Hurt
The gang were in the fire nation while finding a fire bending teacher for Aang. Aang and the rest don't know where Master Jeong Jeong disappeared to, and they need to find one that isn't in league with the fire lord. Aang somehow gets into a fire nation school by accident while in town. While in school, he sees a girl named Onji, one of the students of the school. He hangs out with her while the gang are in the fire nation. Aang tells them about Onji one night about her and her character. Sokka and Toph were amused, but Katara was not. He was talking about her every night and she feels pain. Not physically, but mentally. She feels like he loves this girl and gets sad. Aang is pretty worried about Katara. She looked sad every time he looked at her, she even doesn't want him in her presence all the time.
FLASHBACK:
The gang were sitting around the campfire, listening to what Aang is telling about. "She's nice, she's great, and she has a great personality. It's no wonder why she has so much friends…." Aang said. Toph replied, "If I could see, I would want to see how she looks like!" "She seems nice, Aang, for someone from the fire nation." Sokka said. Katara said nothing, having a blank expression on her face, which was twisted in sadness and pain, emotionally, so she said nothing. Aang kept talking about her in many ways, then Katara felt more sadness and got up and walked towards her sleeping bag, far from a distance. "Katara, you okay?" Aang asked, worryingly. Katara stops for a moment and says quietly to him, "I'm fine." Her back still facing towards the others, so they wouldn't see Katara's silent tears rolling down her eyes. "Katara, are you sure?" Sokka said. "Yeah, I'm just tired…" Katara lied. Toph knew she was lying, and knew the reason why she was like this, but did not tell Aang, she chose to let Aang find out on his own. "Okay, good night Katara" Aang said. Katara didn't respond to him and crawled in her sleeping bag, slowly drifting to sleep…….tears streaming down her face……
END OF FLASHBACK:
Katara was in her sleeping back, crying so quiet, she cannot hear herself crying. She wondered if Aang loved this girl more than her, and he really doesn't like her. She even thought if she should be with him anymore, if she has any reason to do anything involved with him, water bending, talking, anything that had them together. She felt more hot tears stream down her face and hitting the ground as she continued the thought.
Aang, was still asleep, until he woke up to have felt the vibrations and felt that Katara wasn't asleep, but still awake. He felt something come over her and felt some tears hit the ground. He got off Appa's leg and went over to see her, to see what's wrong. He came to her side and asked, "Katara, what's wrong?"
Katara almost jumped up in the fact that he was next to her. She didn't move in her position, her back facing him and said, "I'm fine…"
Aang replied, "No, you're not, I felt tears on the ground, they were from you…"
Katara was shocked in the fact that he could feel it. "Please, tell me what's wrong…." Aang pleaded. Katara lied, again, "I had a bad dream…that's all…." Aang asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" Katara felt more sadness in the fact he asked that and said, " Go away and go back to sleep…." Aang was confused by what she said, but he obeyed and said, "……okay…..goodnight." He walked back to Appa's leg and went back to sleep. Toph was listening to what they were saying and knew Katara lied…..again. She knew if she told her about the real reason, she would freak out. Toph went to sleep as well, Katara too, but she cried herself to sleep.
The next night, Aang came in from the fire nation and told them about what happened. Katara was not surprised when she heard Aang talking about this Onji girl. He then said, "I'm having a secret dance party here in this cave tonight, but I need help. So they agreed to help, even Katara. Appa was hidden somewhere outside.
Later, all the kids from the school showed up in the cave, and music was performed. Onji was there as well. Aang brought his friends over to Onji and said, "This is Onji, from my school."
"Hi." Onji said.
Sokka and Toph replied, "Hi!"
Katara said, quietly, "Hi….."
Aang asked, "Hey, Onji, you want to dance?" Onji replied, "Okay." They went to where all the kids were dancing and danced. Katara watched with some jealousy and pain inside her as she watched them.
She saw Aang happy with her and she started to feel a deep sadness in her heart. She thought I knew it……he really likes this girl…..he really doesn't need me anymore.
Tears spilled from her eyes as she quietly ran out the cave faraway from where they were staying at, and ran to a shore of a beach far away from the cave. She went on her knees and cried harder as she thought about Aang with Onji. She then thought sadly what's the point in being with him if he doesn't even like me, why should I stay? He loves her. She cried more until she couldn't take it any longer, she wanted to be out of this misery….forever.
She bent a small amount of water from the shore and formed into a sharp dagger of ice. She held it, ready to stab herself and said, "Aang, if you're happy with her, then stay with her…..you don't need me anymore……" She then said,
"Good-bye, Aang…"
She then thrusted the dagger into her stomach and let out a loud, shrill cry, which was so loud, it was heard farther then from the cave they were. She fell to the ground, bleeding to death, but didn't care if she died.
