Hardened Winds

Chapter VII

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

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"Hey, Sokka."

Aang smiled when he saw the older one walking briskly into his room, and when the seventeen-year-old suddenly stopped and looked uncertainly at the monk, Aang beckoned him to join him in the balcony. For a moment, Sokka still hesitated, but then he smiled and stepped forward outside. The sweet, fresh scent of the clear skies above and the lazy afternoon sun must have quickly hit him, because a second later, Sokka's smile widened and he closed his eyes.

"It's great out here, isn't it?" Aang said quietly and Sokka nodded enthusiastically. "Look down."

The second-in-command swiftly did as he was told, and his face briefly tightened with fear as he saw the foreboding ground below. They were rather high up, Aang mused to himself, and he had to prevent his mouth from twitching when he saw Sokka's expression. He himself was leaning, relaxed, on the solid, stone railing, his eyes semi-closed as his clothes were pulled gently towards the direction of the mischievous autumn breeze. After all, he had been on the balcony countless times before, and he was an airbender, too. With his powers, altitude was not a fear.

"We're pretty high up, aren't we?" Aang commented casually, and Sokka gave him a weird look, perhaps debating with himself whether the avatar was playing with him or not.

Which he obviously was.

"Yeah," he soon agreed nonchalantly. "It's wonderful to just be outside and unwind." With that said, he made a weird motion with his hand, as if to strengthen his point.

Sokka was always fun like that. His friend had changed quite a bit from his old, cocky fifteen-year-old self, but to Aang's delight, he had still remained Sokka, although he had had grown much taller and had developed quite some muscles. Yet the South Pole native was still easy to fool and confound, and his amusing sarcastic streak hadn't disappeared either.

They stood enjoying the scenery in a content silence. Now and then, Aang caught Sokka glancing at him, as if making sure he was all right, and he was glad that his friend took such precautions in taking care of him, even though the avatar didn't need much of that now. He was, after all, all grown up, and he could perfectly handle himself. And his growing sense of confidence these days was proof of that, because even his nightmares couldn't do anything against him now, could they? They were gradually receding away, and even when a few came at night, his emotions towards them were becoming less and less hectic. It was a great feeling knowing that he was completely in control.

Besides him, Sokka was already getting used to the amazing height they were at, looking down with a tranquil face. To Aang, it was no surprise that his friend had so quickly adjusted to their location. Hadn't Sokka faced even higher altitudes before when they had ridden Appa? But the memories of those happy days brought a stab of pain, and he knew he couldn't go on remembering. No, Aang resolutely pushed the thought away. Because then… the nightmares would come back, stronger than ever.

"Hey… Sokka?" the younger boy then piped up, turning to the seventeen-year-old. "I have some good news… at least for you."

"You're going to throw me a feast?" the older one quickly guessed, his expression hopeful, and Aang raised his eyebrow at him before quickly shaking his head.

"Sorry, not that good of news. But still good enough, I hope," he said serenely. "Sokka, you don't need to look over the prisoners anymore."

The tall boy blinked at him twice before a wide smile appeared.

"Are you serious, Aang?" Sokka asked excitedly. "That's great! I mean, I was really tired of going over one firebender, and then the other, and… wait," his voice became serious, "are you sure you don't need help? If we're not almost done and if there's still a lot of people to decide over, then I think it's better if I stick to my duty and-…"

The fourteen-year-old immediately waved it off.

"Don't worry, I'm almost done," he told him. "Just about… a hundred more to go?"

"Aang-…"

"Don't worry about it."

Sokka shot him a grateful smile before the two averted their gazes to look straight ahead into the soft cerulean sky. There was no reason for unnecessary words, and the boys were just happy to be together, as friends for once instead of leader and second-in-command. Sokka was still grinning as his eyes followed the clouds, but Aang couldn't help noticing his smile slowly fading as his face became solemn and thoughtful. At last, the older one broke the silence, gripping the railing tightly:

"Aang… I need to tell you something."

Looking at his friend in mild interest, the young monk began listening carefully.

"A few days ago, Asuka captured someone working for the Fire Nation. And in a way… she's special."

Aang remained quiet, gazing at Sokka expectantly. The latter appeared to be fighting for his words, frowning and clearly nervous. When he opened his mouth again, the words came out quick and cheerless:

"It's… Katara. She's here, Aang."

