Oh dear God, what I have unleased this time? XD Yes, another super-long chapter for you all! Yippee! :D Alrighty, so since there's a lot to get through, I won't waste any time here! Enjoy and review! :)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brilliant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Promise" story, which is written by Gene Yang, and is also the property of Mike and Bryan. I am simply help to spread the news of the upcoming story and do not take any responsibilty for the development of the story itself; I am only going off of what is known thus far.

The First to Fall

A sharp, metallic rap on the door jarred Aang awake, forcing his eyes half-open as he groggily moaned. "Avatar Aang?" called a voice from outside the door.

"Yes?" Aang called back, trying to sit up from the bed only to find it impossible to get up. Looking over to his right, he smiled when he realized that Katara's arms were around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder and her eyes closed, a silent smile gracing her lips as she slept. From the sound of constant sleep-talking coming from the foot of the bed, Aang figured that Sokka had collapsed onto the floor in the middle of the night, leaving the couple to snuggle with one another.

"Captain Hemu requests the presence of you and your friends up on the main deck," informed the voice. "The coast of the Earth Kingdom has been spotted on the horizon; we should be nearing the Shou colony within a few hours." As the voice spoke, Katara began to stir next to Aang, leading the Avatar to lightly kiss her on the lips in order to aid her in the waking process.

"Thank you," said Aang in acknowledgment towards the door as Katara's eyes slowly began to crack open. "My friends and I will be up in a few minutes."

"As you wish, Avatar," respectfully said the voice. The sound of retreating footsteps filled the void left behind by the voice, indicating that there was no other information to be delivered.

"What's going on, sweetie?" sleepily mumbled Katara, softly nuzzling into Aang's neck.

"The Captain wants us up on deck," explained Aang, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her on the forehead. "We're getting close to the Earth Kingdom; we should be at the Shou colony in a few hours."

"Hmm, that's good…" muttered Katara, closing her eyes again and kissing Aang's neck, trying to cuddle as close to him as she could. "I love you, Aangie," she whispered against his skin, half-awake and half-asleep as she uttered her declaration of love.

Aang, ever the love-struck goofball, warmly smiled as he kissed Katara's temple, quietly whispering back, "I love you even more, my Little Koi Fish." His statement made the young Waterbender give off a small smile, one that prompted him to move down to her lips and kiss there, eliciting a pleasurable moan from Katara. After a few seconds, Aang cut off the kiss, smiling as he insistently said, "Come on, Katara. It's time to get up; we have work to do."

"I know," sighed Katara as she let go of Aang, opening her eyes as she sat up and stretched her tired muscles, broadly yawning as she prepared herself for the day. Aang wasn't far behind her, Airbending himself off of the bed and onto his feet, arching his back as he stretched his arms outward, yawning just as largely as his girlfriend. Seeing the crumpled mess that was her brother – who was cuddling with his beloved Boomerang - at the foot of the bed, Katara smirked and poked Sokka in the cheek as she said, "Wake up, you big lug."

With an overly obnoxious snort, Sokka jerked himself awake, opening his eyes as he incoherently grumbled, "Huhzup?" Slurping up a trail of drool from his chin, he somehow managed to sheathe Boomerang as he woozily mumbled, "What's going on?"

"We're almost to the Earth Kingdom," explained Katara as Sokka sat up, watching as her brother scratched at the small of his back. "Captain Hemu wants us up on deck."

"Sure thing," said Sokka rather readily, staving off his grogginess as he stood up and stretching much like his companions had. "Any idea of how we're going to get the colonials to leave?" the Water Tribe warrior asked as he finished stretching, looking over towards Aang for a response.

"I'm afraid not," admitted Aang with a shrug as Katara got up from the bed, moving over towards a dresser-drawer and taking out her water flask. As Katara put on the flask, Aang added, "We're just going to have to come up with something when we get there."

"Figured as much," grumpily grumbled Sokka, stretching down to touch his toes in an attempt to loosen his stiff back. "Is Appa still below deck where they used to store the trebuchets?" A day after their departure from the Fire Nation, Captain Hemu had offered to put Appa down below in the bay where the trebuchets used to be stored – the ship had been modified for peace time purposes, and also to allow more room for the colonials and their possessions. – in order to keep the Sky Bison out of the elements. Needless to say, Aang was immensely grateful for the Captain's offer and immediately took it.

"He should be," guessed Aang, adjusting the robes on his shoulder. "Momo should be with him too, since they're staying in the same place with each other."

"Once we're done talking to the Captain," said Katara, walking over towards Aang as Sokka finished stretching, "we should take Appa and fly ahead of the ship. Hopefully by the time the ship lands on shore, we'll have already convinced the colonials to leave." Aang nodded his agreement with Katara's plan, finding it very sound and logical.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Sokka, spreading his arms out. "Let's go!" he declared as he ran towards the door, throwing it open as he ran down the hall to his right. Their room was on the second floor of the ship's central tower, allowing the three heroes to stay close enough to the deck and the bridge that they could be at either in a moment's notice. Aang and Katara followed behind him, choosing to walk instead of run.

Within the span of a couple of minutes, Aang and Katara exited the tower and come out onto the deck, watching as Sokka ran up towards the bow where Hemu and a small group of soldiers were standing. As they approached Hemu, Aang said, "Good morning, Captain."

Hemu turned around, smiling as his eyes fell upon the young monk. "Good morning, Avatar Aang," he pleasantly greeted, the rising morning sun magnificently glinting off of his crimson-black armor. "I trust that you and your friends slept well?"

"Yes, we did," nodded Katara. "Thank you for asking," she added with a friendly smile.

"We heard that we're getting close to the Earth Kingdom," said Sokka, getting right down to business.

"Indeed we are, Master Sokka," confirmed Hemu, looking over the bow of the ship and pointing to the far horizon. The three heroes followed the Captain's finger, seeing a massive swath of land adorning the glistening sea as the blazing sun rose in the east, triumphantly heralding the dawn of a new era. Dropping his arm as he looked back towards his younger passengers, Hemu added, "We should land within a few hours, but I think it would be best if all of you flew ahead of us on your Sky Bison and try to convince Mayor Pianzi that he and the rest of the colonials should leave."

"That's what I had suggested before we came down here," pointed out Katara, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Then you'll be pleased to know that I've already made the proper arrangements for your departure," proudly said Hemu. The Captain looked up towards the bridge and made a signal with his hand. The sudden, harsh screeching of metal-on-metal filled the air, causing everyone to look towards the middle of the deck as it opened, revealing a hidden elevator down to the innards of the vessel. In a few seconds, a familiar, furry sight came into view, which happily bellowed at the sight of his human friends.

"Appa!" joyfully cried out Aang, running towards his Animal Guide and throwing him against the Bison's face, hugging his beloved companion as the animal cheerfully grunted his greeting. "You sleep well, buddy?" the young Avatar asked as he dropped from Appa's face, petting the Bison's snout as he widely grinned. Appa's response was a full-body lick that knocked Aang onto his back, sending the boy into convulsive laughter as Katara chuckled and smiled at the sight as Momo alighted on her shoulder. Even to this day, the young Waterbender still found it incredible that even though Aang had grown up so much and accepted his duty as the Avatar, he could still be that goofy and lively oddball that she first fell in love with.

"Geez, Captain," amazedly said Sokka as he looked at Hemu, "are you sure you're not spying on us? It's like you know everything we're going to do before we even do it!"

Hemu deeply chuckled and said, "I can assure you, Master Sokka, that I am not spying on you and your friends. I've always had a knack for being prepared for both the expected and the unexpected; it's one of the major qualities that Fire Lord Zuko chose me for."

"Then I think Zuko chose well," admirably said Katara, amiably smiling at the Captain as Momo inquisitively cocked his head. Hemu appreciatively smiled and inclined his head, showing the Waterbender a small but still meaningful sign of respect.

"What are we waiting for?" cheerfully asked Aang as he stood up, drawing all eyes towards him. With a twist of his body and a moderate blast of air from his feet, he jumped on top of Appa's head, taking the reins in his hands as he exclaimed, "We've got a colony to get to!"

"You better look out, Shou colony," shouted Sokka as he and Katara ran over towards Appa, "'cause here comes Team Avatar!"

The Water Tribe siblings clambered up Appa's tail, jumping into the saddle and moving up towards the front so that they could be near Aang. Once the Avatar saw that his companions were aboard, he gave a crack of the reins as he jubilantly shouted, "Appa, yip yip!"

Appa raised his massive head towards the morning sun, loosing a mighty, booming bellow that reverberated endlessly to the far horizon and eliciting cheers from the Fire Navy sailors present. With a slap of his heavy tail against the deck, Appa thrust himself off of the deck, climbing over the heads of the Fire Navy sailors and over the bow of the ship until all that remained below was the vast sea. Appa climbed ever higher into the sky, leaving the ship far behind until it was merely a speck in the distance.

It was about an hour and a half or so until Team Avatar found itself nearing the coast of the Earth Kingdom. Along the way, the three heroes had discussed numerous ways of getting the colonials to leave, only to come up empty-handed. Their worries and anxieties were lessened ever so slightly when they saw the Shou colony, which was a small coastal town that was smaller than the current Southern Water Tribe.

Shou itself was round in shape, high walls encircling row upon row of buildings. Just outside the town was a small harbor, five docks with various fishing boats and trading vessels. Small farms surrounded the wall, stretching out about two thousand feet outside of the town. All in all, Shou wasn't very impressive, but it still seemed to be full of teeming life, as was evident by the people bustling about down below.

Team Avatar exchanged nervous glances with one another, knowing that the first true step of the Harmony Restoration Movement was about to take place, leaving them apprehensive and unsure of what would happen when they talked to Mayor Pianzi. With a collective nod of firm affirmation, Team Avatar fortified itself for what was to come. Aang slowly steered Appa down towards the main gate of the town, drawing many curious gazes and shouts of surprise from people down below.

