The Mysterious Traveler
(2nd Version)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Avatar: The Last Airbender!
Chapter Twenty:
Past Mistakes and Regrets
The sun rose high in the sky as the large group of the - now homeless - Freedom Fighters journeyed across the forest and vast landscapes. They moved as fast as they could in order to put distance between them and the Fire Nation soldiers who burnt half of the forest to the ground. Some of the children cried, unable to comprehend that their home had been taken away from them... again.
Since evacuating from the valley, they had no choice but to travel northwest, as everywhere else was either a dead end by rivers to the East and South or heavily occupied Fire Nation colonies to the West. Jet had tried to argue that they should settle in a new area around Giapan but was persuaded not to by Severus, who reasoned that his priority should be the people of his group and finding a new home that would shelter them from their enemy.
As far as they were concerned, Giapan was no longer a safe haven for them.
The days of traveling weighed on them. They could see the smoke from a distance as they walked, a reminder of what they had lost.
Getting their sleep by night, they took no chances stopping by day for any other rest, except by a single wagon that was being pulled by Pipsqueak, who seemed to never get tired.
Katara and Sokka were not so comfortable in remaining with the Freedom Fighters after helping them escape from the Fire Nation. An argument broke out between the four of them on the second morning after traveling all day and night since. Only Aang and Severus were in favor of staying and helping them on their journey. The argument was won by the ultimatum that if Aang stayed, so did Appa.
While Severus felt irritated in feeling this way, he was more worried about Katara as each day passed. An aura of anger and bitterness was felt in her presence, making him and anyone else feel unwelcomed. Even Aang had taken notice of this, unsure how to approach her.
When it was just the four of them at night, plus Appa and Momo, she was her usual self. But whenever she was around the Freedom Fighters or heard the mention of them, her expression would change into anger and disgust. Whenever Jet came to talk to them, she would stand up and leave, only to return once he was gone.
But her anger was only reserved for those who fought with Jet on his missions. The children and teens under their care still held a soft spot in her heart, as she was willing to help those with their camping gear and food. Even rocking a small girl to sleep when she heard her crying.
Witnessing this felt so familiar to Severus as he studied her, wondering why this would have brought so much distrust and anger out of her.
In order to ensure their safety, Aang would use Appa to fly ahead and search for easier paths to cross through the mountains. Even flying back the way they came to see if anyone was following them.
It didn't dawn onto Severus until he began to notice a something was off about the Airbender ever since the attack on the hideout. No longer was he making jokes or trying to have fun. Instead, his head was hung low, a sense of sadness and brooding. And the way how Katara was acting didn't help with his attitude either.
Shockingly enough, the only one who seemed to be okay was Sokka.
But as the days turned into a full week, everyone began to question their destination.
Talks were held between them and the Freedom Fighters a couple of times, which forced Katara to be in their presence.
While Aang voted to make way to the Northern Air Temple, he immediately went against it as he remembered that the mountains were much harsher and difficult to travel through. Sokka voted for Omashu but was reminded that a Fire Nation army and a large river stood in their way, not to mention the time it would take to get there on foot. And Ba Sing Se was out of the question.
It seemed as though their only option was to keep traveling north, making everyone become depressed at the feeling of having no place to go.
But it wasn't a complete loss or terrible experience.
With the threat seemingly behind them, they eased into settling for the night earlier than usual. Because of this, they were able to go get any food and water before sundown. And because of this, both Severus and Sokka resumed their training with Jet, who offered to continue with them. Though they were still new to the skills they were learning, it became clear that their training was paying off as time went by.
As week two came, both of them were easily adapting to the hard workout that Jet would put them through. Even Sokka was loving the abs and new found energy that seemed to come to life from him. And Severus found himself able to tolerate doing workouts before training more often.
Because the training becoming more part of his life, Severus found himself becoming stronger in so many ways than just the physical side of him. His insecurities were becoming less of an obstacle and his anger was becoming easier to control. Even young children he was able to tolerate and be around. Which came in handy, as almost everyone was so fascinated with him, especially the little girl he saved. A few times, he found her staying as close to him as possible, almost as if she felt safe and yet frightened in his presence. Looking at her reminded him of the one girl who helped saved from those mysterious attackers in dark cloaks.
There was a moment when he finally addressed her, almost scaring the poor thing to death when he spoke from where he was sleeping.
"Yes?" he turned his head to look at her.
