Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or this chapter, which is the last one originally posted by .Lady.Meister.

Disastrous

Dream sequence…

Busy cleaning, Katara awaited the return of Aang, who was currently in the rebel firebending city of Kingamu getting supplies. Scrubbing out the overused black pot, Katara sighed, blowing a piece of stray hair out of her eyes.

She was tired of constantly having to be on the run because of Zuko. Just the thought of that name made her blood boil. Zuko. The coward had brutally murdered Sokka, apparently just for the sake of spilling innocent blood.

Flashback…

"Sokka!"

Katara yelled, frantically trying to wiggle her way out of Zuko's iron grip, but to no avail. "Shut your mouth, peasant, before I shut it for you!" he hissed in her ear.

"No." she retorted, a petulant look on her pretty face.

Perturbed by her stubbornness, he drew his hand back to slap her, hoping the blow would shut her up. To his utter surprise, and annoyance, his hand, while still in mid-air, was struck by a sharp metallic object.

Hissing in pain, the firebender looked up, and saw none other than Sokka standing amidst the shadows, holding up a large calloused hand to catch the returning boomerang.

"Don't you dare touch my sister, you freak!" Roughly throwing Katara aside, Zuko got into a fighting stance, as did Sokka. Both warriors stood ready, Sokka poised with his boomerang and club, Zuko with his hands ablaze.

"Aaaarrraaahhhh!" Zuko shot a massive ball of fire at Sokka, who, thinking quickly, dropped to the ground, narrowly missing being burned alive.

Walking towards the rising water tribe warrior, the Prince let a smug grin grace his face. "You-" He began, but was cut off by a blow to the head by Sokka's club. Quickly recovering, the firebender scowled deeply.

"Why, you little peasant!" In an instant, Sokka's jaw came in contact with Zuko's boot toe, knocking him once again into the hard earth.

"Give up now and I'll spare your sister." Zuko compromised, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Boy," Sokka chuckled, further aggravating the Fire Prince, "you really think I'm stupid, don't you?"

"Of course. Why else would I waste my time with you?" He retorted, kicking the air. An arch of white-hot flames trailed his foot, aiming straight for the water tribe boy. Seeing the fire, Sokka ducked, but the flames grazed his skin, burning him on the arms and hands.

He grunted, trying not to let the stinging from the blisters get to him. "If...if I go with you, will you leave my sister alone?" Katara gasped, her eyes wide in unbelief. "Sokka, NO!" He threw her an apologetic glance before once again facing the firebender.

"How will I know the Avatar will still come if it's only you?" Zuko finally replied, emphasizing the last word with a look of distaste. "Because... he will. Unlike some people, he actually cares about things other than himself and his problems." Sokka retorted, careful to put an extra ounce of hate in the emphasized words.

Unfazed by the insult, the Prince consented. "Hmm... okay, fine. Get moving. I don't have all day. Thanks to you and your stupid delays, the Avatar could be here any minute."

Turning to Katara, Sokka saw her grief-stricken face. "Sokka, what are you doing? You can't go..." Seeing her state of distress, he walked over to her side and knelt down, hugging her close. "It's okay. Don't worry, Tell Aang I'll be back. I love you." (A.N- No incest intended)

Impatient and getting angrier by the moment, Zuko shouted, "I said, LET'S GO!"

Throwing one last look at his sister, Sokka slowly followed the steaming Prince into the twilight lit woods, leaving Katara to take in all that had just happened.

One hour later...

After heading back to the camp, Katara had fallen asleep, tired from the day's events. She jolted up in her sleeping bag, for she swore she heard her brother's tortured scream from deep in the forest. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she listened intently, trying to catch even the faintest hint of the familiar voice.

There it was again! This time, Sokka's voice sound more anguished, more pain-filled. She jumped up, and without a moment of hesitation, shot off into the black woods.

Aang...

After looking with no avail for some decent food, he had stumbled into the rebel firebending metropolis of Kingamu. After questioning a vegetable merchant about the history of the city and why it was rebelling against its own country, he got the answer that some of the citizens of the Fire Nation had disagreed with the Fire Lord, and he had banished them. Soon after, others began to follow them, for they, too dissented the direction the Lord was taking in the war.

Satisfied that it was a safe city, he finished his purchases and began his trip back to the camp. Sokka would be happy, because since they had a little extra money, Aang decided to surprise him with some fresh fish.

It was getting dark, when he heard Katara's voice faintly echoing through the air. He stopped, thinking his mind was playing tricks, but heard her again, this time her voice more urgent.

Breaking into a run, he rushed back to the camp, desperately hoping she and Sokka were okay.

Katara...

"Sokka!" She yelled her brother's name, while scrambling through the woods, frequently tripping and falling over logs, sharp branches catching her blue robe and tearing her flesh.

Unmindful of her own injuries, her continued on, shouting Sokka's name, getting more and more tired, feeling exhaustion slowly overtaking her.

Finally stumbling into an unfamiliar clearing, she slowed to a walk, panting from her exertion. Suddenly she tripped over a large object, giving a small yelp as she fell to the ground.

Since it was dark, she only had the faint light of the stars to see, which didn't help much. She felt her way to what she had tripped over, and she froze.

It felt like a hand! She felt farther, and touched what felt like someone's face. Her heart stopped as she touched lower, to the neck of the cold body. There was a necklace with large, smooth, flat beads, suspiciously just like the one Sokka wore. Quickly but carefully removing the necklace, she ran her fingers along the backside, looking for evidence to confirm her fears.

Her hand suddenly touched an inscription in one of the beads. From countless times of playing with her brother's necklace when she was younger, she knew the feel of his name engraved on the back.

Immediately, she felt faint, knowing that her brother was gone. "Sokka! Why?" She turned her face towards the heavens, and shouted at the sky.

"Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it have been me? Why?" She was now sobbing, tears running down her dark cheeks and drenching Sokka's torn and dirty clothing.

Aang...

After running at a heart-stopping pace, he reached the clearing. He faintly saw Katara's outline bent over something. "Is that a body?" Aang thought, quickly taking in the sight.

He quietly walked over to Katara, and gently laid his hand on her shoulder. Surprised by his seemingly sudden presence, she jumped at his touch. "Katara, are you okay? Is something wrong? Where's Sokka?"

After listening to his torrent of questions, Katara turned her tear stained face towards his. "Aang... Sokka... he... he's g-gone."

Now completely bewildered, Aang gave her a confused look. "What do you mean, 'gone'? Did he leave or something?" Heartbroken at his apparent innocence, she tried again. "No, Aang. Sokka's d-dead. Someone killed him. I-I think it w-was Z-Zuko." Her tongue stumbled over the words, barely able to get them out.

Now crying himself, Aang knelt down and drew Katara into a tender hug. "I-I'm so sorry Katara. I should have b-been here." He mentally cursed himself for leaving the siblings alone, especially since they weren't near a sufficient water supply for Katara to defend herself.

She was sobbing on Aang's shoulder when cruel reality set in.

She was now in the arms of the only family she had left.

End flashback...

Even though Aang had assured her several times and then some that it wasn't her fault, Katara still felt guilty. She thought that if it hadn't been for her, Sokka would still be alive.

A silent tear escaped her ocean blues eyes, falling amidst the wash water. It was slowly getting dark, and Aang still wasn't back. She looked up and saw a tiny white fleck in the distance. Never mind. There was Appa, and riding atop his large, furry head was her one true love.

End Dream Sequence…