost on the floor, laughing, when Kida told her about Sokka's plan, but was ultimately happy to hear that everything turned out alright. Then, Kida listened intently when Katara told her about her impromptu waterbending battle with Master Pakku that resulted in her being allowed to train under him.

"I can't believe you actually challenged a waterbending master and stood your ground," Kida gushes, smiling proudly at her friend. "You're a real badass, Katara."

The girl smiles back shyly. "That means a lot coming from you. I'm just really excited that I have a master to teach me, after all these years. It's like I can finally reach my full potential as a bender, you know?"

Kida nods, but doesn't say anything more. As the sun finishes setting, Kida starts to think about how she never really got to reach her full potential as a bender herself, and probably never will, and how, no matter how hard she tries to ignore it, that a part of her would always be in flames. A fire that is controlled, maybe, but can never be extinguished.

When the moon rises and stars start to paint the sky, Kida allows her thoughts to drift off with the sunlight and instead focus on something else. Or, rather, someone else.

"I have a date with Yue," Kida suddenly says. She realizes then that she would never get used to saying that, and every time she would, her heart would beat faster than Aang on an air scooter. Katara, who also seemed to be daydreaming, turns to Kida and raises an eyebrow.

"Really?" Kida nods. "Huh."

For some reason, Kida was expecting a more enthusiastic answer. She was going on a date! With a princess, of all people! That basically happens once in a blue moon, but given Katara's reaction, you'd think that Kida just told her that ice is cold.

"That's all I get? I thought you'd be excited, happy, for me."

"Oh, sorry!" Katara exclaims, looking at Kida apologetically. "You're right, I am really happy for you. It's just....does Sokka know?"

"Yeah," Kida replies stiffly, feeling a little uneasy at the mention of his name. "He actually said he thinks I should go."

Although, uneasy wasn't exactly the right word...confused, maybe. About whether or not she should meet Yue. It's not that she doesn't like Yue like that — Kida's inability to form coherent sentences around the girl is a clear giveaway that she does — but then, for a brief moment, Kida thinks about Sokka.

Sokka, who Kida hated when they first met because he was arrogant and sexist and sarcastic. Sokka, who was all those things but so much more: funny, strategic, and loyal. Sokka, who challenges Kida in the best way possible. Sokka, who makes Kida feel awake even after nights and nights of lost sleep, whose smile alone gives Kida a shot of adrenaline and the motivation to keep fighting. In some ways, Kida feels as if she's known him her entire life and can see a future with him, but it's a feeling she knows is dangerous because it complicates everything. It makes Kida over-think and rethink every lie she's told and every truth about herself she's hidden. Just being friends is hard enough as it is with that burden, and if she and Sokka were to become more...well, it's not like Kida should worry about that, because he made it pretty clear last night where he stood. Just friends.

And Kida can live with that.

Her date with Yue couldn't come soon enough.

Katara helps Kida get ready for her date. Strangely, Sokka was nowhere to be found, so Katara is the one who braids some loose strands of Kida's hair. It's different than when Sokka would do it; and even if Katara's braids are neater, Kida can't help but miss the way Sokka's fingers gently comb through her hair and the soft groans of frustration he let out whenever he made a mistake or the braid wasn't even so he had to restart.

Aang wanders in at some point and offers the exact reaction Kida was hoping for upon hearing about her date with Yue.

"No way!" the airbender exclaims, jumping in triumph. "That's awesome, Kida! Your crush asked you out after like, a day of knowing you! That's the dream!" He moves to Kida to give her a high five, and when their hands meet, Kida leans in and whispers:

"I'll give you some pointers later." She winks as Aang blushes, his eyes fleeting to Katara then back to Kida sheepishly.

"If you get married, does that mean you're a princess, too?" Aang wonders excitedly. Kida starts to smile, but it fades when she hears someone else enter the room.

"If who gets married?" Sokka asks. He sits down next to Kida and, despite Katara's warning looks, starts playing with Kida's hair.

"Yue and Kida!" Aang answers. Sokka locks eyes with Kida in a look she can't quite figure out, and he moves a bit away from her.

Sokka clears his throat. "Your date is tonight?"

Kida nods just as Katara finishes her braid. "All done," she informs. Katara makes a mirror by turning water to ice and hands it to Kida. Kida thanks her and Aang says something about how pretty Kida looks, then Katara looks at Sokka pointedly. "Sokka, what do you think?"

Again, he stares at Kida, but this time he smirks and says: "You look better with long hair."

