Superman

By YoungGrasshopper7

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

Aang stared into the remnants of the fire in the uncomfortable darkness. It was, once again, the young Airbender's turn to stay up through the night and keep the fire alive. He was the only one awake; Sokka snored lightly every so often and Katara rolled onto her stomach and smiled in her sleep…and all was quiet. Quiet makes you listen. Quiet gives you time to think. On nights like this, bittersweet memories of Aang's past haunted him in a way he just couldn't explain…how his own friends rejected him, how the monks that raised him suddenly disapproved of him, and how he was abruptly thrust from childhood to adulthood in a matter of seconds.


I'm more than a bird…I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me

He suddenly realized how high the campfire had become, so Aang poked it with a nearby stick. The flames seemed to laugh at his attempt to keep it from spreading. I am more powerful than you, the fire crackled and hissed. I am unstoppable. I am an element that cannot be controlled! Without water, you're as good as dead, aren't you? …Aang felt his mind playing tricks on him, and bended some water out of the jug and onto the fire with a swift movement of his hands, just to keep that image out of his head and to stifle the flames. I must be crazy, the Airbender wearily thought.


Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see

Aang knew he had promised Katara that he would think no more about what would've happened if he had stayed at the Air Temple, but the thought nagged at his mind every so often. Curiosity was his weakness. He felt like falling apart when he remembered his best friends that lived at the Temple, how he trained alongside with them almost every day, what secrets he shared at night, and what fears he confided. One boy confidently told Aang that he would "cross his heart and hope to die" if Aang told him his secret. Little did they know that the phrase would soon come true.


It may sound absurd…but don't be naive
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed…but won't you concede
Even Heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me

Aang looked over at his sleeping companions. He noticed that Katara's smile still remained on her face. Wonder what she could be dreaming about…he thought to himself.


Up, up and away…away from me
It's all right…You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy…or anything…

Pulling his knees to his chest and exhaling deeply, Aang felt unexplainably alone. It was a sensation of pure emptiness. It was a feeling he had sometimes, but couldn't describe when he sought advice. This always happened when he was awake when he wouldn't be regularly. That's when the quiet would come back, always at night, always alone.

I can't stand to fly

I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees


Having the weight of the world on his shoulders was unbearable at times. After all, he was the Avatar. The world depended on him. The world relied on him for comfort; for reassurance that yes, he would defeat the Fire Lord once and for all. Yes, he would bring balance to the Earth. And yes, he would figure out how to do it all in less than four months. Oh sure, he had a mind like a steel trap, just his being twelve years old would get in the way of a real problem. Someday, he would mess up. And on that day, he'll lose someone he loved. Aang shut his eyes and hugged his knees tighter.

I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me

"Aang?"

The young Airbender jumped a bit at this sound. Katara had placed her hand on his shoulder, concern upon her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, I'm okay." Aang tried to plaster on a smile, but it wasn't as convincing as he thought. The Waterbender saw right through him.

"Aang, you know you can talk to me if your mind's bothering you. And don't lie to me. I know there's something wrong." Her voice was friendly, yet stern.

"It's just that…that I…uh…" Aang's voice broke off and he looked to the side.

Katara remained silent as she awaited his response.

I'm more than a bird…I'm more than a plane

More than some pretty face beside a train

It's not easy to be me

"…It's like this is all being shoved at me at one time. I'm just one kid, and here I'm expected to save the world and defeat a powerful leader. I feel like I just can't take it."

The Waterbender lingered until the end of his sentence, sighing. Although she had rehearsed this crisis in her head a hundred times, she couldn't find the words.

"Oh, Aang…" Katara leaned over and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, giving him a friendly half-hug.

"…you're my Superman."