A/N. I'll most a chapter tomorrow, but then, I'll take a break for the holidays! So the Fire nation chapter will have to wait for the new year!

I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.

She woke up at dawn. Who was she kidding? She had not slept. Not really. When that door had fallen shut in front of her, Katara had tried, and failed, to keep in her tears. Had it not been obvious what she had meant?

Who else had gone to bed? Had that lightning fried his brain or what? She had wanted to talk, to kiss, to do anything. But he had just shut the door in her face. That had hurt. And it had also been a bit awkward, because Katara had slept in there. And now, she had to go to another room. It felt wrong to sleep alone, after three weeks of constant waking over the airbender…

The waterbender walked out of the room she had taken that night, one of the abandoned ones once further along in the corridor. It had been even harder to sleep alone than next to an unconscious Aang. At least then, she had known if there was a problem, she had been there.

When she emerged on the deck, Katara saw how the night shift was being relieved by the day shift. They had decided, to create more ground between them and the Fire Nation Fleet, that the ship would sail day and night.

Appa had been freed from the storage area, and was now roaming over the deck, clearly wanting to go flying. But he had forbidden him to take off, and it had been quite clear that he had understood but was not happy about it.

Toph was standing next to the bison, and Katara decided to go to her. Even though she hated the blind girl's teasing, she had some good advice from time to time.

"Ah Sugar Queen! Seems you had a rough night!" Top grinned, while scratching Appa under his ear. Momo was not in the vicinity, so was probably trying to steal some food from the pantry or something.

"I've slept better yeah…"

"Wait, that sounds like disappointment? Remember Sweetness, it was probably his first time."

Oh spirits… Toph thought that Aang and she… oh no.

"I've slept in another room Toph. Nothing happened. We didn't talk, we didn't… well, nothing happened." Katara sighed, walking to the bison. He had been pampered by the whole tribe. As soon as the tribesmen had realized Appa was friendly, they had taken to giving him food and patting his fur.

"Oh… Want to talk about it?" Toph sounded concerned.

"Yeah… if you don't mind."

The blind girl shook her head.

"Well, when he had just woken up… It seemed great. He admitted that he had said some things, and he wanted to talk, about what this meant… for us. But as soon as Sokka said that the world thought Aang was dead… He shut everyone out. He can be like that sometimes, thinking that the world's problems are his and his alone to shoulder…" Katara explained, trying to sound reasonable, and not let Toph hear the beginning anger in her voice.

How could Aang, after three weeks, shut her out! She had done everything to make sure he would survive. She had not slept, had not eaten, had been sick with worry. And not even a thank you? Nothing!

Katara knew that it wasn't fair. Aang didn't know what had happened… And she didn't want him to know… How could you explain to someone that he had died, and that some Spirit Water had brought him back? That would be quite a shock… And then, there was explaining what his death, resurrection and subsequently his recovery had done to her.

The waterbender knew it had been rough for her, she didn't try and deny it. She had done things she wasn't proud of. Rage against people who had been nothing but concerned for her wellbeing, angry at Sokka, at Toph… Even at people like Bato, who hadn't even done anything… And angry at Aang… For not waking up, for not helping her through this problem…

And then there was the episode on the ship… Well, that was better left unsaid to Aang at least.

"Sounds like he is being a dick. So, the world thinks he's dead. What of it? It is not like he actually is, and there are plans in place. He'll just have to lay low for two months, nothing more!" Toph sighed, turning around and walking towards the railing. Katara followed her, and Appa, behind them lowed quietly, as if he was calling them back for more attention.

"That's just it… I think he doesn't like the fact people think he has abandoned them… again." She explained.

"Again?" The blind girl turned her face a bit, to watch in her direction. Oh… Yes, they didn't know that specific thing…

"Aang ran away from the Temple when they wanted to send him to the Eastern Air Temple. He had wanted to go to the South Pole to learn waterbending. But he and Appa got into a storm and froze in the iceberg. That is why he wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked the Air Nomads…" Katara spoke softly, making sure that the tribesmen behind them couldn't hear them.

"Ah… Yeah, that could hamper his willingness I imagine. He is a bit too noble for his own good our Twinkletoes. He thinks everyone is his responsibility, and that if he abandons just one, he fails. Don't worry, he'll come around. And if not, I can always smack him around a bit to teach him a lesson." Toph padded her shoulder.

