Winds:

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. I do not own any of this; this is purely fan fiction and is made for entertainment only.


Chapter 9:

It became a routine. Everything became a routine. Most mornings Aang woke up early to meditate before eating breakfast, despite being exhausted. He, Katara, and Sokka would do their homework later into the night; not even starting it until after dinner. After sports, Katara had to take care of stuff around the house and Aang had to work at the bakery. Sokka would disappear to a job and return with a handful of cash.

Sone nights, the trio didn't even go to bed until past midnight. Most nights, Aang would stay overnight, and the three of them would crash in the "Den" as Sokka had dubbed it. Aang even brought Appa with him, so Appa had taken up residence at the house as well.

After an all-too-short sleep, the children would wake up and head to school while Appa lounged out in the backyard. Tired of running to the bakery every morning, Aang had moved several of his clothes and stashed them in the basement.

Katara groaned as the alarm on her phone went off. She stirred, only half awake. "Wake up, Sokka," Katara ordered sleepily, "Aang, wake up." She heard the familiar intake of air as Sokka woke up. In his sleep, he had tousled around and thrown pillows off the couch across the room.

"Aang?" Katara called, realizing that Aang's chosen spot on the floor was empty. It his place was a note, scrawled in Aang's tiny scrappy handwriting.

Katara and Sokka,
I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye. I headed back home for a little while. I will text you later Katara. Have a good day.
- Aang

Katara showed the note to Sokka, then left to shower and get ready for school. The note was kind of unexpected, but maybe Aang had ran out of clothes, or wanted to go see Gyatso. She shrugged, and figured she could ask him what that was about at school.

- A -

It was third hour, and Katara still hadn't seen Aang, despite him being in all her classes. Maybe Aang was sick, and that's why he went to the bakery. Katara couldn't help but worry at his point. She pulled out her phone and shot him a message.

11:48
Are you okay?

Katara kept checking her phone every few minutes, looking for a response that never came.

"Katara?"

Katara glanced up to see Mr. Pakku staring at her.

"Perhaps you'd like to put your phone away?" he demanded in a smooth, icy voice.

"Sorry," Katara apologized, and tucked it away.

Pakku snorted in indignity, but decided to let the matter go.

Katara sighed and leaned back in her chair. It was going to be a long day.

- A -

"Bye!"

Katara waved goodbye to her teammates in the locker room. Practice had finished, and Katara had finished getting redressed and was about to wait for Sokka. To pass the time, Katara pulled out her phone and started to play on it.

To her surprise, she had a text message from Aang on it.

3:00
Hey Katara, it's Aang. I preset this to text you after your practice because I didn't want to disturb you until after your obligations were done. But I need to ask you a favor. I need to you come help me, I can't handle this alone anymore. I'm at Church and Liberty Street, lower Manhattan. I'll see you in a few hours hopefully.

Katara breathed a sigh of relief, only to become instantly worried. Sure, she knew where Aang was, but the message didn't sound like he was okay.

"Sokka!" Katara yelled, running over to him. She handed him the phone. "Read this," she demanded.

Sokka was tempted to roll his eyes, but recognized the look on Katara's face. She was scared.

"What?" Sokka replied in shock, after he finished reading. "We have to go get him," he decided.

Sokka turned around. "Zuko!"

"Yeah Sokka?"

"How long does it take to get to New York City from here?" Sokka asked.

Zuko paused for a minute. "About a bit over an hour or so. But don't go directly in. Park your truck at one of the airports and take a taxi or the subway to wherever you're going."

"Thanks Zuko," Sokka said. He then turned to Katara. "How much money do you have?"

"Like $40 in my backpack," She answered.

"That's good enough," Sokka calculated. "Let's go. Call Gran Gran so she knows what we're doing."

Katara nodded in understanding, as the briskly walked to Sokka's truck.

- A -

"Finally!" Sokka rejoiced. "Stupid cabs."

Katara stiffled her laughter. Sokka had unsuccessfully been try to hail a cab for the past ten minutes.

"Where to?" the cab driver asked as the two piled in the backseat.

Sokka looked to Katara. "Downtown Manhattan, Liberty and Church Street," she repeated off her phone.

"Ahright," the driver responded in a thick New York accent.

"You alls here for the services?" he asked.

"Services?" Katara was puzzled.

"The services for the peoples killed in 9/11," the driver explained. "Not from around 'ere, are yous? Didn't even realize it was September 11th did yous?"

"No," Sokka responded. The siblings looked at each other at the same time. Was it just a coincidence that Aang came back to New York on today, of all days? No, it was too relevant to just be a coincidence.

"Do you think..." Katara began.

"Yeah," Sokka confirmed grimly.

Katara stared out the window the rest of the taxi ride. Each minute seemed agonizingly long. She had to get to Aang.

" 'ere yous go," the driver said as they near the destination. Katara grabbed Sokka's arm.

"Sokka, we're at Ground Zero," Katara noticed.

"You go look for Aang," Sokka planned. "I'll settle up with the driver and meet you in a few minutes."

Katara nodded and hopped out of the car. Everywhere, bright green trees were planted, dividing up the grey concrete walk. The gentle roaring of two massive fountains could be hear in the background.

It only took Katara a few minutes to find Aang. He was standing upright, perfectly still, head bowed. He was dressed nicely, in white khaki pants and a blue button up shirt.

As Katara walked closer, she could see a bouquet of white flowers at Aang's feet. His hand were stuffed in his pockets, and his eyes were closed. His face was stoic.

Before she could call his name, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out to find another message from Aang.

5:00
I'm hoping you've found me by now. I preset this message as well. You might have noticed me standing, head bowed, not moving. If you talk to me, I will not respond, I am sorry. I am standing vigil, which started at 9:03 this morning and will end at 9:03 tonight. I will explain everything afterwards. Thank you Katara.

