A/N: This is complete trash, and needs to be completely re-written, however, my work schedule is crazy (I constantly flip back and forth from night and day shifts, with no breaks in between). I KNOW I can write better than this, but I want some feedback so I can actually write something that is readable and not gag-worthy. Regardless, this was fun.
It felt as if they had been traveling for years, rather than a mere six months. They had seen many lands and cultures, and so many different sorts of people. They all had different ambitions and dreams, but they all desired the same thing: for the Fire Nation's tyranny to be brought down. In their time, they had gained and lost enemies and allies, and more than a few loved ones on the way. The gang was weary, and their journey was not even near completion. Ozai's reign was growing stronger than ever, and with Sozin's comet looming just around the corner, hope was becoming harder and harder to find.
There were times when Aang felt as if the group was barely holding together. Even with Sokka's levity and bright spirit, he had lost too much to the Fire Nation, and could not let go of his hate. Toph had left behind a life of solitude and restraint, but she wasn't free yet to live her life as she wanted. Finally, there was Zuko, who had probably lost more than any of them combined. He lost his family, his wealth, his status, but most of all, Zuko feared he lost himself somewhere along the way on his rampage to hunt down the avatar.
Aang just felt lost. His entire culture was destroyed in the Air Nomad Genocide, while he rested peacefully under the ice. The boy had suddenly found himself in a future where the entire world was at war because he had not been there to stop them. Aang was grateful for the friends he had made, but he could not help but sometimes wonder what would have happened if he had never frozen himself in the ice. If he had stepped up to his duty as the avatar instead of running from it, what would the world look like today? Would Zuko still have his throne? Would Toph have the freedom to be who she truly is? Would Sokka still have lost so many people?
Aang was supposed to be the savior of their world, and yet he wasn't even confident if he could keep their little group together. Everyone was reaching their breaking point. The stress of constantly being on the run for a journey that might not have a happy ending was a burden they all pretended they did not have to bear. Something had to change. It just had to.
Finally, something did, and it all started with a dream. Sokka had called for a tactical meeting, and after a long day of running from Azula and her cohorts, Aang was in no mood to listen to the Water Tribe boy wax on and on about the necessity of stealth. Yet, Toph and Zuko had settled themselves down for what was promising to be a long and boring talk, and thus, Aang resigned himself to his fate. The early summer air was warm, and with the comforting rumble of Appa snoring in the background, it was no wonder that the avatar found himself nodding off. The last thing the boy heard was Sokka bickering with Zuko over Fire Nation battle plans. When Aang opened his eyes, he found himself in a frozen wonderland.
Icy scepters pierced forth from the ground, spiraling and interlocking over the boy's head to create a cage of deathly beauty. Past the icy fortress, there appeared to be...nothing. Not even a frozen wasteland or bare dirt – it was as if all of existence just stopped past the barriers of the ice cage. There was a sickly silence to this place. Not even the whisper of wind. Every footstep on the ground yielded no noise. All life had been sucked out of this realm, leaving a hollow void.
Aang did not remember much from his time frozen under the ice, but what he did remember was the cold. The cold had bit at his skin, and embedded itself into his entire being. Even his bones had felt the chill of the ice. This cold was not present here. If Aang could not see the ice with his very eyes, he would have sworn that he was back in the Fire Nation with his friends, hiding from the enemies under their very eyes. This place was...strange. Strange seemed like a very underwhelming word to describe his location, but Aang could not think of anything else to describe it.
"Hello?" Aang called out, not entirely sure what to do in this situation. There was no echo. The void of the ice sucked up his voice, promising no return.
"You're here."
Aang whipped around, his hands in a fighting stance, ready to face the danger that awaited him in this frozen wasteland. Was it Fire Nation? A monster? Whatever Aang expected, it was not a young woman. A beautiful woman, at that.
The woman's chocolate brown skin off-set the brightness of her crystal blue eyes. Her eyes were the color of the spirit waters in the North. She looked as if she would have been happily at home in the Southern Water Tribe with Sokka and the rest of the tribesmen and women. The woman was adorned in a flowing white dress, that clung to her curves in a way that Aang wished he did not notice. Her feet were bare, and Aang wondered if she too could not feel any chill from the ice.
"Who are you?" Aang asked steadily, keeping his hands raised in case she turned out to be hostile.
"You're the avatar, right? I've been calling for you."
That got the boy to pause. Aang scratched at the back of his head, confusion already welling up. "You were calling for me?"
The girl's eyes widened, and she looked around, fear clearly written across her face. Aang glanced around to see what could have frightened the girl, but all he saw was the endless nothingness. "He's coming. You have to go!"
"What?"
The girl reached out, grabbing Aang's hands, before pulling them to her chest. Her heart was beating furiously, and Aang's heart was doing its best to catch up. "Please come back. Please come back to me."
Aang was suddenly very aware of how sweaty his palms were. His heart beat had surpassed the girl's, and was threatening to pound right out of his chest. Was he having a heart attack? Was his skin supposed to be this tingly?
"Please!" The girl cried, desperation clinging to that one word.
"I will," Aang spoke with conviction. "But how will I find you?"
Everything was fading fast, and the girl's hands seemed to crumble beneath his fingers. "Come to me in your dreams." The last thing Aang saw was her bright blue eyes staring straight through him.
"Aang?"
"Aang?"
"Aang! Wake up!"
Aang pried his eyes open, feeling as though he had slept for another one-hundred years. Sokka, Toph, and Zuko were all huddled around the boy, the campfire highlighting the worry in each of their faces.
"Ugh, what? Just a dream?" Aang muttered to himself.
"Well that must have been some dream you were having!" Zuko snapped, his anger hiding his concern.
"What are you talking about?" Aang asked, sitting up.
"We couldn't wake you," Toph spoke next. "Sokka was tempted to dump a bucket of water over your head."
"Was I really sleeping that deeply?"
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, before Toph suddenly punched Aang, toppling the boy into the ground. "Ow!" Aang exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder. "What was that for?"
"That was for making us worry, Twinkle-Toes."
The heavy air dissipated, now that they knew that the avatar was in no danger. Zuko went off to collect fire wood, and Toph tagged along to critique him on his inability to succeed at manual labor. Zuko had lived as a prince far too long, and his reaction to the roughing-it lifestyle of being on the run was almost comical.
"So what were you dreaming about?" Sokka asked.
Aang sighed, closing his eyes. "A girl. The most beautiful girl I have ever seen."
Sokka chuckled, nudging the boy. "So it was that kind of dream, eh?" Sokka waggled his eyebrows at the avatar.
Aang shoved Sokka, a heavy blush flooding the boy's pale cheeks. "Not like that, Sokka." Aang paused, not really sure how to continue. "The thing is, though, it didn't feel like a dream."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not really sure, but it felt...familiar, if that makes sense."
Sokka groaned, flopping back onto the ground. "There's always something weird going on when the avatar is around."
