A/N. I didn't think I would manage such a chapter from one scene, that is 4 minutes long…

I don't own Avatar the last airbender

Katara wasn't exactly sure about what she had learned today…

Was this Southern Waterbending? Pulling water out of thin air was really helpful, and she couldn't wait to try it out somewhere humid, to see if she could manage more than just a few droplets, like Hama had done here in this dryer climate.

But the other things? Katara wasn't exactly thrilled by this… Pulling water out of living things? Like trees, flowers and bushes? Of course, it were just plants, and she didn't mind to chop wood, pull a flower out of the ground or the hack away some branches… But to pull the life out of it? No, that was… Wrong.

As they walked through the forest, Katara wasn't exactly sure… How nice Hama really was. She seemed… Bitter. As if life didn't mean anything. They are just flowers… Of course, those had been just flowers. But still… The blatant indifference to life was something that surprised her. Of course, she had not taken her beliefs on life as far as Aang did. But still. In the Water Tribe, it was kill or be killed. Or at least, that was the first impression they gave of themselves. And how could they not? In the poles, hunting was the primary source of food.

But that didn't mean they didn't respect life. Katara had always participated in the thanking ritual after a good hunt, she didn't remember a time they hadn't done that… Even when the men had left the village, they hadn't forgone the rituals to thank the spirits of the animals whose lives would make sure they themselves survived. Maybe it wasn't like Aang, who categorically refused to eat meat or kill… But still, it was a form of respecting life.

But Hama didn't seem to acknowledge the privilege of life… Had she forgotten so much of their culture in the years in the Fire Nation? Maybe that was it… And of course, her experiences would change a person, make their personality more bitter, harder.

"Katara, can you feel the power the full moon brings?" Hama voice sounded hoarser than it had previously done... The bend form of the old woman straightened, and Katara tried to smile. It took years of the wrinkled face, and in the moonlight, she could nearly see the young woman that had been taken from her homeland.

"For generations, it has blessed waterbenders with its glow… Allowing us to do incredible things." Hama whispered, in that same rasping voice.

"I've never felt more alive…"

Well… it was true that during full moons, Katara had difficulty sleeping, and most of those nights, she just woke up Aang to go waterbending if they could. But she had never put a connection between her bending powers and the full moon. Of course, she knew, thanks to the Siege of the North, that the moon reinforced waterbending… But she had never thought about the fact that the full moon was giving her more power. She had just felt restless during those nights…

"I still have one thing to teach you… This, I discovered in that wretched Fire Nation prison." Hama's voice sounded bitter, and full of hatred. Katara felt a shiver over her back… The day before, the old waterbender had told them that the prisoners didn't have access to water… What had she learned?

"As I told you, the guards were always careful to keep any water away from us. Dry air was piped in, and they had us suspended away from the ground so that we couldn't pull water out of it. Before giving us our daily ration of water, they would bind our hand and feet so we couldn't bend. And any sign of trouble was met with… cruel retribution."

Katara swallowed thickly. After the stories that Hama had told them, she didn't want to imagine what those reprisals consisted of…

"And yet, each month, I felt the full moon, fuelling me with its energy. I thought there had to be something I could do to escape, even if no one had managed it before." Hama smiled and Katara felt a shiver once more. Now, the woman didn't seem to have just years… But also, all sanity. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets, and the grin didn't seem natural… No, it looked… Wrong.

"Then, I realized that where there is life… There is water."

Alright, that made sense. Yagoda had told her in Agna Qel'a that most of the human body was water-based. That there was liquid in every muscle, every vein.

"The rats that scurried across the floor of my cage were nothing more than skins filled with liquid. It took me years… But I developed the skills that would lead to me escape."

Skins… filled with liquid. Those were living beings… How could anyone talk about such creatures in that way? And what was this talk about developing skills? What skills, to do with rats and liquid, would have helped her escape?

"Bloodbending."

No... That wasn't possible.

"Controlling the water in another body. Enforcing you own will over theirs. Once I had mastered the rats… I was ready for the men."

Horror gripped Katara's heart. No… Hama had been good. She had been! She still was! She had to be! There was no other way! Hama had been kind, open-hearted and had invited them in her home with open arms! Maybe she had just done this to escape! Katara could understand that! If she had suffered in such a prison, she would have done anything to get out of it!

"I forced that guard to take his own keys, to come closer to my cage… And I smiled as he opened my cell. It was poetic justice. To control him as he had tried to do to my brothers and sisters… to me. As I walked out of my cell, I saw the terror in his eyes as he realized it was me who was doing it. And I relished it. I lifted him up like a puppet! And slammed him to the floor. That was my revenge. I think I killed him." Hama smiled, but the soft, gentle smile was not there. No, this was a grin. An evil, vindictive grin.