Katara continued to walk over to him. She placed a gentle hand on Aang's shoulder, letting him know she was there now. He did not respond as his message had said, but she felt his shoulder muscles loosen as he recognized her touch.

She saw Sokka walking over, and left Aang to meet him.

Katara explained the whole situation, to which Sokka responded in his typical way. "Well if we're here for a few hours, then I'm going to the pizza place down the road. I need meat!"

Katara rolled her eyes, but tried not to get angry with Sokka for his lack of sympathy. He did agree to drive her all the way out here.

Sokka headed off, hungry for food. Katara turned back around and watched Aang from a distance. It was good to let him have space.

"Poor dear," said an elderly woman next to Katara. "That poor boy has been standing there all day."

Katara turned to her, surprised. "Have you been here all day?"

"No, not all day," the woman explained. "Me and my husband came for our son. He was one of the passengers on the first plane."

"I am sorry," Katara said honestly.

"Time heals all wounds," the lady spoke. "What about your friend? Who did he lose?"

"I...I don't know," Katara explained. "He told me he'd tell later."

"Ahh, I see," the woman stated. "Well I hope you and your friend will be alright." Then the woman walked away with the elderly man who had just approached her.

Katara slumped down onto the ground. She watched Aang very carefully, despirately waiting for 9:04.

- A -

9:04.

Katara had been staring at her phone for the past hour, rubbing the gem on her necklace with impatience. As soon as the last digit changed from a 3 to a 4, Katara's glance shot straight to Aang.

It was unreal to Katara. As soon as Aang's vigil was over, he simply collapsed to the ground. Like his will just crumbled.

Aang shot out his arms, to stop his fall, taking the brunt of the impact into his palms and knees.

"Aang!" Katara cried out, running over to him. She flopped down on her knees, sliding a bit on the ground.

Katara quickly wrapped her hands around his head as he sobbed into her.

Katara hushed him gently. "Shh, Shh, it's okay. I've got you."

Aang continued to silently sob in her shoulder. After a few minutes, he started breathing normally.

"Aang?" Katara asked hesitantly.

"Thank you," he responded in a small voice.

Katara let him out of her arms, but kept her hands on his shoulders. Aang brought up a fist to wipe the tears off this face.

"Can you explain to me what this is?" Katara tried to keep the anger out of her voice.

"I was standing vigil," Aang explained. "It begans at 9:03 in the morning, until 9:03 at night. I do not move, speak, or eat until then."

Katara wanted to seethe with rage. How reckless and irresponsible this was! Aang could have gotten hurt, or lost, or ... or .. who knows what could have happened to him!

Katara's anger diminished as Aang spoke again. "I'm sorry Katara, I lied to you." His voice was so soft, Katara barely heard it.

"About what?" she pursued.

"My parents," Aang elaborated. "I knew them.. but I can't remember them."

Katara kept silent, but watched Aang carefully.

"In 2001, they worked at the Twin Towers. The second plane, the one that hit the South tower killed my father instantly. The fire consumed him. . . Roku was just a business man, walking along the street with his friend Sozin. When the towers were hit, they helped rescue people."

Aang took a deep breathe before continuing. "My mother had taken me to visit my father that day. She...she handed me off to Roku when he and Sozin were aiding people. Then she continued up, searching for my father. She died in the fire, next to him."

Aang's voice sounded so hollow, and his breaths were becoming shaky again. "She only spoke a few words to Roku. 'His name is Aang Windland. He is my savior. Please keep him safe'." A silent tear rolled down Aang's face, and more threatened to spill over.

Katara wrapped him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Aang. I'm so sorry," she repeated as a mantra.

Aang wiped the tear from his face. "It's okay Katara. I have forgiven. But I come every year, so I do not forget." He let out a tired chuckle. "I can't remember their faces, I was only four. But I remember my mother's warm hands, so soft and warm; calming. And my father's smile, which made me feel safe."

"And Roku did take me in," Aang continued. "He and his wife Ta Min accepted me with open arms. Their best friend, Gyatso, would often visit me. I think he liked the idea of a son, not having his own."

"Believe me when I say I do not cry normally," Aang explained. "It's just that Roku passed away this past June, from lung cancer. Ta Min had died from age about a year ago, and Roku had slowly lost the will to live. So I moved in with Gyatso this summer."

Katara couldn't help but feel her heart pang in sadness. The feeling was all too familiar. "You feel alone, don't you?"

Aang did not directly answer her question. "Gyatso is getting old. When he dies, all my family will be gone. I'm the last one."

Katara did not hesitate before speaking. "No, you're not Aang. Sokka and I, we're your family now."

"We won't let anything happen to you."

Katara whipped her head around. She didn't even realize Sokka was standing behind her, but he must have been there for awhile.

Sokka came over and placed a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder. "Let's go home."

Aang sniffled away any remaining tears. "Sounds good."

Sokka backed off and lead the way. Katara helped Aang up and gave him one last hug. "It'll be okay," she promised.

"I know." It was silent for a minute.

"Hey Katara?" Aang asked cautiously.

"Yeah?"

"I'm..I'm kind of starving here. haven't eating since six this morning. Do you think we can go get some food?" Aang pleaded.

"Yeah, Aang. We will get you something." As Katara said that, she realized she was quite hungry too.

They continued to follow Sokka. Katara stuck close to Aang, making sure he stayed upright.

Aang couldn't help but grab Katara's pinky with his own. That little bit of familiar comfort was all he needed.

"Thank you, Katara."


I am very sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday, was having WiFi issues. Hope this chapter was a good one. And thank you for all the great reviews, I hope you guys are pleased with what's in store

- Dapper