Title: Not Dreams, But Dreams
Author: The Bookworm's Magician
Beta: Esther-Channah
Rating: K+
Character/s: Katara
Pairing/s: None
Spoilers: The fate of the Air Nomads
Summary: What is the difference between a dream… and a nightmare?
Disclaimer: I don't own this, I never have and I never will. I just like to torture my favorite characters! 'Cause I'm a mean person, yep!
AN: I hope you like it!
"'Nevertheless, you will fly from here," he gasped. 'This is the Island where Dreams come true.'… 'Do you hear what I say? This is where dreams – dreams, do you understand – come to life, come real. Not daydreams, dreams.' There was about half a minute's silence and then, with a great clatter of armor, the whole crew were tumbling down the main hatch as quick as they could and flinging themselves on the oars to row as they had never rowed before… For it had taken everyone just that half-minute to remember certain dreams they had – dreams that make you afraid of going to sleep again – and to realize what it would mean to land on a country where dreams come true."
- The Dark Island, Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Not Dreams, But Dreams
The full moon is shining brightly down on the woods and Katara dances in and out of the shadows. The forest is silent and the people dancing with her make no noise. She bows to her partner and her partner jerkily bows back.
They dance in the silent forest, Katara and her partner. She is fluid and graceful, while her partner jerks around and stares with horror-filled eyes. A minute into the dance, she switches partners. Her previous partner stops dancing and tries to run, only to collapse. He doesn't get up.
Katara pays him no more attention, focusing on her new partner and the silent, shadowy dance. She switches partners on a whim, staying five minutes with one and five seconds with another, until the forest floor is littered with unmoving lumps and Katara is the only one left standing.
She turns at a noise behind her and smiles when she sees Aang and her brother, happy to have new partners for the dance.
Sokka stares at her.
"Katara? What are you doing?"
She continues to smile, holding out her hands to him.
"I'm dancing, Sokka! Come and join me!"
Sokka just stares at her, watching warily as Aang darts over to check on one of the lumps. Katara continues to hold out her hands to him, hoping that he'll stop being silly and join her in the dance. Aang looks up from the lump in alarm.
"Sokka, there's no pulse!"
Her brother stares at her in horror.
"Katara, what have you done?"
She pouts at him as Aang stands up and runs to another lump.
"They tried to leave, Sokka. They didn't want to dance with me! So I punished them. They'll know better next time they try to refuse a lady." She watches Aang out of the corner of her eye as he levels his staff at her, and she smirks at Sokka as he pulls out his sword. "What are you doing, Sokka? Don't you want to dance with me?"
"Katara, you killed these people! How could you do this?"
She pouts again, still holding her hands out, though she now extends one to Aang.
"Aang, will you dance with me?" At the frantic shaking of his head, she sighs. "Very well. Since neither of you will dance with me, I'm going to have to punish you!"
With that, she brings her hands together. Sokka and Aang fly toward each other, Aang's staff pointed at Sokka's head and Sokka's sword pointed at Aang's chest.
She smiles, watching them draw closer and closer together, ignoring their horrified screams, and—
Sokka's eyes flew open and he grabbed his sword as Toph shook his shoulder. "What? Are we under attack again?"
Toph silently shook her head and pointed. Sokka looked over to see Aang hovering over his sister—his sister who was rolling around on the ground and laughing and crying at the same time. He scrambled out of his bedroll, scurried over to Katara, and started shaking her shoulder.
"Katara! Katara, wake up! It's just a dream!" Katara bolted awake, sat straight up and stared at Sokka's face.
"S-Sokka?" He nodded. She glanced around and saw Aang and Toph hovering behind Sokka, Appa and Momo sleeping peacefully to her right, and Sokka's worried face right in front of her. "Sokka!" She leapt forward and pulled him into a fierce, desperate hug.
"Katara, what's wrong?"
"I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't want to, but I did, and I'm sorry!"
He hugged her, scared at this outburst. Katara had been a rock ever since their mother had died, and to see her this scared was… worrying.
"Katara…?"
She pulled back to look into his eyes.
"I didn't want to learn Bloodbending, Sokka! I didn't want to!"
She huddled against him, and he felt his heart break as she sobbed her pain and grief into his chest. Soon after, Aang's arms wrapped around them, and Toph hesitantly joined into their group hug. They stayed that way until morning.
…The End…
