Hi there! The name's Dreamer of Universes, but you call me Dreamer. This is my first fanfic, so be gentle and considerate with me if you're generous enough to review this. Before now, I would just read and review other stories, being too nervous to really make my own, so I won't be surprised if you've never heard of me. I am a REALLY big Avatar fan and, after seeing Day of Black Sun, I was completely floored. I mean, that episode had it all, action, emotion, character development ("Zuko"), and, my favorite, KATAANG! (Faints from the shock)

Oops, looks like I've drabbling. Well, here's the explanation for this story.

I recently read an unconfirmed rumor, repeat, UNCONFIRMED rumor on a website about what will happen in the next episode, The Western Airtemple. And I have to tell you, when I saw it, I literally became a thrashing hysterical mess! I mean, it was just so…so…so mind boggling and epic! I would never have thought of it in a million years!

Anyway, I was so excited about it, I just felt that I needed to put it into words. And so here we are! But, I MUST repeat, this rumor is unconfirmed and this story is JUST my interpretation of it. I'm saying all this so that, if it actually is true and does happen, I will not be accused of having stolen the script for the episode before it aired (as if I'm a master thief, ha!). So get this through your thick skulls! This is a work of NON-CANON FICTION based on an UNCONFIRMED RUMOR. But I'm sure that none of you ever doubted me (gives meaningful glance).

Oh, and by the way, you should be warned that this story is Kataang-themed, although that's not the main plot (otherwise I would loose many potential readers, now wouldn't I?) and there is even a scene or two of Tokka, so those who do other ships beware!

Anyway, I hope that none of you took any offense from what I said. All the events that take place happen right after the Day of Black Sun. And please, PLEASE review this and try to be completely honest with and no flames (even though I don't even know what "flames" mean, but I'm pretty sure it's not good).

Well, enough of this long and boring speech and on with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the last Airbender or any of its characters. I THINK it all belongs to Mike and Bryan.

Book 3

Episode 12: The Western Airtemple

I've failed, thought Aang to himself, for the umpteenth time. Again.

Only yesterday, they had invaded the Fire Nation capitol, along with a combined army of Water Tribe warriors and Earth Kingdom soldiers, as well as others. At the beginning of that day, he had felt determined and hopeful. He had believed that this would be the day that he would finally defeat the Fire Lord, the source of this war. While there were certainly many risks, with the Day of Black Sun there was much faith and hope in that this plan would work. For the first time in a hundred years, the end of the war was finally in sight.

But then Aang discovered that this surprise attack wasn't really a surprise at all, and then everything seemed to fall apart. The solar eclipse was wasted and the Fire Nation then demonstrated their new air capabilities. Destroying they're only chance at escape, Aang was forced to make one of the hardest choices of his life, leaving with the youngest of the group on Appa and leaving behind everyone else to be captured and imprisoned. The invasion had failed. He had failed.

Since then, they had traveled non-stop, not even stopping to sleep for fear of being seen. For the past few hours, they had been sailing over nothing but ocean. During all that time, few words had been exchanged, everyone feeling depressed and empty.

Dejected, Aang looked up from his position on Appa's head and turned around to look at those with him, feeling a pang of guilt as his gaze went from one face to the next.

Toph and The Duke were in a corner by themselves, quietly trying to get each other to laugh, in a weak attempt to lighten the mood, with only the occasional half-hearted smile or chuckle.

Teo and Haru were silently playing a game of Elements, although you could tell that neither their minds nor hearts were really in it.

Sokka was sitting by himself, going over a map for a few seconds, then putting it back into a messy pile of more maps and picking up another one, mumbling incomprehensibly the whole time. It was obvious to everyone that he was obsessing over what had gone wrong and unsuccessfully trying to come up with a new plan.

And Katara…As Aang turned towards her, he felt himself relax, if only slightly. Out of all the things that had happened the day before, there was one good thing that had come out of it. He had finally, as unbelievable as it seemed to him now, admitted his feelings to her, all conveyed simply and completely through a single kiss. At that time, realizing that he might not come back from this battle, he had finally found the courage to admit his love to her. With only a moment's thought, knowing he might not be able to do it after today, he just kissed her without warning or hesitation.

