TITLE: Tending to Aang

SUMMARY: This takes place right after the episode "Cross road to Destiny". The gang have arrived at Kato's ship. Aang is down below feverous due to Azula's lighting attack. Katara learns much about Aang during his delusions. She learns what the Guru had told him.

Katara comes to a very important decision during this time.

STORY NOTES: Part one in a series that will cover every episode in Book Three: FIRE. All leading up to the kiss in the final scene.

EPSIODE(S): None, it takes place right before "The Awakening".

CATEGORY: Family/Friendship/ Hurt/Comfort/ Drama/ Romance/ Tragedy/ Angst/ Spiritual

RATING: T

CHAPTER ONE

DELUSIONAL FIGHT

How can he love me? I'm just a Southern water tribe peasant girl. Granted I'm a very powerful water bending master. But he's the Avatar. Not only that, but he's a monk. How can he love me? When he's so good and so forgiving? When's he's more for peace? While I'm more porn to allow my anger to overcome me. While I don't have a problem with holding a grudge. How can he love imperfect me?

"…. N – no, please no. Not her, not Katara. I can't lose her." Aang's eyes opened wide as he quickly sat up.

"Aang it's ok, I'm ok." Katara put her hands on his slippy sweaty shoulders. He started to fight her hold on him trying to break free. "No Aang, it's me, Katara." She cried softly as she fought hard to keep her hold on him.

"You get your hands off of me. I have to get to Katara! She needs me, she's in danger." Aang violently jerked back causing Katara's hold to break.

Katara quickly pushed forward, and reached out for him once more. Eyes wide in shock as Aang's full mouth air bending hit her full on. She was lifted off the ship's metal floor, flying backwards, slamming into the metal side. The far side from Aang.

The door burst opened, and Sokka came rushing in. He saw his sister lying shaking holding her body, her eyes filled with tears. staring at the stark raving delusional mad Aang. "Katara." He cried as he rushed over to his sister, slamming the door in his rush. He knelt down. and put his right hand on her shaking back.

"I'm ok." Katara whispered with tears running down her checks. She couldn't unwrap her arms from around her stomach. She tried to catch her breath, but the force of slamming into the metal, truly took the breath right out from her. She felt her brother's arms tighten on her back, and she cried out in pain.

Sokka quickly moved his hand. "Katara, you are hurt." He said. "More hurt than I realized." He quickly but gently moved aside some of the material on his sister's shoulder, so he could peek down her back. He winched as he saw the angry red mark on her back. From what he could see, it looked like she would have one terrfic looking bruise. "Katara, we need to remove your dress, so I can put some salva on you."

His sister moaned as he gently helped her out of her dress. She couldn't stand, not yet. She was still too shaken. So he had to gently remove the dress while she remained how she fell. It was difficult and pain ful work, for his sister, but he finally managed to get the dress from her body.

"It feels better, Sokka, now that the dress is off. The air is helping." Katara said in slight relief. "I don't need any salva on it, it's only a bruise. It'll heal." She tried to move her positon, but she cried out in pain. She felt her brother put his hand on her back once more, not on the bruise, just lower of it.

Sokka's free hand went to her fore arm. "You go rest, I'll stay with Aang." He said looking her straight in her eyes. "Let dad tend to you."

Her head shook, "No. I don't need my father to take care of me. I'm quite all right."

"You can't reach your hands behind you to heal yourself." He said, "You can barely move without crying out in pain."

Aang's wild crazy screaming of fear for Katara's safety continued in the background. He still thought that he was still in the underground of Ba Sing Se, battling Zuko, Zula and the Dai Li agents. He still thinks Katara is in danger.

"No, Sokka, I'm fine really." Katara's head turned as she saw Aang suddenly try to blow the door open. Luckily they had realized that Aang may have a high fever before he was truly out of the fever. Aang flew backwards against the wall and fell hard on his butt. A surprised but crazed experssion on his face. He quickly stood to his feet, and held up his hands in fighting stance.

"Katara, Aang isn't going to be healed over night. He's going to be one sick Avatar for a while. Everyone aboard ship love and care for him, just as much as you do. Aang is part of our family, ALL our family." Sokka said in one of his rare sensitive adult man's voice.

Katara's eyes shinned with tears. Not the tears of sheer pain, but tears of love. Family love.

"You aren't solely responsible for his care. You need to rest and take care of yourself also, Katara, otherwise you will be weaken yourself." Sokka finished.

"I can't leave him, not like this." Katara said as both brother and sister watched as feverous Aang tried to earth bend the metal floor surface.

"Aang wouldn't want you hurt, especially not by him." Sokka said putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up. He could tell that she was still too weak.

"He's not himself, it's not his fault. It's his fever and fear talking here." Katara said trying to shake her brother's hand off her shoulder, but she still felt his hand on her back.

"He'll still blame himself." Sokka said.

Katara's head swung around. "You are not going to tell Aang about this! " Her face had a steel look on it. "If you betray me, Sokka, than you will no longer be my brother." She had a slight crazed experssion in her eyes.

"I promise that I'll never tell Aang, or anyone else." Sokka said staring into his sister's soul. He watched as she softened. "Please, Katara, go and rest. I'll take care of Aang."

Katara lowered her head. "I'm not leaving him, not while he has a fever."

Sokka sighed deeply as he looked at his sister's bowed head. "I hate it when you get like this." He knew that he had lost the battle of wills. "I'll stay with you."