Aang laughed, unable to disagree. "Well, at least it keeps things interesting."
Aang tried to forget about the girl. He really did. He told himself repetitively that it was only a dream, but there was a nagging feeling at the back of his skull that told him something more was going on. That feeling had saved his hide many times before, and the boy was not about to start ignoring it now.
The problem was, he had no idea how to find that girl again. She said that he could find her in his dreams. By Spirits, Aang had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Find her in his dreams? Aang was just lucky if he could avoid that weird dream he always had where Momo would talk to him in the voice of his old mentor, Monk Gyatso. The more Aang worried over how to find the girl, the less he actually was able to sleep. Aang felt as if he was never going to resolve this problem.
The others had started to notice, too. They were still making their way through the Fire Nation, preparing themselves for Sozin's Comet. They had enough to think about with the impending battle with the Fire Lord, that they did not weird dream girls pulling Aang's attention away from their goal. It had even begun to effect Aang's fighting skills. After Zuko took the avatar down for the third time during their training session, the Fire Prince was about to rip out his hair.
"You're too distracted, avatar. You're too busy thinking about some 'dream girl,' and it is showing. I can promise you that when the time comes, my father is not going to go easy on you because you can't stay out of your head."
"Oh, leave the boy alone!" Sokka called out from where he was watching the spectacle. "He's just going through puberty!"
"Puberty?" Aang shrieked, causing his voice to crack. Sokka nearly fell over laughing.
"Well I'm glad you're having fun," Zuko spoke darkly, "because if the Fire Lord wins, there will no longer be any room for fun."
The Fire Prince stalked away, leaving Aang and Sokka staring after the teen dumbfounded. "What's wrong with him?" Aang muttered, kicking at the dirt, feeling slightly responsible for the teen's foul mood.
"Zuko is right, you know." Aang looked up at Sokka, shock apparent on his face. It wasn't often that Sokka used the words 'right' and 'Zuko' in the same sentence. "You have been distracted, and it's showing. You need to forget about this girl."
"But, I—"
Sokka rose to stand beside Aang, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Once everything blows over, I promise I will search the entire Earth and Spirit World with you to find this girl, but until then, please just focus on our mission, alright?"
Aang's brow had scrunched up, deep in focus, before he gasped, "The Spirit World! Of course!"
"Um, what?" Sokka stared at the boy as if he had grown a second head.
"I didn't meet her in a dream, Sokka. Don't you see? I saw her in the Spirit World!"
"Say what now?"
"That's why you couldn't wake me up!" The boy was beaming. He clapped Sokka on the back, before quickly running off. "Thanks, Sokka!"
Sokka remained still in shock. "What happened just now?"
The girl was in the Spirit World! Of course! That's why it didn't feel like a dream. Aang felt like smacking himself for being so dense. Everything was so obvious now. His friends couldn't wake him up because he wasn't asleep at all, but actually in a trance. That's why the girl was able to call to him. As the avatar, Aang is the bridge between the human and the Spirit World. It was his duty to achieve balance between the two. Now that he knew where the girl was, he knew how to get back to her.
Aang ran until he reached a quiet grassy knoll, far from camp. Settling himself down in the lotus position, the boy cleared his mind. He had a goal. He would reach this girl, and find out why she was calling for him. He had to. Closing his eyes, Aang was whisked from the warm Fire Nation summer back to the frozen nothingness.
"You came back!" The blue-eyed girl was before him, a look of hope shining in her eyes. "I was getting worried."
"I finally figured out how to get to you." Aang stood, slowly approaching the girl. "Is this your home?"
The girl wrapped her thin arms around yourself. "It's my prison."
The boy looked at her in bewilderment. "You're a prisoner."
The girl nodded her head, the soft waves of her hair bobbing with the motion. "I cannot leave this place. I don't even know how long I have been here."
"But you're in the Spirit World!" Aang exclaimed. "Even the impossible is possible here."
"But we're not in the Spirit World."
"What do you mean?" Aang raised an eyebrow.
The girl reached out, grabbing Aang's hand, and pulling him down to sit beside her. Aang could feel nothing from the ice, just as before, but he was very aware of the warmth that came from the girl. "I'm not sure if I can explain," The girl tilted her head, her nose scrunched up as she sorted her thoughts. "This prison lies between the spirit world and the physical world. I cannot cross into either world, but as the avatar, you can go back and forth with ease."
Aang's eyes widened in shock. "Between the spirit world and physical world? How is that even possible."
The girl shrugged, "I don't know."
"So are you a spirit?"
"I've been trapped here so long, I don't even know what I am anymore."
"Oh," Aang whispered. The pair sat in silence, and Aang eye's couldn't help but slide to where the girl's dress dipped down over the swell of her breasts. Her skin looked so soft, and as his eyes continued to slip down her body, his traitorous mind unhelpfully wondered if her skin tasted as good as it looked.
"You know, I've been calling for you for a long time," Aang's eyes snapped up to the girl's face, her commentary snapping him out of his spell. "I didn't think you could hear me, but," the girl paused, a grin breaking out over her face, "but then you came."
"Hey, I'm the avatar," Aang said, suddenly feeling bashful. "Helping people is what I do!"
The girl giggled, "Do you tell all the girls that?"
"What, no!" Aang gasped, his face burning up. "There are no other girls! No girls, what-so-ever! I don't even know any girls! Well, I know one girl, Toph, but she isn't like a girl girl, ya know?"
The girl burst out in laughter, throwing her head back. It was a full belly laugh, and Aang could practically see the girl's tonsils. It should not have been attractive, but Aang was starting to realize that anything this girl did was beautiful.
The girl leaned back on her hands, closing her eyes in contentment. "This is nice. I haven't laughed in a long time."
Aang hummed in agreement. "My name is Aang, by the way."
"Aang," the girl paused, lost in thought. "That's a nice name."
"Soooo," the boy drawled out, "What's your name?"
"I haven't said my name in a long time. I am not allowed." A small smile peaked at the corner of the girl's lips. "I guess I have broken enough rules already. My name's Katara."
"Katara?" Why did that name sound familiar? "Katara, I have to ask, who is keeping you here?"
The girl clammed up. She shook her head, and tears began to flow down her face like a waterfall.
"If I'm going to stop this person, I need to know who they are."
"No, you can't!" The girl shouted, wrapping her arms around the airbender's waist and burying her face in his chest. Wow, Aang couldn't help but think, did the temperature suddenly rise in here? "He's too dangerous. He'll kill you!"
"Hey, I'm the avatar!" Aang tried to play it cool. "Dangerous is my middle name."
"You don't understand," the girl cried. "He is no ordinary man. He is a spirit made up of pure wrath. He can take physical form, walking the earth as a human. The more anger and hatred humans produce, the stronger he gets." The girl lifted her head from Aang's chest. "Don't you get it, Aang? If you try to fight him, he'll just grow stronger. You can't win."
"Then how will I save you?"