The boy froze. For a short, horrifying moment, the solid confidence he had so carefully built within himself crumbled, leaving… what? A dying emptiness inside –something he had tried so hard to push away- and it sank its claws into him, gleeful to be finally free. Yet the terrible black rapidly retreated as reason got a hold of the avatar once more, and he slowly regained his ground, assuring himself that what Sokka had told him would not make a difference. Because although Katara was here, he wasn't going to see her, was he? He would… pretend that everything was normal, that she wasn't here… and then… Everything will be okay. Please… let it be.

Still, he was shaken. He hadn't expected to hear about her ever again. And he wouldn't deny the fact that he did not want her here. He wanted her… as far away from him as possible.

"For how long?" he blurted out before he could stop himself, and he instantaneously hated how childish the question sounded.

Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure… I guess until she tells us why she sneaked in here in the first place… or whenever you want to," he quickly added, and Aang swiftly turned away; was it just him… or did Sokka read something in his face?

Whatever the circumstances, the avatar had to keep his cool composure, and he nodded curtly.

"I guess it's okay then," he sighed and soon managed a weary smile as he looked at Sokka again. "Thanks for telling me this, even though… you knew what happened."

Astonishment registered on the taller one's face before he returned his grin.

"No problem," Sokka said cheerfully, "and don't worry, Aang. I'll handle her."

"That's good."

Yet his uncertainty did not vanish- far from it. Now that it had found something to grasp onto, it swirled and twisted inside him, throwing vicious questions that threatened to make him stumble. And it killed him to know that the traitor from so long ago still affected him so much. The airbender gazed at his friend, who presently had his eyes closed as the winds softly caressed his visage, and he wondered if he could ever show his fears and doubts outside. Probably not, a stern voice told him, but at this moment, he felt daring… and Sokka… he would never laugh at anything he said, would he?

"Sokka…"

The South Pole warrior looked back at him.

"Yeah?"

What was he doing? A part of him yelled at him angrily. He didn't know what to say anymore, but Aang pushed further, prepared to ask his friend anything that came to mind.

"Um…"

All of a sudden, the door to the avatar's room opened and a messenger abruptly stepped in, his face blank as he then loudly said:

"Commander, there is someone at the entrance hall who wishes to speak to you. She said you would know her once you see her."

"Really?"

In a swift motion, Sokka left the balcony and was soon engaged in a whispered conversation with the messenger. A minute later, he turned back to Aang.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," he said apologetically. "But whatever you wanted to say, you can tell me later, right?"

The avatar forced a weak smile.

"Yeah," he answered quietly, half-heartedly. "I guess."

And as he watched his second-in-command hurriedly leave his chambers, the boy decided that he had nothing to tell his friend anymore.

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Who could it be?

The question repeated itself all over again in Sokka's head. He quickly climbed down the long, spiral staircase, and every time he took a new step, a new inquiry formed in his mind. After all, the messenger had told him that nobody knew the person who was waiting for him, so the newcomer was obviously an outsider. Yet people outside the Resistance usually asked for the avatar, not the second-in-command, and Sokka was curious to know why he was the one being summoned today.

The stairs soon lead him to the ground floor, and he marched to the entrance hall, going over the possibilities. Of course, there were no real possibilities, which only made it more frustrating. At least he should be flattered that someone actually requested for him especially.

A few minutes later, he was in the vast, elaborate entrance hall. The place was the cleanest and most ornamented part of the Omashu Castle, and it had to be if it wanted to impress its guests. Magnificent Earth Nation designs adorned the smooth, peach walls, and there was actually a thick, velvet carpet on the floor, making the building seem more like a palace than the termite mound that Sokka compared it to. Polished stone benches were scattered in the corridor for waiting visitors, and as the seventeen-year-old scanned his surroundings, he soon found a small girl patiently waiting on one of the farther benches.

It only took a moment until she saw him coming, and she quickly stood up and smiled. She was more than a head shorter than him –almost a midget- but her delicate beauty made up for her height. Her complexion was fair and her straight auburn hair fell to her shoulders, where it curled somewhat. Dressed in simple Earth Nation clothing, her short-sleeved, apple green robe falling to her knees, it was clear that she was no one really important, yet her dark hazel eyes gleamed with a certain pride that made earning respect easy for her.

