Chapter Two: I Am
Katara:
"Katara…" Aang muttered. She held him close in her arms, doing what she could to shield him from the rain, as - steadily - she felt his heart rate decreasing through his tattered clothes. He closed his eyes once more, and Katara felt his skin shiver.
"Aang?"
He said nothing.
"Aang!" Katara shouted over the rain, slightly shaking him A tiny grunt escaped from his mouth, and Katara placed a hand on his forehead, the warmth was slowly seeping away. She gently laid him down on his stomach, in Appa's thick soft hair, which had been soaked by now. Katara pulled a string from around her neck, and revealed a small pointed bottle. She unscrewed the cap, and bended the water out of the trinket. It circled her palm, getting faster and faster as its tint started to change, and the water began to glow. It was sacred water from the spirit oasis in the North Pole, having special healing properties.
She guided the water to the charred flesh of Aang's back, where Azula's lightning bolt had struck him mere minutes before. The water hovered on the surface for a moment, but then was soaked into his skin. As soon as the last of the spirit water was into his flesh, Aang started twitching uncontrollably, and the tattoo's on his body flickered intensely
"Katara, do something!" Sokka shouted from the saddle. Katara quickly turned Aang back over, trying to bend the water from his stomach. She felt it twist and knot in ways that she didn't want it to.
"Katara!" Sokka shouted again.
"I'm trying!" Katara answered. She placed her hands on either side of Aang's face, patting him lightly.
"Aang!"
"Katara…" He muttered again.
"Aang, you have to hold on for me, okay? You have to try." Katara told him, wondering how long it would take them to reach the nearest town.
"I have always loved you…" Aang's voice had died down to barely a whispered.
"Aang, Aang! You cant give up - you're the avatar! You have to try." Katara pleaded again.
"I'm sorry…"
Katara bolted up in her bed, large beads of sweat rolling over her temples and dotting her hairline. She heaved for air, but every time she breathed in, she could feel thick ash stick to the back of her throat - ash from the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se. The image of broken crystal and singed rock was ever present, and the smell of smoke filled her nostrils.
'Control.' She thought to herself. She knew better than to let her emotions get the better of her.
'When one falls to the whims of feelings, one loses all the sanity the mind has.' A familiar, low voice answered in her mind. Hama had once told her to let go of what happened that night in Ba Sing Se, she said that it was simply Destiny, working it's finger's into the fabric that we call our lives.
Aang died for a reason, even if it was hard to cope with. And he died knowing that he had changed lives, knowing that he had started change in the world, and that he had returned hope to the people. At least Katara hoped he had known that.
'But was all that in vain? Was all he had done before his death for nothing?' Katara thought. The world fell into ruin, like it had the first time Aang had left, but this time the truth of knowing that the Avatar would not return, fueled the Fire Nation's flames, literally. The world was left without hope, without a future, and without a savior.
Oddly enough, the Fire Nation didn't take advantage of the chance. The Water Tribes had prepared for the day the Fire Nation would bring it's full force to the North Pole once again, but the day never came. The Fire Nation continued to raid, and continued to capture bender's of the Earth and Water elements.
Some say that the Fire Nation does not believe the Avatar is dead, and that they think he will arise, as he did before. Other's say that the Fire Nation had lost the interest of conquering the world, and that all they want is to eliminate all other bending, but their own. But there are still a majority of those who believe that the Fire Nation is simply waiting.
'But for what?'
The Avatar had died, in her arms. There was no bringing him back, no healing his wound, no chance of redemption for those who had lost everything. Another image of Aang's broken body came to her, his clothes tattered into nothing, smudges of smoke making all of his body, blood seeping into Appa's soft fur…
Katara shook her head, trying to clear it. Hama's advice had helped her over the past three and a half years, she doubted it would fail her now.
As if on cue, a short knock sounded upon the door. Katara slid out of bed and looked over herself in the mirror, taking a towel and wiping the sweat from his face and smoothing out her hair.
"Katara-" Hama whispered, pushing the door open. "Oh, your up." Katara gave her a smile. Hama walked slowly over to the bed, and took a seat. Hama watched Katara as she filled the cistern next to her bed with water and dipped her hands into it. Warmth rushed into her fingers, flowing up her arms and shoulders.
