Lost in the Void
"Looks like he is not coming for you. You're all alone. Your friends are dead, and your pathetic cause has failed." – Kataang Week! Day 6 – Nightmares. One-shot. Rated T for dark themes. Please R&R.
Kataang week
Prompt: Nightmares
Day: 6
Words: 3700
Rated T for dark themes
Wew! Kataang week day 6 (probably posting this too early or too late I don't know, hooray Australia)! Thanks again for all the support guys, you have no idea how much it helps to know that people enjoy what you create (or maybe you do if you also write stories and omg I'll stop now). This was an interesting one to write because it is so much… darker… than my previous stories – I mean Waterfall Dance, for example, was so light and fluffy and I'm going to get emotional again, but this one is just.. ;_; very hard to write because I was scared about becoming too dark – and then it'd just seem nonsensical and unrealistic to the show and its characters. But this is fanfiction for a reason, and the fluff must go on! I hope you guys enjoy this one and all the other entries for Kataang Week – Nightmares :3.
Disclaimer: I haven't happened upon a genie yet to grant me my wish to become Bryke. So for now, I don't own ATLA or its characters - for now o_o
Edit: Sorry guys for the late KW upload. This story was completely done and ready to go but some personal life stuff happened and I kind of ended up in bed for most of the week :/. Anyway, here it is, 5 days late. Hope you guys enjoy.
"What? Why would I let go of Katara? I – I love her!" Aang looked up at Guru Pathik in despair. He could feel his heart ache, beating a hundred miles a minute beneath his exposed chest. Aang never disclosed about his feelings for Katara directly before, and now he didn't know whether it was the adrenaline, the concept, or the onion and banana juice that was making his stomach sick.
"Learn to let her go, or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe" Guru Pathik responded – a strong yet somehow sympathising look in his old eyes.
"Why would I chose cosmic energy over Katara? How could it be a bad thing that I feel an attachment to her? Three Chakras ago that was a good thing!" The Avatar started to feel hot, waving his arms around in desperation.
"You must learn to let go".
"I'm sorry, but I can't let go of Katara" Aang stated sternly.
"Aang, to master the Avatar State, you must open all the Chakras – Surrender yourself". A defeated breath left the lungs of the young boy as he realized that there was no besting his company. The world needs him – needs the Avatar. And the Avatar needs the Avatar State.
"Okay – I'll try…" he replied in a surrender. Aang repositioned himself into a meditating position and shut his eyes.
"Now think of your attachments, and let them go. Let the pure cosmic energy flow."
….
Aang felt himself leave his body – as if he weren't part of the world anymore. He averted his gaze from himself and looked up toward the celestial lights above him, dancing in beautiful and unearthly colours. Just as a bright warmth lay before him, beckoning him closer, a fearful voice shrieked out in the distance behind him, causing Aang to spin around in horror. It was her voice – Katara's voice!
"No! Let me go!" the silhouette cried as it was dragged away. Aang screamed her name and ran towards the quickly fading image, tears falling out the slits of his tightly shut eyes. He felt the ground beneath him begin to crumble and give way, causing Aang to fall – reaching up in an ill attempt to grab at the barely visible illusion. He can't fail her. He can't lose her.
….
Aang's eyes shot open as his breathing increased from a calm meditative rhythm to a panic-struck one. Katara's frightened voice was still piercing his ears like a knife-sharp ember cutting into his soul.
"Katara is in danger! I have to go!" Aang pushed himself up to stand and ran down the stairs to Appa without waiting for a response from the Guru he almost forgot about.
"No Aang, by choosing attachment, you have locked the Chakra, if you leave now, you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all!" a voice called back – the panic in it barely comparable to the one felt in the young Avatars heart. Aang took a quick glance back, analyzing the desperateness in the old man's eyes. He knew the consequences of his actions – he knew that the Avatar State would be unreachable and that defeating Fire Lord Ozai would be next to impossible without it, but Aang would give up everything for Katara, including the Avatar state, and his life.
