Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Thanks so much for the reviews guys! It really means alot to me. The longer comments are quite nice, I think. I like reading them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the third chapter!

(By the way, after a few people told me about their age, several wanted me to keep them the same age, so Aang and Katara are both 15 in this story. Just go with it, please? I'm trying to please the readers is all.)

Triumph Over Two

Chapter 3: Sneaking Away

Quietly Aang wandered around the hut, grabbing anything and everything that he could fit inside his small backpack. He had even decided to bring along some extra food for Sokka, knowing that he would complain of being hungry.

MoMo hopped on Aang's shoulder, ready to leave with his owner. It was as if he knew something interesting was about to happen. Aang patted MoMo on the head.

"Come on, little guy. Let's go and see if Katara is ready,"

He threw his backpack over his shoulder, and silently left the hut, trying not to wake the other villagers.

The night was quiet and the slightly blowing wind had a chill to it. Everyone was in their beds, sleeping soundly...all but Aang and Katara. Aang looked up at the cloudless sky and sighed.

It was breathtaking. Every star that was visible to the eye was able to be seen, and the moon hung high above the village. A slight shimmer could be seen on every star, those close and far away. They seemed to be never ending. The moon gave off a ghostly glow, making the village seem as if it was dissapearing.

Then Aang began to think about the future. The fire nation was ruthless and merciless. He couldn't beat them all by himself, could he? What if he failed? What would happen then? Would the world be left in darkness for another one hundred years? He shook his head slowly and looked down at the ground.

"I am the avatar, and I will succeed."

He continued his walk towards Katara's hut, hoping that MoMo's frequent squeals and high-pitched sounds would not wake the others. It seemed much different here at night.

Reaching Katara's door, he sighed. He knew if he took Katara it could mean death for her, but she wanted to go. He couldn't just tell her to stay here...he just couldn't. Reluctantly he knocked on her door.

"I'm coming," She whispered. Moments later she opened the door and stood back to let Aang in. He liked her hut much better than his.

Two lamps stood on each side of her bed, which was covered in polar bear fur. On the floor lay another fur, and on top of it was a small couch covered with some kind of animal skin. It was warm and cozy.

"So, are you ready to go?" Katara asked Aang in a low voice, just to insure that nobody heard their constant moving around. Aang nodded.

"Yep. We just have to go and get Sokka now,"

Katara blew out her lamps and put her backpack on her shoulders, and the two slipped out of her hut. Katara gasped.

"The stars...they are so beautiful,"

Aang looked up, and then at Katara. To him standing with her and staring at the stars was much better than doing it alone. He then caught himself staring, and quickly looked back up to the black velvet sky.

"They sure are...uhm...come on, we have to get Sokka and leave now before any one gets up and notices we're gone." Aang said rather quickly, grabbing Katara's hand and dragging her to Sokka's hut.

They quietly pushed the door open, and revealed a sleeping Sokka, who was snoring and drooling all over his pillow. The two stifled a giggle.

"It's a good thing he's not trying to catch penguins," Aang whispered as they crept closer to his bed.

"Let me wake him," Katara said as she made her way to where Sokka's head lay on his pillow. He snored loudly.

"Sokka...SOKKA...WAKE...UP..." She shook his lifeless body relentlessly until he shot up out of bed and landed on the floor with a loud THUD. Aang covered his mouth so he wouldn't laugh as Sokka slowly rose up off of the floor and rubbed his eyes.

"Morning already? It felt like two hours," Aang and Katara exchanged glances.

"It has been only two or so hours," Aang said. Sokka whirled around and glared at them.

"It's not morning yet? Why did you wake me u-" Katara quickly covered his mouth, praying that nobody heard his sudden outburst.

"Me and Katara are leaving to go and find the fire benders..."

"The fire benders! I'm in! I want to kick in some fire bender heads too!" He muffled, his mouth still covered by Katara's hand.

Sokka got dressed and grabbed what he needed, which in his mind was a sack full of food, and shot out the door to where Appa lay resting. Aang and Katara followed closely behind him.

"Alright, do we have everything?" Katara asked, looking from Sokka to Aang. They both nodded.