Katara lifted her head. "No." She simply said.

"I'm not leaving you, Katara. I'll remain alert so you can rest." Sokka firmly said.

"Sokka, you must leave. Aang will never calm down with you here." Katara's eyes widen at the shock in her brother's eyes. Shock and hurt. "Sokka, he thinks Zuko, Zula, and the Dai Lai are surrounding me. I can reach him if I'm alone with him."

"Like you have so far, my God, Katara, he has thrown you against the wall." Sokka shook his head.

"He didn't know who I was in the beginning. He thought I was the enemy." Katara calmly said. She looked over at Aang, as he was desperately trying to fight invisible enemy.

"You are deluding yourself, Katara." Sokka tried to fight once more.

"You can leave now, Sokka." Katara turned to face her brother.

Sokka bowed his head. He silently stood up and helped his sister to her feet. He pulled her into a tight hug.

Katara rested her head on her brother's right shoulder, and received his deep love for her.

Sokka pulled away. "I'll check in again in a few hours." He backed away allowing their hands to slowly untwined; until their fingers lightly left one another. He walked to the door and left his sister alone with the delusional young Avatar.

Katara's arms dropped to her side as Sokka turned his back to her. Her head lifted high as he turned one last time to look at her. She wiped the tear from her right check after the shut behind him.

"KATARA!" Aang's freaked out scream made her twist around quickly.

"Aang it's ok." She cried out as she rushed towards him, she braced her body for his air attack. She moved backwards; but she managed to keep up right, and move to the right before slamming into the door. She fell to her knees and hands from the sudden breaking of the force.

"I'm sorry Katara." She looked up at the deep sadness in his voice; in time to see him turn his back on her. He sat crossed legged, and his air bubble covered him. She swallowed as the bubble broke and he turned around, standing up his arrow tattoos, and eyes were glowing. His body lifted until he was hovering.

"Aang!" Katara cried out in a loving voice. Finally she would be able to calm him down. Aang always listened to her while in the Avatar state. She stood to her feet, and started towards him. "Aang, it's time to come back to me now. It's time to be with your family now. Sokka, myself, Appa, Momo, and now Toph."

Aang's body began to lower slowly, but he lifted up against as his mouth opened his mouth. In his voice; but in a deep and shocking scary voice, "You are a deceiver, Azula. Somehow you can turn yourself into Katara, but I know the truth. How dare you to trick me into giving you mercy. You deserve no mercy." He lifted his hands in front of him and ever so slowly brought them closer.

Katara silently keep her eyes on him, as her soul sent her cries to him. Aang, it's truly me. I'm ok. I'm not hurt or wounded. I'm alive. We aren't under the earth kingdom any longer. No one wants to hurt us any longer. Please Aang, let me be able to hold you.

Just before his hands connected, Aang's body lowered and he left the Avatar state. Katara rushed forward so she could catch him before he fell to the ground. She held onto him tightly as his body weight overcame hers, and they both fell to the ground. Katara landed on her back; with Aang on top of her.

Tears running down her checks, Katara held onto the unconscious Aang. Her right hand lifted so she could stork his face, over and over. She lifted her head so she could kiss his sweaty forehead, check, and jaw. Repeating.

Katara didn't know how long they had lain like that, but she was finally out of tears, and her throat was dry. She gently moved her right hand around Aang's body, and she gently turned so his back was on the blankets. She remained beside him for several minutes.

Katara leaned forward and kissed his forehead. She left him go, as she sat up. She stood to her feet and walked over to her flask. After picking it up she walked back to the fallen and sick Avatar. She sat crossed legged; she reached over and opened his mouth. Unflasking the flask, she water bended the water out and into Aang's mouth. She watched in relief as he swallowed. She repeated this until his mouth closed on its own.

Lifting the flask began to drink her fill. She lowered it and closed the flask. Setting the flask down she lifted her hands and began to wave slowly to and for. Water from the nearby bucket gently washed over Aang's sweaty feverish body.

Aang sighed and smiled contently. After several minutes the wave of water returned to the bucket. Aang took a breath and let it out, his body became dry. But the sweat from the fever came back. But, at least now his body wasn't trenched as before.

Katara gently covered his body with the blanket. She lay down next to him; wrapping his arms around him. She watched him peacefully sleep; until sleep over came her.

Sokka opened the door slowly, poking his head around to make sure that Aang wasn't about to attack. His eyes softened at the sight of his sister sleeping beside the fallen Avatar. "You were right, Katara, only you could have calmed Aang down." He walked into the room, making sure the door was closed. He didn't want to take any chances with the sickly Aang.

He knelt down briefly and grabbed a blanket. He walked over and knelt beside his sister, gently covering her body with the blanket. He bent down and pushed back some hair, so he could kiss her smooth check. "I love you, Katara, and I hope you can get some much needed rest." He whispered in her ear. He sat back up and looked over at the sleeping Avatar.

"Aang, you need to get better. We need you, buddy, not only to save the world. But, we need you in our family. I don't know what will happen to Katara, if you don't make it." He shook his head. "Think postive, Sokka, think postive. Anag will be ok. He has much to live for." He took a deep calming breath as he looked back down at his sister.

"Everything will be ok, Katara, I promise you. I'll make sure of it." With one last stork of her check, Sokka stood to his feet and walked from the room. Leaving the twelve year old Avatar and his sister to sleep.

END CHAPTER ONE