The girl jumped to her feet, startled that he knew she was there and ran off.
Since then, the child kept near him, but at a comfortable distance.
It was by the end of the third week that the whole group came across the ruins of the abandoned city of Taku.
Deciding to rest for the night, everyone unpacked and settled in an abandoned structure of the destroyed city.
Aang explained how Taku used to be a great city over a hundred years ago, as it was a large distributor of cargo imported from ships to the entire Earth Kingdom. But his little tale was brought to end as he looked down in shame.
Unaware of the boy's sadness, Jet added that the city was one of the first attacks by the Fire Nation, helping in their efforts to claim most of the Eastern coastline.
As everyone settled for the night, a storm slowly appeared over the mountains and began pouring rain onto the city. The sound of the wind and the raindrops were so peaceful that many fell to sleep without any trouble, despite the lightning.
Later in the night, Aang gasped as he rose from where he slept, eyes wide and sweat falling from his forehead.
Looking around, he sighed in relief that he didn't wake anyone and wiped the sweat off of him as he stood up, sitting down next to one of the few fires nearby.
Severus opened his eyes, having heard monk. He sensed movement next to him and saw Katara walking up from behind, place a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice full of worry.
Aang remained still, staring into the flames before he shook his head, "No, I'm not."
Severus felt impressed with the boy's honesty.
Katara sighed, moving to the opposite end of the fire to sit down.
"You've been having nightmares lately," hugged her knees to her chest.
Even Severus had noticed the young boy twisting and turning at night, whispering the same words repeatedly.
'Why did you leave?'
'You've left us to die.'
'We need you, Aang.'
He would even mumble about a shadowed man amongst a burning inferno, with lightning flashing before him as he cried out with fire from his mouth.
Aang nodded, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Aang, you can't just block us out like this. Something isn't right with you."
"I could say the same thing about you," Aang looked up at her.
Katara turned away, closing her eyes.
"Ever since what happened three weeks ago, you've been nothing but angry and bitter."
"Well, I guess I'm still trying to get over the fact that Jet and his little band of murderers almost flooded an entire village of people!" she fumed. "What if a little girl lost her m-"
She stopped herself, sighing as she got her anger under control.
"I'm not here to argue," she looked up at him. "I'm here to talk to you. I want to help you with whatever is bothering you."
Aang closed his eyes as tears began to fill them, threatening to break loose.
Sniffling, he buried his eyes into his forearm, allowing the tears to flow freely as he cried.
"It's all... my fault..."
Katara's face softened, looking at him with sadness, "What do you mean?"
Looking up, he pointed towards the kids around them, "This! Them! What's happening right now! What's been happening for the last hundred years! All of this is my fault! I let this happen!"
"None of this is your fault, Aang!" Katara cried out. "The Fire Nation did this, not you! You didn't run away from this!"
Aang's face fell as his eyes lowered to the ground, more tears sliding down to his chin.
"Actually... I did."
Katara's eyes widened in shock, "What?"
Aang struggled to speak through his sniffling, "I did run away. Don't you understand? I ran away and got stuck in an iceberg while my people were killed by the Fire Nation. I wasn't there to stop them!"
"But... you could have been killed too... even if you didn't run away... you couldn't have saved all of them-"
"But I could have tried!"
"And you would have died with the rest of your people," she pressed. "Maybe the Avatar would have been reincarnated into the next nation of the cycle, but the results would have still been the same. You can't blame yourself for what happened."
Aang shook his head as he looked at the sleeping kids, "And my people aren't the only ones I've let down. I've let them down too. All of the pain and suffering they've endured... it's all because I couldn't stop it."
"Aang, stop-"
"No, Katara! Please, I need you to hear me out!" his face so full of regret and sorrow. "When we rescued those Earthbenders from that prison, I didn't fully realize the reality of what this war has done to the people affected by it. I should have, but I didn't."
He paused, getting his breathing under control.
"But when Jet almost flooded the village, that's when I slowly began to realize how bad this war was. It was no longer just the Fire Nation who were hurting innocent people, it was now those who were affected by the war. It was now turning others into murderers. And if it wasn't for Alex..."
He flinched at the thought.
"And when the Freedom Fighters lost their home, I got a good look at what it was like for them to lose everything to the Fire Nation. I hate myself for not realizing this when I saw my home in ruins or when I saw Monk Gyatso's body. Watching their home, a place that represented happiness and safety, burn to the ground... it made me imagine the burning of the Air Temples..."