"I don't know." The girl suddenly sat up, gripping Aang's by the shoulder, her face a hair-breadth away from his. "But now that you are here, I have hope!"
"Uhhh," Aang stammered. So much for being the cool and collector savior this girl needs, Aang chided himself. "I just, uh, hope I can save you."
"I know you can."
A lock of her flowing hair fell in front of the girl's face, and without any permission from himself, his hand reached up to brush it out of the way.
"Thank you," the girl whispered, her eyes downcast, and a brush of rosiness appeared on her cheeks. The girl's lips parted slightly, and Aang's breath caught in his throat. The hand that had brushed back her hair was still sitting cupped around her face. Aang tried to tell his hand to move, but it was not listening. He felt so uncomfortable, but at the same time, he never wanted this moment to end. The girl sighed, breaking the moment. "It's time for you to go."
"But why?"
"Your friends are waiting for you." Just for a moment, it seemed as if the girl's eyes began to well up. Aang tilted her face up, staring her straight in the eyes.
"I'll be back, and when I come back, we'll figure out how to get you out of this prison."
"Really?" The girl sniffed.
"I promise." And without another word, Aang was sucked back into the real world.
"Aang! Aang! Come in, Twinkle-Toes!"
"Ugh, what?" Aang rubbed the grit out of his eyes, and found himself, once again, surrounded by all of his friends. "What are you guys doing here?"
"What are we doing here?" Sokka shrieked, "You run off, spouting nonsense about the Spirit World, and you expect us to just let you have your little soiree out of the real world and NOT be worried?"
"But I found her!" Aang protested.
"Found who?" Zuko asked.
"The girl!"
"You're still chasing a dream?" Zuko growled.
"She's real! Katara is real!"
"Wait," Sokka suddenly said, his voice so stone cold, that everyone went silent. "What did you say her name was?"
"Katara."
A bestial roar ripped out of Sokka's chest, which distracted Aang long enough for him to not notice Sokka's fist heading directly for his face.
"Spirits, Sokka, what is your damage?" Toph snarled, helping the beaten avatar to his feet. Blood was gushing out of the boy's nose, and Aang could see a bright red smear left on Sokka's knuckles. The Water Tribe boy just threw his arms in the air, before marching away.
"What's his problem?" Aang gasped, his voice nasally.
"Are you both complete idiots?"
Toph and Aang gaped at Zuko in shock. "Wanna try that again, Fire Boy?" Toph threatened.
"I know I haven't traveled with you guys quite as long, but I have picked up on one thing. The biggest regret in Sokka's life is that he feels like he just let his sister get captured by the Fire Nation. Either of you happen to remember his sister's name?"
It felt as if a lightening bolt struck the avatar right through the heart. "Katara," Aang spoke softly, suddenly feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. No wonder the girl seemed so familiar. The physical similarities between her and Sokka were so apparent, that Aang couldn't even believe that he didn't put the pieces together himself. "I'll go talk to him."
"Don't mess this up," Zuko warned.
"I won't."
Sokka had not wandered far off. He was busy trying to pummel a tree into the ground. Aang didn't even want to think about the shape Sokka's hands must be in. He did not look like he was holding back.
"Ya know, I think the tree surrendered."
Sokka pulled back, his chest heaved in exertion. Aang got a glimpse of red on the tree bark, before Sokka turned to face the boy. "Dammit, Aang! I don't know whether to punch your or kiss you!"
"Well, you already punched me once, so if I have a choice—"
"I thought she was dead!" Sokka cut the boy off. "For years, I thought my sister was dead, only to find out that she was in the Spirit World!" The teen took a deep breath. "Did you know?"
"No! Of course not! I would have told you."
Sokka sank to the ground, in mimicry of a puppet whose strings had just been cut. "She's alive. Katara is alive." Sokka covered his face with his hands, and by the way his shoulders were shaking, Aang would have bet anything that the boy was crying, but Aang was not going to call him on it. Everyone deserved their privacy. "Damn the Fire Nation. DAMN THEM ALL!"
Sokka turned to look at Aang, his face wet with tears. "Do you have any idea what it was like, Aang? We thought the raids were over. We thought we were finally safe, but we were wrong. They came back, just once, and when they left, they took Katara with them."
Aang was unsure what to say to his friend to comfort him. The ire Sokka held against the Fire Nation sometimes seemed excessive to the boy, but considering what Sokka had grown up with, a lot of his hatred was justified.
"First they kill my mother, then take my sister, and finally, my father leaves to fight them. The Fire Nation has taken my entire family from me." The teenager began to shake in anger. "Aang, you have to promise me that you'll kill that bastard. Put him into the ground."
"But, I-"
"Promise me, Aang!" Sokka looked at Aang with fire in his eyes. "The Fire Lord does not deserve mercy, because he sure as hell never showed me any."
Aang remained silent, unsure as how to respond to Sokka's request. "Can you tell me about her? Your sister?" Aang asked, hoping to divert the conversation.
Sokka sighed, his face glazing over as he lost himself in memory. "She was my best friend. I'm a year older than her, but after Mom died, Katara always made sure to take care of me." Sokka laughed to himself. "She was always such the optimist, quite opposite of me. Always going on about hope."
"Hope, huh?"
"Yeah. No matter how bad things got, she always believed things would get better." Sokka grinned at Aang. "In fact, you should have heard her going on about you. She always did believe you would come back and save us all."
I just don't hope I don't disappoint her, Aang thought to himself.
"Ugh, get it together, Twinkle-Toes! Where is your head?"
Aang found himself in a pile of rubble, with Toph sitting on top of his face. They were training, for the millionth time, and if anything, Aang seemed to have been getting worse at earth bending. Sozin's Comet was fast approaching, and Aang had only barely gotten the hang of water bending thanks to Master Pakku. Even with Toph's and Zuko's tutelage, Aang hardly felt prepared for the oncoming storm.
"What's wrong with you, avatar?" Zuko called from the sidelines. "I've seen children fire bend more proficiently than you, and now this?"
Toph got off of Aang's face, and the boy groaned. This was all he needed. "Listen guys, I'm just a little distracted."
"If you think my father will be distracted on the day of the comet, then you are mistaken."
"I know!" Aang yelled, throwing his arms out. "I've got Fire Lord Ozai to deal with, the entire Fire Nation, and now some crazy wrath spirit! I'm sorry if my head is a little full."
Toph looked up, "Have you seen Katara lately?"
The avatar groaned. Just another reminder of his failure. "I haven't been able to reach her. I don't even know what to tell Sokka."
Toph nudged Zuko, and the teen responded with a glare, seeming to forget that Toph could not see it. Aang glanced between the two of them. "What's going on."
"We didn't want to say anything with Sokka around," Toph paused, not sure how to go on.
"But we have been thinking that maybe you should hold off on rescuing Katara."
"WHAT?"
"Just until after the comet!" Toph stuttered in defense.
"Are you guys crazy?"
