Hey everyone! It's here! Chapter 7! I finally finished, and guess what? more kataang! So hope you like it! Enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Shesh!
:)
Chapter 7-Southern Air Temple
Appa hits the disserted coble stone of the Southern Air Temple with a thump, making everyone riding the beast lift off the ground an inch. Katara holds to Appa's saddle as they land, to prevent her fatigued body from flying across the saddle.
As soon as Appa touches down Toph hops off the giant creature. Once she hits solid earth she collapses onto the stone and lays sprawled out across it. Sokka grabs his bags quickly and jumps off Appa and calls to Aang who is still perched up on Appa's head. "Hey Aang where's the rooms?"
Aang points to a large tower and a door leading into it. "Through that door and up the staircase." Aang tells Sokka absentmindedly.
"Kay," Sokka says taking note to the down cast Airbender. "Come on Toph, let's go." Sokka says turning his attention to the still sprawled out Earthbender.
Instantly Zuko slides down Appa's tail and starts into a run. "Wait up guys!" he calls to the retreating two.
This leaves Katara to gaze at Aang's back. His shoulders slumped down low, a sign of pure sorrow. "Hey Aang, are you alright?" Katara asks concerned as she walks to Appa's head. She stands at the front of the saddle.
She can see Aang's hand come up to his face quickly. "No, I'm fine." He tells her, not even looking back to her.
Katara sighs and steps onto the bison's head and sits next to Aang. "Now that's a lie." She states softly, as she sees the moon's glow catch on Aang's tear stained cheeks.
Aang doesn't acknowledge Katara's comment. Right now all he wanted was to be left alone and take in everything. One day he was a simple monk living at this very temple; the other he's waking up to new people who know him personally, and he doesn't know the first thing about them. Now he was sitting in the very spot more than a hundred years ago he stood with other smiling children with his same talent. Grey eyes everywhere, bald heads, and tattoos filled this place. Now all that's left of his kind is him.
Another tear comes down his face at the thought. Then he realizes the warm body still next to his. "I just want to be alone." He tells her his voice cracking slightly.
Katara nods her head. "Ok," she tells him. "If you need anything just ask." She informs before rising and hopping off Appa, her bags in hand.
She felt terrible that Aang had to experience this hurt again.
Katara's eyes slowly open to the sound of sobs emitting from beyond her room. Her eyes dart around to her surroundings. Chipped walls are covered in burn marks. A toppled over, partially burned rice paper screen lay across the room. A scarred black amour sit opened with burned clothes piled inside. Even the bed Katara's that lay next to her had scarred sheets and a mattress. So she had carefully set it down on the floor, almost feeling wrong sleeping someone else's bed. It didn't feel right, even if they were dead. Katara turned her eyes to the wall the bed was pressed up against. In fading chipped paint written in big letters across the wall was the name, Tenzin. "Tenzin." Katara says out loud thinking about the name. That must have been the Airbender's name that lived in this room. Katara gulps. Her heart could be heard breaking. It was so agonizing to think about the Airbender's, especially when in the personal space of one.
Katara could just imagine that day, the day they were all killed. She imagines the room restored, the bright sunlight shinning in through the window hitting the room just right. The young Airbender would be in his room, not expecting the advancing Fire Nation soldiers. He would be perched up on his bed, his sheets pulled up neatly. He would be playing element when the streak across the sky starts to appear, Sozin's Comet, giving the setting sun even more beauty. Tenzin would look out the window and take in the rare beauty displayed in front of him. That's when the Fire Nation would come into view. Fire balls would be launched into the air sending screams echoing through the peaceful courtyard. Fire Nation soldiers would advance ever more and come hand to with the Airbender's. They would fend off their attacks being sure not to fatally injure the attackers. Tenzin would rush to his door to hide in a safe place, fear taking the young boy captive. He would grab to his glider only to be met at the door by a masked face. A Firebender. He would bring fire to his fists. The young boy would put his glider out ready to defend himself with what he knows of his element. The fire bender would aim a shot at the young bender. Tenzin would fend off the attack and move around swiftly with light feet to the paper screen. The attacker would fire at the boy hiding behind the screen, causing it to catch on fire and topple over from the force of the blast. His blasts are powerful, leaving the painted stone wall behind the boy charred from the high temperatures. Tenzin would hop over to his bed using his element. Again the Firebender would strike setting his sheets on fire. The fire master would step into the room to snatch the dodging boy. Tenzin then would sprint out of his room, his robes catching on the amour handle, making the door open slightly. By this point the Firebender would be getting aggravated at the boy who wouldn't sit and make things easy. He would shoot fire at the amour in anger and chase after the boy. They would both end up in a pursuit down the winding stair case making black marks on the curved walls. Tenzin would finally make it outside, to find the grounds in flames, his masters fighting against the Fire Nation. Children would be running wild, screaming in fear, only to be met by fire. Tenzin would get slowed by growing flames, his robes burning and his skin frying. Soon the Firebender would catch up to the young boy. Tenzin would look in fear at his blocked exit and begin bending the element of air. Striking the man with weak attacks because of his tried fatigued body that couldn't get proper air from the mounting smoke .His weak state wouldn't allow anything stronger than some moderate attacks. Tenzin would look with fearful pleading eyes before the final strike creating a mortal wound would leave him falling to the ground, with lifeless eyes.