"Aang..." Katara looked at him with sadness, wishing she could reach out and hug him.
The Airbender shook his head, "I wish I wasn't the Avatar. I never wanted this responsibility! I never wanted any of this!"
"But you are Aang," Katara countered. "And whether you like it or not, we need you. The world needs you." She paused, struggling with her next words that were at the tip of her tongue. "And... I... need you..."
Her words hit him hard, making his heart twist as the tears kept coming.
"I'll never forget the day the monks told me I was the Avatar. The day that all of this began for me."
Katara slightly smiled, "Well, why don't you tell me about it? Maybe it'll help."
Aang looked into her eyes, "It's a long story."
She chuckled, "Now you sound like Alex. And the night is still young."
Nodding, the Airbender looked into the air as he began, "It all started when I was playing with some of the Air Nomad kids at the Southern Air Temple, just outside the south wall. I was trying to teach them how to do the Air Scooter-"
Looking towards the ground as he began his story, images of the event began to pass right before his eyes. Remembering every detail he could from his memory, as if it had happened yesterday.
The young Airbender smiled as he watched his friends use the same technic he showed them in order to do the Air Scooter. He almost rolled his eyes at one boy's reaction to his explanation of how he figured the technic out.
"Aang."
He turned around to find Monk Gyatso behind him, along with Elder Monks, on a staircase.
"We need to speak with you."
His smile disappeared as he walked towards them, feeling everyone's eyes on him as he climbed the steps and followed them into the temple, arriving at the Elders' meeting room.
Sitting on his knees before the five Elder Monks, he felt his heart racing with anxiety.
"Am... I... in troubled?"
Monk Gyatso shook head, "Not at all. Have you done something wrong that would make you feel this way?"
"Uh... no. At least, nothing that I know of."
"One cannot feel guilt or shame for something they haven't done, unless if they feel responsible for it."
"Yes, Monk Gyatso."
The Elder known as Tashi huffed in disapproval, "Aang, we have brought you here to reveal the identity of the next Avatar."
The young boy's eyes widened in shock and fear.
"It's you, Aang. You are the next Avatar."
Silence passed as he hung his head low, letting the information sink in.
"How do you know it's me?"
"We have known you were the Avatar for some time," the elder reached to the side and picked up a rolled up blanket. "Do you remember these?" He threw the blanket as it floated towards him, landing softly on the ground and unraveling itself to reveal four toys.
"Those were some of my favorite toys when I was little," he acclaimed, picking up one.
"You choose them from among thousands of toys, Aang. The toys you picked were the four Avatar relics. These items belong to Avatar's pasts. Your own past lives."
"I just choose them because they seemed fun," he pulled the string of the toy in his hand, watching as the tips spun and flew the item into the air, flying past the Elders.
"You choose them because they were familiar."
"Normally, we would have told you of your identity when you turned sixteen," said Monk Gyatso, earning a glare from Tashi. "But there are troubling signs. Storm clouds are gathering."
Aang's frowned.
The Elder in the middle of the five-spoke next, "I fear war may be upon us, young Avatar."
"We need you, Aang," Gyatso pleaded, his voice full of concern and hope.
His face fell upon hearing his words, closing his eyes as he struggled with the bottomless pit of his chest.
"Who does that little brat thinks he is anyway?!" cried a Fire Nation soldier as he took a drink of his cup. "I'm sick and tired of taking orders from him, just because his sister told us we had to. I'm tired of chasing his Avatar!"
Sitting around a barrel of fire in chairs in the stern of the ship, a small group of soldiers listened to the one rant on, drinking from their cups. Since docking on one of the harbors for the last few days, they took all of the comforts they could get before setting sail again. It was a miracle that they hadn't already, not since the powerful storm a while back that almost sank them.
"Don't forget chasing the Mysterious Traveler as well," said another. "One target was hard enough, but now we have two we need to help him catch?"
"Where did you hear that name?" asked the soldier next to him.
"From the harbors, especially the taverns."
"I never heard of any Mysterious Traveler."
"Then clearly you don't listen very well or you're too drunk to listen."
"Or maybe it's both," added a fourth, making the other two laugh, while third glared.
