Dawn of a New Prince (Star Wars/Avatar Crossover)

Katara hugged Aang and kissed him on the forehead. "Don't worry about him," she said. "Sokka is overprotective, but I think he would understand. And I think you are the only boy he would ever allow near me," she chuckled. "Besides, it is my choice, and I choose you."

***

"We'll do whatever it takes," said Toph, in response to Pathik. She squeezed Sokka's hand, smiling lightly.

Sokka smiled back at Toph, squeezing her hand back even as his mouth hung open at Katara and Aang's conversation.

"Wait... You two? Together? Now?" Sokka asked, stunned. He looked over at Toph, "Did you know about this?"

"Maybe," said Toph. She sighed. "C'mon, you did do, you dope. It's obvious they're stupid for each other."

Aang

Aang blushed and hugged Katara back. After a moment he leaned up and boldly kissed her on the lips for a second. He pulled back as his face grew to a more crimson shade. He really hoped Sokka wasn't going to kill him now...

"So, ah, can we continue with moving on to the last chakra?" Aang asked, hoping to change the subject quickly.

"Well, now that you mention it..." Sokka noted, remembering all the times Aang and Katara hugged or were touchy-feeling as well as all the times Aang just stared at Katara. He grimaced, "I feel stupid."

Then Aang kissed Katara and Sokka lunged at him, only to be restrained by Pathik. He struggled with the old man, but he couldn't break free. Pathik, meanwhile, waited for Sokka to calm down. Soon enough, Sokka gave up and the Guru let him go.

"Yes. I think it's time we did that. Meditate on your attachments and focus on not letting your emotions cloud your judgement. I think you should do this at least once a day," Pathik told them, closing his own eyes.

Katara glared at Sokka. "Yes. I think that is a good idea. We should probably start now," she said.

She thought her brother could do with some meditation dealing with not allowing his emotions to make an ass out of himself. If she and Aang wanted to kiss, they would kiss. She didn't need Sokka's permission!

Toph looked incredibly amused.

Sokka sighed, closing his eyes. He couldn't do anything now, but he would have a serious talk with his sister and Aang after this. For example, Aang hadn't asked his permission to date his sister! Unknown to him, however, he still hadn't let go of Toph's hand.

"Think of it this way, Sokka," said Toph, grinning. "Twinkle Toes is a monk. It's not like he'll try anything really serious with your powder-puff of a sister."

"We can hear you!" snapped Katara. "And you're just making it worse, Toph!"

Toph ignored her, closing her eyes. She wanted to open this last chakra.

Aang

Aang looked over nervously at Sokka before he settled into meditative state, taking the advice Roku had given to heart. The world around the Avatar started to fade, and Aang found himself inside a great void. Below, he could see the outlines of some sort of strange object...but his attention on the object was broken as a large, imposing figure appeared before him. The figure, oddly enough, looked like a larger vision of him, but yet at the same time...it wasn't him. A series of steps toward the giant appeared soon after and Aang cautiously began the journey to reach the figure.

Aang finally reached the end of the steps, and now noticed an orb of some type between the giant's hands. The Avatar felt oddly compelled to step inside the orb, and did so. An indescribable power surged through him as he stepped in. Thousands of images flashed through his mind, of all the past Avatars in the Avatar State, each of them doing various bending moves, many he had never even seen before. But as the images passed through his eyes, Aang gained an immediate understanding of each move, and knew that he could do any of them without really trying. In fact, at that moment it felt as if the Avatar could do anything he wanted, no matter what the whim was, with just a single thought.

This, this raw power, it was unlike anything he had ever dreamed of wielding before. And he could do whatever he wanted with this power. Help defeat Vader and Ozai, bring balance to the Four Nations. Or, if he wanted to, easily destroy anyone who got in his way, take the Four Nations and put them under his heel. Bring true Balance to this world as its ruler. With this unlimited power, Aang knew he could do almost anything he wanted. Whether it be good her bad, he could make it happen. Anything...

Suddenly his eyes opened, and Aang found himself floating mid-air, in the Avatar State. Except...instead of feeling like the usual detachment he felt in the State, as if he were watching another's actions...Aang felt in control. He was actually controlling the Avatar State for once, and not the other way around! And the power...the strength he felt right now, it almost made him feel like a....a....

God.