Appa heavily landed on the ground about fifty feet from the main gate, startling the armored guards at the gate. As Aang, Katara, and Sokka jumped off of Appa, one of the guards shouted, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Sokka seemed a bit confused by the guard's demanding question. "Um…isn't it kind of obvious?" sarcastically asked Sokka as he and Katara walked over towards Aang. He gestured to Appa in a sweeping motion of his arms as he said, "How many magical ten-ton, six-legged Sky Bisons have you heard of?" Gesturing to Aang this time, he added, "And how many of this guy have you heard of?" Tapping on Aang's head arrow, he said, "There's only one person in the whole world who looks like this, pal. You're looking at the Avatar."

Both of the guards gasped, the one who had asked the question breathlessly said, "Great Agni above…the Avatar is here?"

Aang stepped forward, bowing the traditional Fire Nation fashion as he said, "I'm Avatar Aang. My friends and I have come here to talk to your Mayor about matters concerning the Shou colony."

"O-Of course, Avatar!" nervously stammered the other guard as Aang came out of his bow. "W-We would be honored to escort y-you and your f-friends to Mayor Pianzi!" Stepping off to the side and gesturing to the gate, the guard fretfully added, "P-Please, A-Avatar, right this way!" The two guards pushed on the gate, pushing the heavy oaken doors inwards and revealing the innards of Shou.

"Too easy," Sokka smugly muttered into Aang's ear, giving his best bud a pat on the shoulder as Momo landed on top of his head, before following the guards.

As Appa lumbered past him and into the city, Aang apprehensively sighed, knowing that he was about to further his duty as the Avatar. There was still something that gnawed away at him, an uncertainty that accompanied being on the cusp of changing history. "Hey," he heard Katara softly say next to him, her fingers interlacing with his, "you okay?"

"Yeah," nodded Aang, his voice low and quiet from the weight of their current situation. "It's just…" He couldn't finish his thought, for his mind was swarming with billions of 'what if?' questions. So much was riding on what they were about to do today, and instead of feeling proud and confident, he felt scared and unsure of himself.

Katara understood what was troubling Aang, and she gave him a supportive smile as she lightly squeezed his hand and said, "Everything's going to be fine, Aang. If we can stop century-long war with the Fire Nation, then we can remove the colonies from the Earth Kingdom." Giving her boyfriend a chaste peck on the cheek, she lovingly smirked and added, "There's no need to doubt yourself, sweetie."

As Katara untwined her fingers from his, Aang looked over at her and affectionately smiled at her as he said, "You're right. No sense in worrying about something that hasn't happened yet, is there?"

"No," chuckled Katara, agreeably smiling at Aang, "there isn't." With Aang's confidence rebuilt, the two of them quickly entered the city, running to catch up with Sokka and Appa. Strangely, all the streets in the town seemed vacant, with not a soul in sight.

After about five minutes of walking, they heard what seemed to be the low murmuring of a large group of people, which almost seemed drowned out by a shrill, clear-cut voice that was saying, "Fear not, my fellow colonials! The Fire Lord may want us to abandon our homes and return to the Fire Nation, but I will not bow to his demands! Even if Fire Lord Zuko came down himself and threatened me with death by fire, I would not yield!"

As the crowd roared their approval, Team Avatar exchanged uneasy glances with one another. Even Shou, the youngest of all the colonies, was adamantly resisting the Harmony Restoration Movement. As the guards they were following rounded the corner, Team Avatar could see a sizable group of people gathered in an open courtyard, the crowd assembled in front of a raised podium, standing at which was a tall, black-haired, gaunt-looking man dressed in modest yet indicative crimson robes.

When the roar of the crowd died down, the gaunt man smashed his fist on the podium and shouted, "And I, Mayor Pianzi, shall make it my personal responsibility to ensure the security of the Shou colony from the threat of the Harmony Restoration Movement, Fire Lord Zuko, and-" Pianzi cut himself off as he looked off to his right, his dull amber eyes widening with shock and surprise as he spotted the sudden newcomers to his town. "The Avatar…" he muttered in a breathless, constricted whisper, the sheer weight of the second word forcing everyone to look behind them and gasp as they saw who their Mayor was looking at.

"Mayor Pianzi," said one of the guards, the same who had questioned the Gaang when they had landed, as he and his group stopped. He gestured behind him and said, "The Avatar wishes to speak with you, sir."

Pianzi's shock seemed to melt away in a seething cauldron of anger as he jabbed a finger in Aang's direction and exclaimed, "I gave you specific orders to not allow the Avatar into the city!"

"I-If I may s-say something, sir?" cut in the second guard, the nervous one who stuttered constantly. "I d-don't think it w-would have been s-s-smart for u-us to refuse the Avatar a-access into the city. H-He is the Avatar, s-sir."

One of Pianzi's bodyguards, who was standing next to the podium, looked up at the Mayor and said, "He does have a point, sir."

Pianzi glowered down at the bodyguard who had spoken, making the man flinch a little under the Mayor's sharp gaze. After a few moments, Pianzi sighed and stepped down off of the podium, walking through the parting crowd with his bodyguards behind him. "Very well, Avatar," relented Pianzi as he walked towards Aang and the others. "I will hear what you have to say."

"Except I don't think he'll like what you have to say," discreetly muttered Sokka into Aang's ear as Momo flew up onto Appa's back, making sure that Pianzi didn't hear them.

Within a few seconds, Pianzi and his bodyguards had stopped short of Aang and his group, the colonial citizens milling in the background as Aang respectfully bowed in the traditional Fire Nation fashion and said, "It's an honor to meet you, Mayor Pianzi."

"I wish I could say the same for you, Avatar," sneered Pianzi as Aang came out of his bow, not even seeming fazed by Aang's politeness. "We both know why you're here: you and your friends have come to enforce the Harmony Restoration Movement, and you've come to our colony to force us all back to the Fire Nation like a cowardly group of refugees." Brushing his robes off, the Mayor indifferently added, "Well, I'm afraid you've made this trip for nothing; the Shou colony will remain where it is, regardless of what the Fire Lord has to say about it."

"Please, Mayor Pianzi," pleaded Aang in a peaceful manner. "If the colonies aren't removed from the Earth Kingdom, then there won't be any peace between the nations."

"International relations with the Earth Kingdom are none of our concern," snidely reasoned Pianzi. "What is our concern is this patch of land that we've come to call our own. Even as young as the Shou colony is, it is still our home."

"We understand that, Mayor," assured Katara, stepping up to Aang's side, "but this is something that has to be done." Gesturing to the Avatar, she added, "Like Aang said, if the colonies stay here, there won't be any peace or balance between the nations. Fire Lord Zuko only has your best interests at heart, and that's why you have to come home to the Fire Nation, where it's safe."

"Safe?" incredulously scoffed Pianzi, his nostrils flaring in an affronted manner. "The Shou colony has always been safe, young lady." Contemptuously scowling at Katara, he scornfully added, "Perhaps you should keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut unless you know exactly what you're talking about, like all good children should."

Katara's entire face flushed with crimson anger and her eyebrows angled sharply downward, her front teeth biting down incredibly hard on her lip as her hands clenched into trembling fists in order to keep from snapping a bitter retort back at Pianzi.

"Hey!" shouted Sokka, jumping to his sister's aid. "You can't talk to my sister that way!"

"Why should I listen to you, Water Tribe savage?" challenged Pianzi, tensely narrowing his eyes at Sokka. "If your mother had raised you and your sister with proper manners-"

"Don't you dare talk about our mother!" furiously screamed Katara, killing off Pianzi's sentence before it was finished. "You have no right to talk about her like that!"

Pianzi arrogantly smirked, apparently finding a critical weakness in his opponents. From the way the Water Tribe girl had snapped at him, he figured that her mother must have been killed off during the War. "Such a pity," he disappointedly tsked as he shook his head, "losing one's mother to death. Perhaps if she had been a better mother, she would still be alive to look after her children."

The Mayor's words were like red-hot slaps across Katara's face and ice-cold spikes in her heart, causing stinging tears to erupt in her cerulean eyes as she painfully grit her teeth in sheer rage. As much as she wanted to lash out at Pianzi for his cruel words, she knew she couldn't; the entire mission was at stake, and she couldn't ruin their chances of success just because the Mayor of the colony decided to be a heartless monster towards her beloved mother.

Aang, of course, noticed how upset Katara was getting the more Pianzi talked, but before he could do anything to comfort her, she let out a strangled sob and ran back the way they had come from. "Katara!" he called after her, though his cry seemed to fall on deaf ears, for Katara kept running until she disappeared around the corner. Knowing that she needed help in that moment, Aang quickly turned towards Sokka and said, "Sokka, keep talking with the Mayor, see if you can try to work something out. I'll go get Katara."

"Got it, Aang," firmly nodded Sokka, eliciting a grateful nod from the Airbender before he ran off towards where Katara had disappeared to. As Aang ran off, Sokka turned towards Pianzi and angrily said, "You better watch yourself, Mayor. You're on thin ice with me for upsetting my sister."

Pianzi merely smiled with satisfaction.

As Aang rounded the corner, he found Katara slumped against the wall, sitting on the ground and hugging her knees into her chest, sobbing into her legs. Crouching down by her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Aang softly said, "Please stop crying, Katara. Don't let what the Mayor said about your mother get to you."

Katara's sobs slowly died down to quiet weeping at Aang's comforting touch, her overflowing sapphire eyes just peeking over the edge of her knees as she brokenly said, "How could that nasty Mayor be so heartless? All those things he said about my mother…" Even now, Pianzi's words were strangling her heart, threatening to make it burst from sheer grief and sorrow.

