A/N: This is book five, chapter one of the Avatar story. After defeating the Dragon Spirit, Aang and Katara faces a new road to challenge. Lately, people have been having nightmares, and then Aang gets a call from his past lives and the Spirit of Dreams. Something goes wrong in the realm of dreams, and Aang has to find out what's going on and stop it.

EDIT NOTE: Beyond here, I remember what it was lik trying to fit in the entire title of the chapters. Such a pain in the butt. I even had to make a tiny chapter explaining everything and such. But that's beside the point. You learn from your mistakes and do things properly.

Chapter 1 - The Nightmares

A month has passed since the defeat of the Dragon Spirit. Right now, Aang and Katara are talking a walk, holding hands, on a field of flowers. It's a lovely sunny day. Aang and Katara finds a nice spot to sit down, underneath a blossom tree. Katara lays her head on Aangs shoulder. Aang then wraps his arm around Katara.

"It's such a beautfiul day, isn't it?" Katara asks.

"Yeah. I'm glad I get to spend it with you." Aang says.

Katara smiles. Aang gently strokes Kataras hair, until a slight breeze of wind, getting stronger every second, starts blowing. Aang looks up, the sky is turning gray, then he sees a tornado. Aang starts to get up, then Katara falls over onto the ground.

"Aang? What's wrong?" Katara asks.

"We gotta get out of here!" Aang yells, the wind getting so loud, you could barely hear anything. The tornado gets closer and closer, it starts to suck Aang and Katara in. Aang stands his ground, but notices Katara getting sucked in. Aang quickly grabs onto to Kataras hand. "Hang on! Don't let go!"

Aang and Katara holds on to each other, but then Kataras hand slips. Katara screams as she gets sucked into the Tornado. "Katara! No!" Just then, Aang gets sucked into the tornado. When he's in the tornado, he doesn't get blown into the current, but instead, falls inside of the tornado, into the eye. Aang looks around the tornado. "Katara? Katara?!"

Aang turns around, then notices a female airbender, who's about his age. Aang is surprised to see her. "You call yourself an avatar? ...Pitiful." Aang looks confused. The airbender turns around and walks away, until she walks right through the tornado where she's out of sight.

Aang looks around for Katara. "Katara!?" Just then, a loud rumble happens. Aang looks up and notices a large amount of water pouring in. The water starts raising, as if the tornado is acting like a brick wall. The water rises pretty quick. Aang starts to bend the water for air, but he couldn't, so instead, he swims to the surface, only to be stopped by ice. Aang starts banging on the ice, until he gets weak and loses conscious.

Aang slowly falls down into the water until he hits the ground. Just then, Aang instantly wakes up, panting and sweating. After a minute, he looks around, he's back in his room and it's night. He was having a nightmare. He probably should have realized that when there was another airbender alive, then again, he could have thought it was one of his fans, but the girl had airbender tattoos, then again, they could be fake.

Aang gets out of bed, he couldn't go back to sleep. He went downstairs, get some hot tea and sit on the couch by the fireplace with a blanket over his shoulders and back. He just sits there, watching the fire, until a familiar voice hits him.

"Couldn't sleep?" Aang turns to see it's Katara, who's also having some hot tea.

Aang slightly nods. "Kind of...I just had a bad dream."

"You too?" Katara asks.

"Yeah." Katara sits right next to Aang. Aang shares his cover with Katara, lays it over her back onto her shoulder. "You had a bad dream too?"

"Yeah." Katara says. "It's the fifth one this week...I don't know what's going on."

"Me neither. I've been having nightmares lately." Aang says.

Katara turns her head to face Aang. "When did yours start?"

"A week after the Spirit Dragon's defeat." Aang mentions. "Tonights nightmare was different then all the others. At the end of my dream, this girl who as also an airbender questioned me."

"A girl? Who's an airbender?" Katara asks. Aang nods. "What did she say?"

"Basically, she just said 'You call yourself an avatar? Pitiful.' I don't know what that means." Aang says.

"It sounds like she thinks you're a horrible avatar." Katara says. "But it's not true, you're a great avatar, Aang."

Aang smiles. "Thanks, Katara. You're also a great waterbender, and girlfriend."

Katara smiles and blushes. "Thank you. That's so sweet."

Aang and Katara just sits on the couch together, watching the fire. Katara lays her hand on Aangs shoulder, then Aang wraps his arm around Katara. In the morning, Sokka and Toph gets up, all exhausted.

"Oh man...I did not sleep well last night." Sokka says.

"You said it, snoozles." Toph says.

Sokka walks up to the couch, but then notices Katara and Aang are asleep together on the couch, still in a sitting position. Katara still has her head on Aangs shoulder and Aang rests his head on top of Kataras head.

"Hey!" Sokka shouts at Aang and Katara.