"Look, we love Sokka," Toph started, "but she's already been trapped there for what, three years now? If we don't defeat Ozai before Sozin's Comet, everything is lost. EVERYTHING. After that, how would you even be able to save her?"
"What Toph is saying," Zuko continued, "is that maybe for now, we just focus on defeating my father. After that, Katara is our number one priority."
"Are you guys seriously asking me this? You're asking me to just forget about another person's life?"
"What about the lives of everyone on this planet?" Zuko hissed.
"Every life is special, Zuko. Every single one. If we forget that, then what gives us the right to call ourselves human? If we devalue one life, then we become nothing more than monsters." Aang marched away, unable to deal with that conversation.
"Come on, Aang!" The boy scolded himself, smacking himself on the forehead "You can do this! You're the great bridge between the worlds, after all! Now come on, concentrate!" Aang squeezed his eyes closed. "Gotta get to Katara. Gotta get to Katara. Katara. Katara. Katara."
"Aang?"
"Katara!" Standing before him was Katara, looking as beautiful as ever. Aang could not help but feel a little guilty for the thought, now that he knew she was Sokka's sister. "I've been trying to reach you for what seems like forever."
"I know," Katara looked away in shame. "I haven't been letting you through."
"Why not?" Aang felt a bit hurt at her confession.
"Because he has been spending a lot more time here. I couldn't risk him seeing you."
"Katara, I am going to have to face him one day."
"Please, Aang, understand," Katara's eyes began to water. "I don't want to see you get hurt."
"But Katara," Aang whispered, lifting her chin up, "You are already hurting, and it's killing me."
"Oh, Aang." Katara closed her eyes, and rested her forehead against Aang's. Aang could have stood there forever, but some of Toph and Zuko's speech got to him. They really were on a time limit.
"I learned a lot since we last met," Aang said. "For one thing, I know your brother."
"Sokka?" Katara gasped, pulling back from Aang. "How is Sokka? Is he okay?"
"Shh," Aang calmed the distraught girl. "Sokka's fine. He's actually my best friend. We've been traveling the world together."
"I'm so relieved." Katara placed her hands over her heart. "Does he know I'm here."
"Yeah, and he's really excited to get you back, so you see, I have a lot of people riding on me defeating whomever is keeping you here." Katara didn't respond, so Aang pushed forward. "I've been thinking about this a lot, actually. Sokka said you were captured in a Fire Nation raid three years ago. You said that the spirit keeping you here can take human form. Is this spirit part of the Fire Nation?"
The look Katara sent Aang was so full of fear, that Aang felt a chill rush up his spine. "It's so much worse than that, Aang."
"Who is he? Tell me!"
Katara suddenly turned her back to the boy, before plopping on the ground. "Can you braid my hair?"
"Um, what?"
"Can you braid my hair, please?"
Aang exploded. "Katara, focus! I have no time to worry about your hair! Who is keeping you here?" The boy stopped when he saw that the Water Tribe girl was trembling. Her hands were clenched in her lap, and she steadily kept her face away from the boy.
When she finally spoke, her voice was choked up. "Please? Please braid my hair, I'm done talking."
Aang crouched low, as if he was approaching a wounded animal, before moving in front of Katara. "What's wrong? Why won't you tell me, Katara?"
Aang could hardly see Katara past all the tears and snot, but she finally looked him straight in the eye. "I'm afraid."
The avatar slowly settled himself on the ground, before reaching a tentative arm around the girl, and pulling her in a hug.
"He'll know I'll told you," She continued you. "He'll know, and you have no idea what he'll do to me."
"Why would anyone do this to you?" Aang spoke aloud to himself. "Why did he take you?"
"If I told you why he took me, you might not want to talk to me." Katara sighed. "Sokka would be so mad."
"Please tell me," Aang murmured in her ear, rubbing slow circles on her back. "No matter what you tell me, I will always come back, because I made a promise to you that I would save you. I will go to the ends of the Earth just to get you out of this place."
Katara leaned back, her face obscured by long locks of wavy hair. "The reason he took from my home, from my family, from Sokka—" Katara paused, pushing her hair out of her face and staring Aang dead on. "The reason he took me was so he could make me his wife."
What the hell was Aang supposed to tell Sokka? What was Aang supposed to do with ANY of this? Sokka's sister is trapped in some purgatory spirit realm, and is married to some crazy spirit made up of pure wrath, and to top it all off, the spirit can turn into a human. Not to mention, with all of this going on, somehow the avatar, the supposed savior of the entire world, has to figure out how to bring down a power-hungry Fire Lord who is bent on creating another genocide, this time to the people of the Earth Kingdom, and ruling the entire world. Aang was only twelve-years old! How was he in any way equipped to deal with this?
Aany scrubbed a hand over the arrow resting on his forehead. Sometimes, when the boy closed his eyes, he imagined he was back at the Southern Air Temple, with all of his fellow monks. He never froze himself under the water, and did not sleep for one-hundred years. In these day dreams, Aang was never the avatar. That mantle went to some other airbender. He was just another regular kid, playing airball through the temple, and throwing fruit pies with Monk Gyatso. Unfortunately, that reality was never to be.
Aang was laying back on an outcropping of rocks about a mile outside of where they based camp. A cool breeze blew through the trees, and the fireflies were just starting to flicker in the evening haze. The boy couldn't go back – not yet. If he went back to camp, he knew he would be grilled by the others. He would be forced to reveal that Katara's warden was also her husband.
The whole thing made Aang feel sick to his stomach. If this spirit felt the need to turn himself human and enter the human world just to find a wife, who was to say that he would stop there? From what Aang understood, while in human form, this spirit looked just like any other human. Completely ordinary and unrecognizable. The only way to find and hunt down this spirit would be with the aide of Katara, and she wasn't talking. Aang ground the base of his palms into his eyes. The boy couldn't really blame Katara for her silence, but he also found it incredibly frustrating. The sooner she spoke, the sooner they could rescue her.
If Aang felt like being honest with himself, most of his frustration should not be directed at Katara, but at Aang himself. No matter how sick the idea of an innocent girl being held prisoner made him feel, what made him feel even worse was that when the moment Katara admitted to being the wife of this spirit, the primary emotion Aang felt was jealousy. Not anger. Not fury. Not even pity. Aang was jealous.
He was jealous that he did not have the right to hold Katara. He was not allowed to touch or caress the girl he found himself so helplessly in love with. Granted, he only had a handful of interactions with the girl, but the moment he laid eyes on her beauty, he was sunk, and there were definitely no lifeboats on this ship.
The world had become rather bleak for Aang ever since Sokka crashed his canoe into the iceberg, waking the boy from her hundred-year sleep. Everything on planet Earth was crumbling right before him, and he felt helpless to stop it. Aang threw a lanky arm over his face, trying to block out the dim light still hanging on from the sunset. As little as Aang wanted to admit it, he initially saw Katara as an escape from the real world. He mind warped the whole scenario into one of those fairy tales Monk Gyatso used to read him as a boy. Aang would travel to a far away land, rescue the princess in the castle from her demon, and then they would ride away on a white ostrich-horse together. It was completely childish, but just for a little bit, Aang was using Katara's plight as an escape from Ozai.