"He was just saying those things to upset you," reasoned Aang, moving further down so that he was able to kneel next to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "It doesn't matter what anyone says about your mother; even though I've only met her in spirit, I know that she's the bravest, most selfless, and most loving mother to have ever lived. She was willing to give up everything – her own life – so that her children would live on. Her courage and strength live on inside of you, Katara, and no one could ever take that away from you."

Aang's words seemed to strike chords deep in Katara's soul, for she grew more composed and controlled the more the Avatar spoke. Even after she had gotten closure from facing down her mother's killer, her mother was still an incredibly sensitive area in her heart that would always remain there to remind her of what happened on that fateful day; just the simple mention of her mother was enough to send painful racks of agony coursing through her young body, the threat of flowing tears ever present when that agony resurfaced.

Finding the will to smile again, Katara tenderly wiped away her tears with her fingers, as if each droplet contained a precious memory of her mother. Looking over at Aang, whose head resting on her shoulder, she gratefully pecked him on the lips and quietly whispered, "You're right, Aang; no matter what anyone says, my mother made me who I am today, even if she is gone."

Aang brightly smiled, knowing his words had a positive effect on Katara's demeanor. "Are you feeling better now?" he concernedly asked her, wanting to make sure his Forever Girl really was well again.

Katara chuckled, nuzzling underneath his chin as she lovingly said, "Yeah, and it's all thanks to you." Aang helped the two of them to their feet, though the Avatar was surprised when she suddenly threw herself at him, enveloping him in a massive embrace as she whispered into his ear, "I mean it, sweetie." Pecking just underneath his ear lobe, she softly added, "Thank you."

Aang likewise hugged Katara back, kissing her cheek and murmuring against her skin, "You're welcome, sweetie." They stood there for a few moments in their embrace, letting their unbreakable love and friendship for each other speak greater volumes in their hearts than words alone ever could.

Finally, the two of them came out of their embrace, Aang gently smiling at Katara as he said, "Come on; Sokka's gonna need all the help he can get dealing with the Mayor."

"But Pianzi's not going to give up the colony that easily," pointed out Katara, sniffling the last bit of her heartache away. Gesturing to Aang, she added, "You can't force your Avatar status on the Mayor; it's already clear that he doesn't respect you, so he's not going to listen if you order him to disband the colony."

Aang thoughtfully pondered Katara's words, trying to see if there was any way to discern a solution from the facts they had on hand. Sighing in defeat, Aang admittedly said, "All we can do is keep trying to convince him. The Mayor needs to agree to disband the colony by the time our ship gets here."

With heavy, uncertain hearts, Aang and Katara made their way back towards Sokka, who was loudly arguing with the Mayor. "Look," shouted Sokka, losing his patience, "can't you see that we're doing this to help you people out?"

Pianzi coldly scoffed, spitefully folding his arms in front of his chest as he angrily said, "From my point of view, it seems more like you and your friends are doing this just to get revenge on the Fire Nation."

"This isn't about revenge!" strikingly protested Sokka. "This is about restoring peace and balance to the world and working with Fire Lord Zuko to bring harmony back between the nations!" Pointing an accusatory finger at Pianzi, he added, "Where did the idea of 'us getting revenge on the Fire Nation' come up in that blockheaded mind of yours?"

The Mayor's face contorted into a mask of rage, pulling a knife of his robes as he lowly growled, "Why you insolent Water Tribe filth-"

"Enough!" interjected Aang, coming in between Sokka and Pianzi even as the former brandished Boomerang and cocked it back in a ready stance. "Violence isn't going to solve anything! Put away your weapons!"

"Not until Mayor Blockhead over there drops his pointy dagger," retorted Sokka, waiting for the chance to throw Boomerang and bean Pianzi on the noggin.

"Please, Mayor Pianzi," respectfully said Katara, walking up to join Aang, "we're not here to fight. All we want is to talk to you."

Pianzi furiously scowled at the Waterbender, his lifeless amber eyes menacing and threatening in the glistening light of the morning sun. The air was thick with raw tension, the only sounds being made those of nervous breathing and fidgeting. Finally, Pianzi relented, disgracefully dropping his knife and making it clatter on the cobblestone beneath his feet. "I will hear what you have to say," bluntly said Pianzi, "but do not expect me to change my mind on the matter so quickly."

Aang let out a small sigh of relief as Sokka sheathed Boomerang, utterly glad that the situation hadn't exploded into unnecessary bloodshed; that was the last thing he needed right now. "Mayor Pianzi," said Aang, taking on a calm and collected demeanor, "the removal of the Shou colony is the first step that needs to be taken towards a peaceful world. If the colonies aren't removed from the Earth Kingdom in a reasonable amount of time, there's a good chance that the colonies – including yours – could be in danger."

"Are you threatening us with the prospect of another war with the Earth Kingdom?" dangerously challenged Pianzi, sending out a palpable shockwave of astonishment and surprise throughout the assembled crowd. "You would wish for the Earth King's armies to descend on us like a flock of murderous Raven-Hawks?"

"No!" quickly retorted Aang, horrified by what Pianzi's interpretation of his statement. "That's not what I meant at all!"

"Then speak clearly, Avatar!" demanded someone from the crowd.

"Stop trying to trick us with your words!" cried another.

Even as the crowd began to get more fired up, Appa let out a bellowing roar, immediately quieting all cries of protest and anarchy. All eyes were on the great Sky Bison, who merely returned to grooming the fur that covered his arms. Once all was calm again, Aang turned back towards Pianzi and said, "Earth King Kuei would never allow any of his troops to attack the colonies. What I mean to say is that there are still a lot of people in the Earth Kingdom – mostly veterans of the Hundred Year War – who would do anything to get revenge on the Fire Nation. If the colonies aren't removed, then a large group of rogue Earthbenders and soldiers might get together and try to remove the colonies themselves."

"Think about the children," added Katara, having seen several young ones intermingled with the crowd. "If rebel Earthbenders were to come here and destroy the Shou colony, what future would there be for your children?" Touching a hand to her necklace, she added, "No child deserves to lose their parents."

Pianzi's eyes drifted down to her necklace, a gleam of acknowledgment brightening his dull amber eyes. His hard, impersonal face softened, a blip of sorrow plastering itself to his visage. The Mayor looked down at the ground, contemplating both the Avatar and the Waterbender's words. He looked back towards the crowd, as if his own people could provide an answer for him. He glanced around at every child present, seeing them stand close by their respective parents and looking on at the scene with great uncertainty and fear. All of these people were like family to him, the very people he swore to protect the day he had been sworn in as the Mayor of his colony.

After several long moments of pondering, Pianzi heavily sighed as he looked back towards Aang, wearily saying, "Your friend is right, Avatar. This land may have been made ours through our hard work and determination, but even soil can erode and buildings can crumble away with the passage of time." Gesturing to the crowd in a sweeping motion, he added, "It is our children who will carry on our family legacies; it is our children who will provide us with a future."

"What are you saying, Mayor Pianzi?" asked one of Pianzi's bodyguards, seeming shocked by the colonial leader's sudden change in his position.

With a dignified, noble air, Pianzi turned towards the crowd and said, "In light of the Avatar's words, I have decided that perhaps…" The Mayor faltered briefly, wondering if he really was making the right decision. "…that perhaps our time here in the Earth Kingdom has come to an end. If we remain here, it is likely that we might be attacked by those who wish us gone from their native land. After all, we are the youngest out of all the colonies, therefore we are the weakest. Back in the Fire Nation, we can at least give our children a secure future, even if it's not the future we intended for them here in Shou. All those in favor of disbanding the Shou colony and returning to the Fire Nation, raise your hand."

A few hands went up immediately, though a majority of the crowd seemed extremely hesitant. Slowly but surely, more and more hands went up, raising up Team Avatar's hopes with them. After a few minutes, every hand was up in the air, though Aang could see that the townspeople's faces reflected their hearts: heavy with sadness and utter defeat. Aang couldn't help but feel sorry for them, but he knew that removing people from their native homes was the only way of restoring peace and harmony to the world.

"It's decided, then," announced Pianzi, turning back towards Aang as all hands went back down. "The Shou colony will disband at once, and we will all return to the Fire Nation."

Team Avatar could barely keep themselves from bursting out in estatic cheering, but they reigned in their jubilation and exhilaration just enough for them to broadly smile and respectfully bow in the traditional Fire Nation fashion as Aang said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Mayor Pianzi." As they came out of their collective bow and the crowd began to disperse – heading back to their home to pack their things - the Avatar added, "I know this wasn't an easy decision for you to make."

Pianzi retrieved his knife from the ground, concealing it back in his robes as he heavily said, "It certainly wasn't, Avatar, but you are indeed right; it was something that had to be done." Looking towards Katara, the Mayor added, "It seems that I owe you an apology, young lady. I know your mother must have been killed during the War, but it was disrespectful of me to dishonor her memory the way I did." Bowing to Katara, he said, "No child deserves to lose either parent to the horrors of war, and I apologize for having upset you the way I did."

Katara gratefully smiled at Pianzi, saying as the Mayor came out of his bow, "I appreciate your apology, Mayor Pianzi."

Nodding his regards to Katara, Pianzi looked towards Aang and asked, "Do you happen to have a mode of transportation to carry all of our belongings back to the Fire Nation?"

"As a matter of fact," cheerily quipped Aang, "we do. Fire Lord Zuko reserved a ship for the Harmony Restoration Movement just for us. Our ship is an Empire Class battleship, so it should be large enough to carry all of your personal belongings."

Pianzi's only response was a comprehensive hum. The Mayor's face softened, his voice low and implicit yet nonthreatening and discreet as he said, "For your sake, Avatar, I hope you realize what you're doing." Before Aang could respond, Pianzi walked off, most likely to go oversee the necessary preparations for the departure of the colonials.

