A/N. So, I'm back with the other story! I had no inspiration for The Path After the Battle, and I had this chapter still laying around. I will perhaps manage to get a chapter out for the other fic, but we will see!
But some info about this fic: I won't write each episode, only passages which seem to help what I want to tell, and I will add some more stories in between the episode chapters
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender
Sitting on his bed, Aang realized he must look a bit stupid with his hand on his cheek, looking longingly in the distance. Katara always expressed her feelings like that, he should calm down. But… He had never seen the waterbender kiss her brother on the cheek. Only him. That was good, no? No. She was just nice, and sweet, and perfect. Nope. Stop it, he had a crush, nothing more. It was not like she would be interested in him. Katara was beautiful and sweet. And what was he? Some pale skinny kid, no taller than her, with duties that made him a literal target. How could anyone ever love that?
Sokka came out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist, and whistling. Katara asked if she could use the bathroom, and he just nodded. When he heard the key turn around in the lock, the airbender turned towards Sokka, who was pulling his wet hair into a ponytail.
"Hey Sokka… Can I ask you about something?" The water tribe nodded, "Well… What do you think would happen to us… After the war?"
"Oh… I don't know… Life our own lives? If we survive that is." Sokka answered, falling down on his bed.
That was not what Aang had wanted to hear, but he had to admit, it was probably true. An end to the fighting would make a normal life possible. And he felt responsible for it. It was because he had fled his duties that the war had raged on for a century. Because of him that so many people had lost so much. Katara and Sokka more than anyone. Their tribe decimated, and their mother killed. Their father who hadn't been home for several years… He could stop it all, if only he said yes to Fong, and helped him.
"I'm going for a walk!" Aang said, standing up and pulling his boots back on.
"You're right, Katara is in the bathroom! She takes forever in there!" Sokka laughed, only to be interrupted by an angry voice from the other side of the door.
"I heard that you stupid otterseal shit!"
Aang chuckled and walked out of the room. Retracing their steps towards the office of General Fong, he found the man sitting at his absurdly large desk.
"Ah Avatar Aang!" The general stood up, and the airbender had to resist gulping. The man was nearly twice as wide as himself, and surely one or two heads taller.
"General Fong." He bowed politely, "If you attack the Fire Nation, with the Avatar State, can you guarantee me that the war will end?"
"Of course, it is our only goal!" Aang saw the green eyes of the general gleam. Yeah, ending the war was his goal. But what was Fong's other goal? He would worry about that after.
"In that case, I accept. We start tomorrow." With that, the airbender turned around and walked away. Before leaving through the doors, Aang turned around, to see the small smile on the lips of the general. Yeah, not a bad idea at all…
What had also been a bad idea was to go back to their room and tell the others what he had promised the general.
Katara, with wet hair and a furious look in her eyes stood with her hands on her hips. Spirits, she was even beautiful when she was angry….
"There is a right way to do this Aang! Study and hard work! That is the ways every Avatar has done it! You can't just glow up and make your problems disappear!" She shouted, clearly angry with him. Looking at her brother, clearly in hope that he would support him, Sokka just shrugged.
"I mean… Have you seen him in the Avatar state? He cleared the whole ocean of Fire Nation ships in a matter of minutes… If it works… It would end the war. It is the smart thing to do…" The water tribe boy said, clearly liking the idea of ending the war.
"Argh! If you two meatheads want to throw away everything we worked for, then go ahead! I'm not having any part in it!" She yelled, stumping off towards the doors. Aang stood up, trying to follow her,
"Katara! I'm just being realistic! Learning the elements takes years! I don't have the time…"
But the airbender felt a hand on his arm, and, turning around, he saw Sokka shaking his head.
"She will come around Aang. Don't worry, I know her angry moods. She will be there tomorrow when you try the Avatar State. Even if she is angry with you, she will support you. Katara is like that." With that, the water tribe warrior turned around and tried to fall asleep.
Aang sat down on his bed, with his arms around his legs. He saw Momo sitting next to the doors, waiting for Katara to come back and play with him again.
He didn't sleep until later that night, waiting for Katara to come back. She finally came back in the middle of the night, drenched from head to toes. She had probably taken out her frustration by waterbending. She did that he had remarked, each time Sokka irritated her. But this was the first time she did it because of him…
The following day, they tried plenty of things. Chi enhancing tea, some weird ritual with all the elements, and the general also suggested that the airbender needed… excitement. He had gone through all the trials, but that one, he refused to do. He hoped the Avatar state couldn't be triggered by that… That would be a bit awkward.