"But seriously," the first soldier spoke again, his voice full of frustration. "We've been following his orders for years and all he's done is complain and treat us like trash. He doesn't respect any single one of us. He doesn't even respect the old man who follows him around."
He finished the rest of his drink and threw the wooden cup against the ground, cracking it.
"Who does Zuko think he is?!"
"Do you really want to know?" a voice asked from a distance, it's source shadowed by the darkness from atop of the steps before them.
"General Iroh!" all four of the soldiers were on their feet. "We were just-"
"It's okay," General Iroh raised his hand. "May I join you?"
"Of course, sir!"
Making his way down the metal steps, he took his seat at one of the empty chairs, rubbing his beard.
"Try to understand, my nephew is a very complicated young man. He's been through much."
"But sir, how can you defend him? After all he's done and said?"
Iroh sighed, "Because deep down, he doesn't truly mean those things. He was made this way by the circumstances in his life. His decisions played a part, but it was also the choices of others that have made him this way."
He paused, continuing to stroke his beard.
"I ask again, do you really wish to know who exactly Zuko is? What drives him so much?"
The men looked at each other, unsure how to respond. After a moment of consideration, they nodded.
Nodding back, Iroh leaned back in his chair, "It all began on the day Prince Zuko decided to join me during a meeting in the Fire Lord's war room-"
Let me in!" Iroh heard a young boy's voice as he approached the Fire Lord's war room. Looking up, he saw Prince Zuko trying to pass two guards in front of him, refusing entry.
"Prince Zuko, what's wrong?" he touched the boy's shoulder, coming face to face with the young man.
"I want to go into the war chamber, but the guards won't let me pass!" he complained.
Walking them away a couple of feet, Iroh tried to reason with him.
"You're not missing anything, trust me. These meetings are dreadfully boring."
Zuko looked towards the ground, deep in thought.
"But if I'm going to rule this nation one day, don't you think I need to start learning as much as I can?" he looked up at him, pleading.
Iroh studied the young man, not letting his expressions reveal his thoughts. But in truth, he suddenly felt a sense of admiration and respect for him. Even surprised by his reasons for wanting to go in. Though he suspected it was to impress his father, he felt pride. Normally, royal kids like him would rather waste time playing and avoiding these types of things. Some were known to chase after the servant girls at an older age. But with Zuko, he saw someone who was driven to uphold his responsibilities and to preserve his honor. A quality few shared, sadly.
"Very well," he nodded. "But you must promise not to speak." He turned to look at one of the generals walking by. "These old folk are a bit sensitive, you know."
"Thank you, Uncle!" Zuko acclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement as he bowed.
Touching his shoulder, he led him in, not once being stopped by the guards in front.
Taking their seats around a large table, they listened to the meeting as it got started. And as promised, Zuko stayed quiet, putting all of his attention into the reports and the recommendations of the generals. Despite how boring it was, he forced himself to stay awake and quiet.
It wasn't until he heard the recommendation of a general to sacrifice new recruits as a distraction against a powerful Earth Nation battalion did he suddenly lost control and forgot the promise he had made.
"What better to use as bait than fresh meat?" the general smiled.
The words made Zuko blind with rage and disgust, rising up as he yelled, "You can't sacrifice an entire division like that! Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?!"
All of the generals were looking directly at him, shocked. Even Iroh was staring at him with worry. And it wasn't before long that their attention turned towards the Fire Lord from behind, who was sitting on his throne, with flames burning around him. His face was kept hidden from the distance and the shadow of the fire.
The burning flames grew, almost threatening to consume the room.
Zuko turned towards his father, his firm determination and confidence were beginning to wane.
"Prince Zuko!" the Fire Lord's angry voice echoing throughout the room. "You were allowed entry because I allowed it! And you reward me by completely disrespecting one of my generals! Your outburst is nothing short of such! You will make this right in the only way possible!"
Everyone waited for him to finish as silence passed.
"Agni Kai!"
Zuko turned to look at the general and smiled, "I accept! I am not afraid!"
Iroh stared into the fire as he continued, "Prince Zuko was right, you see. But it was not his place to speak out. And the Fire Lord became angry with him. Declaring that he had shown an act of complete disrespect. And there were dire consequences."
He paused to rub his beard, closing his eyes.
"There was only one way to resolve this."
"Agni Kai," one of the soldiers declared. "A fire duel."
"Yes," Iroh nodded. "But Zuko made the mistake of believing he would be facing the general in this Angi Kai. He accepted the fight and declared he wasn't afraid. It wasn't until he was in the fighting room did he realize this."