As Team Avatar walked back towards Appa in order to fly back to the ship and tell Captain Hemu of their success, Aang couldn't help but feel troubled and disturbed by Pianzi's last statement to him. For the sake of his mission, his pushed his concerns towards the back of his mind, remembering his duty as the Avatar to restore harmony to the world and keep the four nations separate from one another.

Once the ship had arrived in Shou, it was merely a matter of assisting the colonials with packing up their things and loading them onto the ship. The process took most of the day, for the sun was well on its way to setting by the time the ship pulled out of the harbor, bellowing smoke and churning like a great rumbling beast as it trudged its way back out to sea.

Little did the occupants of the ship know, however, that as night fell around their vessel that something dangerous and cataclysmic lurked within the darkness, waiting for the right moment to strike…

BOOM!

FWOOSH!

Aang's eyes immediately snapped open as he, Katara, and Sokka were thrown from their bed, all of them being heaved against the wall as the entire ship seemed to lurch under a gargantuan force. They all scrambled to their feet only to be tossed to the other side of the room as an equally powerful force slammed from the opposite side of the ship.

As they crashed against the opposite wall of their room, untold tons of forged metal creaking and groaning under the pressure, Aang shouted, "What's going on?"

"Probably a storm!" shouted back Katara, righting herself on her feet as the ship mercifully leveled out.

"More like a monsoon!" cried Sokka, running towards the door and prying it open for his companions. "Come on!" he beckoned, motioning for them to go through the door. "We gotta see what's happening out there!"

Soon the three of them left their room and made their way towards the stairwell, occasionally bracing themselves as wave after wave relentlessly collided with the ship. They half-fell, half-ran down the stairwell, collapsing to the floor as they reached the first level of the ship's central tower. Throwing open the door to the deck, they could see the angry, undulating hands of the sea thrashing about on the deck, as if the ocean itself were trying to beat the ship down to the murky depths below.

"I got this!" shouted Katara, knowing that if she didn't stop the waves that they would eventually toss the ship over.

As Katara ran out onto the deck, both the pouring rain and torrential waves soaking her, Aang shouted, "Katara, wait!"

Before Aang could run after Katara, Sokka grabbed the Avatar's shoulder and yanked him back as he said, "She's got it, Aang! She's a Waterbender; she can handle herself!"

Knowing that Katara's mastery of Waterbending would allow her to deal with the threat of the ravaging waves, Aang stayed back and let his girlfriend deal with the wrath of her birth element in its most untamed form. Every time a wave would crest over the deck, Katara furiously slashed up at it, thrusting the wave back into the sea as she moved onto the next, her hands and arms an impossible blur as her fluid movements calmed and reigned in the chaotic waves, forcing them back underneath the ship and down into the vast, abysmal sea.

Even in the midst of the raging tempest around them, Aang could feel an imperceptible path of charged energy invisibly arc its way through the inky-black storm clouds, an ominous harbinger that traced its course from the roiling heavens above to the deck of the ship…

And to Katara.

Suddenly, Aang's every sense was alert, every fiber of his being snapping to focus on this one foreboding development. He had felt this energy before: precisely controlled and deadly, yet tactful with vicious intent. Why had he felt this energy before? It almost felt like-

His eyes snapped wide open with shockingly grim realization, for he knew exactly what he was feeling. She was so far away, up near the bow, but he didn't care; he had to reach her, no matter what. "Katara!" he screamed as his Airbending involuntarily projected his voice outward towards her, taking a few running steps out of the metal doorway before furiously thrusting himself forward on a desperate blast of air, hurtling towards her faster than a speeding arrow.

Even as Katara finally suppressed the waves around the ship and looked towards the sound of Aang's voice, a vermillion bolt violently burst out of the ominous thunderclouds, arcing towards her with all the swiftness of a falling dragon of doom. The Waterbender's breath hitched in her throat, her feet seeming frozen to the deck as she looked on at the lightning in terrified horror, much like she had during Sozin's Comet. Before she could even react, she saw a body fly in front of her, a blur illuminated by the ghastly bright arc of electricity.

Everything seemed to be in slow motion to Aang: as his body flew by Katara, he angled himself towards the lightning, extending the index and middle fingers of his right hand as he jabbed outward with his right arm, keeping his mirrored left in reserve. The lightning instantly fused with his fingers upon impact, sending an ear-splitting scream ripping out of his mouth as he felt his entire body become engulfed in ravenous electricity, sending him crashing to the deck nearly fifteen feet away. Tucking his right arm in, sending the energy down through his stomach, and twisting his body towards the bow of the ship, he lunged out with his left hand as he projected the bundled-up energy from his abdomen, blasting the lightning out of his body through his index and middle fingers as he sent the cold-blooded fire back into the frenzied storm above, sending a bone-chilling BOOM resonating throughout the entire inky veil of the sky.

As the volatile voltage left his body, he felt a harsh arc of the wild energy ferociously ensnare his heart, sending him into sporadic spasms as an incredibly torturous scream tore itself out of his throat. Katara frightfully gasped, tears intermingling with the film of rain on her cheeks as she sprinted over towards the downed Avatar and frightfully exclaimed, "Aang!" Sokka, who had also seen Aang's redirection of the lightning, pounded his way down the deck, frantic to get to Aang's side. Roughly dropping herself down by Aang's side, coating her hands with rainwater as she did so, she grabbed hold of the convulsing Avatar, her voice cracking with terror as she said, "Aang, say something!"

Aang tried to respond, but the excruciating pain was so mind-numbing and overwhelming that all he could do was scream even harder as the animalistic arc of energy gripped his heart with icy claws of fire. Sokka seemed to materialize at that moment, hastily dropping down on Aang's opposite side as he shouted, "What's wrong with him?"

A ragged sob broke free of Katara's lips as she looked up at Sokka, keeping a firm hold of a thrashing Aang as she shouted back, "Some of the lightning went into his heart! I have to get the energy to dissolve right away or otherwise…otherwise…" She couldn't say those dreaded words, the words she knew in her heart were true but would never, for the life of her, ever let escape her lips.

"He'll die…" summed up Sokka, his heart pounding so painfully that he could have sworn that he had been hit by lightning himself. Without waiting for a response from Katara, he grabbed Aang's shoulders, forcing him to the deck as he shouted, "I got Aang! Just heal him!" Katara found herself still in shock, staring down at Aang with disbelieving and heart-broken eyes that continued to pour out as much liquid as the storm around them. "Katara!"

His call to Katara seemed to bring her back to reality, causing her to place her hands over Aang's chest and setting his liquid gloves aglow with healing chi as she managed to say, "You're going be okay, sweetie!" Stifling another rogue sob, she brokenly begged, "Please, Aang…you can't die on me. Not now…please, sweetie…please…not now..." Each and every scream that roared out of Aang's mouth stabbed further into her heart, as if his death cries were trying to reap any hope from her heart and suffocate it to the point of lifelessness.

Seeing how distraught his sister was, Sokka looked down at Aang and shouted, "You are not dying on us, Aang! You are not going to leave my sister like this! Do you hear me, pal? You are not dying today!" His shouts seemed to reach Aang's ears, forcing the stricken Avatar to smother his screams and open his tear-leaking eyes as he looked over at Sokka. "That's it, Aang!" cheered Sokka, finding himself smiling despite the tenseness and urgency of the situation. "Just focus on me! Just stay with us, got it?" Through his blinding pain, Aang managed a couple of nods, growling and gritting his teeth as he felt the deadly energy shred his entire being to pieces.

Katara found the intrusive energy violently lashing out in his heart, a crazed demon that sought to eviscerate everything that he was. Focusing all of her willpower and determination into her healing hands, she grappled with the energy, forcing it to dissipate into absolute nothingness as all of its power was spent. Laughing with relief as the last trace of unstable energy vanished, she joyfully cried out, "I did it!" However, as she looked up at Aang, she was shocked to see his eyelids slide shut, his head loosely slumping against the deck as his body went slack. In the blink of an eye, her joy and happiness mutated into grief and sorrow. "No!" she screamed, blasting her liquid-covered hands full of every ounce of her chi in a furious attempt to save Aang. "No no no no no! I refuse to lose you, Aang! You can't die!"

Even as the water fell off of her fingers moments later, she had felt that her healing had no effect, leaving her and Sokka with the horribly impossible truth. "No…" breathed Sokka, the storm around them seeming to calm completely and slowly melt away, letting isolated rays of moonlight to penetrate the darkness above. "He…h-he can't be…not him…"

"Aang…" mournfully moaned Katara, her tears pouring down her face in an unstoppable torrent, not even seeming fazed by the passing of the storm above them. With grief eating away at every last fiber of her shattered heart, she hung her head down, closing her eyes and wretchedly sobbing her sorrow to whatever cruel Spirits were watching them. Sokka wasn't far behind her, holding his own head down and biting back his own mournful cries.

After a few moments, they heard the sound of a sudden intake of shuddering air, much like how one wakes up from a dream involving a sudden fall. The Water Tribe siblings looked up to see Aang's eyes snap open, his entire body spurring itself back to life. Even as Aang began to sit up and groan, Katara ecstatically cried out, "Aang!" With all the force she could muster, she tackled him in a humongous hug, sending them sprawling back onto the deck and crashing her lips against his as she passionately, fervently kissed him with the entire sea of love that dwelled in her heart. Finally realizing that he needed to breathe, she parted her lips from his, her eyes quivering with sheer joy and a smile so wide that not even the entire sky could hold it. "I thought you were gone, sweetie…" she whispered against him, her tears falling from her face and onto his cheeks.

"I…I think I was," softly replied Aang, still seeming very much out of it. "As soon as you got rid of the energy, I…I think my body shut down for a bit just to recover. I don't know how it happened, but…it just sort of did." He could have sworn he felt his spirit drift off, as if to spare his life energy from Katara's healing as she attempted to get rid of the lightning's energy. It was almost as if an invisible hand had swooped down at the most critical moment, grabbing his very essence to keep it from dissolving entirely along with the lightning's energy. Whatever the entity was, it had deposited him back into his body once the danger had passed, bringing life back to his body.