That evening, he was sitting on the balcony, trying to calm down after the day's events, when Katara joined him. She always knew when he needed to talk…
"Hey… I'm sorry about yesterday… But I think it is wrong… At least the way they try to get you in the Avatar State… Do you remember when we were at the air temple? When… When we found Monk Gyatso? He heard the hesitation in her voice. He hadn't talked about any of that with anyone. The airbender hadn't talked about his people or his beliefs with anyone since… Since the iceberg. He had talked a bit about them at the Northern Air Temple. But he largely tried to evade the subject. Aang straightened, sighing, feeling the memories overwhelm him. But Katara continued.
"I'm not saying the Avatar State is incredible and helpful. But… you have to understand, for those who… love you, watching you in that much rage and pain… it is really scary."
His mind hadn't processed the words, but he answered anyway, pouring his heart out.
"I still need to do this. Every day, more people die. Because I was late. Because I was selfish. I have to try to defeat the Fire Lord. For them. For everyone… For my people… For you." He looked in her eyes, searching for her reaction. She just looked sad.
"Aang… I know you feel guilty. But it is not by helping some ambitious general that it is going to work. This is your fight. That of the Avatar."
"And I failed as Avatar. I failed everyone I need to protect… And I never asked for it. No one ever asks my opinion. I don't want to whine about it. But everyone always thinks of me as the Avatar. Never Aang. No one. Everyone who ever saw me as Aang is gone. And if my life is going to be that of Avatar Aang, then I need to end the war." He sounded harsh, and the airbender saw the hurt in Katara's eyes.
"We don't see you like that. You know that! I see Aang! A scarred airbender, who shouldn't be used by some idiot!"
Sighing, he spoke, "You don't understand…"
He directly knew he had gone too far. The pain he saw flashing through her eyes was real. And that look on her face. Like he had slapped her.
"No. I don't. I'm not going to watch you do this to yourself. I'm not coming tomorrow." And with that, she turned around, and left.
Good work Aang. The one person who tried to understand, and you pushed her away. Katara always tried to help him, but, since the nightmares had started, he had pushed her away.
He followed her inside, but she had retreated to her bed, pulling the blankets over her head, clearly intending not to speak to him.
Sokka, who was watching the scene, looked at him, an eyebrow raised. When Aang sat down on his bed, the water tribe boy whispered.
"Man… I don't know what you did. But bravo. She seems to have accepted you fully as a brother. She gives you the same treatment as I get."
Well, that was nice to hear. The girl he had a major crush on treated him as she did her brother. Yay.
He pulled his clothes off and went to sleep. Also, a bad idea. His nightmares began anew.
Aang stood on the deck of the metal ship, in the Avatar state. In front of him, Prince Zuko stood, with a face frozen in fear. Fear of him. Of Aang. Not of the Avatar, but of him, as a person. And Aang struck.
Startling from his slumber, he sat up. Drenched in sweat, the pieces fell into place. He couldn't let the Avatar State make him a killer. Make him something he didn't want to be.
"Sokka, are you awake?" The airbender whispered
"Yeah Aang, what is it?"
"I think I shouldn't do it. What Fong wants I mean. Do you think he would be disappointed?"
"Maybe. But what can he do? It is your decision. No one can make it for you. Only you Aang." With that, Sokka turned around a began snoring.
Aang looked at the other side of the room, where Katara was sleeping with her back turned to them. She was right. She was always right. Or at least, she knew what to say to get him to the right decision. He would go to the general the following morning, and then, on the road to Omashu, he would do anything he could to apologize to the waterbender. Because… She was right. And maybe… He should let her in. Tell her a bit about his life. Because he had said they didn't see Aang. And how could they, if he never showed them? And he would start with her. Tell her his memories. Yeah… That would be a good plan. And it would be nice to tell her about him. Maybe she would see him in a different light…
Answers :
CoyoteLemon : I hope I won't disappoint with this!
Gabriela N Gonzalez : I'm planning to fill the in betweens! I have already several ideas laying around! I'm glad you like it!
Jjsmith103 : Yeah! I plan to make their relationship very different from the show… You will see! I'm happy you liked it!
Ashley Barbosa : Hey! Yeah, As a kid I hated Fong nearly more than Ozai lol!