Aang's world turned black and fuzzy as he spun away from Guru Pathik and bolted toward Appa – hardly taking the strange occurrence on board. The next thing that came definably apparent to the Airbender was an unfathomable heat circulating around his hunched over body. A solid layer of rock surrounded him as he pressed himself against it – sweating profoundly with clenched and exhausted muscles. His lungs felt constricted, with the small amount of air passing through smelling of a burnt, decaying scent which left an ashy residue at the back of his throat. Fear bet through Aang's racing heart and the strain on fresh scaring, causing it to crack and bleed, was the least bit ignorable. A loud crack thundered beyond the perimeter of the rock ball and the temperature increased. Aang bit his lip and pressed himself harder against the earth around him. A faint laugh penetrated into his audible space as another pressure of force and heat was tested against him. Aang could feel that the spherical rock wouldn't last much longer, nor would he.
The next attack took longer than the previous two and Aang opened his eyes long enough in curiosity to be taken aback by the sheer firepower that stuck him at that exact moment, disintegrating the rock and leaving the Avatar exposed. Despite being quick enough to bend a shield of air to avoid being absolutely obliterated, Aang's strength was outmatched by his opponent, pushing the Airbender violently against the rock pillar behind him. The surface was smoother than he anticipated – and for some unconceivable reason that evaded his mind, an expected jar of earth failed to be present in a rather particular position. Aang felt himself collapse to the ground as a crumble of rocks blanketed over him.
"Come on out, little boy," an older, fierce voice roared beyond the covering, "you're about to be reunited with your fellow Airbenders!" A hand reached between the rocks and grabbed the Avatar's arm, pulling him out and pinning him to the pillar he previously hit. Aang looked up exasperatedly at the muscular man before him – Strong in features and fierce in determination, a cruel smirk washed against Ozai's face. Aang could feel his eyes growing heavy as his limbs went from tingly to numb. At first, all he could think was how he had failed the world, how the Fire Lord had won and how all of his efforts – his friend's sacrifices – were in vain. His friends. Katara. Aang's breath hitched as a tear fell from his eyes. Aang thrashed out his free arm in an attempt to airbend at the Fire Lord, however, the Avatar's movability and speed was so sloppy, it was easily blocked. Fire Lord Ozai let out a humoured chuckle as Aang's free arm flopped to his side and head fell.
"And so ends the Airbenders." The Firebender whispered. Aang let his eyes droop as the vision of the Fire Lord's next action became blurry and incomprehensible. Nothing ran through Aang's mind as he lost all feeling in his body and his senses faded - only Katara's face, her voice, her touch, her taste, occupied and comforted him as the world descended into nothingness.
The faint uprising of explosive noises gradually caught on Aang's attention. He slowly moved his hands away from his face and when they came into focus, he observed that they had a transparent blue tinge to them. Aang looked up his forearm and down at the rest of his body – transparent blue. He fell to his knees. Aang was in the spirit world, or better yet, the spirit curtain of the real world. Aang took in his surroundings, the sky was lit with a brilliant orange hue, indicating Sozin's Comet was still in effect. Ruined, but standing, Fire Nation buildings stood around him. Aang noticed that the scorch marks from each damaged structure revealed that the origin of each blast came from a mutual location. As Aang ran through the streets, following the marks, he noticed that the area was completely abandon. Whether citizens had fled, were all fighting in the Fire Nation Army (unlikely), or were hiding in their homes, Aang was completely unsure. He quickly discovered, however, that an arena lay just a small way from him, where bursts of red and blue fire danced and twisted in the sky. Deducing that the unique blue flame belonged to the Fire Princess, Azula, and hence, opposing her was Zuko, the damage obviously was a consequence of the power they gained from Sozin's Comet.