"Who did he have to face, if not the general?" one of the soldiers asked.
Iroh looked up at all of them, "Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan. But by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord himself whom he had disrespected."
Everyone's eyes lit up as they came to the realization.
Standing before an entire audience, Zuko prepared himself for the duel he believed was against the general, excited to get justice for the men he had planned to sacrifice without regret or shame.
Kneeling before the crowd of the large platform, turned and allowed the Fire Nation towel around his shoulders to fall, getting into a stance. But as he searched for his opponent, his eyes widened at the figure opposite to him. Slowly realizing who it was and who he would be fighting.
Time slowed down as the towel hit the ground, the figure beginning to approach him.
Zuko felt his determination and excitement leave him as he saw the figure's face become exposed to him, making his eyes grow wider.
Iroh nodded as he saw the realization on the men's faces.
"Zuko would have to duel his own father!"
Rain hit the ground as the wind became stronger, lightning flashing across the sky. Trees moved back and forth, losing their leaves and branches. Darkness covering almost everything, except for the brightness of the moon that managed to shine through the clouds.
In a cemetery outside of a nearby Fire Nation colony, a man stood over a newly made grave, his face hidden. Watching as the rain soaked the mud that covered the body that now laid six feet below. He held a sword in his hands, waiting for the moment when he would drive into the ground, just above where the head of the body would be.
From behind him, a large group of men stood in waiting for their commander.
None dared to let their voices be heard, fearful of what the man would do if they broke the silent moment. Thankfully, the wind and lightning offered protection of their voices from being heard.
"What's taking him so long?" asked one of the low-level lieutenants. "He forces us to journey west just to bury his daughter, leaving Giapan undefended, and our enemy time to escape. This is no time to mourn. We must retaliate!"
"Shh!" another glared at him. "I get where you're coming from, but he is our commander. And we do as he says."
"Shut up, all of you!" a third snapped. "He's just lost his daughter. Show some respect."
Their attention was suddenly caught by the sight of a cloaked figure walking towards them, making some ready to grab either their swords or use their firebending.
"Who goes there?!" one of the Lieutenants shouted. "No one is supposed to be here-"
"Let her through!" the man cried out, not bothering to turn around.
Though reluctant, the Lieutenant nodded and moved out of the way.
The figure in the cloak walked right past them, heading towards the same grave that the man stood in front of. Standing right beside him, the two looked down at the grave. Lightning lit up the area around them as the wind blew against their cloaks, making them flap around.
A long moment of silence between them passed.
"How long ago?" a female's voice asked from behind the hood.
The man sighed, "Three weeks back, in Giapan."
"How?"
Silence passed before he answered, "Captured by a rebel group called the Freedom Fighters. When I attempted to draw them out, they tried to take her with them, but she fell to her death when she resisted."
The woman nodded, "Who was responsible?"
The man swallowed his pride as he forced himself to say the two names that filled his heart with hatred, "A young boy named Jet, and the one many are now calling the Mysterious Traveler."
Time went by as the woman let the information sink in, she refused to let her sadness be known as tears soaked her cheeks. She could barely feel the rain as it hit her cloak, sinking in all the way to the skin. Nothing could faze her, no matter how frightening or uncomfortable.
The man never once turned to face her, unable to bring himself to.
The woman felt her control begin to fail as her emotions rose up, breaking the wall that held it all at bay. She began to sob, letting her cries free for all to hear.
She fell to her knees, her hands resting on the pile of mud that stood between her and the body beneath. Dirt covered her skin, only to be washed away by the rain that fell from the sky. Her tears landed on the grave, sinking into the ground.
Unable to control himself, the man knelt to one knee and sat the sword to the side, pulling the woman into an embrace.
Resting her face against his chest, despite the soaked cloak, she cried and tightened her hands with the fabric, seeking comfort.
The man held her as he stared at the grave, his eyes full of sadness. His hand stroked her neck and back, despite being denied the freedom to actually feel her skin.
Soon, the two stood and moved to the other side of the grave, with the sword in each other's hand.
Finally, they're eyes met, and they drove the sword into the ground together, just as lightning flashed over them.
Staring into the fire, Aang continued his story, unaware that Severus was listening in.