"Easy now," Hama warned, "save your strength." There was a slight pause, but Katara knew that Hama had more to say. "What of the mission?" She whispered.
"Completed." Katara answered, taking a fresh towel and soaking it in the warm water, then rubbing it along her neck and jaw. She glanced at Hama, seeing her nod.
"Should I suspect a mourning bell for the young General Wu?" Hama asked, a slight smile coming across her face.
"And a visit to the Fire Lord." Katara replied, dipping the towel into the water once more. "The concubine will tell him everything."
Hama grinned. "Very good."
Katara continued to wipe her face, her skin soaking in the warmth that seemed to radiate from the water. But she began to slow, feeling a question immerge in her mind, one that she hadn't ever thought to ask Hama about.
"Well," Hama began, picking herself off of the bed, "just because your mission went as planned doesn't mean you get the day off." Hama stated, turning to wink at Katara. "Training will begin as usual. Breakfast meat is on the table, don't forget to eat before hand."
Hama turned to leave, walking as fast as a hunched over woman could. It surprised Katara that Hama could still bend and teach her the art of being an assassin, with Hama's health decreasing ever so slowly as time went on. But at the moment her health seemed to aid Katara, as she struggled over whether to ask Hama the looming question in her mind.
'Why? What good would it do you? Why would it matter?' She thought to herself. As she looked back at her own reflection, she noticed how much she had grown and changed over the past three and a half years. Her face had grown, her lips fuller, and her hair longer than it was. She had also thinned out, being about two inches taller, and stayed at a constant weigh, or not losing some.
'Because you have to know.'
Katara turned quickly. "Hama?" The aging woman stopped in the door way and turned back to her student.
"What is it, child?"
"I was wondering if you've…ever…been in love?" Katara asked, her voice becoming softer with every word. Hama straighten as much as she could, only seeming slightly stricken by the question. Katara had to admit, she thought that Hama would give her no answer at all, but Hama slowly opened her mouth to speak.
"Love is something we are never meant to feel."
And with that Hama left the room. Katara sighed and turned back to the mirror, looking over herself again. For a seventeen year old, Katara seemed to have aged much quicker than she would have liked. But she knew that was because of the duty and responsibility that rested on her shoulders. It was her destiny to carry on Aang's mission, and defeat the Fire Lord. And if that meant crippling the Fire Nation by first removing it's finest, then she would do that.
But in another part of her mind she knew that she looked older because there was no hint of her youth, no laugh lines appeared on her tan skin, there was no child - like sparkle in her eye, no hint of excitement or joy. She lips were pursed in a straight line, as they usually were. She had been taught by Hama to show no emotion, to not give anyone reason to suspect her weak, or that she would have a weakness.
She was the Phantom of the Moon. She was emotionless. She wasn't a person, but a force, an entity. She had to act it.
Giving a sigh, Katara set down the towel on the night stand next to the cistern, and headed toward her closet, pulling out her short, shin length, pants and sleeve less tunic she usual wore when training. She slipped out of her light night gown and pulled on her training outfit.
Without anything else, she walked out of her room, and headed down the old stiff stairs of the old wooden inn. Katara wasn't sure how long the inn had stood on this piece of land, but she was sure that it was no less that eighty or ninty years of age. The wood of the house sounded noisily, no matter where you were, and in some parts the wood had fallen away all together. It was in their favor that only few people would stay at the inn at one time.
When guests were using the quarters of the second or third floor, Hama and Katara would play the roles of inn keeper and hired maid, even though Katara would do most of the cleaning whether there were guests or not. Hama would usually cook the meals, and Katara would serve the guests in what way they needed, whether it being making the beds, getting hot water for baths, or carrying their bags while shopping.
Katara quietly thanked the Spirits that no others were staying at the inn at the moment, her arms and legs being tired from intensified training in the past two weeks. Hama had warned Katara that training would be longer, and harder, but she never said why. It didn't matter anyway, Katara would do what she was told without complaint - another helpfully tool learned from Hama.
As she reached the bottom steps, smells of different flavors of meats reached her nose, the most predominant being seal.