They stood in silence, and after some time, the door to the inside of the ship opened, and Sokka appeared, followed by a sullen-looking Aang. Katara turned around, and was surprised to see her brother looking angry, and that that irritation was clearly turned towards Aang…

"Can someone explain to our Air Head why it is important for him to keep his hair?" her brother waved irritated to the airbender, and walked off towards the prow of the ship, where Bato was standing with their father.

"What is it Aang?" She turned to the airbender, who was still wearing that red robe Sokka had given him the night before, and was leaning on his staff. He also looked like he hadn't slept. But Katara suspected it was for different reasons than her sleepless night…

"I wanted to shave it off, but Sokka stopped me when I asked for a razor. Why should I hide my arrows?" He sighed, looking irritated towards where her brother had walked off to.

Spirits, this was going to be difficult...

"The Fire Nation thinks you died in the Crystal Catacombs Aang… If they see someone walking around with Air Nomad tattoos… They will immediately realize that it is you… We just want you to be safe." She spoke, stepping towards the airbender. Would he be more inclined to talk now?

"You promised me I wouldn't have to hide my arrows in Ba Sing Se…" Aang spoke quietly, not looking at her.

Katara had indeed done that… When they had gone to the Lower Ring to find Appa, she had asked him to wear a cloak, so that the people wouldn't know who he was. But that had been a completely different situation…

"I know Aang… I'm sorry. But it is for the best."

Suddenly, before Katara could try and convince him, the foghorn at the helm was sounded. And Katara knew what that meant. That was the signal they had agreed on when a Fire Nation ship would try and contact them.

Shit.

"Please Aang, hide!" She pleaded, but the airbender turned around and saw the ship, heading their way.

"I'll handle it!" He snapped his glider open, and, for once, Katara was happy with his injury. The movement was too sudden. Aang groaned and nearly bend down, holding his right side. He was clearly in pain, but he still tried to get on his glider.

"Aang, wait. They don't know we are not Fire Nation. It has happened before at the Serpent's Pass. Just… Let us handle it." Katara spoke, while from the corner of her eye, she could see Sokka marching towards them.

The airbender shut his glider when her brother joined them.

"Come on Aang, we need to hide." Sokka said, grabbing his arm. Katara knew perfectly well why her brother had come down. Aang would not stay put, and it would probably be needed to restrain him if something went wrong. And Sokka was the only one capable of holding him back.

Aang followed him, grumbling, and her father and Bato come up.

"We will handle this. You two also go with them… You are not quite Fire Nation looking…" Her dad said, while putting on his helmet. And it was true. Toph had once again donned her own clothes, and Katara had put her hair loopies in once again.

Pipsqueak and the Duke were running to shut the door on Appa's storage room, and while they were doing that, Katara walked over to the smaller door to the storage, where Sokka was keeping a hand on Aang's shoulder, to make sure he would stay there. The waterbender crouched down behind Aang, looking over his shoulder.

A metal gangplank was lowered from the ship that had stopped next to them, and three men walked over it, stopping in the middle. She didn't hear what was being said, but it seemed amicable enough. After several minutes, the men turned around and walked back to their ship. As they arrived at the end of the gangplank, Toph, who had been sitting next to her, jumped up.

"They know!"

As she shouted, the blind girl slammed her hand down, and made a twisting gesture. Katara could see how the metal from the place where she had hit the deck began to crumble. The plank turned, and the three men fell into the water.

Katara quickly stood up, as she saw how Sokka was restraining Aang.

Please Spirits, let him stay put. We need him to stay put.

She ran towards the railing and pulled her hand up. The water beneath her obeyed immediately, and she managed to push the ship away from its bigger counterpart. Too late, Katara realized that by bending, she had betrayed who they were. Of course, they had suspected that the ship had been taken over, but that could have been anyone. Pirates, Earth Kingdom resistance, anyone! But no, by waterbending, it had become quite clear who they were: The Water Tribe, with a waterbender. At least, that could be someone from the Northern Tribe, as most people thought she was also dead.

See Aang? I don't complain, and I'm the last waterbender from my tribe.

It was mean. She didn't mean that, but Aang's attitude irritated her. How could he not see that it was a necessity?

But there were more important things to do at that very moment. Such as escaping the Fire Nation. The ship had apparently already picked up its captain, because it was now speeding behind them. Its bigger size apparently gave it more power, because it was gaining fast on them. Too fast… No way they could outrun it.

And just for the extra flair, Katara saw how they were loading the three trebuchets on their deck. Of course. Of. Freaking. Course. The first fire ball flew towards them, but luckily missed. It hissed it the water, producing steam in the process.