"I don't care what happened," tearfully said Katara with a wavering smile, pressing her lips against his once more in a completely heart-enveloping kiss. "All I care about is you being alive and safe in my arms; that's all that matters right now." As she sat up, she pulled him up with her. Once they were seated upright, she tightly embraced him, shakily saying through her sporadic sobs, "Don't ever do that to me again, Aang. You scared me to death."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," quietly apologized Aang, kissing her head in an attempt to calm his Forever Girl.

"You better be sorry!" shouted Sokka, upset tears streaking down his hardened face. The couple looked over at Sokka as he continued to shout, "Do you have any idea of how badly you freaked us out with that stupid stunt of yours?" Finding it nearly impossible to contain himself, he threw himself at the couple, embracing both of them as he said in a fractured voice, "Oh, who cares? We're all safe, and that's what matters." The original Team Avatar hugged each other for what seemed like an endless eternity, their invisible bonds of friendship calming all worries and fears from their racing minds.

After almost five minutes, the three of them came out of their embrace, staring at one another with leaky eyes and trembling smiles, the heavens above finally clearing completely and ushering in a return of the calm ocean sky. "I'm sorry, you guys," muttered Aang, wiping his tears with the back of his hand as he sniffled. "I should have known better than to rush in like that."

"Why are you apologizing?" laughed Katara, finding herself smiling as grateful tears coated her face. She threw arms around his neck, pulling him into another full-on kiss, nuzzling into his nose as she softly said, "What you did for me was incredibly brave. If you hadn't done it, well…I don't think I would be here right now." Kissing him again, she whispered, "Thank you, sweetie, for saving my life."

Aang smiled as he reached up to cup her face in his hands, his voice fracturing slightly as he said, "All I could think about was saving you, Katara. As soon as I realized you were in danger, I knew I had to do something." Resting his forehead against hers, he intimately whispered, "You're my entire life, Katara. If I lost you, there's no way I could go on."

"That's exactly how I feel about you," replied Katara, her cheeks deeply flushing as she lovingly smiled. "It's just…this is the second time I almost lost you to lightning." Painfully scrunching her eyes closed as more tears poured down her cheeks, she murmured, "It was even worse than Ba Sing Se, Aang. All that screaming, all that pain you were in, it…it just broke my heart to see you like that because of me."

"Katara," firmly said Aang, his voice forcing her quivering eyes open, "I will do anything to make sure you're safe, even if it means that I'll be in pain." Chastely kissing her lips, he added, "Even if I was hit by all the lightning in the entire world, the pain from that would be nothing compared to what I would be going through if I lost you."

"I can't lose you, Aang," miserably insisted Katara, biting her lip to keep her ragged sobs from breaking free, salty tears stinging her cheeks. "Not again."

"And you won't lose me," assured Aang with a warm smile. "I promise." He pulled her face up to his, melding his lips with hers as he added all of his love and affection to his vow. She pulled him even tighter into her embrace, trying to get as close as possible to him after their traumatic scare.

Sokka merely smiled as he wiped away his tears, letting the couple recuperate and console each other. As much as the two of them made him nauseous with their sappy sweetness, even he couldn't keep them away after a horrible event like this. They needed their own time together, time he was more than willing to give them in order for the two of them to mend the other's heart. As the couple came out of their kiss, tenderly smiling at one another, Sokka smirked and lightly said, "Let's head back inside before something else tries to kill us."

"No kidding," chuckled Aang, letting go of Katara as he tried to stand to his feet, only to stumble slightly as he hissed and grimaced.

Katara instantly stood up and caught him as he fell, supporting his weight as she worriedly asked, "Are you sure you're alright? That was a nasty amount of lightning that hit you."

"Yeah," said Aang, though his voice did falter slightly as he winced, feeling a stabbing prick in the center of his chest. Painfully grunting as sweat coated his brow, he added, "I can make it back to our room on my own."

"Oh no, you don't," retorted Sokka, standing up and wrapping an arm around Aang's shoulder, helping Katara to hold up the Avatar's dead weight. "Don't try to act tough for us, Aang. No one can take a hit like that from lightning and walk away like nothing happened. Remember what happened to Zuko when he saved Katara from Azula's lightning during Sozin's Comet? He got totally fried!" They all knew of Zuko's bravery on the day of the Comet when he nearly sacrificed his own life to protect Katara from Azula's lightning; Aang and Sokka had been informed of that fact when they had all reunited after the final battle, and they had endlessly thank Zuko for saving Katara's life.

"But he managed to survive," pointed out Aang.

"Only because I was there to save him," Katara reminded him. "Sokka's right, Aang; you're badly hurt and you need our help, so don't try to push us off like you did after Ba Sing Se." Aang winced again, though more of the memory of the desolate state he had been in after that horrible battle.

"I wasn't trying to push you two away," insisted Aang, looking back and forth between the siblings. "It's just-"

"Just nothing, Aang," interrupted Sokka. "And don't say we need to focus on the colonials right now and make sure they're okay." Pointing a finger into Aang's chest, he added, "You are our top priority right now, and there's nothing you can say or do that's going to get us to leave you alone."

Aang stared into Sokka's stern eyes, knowing that the Water Tribe warrior wasn't going to back down on his word. Not only were his friends extremely adamant, he himself felt too weak to even walk one step forward. Deciding to give in to their concern, Aang smiled, glancing back and forth between Sokka and Katara as he said, "I don't know what I did to deserve such great friends like the two of you."

"Well, we did save the world together," chuckled Katara as she smiled, leaning over and pecking Aang on the cheek. "That's kind of a big thing that ties lifelong friends to each other."

"And we're about as tightly tied to you as we can get," added Sokka, smiling over at Aang, "so don't expect to get rid of us anytime soon."

"Trust me, Sokka," said Aang as the three of them walked forward, heading towards the ship's central tower, "I would never even think of getting rid of the two of you." The three friends chuckled with one another, knowing that this near brush with death had only served to fortify their friendship even more.

As they neared the central tower, the door to the tower was thrown open, revealing a panicked Captain Hemu who asked, "Is everyone alright? I saw the lightning hit the deck and-" His eyes widened as he saw the limping Avatar who was being held up by the Water Tribe siblings. He had known that either Aang or Katara had been on deck, keeping the raging waves from overtaking the ship with their Waterbending, but he didn't know who exactly had been on deck around the time of the lightning strike. "What happened to Avatar Aang?"

The three heroes stopped in front of Hemu as Katara said, "I was on deck fighting off the waves when a lightning bolt came down from the clouds. Aang must have sensed that it was going to hit me because he threw himself in front of me in order to redirect the lightning. He managed to save me, but now he's hurt pretty badly."

"How badly?" demanded Hemu.

"He can still walk," replied Katara, "but he's extremely weak from the toll that the lightning took on his heart. My brother and I are going to look after him and make sure he's back to normal when we reach the Fire Nation."

"But that's almost three days from now!" exclaimed Hemu. "The colonials still have to be looked after!"

"Then I guess that's your problem, Captain," shrugged Sokka. "If Aang doesn't get better, then the colonials won't matter. He's a big part of the Harmony Restoration Movement, probably even a bigger part than Fire Lord Zuko."

Hemu's jaw seemed to clench in irritation, but in the end he merely sighed and admittedly said, "You're right. The Avatar's wellbeing takes precedence above all else." Looking down at Aang, he said, "I hope your actions just now were worth it, Avatar Aang. You could have cost the world a great deal had you died today."

"What I did was completely worth it, Captain," firmly said Aang, his voice rock-hard and absolutely certain.

"Let us hope so, for your sake," gravelly said Captain Hemu, giving the three heroes a bow before going off to a deeper part of the central tower.

"He didn't sound too happy with what we had to say," observed Sokka, quirking an eyebrow in the direction that Hemu had walked off.

"Would you be?" questioned Katara, setting their small group back on their way as they entered the central tower, working their way through the metal halls towards their room. "I'm sure Aang getting hurt puts a huge damper on the whole mission, making things much harder for the Captain."

"How am I supposed to help it if your boyfriend decides to throw himself in front of a lightning bolt just to save you?" asked Sokka, nodding his head in indication towards Aang.

"I said I was sorry about that," sheepishly reiterated Aang as the three of them rounded a corner, coming to a stairwell that they began to climb.

With his free hand, Sokka slapped his forehead as he annoyedly growled, "Will you stop apologizing already?" Returning his hand to supporting Aang – but not before leaving a throbbing red mark on his face that Aang and Katara struggled not to laugh at – they rounded the corner and began heading up to the second level as he kindly said, "Look, you don't have to apologize for what you did. You were protecting my sister because she was in danger; you were only doing what you thought was best at the time." Shrugging, he added, "Sure, what you thought was best nearly got ya killed, but it can't be helped now." Gratefully smiling down at Aang, he said, "Katara's safe because of you, and I can't thank you enough for saving her life."

"You know I'd do anything for Katara," said Aang as they came onto the second level, walking out into the corridor as they headed to their left.

"I know," nodded Sokka, "but…" He looked over at Katara, his sharp steel-like eyes heavy with countless, mixed emotions as he said, "If Katara had gotten zapped, I'd probably be as nuts as Azula right now. I would have been totally broken if my baby sister died today."

"Oh, Sokka," sweetly cooed Katara with a touched smile, "do you really mean it?"

"Of course I do, Katara," surely smiled Sokka, meaning every word that had come out of his mouth. "You're my sister, and I don't ever want to lose you." He felt a few unexpected tears sting at his eyes, and he softly chuckled as he wiped them away, finding irony in the fact that he was shedding tears. "Great, now I'm gonna start balling like a baby because of what I said." He jokingly poked Aang with a finger as he said, "I hope you're happy, Aang; your little stunt with the lightning is making me all gushy."

