This story is really flowing along better then I expected! I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am! Let me know if you guys have any suggestions!
So, how many of you watched that sad excuse of a movie, "Avatar: The last Air Bender?" I DID! I went to the premiere and it was AWFUL! There were so many things wrong with it that I can't even begin to explain. I could start off with the awful casting jobs, the story line. ARG. It just gets me aggravated.
On a positive note, it inspired me to get a chapter up TODAY. 2:26 AM; typing my heart out.
Also, I'm looking for someone to spell check and help with my grammar. If you're interested email me.
"I asked you a question" bellowed Fire Lord Zuko. Hahn fell to his knees out of respect and fear.
"She slipped on something and hit her head! I swear I don't know what happened!" he said panicked.
"Where did all these bruises and cuts from?" he demanded, the fire around him growing furiously, licking the room with its flames.
Zuko's eyes widened as he noticed the broken necklace on the floor. "You selfish pig. You did this…" he growled as he noticed the unworn engagement necklace lying on the floor. He gently picked up Katara, trying not to jostle her as much as possible.
He picked up the pieces of Katara's mother's necklace and smashed the plain, and dirty necklace that Hahn had made into the ground and melted it.
"I am taking her back with me. I am sure you will have no problems with this correct?" he growled. The fire in his eyes danced malevolently.
"N…no! Fire Lord Zuko!" Hahn spit out.
Zuko glared one last time, and left the god forsaken dwelling. Zuko's eyes burned angrily, men like that should burn in the lowest ring of hell. He swallowed his disgust and looked down at the broken air bender. She was as light as a feather her breathing was shallow but steady, her skin was an unhealthy light sheen of blue, and making her slightly purple she was just as cold. Anguish filled his heart.
"This is probably one of the only times I wish I was a water bender, so I could heal you" he said softly.
"God I am so sorry I didn't realize all of this sooner Katara. Maybe I could have saved you from this… this… hell." He choked out. His eyes drank in every cut and bruise that littered her poor broken figure. He felt disgust for the man that did this, a deep hatred boiled in his heart and threatened to overspill, the crusted, flaking blood on her split lip made his hands shake with anger.
"If I ever get my hands on that Avatar, he'll regret the day he got that stupid idea in his head to leave Katara." He seethed. His long ponytail swirled and whipped in the frigid wind as he pulled her closer to shield her from the wind.
General Iroh considered all the facts in this predicament. His brow furrowed in confusion.
"How perplexing" he murmured. He rolled this question over and over again in his mind.
"Why, oh why wouldn't his nephew play Pai Sho with me?" He thought to himself,
"I taught Zuko the rules, bought a new board; yet my nephew declines me time after time."
He sighed mournfully and sipped his piping hot jasmine tea. His nephew did not sleep well lately. After receiving news on the lovely water bending master, Zuko was irritable and moody.
Iroh's eyes widened slightly at Zuko's return.
"It seems your walk has provided you with much peace of mind." Iroh said lightly, observing the girl in his arms.
"Uncle, I need a healer." Zuko said with great urgency. "We must leave now." He demanded. Iroh simply sipped on his tea.
"There is no reason to leave so soon." Iroh said calmly. This spiked anger in Zuko's eyes, yet the Fire Lord maintained his cool demeanor.
"Why is that Uncle" he asked through clenched teeth. He set Katara gently down on one of the couches, and quickly decided to himself, "If this is a stupid ass reason I will pull rank on him"
Iroh satisfied with his nephew's display of control, relented and said "I have brought a friend of mine on this voyage who is a healer." Zuko's eyes widen at his Uncle's thoughtfulness.
He bowed deeply, tears of gratefulness overflowing. He gently picked up Katara and went to go attend to her needs.
"Fire Lord Zuko, I hope you didn't bloody your hands unnecessarily." called Iroh.
"Any blood split was a necessity." came his reply. "A cowards blood is always a necessity to the path of justice."
(Spirit World)
Aang's eyes widen at the sight of Katara. There she lay at his feet, bloodied, practically naked, and dirty. He quickly took off his outer cloak and wrapped her and whatever remained of her clothes. Her long beautiful chocolate colored hair was dirty, tangled and caked in dirt and blood. Her face was cut up a bruised. She glowed a light blue like a soft fluttering heart beat. She had a long slash across her stomach and multiple slashes on her back and several wounds near her heart.
"What on earth had happened to you" he whispered touching her cheek softly.
He scooped her up gently, careful not to jostle her in case of broken bones. She was as light as a feather as if she almost wasn't there. Quickly and suddenly she glowed a bright blue and turned almost solid, and a little heavier then before. Aang stopped in surprise and stared at Katara. Her features were becoming more prominent and clear. Then just as unexpected she glowed and became translucent again.
Aang furrowed his eyebrows as realization dawned upon him.
"I'm meditating, and in the spirit world. I am the Avatar so I can leave my body and return to it just as easily as taking a stroll. Katara is human. She should not be able to. Humans only appear in the spirit world when they're… dead…" he whispered fear choking him like a vine.
She grew more transparent, and at times, a little more solid, when Aang finally realized what was going on.
"Katara isn't dead; she isn't solid like the other spirits. She's at the middle point, almost dead, or she was in a coma. The more she grew transparent the closer she was to regaining consciousness, the more she grew solid the further away she slipped from the world." Aang cried out clinging to this sliver of hope.
