Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Avatar: The Wind on the Waves ❯ Chapter 9

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Aang was naturally a light sleeper and accustomed to waking long before the rest of the group. Sokka used to complain about being disturbed so early in the day, but as time went on, he found it to be a good thing. After all, it helped them all to get a good head start on the day and make the most of it.

Sokka had left his hair down throughout the night. It had taken quite a bit of scrubbing to get every last bit of air cake out of his hair after Aang had mirthfully plastered him with it. Not that having his hair unbound was a bad thing; he found it more comfortable to sleep without his wolf tail.

Katara had had a contented smile throughout the night. The joy of dancing with Aang at the party carried on into her dreams, and she felt she could never have enough of them. She snuggled deeper into her sleeping bag, unwilling to rejoin the waking world just yet.

The morning after the party commenced with a bang, and not of the good variety. Aang had opened his eyes just in time to see a Fire Nation bomb come hurtling at him. Quick to react, he airbent it safely away from the others, still curled in their beds. More bombs came flying in, and Aang had no time between them to do anything else.

The explosions set everyone into action. Grabbing their things, they hurried to escape. They meant to all rush down a tunnel Toph had made in a temple wall, but Appa would have none of it. Thus, the group was divided in twine with plans to reunite later on.

Leading the assault was Azula, her wicked grin beaming with bloodlust at the group below. Zuko was quick to intercept her, even at the risk of falling to his death. By distracting Azula, Zuko had made it easier for Appa and the others to escape their attackers. In turn, they swooped down to catch him as he and Azula plunged off the sides of an airship. The fire prince scowled as his sister yet again managed to cheat death.

After their escape, the main group set up camp for the night. Zuko was thanked for his help by all—with the exception of Katara. Despite Zuko's help in returning her father to her, she still did not trust him completely. Now that they'd been separated once again, old hostilities crept back in. After a private, angry exchange with the fire prince, Katara had stormed back to camp and to her tent for the night.

Concerned about her negative mood, Aang cautiously made his way to Katara's tent. He peered all around, making sure that Sokka was nowhere to be seen. Satisfied, he asked to come in and she let him.

“What's wrong, Katara?” he asked. “You looked mad when you came back.”

She looked away and snorted sharply through her nose, the angry look still on her face.

“It's Zuko.” She said. “I don't know how the rest of you can trust him so easily, after all that he's done to us.”

“Katara…” Aang tried to make eye contact, but when she was mad, he had learned over time, it was not to be had unless she willingly gave it.

“After hunting us relentlessly, trying to kill us, trying to make up for it helping Ba Sing Se to fall, and THEN coming out of nowhere and asking to join us?” she clenched her teeth and finally turned to Aang. “Don't you think that's just a LITTLE suspicious, Aang?”

“It does. I'm not going to lie. But the truth is, he sounded sincere and Toph confirmed that he was being sincere. He's been helping us out by teaching me firebending, getting Suki and your father out of prison, and fighting off Azula to help us escape today. Yes, he's done us a lot of harm in the past, and now he's trying to make up for it.”

“He's on his second chance. And I think he's trying too hard. What if this is some sort of trick to get our guard down?”

“I really don't think that's the case, Katara. Maybe if you spent time and worked with him like me and Sokka did, maybe you'd at least consider changing your mind.”

“Oh! Right! And by tomorrow, Momo will be earthbending. That sounds likely!”

Aang sighed and shook his head.

“Please, Katara…” he pleaded gently. “At least think about it. Won't you do at least that much? For me?”

She looked at him directly, weary, but unable to say no to his storm gray eyes.

“Fine…” she sighed. “I'll at least think about it.”

A small smile cracked on Aang's face. He planted a quick kiss on her cheek and left.

There was no smile to Katara's face for the remainder of the night. Old memories, stirred by the previous day's conversations, replayed in her dreams. They taunted her remorselessly, rubbing her mother's demise repeatedly in her face.

The snowball fight, the black snow, her mother's final words to her… and that Fire Nation man with the cold, cold eyes…

Something changed in her dream… she moved her arms to waterbend… to stop this horror from becoming reality. But the little arms did nothing, and no water bent to her will…

She bolted up suddenly, coming awake and realizing that she'd been dreaming. Waterbending a mirror from her flask, Katara gazed at her reflection. The face staring back looked tormented and ragged from thrashing throughout the night. Bending it back, she exited her tent.

The last person she had wanted to see first thing in the morning was sitting right outside of her tent. She gave no olive branch and proceeded to brush her hair.

“I know who killed your mother…”

There was a side to Katara, Sokka knew all too well, that was dangerous, and that was when she was mad. Not just angry or irritated, but full-blown furious. In such a mood, Sokka and even the unyielding Toph gave Katara a wide berth. Aang twice attempted to talk her to calmness, but she refused to be dissuaded. The second attempt, however, something in Aang's words had stuck.

“This is a journey you need to take… you need to face this man…”

Katara had anticipated Aang trying to convince her not to seek the murderer out. She had been surprised by his words, but neither said nor showed it.

