Well, just like I said, I am back from my vacation now with another update. Sorry that its a little on the shorter side.
And I still don't own Avatar.
"Ryu change our course to the Southern Air Temple now!"
Ryu turned around from the airships pilot seat with a questioning look and saw Tau walking back into the control room, "The Southern Air Temple? Why?"
"I'll explain later," Tau answered, walking over to take a seat next to Sorin, who had been sitting a few feet away from Ryu.
"Is that what the Avatar found out?" The Firebender asked.
Tau nodded, "He said that the spirits we are looking for are called the Yanari and they are to be found at the Southern Air Temple. Like I said, I will explain in more detail later."
"They're called the Yanari?" Ryu questioned, "Well at least we have a name for the things now instead of just using 'those spirits' all the time."
Tau just snorted in response when Sorin began to gaze at him curiously.
"So where's the Avatar?" he asked.
"He and the Waterbender are taken care of," Tau answered, "There is a reason why I wanted Ryu to fly us over Si Wong Desert."
"Did we dump them off there or something?" Ryu guessed, smirking.
Tau smiled and leaned back in his seat, "Pretty much, and since we took his staff and his bison whistle…I'm assuming that they won't be able to survive very easily down there. They can't fly out and they can't call for help. With any luck, the desert will kill them."
Aang and Katara stood up side by side, looking around at the all too familiar sand dunes that surrounded them.
"Well, this can't possibly be as bad as last time," Katara said optimistically, despite still being a little shaken up, "Just call Appa and we're home free."
Aang glanced at her with a regretful look on his face, "Actually I don't have the bison whistle with me…I think Tau took it while I was in the Spirit World…my glider to."
"Oh," Katara hung her head briefly before looking up into the night sky, "Well at least its night. We better start walking because if there was anything we learned from the last time we were here it's that it's better to move at night and rest during the day."
"I hope we're not that far into the desert or else I don't think walking is going to be enough to get out," Aang stated, looking around as if trying to figure out something else to do. It was a desert though. From what he could see there was nothing but sand, followed by some more sand, and then some sand after that.
"Don't think like that Aang," Katara chided, "We'll find a way out…I don't really think we have much of a choice."
"Yeah, you're right," Aang nodded taking her hand in his and the two of them began their walk through the desert, "We need to get back to Ba Sing Se to warn everyone what Tau is trying to do."
"Is it a big problem?" Katara asked, "He didn't tell me anything about what he was planning. What'd he tell you?"
Aang shook his head, "I'll explain everything later…I'm still trying to wrap my head around some of it."
Katara nodded understandably and the two kept quiet after, just focusing on walking over the sandy dunes that the desert held. It was tougher then they would have originally thought. The sand wasn't solid and they would slip many times along the way. They would have fallen down dozens of times if they hadn't had each other to hold themselves up.
The silence that hung between them as they were walking allowed them to drift off into their thoughts.
Despite everything that told him he did the right thing by saving Katara, Aang felt guilty. He had just essentially helped the enemy get what he wanted. And…he had done it willingly. Tau had given him a choice and Aang had chosen to help him. He could have said no but then again, Katara wouldn't be next to him right now if he did. Maybe that was part of Tau's strategy. Maybe Tau wanted him to feel guilty and that was why he had given him the choice. Even after he had revealed everything to Tau, the Waterbender had allowed him one more chance to put a stop to his plans.
Aang could have simply let Katara fall from the airship and attacked Tau instead. Aang knew that would have been the action that would have been best for the world, especially since the Yanari were dangerous according to Kuruk and Koh. Still though, Aang doubted that he would be able to live with himself if he had done that. Sure, Tau would have been stopped but Katara would be gone…because of him. What would he think of himself if that were to happen? What would he tell Sokka? Hakoda?
He didn't regret saving her but the fact of the matter is was that he just put the world in possible danger by doing so. He just hoped that they would be able to get out of this desert and stop Tau as soon as possible.
Katara on the other hand was struggling with her emotions more than he was. That uselessness that she had felt weeks ago when Aang had tried to leave her behind at the South Pole started to return full force. As far as she knew, this was all her fault. Whatever Tau had gained in the last few hours was because of her. She didn't need Aang to tell her why he had helped their enemy. She already new; she was simply used as incentive for Aang to cooperate. There was nothing more to it. She knew that if she hadn't been in danger, Aang would have never helped Tau. If she had just stayed behind at the South Pole, this wouldn't be happening. They wouldn't be stranded in the middle of a desert, having to walk miles on end to get out. The thing that hurt her more than anything was that she felt that she had done more harm than good ever since they had left her home down south. She had essentially allowed their enemy to get what he wanted. Aang was right all of those weeks ago. He would have been able to do this by himself. She was convinced of it now. She was just a burden. Just a crazy girl in love that didn't want to be left behind; he didn't need her help. As much as she hated to admit it, maybe her destiny was just to sit at the South Pole and let Aang go off alone to do his Avatar thing.