"After a while, things started to get better. Though, that was thanks to Monk Gyatso. After word had spread that I was the Avatar, the kids didn't want to play with me anymore, as it would have been unfair to have the most powerful bender on the planet on any team. Everyone started treating me differently. Except for Gyatso. He continued to be my best friend, even playing Pai Sho and pulling tricks on the Elders. He was upset that they had told me who I was at such a young age."
"So, the Elders decided to tell you ahead of time?" Katara asked. "Despite that you were below sixteen?"
Aang nodded, "They talked about a war, but they refused to say with who. They wanted me to start my training as soon as possible."
"So they knew that the Fire Nation was going to attack," Katara stated, though it was more to herself.
"But things got worse afterwards," his voice lowered.
"How so?"
Aang closed his eyes, "It was after Monk Gyatso upset one of the Elders because of his game with Pai Sho with me. I got scared when I heard Gyasto was called before the Monk Pasang on the matter, so I followed and spied on them-"
Aang followed closely behind as Monks Gyatso and Tashi entered the Elders' room together, approaching Monk Pasang, the leading Elder of the Southern Air Temple.
Getting as close as he could without being heard, he listened in on the conversation from a little peek hole from the side of the building.
"Elder Pasang, I highly recommend that Monk Gyatso be removed as Aang's guardian and be replaced by me!" Tashi announced.
Pasang frowned, "Based on a game of Pai Sho?"
"Based on a game being played when the Avatar should be training!" Tashi argued.
"Aang has been training more than any of the children here," Gyatso countered. "There is a time for training and a time for fun. Tashi happened to walk in on game time, as it would seem."
Pasang took their words deep into thought and consideration.
"As much as it pains me to say it, Gyatso, but I agree with Tashi. The boy should be training as much as he can. Time is not with us in this situation."
Tashi smiled.
"Aang is still a young boy, Monk Pasang. There was a reason why the past Avatars weren't told of their role until the age of sixteen. We risk rushing this if we continue to break the traditions that have been passed down to us. And when we rush things such as this, we also risk doing it improperly. You do not rush baking a pie and expect the same results. There is a way for everything. And as such, Aang needs to have freedom and fun. He needs to grow up as a normal boy."
Tashi huffed, "You cannot keep protecting him from his destiny."
Gyatso turned to face him, "I am doing no such thing. Aang will one day face his destiny. But until that day comes, he will prepare for it the way all of the other Avatars have done so."
"Gyatso," Pasang spoke, getting their attention. "I know you mean well. But you are letting your affection for the boy cloud your judgment."
"All I want is what is best for him."
"But what we need is what is best for the world."
"And how do you expect to give the world what it needs if we can't give one little boy what he needs?"
Pasang sighed, closing his eyes as he thought long and hard about the conversation they were having.
"As much as it pains me to say it, you and Aang must be separated," he declared.
Both Gyatso and Aang's eyes widened at this.
"I will compromise by making sure Aang gets a better teacher, but not under your guardianship, Tashi."
Tashi frowned.
"The Avatar will be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple, where a Guru and an Airbending Master will be assigned to him. He will complete his training there."
Despite wanting to protest, Gyasto sighed and bowed.
Aang, meanwhile, felt the tears creeping up on him as he stared in shock and confusion. Before he could understand what he was going to do, he found his legs carrying him back to his room as fast as they could, slamming the door shut as he threw himself onto his bed.
Katara's mouth hung open in shock, unable to hear the rain that continued on outside in her train of thoughts.
"They were going to send you away?"
Aang nodded.
"How could they do that to you? Everything you knew and loved was there!"
Aang buried his face in his arms, "Actually, every Avatar is supposed to leave their home to travel the world in order to learn the elements. It's been passed down that in order for the Avatars to protect the world, they must learn what it is their protecting and to learn every culture. It's like a rite of passage."
"So you went to the Eastern Air Temple?"
Aang shook his head, unable to face her.
"No, that's not what happened."
Katara's face lit up with a realization, "That's when you ran away."
He nodded, "I was so scared and confused. I didn't know what to do."
Aang stared down at the happy children below from his window, watching as they performed his the Air Scooter trick he had taught them. Unable to keep on looking, he walked towards his bed and fell on it, covering his whole head with the pillow in order to drown out the noise.
As the pit in his chest grew, so did his determination to avoid his fate.