Then, at the dance party, Aang was sitting on a earth bench he bended while setting up the cave for the party. He then thought, worriedly Where is she? Why did she leave? Something is wrong with her….. Then, all of the sudden, he heard a shrill cry of pain in a distance far from here that got his attention. He recognized that cry. It made his face pale and blood run cold and eyes widening in horror.
Katara.
He got up and exclaimed, "Oh, Great Spirits!" He ran as fast as he could towards the exit of the cave, and ran towards the sound of her cry…..
10 minutes later………
He kept running to desperately find Katara. He heard her in pain and thought WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!? I HOPE SHE'S OKAY, BECAUSE I CAN'T LOSE HER!! I LOVE HER!! He ran in a distance where he heard the cry. He finally came to a beach and said, "I know I heard it here somewhere…" He looked around, trying to find her.
He finally saw a limp figure on the ground in the distance, and recognized it to be someone familiar…
"Katara!" Aang screamed.
He bolted towards her body and kept yelling, "Katara, Katara, are you okay!?" While running towards it, he saw in the clearing blood staining the sand, surrounding her and some blood on her stomach. Aang's face grew pale and said, "WHAT HAPPENNED!?" He finally got her side, and saw something that made his blood run cold and face filled with terror.
He saw an ice dagger in her stomach and looked at the blood slowly streaming out. He thought NOOOO!!! What did she do!? He thought as he gently pulled out the dagger, being careful not to hurt her and gingerly scooped her up in his arms. The back of her head rested on the back of his hand and the back of her hands rested on the blood-stained sand. Her face was flushed of color. Tears streamed down his face as he whispered, "Oh, spirits, no, can't be her, o no, no no ……" He rocked her lifeless body back and forth, slowly and gently, trying to wake her up, but was futile. "Katara, please wake up, wake up! Please don't die! don't leave me! I need you! I love you!" He said as he looked down onto her. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. He then stared at her a few seconds, hoping she would wake up, but when she didn't, he cried, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
He stopped rocking her and pulled her close to his chest and buried his face in her hair and cried. Tears flowed freely from his face onto her head as he continued to mourn over her. He prayed to the spirits that there could be some thing he could do, to bring her back, he would do anything, ANYTHING, just to see her Cerulean blue eyes again.
He then remembered that Katara had taught him healing lessons after water bending practices, but then knew that regular water isn't strong enough.
He lost hope again but came up with an idea. He bended a small portion of water, while Katara was still cradled in his lap, he closed his eyes and concentrated hard and his tattoos began to glow. The water that was swirling above his palm eventually grew to a bright, turquoise color that spun really fast. He kept the water swirling while positioning Katara, his free arm on her back, having her to sit up. He then placed the swirling water above the wound and seeped through the injury.
He waited……..
He waited……..
He waited for something to happen. When he sat there for a minute and nothing changed, he slid his arms under her legs and back and pulled her close, crying in her hair again.
A small movement was felt in his arms as he brought his head up and looked down upon the water bender. He heard a groan from her and he realized his plan worked! She's alive! He saved her! He smiled and waited for her Cerulean eyes he loved so much so he can look into them once more. Her head shifted up and her eyes slowly opened, the first sight seeing is Aang, smiling and tears of joy flowing from his eyes, which twinkled with joy and happiness.
"Aang..? She whispered.
His response was a big hug and he said, "You're alive!" Katara then asked, "Why do you care? You love Onji." She got up and walked away.
Aang was confused and ran towards her, grabbed her arm gently and said, "What are you talking about? Katara….." but Katara cut him off, "I know you love her, you talk about her every night…..you even asked her to dance with you and you looked happy…" she said, with tears streaming her face. Aang put a hand on her cheek and wiped away her tears with his thumb and said, "Katara, I don't love Onji! She's only my friend! Besides…..I love someone else…"
Katara replied, "Who?…..Toph…..?"
"No."
"Meng?"
"No way!"
"Koko?"
"Too young."
Then Katara asked, "Then who do you love?" Aang replied, " The one I love……is standing in front of me!" Katara was surprised when he said that. "You….love….me?" She asked. Aang nodded his head and kissed her, pulling her close and closing the gap between their bodies. Aang's arms snaked around her waist as Katara's arms wrapped around her shoulders. Aang's kiss was not just passionate….it was a 'I'm sorry.' kiss. Aang broke away from the kiss and said, "Katara, I love you so much……I don't know what I'd do without you…..I can't lose you."
Tears of joy streamed Katara's face as she hugged him and said, "I love you too….." Aang was also surprised and said in his mind YES!!! She loves me!! Aang then said, "We should go back to the cave, Sokka will throw a fit if he doesn't know where we went." Katara nodded but then said, "Don't tell him I killed myself because of you…..he'll surely kill you." Aang replied, "Okay. Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.." So the walked back, and that night, Katara slept happily for the first time in a while…..