The Avatar sprinted toward the building, climbing the arena stairs and caught himself on one of the stone pillars. In the duration it took him to reach his location, the red fire was ceased by a brilliant clap of blue light. However, the blue fire still continued afterward and now the area looked completely flooded. The first person who came visible to Aang was a collapsed figure in the middle of the vicinity. Tattered clothes revealed charred skin and a still chest caused a lump to heap in Aang's throat. The Airbender screamed out to Zuko and ran towards him, collapsing by his body and placing his hands across the teenager's chest. Something was there, a faint heat, a weak heart rhythm. Aang looked around desperately. Where was Azula?
As if on cue, a cackle came from behind the two boys and Aang twisted around on his hunches to see the Fire Princess jump down from a canopy, gaze directed toward a set of pillars to his left. Azula's footwork staggered along slightly as she took a few steps before shooting a blaze of fire toward one of them, causing a silhouetted figure to run out from behind the cover to the opening where they sat. Her clothes were scorched at the hems and her hair fell messily down her back. Katara. All Aang's thoughts and memories suddenly came crashing upon him at that very moment. What was happening, what had happened – to him, where he was, and why. One of his hands shot to the ground in order to stabilise himself. She looked weak, and broken. She was exhausted but fighting because Katara was the strongest person Aang knew.
"Katara!" Aang shouted out to her, ignoring the fact he knew she couldn't see or hear him. "Katara, please!" He pushed from his position and ran to her, desperately trying to cling to her shoulders or pull her away. Katara's legs were visibly shaking and Azula's monologuing revealed the energy she still had available – energy that Katara didn't look able to match. Aang could feel his eyes brimming with tears, the repetition of his failure echoing in his mind's ear. "Please!" Aang fell to his knees again and cupped his face to his hands. He felt a shift near him and looked up as Katara changed locations and defended against a blast of fire.
"You can continue to run, Water Tribe peasant, but sooner or later you will no longer be able to!" Azula laughed as she mimicked Katara's movements and shot another blast of fire to her next anticipated location. Katara's feet relocated at the last second, however, it costed her her balance and she fell to the floor, rolled along, and quickly pushed herself up, dousing Azula's next attack with a wave of water. Azula grunted and jetted towards Katara while shooting quick balls of fire as the Waterbender used a stream of water to boost herself up onto one of the buildings' rooves. Katara retaliated quickly as she ran along the tiling, firing back three whips of water, one to break Azula's jet, one to slap her off balance, and the last to freeze her against the ground. Despite the first two shots hitting as intended, Azula's unpredictable movements meant that she fell differently than expected – and recovered quicker than Katara could recalculate her next move. Azula shot a slice of fire toward the pillars below Katara, causing the whole lining to collapse, taking the Waterbender down with it. Azula threw quick shots at the wreckage as Katara hustled to get out as quick as she could, the last shot hitting her in the calf causing her to fall to the ground in a scream of agony.
"No!" Aang ran to Katara's side and tried to help her – tried to do anything. Katara's eyes were swollen and wet and her leg was severely burnt. She looked up at the Fire Princess as she laughed and walked towards the incapacitated Water Tribe girl. Katara tried to get up and whip Azula's feet out from under her, but her injured leg made for barely a stance and the move had little effect of even reaching Azula. Katara collapsed to the ground again as Azula bent down and held her chin up with a single finger.
"Pathetic Water Tribe peasant. Who are you to even think of being able to match the Fire Lord?"
"A-Aang… Aang will defeat you." A whimper of a noise came out of Katara as Azula's nail dug under her chin, drawing blood.
"Oh, poor girl. Didn't you know? The Avatar is dead." If Katara felt any grievance or shock, her face failed to show any signs of it. She stared directly at Azula rather than cowering her face away. The intense stare-down made Azula obviously agitated and she pushed Katara back onto the rubble. "You don't believe me? What do I care?!" Azula laughed manically, "The Avatar has been defeated, and now, so have you." Katara had fallen on her stomach and had now proceeded to push herself up. Aang ran to her side and knelt beside her, wishing to the heavens that he could do something – screaming her name, yelling threats at Azula, trying to airbend – everything he did achieved nothing.