The whole thing was completely messed up. Anything Aang dared to touch seemed to crumble in his very hands. All Aang ever seemed to do was screw up. In Ba Sing Se, he almost died, and was almost saved thanks to the off-chance that one of the Dai Li bumped into Azula right as she was about to send lightening right through his heart. They had run with their tails between their legs during the invasion on the day of Black Sun. Time and time again, Aang had failed. If he failed to bring down Ozai before Sozin's comet, then he would have no second chances, and this time, the cost would be the hundreds of thousands of citizens living in the Earth Kingdom. This was a game Aang could not afford to lose.
Aang finally lowered his arm from his face, and took in his surroundings. The sun was completely gone now, yet the outcropping was not dark. Thousands of stars twinkled from above. The night was completely cloudless, and the entire heaves was watching from above. The fireflies blinked in and out, dancing through the warm night air. They were like little wisps of fire, trying so hard to be noticed in the crowd. The monks used to tell Aang a tale that each firefly represented a lonely soul walking the Earth. They flashed their light, trying to find the other half of their souls. If one firefly was lucky enough to find its soulmate, they would forever be immortalized in the stars. Aang couldn't help but wondered what happened to the fireflies who never found their destined mate. Those that were alone forever. What happened when their lights just stopped flickering?
Back at the campsite, Toph could not admire the stars and fireflies that Aang was watching so morosely. Every day was spent in a comforting darkness. Her foot was gently tapping in beat to the airbender's heart. She could tell that he was worried. Even though Aang would never admit it, she knew he was getting overwhelmed. His bending was really suffering. Toph never heard of anyone getting worse during training, but Aang seemed determined to prove her wrong. Worst yet, emotionally, his head was no longer in the game.
Aang's priority was no longer bringing down Fire Lord Ozai, and stopping the Fire Nation from taking over the world. In all honesty, Toph didn't really think it had to do with Katara, but rather Aang's reluctance to fight at all. Aang was a pacifist to the extreme, and while he wasn't against fighting in cases of self-defense, she knew that when the time came, he would not be able to kill the Fire Lord to bring him down. Toph had no doubt that Aang truly cared for Katara, but she wondered if perhaps he was looking for any sort of excuse to not have to take a human life.
"Guys, what are we gonna do about Aang?" She spoke up softly, calling attention to Sokka and Zuko who were resting peacefully around the fire.
Sokka, who was busy picking meat out from between his teeth, looked puzzled at Toph's quandary. "What do you mean?"
"You might not have noticed," Zuko interjected, "but Aang really hasn't been himself, lately."
Sokka stroked at his hairless chin, "He has been a bit tense."
Toph's foot continued to tap rhythmically to Aang's heart, keeping careful track of the boy. "He's going to explode if he keeps going at this rate."
"He needs to relax." Sokka shot Zuko a bemused look at his proposition. "What are you staring at?"
"You just said Aang needs to relax. You, Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud." Sokka pointed a finger at the Fire Prince.
"Hey, I can relax!"
"You're gritting your teeth right now," supplied Toph.
"Okay, fine. I might be a bit," Zuko paused, "serious, but even I can tell Aang is going to snap. Between my father and your sister, I think he is reaching his limit."
Sokka suddenly straightened up, snapping his fingers, "Katara! That's it!"
"What's it?" Toph arched a brow, even if it went unnoticed beneath her bangs.
"Katara is the most nurturing and mothering person you'll ever meet. Trust me, it was a real pain. If anyone can make him feel better, it's her."
"Sokka, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Zuko spoke slowly, not wanting to offend the Water Tribe boy.
"Trust me, it'll work."
"You want me to what now?" Aang looked around at his friends in disbelief. They must be going crazy.
"We want you to take a little vacation! Go for a ride on Appa, take a swim, or maybe, I dunno, go visit some Water Tribe girl we all know and love." Sokka rattled on, trying to play cool.
"Smooth," Toph elbowed Sokka in the gut.
"Um, I have no problem visiting Katara, but I thought you guys wanted me to stop seeing her," Aang indicated towards Toph and Zuko.
"What are you talking about?" Zuko's voice had reached a pitch heretofore unheard of from him. "We never said that?"
"What?" Sokka's tone had turned murderous.
"Just go see Katara, already!" Toph rushed Aang, wanting this conversation to be over.
"Alright, but I can't always get through."
"Just try," Sokka pleaded.
As Aang lowered himself into the lotus position, Toph whispered to Zuko, "This is a horrible idea. Why are we supporting this?"
"Have you ever tried to stop Sokka when he had an idea?" Zuko whispered back.
"This is going to blow up in our faces, isn't it?"
"Let's try to be hopeful."
Toph shot Zuko an incredulous look. "What's with all this hope and good-feelings talk from you lately?"
Zuko combed his fingers through his hair. "You guys must be rubbing off on me."
Toph smirked. "Good."
Aang could not hear a single word of their interlude. The entire world ceased to exist. His mind was already in a deep trance. Just as his arrows began to glow, and he was swept away, he had only one thought on his mind. Katara.
"You came back!" The first words out of Katara's mouth was laced with disbelief and awe, and she swept the airbender up in a hug.
"I never break a promise."
Katara beamed at the boy, before her face turned somber, "I thought you wouldn't come back, after I told you."
"Hey, hey," Aang said softly, trying to soothe the clearly distressed girl. "There is nothing you can say that would keep me away."
A light blush dusted the girl's cheeks. "Did you tell Sokka?"
"Do I look like I'm crazy!" Aang exclaimed, pulling an exaggerated face of at Katara. "I like myself as I am – alive!"
The pair fell into silence. It wasn't awkward, in fact, it was quite comforting, but Aang still felt the insatiable need to fill the quiet, lest he say something embarrassing. "So, I never did get around to braiding your hair."
Katara's eyes sparkled in glee, and she quickly settled herself on the floor of ice, letting her hair flow behind her. "Do you even know how to braid?"
"Hey, as the avatar, I am proficient in many skills! I might be bald, but I can braid."
Aang gently combed his fingers through Katara's hair, working out any knots. Her hair vaguely smelled of lavender, and Aang had to fight the urge to bury his face in her locks. He deftly separated her hair into three sections, before twisting the strands together. Aang deliberately was taking his time, wanting this moment to last.
"Can you tell me anything more about your...husband?"
Katara visibly flinched at the word. "Please do not call him that."
"Sorry," Aang immediately back-tracked. "But any information would be a big help."
"You have no idea what he would do to me if he found out you were even here, let alone that I gave you information."
"Then just tell me anything you're comfortable with. The smallest thing could help."