And somehow she was rather familiar, Sokka thought to himself as he finally stopped staring at her.

"Who are you?" was the first thing he said when his ability of speech came back, and the girl gave him a strange look before she rolled her eyes.

"Typical," she stated, sighing. "I had a hunch you wouldn't recognize me."

Her voice. Sokka had heard that teasing voice before. He frantically racked his mind for a name, all the while inspecting the girl and asking himself where on earth he could have seen her before. A minute later, a name popped up. He opened his mouth but his guess wouldn't come up… at least not until the girl, still giving him a slightly condescending look, reached for her sleeve and took out a plain, bamboo fan, which she opened with an all-too-recognizable efficiency.

"Suki?" Sokka gasped, and rolling her eyes again, the warrior of Kyoshi nodded.

"Took you long enough," she said.

"Well… uh…" the boy blushed in embarrassment, "you look really… different without your makeup and your other… stuff."

"Uh-huh."

"Hey, it isn't my fault!" Sokka then countered, a little too fiercely. "I haven't really talked to you since the time I went to Kyoshi! I mean, I did see you once or twice when we fought together against the Fire Nation, but that's it! Give me some slack!"

Suki smirked but nevertheless nodded.

"Okay then," the second-in-command resumed his official voice, "I would very much like to know why you are here."

"Drop that tone, Sokka," Suki nonchalantly ordered him, "we're friends, remember? Or did you forget?"

Recalling all too well what had happened between them at their last moment together two years ago, Sokka reddened considerably and glowered at her, and the girl smiled innocently at him.

"Anyway, I'm here because I wanted to talk to the avatar about what we have to do after the war," Suki then said solemnly. "Yes, we have defeated the Fire Nation –a great victory- but now we have the important job of restoring all the nations by making them work together. The avatar knows that the Fire Nation is in chaos, the Air Nomads are gone, the Earth Nation needs serious help, and the Water Tribes are on the brink of extinction…. not the best situation, is it?"

Sokka paled when he heard the words, because he had never really considered that their job wasn't over. And by Suki's voice, it sounded as if it had just begun. The girl was right; the nations were far from all right (how could he have forgotten about this?), but making things like it used to be a century before looked like an impossible mission, even for the avatar. How could Aang return all the nations to their former glory… and keep the peace at the same time?

"I was sure that the avatar would address this problem immediately after the war," Suki continued, "but it's been more than a week and he hasn't done anything. Maybe he's also as deep into his victory as the others, but I thought I would come here and give him a reminder of reality. He really has no time to lose, even if it is only a week."

Reality. The word seemed cold and harsh, and after what Sokka had already told Aang about Katara, did he really need another heavy load on his shoulders? Though the boy had to admit that the monk had taken the news about his sister pretty well, and maybe… maybe Aang wouldn't see his next job as impossible? The boy had already done so much, hadn't he? After defeating the supposedly unbeatable Fire Lord Ozai, taking care of the four nations would seem like a piece of cake to Aang. Probably. Hopefully.

Suki was presently gazing at him keenly, and that was when he realized that all she had talked about was Aang. It didn't look as if she wanted to talk to him personally at all. Sokka felt rather annoyed by this, although he knew he should be glad that it wasn't his duty to save the world. Still… When he coolly asked Suki why she didn't just go to the avatar himself, the girl –to his surprise- took on an anxious expression.

"Is he… okay?" she at last hesitantly inquired.

"He's fine," Sokka assured her, "at least as fine as he can be now." It was clear that even Suki had noticed the transformation that had come over the airbender.

"It's strange, Sokka," Suki sighed, sitting back on the bench, "how the boy has changed so much. I haven't really talked to him for years, but by what the people say… and how you never really see him anymore… it's because of that girl, isn't it?"

The boy nodded and sighed. Suki was one of the only people who knew about Katara's betrayal, and even then, he knew that the girl only had a vague idea of what had happened.

"Is he happy now?" the brunette unexpectedly questioned, and it took a moment before Sokka shrugged again.

"I'm not sure… you can never tell if he's happy or not, but I guess he should be after our victory and all."

"Then he isn't."

