A/N: This will be the last oneshot I write in a while. I have to write The Cycle chapters and...finally...The Oracle chapters, too. School starts on the Eight of September for me, so I'm not sure how much more I'll get done in the next few weeks. I don't really like this one, but please, please, please review. I will appreciate it Dearly.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it. I do NOT own Permanent, a song by American Idol champion, David Cook.

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Permanent

It was the night of the full moon. Everything that was ever negative about being a waterbender was attacking Katara from every side, I was sure.

It was also the anniversary of the day her mother passed away.

I could only watch her from the ground, my false slumber decieving her. But, did she really think I could sleep when she was feeling this much pain? I heard her muffled, choked sobs in the dead of night every once in a while. They came and went for various reasons, depending on her mood and the situation she found herself in.

Never would I have guessed a moon like this would light up the sky on this particular night. This night, of all nights.

Katara had so many bad dreams. She was awake most twilights through the morn, her tears ripping into me. Sorrow, I could take. I'd dealt with it so much since I came into this new world of war, aggression, and hatred. But her tears... They were like the entire world falling apart between my fingers.

Is this the moment where I look you in the eye?
Forgive my broken promise that you'll never see me cry
And everything, it will surely change
Even if I tell you I won't go away today

I sat up and approached her slowly, as if not to frighten her fragile form. Sensing my footsteps, she turned to me. Even though she knew I was near her, Katara jumped when I put a hand on her shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. I took a seat beside her and she laid her head upon me, her hand clasped over her mouth.

I couldn't help myself. I grasped her wrist with a soft grip and pulled it away from her face, using my other hand to swipe her tears away. Her lip quivered and she shut her eyelids, her teeth glued together in agony.

This was impossible to take. I sensed as a tear graced my own cheek and I put my arms around her, holding her close to let her know nothing would harm her further. There was nothing I could say to ever meet her satisfaction. The liquid that seeped from her eyes on nights like these were not misplaced. They were simply misunderstood. I would be the only one to understand, if I had to, for this kind of pain would not disappear.

Only time could heal these wounds. And I would be there every second of every day until the aching became enough to handle.

Will you think that you're all alone
When no one's there to hold your hand?
When all you know seems so far away
And everything is temporary, rest your head
I'm permanent

It was fate when I found him in that overgrown block of ice. Sure, it was a strange way to meet your best friend, but he was so much more than just that. He was more than a person, even.

I was expecting so much from this twelve-year-old boy, it ached. He had a lot of weight on his shoulders, though it was respectable that he, as the Avatar, could do it all.

What I didn't realize, however, was that this twelve-year-old boy was still just a twelve-year-old boy. The pressure was barely enough to handle. Aang was probably the most leveled and contained person I met in all my life, but even he wasn't ready for the fast paced motion he was expected to keep.

He stood on the edge of the lift as the train departed behind us. The sky was a bright blue with the sun beaming through the small puffy clouds surrounding it and the vast city before us was possibly the largest on the planet. It just kept going, as far as the eye could see, until finally it met the tiny wall on the other side.

"I have so much to do," he spoke as I came up beside him. His eyes refused to lock onto mine, though I stared right at him.

"Aang..." I reached down for his hand, but he turned away and tears came to my eyes. "You're not alone." Standing dumbfoundedly, I watched him step down on the first step, pause, then continue.

I know he's living in hell every single day
And so I ask, oh God is there some way for me to take his place?
And when they say it's all touch and go
I wish I could make it go away but still you say

I dashed by both Sokka and Toph, who were walking toward where Aang just stood, and stopped the airbender from proceeding any further.

"I thought you were alright, Aang," I dwelled, refusing to let the conversation end at his will.

"I am."

His voice somehow came back to the unemotional state it was right after he lost Appa. Knowing the delicacy of the position it put him in, I tried to comfort him, but it seemed to work for only a short amount of time. "No, you're not," I replied. He glared at me. "You're not okay."

The sigh he released forced me to believe he was ready to snap.

"Please..." I just didn't understand why he put himself back into this trance. He was fine moments ago... "Aang, are you in there?!"

The boy stared at the ground.

"Katara! This is me. Don't you see?" He put his arm out as if exhibiting the city to me. "My bison is here. Which means, some theives somehow brought him here. This whole place is being destroyed inside out, like the rest of the world!" Aang shook his head. "I can't keep goofing around, Katara. There's so much to do and I'm running out of time. Without Appa, this whole mission is put on hold. People are dying!"

Will you think that you're all alone
When no one's there to hold your hand?
When all you know seems so far away
And everything is temporary, rest your head
I'm permanent, I'm permanent

I opened my mouth to speak, but only let out a tired breath, blinking away my emotions.

"That's what I thought," he complied and continued down the stone stairs.

Is this the moment where I look you in the eye?
Forgive my promise that you'll never see me cry

I won't let Katara down...

...Just don't forget that I'm here for you, Aang.