Katara fell mute, and Aang busied himself with her hair. It was surprisingly cathartic, winding her hair round and round. Any mistake could be quickly undone, and even if his braid wasn't perfect, it wouldn't last forever. There was nothing complicated about hair, now if only his feelings involving the person it belonged to were so simply.
Katara finally sighed, "He feeds off of humans. Not literally, but rather, he lives off their hate. The more anger and wrath and greed humans feel, the stronger he becomes. He has been turning human for centuries, and traveling to the physical world, manipulating humans to fit his need. Wars, famine, riots, assassinations – he has had his hand in anything."
What exactly am I facing, Aang wondered to himself.
"If you try to fight him, he just feeds off the hate, and grows stronger. No one has been able to defeat him.
"So he just travels to the physical world because he's angry?"
Katara shook her head, and Aang straightened her shoulders so she wouldn't mess up his progress. "He is no longer satisfied with what he calls 'petty human quarrels.' That's why he started taking human women. That's why he," Katara took a steadying breath. "That's why he brought me here."
Aang halted his braiding, and began gently scratching at Katara's scalp, trying to calm the girl.
"The problem is," Katara continued, seeming to have not noticed Aang's actions, "he still wants more."
"What more could he want?"
Katara clicked her tongue, and her knee began jiggling. She was obviously struggling just to tell Aang this much. He wanted to tell her to forget about everything. Just as he opened his mouth, Katara continued. "He plans to first take over the physical world, and then, dominate over the spirit world using the resources humans have developed."
"Take over the physical world?" Aang scoffed incredulously. "Good luck with that. It's kind of a mess right now."
Katara tilted her head back, glancing at the avatar, "Why do you think that is?"
"Wait, are you telling me – " Aang paused to gather his thoughts. "Are you telling me that he is causing this whole mess?"
"I didn't say anything," Katara defended herself.
The cogs in Aang's head were spinning furiously. "He's hiding amongst the Fire Nation, correct? With Sozin's Comet coming up, there is a real chance the Fire Nation could completely take over. His best bet would be to cozy up to Fire Lord Ozai to gain any real sort of power."
Katara had grown completely taciturn, and refused to look at the airbender.
"Is that what he is planning on doing, Katara?" Katara remained steadfast. Aang felt as if he was sweaty profusely. He was so close, he could taste it.
"Katara, is he close to Ozai? Are they allies? Is he planning on killing Ozai?" Aang quickly shuffled to stare Katara in the face. He wasn't sure what he expected. Anger, or tears perhaps, but not the absolute fear written across her features, or the unnatural paleness of her skin.
"Katara?"
"Dont say that name."
"What?"
Katara gritted her teeth so hard, Aang swore that he could hear them crack. "Don't. Say. That. Name."
"What name? Ozai?" Aang asked, completely befuddled. Katara responded with a single nod.
"Why? What does Ozai have to do with this?" The sweat soaking Aang's skin turned to ice. "No. No no no no no! You cannot be serious!" Aang screamed out, his throat cracking at the end.
Katara remained entirely mum.
"Ozai is about two seconds from destroying the entire Earth Kingdom and ruling the world, and now you're telling me that he is – " Aang couldn't even say it. He was shaking so hard, his bones were practically vibrating out of his skin. Aang scraped his fingernails down the arrow on his left arm, hoping to wake himself up, because this was obviously a nightmare.
"Look, Aang-"
Aang flinched back from the hand Katara was reaching out. He just stared at her, like she was an alien. "You're married to him. You're married to Fire Lord Ozai."
Katara puffed her cheeks out in anger. "Get out." Her hands were trembling as she undid the braid Aang had woven her hair into just moments earlier. "You need to leave."
Aang immediately backed down, completely submission. He wasn't sure when, but he obviously messed up along the way. "Katara-"
"Just go! This was a mistake."
"I didn't mean," he stammered.
"Leave!" Her scream followed Aang all the way back to the physical world.
"So, what happened?" Sokka asked eagerly as Aang's consciousness returned.
"Argh!" Aang doubled over, his hands cupping his skull.
"Aang!" Toph cried.
"What happened?" Zuko inquired.
"She's, she's married to him."
"Katara's MARRIED?" Sokka squawked.
"The spirit, the monster! Whatever!" Aang curled up further, his forehead pressed against his knees.
Sokka collapsed upon the ground. "Oh my spirits. Katara, what has happened to you?"
"That's not even the worst of it," Aang growled deep from within his chest.
Toph balked, "It gets worse?"
"He wants to take over our world, and then the spirit world. The worst part is, he is-" Aang could hardly get it out. "It's Ozai. The spirit is Fire Lord Ozai."
Zuko started choking.
"Shit," Toph breathed.
The blood drained out of Zuko's face. "Does that mean I'm half spirit?"
Sokka shot Zuko a look of pure loathing. "That's what you're thinking about?"
"Hey, it concerns me!" Zuko shot back.
"Silence!" Toph roared, before the pair could continue bickering.
"What are we going to do?" Sokka all but whispered.
"I don't know," Aang groaned. His head was pounding, and he felt like he was about to vomit. "I really don't know."
A somber mood fell over the group. They continued moving through the Fire Nation, planning their final attack, but they were just going through the motions. There were no certainties anymore. It was daunting enough when they thought they were going against Fire Lord Ozai, the human, but now that they knew he was an all-power spirit, the idea of victory completely slipped away.
Aang was no longer able to reach Katara. Every night, he would find a quiet place to meditate to try to reach her in her frozen fortress. She was blocking him from reaching her. Katara must truly hate him, Aang thought to himself. Every night that ended in failure, he felt less confident about not only the chance of victory against Ozai, but also less confident in himself. No one believed in their chance of succeeding, and as Sozin's Comet loomed closer, the group had all but given up.
Aang was practicing his mediocre water bending skills in a shallow pool when Sokka approached him. "The comet's tomorrow, Aang."
"I know." Back and forth, back and forth. Flow with the movement of the water. It seemed so easy when Master Pakku was demonstrating the motions.
"You know, Katara is a water bender," Sokka said out of nowhere.
"She is?"
"Yeah," Sokka picked up a small stone, and skipped it across the water. "It used to annoy the hell out of me. She would practice any chance she could get, and more often than not, it would end up with me soaking wet."
"She never mentioned it," Aang murmured to himself.
"She was the last water bender in our tribe," Sokka picked up another stone, and tossed it. It sank to the bottom of the pool. "Even before I was born, the Fire Nation would raid our village, capturing every single water bender they could find. My sister was so young when her abilities began to manifest. I was so jealous at the time, but everyone else treated like it was a big secret. They were all so terrified. She was forbidden from water bending where people could see. We had had problems with traitors in the past, and those close to our family were so scared that she would be taken, too. With no water benders, our tribe and our culture would truly be decimated. I guess their fears were right."
"They took her," Aang's voice was filled with guilt, what he felt guilty about, he wasn't sure.
