I wake when the sun first rises and stretch out, because today is important and I need to be ready. I put my fire nation disguise on for what may be the last time. I may need to blend in sometime today.

As I get dressed, I breathe slowly, calming my racing thoughts, and preparing my mind for the day.
I pack what little I have and meet everyone else out in the courtyard Zuko and Aang used to train. Sokka and Toph are wearing their regular clothes, obviously not caring about blending in anymore. I hand Sokka my small bag and he stores it in Appa's saddle, then dusts off his hands unceremoniously.

"Well, that's everything," he says.

"No it's not," Toph argues, "where's Aang?"

We all scramble, searching the house for the most important member of our group. I start to panic as more rooms turn up empty. We check his room last and find his staff.
"Momo's missing too," Suki says as she joins us on the balcony I talked to Aang on last night.

I try to calm myself down. We check the beach, the town, the whole island. While we wait for Sokka, I change into my Water Tribe clothes, the need for disguises long gone. I pull on my gloves last, remembering the last time I wore this outfit for a battle...

We thought the war was going to be over back then; how wrong we were. The best part of that day had been when Aang kissed me...the rest, well...sucked a lot. Aang had left me then, to fight with the invasion force, while he faced his destiny alone.

My breath betrayed me; I couldn't hold this in any longer. How could he leave...again? I know he knows how much I care about him. Maybe he just didn't want any of us hurt...but that was inevitable...I mean, this was going to be the biggest battle in over 100 years. Which was precisely the reason I wanted to be with him today, to make sure he survived this.

Now...

I couldn't hold back the sobs escaping me as I fell to my knees on the hard floor. I barely heard the footsteps of someone coming towards the room I was in. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders and I recognized it was Suki coming to check on me.

"Shh, Katara, it's ok...it's ok. We'll find him," she soothed. I threw my arms around her, sobbing into her shoulder. I owed her big time for this, but I wasn't thinking about that.

"H-h-he promised!" I sobbed, feeling betrayed.

"I'm sorry, Katara..." Suki is good at this, I notice...I guess living in a group of female warriors helps...

I pull back and scrub at my eyes, "How can he leave me again?" I choke out. "He knows...h-how much he means to me. How can he just take off after he told me he'd never leave?"

Suki stood, offering me a hand as I wiped my eyes again.

"Maybe he didn't break his promise. Does Aang sleep walk?"

I scrunched my nose at this, "No, not that I know of. He took off down the beach, and into the ocean, I don't think people can swim in their sleep."

Suki held her chin in her hand.

"Well, he is the Avatar..."

I sighed and she placed her hand on my shoulder, comforting me.

"It will be ok. I bet he's just as worried about you as you are about him, wherever he is. The Spirits won't let him miss this fight."

"Thanks Suki."
She smiled and we joined Toph and Zuko out on the front steps.

======================================================================

I didn't know if I'd heard Zuko correctly. He expected me to go fight his crazy sister and leave my
brother and friends to protect and help Aang?

Toph helped me make the decision, "As much as I love kicking Fire Nation butt, I wouldn't be much help on an airship. In the air. With only metal to fight with." Sokka grinned, "Yeah, you'd probably fall off," he said laughing, until Toph punched him in the arm, knocking him over.

"Ow! Toph! I need that arm!" he complained from the ground.

"I guess I'll take Toph then..." Zuko said.

"Sweet, psycho princess is going down!" Toph threw her hands in the air. All of us rolled our eyes.

"We need to head out then," Suki said, standing up first.

We say our goodbyes and wish each other good luck.

Then we head off.

To save the world.

=======================================================================

Right now I'm so focused on protecting Suki and my brother, that any thoughts of Aang are pushed aside.

This is going to be some of the craziest fighting we've done.

Luckily I have the whole ocean to fight with, plus the steam and water running through the airships. Suki helps me take out the captain and the crew in the cockpit. Sokka then dumps the rest of the crew into the ocean, tricking them into thinking they were getting sweets in honor of someone's birthday.

I chuckle. At least we can have a little fun doing this.

Fire Lord Ozai's airship blows up suddenly. We all stand there in shock.

"What was that?" Suki asks. Sokka takes the former captain's binoculars and looks.