He stared at her. How could her tone sound so sure? Suki wasn't a true member of the Resistance, and as she said before, she hadn't talked or seen Aang for a long time. How could she… now state that the airbender wasn't happy and be so certain of it, as if she actually knew him? Sokka didn't know how to feel about what Suki said.

"If he's really happy," she continued, looking into the distance, "you would have definitely known, Sokka. He would have shown… traces of what he used to be. But he's as cold as ever, isn't he?"

"You can't really say Aang's cold, can you?"

"Compared to before, yes –he's very cold. It surprises me," Suki sighed, "how even winning the war doesn't make a difference for him. The avatar must really be sad, carrying a wound he doesn't know how to heal."

Sokka frowned and looked down. Was that really he's friend? Someone… who would always hurt? Aang should be able to be happy –at least once in a while- and if… if Katara had stolen his smile… that had been heartless. He asked himself bitterly whether his sister knew how much damage she had done.

"We have won the war, but it doesn't mean you can let your guard down," Suki then told him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "There are still some things that the avatar must handle. I wonder if he knows that… or maybe he thinks that it's over?

"Sokka, I hope you'll be there for your friend… when the next big thing hits."

"What?"

Suki gave him an annoyed look.

"Don't tell me you didn't understand that," she said.

"No, I perfectly understood," Sokka replied seriously. "You were telling me a prophecy."

Scowling, the girl hit him on the head.

"You better know what I was talking about," Suki hissed, "because I won't forgive you if you don't do anything when it happens."

The seventeen-year-old didn't bother asking exactly what would happen but instead kept his mouth shut. He would be with Aang when 'it' happened. He would be with his friend no matter what. And hopefully, that was good enough for Suki.

"Okay, I will," the boy told her, smiling, "no need to hit me. Besides," he became curious, "how did you know so much about Aang?"

"I'm a girl," Suki retorted, "all girls are psychic. And I'm going to see the avatar now. Highest floor, right?"

"Right…"

And before he could ask her whether she was kidding about being psychic, she gave him a quick hug.

"Take care," she whispered.

And just as swiftly, she left the entrance hall, leaving Sokka indignant and blushing madly.

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A/N: This is probably going to be the shortest chapter in Hardened Winds…. besides the prologue, but the prologue isn't really a chapter, is it? The point is, I'm sorry if you were disappointed in this chapter because it was short. Next chapter will definitely be longer and more exciting. Yay. I also hope that you didn't think this chapter was pointless; I wanted to put in a part where it was only Sokka and Aang acting like friends, and the last part with Suki… although some may think that that part isn't necessary, I think it is. But if you really think I should omit the scene with the warrior of Kyoshi, kindly tell me, backing up your opinion with reason.

I heard that many people don't like Suki. I wonder why; I mean, she's such a nice, unique character. Maybe it's the fact that people don't think she's good enough for Sokka, because the boy is obviously so cool and all (laughs). I hope I didn't ruin the story for you by adding her in. And the very last part, with her hugging Sokka? Let's just call it comedy break. I mean, you have to give one good thing to Katara's brother. He's been fighting hard in the war for two years; he probably didn't have any chance to be interested in girls then. Hehe. Give the guy a break.

Now, I shall thank my reviewers:

MysticWaterBender3: Thank-you for saying that I described people's emotions well. I think that's one of my stronger points. It's sad with Aang, too, isn't it? Believe or not, this chapter has one of his only near-happy moments in this fanfiction. Yeah, I'm cruel.

The Next Avatar: Yeah, I'm a AxK fan… at least I think I am. To be honest, I'm not so interested in that couple as before, but it's still better than Zutara, isn't it? No offense to KxZ fans, of course. Hopefully I'll hear from you for this chapter.

aangsair: Hehe… you reviewed two times. That's the bad thing about anonymous reviews. But both reviews were very much appreciated. I'm also glad that you were satisfied with my explanation about why Aang killed that prisoner.

SaphireStars: Gasp! New reviewer! (shakes hand eagerly) Really, this story isn't the best I can do; it gives me an incomplete feeling, but it's great that you like Hardened Winds. Aang will never see Katara in the story, though. (SaphireStars gasps) Just kidding, but you'll have to wait a little longer before that happens. But I can satisfy you with Zuko's presence, at least. You can definitely count on him being there in the next chapter!

whirleeq: I'm so glad that you were nice enough to check out my story. And your review was refreshing; definitely the best one I have ever had. I have a lot to say, as well, so… I'll just copy you and break it down, too.

