Author's Note: Hey, it's a lightning fast update. What do you know? I'm posting this so soon because I've got an exam to study for, and that's going to occupy my time for the rest of this week. I just wanted to get chapter two up and out there as quick as I could, and I've successfully done so. I'm aware that the chapter isn't quite as long as the first, but it should suffice for now. I estimate that I'll have chapter three up by Monday, maybe sooner...but it's doubtful. Anyway, hopefully I'll have a review by Monday, too! Lol. That would be pleasant.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Reflection

"Katara!" Sokka called to his sister as he spotted her emerge from the airship. She descended down the long, steel ramp. As she approached the group slowly, Sokka could tell by her sluggish posture and pensive visage that nothing good had transpired throughout the brief time she was in there. He frowned, feeling a deep-rooted sympathy for his younger sibling.

"Did she see Aang?" Zuko inquired as he stepped up next to Sokka. Mai was at his side, silent with her usual indifference painting her expression as she observed the approaching girl.

"Yeah," Sokka answered glumly, "...she did."

"She was obviously more successful than we were. I mean, I definitely didn't feel any apocalyptic weather this go around," Toph commented with a slight scoff. "Maybe I should just go and punch some sense into him. I bet a good beating would knock Twinkletoes out of it." She slammed her fists together for emphasis.

"Or it'll just knock him out," Sokka suggested with a doubtful look. "And when he wakes up, odds are...we'll be right back at square one. Only we'll have a moody Avatar with a headache to deal with."

"In hindsight, maybe it's not such a good idea." Toph backed down with a nervous laugh, throwing her hands up in the air in defeat. "I don't want to get caught in a rumble with the Avatar State."

Katara stepped off the metal walkway. Immediately, everyone, except Toph, could see the moistness upon the girls cheeks. Her tears shimmered in the light of the sun.

"Katara," Sokka began as he limped towards her, "are you okay?"

"I'm just fine," she grumbled. "I'm not the one we have to worry about."

He proceeded with caution. "So...what happened?"

"Nothing," Katara answered quickly. "Just...nothing...okay?" She didn't want to recount the experience.

Fortunately, Sokka knew when not to pry. He nodded, letting the subject drop right then and there. He didn't want to torture his distraught sister. The swordsman felt she had suffered enough.

"Listen, Sokka," the water bender started again as she addressed her brother, "I want you to tell me...what happened yesterday." She looked pleadingly into his eyes.

Sokka swallowed, visibly sweating the subject as he cast a nervous look over his shoulder, regarding Suki with a "What do I do?" expression. Her eyes were soft as she nodded, encouraging him soundlessly to do as his sister requested. The water tribe warrior slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Fine," he conceded. "I'll tell you, but you can't mention anything to Aang. We...don't think he remembers."

Katara merely nodded as she watched her sibling expectantly, waiting for him to continue. The girl felt her throat tighten as the anticipation mounted in her neck. Her curiosity with the matter was equaled by the magnitude of her fear, leaving her feeling particularly conflicted. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to know.

Sokka cleared his throat, avoiding his siste'rs gaze as he spoke, "Well, Aang had just defeated the Fire Lord when we arrived..."

"Aang! Aang!"

Sokka called down from the airship that hovered above the boy below. Suki and Toph stood at his side, both focused on their young friend. The wind produced by the churning propellers of the aircraft tore at the young Avatar's attire, but he seemed to pay it no mind. He didn't acknowledge their attempts to reach him.

"Tell the pilot to bring us lower," Sokka ordered one of the earth benders who had helped commandeer the craft. He immediately hurried off to relay the command.

The airship began to descend shortly after.

As the craft lowered, Sokka noticed the crimson liquid that was splashed across the area surrounding Aang. Where he could only assume the Fire Lord had once been...nothing remained. His existence left naught but a puddle that would forever stain the surface of the rock he died upon. The final attack had obliterated Ozai's corporeal form entirely

Aang had killed him.

"So he couldn't find a way to save the Fire Lord after all," Suki stated sadly. "He tried so hard..."

"He did the right thing," Sokka asserted as the airship lowered and steadied itself as best as It could alongside the rock formation. He turned to his girlfriend. "Let's go check on him."

