Summary: Ok, so I've had this idea for a while and thought I should go ahead and write it. I have read a lot of stories like Book 1: Separation of Water by Singertoheartandsoul, where Katara and Sokka leave when they discover Aang hid the map to their father, and don't come back to help him. This is an idea based off of when Aang burns Katara in the episode after he hides the map. I thought, Aang being Aang, that he would be heavily guilt ridden after these two events, so this is my story based on that thought. Anyway, thanks for reading my rant, and now please read my story. Please review, I would love to hear your guys' thoughts on this story because this will be a multi-chapter story.
Oh, by the way, this is a Kataang story, so, Yay!
Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA
Aang had just burned Katara after not heeding to her warning. "Katara, I'm so sorry!" She continued to weep in pain.
Sokka ran up in concern. "Katara, what's wrong?" He looked from her to Aang with an angry scowl on his face. "What did you do!?"
"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Aang yelled in defense before being tackled to the ground by Sokka, who also pinned him down.
"I told you we shouldn't mess around with this! Now look at what you've done!" Aang looked worriedly at Katara. "You burned my sister!" At that Katara ran away. Jeong Jeong walked up. Sokka regarded him, "This is all your fault!"
"I know! Pack your thinks. You need to leave immediately."
"I'm sorry. I didn't..." Sokka ran off. Aang's voice began to waver, "I'm sorry!" Jeong Jeong looked at him, disappointed. Aang continued to lay in the grass as Jeong Jeong went off to find Katara, tears beginning to escape his eyes. He had hurt Katara again. First by keeping her father away, and now by burning her. He decided to mope his way down to the small shack by the river to meditate.
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Katara continued to run, her hands tucked tight to her body as she wept and shuttered in agony. She knelt down at the water's edge, slowly placing her hands into the water. She shuttered slightly before all her pain went away. Katara opened her eyes in shock. The water was glowing a florescent blue and her pain had disappeared. She pulled her hands out of the water and gazed at them. The burns were gone.
"You have healing abilities." Jeong Jeong's voice came from behind her. Katara turned to look at him as he sat next to her. "The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability. I've always wished I were blessed like you, free from this burning curse."
"But you're a master. You'll have powers I'll never know."
"Water brings healing and life. But fire only brings destruction and pain." He cringed. "It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually we are torn apart." Suddenly, a huge blast of fire hit the water in front of them. Both Jeong Jeong and Katara jumped up in defensive stances as Jeong Jeong bent the flames around them. "Go get your friends and flee! Don't come back her or you'll be destroyed. Hurry!" Katara backed away slowly before running to find Sokka and Aang.
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Aang had finished meditating and writing a note. He places the note in the middle of the candles that had surrounded him. He made too many mistakes. Hiding the map to Sokka and Katara's father, and now he burned her. He needed to leave. He needed to stop being a burden to them. They needed to stay away from him. Aang grabbed his staff solemnly and headed for the door. Once outside he let a single tear fall from his eye before he took flight, on his own. He didn't know where he was going, specifically. But he did know he had to find a way to the North Pole. He needed to master waterbending so he could master the other elements and defeat the fire lord. He had to fix all his mistakes by saving the world.
My mistakes. The Air Nomads. Abandoning the world. Betraying Sokka and Katara. Burning Katara. Everything. Everything he seemed to do would end up hurting someone, so it was best that he have no one around to hurt.
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Katara ran back through the clearing and found Sokka preparing Appa for departure. He turned and looked at her, a bit in shock. "Katara, are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine but I'll explain later." She stopped and looked around. "Where's Aang?" She asked. He needed to know that she was fine and what he did was an accident. Sokka gestured behind him towards the shack on the water. Katara started towards it. After a brief walk, she reached the door and slowly cracked it open. "Aang..." She spoke softly. If anything, he was probably scared and upset. She cared for him to much to just barge in on him in his current state.
She continued to push the door open, but there was no Aang. There were fading candles in a semi-circle at the opposite side of the room that surround a small piece of paper. Katara walked slowly towards it, bending over to pick the note up. Katara and Sokka. It read on the outside. Katara opened the note slowly, cautiously. She read the first line and gasped in shock. She covered her mouth with her hand as tears began to fill her eyes. She ran out of the shack to get back to Sokka. She reached her brother and the two fury companions waiting.