However despite those thoughts that rushed through her head, there was also something that stuck in her mind that made her heart melt. Aang had saved her. He had chosen her over the world. She knew it was wrong but the selfish part of her rejoiced in that knowledge. That though was almost enough to push the more negative ones to the back of him mind. Almost.
She casted sideways glances to the boy walking beside her and saw that he was also lost in thought. From what she was getting from their bond, it seemed as if he felt a little guilty to. She wanted to talk to him but she decided that would wait until they decided to have some rest. So she just continued walking in step with him.
They had to have been walking for hours by now. The sun was creeping up on the horizon and Katara knew that it would be shining above them before long.
"Aang, I think it might be time for us to rest," she spoke, "The sun's beginning to rise."
Aang, who had been hanging his head down and just simply walking forward without looking finally picked his head up to see that she was right and he stopped where they were, earning a questioning look from Katara.
"I figured I would make us an earth tent," he explained, giving her a small smile, "Unless you just want to lie out in the sun for hours."
"No," Katara shook her head and returned his smile, "The tent sounds good."
Aang nodded, motioning her to step away from him and she quickly complied and watched as he placed his hands onto the sandy ground. With a small movement from his wrists, he hardened the sand below them, creating a small patch of solid earth for them to stand on. At his silent request, Katara walked back over to him and stepped onto the now rocky surface as he motioned his hands upwards, raising earth walls all around them, angling them so that they all met above them couple, effectively surrounding them from all sides. Aang made sure to leave a few holes in the top of the enclosed tent to give them some slivers of light.
Katara looked around at the tent he made and sat down in it. Strangely enough, it was somewhat relaxing…at least more so then the atmosphere outside.
"Nice job," she praised before adding gently as she shifted on the floor uncomfortably, "The floor could be a little softer though."
"I could fix that," Aang stated, bending down again and reversing what he had done earlier. Instead of hardening the earth below them, he softened it, making sure it didn't turn back to sand though. It was still rocky but the surface wasn't uncomfortable to sit on now.
Katara's eyes followed him as he made his way to sit beside her. She scooted a little closer so that their sides were touching as they leaned against each other; each a little exhausted by how long they had been walking.
"So what's wrong?" Aang asked her gently as one of his arms held her waist tightly against him, "I was sensing some things from you earlier and they didn't seem all that good."
"I could say the same about you," Katara countered, meeting his gaze meaningfully, silently asking him what he had just asked her.
"I asked you first…" he responded evasively.
She gave him an amused look before looking away from him as she thought about how she was going to word her thoughts, "I just…you remember a few weeks ago when I felt like I was useless to you after you had tried to leave Sokka and I behind at the South Pole?"
Aang nodded.
"Well, I'm feeling that way again…except that its worse this time," Katara murmured.
"Why would you think that Katara, you're not useless," Aang told her softly.
"All of this is my fault Aang," she answered bitterly, "Tau used me to get to you. If I had never come with you then we wouldn't be in this situation. All of this would be a lot easier for you if I had just let you leave me behind all those weeks ago."
"Katara that's not…"
"It is true," Katara interrupted, closing her eyes trying to block a few tears from forming, "You know, I had always liked to think that my duty, my destiny, was to help you with your Avatar duties but really…that's just something that I thought up on my own."
"No it's not," Aang told her, placing his free hand that wasn't on her waist over her mouth when she tried to interrupt him again, "For more reasons than one, I need you Katara. Don't think anything otherwise."
Katara reached her hand up to take his off of her mouth so she could speak after letting out a sigh, "But you don't need me for things like this…"
"Yes I do!" Aang insisted, "You shouldn't be blaming yourself for any of this. It's not your fault that you were captured okay? You were outnumbered."
"But if I hadn't even gone with you to begin with…"
"Then who would have comforted me when I was upset after hearing of the Earth King's death?" Aang interrupted, keeping his voice gentle, "Who would have healed Zuko? Who would I have gone to for comfort during all of those times when I was upset?"
"No one I guess," Katara answered a little meekly.