"I said I was sorry," chuckled Aang, mirthfully smiling at the overly-exasperated expression that sprouted on Sokka's face as soon as the words left his mouth. Katara was gleefully laughing at her brother's expression, her ringing laughter a sweet, pleasant, stunningly beautiful tone that echoed in his ears.

"Stop apologizing!" shrieked Sokka, his face so forcefully scrunched with frustration at the Avatar's insistent apologies that he ended up sending his two companions into spastic laughter.

After a few minutes, they finally found their way back to their room on the third level of the central tower. "I got this," said Sokka, letting go of Aang and allowing Katara to support his weight. The Water Tribe warrior pushed the door open after unlocking it, revealing their room, which was much like the room that Aang had been in when he was unconscious and recovering after Ba Sing Se. There was one bed in the middle of the room, which all three of them shared.

Sokka stepped aside as Aang and Katara entered the room, closing the door behind them as Katara gently said, "Okay, sweetie, let's get you onto the bed." Stopping at the foot of the bed, the two of them turned around, the Waterbender keeping a firm grip on the Avatar as they lowered themselves onto the bed. Aang groaned and cringed as he sat onto the bed, doubling over slightly as he grit his teeth, his entire chest feeling like it was ablaze with an agonizing inferno. "How bad does it hurt?" asked Katara, one hand on Aang's shoulder and another hand on his back, right above where his lightning scar was. She shivered as she felt the charred, scarred skin beneath his clothes, remembering that horribly dreadful day when he was killed before her eyes in the Catacombs of Ba Sing Se.

"Really bad," grunted Aang, one eye tightly shut closed as he found himself gasping for air, the pain now spreading down to his abdomen and flaring up every time he took a breath. "Like really, really bad." Sokka stood guard by the door, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched Aang and Katara, keeping a constant vigilance over the two of them.

"Here," said Katara, reaching up with the hand that was on his back to his left shoulder, taking hold of his robe that was draped there and sliding it down his arm to his waist. Feeling his bare chest exposed to Katara, Aang broke out into a violent blush, his eyes flickering back and forth between her and Sokka. Noticing the fidgety motion of his eyes and crimson flush on his face, Katara teasingly smirked and said, "Relax, Aang. I've seen you bare-chested lots of times." As she looked Aang over, she could see that there was no scar on his abdomen like the one Zuko had after he was hit by Azula's lightning, or any new scars on his body for that matter; that seemed to suggest to her that enough of the lightning's energy had managed to escape Aang's body without physically damaging him on the surface. Giving him a sly wink, she added, "You're still as handsome as you were before." Aang affectionately smiled and volcanically blushed at her words, feeling vulnerable yet wary under her searching gaze.

Sokka rolled his eyes, sarcastically muttering to himself, "He gets hit by lightning and almost dies, yet they can still manage to give me the oogies. Figures." Looking back at the bed, he saw Katara lean Aang back, laying him to rest on the bed. Once Aang was settled, Katara reached over to her water flask, uncapping it and drawing out a stream of fluid with a smooth motion of her hand. Sheathing her hands in water, she rested her hands on Aang's chest, setting her hands aglow once more with healing power as Sokka asked, "How is he?"

"Give me a minute," replied Katara, trying to keep her focus on her work. Tracing her path through the chi lines in Aang's body, she tried to find any irregularities or abnormalities that would indicate damage from the lightning. Moving her hands over his heart, she found a crumpled mess of twisted and disparate energy that seemed to be slowly leaking down into his abdomen, right around his stomach. Pursing her lips slightly as she furrowed her brow in a tight knit, Katara said, "There's a lot of damaged energy inside of him, a lot of it leaking down towards his stomach. The imbalance it's creating is going to hurt him more and more the longer it's there, maybe even affect his bending."

"Can you get rid of it?" Aang managed to ask, looking over at her as he tried to control his breathing, keeping it as steady as he could for her.

"Can a Platypus-Bear lay eggs?" teasingly challenged Katara, looking over at Aang with a teasing smirk.

"Of course they can," chuckled Aang, not knowing if she was being serious or if she was just trying to get him to relax. Satisfied with his answer, Katara looked back down at his chest, deeply breathing through her mouth as the glow on her hands intensified, filling the room with a low, mystical hum and a bright cyan light.

Instantly, Aang felt a wave of relief seep through his body, soaking into muscle and bone alike as her energy melded with his, bringing order to the disarray that was his energy. There was something profoundly intimate about her energy touching his, about a part of her being tentatively becoming a part of him that made Aang's heart both race and flutter at the same time: a rush of energy that was both invigorating and soothing. The way her ethereal power touched his in a tender yet unrestrained way, almost as if they were fusing into one cohesive entity, was enough to make him blush even more violently as he closed his eyes and laid his head back against the bed with a sigh, breathlessly whispering, "I love you, Katara."

The Waterbender affectionately smiled as she untwisted the energy in Aang's heart, softly whispering back, "I love you too, Aang." She was feeling the same level of intimacy and closeness that he was, even if she didn't know that he was feeling the same thing as her. After Ba Sing Se, when she was healing him in his unconscious state, his energy had been almost mute and stale, without any life. During her healing sessions with him after he had awakened, she could always feel a little pinprick in her heart as her energy traveled his chi lines. Now the little pinprick was a shard of pleasure and tenderness that enveloped her whole body and made her smile with amazement as she explored his body through the invisible paths of chi in his body, searching and yearning to learn more about this boy than she could have ever imagined.

After nearly an hour and a half, the glow and hum of healing water died down. Katara bent the fluid back into her flask, capping it as she said, "I managed to loosen up a lot of the energy inside of you, though not enough to keep you from feeling a little bit of pain; that I can fix over the next few days." Reaching over and grasping Aang's hand, interlocking her fingers with her, she smiled and said, "I also got rid of enough damaged energy near your stomach so that your bending isn't in any danger of being affected."

"Thanks, Katara," murmured Aang, feeling very sleepy and drowsy from the healing session, though he did manage to throw a warm smile up towards his girlfriend. He lightly squeezed her hand as he quietly said, "You're the best."

"Only the best for you, Aangie," lovingly replied Katara, who chuckled at Aang's ensuing blush and ignored Sokka's annoyed groan. Suddenly, there were three loud raps at the door, wresting everyone's attention to the metal portal.

"I got it," said Sokka, moving in front of the door and opening it. Standing in the hallway was Captain Hemu, who was holding his helmet in his hands. "Captain Hemu? What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see how the Avatar is doing," explained Hemu, his fingers fiddling slightly with his metal helmet. With his helmet off, they could all see that Hemu's black hair was pulled back into the traditional top-knot. His amber eyes shone softly in the low light of the ship's interior, though they almost seemed to stand out on their own, like a bright candle in a dimly lit room. "How is he?"

"Aang's doing better than before," replied Sokka, keeping one hand on the door.

"Is he well enough for me to speak to him?" asked Hemu, seeming very hesitant to ask.

"Yeah," said Katara from inside the room, still holding Aang's hand. "Let him in, Sokka," she instructed her brother before turning her attention to Aang. Sokka sidestepped away from the door, allowing Hemu to walk in as Katara helped Aang to sit up, keeping one arm around his shoulder in order to support him. Aang flashed a grateful smile towards Katara, who gladly returned it, before looking towards Hemu, who crouched down in front of the bed, helmet still in hand.

Hemu was silent for a little while, staring down at the floor as he fiddled some more with his helmet, leaving Aang to wonder what was on the Captain's mind. Finally, Hemu looked up and said, "Avatar, I wish to apologize to you if my attitude towards you and your friends earlier was less than friendly."

"It's fine, Captain," began Aang, "but-"

"Please, Avatar," respectfully interrupted Hemu, holding up a hand. "I wish to speak my mind." Aang hesitated for a bit, but he nodded his approval to Hemu, who dropped his hand back down to his helmet. Taking a deep breath, Hemu said, "As you and your friends know, things are very tense for the Fire Nation right now. The last thing the Fire Nation needs is to have you die aboard one of our vessels. The other nations would instantly accuse us of murdering you, and the world would find itself in another bloody, drawn-out war."

Hemu continued to speak. "Imagine how this would sound to you if were the Earth King or one of the Water Chiefs: Avatar Aang, hero of the Hundred Year War, killed aboard a Harmony Restoration Movement ship when he was hit by lightning while fighting off massive waves during a storm at sea. Now, wouldn't you immediately come to the conclusion that the Fire Nation was to blame?"

"Maybe," truthfully shrugged Aang, "but anyone could be hit by lightning whenever they're out at sea."

"You're missing the point, Avatar," countered Hemu. "As I'm sure you're aware, some Firebenders are capable of generating lightning. Most of the time, it's usually members of the Royal Family that have this legendary skill, but there could also be the possibility that Firebenders of that level out there that we've never heard about before; none of my men can create lightning, by the way, but the other nations wouldn't know that. A storm at sea would be the perfect cover for someone to be murdered by lightning from a Firebender. The other nations may not know about the lightning capabilities of Firebending due to its rarity and exclusivity to the Royal Family, and their outrage at your death aboard a Fire Nation ship – one personally sponsored by Fire Lord Zuko, mind you – would be enough for them to declare war on us."

"But we would stop that," protested Katara, jumping into the conversation. "My brother and I would tell the other nations that it was just a really unfortunate accident."

"We won't reach the Fire Nation for three more days," countered Hemu. "Even when we get back to the Fire Nation and send word out to the other leaders, they may interpret our explanation of the Avatar's death as a nefarious cover up. Plus, they might assume that you and your brother's signatures on the letters could have been forged, and that the Fire Lord had you all killed off in order to cover up the evidence. The fact of the matter is this: if the Avatar was to die within the vicinity of anything related to the Fire Nation, we would instantly become the prime suspects, and the full fury of Water and Earth would come crashing onto our shores. Blood will be spilt once more, and it will all stem from your death, Avatar."