Relieved at his response, Kida pretends to be offended. She throws some snow at him. "Well, you're the one who cut it! What, were you trying to sabotage my date?" Sokka simply shrugs and smiles at her mischievously, throwing some snow back at her. "Unbelievable!" Kida exclaims. She gets up and brushes the snow off her clothes. "I'll see you guys later."

Kida waves goodbye to her friends and makes her way to the bridge.

»»---------------------►

YUE IS ALREADY THERE, WAITING FOR KIDA. Kida thinks that she looks even more breathtaking in the moonlight, if that was even possible.

"Sorry I'm late," she says, leaning against the structure next to Yue. Yue smiles and tucks a stray hair behind Kida's ear.

"It's alright," Yue assures. "I like your hair." Kida smiles.

Yue suggests that the two walk around and talk, which Kida thinks is pretty manageable; she wants to get to know Yue, after all. At first, it's a little awkward, with neither girl not knowing what to say and the conversation not going much beyond small talk. Then, the ice breaks, literally: Kida steps on a frozen puddle and the ice cracks beneath her, momentarily trapping her foot in freezing cold water. Once Yue helps her free, Kida tells her about a time in her childhood when there was a freak snow storm, and since they'd never seen snow, she and her brother stayed outside, but they almost got buried in mountains of snow and froze to death. Their parents had to force them inside and lock the door, and the family spent the rest of the evening cuddled up in front of a fire with hot cups of tea.

"That seems like a very nice memory," Yue notes, smiling at Kida. Kida smiles back shyly.

"What's one of your earliest memories?" Kida asks. Yue hesitates. She sits down on a block of ice and Kida does the same, their knees touching.

"Maybe the first time my parents told me why my hair is white, because when I was younger, I couldn't understand," Yue starts. "When I was born, they say I was asleep. My mother and father tried everything, but the healers said that I was going to die, so they prayed to the Moon Spirit. They dipped me in a sacred pool, my hair turned white, and I started to cry." She looks up at the sky, at the full moon painting the landscape in light. "I think that's why I feel more like myself at night. Like I can be myself, without anyone judging me."

"You deserve to always feel like that," Kida whispers. Yue turns to her. Before Kida can process anything, Yue leans forward and kisses her cheek.

»»---------------------►

THE NEXT WEEKS MOVE LIKE CLOCKWORK. During the day, Kida trains with Sokka and the other warriors; at night, she meets Princess Yue. They spend hours walking around, or sometimes having a midnight picnic. Kida even took Yue up on Appa one night, so they could star-gaze from up high. The next time they met, Yue gifted her a bracelet: a stone engraved with a moon and stars, tied to Kida's wrist with a dark blue ribbon and Kida vowed to never take it off. Every night, Yue would kiss Kida on the cheek and say 'sweet dreams!' before they parted.

For once, Kida starts to feel like a normal teenager, unbothered by wars or prophecies or secrets, and instead getting to spend time with friends and her girlfriend. These were the moments that Kida wanted to freeze and live in forever, those of carefree happiness and fun and love. In truth, Kida never thought that her life would ever be this simple, and soon enough, she realizes that she may have had a point.

Kida waits for Yue on the bridge, which is her first indication that something is wrong since Yue is never late. When she does show up, Yue dodges Kida's greeting and steps back. It's then that Kida sees the tears forming in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Kida whispers, grabbing her hands gently. Still, Yue pulls away in shame.

"My father..." Yue chokes. Unable to find the words, Yue pulls down her jacket to reveal a necklace. A betrothal necklace? Kida wasn't sure. "I was wrong to lead you on."

"Yue, maybe if you talk to your father, he would understand that —"

"This isn't about my father!" Yue shouts. When she sees the hurt in Kida's eyes, she calms down. "I think I may have loved you, but I can't. I'm sorry." Without another word, Yue runs off, leaving Kida alone on the bridge.

Kida walks back to the living quarters she and the team share, confused about what just happened. Did Yue...break up with me? She storms in and flops down onto her sleeping mat next to Sokka. Sighing, Kida replays the moments in her mind, but she gets so angry that she rips off her bracelet and throws it across the room. Thankfully, Katara and Aang don't hear it, but Sokka stirs in his sleep.

"Rough date?" he grumbles, eyes still closed.

Kida turns her body away from him. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

»»---------------------►

author's note: check out my profile for some links to educate yourself about things going on in the world + tangible steps to help (including lebanon and black lives matter)

thanks for reading :)