With that single thought his concentration was broken, and Aang fell back to the earth. He landed in a heap, not far away from the Guru and the others. Aang winced at the pain he felt and gently rubbed his head, but his thoughts were far away from the pain he felt. Dimly, he noted that a few hours must have passed, since the sun was almost about to set.

"Aang? Aang, are you okay?"

Katara crouched close to Aang, helping the young Avatar to sit up. It had been some time since they had fallen into their meditative stances. Her own mind was buzzing and her body was sore.

She ignored this, in favor of checking on the young Avatar.

Sokka could only gape as, after hours of glowing and floating above the ground, Aang's arrows suddenly dimmed and he fell to the ground. He was relieved, however, when he saw that he was under Katara's care.

"I'm... not even going to pretend there is a logical explanation to this," he noted, trying not to sound like he was in shock.

Pathik, meanwhile, watched the young Avatar, awe written all over his face. Never, in all his years, had he felt such raw power, not even when he glimpsed Palpatine's darkness in his travels through the Spirit World. It was like there were thousands of powerful Jedi combining their power and yet, it was different. He could detect... the very spirit of the planet itself. Was that what the Avatar was, the vessel of the very planet they walked across? If so, did that mean the planet itself was sentient.

"Wonderous, is the Force. Always something new, there is," Pathik muttered, remembering a lesson from Yoda long ago, back when he was a youngling.

"Life would be boring if that wasn't the truth," said Toph. She stood, stretching her sore arm and legs. "So he has it now? Twinkle Toes can use his mojo?"

Aang

"I-I'm fine. I think, anyway." Aang murmured to Katara. He shook his head as he tried to grasp what had just occurred.

"I...I think I understand now. Why I'm the Avatar." Aang said.

"Oh?" Katara smiled. "That's great! But I'm just glad you're okay."

Aang

"The power that I felt..." Aang went on, as if he hadn't heard Katara. "It was...overwhelming. At that moment, I felt like I could do anything I wanted. I...I knew that with a single thought, I could kill all of you, so easily. I could do whatever I wanted with the strength the Avatar State granted me. Anything....but that's why I'm the Avatar. I know that I can't do whatever I want with that power. I know that I need to keep myself in check, and that I can never become that which I fight against. I was chosen to be the next Avatar because the Spirit knew I would never abuse its power. It knew that almost anyone would use that power for their own gains."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Pathik told Aang with a proud smile, "You fight against the Sith and the Galactic Empire now. People like Vader and his Master would do anything for ultimate power. Only someone with a pure heart and unbendable will can defeat them."

"Wait, what spirit? You mean Roku?" Sokka asked, curious despite himself.

Aang

"No, the Avatar Spirit itself. The...original Avatar, I guess you could say." Aang said. "It's still all very....confusing, but I think I just took an important step. I haven't mastered the Avatar State yet, but I have taken a big leap toward doing that."

"And you will master it. I know you will," said Katara, hugging him. If anyone could, it was Aang. She had all the faith in the world in him. "But first, let's get some rest. We've all had a long, hard day."

Toph shrugged, rubbing her maimed arm. It was weird, but... It wasn't hurting her as much. Maybe all this chakra clearing had helped?

"Agreed," Sokka told his sister, standing up and stretching a bit, blushing when he realized he had been holding Toph's hand for the whole time.

"He's still not sleeping near you, now that you two are together or whatever," he told his sister.

Pathik smiled and nodded at Aang as he congratulated Aang before the Water Siblings could start arguing, "You've done very well.

Aang

"Thanks." Aang told the Guru. He looked toward Sokka with a somewhat puzzled look.

"Why would that be a problem?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah, yeah, congratulations." Toph smirked at Aang. "But don't think this gets you out of training, Twinkle Toes. You still suck when it comes to earthbending."

"Toph!" snapped Katara. And to Sokka, she added, "It won't be a problem, Sokka. Aang would never take advantage of me. You should know that!"

Aang

"Uh, 'take advantage of of'?" Aang repeated, looking strangely at Katara and Sokka. "I'm not sure I follow...."

((Oh Aang, you and your naivety...))

(LOL. Poor kid.)

"Wait..." Sokka stated with a frown before a disturbing thought came to mind. Slowly and a little fearfully, he asked, "Aang, do you know where babies come from?"

Aang

"Um....no, not really. That's a bit of an odd question, but I've never really thought about it." Aang said with a perplexed expression. "Why does that matter?"

Sokka looked at Katara, all but panicking, "Well... You're his girlfriend. I think you should be the one to tell him."