"I walked free for the first time in decades."

Decades. How long had Hama been in that cell? If her math was correct, Katara guessed that the waterbender had been captured in her early twenties… And that the woman was now around her grandmother's age. So… Twenty? Thirty? How long had she been imprisoned?

"Once you learn this technique, you can control anything… or anyone."

No. No, Katara refused to learn this! She had protested mildly against pulling water out of trees and plants. But this, she would refuse!

"But Hama… To reach inside someone and control them? I don't want that kind of power!" No, she didn't want it. It wasn't right.

"The choice is not yours. The power exists. And it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war!"

Wait… how much did Hama know? How did she know they were trying to win the war? And duty? Katara knew about duty, and her own obligations in this fight! And it was not to use this kind of power against their enemies!

Sure, it would be so easy to win the war with bloodbending, if what Hama told was to be believed. A flick of her hand, and Ozai would be at their mercy! But… They were trying to build a better world! A world that wasn't built on murder and horror! Sure, she wasn't perfect in this regard, for Katara had killed people… But that had been self-defence!

Except… except those on the ship, when Aang had been wounded. Those had been… That had been murders. But… They were justified, no?

"Katara! They tried to wipe us out! Wipe our culture of the face of the earth! They killed your mother!"

No! Hama was not using her mother against her! No!

"I know." Katara sighed. It was no use. Hama was not going to see her point. In front of her stood a broken person. A person convinced that the horrors inflicted on her justified her own actions…

"Then you should understand what I'm talking about! We are the last waterbenders of the Southern Tribe! We have to fight these monsters whenever we can! Wherever they are! With any means necessary!"

The last two waterbenders of the South Pole… No. Gran Gran had told her about the glory days of the tribes… And this was not it. They had not used their powers to enslave people… To make them puppets, obeying them in whatever the benders wanted… No, they had respected life. No… They were not the last two waterbenders of the South… Hama was not a true southern bender. No… Katara was alone. She was the last true one at least…

The truth of that broke her heart as she looked at the old woman. Broken, beaten and abused… And Katara had thought all those things had not affected who Hama was. Of course, that had been foolish… Anyone would have become bitter… But Katara had not expected the scope of how deep Hama had sunk. It was horrible, to see such a person, who could have been so much… Reduced to this. Regret burned in her stomach. Not for herself, not for the lost potential of learning southern waterbending… No, regret for Hama. For how the old woman had lived, and what she had become, thanks to the actions of the Fire Nation…

Wait.

Full moon. Bloodbending….

Of course…

"It's you… you are the one who is making all those people disappear each month." Katara spoke softly, already knowing the answer.

"Yes." There was no shame or regret in that voice, "They threw me in prison to ROT! Along with my brothers and sisters! They deserve the same!"

"But those people are largely innocent!" Katara had learned, in her short time in the Fire Nation… That they weren't all bad. Most tried to live their own lives, and were also affected by the war… Maybe not in the same way… But Aang had been right, all along. The Fire Nation was as much a victim of its regime as the other nations…

"No! You have to carry on my work when I'm no longer here!" Hama's face contorted, and whatever sanity Katara had managed to see in those eyes disappeared. No… What stood in front of her wasn't Hama. It wasn't the proud Southern waterbender… It was whatever the raids, the prisons and her treatment had made her. But it wasn't Hama. She refused to see the sweet old woman from these last few days as the same person as… as that thing that stood in front of her.

"I won't. I won't use bloodbending!" Katara objected. She wasn't going to learn that.

"And I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town!" She pointed her finger at Hama. This had to end. How, Katara didn't know… Maybe they could take the woman with them, and hand her over to her Dad? He was the chief, and maybe he should decide what was to happen to her… At least, with the Southern Water Tribe, she could get a trial. A fair one…

Suddenly, it felt as if her hand turned to ice. Movement was impossible, and as she tried to lower it, he fingers bend. Bend. At their own. She had no control whatsoever over their movements…

Oh no…

Bloodbending…

"You should have learned the technique before you turned against me!" Even Hama's voice was gone, with the hoarse, gruff voice taking its place… Spirits, it seemed there were two characters inside the older woman head…

The cold spread from her hand, through her arm. Katara felt it. Felt the cold course through her veins. It was… Humiliating. To slowly feel yourself lose control over yourself… And to know you could do nothing to stop it…

The cold spread through her upper body, to her other arm, and finally, towards her legs. And Katara felt how she surrendered without a fight. How could she fight this? And finally, the cold crept up her neck, to her face and head. Katara felt her legs move together, as her arms pressed against her sides. The only thing she could move freely were her eyes.