“… But when you do… please don't choose revenge…”

Wasn't that what this was about…?

“…let your anger out… and then let it go…”

After all of their work tracking the Southern Raiders down, the captain had not been the man they'd been looking for. Perhaps that was a good thing, Katara mentally reasoned as they left the ship. Cooling down from the anti-climactic raid, she realized she would have killed the man had he not been the wrong individual. She had bloodbent him into submission, almost gleefully twisting his limbs painfully against their will. Both of these things she had sworn never to do, and yet in a fit of rage, she had nearly committed both. It terrified her, and her eyes, wet with fury, now trickled with fear of her own temper. When Zuko wasn't looking, she wiped them away.

She hadn't killed him. Perhaps by sheer force of will or utter disgust, Katara had restrained herself. There was a numbness to her mind that she couldn't shake. After she and Zuko had left Yan Ra sobbing pathetically in the rain, Katara realized halfway on their trip back that she needed some time to gather her thoughts. The Fire Prince had insisted they rejoin the others first, but Katara persisted, and so he left her on the docks alone. It didn't take long for Zuko to return though, and he had brought a very worried Aang with him.

Later that evening, Katara was still lost in her own thoughts. She'd nearly missed bending soup to Appa's mouth and it fell to Suki and Sokka to finish the stew she had started cooking. She had even neglected Aang's vegetarian supper, but the Avatar didn't dare bring it up. Besides, as part of some meditation practices long ago, he had had to forego food multiple times, so a little stomach grumble was nothing he was unaccustomed to.

After supper was done and cleaned up, Katara had quietly retreated to her tent for the night. Concerned, Aang approached the tent and knocked lightly on one of the poles.

“Who is it?” she said absently.

“Me.” Aang replied. “Can I come in?”

The door flap was parted from the inside and Aang entered. Katara looked at him, but her eyes were distant. The days events were still plaguing her.

“Do you want to talk?” he said softly.

“Aang… I…” she started, then clenched tightly onto something in her hand. By the deep blue ribbon dangling from her hand, it was clearly her mother's necklace Katara had been clinging to.

“I know it hurts…” he took her clenched fist in his hands. “like boarqupine quills in your chest. And the worst part is that even when it's over, it still hurts.”

Aang felt the splash of hot tears wetting his hands. Giving hers a gentle squeeze, he continued.

“I remember feeling this kind of pain… this kind of rage… and I remember someone telling me that I still had a family even though my first one was gone.”

Katara sniffled, and Aang leaned his forehead in to touch hers. He never let go of her hands, and could feel her trembling.

“Katara… I know… I know that I'm no replacement for your mother or other loved ones that you've lost. But I will tell you the same thing you told me long ago. I will be your family now. Me, Sokka, Toph, Zuko and Suki… and your dad and the others are still out there. You are not alone; we are your family.”

She reached for him suddenly, pulling him into a tight embrace and sobbing into his chest. Aang wrapped his arms protectively around her, stroking her hair as she soaked part of his robe. She had dropped her mother's necklace in the process, but to Aang, this only reinforced that she had understood and accepted his words as truth. Soothingly, he planted soft kisses on her head.

“No one is ever really gone.” Aang shifted slightly with letting go of her. “As long as you remember them…”

His hand positioned itself chastely on her chest, directly over her heart.

“As long as they're right here… they're never really gone…”

Her hand closed over his and held it firmly. That simple, warming touch calmed her and the tears slowed to a stop. It was some time before either of them made a sound.

“Aang…?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you…”

“Are you going to be ok?”

She nodded, and he kissed her forehead again. Then he retrieved the dropped necklace and placed it first in her palm, then thought better to put it back on her. Only when he was tying it did it hit him exactly what he was doing.

“I-I'm…putting it on her…I'm putting an ENGAGEMENT necklace on Katara…!”

He hoped the dim light in the tent hid the startled blush painting his normally pale cheeks. If she had noticed or thought anything of his actions, Katara didn't say anything.

“All set.” He breathed when he was done.

She pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. As much as Aang longed to stare back, he didn't want to risk her seeing his blush.

“I… should go before Sokka shows up…”

“Right…”

One hand went to the tent entrance, but the other reached out to caress her face one more time before Aang took his leave of her for the night. Katara continued to stare at the canvas for a few moments more after Aang left—just in case he came back.

The next morning, at Zuko's suggestion, the group relocated to the last place anyone would have considered safe—the Fire Lord's abandoned summer house. The Fire Prince had to reassure them all repeatedly that no one would even think to come looking for them there. After two tense, restless nights of fearing discovery, the group finally relaxed and settled into their new `camp' site.

On the fourth day there, as Zuko and Aang were finishing up their firebending routine for the morning, Sokka and Suki returned from their trip to the market. Both were very excited and spoke animatedly as Sokka unfurled an advertisement he had tucked under his arm.

“You guys are not going to believe this…”