1. I'm glad you like dark fanfictions, and wait… I'm not sure if I got what you said, but do you think I can make the story darker? I planned to darken the fanfiction gradually, with uphills and downhills, but if the story really isn't all that angsty, I'll think about revising it. Katara is OOC, but I'm hoping to straighten that flaw out by exploring her thoughts and making her a dynamic character overall in this fanfiction. And lastly, yes, I was tired of all those 'Zuko captures Katara and she falls for him' stories. Although I never read one, myself, to be honest… (laughs meekly)

1. Must… fix… grammar…. error. Thank-you for pointing that one out. I'm glad you hold the first chapter in such high esteem, and although you have a great point about how the show portrays Aang, I have to say that I like his current personality… all happy and optimistic despite everything. It just proves that he's a very strong person, able to hold out even if the world is trying to push you down. Add a little naivety there, and you have a cute, extraordinary, adorable avatar. (hugs Aang) I don't think I would like him quite so much if his dark side was more pronounced, which is rather strange for me… because I tend to love dark characters.

2. Again, Katara is OOC, although maybe I should explain more in detail how Zuko convinced her to go to the Fire Nation side? But that would distract the readers from the main point of the story, I'm pretty sure. We don't want that, do we? I did try very hard to make her reasons rational and satisfying, and I'm glad I succeeded in making Uncle Iroh… Uncle Iroh. Hehe. I'm also happy that you like Misaki (although his name is starting to bother me), and Gloria… yeah, I thought about that, too… about how her name doesn't really fit. But her name just seems… so right. Besides, the name 'Katara' really isn't so Asian, either, and I should know; I'm Asian, by the way. I'm pretty familiar with Japanese names, too. I'll stop bragging now.

3. Aang and Ozai are like Harry and Voldemort. That is a great simile. I loved that Plato quote, too. And I'm sure that Ozai will be killed at the end of the show… unless the producers turn evil and think it's amusing to kill off sweet, sweet Aang. Then I will be forced to go to them and teach them a lesson myself. By the way, I hope Aang doesn't seem likely to be… um… crazy in this fanfiction? Because I don't really want him to go off the rocker.

4. You're the only one who pointed that out. And I'm glad you did. Yeah, it does seem a little confusing, doesn't it? That Katara doesn't want to hurt Aang but nevertheless offers to go into the castle to help Zuko accomplish his goal of murdering the fourteen-year-old. When I revised that chapter, that part immediately struck me, but I wasn't sure if it was really a big flaw, so I just left it like that and hoped that one of my readers would point it out if it was really bad. And you did! Don't worry, I have another reason for Katara wanting to sneak into the castle (it may not be the best explanation, though) and you'll see it in the next chapter.

5. Yes, I liked the chapter, too. Sokka should just lock up his emotions tight and get rid of Katara, but then that would just ruin the whole story. Imagine ending it all at Chapter 5. 'Sokka saw Katara in the cell, stopped in his tracks, and thought, "Gah! It's my sister. Must show control…" Immediately, he executed her and they all lived happily ever after.' I would have plenty of flamers, I bet. I also doubt that Aang bestowed Sokka with the power to execute people, since the avatar himself barely kills off his prisoners.

6. I hope Sokka's promise wasn't too big of a mistake, but it just proves, as you said, that Katara still means something to him. He also said it to shut her up, almost on a whim. Brother knows that sister will continue ranting about Zuko until his word is given to her. Moving on… since you said that the show already broke one of the rules on the 'evil overlord's list,' I hope that means it doesn't matter if I did, too. (meek laugh) But I have a good reason for why Zuko let Aang go, besides the fact that if he didn't, it would seriously screw up my story. We all know that Zuko is good deep, deep down, right? He doesn't believe in hurting people unnecessarily. And if he kept Aang in his cell forever when he already believed that the avatar couldn't do anything, that would fall into the category of hurting people unnecessarily, wouldn't it?

Okay, I said a lot. Hopefully, I didn't bore you. And hopefully, you liked this chapter and will give me great constructive criticism on it, just like you have with my other chapters.

Next chapter should be posted… next Wednesday or Friday. School's coming, but hopefully I'll keep updating. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter.

Review if you're nice.