No… This was not right. How could anyone do this to a person? To rob them of their own free will...

"It is impossible to fight your way out of my grip. I can feel your will to resist! But I control every muscle, every vein in your body!" And with that, Hama moved her arms.

The cold disappeared, and whatever Katara felt in her veins turned red hot. Her arms moved to their… no, Hama's will. One arm moved up, as the other just flapped at her side. Suddenly, her feet moved, and Katara was nearly being thrown from one side of the clearing to the other, by her own body. The pain in her veins made tears come to her eyes. Or were those for Hama?

Yes… Katara's heart broke, at the sight of the look in the old waterbender's eyes. Hate, pure hatred… What had Katara ever done to Hama to deserve this? She had only refused to be taught bloodbending… Hama should understand that she didn't want to do something against her will!

But that hatred in those eyes… That was directed at her!

"Stop, please…" Katara whispered as Hama forced on her knees. At least she had still power over her voice…

"Southern benders don't beg Katara."

Ah… so that was it. Hama's hatred… It was indeed directed at her.

"I'm not begging. I don't want to see you like this…" Katara whispered.

"You are not a real waterbender. A real one would have defended herself by now. Would have tried to fight me. Your weak. Worthless."

She wasn't! No! Katara knew she was a good waterbender! She had taught herself so much, during all those years in the South! And in just a few weeks, she had mastered bending her element in the North! She had wiped the floor with Pakku's other students! Even Aang, the Avatar, was not able to defeat her. Only if she allowed it! She wasn't a bad waterbender!

So, Hama wanted to see a real waterbender? Katara would show her.

Looking up to the moon, Katara knew that she had to break the power Hama had over her… The older waterbender had said that she could draw energy from the full moon… Maybe, just maybe, it would give her enough to break the bloodbending over her?

Yue, if you hear me… Please give me the power to stop this woman… for the good of the people she is hurting…

Inhaling slowly, Katara felt a small surge of energy through her body. It was the same restlessness that kept her awake during those nights that the full moon shone high in the sky… Would this work?

She began to push against the strange hot and cold feeling in her veins, and slowly, Katara began to feel in control once again. Shaking, and hesitantly, but in control.

The waterbender hated to do this, but she needed water. And Hama had given her the weapons to fight her. Drawing the humidity from the grass underneath her fingers Katara rose, pushing the coldness away from her veins. She wouldn't be robbed of her own free will. No. Katara refused to be broken.

"You are not the only one who draws power from the moon Hama. It seems my bending is more powerful than yours." Maybe those last few words were too harsh, but Katara couldn't help it. Whatever had taken over this sweet old woman had tried to humiliate her. And if there was something Katara didn't allow, was that people saw her as weak.

Hama's eyes widened as Katara straightened. This was probably the first time someone had managed to get away from her powers. Was it because she was also a waterbender? Or had her small prayer to Yue worked? Katara didn't know. And she couldn't care now, for she saw the movements the old woman made.

Before Hama could even summon water, Katara drew more from the grass around her, and threw it at the woman. The older waterbender caught it with ease and grace, Katara had to admit it. The water raced back towards her. The young waterbender saw the small icicles hidden inside the liquid water. Probably a trick to make her grab the water and wound herself on the ice. Too easy. Hama was clearly a master. But not a very good one.

Katara saw the two trees behind Hama shrink and knew that the water from those trees was going to be thrown towards her. And indeed, a second later, a great wave appeared, heading straight at her. Inhaling, Katara put her hand towards the arrow-shaped water and just blocked it. The water exploded in every direction, and through all the droplets, Katara saw the surprised look of Hama. Yeah, she also had some tricks up on her sleeve! Such as this earthbending move that she had taken over to apply it to waterbending. One of the perks of teaching and seeing the Avatar each day.

With her left hand, Katara moved the water in one hard fist towards Hama. It wasn't her goal to hurt the woman… but she needed to be subdued!

Hama cried out when the water hit her, and Katara felt her heart crack. It sounded once more like the old sweet woman… But she needed to steel her heart now. She needed to be brave and unyielding if she wanted to help the woman.

"Katara!" Suddenly, her brother's voice sounded from the tress behind Hama, and the young waterbender saw, in the pale moonlight, two shadows run towards them. One was clearly her brother, and the other was, without a doubt, Aang. Those long arms and legs, she would recognize anywhere, even in a dark forest, only lit by the moonlight.