Aang and Katara instantly wakes up by surprise and then falls over the couch. Katara gets up and glares at Sokka. "Sokka! You know better then to scare people like that!"

"You should know better then you sleep with another boy." Sokka says.

"You are so immature, it's just Aang!" Katara snaps at him.

Toph just pushes Sokka and Katara away from each other. "Will you two shut up? The last thing I need from waking up from a rough night is you two fighting."

"You had a rough night too?" Aang asks.

"Yeah, I had another nightmare about my parents taking me away and treating me...well, you know." Toph says.

"That's nothing, my nightmare was having a visit from my old friend, the saber-tooth-moose-lion. After that, I was forced to hang out with Aang and Katara on their date." Sokka says.

Katara punches Sokka on the shoulder, feeling offended. "We all have been having nightmares lately, I wonder what's going on." Just then, Suki walks in, all tired with her bed hair. "Hey Suki. How did you sleep?"

"Terrible." Suki stretching her back, cracking her joints. "I had a nightmare about Sokka ditching me for another girl."

Sokka rushes to Sukis side and hugs her. "Aww, babe. I would never do that to you."

Suki gets a little annoied by that, mostly cause she wasn't in a morning mood, but then she smiles and hugs Sokka.

"Guys, this is serious." Aang says. "We're all having nightmares, all together and a lot of them. This isn't really normal."

"Aang's right." Katara mentions. "Maybe there's something going on in the spirit world. can you find out?"

"I can try." Aang says.

Aang gets up and heads upstairs into his room. For the next hour, he's meditated, focusing on his energies to contact the spirits. So far, nothing's happening. Katara walks inside with a bowl of rice.

"Hey, I brought you something to eat." Katara says.

Aang looks up to her and smiles. "Thanks, Katara." Aang takes the bowl and starts eating. Katara sits right next to him.

"Any luck?" Katara asks.

"No, not really." Aang says. "I don't know what's going on, the spirits have been quiet lately."

"Who knows, maybe they've grown silent cause of what happened to the Dragon Spirit." Katara says.

"Yeah. Maybe." Aang finishes his food then hands the bowl to Katara. "I'm gonna try again to contact the spirit world."

"Ok, good luck." Katara gets up and leaves the room.

Aang continues to meditate, concentrating his energy, until one of the candles in front of him lights a grand flare. Like a campfire. Aang was surprised, he screamed a little and backs up, then the fire forms into Rokus face.

"Roku?" Aang asks.

"Avatar Aang...come to the spirit world. We need to talk." Roku says. "Bring your waterbender friend." Just when Aang was about to ask, the fires die down. Aang was confused, what did Roku want to talk about, more importantly, why bring Katara to the spirit world?

Later in Ba Sing Se, Aang and Katara goes for a walk in the park. "What does Avatar Roku want?" Katara asks.

"I don't know, he just wants me to come to the spirit world with you." Aang says. Aang and Katara walks until they reach a gazebo in the center of the park. "This should be a nice spot."

"Aang, can I even get into the spirit world?" Katara asks.

"I believe so, Sokka got into the spirit world once." Aang mentions.

"Well, that's true." Katara says. "But still, how can I get into the spirit world?"

"I think I know how, let's try." Aang sits down. "Sit down." Katara sits right in front of Aang, then Aang grabs hold of Katara's hands. "Try to meditate with me. Close your eyes." Katara closes her eyes then Aang does the same. "Clear your mind, focus on your energy then take deep slow breaths." Katara does what he says. "There...focus on meditating, feel your spirit being enlightened."

Aang and Katara meditates for a while, Katara is even doing so well with it. In about five minutes, Aangs eyes ang tattoos starts to glow, just as it does, Katara stops breathing then her body collapses onto Aangs.

In the spirit world, Aang and Katara appears, Katara sill has her eyes close, as if she still trying to meditate. "You can open your eyes now."

Katara opens her eyes. She takes a moment to see her surroundings, then is amazed. She's finally in the spirit world. "Wow. I'm in the spirit world? This is amazing!"

"Yeah, just don't wonder off. You can't really return to the physical world without the aid of a spirit or me." Aang mentions. Katara nods, understanding. Just then, Hei Bai appears right in front of him.

"Hey, it's Hei Bai." Katara says. Aang gives Hai Bei a pet on the head. "What's he doing here?"

"He is a spirit after all...but I guess he's gonna take us to Roku." Aang says.

Aang and Katara hops on Hei Bai, then Hei Bai rides of in the spirit world. Hei Bai rides around the spirit. As they go, Katara takes a look around, the spirit is so strange and different, she liked it. She's never seen the spirit world like this. After half an hour, they arrive at a temple that's almost like the one back on Avatar Island.

They get off Hai Bei and enter the temple. "What is this place?" Katara asks.

"I don't know...it almost looks like the temple back on Avatar Island." Aang mentions.

