I forgot to mention in the first chapter that yet again, my squeamishness about leaving our heroes as younguns has caused to to mysteriously age them a few years to legal ages. So Katara is 20, Sokka's 21, and Aang will be 18 again. XD I say this because I've decided to add a lemony chapter somewhere in the flow of this fic. Not sure where yet, but it'll be there, fear not! Anywhoo, kind of a boring chapter, I'm sorry, but necessary to plot progression! Enjoy!


Ch. 2: Reflection and Resolution

Katara did her best to stay busy over the next few days in vain effort to distract her whirling mind. Flashes of that horrible nightmare kept taunting her, intent on driving her mad. She spent most of her days by the small creek just below the cloud line, a short way down the mountain from the Jongmu (Southern) Air Temple practicing her bending forms. Communing with water always brought peace to her soul, and she needed that small amount of peace now more than ever.

The simple exercise in the high altitude left her lungs straining. She fought through the discomfort with an unrealistic need to prove her own worth, that she wasn't some monster. A small part of her mind told her she was punishing herself for something that had never really happened, yet she tried very hard to ignore this bit of truth in favor of her continued self-flagellation.

She'd been praying to the Moon and Ocean spirits for guidance these past few nights. She was even considering asking Aang to travel to the spirit world and ask them on her behalf, but he'd be curious and she just wasn't ready to tell anyone yet. She was on her own with this horrid burden in her heart.

Farther up the path, Sokka watched his sister with worry. She'd been so distant lately, so uncharacteristically un-Katara-like that he'd decided to intervene. He watched as she glided through her forms with ease born of years of practice, and he envied her. He'd never admit it, of course, but he secretly wished he'd been a waterbender like her.

He watched Katara finish the set and kneel next to the stream. He started to turn away to return to the temple so she could have some privacy when the sound of sobbing drifted toward him. He glanced back, alarmed, to see Katara holding her head in her hands, silver tears dropping from between her fingers to the dusty earth.

Oh no, this would not do.

Sokka strutted back down the path, whistling merrily. He made sure he made plenty of noise to alert her to his presence, and swaggered slowly enough to give her time to right herself.

Katara knew Sokka well enough by now to know that he'd seen her breakdown, and was grateful to her big brother for giving her next move. But she wasn't concerned with appearances anymore. The spirits gave her the sign she needed in the form of family. So she remained sitting and slowly wiped away her tears with the back of on slender hand.

"Why, hello little sister. I almost didn't see you there. What brings you out here this lovely morning? Waterbending? Excellent!" He was rambling, and in his fatherly/psychiatrist voice to boot. "I thought you might be able to teach me some of your moves. Who knows? I'm already an honorary Kyoshi warrior, maybe I can be an honorary waterbender, too?"

Katara gave a small laugh at her goofy brother's antics. She could see straight through him as if he was a clear pool of water. "Thanks, Sokka, but I know you saw me crying. It's okay, really."

She patted the soft grass beside her, needing to be close to her brother. When he settled next to her, she gave a small sigh and began telling him her troubles.

"The other night, I dreamt. It…it was a terrifying dream. Ba Sing Se was burning, you, Aang, and Toph were dead. I was all alone." She looked at her hands in her lap and took one shuddering breath.

"I got so angry. I wanted all of those soldiers to feel my pain…so I used bloodbending on them," she whispered the last part, spreading her hands wide in a helpless gesture. "I killed them all, Sokka. I tore their blood from their bodies and watched it flow a foot deep in the streets. I laughed… I enjoyed watching their faces contort in pain."

Silent tears rolled down her bronzed cheeks and she stared into Sokka's eyes imploringly. "I killed so many people, Sokka. So many people…." She looked away, out over the flowing stream, so like the one in her dream , save for it's color.

"Katara, it was only a dream. It's not real, you've never killed anyone your entire life!" He placed a steadying hand on her should and tilted her chin up with the other to look her in the eye. "Sis, it'll be okay."

"No it's not, Sokka. Not as long as I have this filthy knowledge in my head, it'll never be okay."

He stared at the dirt path for a moment. He had no idea what to say to make her feel better. She was in so much pain, that much was plain, and seeing her hurting was killing him inside. He was her brother, by the spirits, and it was his job to ease her suffering.

"Hey, remember back in the Fire Nation, when I was feeling all down on myself because I was the only non-bender of our gang?"

Katara nodded once, puzzled but intrigued.

"Well, remember how finding Master Piandao helped me sort through all that? Maybe finding you a master will help you get past this and show you that you aren't really a crazed psycho bender like Hama!"

She gave him a look of death, and he winced slightly, but continued. "Don't you think, that maybe, it might kinda sorta help? Possibly?"

Her eyes were still haunted, but a new light sparked in their depths, so he knew that he'd gotten through to her. "Maybe…. I don't know. I already know so many forms that I doubt Master Pakku could have much more to show me."

"True, true…Hey! What about the swamp master? You could learn to bend plants! That's pretty harmless, right?" She gave him another death-look, but it didn't have quite the oomph as the last one, so he didn't bother flinching this time. "Come on, you know big brother is right…" he cajoled her, lightly punching her in the arm.

She grinned, not as brightly as usual, but hey, he'd take what he could get. "Sokka, thanks." She suddenly launched herself at him and gave him a hug that could rival a polar bear's. "You're the best brother in the four nations."

He puffed his chest out. "I know, right? Still wanna show me some of those wicked bending moves?"

Katara laughed and stood, holding out a hand to help him up. "As soon as I come home from the swamp, I'll show you any move you want." He took her offered hand, and together they set off back up the mountain in the cool, light misty morning air.


A/N: Boring, I know. -_- It'll get better, I promise! I'm off to Texas tomorrow, and I have a 9 hour drive ahead of me, so no writing at least for the next day or so, but I promise to get work done whilst I'm away on vacation!

[h e a r t]

Nyx