Azula looked down on the struggling Waterbender, and as Katara was about to stand up, she kicked under her belly, causing Katara to fall over onto her back. As Katara's head hit the rubble, causing her to cry in pain, Azula shot a ball of fire a few centimetres from where her head lay, singeing off the hair on her right side. Katara screamed and held a hand against her ear, tears rolling down her face. She yelled out Aang's name, her voice catching in the process, and let out a quiet sob which was drowned by Azula's pleasured giggle. Aang could feel the streams of water rolling down his cheeks, which soon turned to rage as he threw punches at Azula – obviously none affecting her. Azula sighed and looked at Zuko who still lay unconscious behind her. She turned back toward Katara and considered her. She bent down and picked up Katara by the shoulder and pushed her toward Zuko – the Waterbender running a few steps from momentum before collapsing.
"It looks like your 'boyfriend' needs you. Go on, heal him." Despite the direness of the situation, Aang's face still managed to grimace in a childish fashion at Azula's implication. By the time Aang finished glared at Azula in hatred, he noticed Katara had begun crawling toward the practically lifeless figure before her. Aang could hear her still sobbing – sometimes words of strength to herself, but the times when he heard his name in her tear-filled words, he could feel his chest tighten and his vision blur from tears. Nothing Ozai or anything anyone has ever done to him was ever as painful as what he was filling inside now. Aang believed his limbs were being ripped apart and sown back together. His head was faint and throbbing, and his heart was like a million knives stabbing his chest with every beat. As soon as Katara reached Zuko, she propped herself up and wiped away her tears. She managed to bend some water that lay nearby, but before it reached its destination – the water splashed to the ground. Katara screamed as Azula began to lift her up by the rest of the Waterbender's hair, laughing at the cries of pain that escaped her victim's lips. Katara thrashed around and tried to hit Azula but they were blocked easily with one move of the wrist. Azula threw Katara to the ground, away from Zuko's body and knelt beside her.
"Where is your precious Avatar now?" she whispered. "Looks like he is not coming for you. You're all alone. You're friends are dead, and your pathetic cause has failed." Azula pulled Katara up to her knees – no longer did the Waterbender stare her opponent down, but her eyes fell to the floor.
"Aang would never fail, no matter what happens to me, he will find you." Katara held back the sobs as she delivered the threat, but her words held little strength – it was obvious to all that watched her crumble.
"No surprise that a Water Tribe simpleton like you would be oblivious to acknowledging inferiority. You can wish away all the pathetic fantasies you want, but in the end, my father has succeeded, I have succeeded. And you? You and your silly little group don't have to worry your little heads about what will happen to your precious 'world' after the Comet – because you won't be with them to share it." At the last word, Katara kicked Azula's legs from under her and pushed herself away, half crawling, half running towards where Aang stood. Aang reared back for a moment, shocked as she had looked straight at him – the beautiful sapphire in her eyes clouded by shock and fear. Their whites stained red. Azula screamed in anger as she pushed herself up and fired a sea of blue flames at the escaping girl. Aang stared in frozen horror as Katara's face almost pressed against his before his ears stung with the bloodcurdling scream that left the Waterbender's throat as she was engulfed in flames.
Aang's eyes shot open as he hurled himself up screaming. Tears rolled down his face and his chest heaved and ached and burnt but no air seemed to get into them. Taking in his surroundings, Aang soon realised he was in a bed – his bed. Turning to the left, the spot beside him was empty and neat. Panic rose in Aang's chest as he squinted around the poorly moonlit room.
"Katara…" He mumbled at first, his voice weak and foreign. "Katara!" Aang airbent the sheets off his body and semi-flew to the door, struggling with the handle through his tears, finally managing it, running through the hallway and then jumping down the railings to the first floor. The house was dark and quiet, and with his earthbending, he couldn't see anyone in the house. Something was wrong though, the vision was blurry and unreliable. Aang's heartbeat began racing even faster as he checked the guest area, meeting room and lounge. Eventually Aang stumbled into the kitchen, his knees giving way and his eyesight practically blinded by tears. Collapsed on the ground, all Aang could hear was a ringing white noise as a blurry shaded figure ran towards him. At first, Aang reared against the wall in fear, unprepared for an attack and completely vulnerable. However, the ringing soon died down and made way for a quiet voice which belonged to a hand wiping the tears from his eyes.