"We know what you have been doing Hama. We found the cave." Sokka spoke up as they approached. Wait…

"Give up please, you are outnumbered!" Aang's voice sounded hurt. Not physically, but emotionally. If they had found… a cave? That probably meant the place Hama kept the people she kidnapped… Dead or alive. And Aang knew what that meant to her… He knew how much it hurt.

"No…" Hama's voice sounded, once again hoarse and vindictive "You have outnumbered yourselves."

Katara wanted to shout a warning, but she was too late. The shadows behind the old woman suddenly straightened and began to run past Hama. Now, Katara could see their faces… Her brother looked afraid, as did Aang… But the difference in those two faces was that Sokka also looked at Hama, angry and clearly out for revenge for something. All the while, Aang's expression… Well, she didn't know what that one meant, which surprised her. Normally, Aang was like an open book…

She stepped sideways as the two young men flew past her, a tangle of limbs and surprised shouts. Katara quickly threw a ball of water towards Hama, to distract her, but it didn't work, as the old woman just raised a liquid shield in front of herself.

"Katara, look out!" Sokka voice called out, and she turned towards the sound. The shadow in the dark had a sword in his hand. Raised at her. She ducked as quickly as possible, but she still felt the sword slash at the air just above her head. Spirits… Hama was really trying to kill her!

"It's like my brain has a mind of its own!" Her brother shouted, as the sword lashed out once again. Katara quickly evaded it, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Finally, she knew she didn't have any other choice…

Freezing her brother to a tree, she turned to the airbender, who stood in front of her, with a pained expression.

"This feels weird…" He muttered, as an arm flew towards her. She was just quick enough, but still felt the hand graze her shoulder. Hama… had tried to use Aang to slap her. Just slap. She knew what they were to each other! And to do that… That was just… just wrong.

"Spirits! Katara!" His voice sounded so full of regret, but she shook her head, freezing him to the tree opposite of Sokka.

"'I'm sorry!" She shouted, for she had maybe slammed him a bit too hard against the tree. But that was really not what she had wanted to do.

"Don't hurt your brother or your boyfriend Katara." Hama's evil voice sounded softly in the clearing, and suddenly, the young waterbender heard the ice crack, and in the corner of her eye, there was movement. Katara quickly turned and saw something that made her heart stop.

Sokka was pointing his sword at Aang… And was quickly reducing the distance between the sword tip and Aang… chest…

No.

Not that.

Everything but that.

"And don't let them hurt each other."

Katara heard the screaming. Her brother was screaming, as did Aang…

"NO!"

A red mist came in front of her eyes. There was only one thing to do.

And Katara knew she would hate it. Would hate herself for doing it. But… she couldn't let Hama hurt them. Not them. Not Aang. And Sokka, who would have to live with that…

Extending her hands, Katara felt the liquid in the old body. And pulled it towards her. Behind her, she heard the screaming stop, and some soft murmurs. They were safe…

But now, she had to hold Hama… The coldness in her fingers was horrible. It tingled, in the rhythm… of a heart… And it wasn't hers. The soft thumping Katara felt in her fingers wasn't that of her own heartbeat…

She felt… powerful. Power of a broken person…

Katara hated it every second. And the bile in her stomach came up and down… She forced the old waterbender, as softly as possible, to the ground. She had to contain her. Just long enough. Long enough for someone, anyone, to put her in chains. Anything! A rope would do!

Her own heart began to beat faster. She wanted to stop this. She didn't want to control someone. Please, Spirits, let it stop…

She didn't know how long it took. Only that she felt shame and hate for herself play up. Katara knew what this meant for the old woman. To lose her freedom once more, to be forced back into a prison… And this time, probably not to come out of it alive…

She had taken away Hama's freedom… With her own hands.

"Katara…" the waterbender heard a soft murmur, and looked up. Aang was kneeling beside her. Had he been there long? He nodded towards where Hama was stooping, and she saw how several people, all in tattered clothes, were putting chains on the old woman.

Swallowing, she released her hold over the woman. It was over. But she knew what she had done. Katara had taken away someone's free will…

"My work is done…" Katara saw how two men were dragging her away, but the voice was that of the sweet old waterbender… of the real Hama.

"Congralulations Katara. You are a bloodbender."

She didn't know what hurt the most. Those words, in the sweet voice that she had thought was the normal Hama… The fact that she had become something she despised… Or how the power had made her feel. Disgusted, fearful and utterly miserable, yes. But also… powerful. And evil.

Answers :

Rak : I'm especially excited for next chapter, where Aang and Katara are going to discuss all of this! But I hope you liked the chapter!