Katara quickly turned around. He needed to stay hidden. Had he stayed? She didn't see the airbender on the deck, and neither was her brother. So, everything was still going well. Well, as well as could be said, while being chased by a battleship of the Fire Nation's fleet… The waterbender saw how Pipsqueak and The Duke were putting rocks in front of Toph. While the burly teen carried the rocks, the smaller child explained to the blind girl where to shoot it. It was actually working, as the next fire ball coming from the enemy was shot out of the sky.

But Toph was alone with returning fire, and the Fire Nation had three trebuchets, so it was no use. The next projectile hit the deck and the one after that hit the deck near the engine, creating a fire.

Katara quickly pulled water from the lake beneath them and extinguished the fires. But this was just the beginning… Of course, the ship wouldn't stop before they were sinking… As Katara was thinking this, she saw how the enemy manned a ballista. Spirits… What were they going to do?

The answer was simple. Shoot the biggest bolt that Katara had ever seen. It had a chain attached to it, and she didn't need to have Sokka's intelligence to know what that would do… Create holes into their hull, and at each hole, the bolt could be brought back to the ballistae to be fired again… It hit their ship directly in the hull, creating a big gap.

She had to think quickly. Waving hand while pushing the other down, Katara froze a chunk of ice around the breach. It would not help much, or for a long time in the warm weather of this first day of summer, but anything was better than nothing.

Behind her, Katara heard voices shout. Turning around, she saw how Sokka was grabbing Aang's staff, while the airbender tried to help. She didn't hear the conversation, but the look in Aang's eyes… Well, she had seen it before. In the desert… oh no…

The airbender luckily returned to the hiding place. Spirits, Tui and La, if he had been seen… If there was one soldier on the enemy's ship who had looked closely… They would be chased by the whole fleet in a matter of minutes.

"Things couldn't get any worse!" Her brother shouted, and Katara could only agree. How were they expected to fight the ship, with no weapons of their own? This was a scout ship, not made for battle, only for quick lightning strikes or patrolling…

And if things couldn't get any worse… Well, the Serpent's Pass was not very far away. And apparently, the fight had drawn the attention of the serpent. The green serpent emerged from the water, screeching and spitting water out of its mouth. It was as big as she remembered. Katara heard her fellow tribesmen shout in fear.

Yeah… about that… If it saw her, Katara was sure he would remember her. She had kind of hit him with a mountain the last time they had met…

One of the fire balls flew over their head and hit the serpent right in its eye. Katara could hear the painful hissing and the displeased screech. As the smoke cleared, she saw how one of the violet eyes of the creature was gone, and how the skin around its empty socket was badly burned. The serpent moved its attention to the other ship and swam over to it. It disappeared in the water, and for a few moments, the water was quiet and still.

But it reemerged, wrapping itself around the ship. Katara, standing by the railing, could hear the shouts, and from her position, she saw how several men were hacking at the creature with axes and swords.

But to no avail. As several tribesmen joined her on the side of the ship, they watched as the ship capsized slowly. As the deck hit the water, the creature pulled it deeper and deeper. Just in a few minutes the ship was gone, and only big air bubbles marked the place where it had happened. Some Fire Nation soldiers and sailors were swimming in the water, but they were not even close to any shore… They would surely die from exhaustion before even managing to get to safety.

Good.

Katara had tried to keep her emotions in check. It was no use at this moment. No one was in danger, or was fighting for his life. She pushed the dark feeling away, turning around to her brother, who was standing behind her.

"Did he stay hidden?"

"Yeah, I made sure. But it was not easy. How is he?" Sokka answered, pulling off the helmet he had put on during the bombardment.

"I don't know…" She sighed.

"But… But he was in your room this morning… You have to know!"

"No, I don't! I got kicked out! Or at least… I don't think he realized I also slept there…" She felt her brother's eyes on her. And as she looked down at her hands, she saw that they were shaking. Quickly wrapping them together, to hide it, she continued.

"He is… angry? I believe he hates the fact that he has to stay hidden, and that he can't show his tattoos. You know he is proud of them."

Sokka rolled his eyes.

"I'm proud of my wolftail, but you don't hear me complaining about the topknot! He will just have to get used to it." Her brother waved his arms, walking away. As Katara wanted to turn around, she saw how her father was looking at her, with concern in his eyes. He stood quite closely, so he may have heard their conversation.

"Is the Avatar alright?" He asked her, but she just shrugged, walking away. She really had no energy to answer the same question over and over again.

How is he?

How is Aang?

How is the Avatar?

How was she supposed to know? He didn't talk to her! She walked Appa's doors and opened them with the help of Bato. The bison groaned quietly, whimpering.