If Aang had felt weak before, he felt even worse now, as if a debilitating sickness were rapidly eating away at every fiber of his being. His heart was rapidly pounding into his chest, trepidation permeating every rational thought in his racing mind, his face contorted with shock and horror. Finally able to compose himself even a little, he dryly gulped down what tasted like bile and shakily said, "I…I didn't even think about that when I saved Katara from the lightning." He reached up to hold his forehead, his eyes as wide as the full moon as he weakly said, "I could have really messed up…" He found himself unable to speak, unable to even think of what could have happened to the world had he died today. Katara pulled him closer to her, resting her head against his as she tried to lend her comfort and support to him.

Seeing how pained and disturbed Aang was, Hemu kindly, but firmly, said, "I am not saying these things to upset you, Avatar. I am merely explaining the colossal risk you took in protecting your friend from certain death. I want you to understand that almost everything hinges on you being alive, and we can't risk even the slightest possibility of you being killed during the reconstruction process."

"I do understand, Captain," assuredly said Aang, looking up at Hemu even though he felt like curling into a fetal position at the very prospect of another war breaking out because of his death, "and next time there's a storm, all of us are going to stay inside the ship. We're going to take as few risks as we can from now on."

"Good," nodded Hemu, smiling broadly with relief, placing his helmet back on his head as he stood back up. "I'll see to it that you and your friends aren't disturbed until we reach the Fire Nation. Until then, my men and I will handle the colonials."

"We really appreciate that, Captain," gratefully said Katara, cheerfully smiling up at Hemu. "I don't want Aang moving anytime soon because he's still a bit weak, but he should be fine when we get back to the Fire Nation."

"Anything to help the Avatar and his friends," amiably said Hemu, bowing the traditional Fire Nation fashion to Aang and Katara. "I hope you feel well soon, Avatar Aang."

"Thank you, Captain," smiled Aang as Hemu came out of his bow. Looking over at Katara, he chuckled and said, "I've got the best healer in the world looking after me." Katara timidly blushed and glanced away from him, looking down at the floor as she softly smiled. Forgetting where he was at the moment, Aang leaned over and nuzzled into her cheek, eliciting a tiny giggle from the Waterbender.

Knowingly smirking at the sight of the couple, Hemu inquisitively asked, "I take it that you two are quite taken with one another?"

"Captain," said Sokka from over by the door, causing everyone to look over at him, "you have no idea of how into each other those two are."

"Sokka!" exclaimed Katara, her copper skin now a ruddy red from her all-consuming blush. Her brother always, always found new ways of embarrassing her to death, and this was just one of them.

"What?" defensively retorted Sokka. "It's true!"

Before the siblings could get into a full-blown argument with each other, Hemu said, "I best be on my way now. There's still much work to be done around the ship, and I'm afraid I can't spend any more time here." Bowing again to the three heroes, he said, "Good day to you all." After he bowed, he walked out of the door, which Sokka closed behind him and securely locked.

"You know," irritably said Katara as Sokka turned back around, "you didn't have to embarrass me in front of the Captain like that, Sokka."

"Don't blame me!" exclaimed Sokka as he pressed his hands against his chest. Extending an arm towards Aang, he added, "He's the one who keeps giving out the oogies!"

"But Sokka-" Aang began to say, only to grimace and clutch at his midsection as he hissed, forcing one eye shut and slightly narrowing the other as he grit his teeth.

"Are you okay?" concernedly asked Katara, who had immediately turned towards Aang as soon as she heard his painful hiss. "Do you need another healing session?"

"No," quickly assured Aang, opening his eyes and glancing over towards Katara with a small smile. "I'm fine. I think I just need to rest for a while. Y'know, keep myself from moving too much."

"Good idea," agreed Katara with a nod, warmly smiling at her boyfriend. Looking over at her brother as Aang pulled his robe back up to its normal position, she asked, "Sokka, would you be willing to look after the colonials for a while? I know the Captain said he and his men can handle the colonials, but I think one of us should down there so that Team Avatar's presence can still be felt. It might help to put them more at ease. I need to stay here and keep an eye on Aang in case the pain gets any worse." Seeing Sokka's eyebrow suspiciously raise along with the incredulous look on his face, she added, "I'll be fine with him, Sokka. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah," said Sokka with a nonchalant wave of his hand, "I know. I'm just messin' with ya." Opening the door again, he glanced towards Aang and said, "Be sure to keep an eye on her, Aang. I'll be back later to check up on you two."

"She's safe with me, Sokka," promised Aang with a cheery smile, intertwining his fingers with Katara's and making her smile at his touch. "If I can save her from a lightning bolt, I'm sure I can watch her for just a little while." Satisfied, Sokka nodded and entered the hallway, closing the door behind him and leaving the couple alone in the room.

Katara tiredly sighed, thankful to finally be along with Aang, and looked towards the Avatar as she asked, "Are you sure you're alright, sweetie? If you need anything, I can-"

"Katara," interrupted Aang, taking both of her hands into his as he smiled, "all I need right now is for you to be here with me. When I look into your eyes, all the pain just fades away into nothing and I feel whole again. When I hold your hands in mine, nothing hurts and everything seems so right again, like it was meant to be. No matter what happens to me, your love will always find a way to heal me, and that's what I need most right now: your love."

The young Waterbender was sure that the skin on her face had just become the surface of the sun, that's how intense and fiery her reactive blush was. She wasn't sure if he was just covering up his pain for her sake, but she still managed to smile at his sweetness and sincerity. She thought about the chain of events that had led up to this point, which led her to say, "Aang, sometimes you amaze me with how much you really care about me. I mean, taking a lightning bolt for me? I mean, Zuko did the same for me during the Comet, but…it was different this time around when you saved me."

"That's because Zuko's just a friend to you," reasoned Aang, bringing her hands up to his lips and tenderly kissing them.

"I know," nodded Katara, "but…you would really be willing to lay down your life for me like that? I know that earlier you said that you'd do anything to make sure I'm safe, but I am really worth all of this? I'm just one girl, Aang; I'm just Katara." As grateful as she was for what Aang had done for her, it still left her to wonder why he would do such a thing for someone who seemed so small in the grand scheme of history.

Aang affectionately smiled at her, taking his hands out of hers and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him and resting his forehead against hers as he whispered, "Katara, you mean so much more than that to me. For so long, you've been the one person to always keep me going, to always give me hope for a brighter future. You know everything that I am: my hopes, my dreams, my fears and doubts, my strengths and weaknesses, everything. When I'm weak and powerless, you give me strength. When I feel like giving up, your smile tells me 'Keep going'. When the weight of the whole world is on my shoulders, a simple hug from you tells me that you'll bear the burden with me. You are so much more than just one girl to me, Katara. You are everything to me."

Katara could have sworn that her birth element had suddenly shifted from Water to Fire, for her face felt as blazingly hot as the flames she had witnessed on the day of Sozin's Comet. Even after a whole month of her and Aang dating, even after all of those tender, sacred, romantic moments that she would always remember for the rest of her life, Aang's words were enough to make her smile so hard that the pressure caused tears to spring to her eyes. "Do you really mean it, Aang?" she asked with an air of hope as the tears graced her cheeks, her heart fluttering faster than a swarm of rainbow-colored Butterfly-Moths.

"Each and every single word, dear Moon Lily of my Heart," lovingly replied Aang as he used his most cherished nickname for her, his smile so intimate and amorous that it seemed completely natural to her, like the way his lips curved upward and his eyes sparkled with fondness and care was meant only for her. Kissing away her tears, he smiled against her cheek and softly whispered between kisses, "Each and every single word."

Katara found herself lightly gasping as Aang's lips caressed her cheeks, which flared in a violent blush every time he kissed her. Thankfully, Aang pulled away from her, leaving her breathless and brightly smiling as she sincerely said, "You really have grown up so much, Aang. I…I don't think I've ever seen this side of you." Reaching back and interlacing her fingers with his, she nuzzled into his nose as she asked, "And you know what?" Pulling away slightly and smiling, she added, "I really like it."

Much to her surprise, Aang pulled her down to the bed so that they were laying side-by-side, facing each other as a look of surprise enveloped Katara's face. Pulling Katara closer to him, helping her to wrap her arms around him, Aang chuckled and said, "What can I say? Death has a funny way of changing things for people, and I wanted to assure you that I'm okay, especially after how badly I scared you and Sokka."

"It wasn't very nice of you to do that, scaring us half-to-death," stated Katara, trying to pout at him out of spite but finding herself smiling instead. "You really had us worried."

"I know," insisted Aang, kissing her forehead, "and I'm sorry for that. But I was serious about what I had said: you will always mean the world to me, no matter what happens to us. Even if I die, even I'm reincarnated into my next life, my love for you will live on in the Spirit World, waiting for the day when we would be reunited and spend the rest of eternity together."

Katara gently smiled at Aang, nuzzling underneath his chin and resting her head on his chest as she whispered, "Aang, I can't even begin to tell you how lucky I am to have you in my life." Before Aang could reply, she thought of something that applied to their current situation, and she asked, "Have I ever told you that Penguins mate for life?"

Her question seemed to catch Aang off-guard, as was indicated by the questioning tone in his voice as he said, "No, but what does that have to do with us?"

Smiling as she cuddled ever closer to Aang, she softly replied, "Because I feel like you're the only guy I'd ever want to spend the rest of my life with." Lightly chuckling against his robes, she added, "In other words, you're my little Penguin."

