Azula paced around in her bedroom, smaller than her previous one but still just as luxurious. Wearing a red robe, her hair gleaming from the bath, she thought about her plan to take down the ones who had brought her here. She now knew Lee to be the traitor, the one to free Aang and Josh, respectively, from their cells. He had vanished, but she would find him, no matter the cost.

As for Aang...

Anger smoldered at the thought of that little brat escaping the clutches of the Viper. She had seen the news regarding the man, knowing he was dead, thanks to that blue-eyed bitch shooting his head off. Hands clenching, Azula had to force herself to calm down. Katara will pay for making this harder than it should have been. She was going to be raped and murdered right in front of her boyfriend.

They deserved no less for creating this mess. As for the rest of that insufferable group, she was going to make certain that nothing remained of their bloodline. All family members were going to perish under her orders. Azula will end them once and for all.

Stopping to sit on her bed, the plan ran through her mind once more. Aang was going to come for her, she knew, because she had sent someone to snuff out Katara's life as well as his own. The boy didn't care if he lived or died if it meant saving someone, and since she knew he was so in love with that slut, he wasn't going to be idle long in taking action.

Therefore, she now resided somewhere close by; it was only a matter of time before he found her. And when he does, she would be ready for him.

He need only take the bait...

(***)

The time draws near.

Aang was going home today. Finally, after little walks and constant monitoring, he would be free to pursue his mission. He had begged his father to stay for a little while; just until he was much better.

"How can I heal if I'm worried about you?" he had pleaded the day before, and though Josh had seemed reluctant, he had agreed without hesitation. It made sense, of course, since emotions can play a part, for good or ill, when it comes to recovering from trauma like his. But in fact, it was more so that he could prepare for the time when he went after Azula himself.

Katara and Sokka know nothing of this; this was a journey he needed to take on alone. They were already in danger because of him being around. If any one of them were hurt, he would hate himself for the rest of eternity. It was better they stayed home, two people he would willingly sacrifice his life for.

His best friend, his girlfriend...they meant the world to Aang. They had so much to offer the world: Sokka with his mechanical smarts and Katara with her beautifully hand-crafted jewelry as well as knowledge in medicine. Not to mention both were excellent fighters, thanks to their training from both Suki and their father.

Himself, on the other hand, was a former prostitute who had a photographic memory and drawing skills. Sure he knew they could be useful, and he really wanted to make a life doing what he enjoyed, but unless something was done about the woman who took others into a forced servitude, there would be no rest for him. Azula had to be stopped, for good.

When his parents came to get him, Aang was so anxious he nearly jumped out of bed. His mother looked terrible, hair in a sloppy bun and bags under her eyes. His father looked tired too, but determined. After them came to the doctor and nurse, to check one more time on his healing, deeming him fit to leave.

"But you must refrain from over-exertion," the doctor warned sternly. "At least a month will do. Take two pills when the pain flares, and subtly increase your exercise regime. Am I clear?"

Aang nodded in understanding. "Yes sir," he said. But inside there was dread. A month? Who knows what would happen in that time? Azula could strike again. But he also knew that fighting her in his current state would be disastrous. Glancing at his father, he could only hope that the man would keep his word and stay for that long.

After everything was said and done, the trio left the hospital. Aang was happy to be out, but he was also dreading what would happen when he returned to Rivers' family residence. He was going to check in with them before heading over to his parents' place. It would make things easier since the siblings would know how to read him. They would assume something was about to go down, for sure.

They had to stay in the dark, for their sake.

(***)

Katara was frazzled. She kept looking out the window from the living room, waiting to see her boyfriend's parents' car drive up. He was coming home and she had done all she could to straighten the place up. Of course she knew it was only temporary, since he was going to his parents place to recover. Suki had texted her that morning to inform the family of Aang's arrival.

Heart thumping at the thought, she had leaped out of bed, made his favorite fruit salad, and tidied up the place. Now she waited with baited breath, watching through the window that looked out onto the driveway. She didn't know how long she stood there, but Katara didn't care. For the time being, the only thought in her mind was her boyfriend.

Finally his parents pulled up, and the family exited out of the car. A gasp escaped when she looked upon Aang, looking tired but very much alive. He was nursing his side, where the bullet had grazed it, but otherwise looked hale and hearty. Rushing to the door, she pulled it open and stepped out onto the porch. He stopped in his tracks as they locked gazes.

