Love's Casualties
When Toph and the others arrived, the scene was chaos. Zuko was fighting off but refusing to fight Aang who had gone full Avatar State. Katara melted the ice block Aang created around Zuko which only infuriated the devastated boy more. Why was she defending him? They aren't supposed to be together!
The Airbender created a mini-hurricane and Zuko held on to one of the sturdy poles used for the clothesline. Katara was trying to calm Aang down but he wasn't listening to anyone anymore. Zuko had done the unthinkable in his mind.
In a multilayered voice, the spirit-possessed boy turned to Katara and said,
"I thought we hated this dude!" pointing his hand at Zuko causing him to fly in the opposite direction on the pole. Zuko groaned in pain from the sudden directional shift. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on before he was blown off the island, but Aang wasn't finished.
"Why did I come home to find you in his bed!? Doing that stuff adults do! I thought you wanted to be with me!" Aang screamed in a rage with voices upon voices echoing behind him sending out waves of brilliant blue, purple, and grey light.
Katara stared at Aang as if he grew another head. Be with him? Is he serious? I never gave him any indica—. Katara was angry now. She planted her feet in ice right in front of Aang and shouted.
"No! No, Aang! I don't want to be with you. I never wanted to be with you and I never said I would! I have only ever wanted to be your friend and help you save the world. I love Zuko!" she said her chest heaving in the wind that stole her breath.
Aang blinked at those words and the winds and waves died down. The lightning ceased and Aang lowered to the ground slowly.
"You don't love me?" Aang cried in a tiny voice as he sat in a crumpled heap. Katara sighed adjusting her robe.
"Aang, the love I have for Zuko is different. I love you the way I love Sokka. You're my little brother. When I said I'd be your family I adopted you as a brother." She said plainly. Katara made sure she made eye contact.
"I'm sorry I can't be what you want, Aang, but I'm not sorry either. I have the right to love who I love, and I love Zuko," She declared softly.
Tears streamed down Aang's face as he looked around and saw the destruction he wreaked upon the tiny private island because of his jealousy. He gasped in horror when he spied Zuko on the ground struggling to breathe and realized that he almost killed his best friend and teacher!
"I—I gotta go," he whispered with a shiver and took off on his glider that miraculously remained in his hand.