I had this bad feeling since Appa was stolen. It was the kind of feeling that you could never shake; the kind that made you feel irritable, angry, and sad. I let the feeling take control of me in the desert. Which, in turn, caused me to take my emotions out on everybody. Especially Katara. As we prepared to enter the Serpent's Pass, I knew that I needed to control the emotions and this feeling. It hurt too much to lose Appa, my lifelong friend, but it hurt so much worse when I involved everyone else in my spiraling emotions.

Give up Hope, the sign said. And that's exactly what I planned to do.

A heavy silence was held over the group as we walked the Serpent's Pass. The only noises you heard was that of the waves brushing up against the rock sixty feet below us and that of the pebbles we stepped on. Every other ten minutes, the husband of the family we were escorting would ask his wife if she was okay to keep walking. She always nodded and gave a small smile. Never said a word out loud. We all felt the words of the sign and my agreeing with it push into our minds.

Everything had been going well during the walk. The only problem had been the firenation ship that I easily took my anger out on. It didn't stand a chance. I spent most of the time walking ahead of the group. I walked in silence and worked to keep my mind clear and the emotions out. The monks had always told us emotions and feelings were distractions. Katara tried to talk to me during the beginning, but soon stopped after the short answers I gave her. They weren't mean, just conveyed the message that I wasn't in the mood to talk. She strayed towards the back since.

As the sunset, we mutually agreed to set up camp. It was warm enough to use our blankets as beds and it was clear enough to go the night without making earth tents. Sokka built the fire and everyone ate dried fish and nuts. I grabbed my dinner and sat by the edge of the cliff.

I overheard Sokka informing everyone that we had made it a little more than half the way through the Serpent's Pass. He said that we would be able to make it to the Earth Kingdom by early evening tomorrow, and then to Bai Sing Sai by that night if we had no problems. After that, I didn't hear much of what was said. I only heard the crunching of gravel coming towards me. I knew it was Katara.

"Aang, are you okay," she asked. I let out the breath I had been holding and turned towards her. The moon was almost entirely full and shed breathtaking light against Katara's dark skin. She stood with her feet together and right arm grabbing her left elbow. It was how she stood whenever something was bothering her. Her cerulean eyes made contact with my gray ones.

"I'm fine, Katara," was all that I answered. My voice sounded tired and stiff. Katara stared at me. She looked like she was trying to search for an answer beyond the one I gave her. After a few seconds she broke contact and looked towards the ground with a frown. Her right arm started to rub the elbow of her left arm. I knew what I was doing was hurting Katara. It hurt me to think I was causing her some sort of pain, but it was for the best. If I let myself feel what I felt during the desert, then I would feel unbelievable pain. A pain I didn't want to feel.

Katara had turned her head up, and her face sported a fierce expression before softening. She stepped towards me until only a few feet stayed between us. I still stood stiffly with a blank expression on my face.

"Aang, you acted different today. Almost like you didn't care," Katara said in a soft tone. I felt the need to wince as Katara hit the target on what I did.

"I'm fine, Katara," I repeated. Her blue eyes narrowed a little and the frown she had on earlier deepened. Her right arm dropped to her side and she cocked her hip. She knew I was lying. I felt my barrier that I put up crack a little.

"You're not fine Aang. I don't know why you're doing what you're doing, but it's not like you," she said with a slight tone. I let out a frustrated breath of air and looked Katara blankly in the eye.

"Katara, please understand that I need to keep my emotions under control. I need to for the safety of everyone. I can't afford to lost control."

We both stood for a second as the words sunk in. I saw Katara get visibly annoyed with my answer. She crossed her arms and stood up straight with a frusterated look on her face. The kind that she sported whenever Sokka was tried to convince her men were better than women, or whenever Topf would call her "Sugar Queen".

"What do you mean it's for the safety of everyone? You're just hurting us," she started in a voice full of annoyance. She stopped for a second to say in a softer voice, "You're hurting me Aang."

I frowned and tried to keep myself from yelling. Katara needed to understand it wasn't just for her safety, it was for my sanity.

"Katara, you saw what I did out there in the desert! How I acted put everyone in danger," I started. I stood up straight and Katara stood stiffly as I raised my voice. She showed no sign of backing down, " I will not do that again. I will not lose control."

In the five seconds we stared at each other, I saw the flash of anger in her eyes and then the calming breath she took before talking.

"Aang, I know it hurts to care sometimes. And sometimes it causes us to lose control of our emotions. But, as human beings, we need to feel to be our strongest. We need those emotions to fuel our actions. We need our hope and fears to drive our direction. And when the strongest person in the world stops caring and loses hope, then everyone else loses theirs."

I nodded and tried to ignore the words she just said. But the last sentence rang in my mind. My face stayed blank and I sat down in the direction of the cliff, my back towards Katara. I heard her sigh heavily before walking back towards camp. I closed my eyes and tried to forget everything that just happened.

The next morning, we all were well on way by the time the sun had fully risen. Katara avoided my by staying in the back. I tried to ignore the pain from her ignoring me by concentrating on getting everyone across safely.

The group seemed a bit more lively today than yesterday. Light conversation was kept between everyone, minus Katara and myself. It all seemed to go smoothly until we reached a point where the path dipped well below the water. Katara and I exchanged a look before we both bended the water around us. The group hesitantly followed us into the water. When we were deep enough into the water, Katara and I bended the water like a submarine around us. That way we would be unnoticeable.