Getting up from his bed, grabbed a piece of parchment and some link, beginning to write a letter with a brush. Once finished, he allowed the link to dry and rolled up the parchment, tying it up with a piece of string. Leaving it on his bed, he grabbed his glider and left the room, closing the door as he took one last look.
Heading down to where the air bison were being kept, he waited until no one was around to find Appa. Once saddling him up, he got the animal into the air and flying in whatever direction that was presented to him. Unaware where it would take him.
Later the night, Monk Gyatso approached Aang's room, tapping on the door, only to find it open.
"Aang," he called out. "I won't let them take you away from me."
When no reply came as he entered the room, his heart began to sink.
"Aang?"
Walking towards the bed, he saw a letter and picked up, unrolling it to read its contents.
Dear Gyatso,
I'm sorry for doing this, but I cannot stay here. I never wanted this. I never wanted to be the Avatar.
I'm so sorry for this, Gyatso.
Aang
Gyatso gasped, looking out towards the window as a storm raged.
Many miles away, Aang and Appa struggled through the very storm as they flew as far as they could. But without knowing where they going, they soon found themselves falling into the ocean as a wave hit them.
Sinking into the depths, Aang became to lose consciousness as darkness took over.
But as they fell deeper into the abyss of the ocean, Aang's tattoos began to glow, bringing him back to life. Bringing his fists together, a form of ice engulfed himself and Appa, protecting them.
But as the storm raged on the surface, the huge block of ice continued to float beneath, unable to be found.
"The next thing I knew, I was waking up in your arms after you found me in that iceberg."
Everything grew quiet as he brought his tale to an end, except for the fire and the storm.
Katara looked at him with sadness, unsure what to do or respond.
"And then the Fire Nation destroyed my people, burnt my home to the ground, including the other Air Temples. I failed to save them when they needed me most."
Katara felt the tears behind her eyes, "That's not true, Aang."
"Yes, it is," he looked up at her. "If I hadn't run away, I could have saved them."
"You don't know if-"
"I could have saved the world if I had been there that day!" he declared.
"Aang-"
"The evidence is right here, Katara!" he pointed towards the sleeping children. "I feel like a failure. Because I am one." He paused. "But I swear, I will not fail again. I will do everything I can stop this war. To bring it to an end."
"You're being too hard on yourself," the Waterbender got up and approached him, dropping to her knees as she took his hands in hers. "Your people may be gone, but we are here for you. Sokka, Alex and I are here for you. I may not know how that day would have gone if you had been there, but I believe you have been killed if you had."
Aang stared into her eyes.
"And I dread a reality where we never met you. Or Alex. Because you both give us hope. In just two months since we found you, we've helped so many people and given hope to those who had lost it."
She paused, letting the tears come.
"I've once feared I would become like Gran-Gran, so full of fear and dread. But when both you and Alex showed up, you renewed my hope in so many ways. And you both restored hope for my Gran-Gran as well. You haven't failed us, Aang. You haven't failed these children because you helped save them from an enemy who would have killed without a second thought. I believe in you, Aang. We all do."
Aang began to smile as he wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Thank you, Katara."
The Waterbender smiled, "My pleasure, Avatar."
The two embraced each other, not caring if their tears were getting each other's shoulders wet.
Severus rolled his eyes at the two, closing his eyes as he began to drift off to sleep. As the darkness took over, he thought about Aang's story and took it to heart, reminding him of mistakes he made himself. Mistakes that continue to haunt him.
Soon his thoughts shifted towards Jet and the talk he had with him before the attack on the hideout happened. His words echoed through his mind as he felt himself becoming ashamed. A hidden emotion that always crept up on him.
He questioned his actions and mistakes back in his world. All the times he took his anger on someone who pushed him too far. Sure, his retaliation against the Marauders were ones of defense, but he never really backed down from their fights either. It was all about revenge, to satisfy his wounded ego. Even his anger outbursts towards those who even looked at him wrong.
He felt like a hypocrite when thinking back on them.
He felt regret in his attempts to make others hurt like he did. Like the time when Mulciber and Avery pulled a prank on Mary McDonald, which he laughed at as revenge for all the times she laughed at what the Marauders did to him. Or the times he called muggleborns, mudbloods. All because of how he allowed himself to become brainwashed by his housemates.
The train of thought reminded him of a memory. A memory that refused to leave him alone as he fell to sleep.
I ultimately decided to keep this the same, as it is a very important episode/moment for Zuko and Aang.