At first, he had sensed her startled reaction, but then he had felt her relax and lean into him slightly. For a few seconds, he had felt as if he were in pure bliss. It had seemed like, for a single instance, there was no invasion, no Fire Nation, no war, just he and her, sharing how they each felt for the first time. It was the moment that he would remember with the greatest clarity and fondness for the rest of his life.

As he looked at her now, sitting there, eyes closed, a calm if not peaceful expression on her face, he knew that there would be no tension between them, no awkwardness. Nothing had truly changed from before. They were best friends as before, they still worried about each other as before, they still told each other how they felt as before. The only real difference was that, now, their love was openly admitted and that only seemed to strengthen their bond. They were now simply in the next stage of their friendship.

It was at that moment that Katara opened her eyes and, once she saw that Aang was staring at her, began to stare right back, a small smile now on her face. Aang felt himself smile as well now, feeling a warmth come over him. He knew as he looked at her that she understood his sense of failure and that she would do whatever it took to help him through it. To know that she cared for him in this way, to know she would try heal all his pain, both physically and mentally, to know that she saw him, not just as the almighty Avatar, but also as simply Aang, it made him feel a lot better emotionally and helped him to get over at least a little of the guilt. It was the first moment since the invasion that he felt he could relax. It was a moment of peace.

And then it was broken by, who else…

"Hey Aang!" said a frustrated Sokka suddenly and loudly, breaking the moment without even realizing there was one and drawing everyone's attention from what they were doing. Only three seconds ago, he had put down all of his maps in exasperation and had suddenly begun looking at the horizon. "Exactly how long is it going to take before we get to this airtemple? And where exactly is it anyway? Floating in thin air over the ocean?"

This short little outburst was followed by a sudden cry of uncontrolled, mocking laughter. Everyone, startled, turned their heads towards the source. This was, of course, Toph.

"We've been travelling for almost a day in silence," burst out Toph in between fits of laughter. "And the first thing you say is 'Are we there yet'? How much more of an impatient little 'warrior' can you get?"

"Hey!!" replied Sokka, extremely and exaggeratedly indignant. "Just because I like to plan and schedule our every move does not make me impatient!"

"Oh, I'm soooo sorry," snorted Toph mockingly, obviously enjoying herself very much. "You're right, you're more of a slightly/extremely anxious 'schedule planner'. I'm ooooh so sorry for the mistake."

At that, everyone began to smile and chuckle, all finding this scene to be an excellent comic relief from the previous silent tension. Well, allexcept for Sokka.

"Hmff," replied Sokka irritably, unable to come up with a witty comeback to the remark. "Aang, would you mind just answering the question so that I don't have to deal with this?"

"Sure…sure thing…Sokka," replied Aang as he tried to hold back his giggles. Finally, he managed to calm down. "The Western Airtemple is on a small mountainous island between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. Actually, we're only a few minutes away from it, so you should be seeing it on the horizon any second now."

"Well why didn't you just say that earlier?!" exclaimed Sokka. "It would have saved me a lot of trouble." He then gives Toph a glare and everyone starts to laugh again.

"Hey Aang, I've been meaning to ask you something," questioned Teo suddenly, making everyone turn their attention to him. "Why is it that the airtemples are all spread out all over the world, instead of bunched together, like the other nations?"

The group was startled, realizing that they had never asked Aang about it before and began to wonder the same thing. They all gave Aang questioning looks.

"He's right, you know," spoke Katara for the first time since the journey began. "Why are they separated, Aang?"

"Well, it's a bit complicated," replied Aang, glad to be talking about his people. "You see, the Air Nomads didn't have any official leader, so it was long ago decided that there would be four airtemples across the world, each eased as a place of learning for the young and a place where any airbender could stay when we were not travelling from place to place. However, each temple also had certain specific customs and purposes unique to them.

"For example, the Southern and Northern Airtemples were used specifically to train the men, while the Eastern and Western Airtemples trained the women. The Southern Airtemple, my home, was in charge of relations with the other nations and also tried to deal with any conflict that arose between them. Also, it was there that the Avatar was always taught. The Northern Airtemple was supposed to deal with the rare criminal that arose among us and to basically make all laws were upheld. The Eastern Airtemple raised and bred the sky bisons, like Appa," as he said this, he affectionately rubbed one of Appa's horns and Appa gave a groan, "and trained Air Nuns in medicine. The Western Airtemple, where we're going, was actually quite different from the others."