"Where's Aang?" Sokka asked, but soon realized the tears in his sister's eyes. "What's wrong?" Katara let more tears escape as she shoved the note in his direction, not wanting anything to do with it. Sokka took it and began to read.
I'm sorry, but if you're reading this, then I am gone. I decided that it is best that I travel alone. I have caused you guys too much pain. I took you from your tribe. Kept you from your father. And now I've burned Katara. I don't deserve your friendship, or your forgiveness. I only hope is that one day you can forgive me, when this war is over.
I also left you guys with Appa and Momo. I want you guys to get home to your family, whether it be your tribe or father, but Appa is the fastest and safest way. Please take care of him and Momo for me until this war is over. Maybe then, we can be friends again. And, Katara, don't worry about me or try and stop me. I can get around by walking and flying with my glider.
I am truly sorry for everything that I have done, and I enjoyed all of the fun times we spent together. And thank you for being my family. I am just sorry I had to ruin it.
Forever grateful,
Aang.
Sokka looked up to Katara after he finished reading the letter. She was still in tears. "We have to go after him, Sokka!" She cried in desperation.
"I couldn't agree more. He's our family, no matter what he thinks." Sokka assured, gesturing for his distraught sister to board Appa. As she did so, her brother yelled the command for Appa to take flight.
Once in the air, the siblings scanned the horizon and the forest below for their friend but saw nothing. After a couple of hours of searching the sun was beginning to set, and soon it would be impossible to see.
"We need to land and get some rest." Sokka stated as he commanded Appa down towards the ground.
"What!" Katara yelled. "We have to keep looking! He could be hurt!" She huffed. "We can't give up!"
"Katara, it's getting dark. We won't be able to see him." Sokka replied firmly, yet softly.
"Or maybe you just don't care about him as much as I do. We have to keep looking." Katara accused, not wanting to abandon her best friend, after almost doing so when he had hid the map to her father.
"I am his friend as much as he is yours, but think logically. We won't be able to see him if we keep flying."
Katara huffed as Appa touched down, readying to get up. "Maybe I'll just look for him myself then."
Sokka grabbed her as she stood to leave, with no supplies with her, making sure she wouldn't leave. "I am not going to search for two people tonight. Please, he'll be fine for one night while we get rest."
"Fine! But if we aren't leaving by dawn tomorrow, then I will go after him on my own."
"I guess that's as close to getting you to agree as I can do, so, fine." Sokka exclaimed.
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Camp was set up and Sokka was sound asleep, along with Appa and Momo. Katara, however, could not sleep. She was still thinking about Aang. How could he just leave? She was confused on why he would do so, but also humbled, knowing that he would leave if it meant protecting those he cared about. But that didn't help the situation. Katara felt partially responsible for the situation. She should've stopped Aang when he began to be less cautious. And she shouldn't have been so close.
Katara rolled around fitfully that night, not being able to take her mind off of the airbender. She wanted to find him, and reassure him that everything was fine. But she couldn't do that now. He was somewhere fending for himself, while she was lying under the stars praying to the spirits that he was all right.
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He had been flying for hours. He was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. Aang set down just under a tall oak tree to rest for the night. He had left behind his only family for their own good. He had hurt them one too many times. The more he thought about it, however, going it alone might not be such a bad thing. It would give him time to grow up, to mature so he would no longer make stupid mistakes.
Aang sat down and ran his hands over his face in frustration. Sure, going it alone sounded good in theory, but in practice, it was another story. Katara was always there for him, whether for reassurance, or a shoulder to cry on. She was everything he never had and more. He loved her. But he also had hurt her. Nothing ever heals a burn of the magnitude she had. Those comforting hands would forever be scarred by his mistakes.
Suddenly his shirt was pinned to the tree behind him at the armpit by an arrow. Then another one struck the other side of his shirt. More and more came from the darkness. He was now stuck to the tree. He struggled to get free.
"Well, well, well. The Avatar is all alone." A low, growling voice echoed through the trees.
Aang looked up to see a large man with jutting sideburns. "Zhao." Aang growled.
"I'm honored the Avatar remembers me. But, there will be no more need for that." Zhao leaned over, inches from Aang's face. "You will not escape me this time." Zhao getured to the Yu Yan archers around him. "Take him away. I take care of him when the time comes." Aang looked down in defeat. He had no one to help him. No one to protect him. He was all alone.
What did you think? I hope this will turn out interesting. Thanks for reading and please review.