"I thought she was dead. She was the darling of the town. Everyone loved her. After she was taken, it was like everyone gave up. Soon after, my father led all the men to fight in the war. They always stayed out of it in the past, saying they had a village to protect. I guess with Katara and all the water benders gone, there wasn't really much of a village left."
The water lapped softly against Aang's ankles. "I'm so sorry, Sokka."
"I know things have been weird," Sokka continued, as if he hadn't heard Aang, "but you have to defeat Ozai. I need my sister back. I just want to see her again." Sokka roughly wiped away the water gather in his eyes. "I don't even care if she nags me."
"But what if I can't?" Aang sounded so young, and Sokka was gravely reminded that he was just a child. "I don't think I'm strong enough. So many people are counting on me. I don't want to let the world down."
"Then don't do it for the world."
Aang jerked his head up. "What?"
"Having the whole world on your shoulders sounds like a big responsibility. Don't forget, we'll be there too, so don't act like it is all on you. Do it for yourself, do it for us, but don't act like you owe the world anything." Sokka's face was etched in hard lines.
Aang nodded, knowing exactly what he needed to do, "I'll do it for Katara."
Sokka scrunched up his face, scratching at the back of his head, messing up his wolf's tail. "Ah geez, man, don't tell me that. Don't think that I haven't forgotten that you called my sister beautiful."
"Oh, well, I..." Aang stuttered.
Sokka waved him off. "Forget about it. I guess there are worse things than having the avatar as your brother-in-law."
Red was too pale of a color to describe Aang's face just then. Before his brain could even began to gather words for a response, Sokka walked away. Aang looked down into the pool of water, and his reflection stared straight back. Don't do it for the world, do it for Katara, huh? Aang thought to himself. Aang clenched his fist and his jaw set into a determined line. Yeah, he thought, I can do this. For Katara, he could do anything.
Sozin's comet was finally here. They had their battle plans in place. Sokka and Toph would take out the battle fleet, while Zuko dealt with Azula. And Aang? Aang was facing Fire Lord Ozai alone. They all knew it would come down to this. Aang was not confident that he could take him down, but for Katara, he would surely try.
When Aang finally came face to face with the man, he was shaken by how human he looked. Nothing about him showed the true monster that lied within him. From an aesthetic point of view, he was actually quite attractive. Surprisingly, Ozai resembled an older version of Zuko.
"Fire Lord Ozai!" Aang cried out. "Your reign ends today!"
Ozai smirked, the ugly expression marring his handsome face. "We'll see, won't we, little boy?"
Sozin's Comet loomed above, painting the earth a crimson shade of blood. All the wildlife in the area had fled, leaving only the rumble of the battle fleet as a soundtrack. Ozai cracked his neck, and like a cannon fire, fire erupted all around them. With jets of flame streaming from his hands, Ozai came at the boy, and the battle began.
Aang threw everything he knew at the man. A shower of rock bullets. Air torpedoes. Ice rain. Fire whips. Yet with every attack, Ozai rebounded, pushing Aang further and further back. Sweat dripped from his brow, and Aang's mouth was full of salt. He couldn't even be bothered to check if the salt was from his sweat pooling in his mouth, or from blood. Ozai was coming at him too fast and too powerful for the avatar the even breathe. Do it for Katara, Aang kept telling himself. It was his mantra. Katara. Katara. Katara.
Ozai suddenly had Aang by the throat. Crushing the boy's wind pipe, Ozai had to take time to gloat. "What's wrong, little boy? Can't take the heat?"
Aang's nostrils flared. "I'm just wondering when the battle will really begin."
Ozai let out a dark chuckle. "Oh, you want a fight, do you? Well then, let's dance."
Fire Lord Ozai dropped his grip from his neck, and sent a blast of flames at Aang. The boy could feel his very skin peeling and bubbling off of his flesh. An animalistic howl escaped his throat. The sickly sweet smell of his burnt meat permeated the air. With every pop and crackle of fire, Aang could feel himself getting angrier and angrier.
Sending a gush of wind at Ozai, Aang bared his teeth, stretching his disfigured skin. "I hope you're enjoying this fight, because it is the last one you will ever have!"
A switch flipped. Aang's arrows began to glow, the bright blue harsh against the red sky. All the past avatar lives flooded into his head, and they all had one thought on mind, kill Fire Lord Ozai. The anger and hate of every lost battle and every lost life each avatar experienced rang in the boy's head, as he headed towards the Fire Lord in full force. Air. Water. Earth. Fire. All four elements danced for him, like marionettes on their strings. Aang was in control, and Ozai will feel his pain.
With every hit the Fire Lord took, he seemed to rebound even stronger. Aang would mow him down with a rock slide, then Ozai would turn the rock into molten lava, sending it back to the boy. Drowning him a wave of water would turn into scalding steam to blind Aang. The boy could not even keep track how much of his body had been burnt and melted by the monster. Skin hung off him like old banana peels, until you couldn't even recognize him from the youthful, innocent boy that arose from the iceberg.
Fire Lord Ozai was gaining ground and fast. The past avatars' screams were rattling around in Aang's skull, screaming hate and animosity. The airbenders own thoughts were lost in the sea of loathing. Kill him. Destroy him. Tear him down. These were the cries ringing over and over again in his head. Aang had gone blind to everything except destroying Ozai.
The Fire Lord scorched a ring of fire in the earth, completely encasing the avatar. Aang was trapped, and no matter how many elements he threw at the fire to kill it, the flames just seemed to creep higher into the sky. Ozai slowly approached the boy, like a hunter stalking their prey. He stood before the boy, breathing in the scent of decay emanating from the fallen avatar. He rose a single fist, bathing it in a fireball.
The Fire Lord could not resist one last chance to gloat. Licking his lips, Ozai grinned at Aang, "Your hate is most delicious."
The voices of all the avatars suddenly ceased to exist. His arrows lost their glow. Katara. Ozai brought his fist down with the strength of ten-thousand men, only to be halted by the bare palm of Aang and Aang alone.
Katara said Ozai fed off hate and anger. The battle was fated to lose as long as Aang held onto his hate. That was exactly what Ozai wanted. He wanted to spread fear and chaos throughout the land. Hate just leads to more hate. Destruction leads to more destruction. The only way stop hate is to turn it around. You have to feed it love.
Aang had a lot of people he loved. He loved the monks at the Southern Air Temple, and even though they were no longer around, they still had a special place in his heart. He loved his friends. He loved Sokka, Toph, and Zuko. Without them, there was no way he would have made it in this new-fangled world. Most of all, he loved Katara. He loved the way she smiles, her soft hair, the way she smells. He loved Katara with his entire heart, and no amount of hate would ever change the way he feels.
With love flooding his heart, Aang pushed against Ozai, sending the man to the ground. The Fire Lord looked stunned, and looked at his hand that was not able to lay any damage against the already injured boy. "How? I don't understand. You should be dead!"
"I should be," Aang agreed, "but then I remembered a little thing my friend told me. You feed of wrath, which makes me think that something like love might give you something more than a bit of indigestion."