Aang couldn't help but smile at Katara's words, kissing the top of her head as he said, "You're my little Penguin too, sweetie." The two soul mates, who made silent promises in their hearts to be the other's Penguin mate, soon fell off into a mutual sleep. They found themselves dreaming of a dozen possible futures, all of which involved them being together with each other for the rest of time, even beyond their own deaths and their own lifetimes.

"Fire Lord Zuko," announced Colonel Shunjin as he stepped into the young ruler's office, "I have news for you."

Zuko's attention was immediately captured, looking up from his desk as he asked, "What is it, Colonel?"

"One of our ships has been spotted on the horizon," explained Shunjin, "bearing west from the Earth Kingdom. We believe that it is the Avatar's ship; the banner of the Harmony Restoration Movement can be seen on the central tower by telescope."

The Fire Lord was up even before Shunjin had finished his statement, walking out of his office with the Colonel and four other Imperial Firebenders behind him, walking quickly through the Palace. Once Shunjin had finished his report, Zuko said, "Stay close to me. We don't stop until we reach the docks."

"As you command, Fire Lord," obediently said the Imperial Firebenders in unison, their presence formidable and intimidating to anyone who would try to get close to Zuko. Under normal conditions, the Imperial Firebenders – also known as the Royal Procession – would remain silent while they were on duty. However, this all changed when Zuko took the throne; he had declared a personal mandate that all Imperial Firebenders were all allowed to speak while on duty, for it allowed a more personal and less informal interaction with the man they were charged with protecting.

About fifteen minutes later, the Fire Lord and his personal guard were nearing the harbor, where countless dock workers were scrambling and shouting orders to one another, frantically trying to prepare for the imminent arrival of the Harmony Restoration Movement ship. Even now, Zuko could spot the black plume of smoke rising on the far horizon, an ink stain on the light-blue veil of the cloudless sky.

Within twenty more minutes, the ship itself could be seen cresting over the curved horizon, eliciting a thunderous cheer from the assembled dock workers. A small, triumphant smile tugged at the young Fire Lord's lips; things were certainly looking up for a change.

After another fifteen minutes, the ship finally entered the harbor, slowing to a crawl as it pulled up next to the stone dock. With a wailing, skin-grating hiss, the metal behemoth stopped altogether, the pointed bow hissing just as loudly as it unsealed itself from the hull and dropped the pointed end down to the ground, creating a ramp for disembarking.

A large crowd of people began to surge out of the ship, seeming unsure and intimidated by their new surroundings. The only ones who didn't seem nervous were the people leading them, three people that Zuko smiled at when he spotted them: Aang, Katara, and Sokka.

Looking towards the crowd, knowing that they were colonials, Zuko boisterously proclaimed, "Welcome home, citizens of the Shou colony! It brings great joy to my heart to see you all here! Housing and food will be provided for you here in the Capital until we can find you homes elsewhere in the Fire Nation islands. Until then, try to enjoy your stay here in the Capital!"

As the workers, colonials, and crew of the ship began to unload the cargo from Shou, Zuko noticed Aang, Katara, and Sokka walking towards him. Broadly smiling, Zuko met them halfway and embraced them, the small group of heroes happily laughing with each other at the resounding success of their mission. Coming out of their group hug, Zuko cheerily exclaimed, "I can't believe it! You actually got the Shou colony to leave the Earth Kingdom?" Seeing their affirmative nods, Zuko pressingly asked, "How did you do it? How much did the colonials resist you?"

"Relax, Zuko," chuckled Sokka as he patted his excited friend's shoulder, "we'll tell you later. Let's just bask in how awesome today is!" Letting go of Zuko's shoulder, Sokka rubbed his stomach and licked his chomps as he hungrily said, "I could go for big feast right now! Who's with me?"

"You go ahead, Sokka," said Katara, gaining her brother's attention. "Aang and I have to tell Zuko something."

The silent insinuation seemed to carry over to Sokka, his eyes widening slightly in surprise but otherwise betraying nothing as the Water Tribe warrior nodded and walked past Zuko, heading towards the Palace. The Fire Lord seemed to pick up on something being amiss, considering the way Aang and Katara were nervously looking at each other, both of them seeming very hesitant to say the first word. "What's going on?" asked Zuko, feeling very uneasy and anxious in his heart.

As the bustling and hustling of the work around them increased, Aang had to raise his voice so that Zuko could hear him. "On the first night away from the Shou colony, we ran into a bad storm. It was really bad; the waves were going to swallow up the whole ship. Katara managed to fight the waves off, but…" The young Avatar's voice faltered, painfully recalling that horrible memory in his mind. Even now, he could feel the lightning tearing away at him, consuming every ounce of life within him and burning it to nothing but ashes. Katara's soft, tender fingers slipped into his, lightly squeezing his hand in reassurance and comforting support.

"But what?" demanded Zuko, his voice becoming slightly intense with a combination of nervousness and impatience. "What happened, Aang? Tell me!"

Seeing that Aang was having difficulty putting his thoughts into words, Katara spoke up for him: "A lightning bolt came down from the clouds and headed straight for me. Aang jumped in front of the lightning and caught it, redirecting it away from the ship but badly hurting him in the process."

Zuko's regal amber eyes widened as soon as the word 'lightning' left Katara's lips, looking down at Aang with a shocked and astonished expression. "Are you crazy, Aang?" harshly exclaimed Zuko in an admonishing tone. "Don't you remember what happened to me during the Comet when I took the lightning bolt that was meant for Katara?" he added with a gesture to said-Waterbender. "I nearly died because I wasn't properly rooted when the lightning hit me! Aang, you know how dangerous improperly redirecting lightning can be! You could have died!"

"I know," tiredly sighed Aang, looking up at Zuko, "and I'm sorry for endangering myself, but Katara was in danger and I was the only one who could help her. What's done is done; Katara's healed me up, and from now on, we're going to be a lot safer."

"I should hope so," bluntly grunted Zuko, indignantly narrowing his eyes at Aang. Without another word, the Fire Lord walked off towards the ramp of the ship, the Imperial Firebenders close behind him as he went off to find Captain Hemu. Aang and Katara watched him the whole while with worried eyes, never taking their eyes off of him until he disappeared into the belly of the ship.

"I think Zuko's mad at me," observed Aang, though he really was stating the clearly obvious.

"We figured he would be," pointed out Katara, looking back towards Aang as he looked at her. "He'll be angry for a little while, but he'll come around."

"Let's hope so," glumly said Aang, leading her towards the ramp Zuko had gone up. "For now, let's get these peoples' belongings unloaded, and then we'll go find Sokka."

"Sounds like a plan, sweetie," admirably said Katara, leaning over to tenderly kiss Aang on the cheek, making him smile with uncontained love. Hand-in-hand, the young couple set off on their duty, determined to make a difference in the world.

Dear Dad,

We just got back from our first mission to the colonies. Though we did have some trouble, we were able to get the Shou colony to leave the Earth Kingdom. Our ship is being resupplied now, so it'll be about midday tomorrow before we leave for the next colony. The Harmony Restoration Movement is finally underway…

I'm doing fine, and so is Sokka. Zuko, on the other hand, is pretty stressed out about his duties as the Fire Lord, but we're doing the best we can to get him to relax, even if it's just a little.

And Aang…he did something really incredible on the way back from the Shou colony. We ran into a pretty nasty storm while at sea, and I was on deck fighting off the waves, keeping them from overtaking the ship. All of a sudden, I heard Aang scream my name, and next thing I saw was this lightning bolt falling from the sky.

Heading straight for me.

Before I could even blink, I saw Aang fly in front of me and catch the lightning (Firebending technique that allows the user to redirect lightning). He crashed to the deck and managed to redirect the lightning away from the ship, but he got really hurt in the process. He could hardly even walk, that's how bad he was hurt!

Aang's back on his feet now, though, and he's feeling a lot better, all thanks to those healing sessions I gave him after he was hit by the lightning.

He saved my life, Dad, just like I saved his life after he was killed in Ba Sing Se. Even as I'm writing this letter, I can feel myself starting to cry. (Aang's with me right now as I'm writing this, and he's asking if I'm alright. I told him that I'm fine, but he keeps asking anyway, that loveable goof.)

Aang's been absolutely wonderful to me ever since we started dating, always making sure I'm happy and smiling each and every day. (Though he really doesn't even need to try that hard to get me to smile around him; I always smile whenever I see him.) He's so tender, loving, sweet, kind-hearted, and gentle to me that it's just making me fall harder in love with him every day. (Aang's blushing really hard right now, and the look on his face is so cute that I can't help but laugh.)

He also does lots of little things for me. Like one morning while we were on our way to Shou, I accidentally got a papaya for breakfast. (You know how much I hate papayas.) Aang gave me his breakfast of orange-mangoes and ate the papaya for me. (Aang says that he likes papayas because they're sweet, like me. I think he's just being a sap as usual, but I still love him for it.)

Anyways, I think I'm getting off-track. What I'm trying to tell you, Dad, is that I'm forever thankful to you for giving me the chance to fully be with Aang. (Aang says thank you as well, and he wants me to tell you that he's taking good care of your precious daughter. I think he's being a sap again, but I'm too busy writing and smiling at him to say anything.) He's been the absolute best to me, and I honestly don't think I could ever be this happy with any other guy in the world. Even before we were together, we shared this special bond, a friendship that couldn't be broken even by death. Aang's always been there for me, always made me happy like in the days before Mom died. No other guy in the world could ever do that to me, Dad.

I hope things are going well back home. Tell Gran Gran and Pakku 'hi' from all of us. Once this whole business with the colonies is over, we'll all come home to visit you. I promise.

Love, your little Waterbender,

Katara

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I am having a bit of writer's block with the next chapter, but I will try to write it up as soon as I can. Promise. :)

Remember my advice, my loyal readers:

BUY THE BOOK, AND SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE WHO STRIVE SO HARD TO BRING THIS INCREDIBLE STORY TO US