"Sshhh boy, it is alright. I understand. You were in the dark, hearing explosions… I'm sorry that we forced you into her…" She spoke quietly, caressing the bison's fur, while Momo appeared, all big eyes and screeching.

"And you Momo, don't worry, I didn't forget about you." She scratched the lemur under his chin, calming him down.

She stayed there for at least some hours. It was no use. They couldn't use her on deck, and Aang wasn't being himself. She hated it. She had thought this would be so different. During the long days in that dark room, she had actually dreamed about this. Aang had ben stable, his wound had healed as much as it could without a stable food income, so there had not been much for her to do, except change the bandages each day.

And during those long days, she had thought about this moment.

Katara had hoped for Aang to wake up, and still be the carefree happy airbender he had always been. And that they would talk deep into the night, about what had happened, what was being done. And that he would… That he would be grateful. It was wrong to expect people to be grateful, but at least, she had wanted him to acknowledge her part in saving him.

She had hoped that if his back was not too bad when he woke up, that they could have put that book to good use. She had hoped to discuss their relationship. To show her dad that Aang was a really good person.

But that had all gone to shit. Aang was shutting everyone out, like he always did when he was angry or afraid. And he was probably both…

"Hey! We are getting into a port at the entrance of the river. Care to come and get some food? Your dad needs supplies and metal slates to repair the hull." Toph's voice called her.

Katara stood up, and walked over the where the blind girl was standing.

"Is Aang coming?" She asked.

"Well, you do know that better than I do." Toph gently pocked her ribs with her elbow, and Katara rolled her eyes. Spirits, why? Why would she make everything about… that?

"But to answer your question, we were going to ask him after getting you. We guessed it could help to have you with us." The earthbender explained, while joining Sokka on the deck. As they made their way down the corridor, her brother turned to her, with a long piece of cloth in his hands.

"We want Aang to wear this as a hairband… To hide his arrow." He explained.

"Good luck with that. You heard him this morning…" She sighed. Oh, she knew why they had asked her to come. And her fear was right, as Sokka offered it to her when they arrived at the room.

"Could you… Could you ask him?"

She knew the answer they would get, but she had to try at least. Softly knocking, she entered. It felt weird to knock on the door that had so long been her own room. Hers and Aang's.

He was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Katara tried not to look at him as she had done so shamelessly for nearly three weeks… It was difficult to readjust to him being awake…

"Hey, we are going into a port to get some dinner… Would you like to come?" She asked, sitting down on the bed.

Aang actually sat up, looking a bit… better? Maybe he had time to think all of it over?

"I'm kind of hungry… Dinner would be a good idea." He said, and Katara felt a slight bit of hope. He sounded quite normal again… And that hard look in his eyes was gone.

"Could you… could you tie this around your head?" She handed him the hairband, and the hard look returned.

"No."

"Aang… I understand that being a secret bothers you… But you didn't fail. Not at all." She tried, but his look didn't change.

"I did. Ba Sing Se has fallen, as has the Earth Kingdom. How is that not a failure? I fought and lost."

"But not for good, the Invasion is going to happen…." As soon as she said it, Katara knew it was a mistake.

"I hate the invasion! I don't want people being in danger because of my mistakes! Least of all y… your people."

She had heard the misstep.

"I don't want you or the others to risk your lives. I'll face the Fire Lord. But I'll do it alone."

Oh Spirits… he was acting as he had in the desert…

"Just go…"

Katara didn't want to leave him, but what could she do? What could she do if he wasn't willing to listen?

"Alright… But if you need something just ask." She spoke softly, while walking back to the door. As she opened it, she heard him mutter.

"I need to redeem myself…"

She didn't hear exactly what he said after that, only the low mumbling. But it was quite clear. He was in a dark place. And if he didn't let her through… What could Katara do?

Answers :

Kalaong : That is exactly my point with my stories : I don't want them to stay in their "dark place" too long, and I want to show how the fact they love each other can overcome certain things!

Jjsmith103 : Indeed! Aang is much more like how he was in BoS, while the others had things happen, and their feelings develop. Katara is so protective now of him, and he doesn't understand it. Aha, I was writing the chapter with that talk this afternoon while printing a model lol!

Rak : Yeah, I had been thinking about it, but I thought that him shutting her out would be tragedy enough. Her poor heart would shatter if he didn't remember that. You'll see what I plan for that tomorrow normally!

Bay45220 : Yeah, he is in for a very hard awakening.

CoyoteLemon : Yeah, and a total ass at the moment lol!