"It's...it's Aang!"

My heart stops.

Aang made it...he's going to fight the fire lord and I'm going to be less than a mile away from him. I struggle to compose myself. This is going to get very interesting.

Sokka never fails to amaze me with his genius plans. Don't tell him I said that though. He uses our airship to cut through the whole fleet. I use waterbending to freeze the rudder in place as we ram airship after airship. The tremors shake the whole structure. Suki takes control of an entire airship and we board it, watching Aang fight Ozai, while we attack the rest of the fleet.

I keep a close eye on what's going on outside. I can't bear to lose him again.

The entire underground cavern lights up as he ascends into the air, the Avatar State controlling his actions. I smile, my hope returned. Then, the cave erupted in light and thunder as a bolt of lightning hit Aang in the back. I stood there in shock.

No.

I rushed to save him from hitting the ground, not even paying attention to the Dai Lee or Zuko or that monster Azula. They could all drown for all I care. I catch my best friend, searching him for any signs of life. He's still warm...but his heart...

Is silent.

I can't help but cry. The rest is a blur until I get him on Appa, everyone watching as I try to save the Avatar. When nothing seems to happen...it feels like something breaks inside me. Like there's a hole where my heart used to be. It reminds me of losing Mom...

But then I hear him groan and I can't help but cry even more, because he's alive and he smiles at me.

No one is allowed to touch him as I pour everything into bringing him back and healing him. I know it worries Sokka, my dad, and Toph...but I need Aang. It's then, as I take care of him, that I realize how much I love him.

Sokka and Suki gasp, and I'm brought back to reality. I see Ozai shooting fire at some rocks, with
Aang nowhere in sight. I know that he needs me now...he's losing and I have to help him.

"Sokka! Guide the ship closer!" I command, my voice hysterical. I'm trying to keep my cool, but it's hard when you're on the brink of losing the love of your life.

Sokka looks at me like I'm crazy and I take off toward the platforms jutting off the gondola, barely hearing Suki say, "You heard her. Take us closer!"

I step out on one of the platform as the airship descends close to the water. I look up towards the control room. Suki looks out the window and I give her a thumbs-up, then jump.

I bend the water beneath me to catch me safely and I freeze a board around my feet and surf to shore. I'm running as soon as my feet hit the earth.

I have to get to Aang.

I stand behind Ozai, who's too busy trying to blast Aang out of his protective sphere of rock.

I'm scared.

This is the man who's been leading the Fire Nation. He's teh most powerful firebender in the world.

And I'm just a girl.

But he's trying to kill Aang. My Aang.

"Hey, Ozai!"

He turns and I supress a gasp. He's pure muscles and his hands are covered in flames. Looking at him is like looking at the face of pure evil.

I focus. He's the man responsible for my mother's death. Forget Yon Rha. Ozai was in charge.

Aang bends himself out and stares at me, panicking.

"Katara! No, get out of here!"

Ozai looks back at him, in a defensive stance.

"You left me, idiot! I'm here to save you again. I told you I wasn't going to let you do this alone." I snap back.

Aang is getting frustrated. Ozai looks slightly amused. Aang sighs and gives in.

"Is this your girlfriend, Avatar?" he asks, raising his hand, flames burning around it.

I take a defensive stance.

Aang follows.

I smile and nod at him.

Aang laughs, "Yeah, and she's gonna help me kick your butt."

We attack simultaneously, like we'd rehearsed it. I slash at Ozai with an advanced water whip as Aang uses earth and fire to attack Ozai, who dodges our attacks. He's getting nervous. Obviously, he didn't expect a couple of teenagers to be such master benders.

I freeze the water I'm controlling and use the same move I made up when I was fighting Master Pakku so many months ago. The thin, razor sharp circles of ice slice past Ozai, nicking him in the arm and leg, his blocks and dodging not fast enough. He gets angrier and angrier by the minute. It reminds me of how Zuko used to fight. His anger would take control and he'd lose his precision. Ozai avoids another of Aang's attempts at hitting him with a boulder and blasts him backwards with some kind of high energy firebending. I watch as Aang flies backwards into one of the pillars, rocks falling around him.

No.

Ozai turns to me. Pure malice reflecting in his eyes.