Katara blinks her eyes, noticing the tears streaming down her face. What just happened? Could that possibly been a flash back from someone else's life. It was defiantly realistic. Katara sat up in bed Goosebumps covering her body. She surveyed every inch of the room. "Tenzin." She whispered amazed with what happened. Was the Airbender still here in spirit? She shakes her head out of the thought focusing on the weeping echoing through the empty temple.
Katara swing's her legs over the side of the bed and walks to the closed crooked door, painted with charred paint. Slowly she pulls the door open and it creeks from un-oiled hinges. As it creeks loudly Katara cringes, the sound gave the air around her an even more eerie feeling. The room across from her had a small flickering light coming from under the door, sobs following the light. Those sobs only belonged to one, "Aang." She whispers, finishing her thought aloud.
Slowly she creeps across the hall, slightly hunched over and walking on her toes. As soon as she meets his door she slowly turns the knob and walks through the door, as quietly as possible. Aang who was sitting his back to her was doubled over, sobbing into his knees. His shaking arms holding the back of his head. All of his body was shaking with every cry that emanated from his body. "Aang, are you alright?" Katara asks softly, wrapping her arms around her waist.
Aang turns quickly around, frightened from the sudden second voice. He could see Katara standing, with concern lining her eyes. Quickly Aang wipes his cheeks, "Ya, I'm fine." He tells her.
"No you're not," she says straight forward, taking a small step towards Aang. "I think talking about it will help." She tells him softly, taking another minuscule step forward.
Aang turns his gaze to in front of him. "I don't know…" Aang trails off.
Katara walks up to him and kneels down in front of him, cupping his face in her hands. "It will help." She says strongly. Aang smiles at the determination glimmering in her eyes.
"Alright," Aang agrees. Katara smiles and drops her hands. She moves up to sit next to him, her thigh brushing his. Electricity shoots through Aang, he didn't know why. Did he actually have feelings for Katara and not Toph? This was so confusing. Pushing those thoughts to the side Aang begins to tell Katara why he was sobbing. "It's just so hard to see this place how it is, scarred, broken, and deserted," Aang informs letting his eyes fall to the ground. "This was my home," he chokes back tears. "This was my room." He motions to around him, at the charred walls and the toppled over furniture.
Katara gasps at the realization. "Oh, Aang, I'm so sorry." Katara says putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Aang waves off her apology, "It's just hard, because my last certain memory was when I just turned twelve, and they told me I was the avatar. This place was so full of life that day. Monks walking around the grounds, happy, smiling, talking, teaching," Aang has to stop to fight off the tears. This was hard to talk about. "Then I woke up to find out I saved the world and don't remember, and that all the people I love, my kind, gone, wiped out." Aang admits, despair in his voice.
Katara tightens her grip on his shoulder. "I know, this is all hard, I can't even imagine," Katara tells him. "But you're strong, I know it. I've seen you do things that are beyond this world. I love that about you," Katara informs him, cursing herself for going to the extent of love. "I promise that things will get better. It's all what you make of it," Katara tells him, her gaze into his eyes softening. "You have already endured so much. You've gone through this before, and you can get through it again." Katara reassures with a tender smile.
Aang smiles back. How was it that she could make him feel so much better? "Thank you." He says leaning in for a hug. Katara accepts willingly, hungry for Aang to hold her again. She loved his embrace; it was always so strong, even if he had feelings for Toph. Stable as a rock, she thinks as she holds him tighter but quickly pulls away, ending the short embrace.
Aang closes his eyes, trying to get one last whiff of Katara's sent. Katara softly smiles at him. He seemed better, that's all she needed. So she stood up and leaned down to Aang's cheek and lightly pecks it. "Goodnight." She tells him before walking out of his room. As she turns around Katara brings her hand up to her lips, did I really just do that? She questions to herself as she slips back into the dark hallway.
Aang couldn't wish her a goodnight back because once her lips contacted his skin a small memory flashed across his brain. Katara moves in fluent movements, a smile plastered to her beautiful face. Her hips moving with the movement slightly, her curves showcased by her blue dress. The muscles flexing and relaxing as she controls the water in the clouds around them. Both her and Aang are bending there elements on Appa as he soars through the air. They both shape the clouds into a skeletal form, to warn the village below of lava that was threatening to explode from a volcano below and wipe out the village.
Katara's hair flipped around her flawless face as she moves in circles controlling the water in the clouds. The sun reflected off her tan skin giving it a luminous glow…
Aang blinked and returned back to the empty room he sits in. Another memory, should he tell her about the memory? No! Aang answered in his mind, she would think he was a creep for observing her like that. Aang sighs to himself looking back to the memory. She was, wait is, beautiful, smart, comforting, and had a way of explaining the hard things in life.
Now there wasn't a doubt in Aang's mind who he has fallen for, the one person he felt close to, the only person that seemed familiar to him, Katara.
So, you like? :) Hope you did. So I don't know what you guys think of the airbender part, about Tenzin. When I wrote that I thought that maybe Katara could of gotten the name Tenzin from the Air Temple, and I thought about if the Tenzin that died maybe showed her a flashback some how. I'm not sure how, but I liked it because it about made me cry going through the boys last minutes...for me...super sad. I love tragity though, so...
But please review! I love to hear from you! :)