"Good, let's go,"

The three friends mounted on Appa, and made sure that their sacks were secure. Aang climbed onto Appa's head and held tightly to the ropes. He looked back at his friends and smiled, then turned to face the endless sea.

Aang took in a deep breath. He did not know what was ahead of him, nor did Sokka or Katara. All he knew is that they were going to go head on against the fire nation, side by side. They were going to seek revenge for their loved ones, and gain their land and freedom back. Together they were unstoppable.

"Yip Yip!" Aang shouted as he cracked the ropes. Slowly Appa rose into the midnight arctic air, leaving the small village behind them. It would be just a memory...for now.

Katara leaned over the edge of the seat and stared into the deep blue water below them. Tiny waves formed and disappeared, causing her reflection to skew everywhere. Whales breached out of the water, causing ice bergs to break and sink to the bottom of the icy cold sea. It was relaxing. Suddenly she felt someone's presence beside her. She turned to see Aang, who was leaning over the back of the seat.

She turned and looked in the same direction he was, occasionally glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. She finally turned and looked at him.

"Are you okay?"

Aang jumped slightly and turned his head towards her, a slight smirk on his face. His eyes were shimmering with excitement, and his face was aglow from the light of the moon. He nodded.

"I'm fine. I was just...thinking, is all." He replied, turning his whole body so he could sit down on the seat. She followed suit.

"Oh, what about?" She asked, her head tilted slightly.

"...the airbenders." He replied sadly, looking down at his hands. Katara put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"I know it is hard to deal with, but in time that pain will go away, and you will have moved on. Even though they are gone in the flesh, they are always with you in spirit."

Katara bit her lip slightly as she looked down at him, hoping he was listening. He looked up at her and smiled.

"You're right Katara. They are always with me," He said as he gazed up at the stars.

Katara took this as an opportunity and laid her head down on his lap, curling up in a ball to stay warm. He put his arm over her and looked down.

She has been through so much. Not only with me, but on her own. Her mother is gone, and she is the only water bender left...

Again he raised his head to the sky and leaned back. Eventually his eyes became heavy and he drifted off into a deep sleep, followed by Katara.

Sokka turned to see the two fast asleep in each other's arms, and sighed.

"I hope that you will tell each other how you feel, before you drive me nuts," He whispered to himself as he took a bite out of a piece of fruit and stared strait ahead at the horizon. This was going to be a great adventure...for all of them.

The next morning they all woke up to a beautiful sunrise, with magnificent reds, oranges, and yellows splashed on the sky. Few clouds hovered above their heads, and there was hardly any breeze. They all sat in a circle eating breakfast, talking.

"So, where do you think the fire benders are, Aang?" Asked Sokka, who had his mouth full of food. Aang looked up from his meal.

"Well, uh...I'm not..exactly sure..." He replied, looking back down at his food. He didn't notice the frustrated look on Sokka's face.

"You have NO idea? I mean, the fire nation is pretty big and we can find them easily..." He was cut off by Aang.

"I'm not just going to go and find ANY fire bender. I want to find that one guy who has tried countless times to capture me." He said.

"That's Prince Zuko, right? Yeah, I guess you have a reason to go after him, but you have to defeat higher powers of the fire nation in order to win..."

"I know that," Aang replied, "But I need to get rid of the one who might cause problems for me. The one who might keep me from getting to those higher powers."

Sokka stared at Aang for a moment, somewhat shocked at his wisdom. "I guess you're right," He said.

"Look! It's part of the earth nation! Maybe we could stop there and stock up our supplies?" Katara suggested. It would be nice to stretch and walk around for a few minutes before getting back on the flying bison for who knows how long.

"Sounds like a good idea!" Aang said, looking over the seat at the land.

Earth benders were going this way and that, hustling and bustling. Women were getting fruit, and the men were talking of fighting and going against the fire nation, and the children played games with their pets and friends. It reminded them all so much of the water nation.

Eventually they landed in a green meadow so Appa could graze, and they headed off to find some earth benders who might want to help getting them some supplies for the rest of their journey.

"I'm hungry!" Sokka whined.

"You just ate ten minutes ago!" exclaimed Katara. He smiled.