Ozai's eyes darkened. "That bitch. The moment I'm done with you, she's next."
Aang took a calming breath. Remember, he told himself, you're doing this for Katara. You cannot help her by getting angry. "Tell me Ozai, what are you going to do if you win?"
Ozai snarled, "If that whore told you who I am, then she must have told you my plans. After I take this world, the spirit world is next!"
"And then what?" Aang screamed out in passion. "After you have taken over both worlds, what will you do next? Without anyone to love, you will still be empty inside, and no matter how many lives you take or realms you rule, you will never fill that hole!"
Aang swing a fist. No bending, no water, air, or anything aiding his punch. Just his bare fist, and it connected with the side of the Fire Lord's face. A small crack, just a hair, split open on Ozai's face. Ozai's eyes widened in horror. He slapped a hand over the crack, trying to hide his shame from the world.
"Without hate, how long can your human shell last?" Aang pondered out loud, before landing a roundhouse kick to his ribs. Fire Lord Ozai immediately doubled over, howling in agony. Aang continued his barrage on the man, and with each hit, he reminded himself of his loved ones and who he was doing this for. This is for Sokka. This is for Zuko. This is for Toph. This is for Bumi. This is for Monk Gyatso. THIS IS FOR KATARA!
Cracks ran down the Fire Lord's body like veins. Darkness seeped out like blood. A peculiar suctioning sounds emitted from the man. His human body was broken. The spirit could not be contained in the mortal vessel for much longer. Explosions sounded in the background, alerting Aang to Toph and Sokka's victory against the air fleet. He hoped that Zuko was having similar luck against his sister. Just as Aang was giving in to the feeling of victory over the Fire Lord, Ozai flash a wicked grin.
"You think this is over, boy? It has only begun!" The human shell cracked open, and a monstrous pitch black spirit crawled from the husk. He vaguely resembled a spider, but Aang had never seen a spider with that many legs or such ferocious teeth. "This form cannot remain in the human realm for long, but let's see how you fair in my domain!" The spirit form of Ozai unhinged his jaw, and with one quick snatch, swallowed the boy whole.
Aang found himself in Katara's prison. The girl immediately ran to his side, tenderly running her hands over his scorched flesh. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"
"I see you have been naughty, little witch." Katara and Aang spun around, finding Ozai's spirit form looming over them. "You're trapped here, avatar. Let's see how well you do against a true monster."
Aang thrust his hands in front of him, only for nothing to happen. "I can't bend in the spirit world!"
Ozai thrust one of his long, thin leg straight through the avatar's abdomen. Aang choked, blood trickling down his chin. Yanking his leg from the boy's stomach, blood began pouring out of the wound, soaking Aang's habit.
"That wound won't kill you – yet." Saliva dripped down Ozai's pearly white fangs, before he sunk his teeth into Aang's leg. Aang collapsed against the floor, his vision blacking out. He had suffered from too many injuries. Aang realized that he was probably going to die there. He at least rid the world from Ozai's tyranny. His only regret was that he could not save Katara. She was going to have to watch him die.
Katara rushed in front of Aang, blocking him from Ozai with her body. "What are you doing, Katara? Get away!" Aang pleaded with her.
"You forget, Aang, I have lived here for three long years. I have picked up a couple of tricks." With a flick of her wrists, ice immediately shot up from the flour, piercing the spider.
Ozai screamed in rage. "How can you bend here? It's impossible!"
"I've had a lot of time to think," Katara screamed in retort. "It was just a matter of time. Now your time is up!"
Ice encased the spirit, spearing him from all sides. The floor was in complete ruins, but the fire that gleamed in Katara's eyes was strong. Even after three years of being this thing's prisoner, Katara was not broken. She was stronger than him. Katara was the last water bender of the Southern Water Tribe, and she was not going to let him forget it.
"Do you know what happens when you freeze a body's temperature?" Katara inquired, waving her arm in a circular motion. Ozai began quaking, his legs twitching before completely falling off. His eyes were spinning wildly, and the drool on his fangs froze into ice-clear crystals. "It dies."
Katara balled up her fist, and Ozai shattered. His body had frozen from the inside out, making him as delicate as blown glass. Black remains of his body flew in all directions. The rain of his frozen remains sounded like wind chimes tinkling in the breeze. The only evidence of Ozai's existence laid in pieces at their feet. The twisting ice bars of their cage exploded. Just as a white light bathed over the pair, Katara slipped her had into Aang's, and for the first time in three years, Katara was free.
As the light faded, the pair founds themselves at the ruins of the battlefield. Zuko, Sokka, and Toph ran up to them, the three of them slightly battered, but appeared to be no worse for wear. Tears were streaming unbridled down Sokka's face, as he threw himself at his sister.
"You're back," Sokka sobbed. "I can't believe your back."
"I'm home," Katara whispered from where she buried her face into his neck.
Aang looked away from the emotional moment, letting the brother and sister have their privacy. "Azula?" Aang asked Zuko. "What happened with her?"
"She has been taken care of," Zuko responded darkly. "What of my father."
Aang's spine stiffened, and he could not look the teen in his eyes. "He's gone."
Zuko nodded somberly, "Good."
"The battle fleet has been destroyed," Toph chimed in. "The Fire Nation is over."
Aang let out a sigh of relief, before doubling over, clenching a hand over the gaping wound in his stomach. "I'd hate to be a downer, but I kind of need a doctor."
Katara pried herself away from her brother, before bending some cool water over the hole. "I can close up the wound. You'll still need to see a doctor, but you'll live."
"What about..." Sokka trailed off, indicating all the damage to Aang's skin the fire created.
Katara shook her head. "I can't do anything about that." She let out a shaky breath. "I'm so sorry."
Aang raised his arms, staring at the broken lines of his arrows where the flesh bubbled and burst from the flame's heat. His entire body had been ravaged, and the previous smooth skin now resembled something closer to gravel. Aang supposed it was appropriate. Despite the evils Ozai had dealt to the Earth and its people, Aang still felt guilty for taking his life. Aang now resembled the monster he truly was inside.
"Whatever you're thinking, stop it," Katara scolded the boy. "You saved me. You saved all of us. Never feel guilty about that."
Aang scratched a bit of peeling skin on his neck. Was there even a correct answer for this conundrum? The world was not as black and white as Aang previously thought it to be. There was 'good' or 'evil,' just people trying their best to make it in this world. Everything was all about balance. Aang still had a lot to learn, but maybe he could really get the hang of this avatar thing.
Katara stalked up to Aang, cupping his scarred jaw with her hands. "Thank you, Aang," she murmured, before leaning in and placing the gentlest of kisses upon his lips.
"Oogies!" Sokka cried out. "I don't want to see that." The pair ignored the boy, and Sokka shook his head in mild amusement.
Zuko gave Sokka a soft smile. "Looks like we got our happy ending."
The corners of Sokka's twitched upward as he chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we did."