Seal? Where would Hama get seal from? Katara asked herself. She turned the corner and walked slowly over to the large wooden table, an array of food sitting upon it. Among them, were pork, beef, melons of different colors, noodles of thin and think variety, and surely enough, lots of seal. Katara looked at it quizzically, then noticed a small piece of folded up paper sitting near the edge of the table. It was unopened, but the edges were tattered and ripped, showing a long journey.
Her finger's took the paper gingerly, and brought it close to her nose. As soon as it was within six inches of her face, she instantly pulled back, knowing the letter had been with the delivered meat. She quickly turned the paper over, seeing her name written in small, messy hand writing. Upon the top, left hand corner, was signed a familiar name, one that she suddenly sighed upon seeing.
With Love, Hakoda
Katara looked over the folded paper for a few more seconds, reminded of the last time she had seen her dad. It must have been two years by now, with all her training with Hama, and missions all over the Fire Nation, she hardly had any time to herself, much less time to visit family - or friends for that matter. She hadn't seen the gang, all together, since two weeks after Aang died.
She instantly threw the letter back down on the table, telling herself that she would read the letter later, and have some of the smoked seal before training this morning. She picked up a few pieces, and was heading out of the dining room without saying a word.
As she walked out of the inn, warm blades of grass moved under her feet, the softness bringing comfort to aching heels and toes. She moved quickly, champing the pieces of smoked seal in seconds while passing through the tree line of the forest that surrounded the inn. She looked at the green around her, and was never used to the beauty that she felt when she looked around.
The forest was very green, the color being amplified by the tiny rays of sunlight that streamed through the canopy above. Smalls dips and streams ran through the forest, and one edge ran along a short cliff, dividing the forest from the larger river that ran about seven miles from the inn. But there was one spot, where the cliff dipped down to create a cove, a cove infected with tree's, grass, wild flowers, and plenty of water for her bending. In short, this cove was the ultimate place for her training, and had been the spot where most of the action took place.
After some walking, Katara neared this cove, climbing over the dip and carefully side - stepping down the sharp incline. The only sound that meet her ears were the silent crashing of the deep blue waves, pounding against the shore as they created foam on the sand. It was the only smell as well, the salt laying thick upon her nose but it was crisp.
"Refreshing isn't it? To be so close to your element?" Hama's voice sounded behind her. Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, nodding at Hama's statement. She heard the noises of Hama's feet carrying her closer, and was aware of Hama's sudden presence next to her.
"I, although, have something different to teach you, today." Hama added. Katara slowly opened her eyes, giving Hama a glance. She simply nodded to Katara, and moved closer to the sea.
"The teaching of the mind, is just at important as the teaching of the body is. You have done far better with your bending, and sword play, than I thought you would, and at a much faster rate. Now, that you are one step from completing your training, there is one thing that you have yet learned."
"And what is that?"
"Resourcefulness."
Katara was suddenly confused. "You have taught be how to be resourceful when fighting and surviving-"
"Yes, but I have taught you that through pre - planning every step in which you will take on every mission, every detail - down to the last second, had been planned for you. So now, you will take an assignment, and plan your steps, as you go." Hama replied, turning to the right and walking down the shoreline a few feet.
"Hama, I really think-"
"Admiral Zhao is landing in the shipping port outside of Sozen, the Fire Nation's capital-"
"Impossible, he was killed in the North Pole." Katara countered.
Hama turned to her, "And apparently, I was left to rot in a prison." Their gaze locked, but Katara didn't mutter another word. And Hama continued. "Zhao is planning to reveal that his death was staged, and that he will be returning to sit once again, with Fire Lord Ozai." Hama turned from Katara again.
"You will intercept him, and make sure that he can not have another victorious return from the dead. Make sure that he body goes into the ground," Hama continued, suddenly turning back to look at Katara, "and that it stays there."
Katara nodded, and Hama walked slowly over to her, grasping her shoulders.
"How you do this, and when you do this will be planed by you. You may do this in whatever way you like, just make sure it gets done before dawn."
"I'm leaving tonight?" Katara asked, bewildered. She had never, ever, done more than more mission every few weeks. It completely drained her, and she wasn't feeling so great at the moment.
"As soon as you get ready."
Katara nodded quickly.
'I am the Phantom of the Moon.'