"What do you mean?" asked Haru, a bit overwhelmed by this deep insight into the Air Nomads.

"Yeah, how were they different? Don't hold out on us now, Twinkletoes," said Toph with her usual directness, now having completely forgotten about mocking Sokka and totally engrossed into the new subject.

"Well, because it was more isolated by the ocean than the others, it was given a very important task. The nuns there were charged with the job of keeping and guarding our history and our most important secrets."

"Secrets?" exclaimed Sokka, his face filled with doubt now. "Come Aang, how could the Air Nomads, known as the most peaceful and fun-loving people in history, possibly have anything that they didn't want others to know?"

"That's where you're wrong," replied Aang mysteriously, taking great joy out of seeing the looks of anticipation of his friends. "You see, there are certain airbending techniques that are so powerful, they were only known to master airbenders. Even most other Air Nomads didn't know them. I myself have never seen them. In fact, it was forbidden to use them in front of other airbenders or anyone else for that matter. That was what the Western Airtemple was for; an airbender who was considered a master could go there and learn the techniques away from the sight of others."

"So you're saying that it basically guarded some ultra airbending moves?" questioned Sokka sceptically. "But why keep it secret? I mean, air isn't exactly the most 'deadly' of elements."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you, Sokka," said Aang, a strangely serious look on his face now.

"What do you mean by that, Aang?" asked Katara without criticism, her face filled with the most curiosity and interest out of everyone about the ways of Aang's people. Not once during his explanation had she interrupted him, knowing that he would answer in his own time.

"From the rumours I heard, these airbending moves can be extremely dangerous, even catastrophic," replied Aang ominously, inwardly happy about Katara's interest. "So don't be too quick to jud-"

"Hey!! Look there, on the horizon!" interrupted The Duke without warning, pointing towards a slowly growing point on the horizon. "Is that it?"

Everyone quickly turned to look at what he was pointing at. Well, everyone except for, of course, Toph.

"Hello!Blind!" snapped Toph, once again annoyed at their forgetfulness of her inability to see. She waved her hand in front of her face in order to make her point. "Would someone mind telling me what's going on?!"

"It looks like we're almost there!" replied Aang cheerfully, the past conversation now forgotten. But then, his face suddenly fell as a thought struck him.

"Aang, what's wrong?" asked a worried Katara when she saw his change of expression.

During all that had happened, none of them had noticed the other small point behind them, which had been there throughout the entire journey.

"It's just that…" began Aang, feeling depressed once again. "When we were at the Southern Airtemple, you remember how it was damaged and was in ruins?"

Both Katara and Sokka nodded, the memory of that day all too clear in their minds.

"Well, since this airtemple is closer to the Fire Nation, so that means…"

Both Katara and Sokka were shocked now by Aang's implication, along with everyone else. Because of the closer proximity, the Fire Nation could have done a lot more damage there. Which meant...they could be flying into a pile of rubble. Along with other things…

"Aang, I know what you're going to see is probably going to hurt," comforted Katara kindly, now knowing Aang's distress and putting an arm around him. "But we'll be there to help you get through this. Mourn for your loss, but don't let it consume you. You know you won't be alone."

Aang nodded, beginning to collect himself. He had to accept what had happened to his people and get over it. As he took a deep breath, he mentally prepared himself for the worst.

Soon, they passed the edge of the island and approached the only mountaintops. All were ready for what they thought they were about to see.

But, as the airtemple came into full view, everyone gasped in complete shock. For what they saw was definitely what they weren't expecting.

Ooooohhhh…cliffhanger!

Sooooo…what ya think? If you have an opinion (and God I hope you do, or what would all my work be for?) I BEG YOU to pleaseeeeeee review this. If you do, well, you'll make me feel good inside. (A tear falls cheek and sniffs a little)

Oh, and by the way, when I wrote "Along with other things…" I was insinuating dead skeletons. Pleasant, right?

Anyway, if you liked it, the next chapter will be up by next week at the latest, I promise! But I'm sure that NONE of you would EVER doubted my word. (Slams fist into palm with great force)

So see ya later, alligators.