For a moment the air seemed to freeze, trapping the couple in a loop. Tears sparkled in Katara's eyes, wishing she could go to him, but her feet refused to budge.

That is, until, Aang spoke. "Kat."

A full blown smile curved her mouth as she ran down the steps and clung on to his neck. He wrapped her up in his strong arms, holding each other tightly as the world faded from their sights. Tears blurred her vision as buried her head against his shoulder, sobbing softly. The smile was still in place as she whispered, "You're okay."

Aang kissed the side of her head gently, bringing one hand to cup her cheek, forcing Katara to meet his gaze. "Because of you," he replied gently.

Placing their foreheads together felt so natural to her as they touched, smiling stupidly at each other. The were lost in their own paradise, just breathing in the same air. It wasn't until the clearing of a throat brought them back down to Earth.

The couple looked over to see Aang's parents holding hands and staring at them with smiles. It was Linda who spoke. "We're going to head over to the café for a while. Looks like we could all do with a little relaxation."

Josh nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Call us if you need something, okay Aang? And no roughhousing."

Aang rolled his eyes in good humor. "Sure, Dad. See you guys later."

The older couple nodded their goodbyes and headed out, leaving the younger one alone. They smiled at each other as they walked inside the house, glad for the opportunity to be alone. Katara knew Aang must have been restless inside the hospital. She could hardly blame him for that. If it was her instead, she wouldn't have like it, either.

Once inside, she asked, "Are you hungry?"

Aang chuckled as his stomach growled. "Starving."

The two went directly to the kitchen, grabbing fruit and whipped cream, as well as linguine and Alfredo sauce. The work was comfortably silent, both concentrating on making the food together. T made her recall the first time she had ever seen Aang in the kitchen for the first time, making something him and his father shared.

The chuckle escaped her mouth without warning, remembering how flabbergasted Sokka was when they learned he was a vegetarian. The look on his face was priceless.

Aang paused in stirring the sauce to look over at her, smiling. "What's so funny?"

Katara shook her head before replying. "Sokka's face when you told us you didn't eat meat."

He laughed slightly at the memory, continuing to stir to it didn't burn. "Yeah, that was pretty funny. He's not the only one to react that way, though. Others thought it was strange to eat non-meat items, too."

She snorted, turning back to her noodles. "I honestly don't see anything wrong with being vegetarian. I don't mind that you forgo meat." It kind of bothered her that others would see an issue when it came to some people's eating habits. If someone wanted nothing to do with eating certain things, they should be left alone.

His face was soft as he said, "Thank you," with a tender smile that warmed her chest.

After that, they finished making lunch, Alfredo and fruit salad, sitting down to eat together. They spoke about Aang's time in the hospital, him complaining about how boring recovery was and how much he had wished to be out in the open. Some of it made her laugh, almost forgetting about her anguish from during that time.

She wanted to talk to Aang about what she herself had gone through, what she did, but he seemed so happy that she didn't want to ruin the mood. Hopefully there would be time later to talk it all out.

They finished eating and went to his room, where they lay on the bed, staring at each other contently. Words weren't needed; they knew just by looking that they couldn't be happier together.

She finally voiced her question. "How's your wound?"

Grasping her hand, he replied, "It's fine right now. The doctor said I'm going to recover fully. But I have to take it easy for at least a month." He shrugged one shoulder, before sighing. "A lot can happen during that time, though."

Katara knew where he was going with this and wanted to comfort him in some way. "It's best not to worry about it. It would make recovery a little slower, otherwise."

"I know." He looked pensive as he thought through his next words, and Katara was curious about what he was thinking. "He's planning to go after her."

At first she was confused, but then she noticed he was looking at his bracelet, the one his father had given him when he was younger...

Squeezing his hand, she murmured, "Your dad wants her stopped as much as we do. Especially after what she did to you and others."

Aang took a shaky breath, eyes clenching shut as if holding tears at bay. "I can't stand the thought of him doing it, though. If he's caught, there's no way she would let him live."

Katara frowned, knowing this was true. Azula was someone who needed things done, sooner rather than later, and eventually she was going to come for them. Or have them come to her. That menace wasn't going to stay down unless forced to.

Aang interrupted her thoughts. "I nearly died while I was there, Katara." His eyes were still closed, his brow furrowed.

"Can you talk about it? It might help." Come to think of it, he never really spoke about it much other than conforming what they believed they had known.

"Okay," he whispered, before beginning.