Aang and Katara waits for a moment, then the elements appears all around them, fire, water, earth and air, then the elements form as Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk and Yangchen.

"Whoa...it's the past avatars." Katara says. Katara respectfully bows. "It's an honor to meet you all."

"It's a thrill to meet you too, young waterbender." Kyoshi says.

"Roku, you summoned us here. What is it you want to talk about?" Aang asks.

"Ah yes, well Aang, you know it's your job and it's important to reform the air nation." Aang and Katara nods. "Well, we were thinking that it's best that you and Katara shouldn't be together."

Aang and Katara widens their eyes open and gasps hearing that. "What? ...We can't be together?" Aang says.

Ruko nods. "But...why?" Katara asks.

"You two are from different nations, not to mention different benders." Yangchen says. "When you two have child, there are odds they will not be airbenders. We think it's best for Aang to wed with a non-bender."

"But...I can't leave Katara...I love her." Aang says.

"We understand how you feel, Aang. But as the avatar, we need to do what's best to reform the air nation." Roku says.

"Avatar Roku is right." Kuruk says. "You cannot make the same mistake I did with Ummi. I spent the rest of my life, searching for her in the spirit world wither then stay in the physical world doing my duties as avatar."

Aang doesn't know what to say, instant, he just looks down depressed, with tears escaping from his eyes. Katara puts a hand on his shoulder, Aang looks up to face Katara, who's also giving him a sad look, but only so slightly.

"It'll be all right, Aang..." Aang sniffles and closes in on Katara as she gives him a hug.

"Moving on." Roku says. "The other reason we called you here is there's something going on within the Realm of Dreams."

Aang moves out of Kataras arms and looks at Roku. "The Realm of Dreams? What's that?"

"It's another world like the physical and the spirit world, only it's where dreams exist." Kyoshi says. "Lately, something's been going on in that world that's starting to have an effect with the physical world."

"Like the nightmares?" Aang asks.

"Correct." Kyoshi says. "The spirit of dreams went into the Realm of Dreams to investigate the source. She should arrive soon."

Everyone waits for about a minute, that's when the spirit of dreams arrives. She's kind of like mother nature, wearing a beautiful dress made of flowers and having lovely hair that's nature friendly.

"Greetings, young avatar and waterbender. I am Yume, the spirit of dreams." Yume says.

Aang bows. "It's nice to meet you." Katara bows as well.

"Yume, what's the word on the Realm of Dreams?" Yangchen asks.

Yume shakes her head. "I'm afraid it's far worse then I feared. Someone from the spirit world has entered the realm of dreams and starts corrupting it with nightmares."

"Someone from the spirit world?" Roku questions. "That's wither...strange. It's impossible for someone who died in the physical world to ever enter the Realm of..."

Roku stops talking as he hear Aang whispers something to himself. "The girl..."

"What's wrong, Aang?" Roku asks.

"In my last nightmare, I saw this girl who was dressed like an airbender. I don't know her and I've never seen her before, how could she be in my dreams?" Aang wonders.

All the avatars and Yume exchanged looks, thinking about that airbender. "You saying she's the one inferring with people's dreams?

"Maybe she is." Yume says, walking up to Aang. "Let's take a look."

Yume places her hand on Aangs face, her thumb on his nose an her fingers all over his forehead. For a second, the fingertips glow, then she slowly pulls her hand away from Aangs face, with a glowing ball. Aang and Katara were surprised, then Yume lays it down. The orb reveals a screen that's showing a scene from Aangs dream, where he's inside the tornado with the female airbender.

"You call yourself an avatar? ...pitiful!" The airbender says, then she turns around and walks into the tornado until she's out of sight. The dream ends and the screen returns into the dream orb. Yume places the orb back into Aangs mind.

"That was the girl?" Katara says. "She sounds pretty rude."

"Yes, she is...she must be the one causing the nightmares." Yume says.

"What should we do? Aang asks.

"From what I see, there are a ton of Nightmares, but each of them are coming from the giant ones, the Nightmare." Yume sticks her hand out, and on her hand, a small mark in a form of a black heart with shadow wings. "This is the insignia of the Nightmares. The lesser ones have it as well, but it's the boss Nightmares you want to down."

Aang nods. "Right, I'll stop and defeat those Nightmares."

Katara grabs hold of Aangs arm. "I'm coming with you."

Everyone looks at Katara. "No, you stay in the physical world." Aang says.

"No. I can't let you go of in another dangerous world without any help. I'm going with you, Aang. I can't lose you again." Katara says.

"Very well, Katara. If you wish to aid Aang, you may." Roku says.

Everyone nods in agreement. "All right, Aang and Katara. There are a total of five Nightmares that must be destroyed to restore the Realm of Dreams. Once you do, return to me and I'll bring you back to the physical world." Yume says.

Aang and Katara nods then bows before Yume. They are now going on a long journey to another realm.