"Exactly," Aang nodded, "You don't give yourself enough credit for the things you do. Please, don't think this is your entire fault. I am the one that made the decision to help Tau."
"So you're saying this is your entire fault then?" Katara raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief.
He shrugged, "It was my choice to help. I gave Tau what he needed."
"But you only did that because Tau had me captive," Katara stated.
"Well it was what I had to do to save you," Aang smiled at her.
"Which is why this is my fault," she told him simply.
Aang shook his head, shifting so that he was sitting in front of her as he took her hands and his, "We can't blame ourselves for any of this, neither of us can," he told her, "It was all part of Tau's plan and even if you hadn't been with me…he probably would found another way to force me to help him."
"I know," Katara sighed, "But still…"
"Let's just not think about it okay," Aang smiled before giving her a wide grin, "Besides, aren't you the one that always tells me not to focus on the past."
Katara's eyes instantly seemed to brighten as she let out a laugh, "I guess I should take my own advice then shouldn't I?"
Aang nodded before leaning in to kiss her cheek softly, "Let's just promise not to dwell on it okay?"
"Okay," Katara squeezed his hands, "I promise."
Next thing she new, she was being pulled into a tight embrace, feeling Aang nuzzle his head against her shoulder and the confident boy he had just been moments ago switched to one of relief and vulnerability.
"I'm just glad you're okay," he whispered, "That whole time I was so scared that I was going to lose you."
"I know," she whispered back holding him tighter, "To tell you the truth, I'm still having a hard time believing that you chose me over the whole world."
"Well, why wouldn't I?" he murmured into her neck, "You are my world Kat."
She smiled and kissed the side of his head, "Still though, it amazes me that I hold that much importance to you. I don't think you know how scared I was when Tau threw me off the airship. I thought that it was all over for me. I thought for sure that you would go after Tau because of your duty."
Aang pulled away to look into her eyes lovingly, "You'll always come before the world Kat…I wouldn't be able to do any of it nearly as well without you."
"You saved me," Katara whispered, eyes meeting his soft grey ones.
Aang smiled at her softly, moving a hand up to stroke her cheek, "Come on, let's get some rest."
Katara nodded at him after allowing him to stroke her cheeks for a few moments before laying down, pulling at his arms to bring him down next to her. However the couple soon found that the rocks definitely did not make good pillows in the slightest sense and they quickly sat up glancing at each other, knowing that this wasn't going to work as well as they thought it would.
Suddenly though Aang pulled his air nomad robes over his head, revealing his bare chest and Katara was about to question his actions when he began to fold up his robes and lay them down under his head to rest on. He shifted so that he was lying on his back and he gently pulled at her wrist to invite her to lie on top of him. She happily accepted the invitation as she shifted so that her head was resting on his shoulder as her body laid half on top of him and half to his side; his arms wrapping around her in support.
"Better?" he asked, once she was all situated.
"Much," she answered gratefully, giving him a light kiss before snuggling closer to him and his arms tightened around her waist in response.
Though she felt exhausted, she found it somewhat difficult to go to sleep, probably because of the events that took place during the course of the past twenty four hours. So instead of trying to force sleep on herself, she spent her time drawing small circle on her boyfriend's bare chest with her finger; admiring him and his body that was vastly different then what it was since when they had first met.
He didn't make any movements to halt her ministrations so she took that as a sign that he was enjoying it and she let her fingers travel down to his stomach, feeling the soft skin there and the muscles that lay beneath. It felt nice to her, and clearly, her touch felt nice to him as his eyes began to drift shut. His breathing evened out and she gently traced her hand back up to his chest, letting her nails drag across his skin as she did so causing him to let out a soft sigh.
"Tease," he whispered tiredly.
"Oh I'm sorry," she laughed gently against him, obviously not sorry in the slightest bit.
Still though, knowing that they did need some sleep, her hand resumed drawing gentle, lazy circles on his chest as she had been doing before and it was only a few minutes later that she felt him drift off into sleep, his arms that were around her loosening slightly. She moved her hand from his chest to rest upon his unoccupied shoulder as she nuzzled her head further into the crook of his neck. As she felt herself drift off to sleep, her curious hand went from his shoulder to trace the arrow on his upper arm. The action occupied her for the next several minutes before her hand started to slow it's up and down motions as she felt herself starting to struggle to keep her eyes open. She let out one last content sigh before her eyes finally drifted shut, letting sleep overtake her.
So I think this story is at 95 or so reviews right now...lets try to see if we can make that 100 with this chapter. Next one will be up Thursday.:)