(***)

They took him from his room, down a series of corridors, until they came to the water chamber, and Aang felt his heart stutter in fear as he realized what they were about to do. As a kid, he had loved the water, but after seeing On Ji drown in a tank, the last thing he wanted was to be anywhere near this place. The fight in him returned as they came closer to the mini pool, where two chain lay nearest them.

Aang knew it was connected to the control panel in the center of the room, along with the other torture devices, there, and now he believed what they planned to do.

Struggling was fruitless, but he didn't want to go in the pool without a fight. "Let go of me!"

Chan, who was grinning menacingly, jerked him forward painfully. "I am going to enjoy doing this to you, brat."

Lee said nothing, face blank as they marched the boy to the pool, forcing him to sit at the end as they locked the manacles around his ankles. The cold bite of steel made his spine shiver in dread. They wouldn't come off unless they released the mechanism via panel. If the machine malfunctioned, he would surely drown.

But there was nothing to do except pray that they got this over with quickly and nothing would go wrong.

Lee was at the panel while Chan sneered down at him. "Take a deep breath, kid. You're going down for a minute."

He didn't even have time to breathe because Chan immediately pushed him into the pool. The metal around his ankles pulled him down, but somehow he managed to grab the lip of the pool and pulled up, gasping for air as terror rushed through his system. They were really going to drown him; Chan was out for his blood, for sure.

"You can't do this!" he shouted. "If I die, the Mistress will blame you."

Chan scoffed. "Don't get your panties in a twist, boy. You'll only be under for a minute or so." He gave a nasty smile. "As much as I would love nothing more than to get rid of you, I won't disobey Her Highness." He nodded to Lee. "Do it."

Lee met his eyes and for a second Aang thought he saw worry and an apology before the button was pushed. The pull on his ankles strengthened, taking Aang down despite his attempts at fighting. The panic in him rose, choking his lungs. He forced himself to take a deep breath before his vision became a blur. The silence was almost deafening.

The chains did most of the work, weights all on their own. With the added help of the pulley system, he was at the bottom of the shallow pool in no time. Chan had said he would be down there for a minute, but what if he ran out of air before then? What if Chan lied and planned to keep him there, claiming it to be an accident when they raised his corpse?

The thought nearly made him inhale, but Aang managed to stop himself, despite his pounding heart. It thudded in his ears, a pulsing beat that seemed to slow with every second. Has a minute passed? Probably not, but being underwater like this was scary and intimidating. The need for air grew stronger.

Pulling on the chains was useless, and there was nothing down there he could use to cut links. Was it just him, or was the water darker than before? He felt lightheaded, on the verge of passing out, and with the last of his strength, he raised a hand towards the surface, a million miles away. It felt like a goodbye.

Dying like this seemed...peaceful, now. Maybe he could find tranquility in the afterlife...

The sound of metal reached his hollowed hearing, but he barely acknowledged it as consciousness faded away, his breath leaving him on a flurry of bubbles...

(***)

Aang didn't meet her gaze as he finished, "Lee saved me. If not for him, I would have died."

Katara looked upset, squeezing his hand tightly as she whispered, "So that's why you..." She trailed off, but he knew what she was about to say.

"I've been afraid of water since then. It's why I didn't go swimming at all this summer. I only bathed when I had to, because I was afraid something was going to take me under. Until I came here, at least." He gave a hollow laugh, even though nothing was funny. It was embarrassing, being afraid of water, but after the encounter and the subsequent beating by Chan, he couldn't help being afraid.

Katara must have seen it the bleakness in his expression because she whispered, "You could have just told us, Aang. We can help you get over that fear." She smiled, reaching with her free hand to touch his cheek. "I am a fish, apparently."

He gave a smaller but more genuine chuckle, warm at the thought of having his friends help him with a fear that froze his heart with dread. But with them, he had managed to overcome many fears and insecurities, including being touched.

Turning his head, he kissed her wrist in gratitude. "I appreciate the offer. Thank you." She nodded, then a cloud passed over her face, prompting him to say, "Something else is on your mind, isn't it?"

When she met his gaze, he could see a darkness there that seemed...desolate.

She took a shaky breath before beginning. "There's something I need to tell you." She paused, but he waited, feeling that this was something Katara had been holding in for a long time. It didn't take even a minute for her to begin. "You told me I can tell you anything. There is something..."