Suki nodded her head. "Yeah. Come on, Toph!" She grabbed the blind bandit's wrist.

"Whoa," Toph exclaimed, stumbling forward in surprise as she was pulled along as they made their way towards the deck. All three of them disembarked the mechanical craft, approaching their still motionless companion with concern lacing each of their expressions.

"Aang...?" Sokka called as he limped towards his friend. His stomach churned slightly at the grotesque scene before him. The fact that Aang could just kneel in the center of it like that, completely unresponsive, worried him deeply.

"It's okay, Twinkletoes," Toph said in a soft voice. She could smell his tears mixed in with blood in the air. She could only surmise that judging by their potency, there had to have been a large amount of both.

Aang didn't make an effort to respond. The trio wondered if the young Avatar heard them, or had even so much as acknowledged their presence. Sokka stepped closer, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"GO AWAY!"

The harshness in Aang's voice considerably startled the group. They had never heard him speak in such a hateful and angry way. The incident with Appa and the sand tribe was nothing in contrast.

Sokka kept his hand placed firmly on his companion's shoulder. "No, Aang. You need to come with us."

"Yeah, Twinkletoes. Katara's waiting for-"

"I ...SAID...GO!" The thunderous roar that erupted from the boy's throat was followed by a series of violent gales that pulsated from his body. Sokka was caught in the force of the wind and dragged effortlessly off his feet. He hurled into Suki's arms as she managed to catch him, just barely saving him from being blown off the ledge. The airship behind them began to rock violently.

The trio hunkered down to brace themselves against the vicious storm that Aang was creating. The boy rose to his feet sluggishly, his right hand clutching his face. The earth began to tear away at his feet.

He stumbled to catch his footing as black clouds began to gather in the sky. The light of Sozin's Comet was obscured by their thickness, its radiance reflected through the accumulating water particles in the atmosphere, adorning the clouds with a crimson tint.

"None of this is right," the distraught Avatar muttered, his voice just barely audible to the others above storm.

"Aang! Stop," Sokka roared into the wind. "Calm down!"

The powerful tempest intensified even further. The pressure of the gales that battered them were becoming more and more difficult to withstand. Toph, Sukki and Soka were sliding backwards, inch by inch, towards the edge of the pillar.

Toph quickly bended the rocks around all of their hands, securing them safely to the formation of earth upon which they stood. She shut her eyes against the intensity of the wind, gritting her teeth as she concentrated on keeping them fastened to the ground. The storm proceeded to tear at their faces and clothing for several seconds, and the blind bandit felt her mental grip begin to slip.

The earthen binds loosened around their hands bit by bit as Aang's power began to affect her concentration. Just when Toph felt like she was at her limit, everything stopped.

The fearsome wind ceased to assault their faces and senses as the clouds overheard dissipated, revealing the luminance of Sozin's Comet once again. The group opened their eyes slowly. Sukki and Sokka witnessed the young Avatar teeter forward, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as his legs gave out beneath him.

Aang collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Toph dispelled the earth around their limbs as they arose to their feet. "He passed out, didn't he?" she inquired for verification, having felt the vibration of him hitting the ground.

"Yeah," Sokka said as he breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close one. Good save, Toph."

"I know. I rule," the blind bandit responded with a wide grin and a thumbs up.

Sukki looked uncertainly at Aang. "We need to get him on the ship and get him cleaned up."

"Yeah. This whole place reeks of blood, him included, so we definitely can't bring him back to Katara like this," Toph pointed out as she pinched her noise for emphasis, waving her hand through the air in an effort to dispel the stench.

Sokka nodded, frowning. "Yeah. Earth bend him to the ship, Toph. And let's get out of here."

"Do you think Twinkletoes will be okay when he wakes up?" the blind girl inquired.

"I...don't know," was the only response the teenage boy could give. He wanted to believe he would, that the young Avatar simply needed to get it out of his system, but there was something off about the whole situation that unsettled him. Aang's mind seemed easily unstable enough and emotional enough to trigger the Avatar State, and the power he displayed was significant enough to suggest that he HAD activated it.

The problem was: there was no trace of it.