As if on queue, Katara moaned softly. Aang gasped as her wounds reopened themselves. Crimson blood spilled out of her old wounds, and dripped down her pale body. She was losing blood and fast. "Katara, hold on!" pleaded Aang.
Aang bandaged her wounds and stared at her, his forehead creased with worry. He air bended a slight breeze trying to keep her as much as possible and keep him as busy as he could manage.
Aang held Katara up, his mind always turning and turning. What had happened to her, who was responsible, was there an accident that she had been involved in? Many, many questions. He slowly fed her water, accidentally spilling water on her face. She sputtered and her eyelashes fluttered open.
"Katara!" Aang cried out. Katara's sad sapphire eyes immediately filled up with tears and she backed up and protected herself as best as she could.
"Please! Please don't hurt me!" she cried out, moving away from Aang as best as she could despite her injuries.
Aang's blood ran cold. There weren't very many questions in his head anymore. Only one. "Who?" His eyes and tattoo flashed dangerously.
"Why hasn't she woken up?" Fire Lord Zuko growled pacing back and forth like a caged cat. Again, General Iroh had his Pai Sho board, which lay forlorn on the table, quickly abandoned by Zuko.
"Zuko…" started General Iroh.
"If you're going to insists that I drink calming tea one more time I will explode" threatened Zuko.
"No actually I was going to ask you to play Pai Sho with me." Grinned his uncle. Steam was visibly coming out of Zuko's head.
"I suppose your answer is no." Iroh said sadly. "There, there Pai Sho it's okay. He does that to me all the time." Iroh whispered patting the board.
"She'll wake up once her body heals." Iroh said soothingly.
"What about her concussion?" snapped Zuko.
"We will have to see and just pray she pulls out of it." Iroh said calmingly drinking his tea.
Iroh set his tea cup down unsteadily; his hands were trembling almost unnoticeably.
Zuko's brown eyes widened with sympathy. "You're worried about her too aren't you Uncle?"
Iroh nodded, glancing at the poor girl.
"Just be calm Zuko" he whispered.
(Spirit World)
"Katara it's me, Aang!" cried out Aang trying to coax her closer. Her eyes were sealed shut tears pooling to her cheeks.
"You're not Aang. You can't be, Aang left me!" she cried out bitterly. Aang's heart tore in half.
"She did think I abandoned her." thought Aang sadly.
"Katara!" he reached out to stroke her cheeks, to stop her heart wrenching sobs.
Katara flinched and trembled, she bit her lip. "Please don't hurt me. I haven't done anything wrong" she said her voice quavering with tears and fear.
Aang felt his face drain of color. This wasn't a one time thing someone had done this repeatedly to cause this kind of reaction. This wasn't the Katara that he knew and love. This was a shell, a frightened formed piece of what and who she used to be.
"Katara, please I won't hurt you" Aang said shakily, emotion high in his voice. "I love you Katara I would never purposely hurt you, you should know that."
"You're NOT Aang." She snapped glaring at him her icy blue eyes shot daggers at him.
Aang sighed defeated, he air bended wind into a ball and sat on it leisurely, trying not to scare her.
"You left me." She whispered, shock and realization smeared across her features. She folded her arms around herself. "Everyone left" whispered softly.
Aang had to strain to hear her soft anguished words. "What about Sakka, Suki, and Zuko?" he asked gently.
"Sakka left with Suki for Kiyoshi Island, and Zuko had a nation to run. Where does that leave me? Here. Alone." She said dryly.
"I left because it was, what was best for you." Aang whispered.
"Does this look like it was the best option that you chose?" she screamed angrily, her eyes burned with an intense fire that Aang missed.
It started out as a bubble, which snaked up his throat. Aang tried to hold it back, but laughter escaped his sealed lips.
Katara looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm sorry Katara, no offence; I was just so worried, I'm so glad that you can yell at me. Yell at me until you feel better" Aang said happily.
Katara looked as though she had more to say, but her eyes suddenly shut, and water started to form around her. There was a surge of spiritual energy and Katara spoke in a voice that was Katara's yet not quite hers.
"Aang. I must tell you something. This isn't Katara's physical body; the wounds that you see here aren't the same that are on her physical body. Each wound represents a different feeling, I suppose you could say and emotional or mental wound that was inflicted upon her that she was never fully able to heal alone. She can't leave here until they're all healed. " Katara said.
Aang stared at her, "How do you know all of this?" he asked shocked.
"I'm Katara's inner self, or her conscious I suppose you could say. Her time runs short, hurry to heal her wounds."
"How do I heal an emotional wound?" asked Aang confused.
"That's for you to find out my Avatar." She whispered.
And with that the surge of spiritual energy was gone. Katara fell to the ground, Aang reached out and caught her, still overwhelmed by the meeting he had just had with her conscious.
Aang stared at her. He laid her down on a soft patch of grass, and flew back to his body. "I'll be back for you Katara" he whispered.
Aang settled down in his body, opened his eyes. The sun had set, Appa lay snoozing, breathing steadily. Aang knew what he had to do. He needed to get back to Katara. He needed to go back to the Southern Water Tribe.
Thanks for all the awesome reviews. You guys make me want to write more and update faster! Thank you so much! Keep reviewing! I should be having another fan fic coming out shortly. Like I said up there, I need an editor! Please email me!
- KDBs