They sat up, and Katara grasped her bracelet, hesitating. Aang understood her reluctance, for he started to say, "If you're not ready-"

"No," she interrupted, looking him in the eyes. "I'm scared, but I feel like you deserve to know. Especially after all you've told me...told us." She took a deep breath, then quickly removed her bracelet, showing her paler wrist for him to look at. When he did, Aang felt the air in his lings freeze, seeing the scars that littered her skin.

Grasping her hand gently, feeling tears well in his eyes, he looked at her in shock. "You harmed yourself?"

She nodded, avoiding his gaze as she explained. "I was fourteen years old, and I was with Jet, who was seventeen at the time. We dated for three months before he suggested going further. We-we had sex..." Her voice starting to shake, her body trembling, so he held her hands in both of his own, to lend her strength. "It wasn't...bad, but it wasn't all that good, either. I mean, it felt nice, but not mind-blowing.

"At first I was happy, being with someone older, wiser, who I thought understood me for who I was. But..." Katara stopped, crying, and Aang felt his heart break at the sight. Still he remained silent, waiting for her to continue in her own pace, knowing how much this was costing her.

Finally she continued. "It wasn't a month later I found out the truth. He was betting on whether he could get me with him, to have sex. I found out when he left his phone messages open. Usually he would turn off the screen, but for some reason he didn't that day.

"It felt like my world was crashing down. I saw my name on a couple of them, and when I managed to read through the conversation, that was when I found out. Jet found me standing there after using the bathroom, tried to explain, but I wasn't in the mood to hear any more lies. I ran out of his house, came home, ignored every call and text, until they stopped completely."

He traced the small but numerous scars on her wrist, wishing he could take away the pain he knew lingered in her. "When did it start?" he asked gently, not breaking contact.

"A week after that." Katara sighed tiredly, taking one hand away from his and rubbing her eyes. "I made the bracelet a day after the first cut. I didn't want anyone to see what I did. I felt that my pain was no one's business."

Aang's heart broke at hearing the loneliness in her voice. He couldn't hold back; following his gut, he brought his girlfriend into a hug. At first she froze, as if surprised, but she returned the hug fiercely once she recovered. They stayed that way for an immeasurable amount of time, becoming one, as they shared their sorrows together.

Finally, Aang pulled back, a question burning in his mind. "Did the others not know?"

"They still don't know," she admitted shamefully. "I only told them that he was cheating on me, which wasn't a lie, either. The conversation was with his girlfriend, believe it or not."

"That's messed up," he said bluntly, not amused by what had happened. Katara didn't deserve that kind of treatment. And to think the entire scene was orchestrated by Jet's other girlfriend was just as terrible. "I hope they learn their lesson."

She gave a tiny smile. "Maybe they have. After the calls and texts went unanswered, I learned that Jet had moved away. I went by his place once but found it empty, with a for sale sign on the lawn. I don't know where he and his family went."

"Good," he said, anger smoldering in his gut. "He had no right to treat you like a toy. Hopefully he treats others better, based on what happened."

She nodded, before saying, "I managed to stop doing it, after about a month. Um, apparently one of my classmates died from slitting his wrists after being abused for his sexuality. He was gay, and somehow we all found out. I'm not sure where the rumor came from, but but everyone knew it was true. A picture of him was sent to people, and the picture went viral.

"A few days later, he was found in the boys' bathroom, dead from blood-loss."

"Jesus," he whispered in horror. Why did the world have to be so cruel? What was wrong with boys liking the same gender? One of his friends in New York was gay and it didn't bother him. No one should be abused for liking the same gender or being transgender. It was sickening, thinking about all who had been tormented for that kind of thing.

"Yeah, it was awful," she agreed. "After that, I found an online group, anonymous, and learned to control those urges. I didn't want to die, even by mistake."

Feeling shattered just from hearing this, Aang placed his forehead on hers. "I'm so glad you did," he whispered.

"Me too," she sighed back, holding the pose for a moment before backing away and replacing her bracelet. "Now you know."

"Katara," he said, prompting her to lift her head. "I'm honored to know that you trust me. Thank you, for letting me in."

"And thank you for listening." She bit her lip before hesitantly saying, "Let's keep this between us, okay?"

Although he didn't relish the idea of hiding this secret, he also understood why. When he first met them, he hadn't been ready to tell his dark past. It took some time to feel comfortable before the beans were spilled. He would honor her past the same way. Until she was ready to tell.

He leaned in and kissed her, reverently, slowly, before breaking away to whisper two little words full of heartfelt intention.

"I promise."