"What's wrong sweetie?" It spoke. Familiar – Aang palmed away the remaining tears and looked up to the face near his. "What happened?" Above him, a copper face looked down at him with kind – but worried, features. Her eyes gleamed with the vibrancy of a deep ocean and her scent smelt of flowers and fruit. Even her voice was like a hand reassuring his heart; how it calmed the storm in his eyes and the throb in his head. Aang let out a sob and threw himself around his crouched down companion, causing them both to fall to the floor behind Katara.
"Aang – Aang! Heavens!" She yelped, sitting up and struggling to breathe against his death-grip hug.
"I thought… I thought…" Aang mumbled, burying his face in her hair. Katara sighed at the sudden excitement and thumbed the back of her husband's neck, where she knew he liked it.
"It was just a nightmare, sweetie. It's okay." Aang pulled away from Katara and stared into her eyes. Her hair was pinned behind her head and her belly was plump from the baby which she was carrying. She wore a simple blue nightgown which did wonders to her features, and her skin seemed to glow radiantly in the candle which was lit at some unknown point. The Waterbender stared back with the love and compassion which made his heart melt each time she laid her eyes on him. He scooted slightly closer to her and wrapped his arms gently around her body and pressed his lips against hers. She felt warm and sweet against him as Aang let all his fears and worries slip away. The way she stroked his cheek with her thumb, and her hand, curling around his neck and sliding down his chest; it gave him tingles. How could someone love him the way she loves him? How could there be wrong in the world when someone could feel this love? He sighed into her mouth and slowed the kiss, pressing his forehead against hers as they sat clumsily on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night. Their sanity would definitely be questioned if someone were to walk in.
After a few moments of silent embrace, Katara was the first to speak.
"I'm sorry for frightening you. The baby was kicking and I couldn't sleep, so I decided to make a lemon tart but I needed some ingredients from outside, so I mustn't have heard you come downstairs" she whispered.
"It's not your fault at all, sweetie. I just… It doesn't matter now, you're safe and that's all I care about" Aang replied, nuzzling her neck. Katara hummed at the contact. She wished dearly that he hadn't had to go through whatever dream had made him suffer so, however, the intimate moment they now shared on the floor – she hadn't contested so much; for it were times like this when she felt her eyes brim with tears and her heart sore with happiness. She could live her entire life her, her entire existence, pressed up against this man whom loved her just as much as she loved him. And she would fight til her last breath to make sure that nothing, not even whatever happens in his nightmares, would ever harm him.
A/N: For some people who may be confused, the italics are a nightmare Aang is having (prompt = nightmare, connecting the dots?). So, for the italics that aren't accurate within the show, for example, Aang's death, then his witnessing, through the spirit world, of Katara being defeated by Azula, are all consequences of his fear of failure and his fear of not being there to save the one he loves. They didn't happen. Obviously he woke up and realised it was all an unpleasant dream and that his Forever Girl is still okay, but I really like to think that Aang is still haunted by the concept of him failing against Ozai, seeing as that was such a big obstacle for him during Books 2 and 3.
Also, I know I made Katara seem kind of weak when I KNOW she is way more bad ass than I depicted – but, like I said, all a nightmare. I really wanted to bring out Aang's fear on not being able to save her when she needed him, and hence her strength had to be compromised.
Like I said, this one was kind of hard to write because I was torn between sticking closer to the themes of the show, and trying for something darker, without compromising the characters' canon personalities – Azula was obviously the hardest. Anyway. Hope you guys enjoyed this one, I def enjoyed writing that little fluff at the end – but am unsure of whether I should end this ridiculously long A/N with a winky face for kataang fluff times, or my typical crying face because that's literally all I do – is cry. Okay, I got it. Bye friends! ;'T
KATAANG WEEK WOOOOHHH