Aang's tattoos never once adopted the trademark glow that had always signified his Avatar State...and that bothered him most of all.

Katara listened to her brother's story attentively. She absorbed every detail about how the situation had transpired, having every intention of learning all that she could so that she could better help Aang. Having had a one-on-one discussion with him, she'd managed to obtain a few details that the others weren't privy to.

She was steadily collecting the pieces to the puzzle. From there, it was just a matter of putting everything together. Then she could find the answer.

"Aang mentioned something about him being forced to kill the Fire Lord," Katara stated as she recalled the memory. "He said that the former Avatars made him do it against his will."

"That explains why he is so torn up about it," Toph stated. "He's pissed because the big wigs forced him to make a choice he didn't want to make to begin with."

"Yeah, but...Aang...angry at the Avatars?" Katara said uncertainly with a frown. She winced at the idea. "That can't be a good thing given that he IS the Avatar."

"Yeah," Sokka exclaimed. "How can he be pissed with his own past lives? He knew that he may have to make a choice like this."

Zuko stepped forward, his lips set in a firm line. "I think I understand. Toph was right on target. Aang knew he'd have to choose, but in the end, he didn't even have that luxury. If it's true that he was manipulated by the other Avatars and forced to take my father's life, then it's understandable why it wouldn't sit well with him. Nobody likes being treated like a puppet. He just needs time to think things out."

Katara's expression saddened. "He said he hated them. And...the way he said it...honestly made me believe him." She looked off to the side before adding in a whisper, "I've never seen Aang in so much pain."

"Did he say anything else?" Sokka asked, addressing his sister.

Katara blinked as she thought. She didn't want to tell them everything. What had happened and been said between her and Aang needed to remain, mostly, between her and Aang. She felt she should keep it as private as she possibly could.

"No," she shook her head. "He would barely talk to me. He just kept repeating that he wouldn't forgive them, and then he told me to leave. So...I left."

Aang's screaming echoed in her mind. Katara did her best to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest as she thought about it, but the agony in his voice was horrible and it killed her to know he was suffering so much.

"Well, I'll send word that we need to delay the ceremony," Zuko said as he turned back to Mai and his escort. "My coronation can wait. Right now, we'll give the Avatar as much time as he needs to piece himself back together."

"What do we do with Aang, anyway? Just leave him in the airship?" asked Sokka, addressing the too-be-crowned Fire Lord.

"Yeah. Let's allow him some privacy," Zuko suggested. "If Katara can't make any headway, obviously there is no headway to be made. We'll let him cool himself off. I'll request to have some guards positioned outside so they can keep a watch on him and escort him to the castle once he's ready. As for the rest of you, follow me and we'll have a meal and some rooms prepared."

The group proceeded to follow Zuko's lead, appealed by the promise of a feast and a good nights rest. All except Katara, who lingered hesitantly behind. Something told her that she needed to stay close, in case Aang lost control the way Sokka described. Even if she could only get through to him so far, it wouldn't discourage her.

The water bender was determined to help him.

Especially after the way I...acted towards him...She thought as she was reminded, then and there, of the encounter on Ember Island.

It had transpired during the intermission of a performance by the Ember Island Players, in which clueless - yet oddly well informed - actors parioded their own personal escapades. The play only served to be a stimulant for a rather awkward discussion between Aang and Katara that ended on an equally awkward note. She had been struggling with her emotions for quite sometime, and while she had since sortened things out, it didn't change what Katara had done.

Katara had left Aang alone on that balcony. Disoriented by her frustration and turmoil, she had pushed Aang away and threw his emotions back in his face. She had hurt them night. Katara knew she had...and she couldn't forgive herself for it. That night, she had made a mistake, and she wanted nothing more than to rectify.

I'll explain everything to him tonight, she told herself. I'll set things right and show him how much I care about him. Maybe that will help pull him out of this.

"Hey, Katara!"

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of her brother's voice as he called back to her. The water bender's eyes shot up, seeing him waving her towards the group.

"Come on!"

Katara looked back to the airship, her expression determined.

I'll be back, Aang.

With that, she turned and jogged away from the aircraft and towards the others.