Hey guys, this is my old story, The Message. I'm sorry for everyone that read this and then it disappeared, but I am reposting it on this account. I really liked this story, and I really hope you guys don't hate me. But I'm publishing the chapters as we speak, and am changing things around here and there. This story was old, and I am rewriting it on my laptop for safekeeping. Maybe the chapters can be a smidge longer. Ok, here you guys go. Chapter one!

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA but this story is mine, I made this concept up. Please do not steal it. I'm being serious.

The spirit crawled around, the sound of its many legs colliding with the floor of the cave sent chills through the visitor's body. But he was more than careful not to show emotion, for the warning Avatar Roku had spoken was present in his mind.

"Don't show emotion, none at all… For if you do, he will steel your face," he had warned the young air bender. The memory faded from his mind and he glanced at the spirit, its long body curling up the wall of the cave.

"So, what do I owe the delightful visit to young Avatar?" the spirit asked, circling around him; keeping his face away from the boy's eyes. Water dripped from the ceiling, splashing down to the boy's robes. The air was damp and the cave was cold; all he could hear was his own heart beat racing.

"You know very well why I am here, Koh," Aang spoke, sounding like the life and joy in him had been drained long ago.

"I see, you want her back. Do you not?"

"You know that I do!" Aang yelled, balling his fists up at his sides. As soon as the words passed his lips he clamped a hand over his mouth, and Koh whirled around, their faces almost touching. The spirit's face had changed from that of an ancient animal to the very girl Aang had come back to save. But the monk's emotion had disappeared before Koh got a glance.

"Well I'm afraid, you're out of luck. You see, once I have taken a face, I can't give it back. Besides, why would I give away a piece of my collection, something you hold so dear?" the spirit hissed. The face matched that of his teacher, but the voice matched something straight from hell. She blinked, smiling sweetly at him before the face changed again. "That would be foolish of me. It tears you apart; I can see that. And that, young Avatar, will be your downfall."

Aang awoke with a gasp, panting furiously. He sat up on his elbows, and frantically looked around for the girl Koh said he'd taken away. But she wasn't gone; she was asleep on the other side of the died-down fire. He caught his breath, and hoped he hadn't woken anyone up. They needed rest, for the next few weeks would be pure training for the battle. Aang would think about it, but it would cause his nerves to bawl up and he'd get scared at the thought. That he would have to face Firelord Ozai.

Zuko would make him do drills every morning, and to be honest, it was starting to ware Aang out. If he kept this intense training up much longer, he would never have the strength to face Ozai, let alone defeat him. Aang shook any thought out of his mind that had started to spin. He got up and walked away from the three tents that were set up and past Appa and Momo, giving them a quick ruffle of the fur before he made it to the stream.

He sat down crisscrossed, putting his fists together and letting his eyes slide shut. Aang took a deep breathe in, and let the air out. Since he was already up, he decided it'd be good to meditate. Hopefully it would get his head on straight. His mind traveled to another place, and he felt that he was leaving the physical world. He could almost see the roots covering the spirit ground, that is, until his ears perked up at the sound of ruffling leaves. His eyes shot open, and his hands left their position to the ground below, feeling the vibrations of footsteps. They were light on their feet, and they were getting closer. Aang got up from his seated position, and stood his ground, ready to attack if it was a Fire Nation soldier. The leaves of the bushes were pulled back, and the figure wasn't of the Fire Nation as Aang had thought. But it was Katara.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, and Aang's stance faltered and his hands dropped to his sides.

"I thought you were an enemy."

"It's late, you need to sleep," she said, rubbing her eyes until her vision was clear.

"I couldn't, did I wake you?" Aang asked.

"Well, no. But you weren't there and I got worried. Are you alright?" she asked, her unmade hair falling around her face.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking," he lied. She stood there for a moment, watching him before she sighed.

"You can tell me if something's bothering you, you know that… right?" she asked, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a faint smile. His eyes bore into hers for the longest time, until he returned to reality.

"I know; I'm fine. Really."

Are you sure, you seem really stressed out. Everything's going to be fine, I promise," Katara said, reassuring him as usual, something she'd always been able to do.

"I'm not sure, what if I lose? What will everyone do? The worlds counting on me to restore balance, but I don't think I can do it," Aang said, shaking his head and turning away from her. Katara kneeled beside him, her hand finding his shoulder again.

"I know you can. You've been preparing for this for so long, and you've grown so much. You're the strongest, bravest person I know. You can do it," she said, and she met his eyes. Katara smiled at him, which Aang returned. Those words rang in his head; she had said that to him before. On the day of the invasion, but she was wrong. He had let the world down, and all of those people… She stood up and held out a hand for him to stand.

"Now, all you have to do is believe in yourself." That was different; she never said that, not until now.

"Thank you, Katara," Aang said, taking her hand and standing up.

"Lets get back to camp, you need all the rest you can get," she said, heading back to camp the way she came, Aang following her trail through the tree line.

Ok, chapter one. I edited, and added on this. Hope you guys liked it.