"And your point would be?"

Aang led the two into a small little market, where there were many stands full of food. He suddenly set his eyes on a girl that looked to be Sokka's age.

"Hi! I'm Aang, this is Katara, and this is Sokka. We were wondering if we could get some supplies?"

The girl stared for a second then smiled. The earth nation was very friendly, just like the air and water nations. She nodded.

"I'm Kaia, it's nice to meet you," She said politely, "and I would be happy to let you get some supplies!"

The three looked at each other gleefully as they followed the girl to a nearby stand. She stopped and turned to face them.

"This is the best place. She sells bread, fruits, vegetables, and meat," Sokka jumped up and down.

"Did you say meat?"

They all laughed at Sokka's sudden burst of energy. Nothing can come between him and his beloved meat.

Eventually they gathered what they needed, and were ready to go.

"Hey Aang, they have a nice beach. Why don't we go there and relax for a bit?" Katara suggested. Aang shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"Why not? A beach sounds nice!"

After a few minutes of trying to push through the crowd, tripping over peoples feet and stumbling into baskets of fruits and vegetables, they finally got to the beach. They looked at each other once before they ran onto the warm, soft sand, enjoying every moment of it.

"It's so warm here!" Katara exclaimed as she dug her feet into a hill of sand, wiggling her toes so the sand would move slightly. She giggled.

"You are easily amused, you know that?" Sokka pointed out to his younger sister, who was acting like a child. She nodded.

"Yeah I am easily amused, but I think you are even more so amused by these things. You haven't even tried it yet," Katara retorted, smirking at her brother.

He snorted and put his feet in the sand, wiggling his toes. Suddenly he began to laugh and he buried his hands in the sand. Laughing even harder, he tried to cover his legs. Katara shook her head.

"See? I told you that you were even more easily amused than I am,"

"Hey Katara! Come here!"

Katara whirled around and saw Aang waving to her from the edge of the ocean. Quickly she sprinted over to him.

"What is it?" She asked. After seeing an evil smile on his face, she backed away.

"Aang, what's wrong with yo-"

Before she could finish, Aang picked her up and threw her into the water. Laughing uncontrollably, he fell into the sand and held his stomach tightly. Katara stood up and squeezed the water out of her hair.

"That wasn't very funny!" She yelled.

"Yes it was! You know it was!" Aang said, still laying on the sand. She came up out of the water and shook the water off, making them into little water droplets. Then, using her water bending powers, she flung all of the water on Aang.

"Hey!"

"Hey!" She replied, smiling and waving. He rolled his eyes.

"Ugh..I think that's enough water for one day. Are you ready to leave?" He asked. Thinking like a dog he shook all of the water off of his body, making a few of the villagers mad by getting them wet.

"I'm ready to leave, but do you think Sokka is ready to leave?"

They both turned around to see Sokka laying in the sand, his entire body buried underneath it. Without even thinking, they ran up to him, dug him out of the sand, and drug him up the hill.

"Alright guys! Let's go!" Aang said as he ran back through the crowd, his friends following him. Once he got through the traffic of people, he made his way to the meadow. But what he saw was what he had wished to not see.

Laying on the ground was Appa, tied up. His six feet were tied up with a rope, and had a huge knot in the middle. He groaned and moaned as he tried to stand up. Aang gasped.

"Appa! Are you okay?" Aang shouted as he ran towards his oversized pet.

Before he could get close enough to help his companion, a hoard of men appeared from behind a ledge that lined the meadow. Katara and Sokka yelped in surprise and backed away, not taking their eyes off of these intruders that stood ready to attack.

"Oh no..." Aang whispered as he backed up slowly, not letting his guard down. Suddenly one of them stepped forward, an evil smirk on his face.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Yay! A cliffhanger!...a sucky cliffhanger. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it! The next chapter will be up as soon as possible. And I'm sorry it's not as long as Chapter 2. I'm trying to make this into a longer story (chapter wise), so just go with me on this! And...I apologize for the lack of fighting. Heh..it'll be in the next chapter.

By the way, I don't know if Sokka and them actually knew Prince Zuko's name, but in this story, we shall pretend! XD

Comment and tell me what you think!