A silent tension was held between the group. It was like a breath was being held. The wife commented quietly to her husband that it was both scary and beautiful. Though, everyone heard it and agreed.

Fishes swarmed around us and Momo jumped at them playfully. Though, a second later, Momo jumped back in. Just a second later, a dark shadow passed over the bubble. We all stopped walking to stare at the thing.

"What is that, " Suki asked.

The shadow then disappeared. Katara looked anxiously at me and I shrugged. We were about to start walking again when the shadow appeared quickly attacked us. Katara and I were both surprised by the beast and dropped our stances. Topf reacted quickly and bent the rock beneath us. We all were quickly sent to the top of the water on a pillar of rock. Though, the second we started to catch our breaths, we stood in awe and terror at the beast which attacked us. There in the water, a giant serpent stood menacingly. We all screamed.

"Katara," I shouted, " get everyone to the other side safely! I will take care of the serpent."

Katara nodded and quickly made an ice bridge for everyone to cross. I flew in the air and started to attack the beast with blasts of water. It responded by doing the same to me.

I kept the serpent distracted until Katara came up and shot ice daggers at the beast. One hit it in the eye and it roared. It didn't waste a second after that to relentlessly attack her with a barrage of water sprays. Katara avoided them all by surfing on a piece of ice. Meanwhile, I attacked the serpent with rocks and water. I used it's blind eye as a weakness and only attacked on that side. When it became confused as to where I was, Katara and I both created a whirlpool around it. Each of us were on opposite sides of the whirlpool, bending the water around it, and making the current go faster and faster. The beast shot water in random directions while trying to find us, but failed.

When the current was strong enough to carry itself with only one bender, I leapt up in the air to prepare to send the serpent flying. As I brought my staff above my head, I saw the serpent shoot a cannon of water towards Katara. In a second, her body was sent flying into the deeper water.

"Katara!" I screamed. The serpent saw my distraction and immediately escaped underwater and towards the horizon of the setting sun. I didn't care though. My concentration was on saving Katara.

I dove into the water, using airbending to propel me. I barely felt the impact of the water as I quickly searched for the body of Katara. The water was cold and dark, but I saw her body floating down further and further. Her eyes were closed and her body lax. Fear and horror enveloped my well being. I created a current in the water and shot myself towards Katara. Once I latched unto her body, I blasted us both out of the water and towards the Serpent's Pass. We both hit the rock, but I used my body as a shield to lessen the impact on Katara.

I set her body down on the rock and heard shouts from Sokka and Suki from a few feet away. Katara's hair splayed out underneath her, since her hair came out during the impact. I brought my ear to her chest and realized with even more horror than before that she wasn't breathing. Tears were brought to my eyes as I searched frantically for the water in her body. I used my senses to locate it in her lungs. Quickly, I used my waterbending to bring the water from her lungs and out her mouth. Katara coughed up some left over water right after I took the water out. She took giant gulps of breath and looked around hazily before making eye contact with me.

"Katara," I shouted in relief. Tears were flowing freely from my eyes and I hugged her tightly against my body. Instantly, I felt Katara's arms wrap around me. My face was deep into her hair and her head laid on the crook of my neck. She whispered consoling words in my ears as I let out sobs. Every emotion and feeling that I had been keeping locked up the past two days was being let out at the moment. I felt my body being drained with my tears.

I didn't know how long Katara and I stayed in that embrace, but by the time we were broke out of it, it was night. The group had once again traveled in silence, though a light one. Katara and I walked together, hand in hand.

We only walked until we reached a safe spot to camp for the night. I briefly remembered Sokka saying that we should have reached Bai Sing Sai by night at dinner yesterday.

Everyone ate in silence as the small fire blazed before us. Once we all were finished, the group, except Katara, immediately went to sleep. They had been affected by the day's events as well. It just left me and Katara by the fire.

We both sat in a comfortable silence by each other for a while. Thoughts of the past two days were rushing through my mind. I needed to apologize to her for acting the way I did.

I stared at the waterbender beside me and wondered how I should start. The fire was only embers now, but still cast a low light on her. She sat with her arms hugging her knees. Her eyes stared absently as the fire with a blank expression.

I made a sighing sound and shifted my body towards Katara. She looked at me questioningly.

"Katara, I'm—"

"Don't Aang," she interrupted, "you don't need to apologize. I understand."

"Please, Katara, just hear me out."

Katara nodded and turned her head towards me. Her eyes stared intently into mine and I knew she was listening.

"I'm sorry, so sorry, for how I had acted these past two days. You were right last night. I was trying to keep myself from feeling any emotion because I thought it would make me stronger. I thought it would help me keep better control of myself and, in turn, would help me keep better control of my Avatar State"

I took a stuttered breath and continued, "But, I wasn't just doing that to protect everyone. I was doing it so that I could keep myself from feeling that unbelievable pain that I felt from Appa being stolen and from almost hurting everyone in the desert."

Katara had now faced her body completely towards me and crossed her legs. I felt myself tear up and my voice get thick as I thought of what happened today.

"Though, today, when you were drowning, I realized you were right. It was wrong of me to keep myself from feeling those emotions. Emotions can lead to you become better and the people who make you feel those emotions can help you too." I pointedly looked at Katara and grabbed her hand. She smiled and her eyes shone with happiness.

"Katara, thank you so much for helping me when I needed it. I was a monster, but you brought me back."

I brought Katara into and embrace and held her tightly for the second time that day. She hugged me back and whispered into my ear, "I love you Aang."

I smiled brightly and whispered back, "I love you too Katara,"