A/N. Remember when I told you about this work thing? It took less than two hours actually lol! And my PhD presentation is tomorrow, but my director said to relax, and just take the afternoon off. So, I did this. The chapter is slightly shorter, but I wanted to address an important point : That Katara has been under a lot of stress, and that the Southern Raiders plotline is a result of that.

I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.

As he watched Appa fly away, Aang tried to calm himself. No way Katara would ever do something so horrible! This was just… just a moment of insanity. Recklessness! An episode, like Sokka had described! No way that sweet, beautiful woman would be able to kill someone in cold blood.

Well… Yeah, she was capable of it. Apparently, she had killed the captain of the ship they had captured during his coma. Would she do the same now?

And why Zuko? Why had she taken Zuko? Aang would have gladly accompanied her… But he had the feeling that his presence wasn't welcome at whatever they were planning on doing to the man.

But it was het decision! Hers and hers alone… He could only advice and offer support. But at the end, it was her decision to make.

Holding his glider in his hand, the airbender resisted the urge to fly after them. The episode had started due to him stopping Katara from fighting Azula. If he did something of the same kind once more… Well, he would probably be in the worst relationship situation he had ever been in if he did that.

When had this happened? They had never fought, even once… Disagreed? Yes. But never to the point where he couldn't understand her point, and she didn't either see his side of the fight.

Gritting his teeth, he turned around and marched back to the campsite, where Suki, Sokka and Toph were sitting. He had not known that the two girls had been awake, and was actually rather surprised at the fact that the blind earthbender had got up this early.

"Please tell me you sent Appa away for the day to take a well-deserved vacation."His friend spoke first and Aang put the tip of his staff against the ground, leaning heavily on it.

"No. I let her take Appa." He spoke, anger seeping into his voice. Even he could hear that… And spirits, he didn't want to be angry with her.

"Are you kidding me? Fly up there and drag her back!" Sokka shouted, standing up and walking towards him with a vengeful look in his eyes. The airbender closed his eyes, trying to calm down.

"That is what got me in this mess in the first place!" He opened his eyes, meeting the ice blue gaze of his friend, "Don't you think I want to do that? If it was an option, I would get her down this instance and keep her here with me!"

"Then do that! Tui and La, why not?" Sokka yelled, raising both his hands towards the sky in exasperation.

Suddenly, Suki was next to them, and Aang felt a hand closed around his ear, with rather too much force. Hearing a yelp from his right, the airbender guessed that Sokka had just received the same kind of treatment.

"Alright, both of you, sit down and listen." With that, the Kyoshi pulled them towards the centre of their encampment, towards where Toph was sitting with a big grin. Spirits, she was there just for the drama, wasn't she?

"I knew I would grow to like you." The blind girl spoke up, probably directed at Suki. Aang tried to get out of the girl's grip, but only hurt himself, because she pinched his ear even harder.

"Down." She ordered, pulling them towards the ground. Aang let himself fall on his knees, turned and sat down in a somewhat more dignified manner. Beside him, Sokka just crumbled to the ground.

"How are you all functioning human beings? You are really a bunch of idiots, all of you!" Suki began.

"Hey!" Toph interjected.

"You too." The Kyoshi Warrior glared at the blind girl, and Aang noticed the slight uncomfortableness coming from Toph. It was… Well, Suki was actually a bit scary.

"First of all, who had the brilliant idea of excluding Katara from things that concern her? Oh, yes, you." She pointed a finger at Sokka.

Wait, what?

"You agreed! You swore not to tell her too!" His friend objected, but not very passionately.

"Not to tell her what?" Aang felt his eyes narrow. Sokka knew something… Something bad. About Katara. And had not told him.

"Not important for the moment. Then, who stopped her doing what she thought was right? The freaking Avatar, a source of such wisdom." The last part was said with such sarcasm that even a deaf person could have heard it. And Aang shrank away from the accusation.

"I just…"

"No, no. I'm not finished! You know what she said to me at the Serpent's Pass?"

Wait, what was that? Had they… Had they talked about this, so many months ago?

"That you are the one person who values her for who she is, not just for what she is. That you respect her, something she had never seen a man do before in her life." Suki continued.

"I respect her!" Sokka butt in.

"I was talking about men in general. You are not going to say Water Tribe men respect women, do you? Or do I need to kick your ass a second time?" Suki lifted her eyebrow, but before anything could be said, Toph chuckled loudly.

"Wait, you kicked sense into Meathead? Please, teach me!" The blind girl grinned ear to ear.

"Oh, don't worry, when I'm finished with him, it's your turn. You didn't even lift a finger these last few days, even though Katara is your friend. You are as much to blame as these idiots." The Kyoshi Warrior shook her head.

What… What was happening? Had he missed something crucial? Was that what Suki was suggesting?

"Can someone explain what is happening?" He asked, not really sure where this was going.

"Alright. If you haven't noticed, she is scared out of her mind. I saw it the moment I got to the temple! How have you not noticed that?" Suki rolled her eyes at him.

"Ehm… I don't know…" He began.

"You don't know? You have spent more time with her than any of us, and you didn't notice? If the things I got told are correct…" A look towards Sokka, "Katara is afraid she us going to be used as a bargaining chip, right? Azula threatened to use her as a way to break your resolve. You may be afraid for her, but she is afraid not only for herself, but also for you! She has the double pressure of being afraid for what might happen to her, and what might happen to you! How are you so blind!" Suki looked like she wanted to kick him.

Had… Had Katara been afraid of that? She had always said to him that she didn't care what happened to her, as long as her loved ones were safe… But that might have been a lie she told herself. A lie to escape the truth, that their lives and futures were in danger…

"And she hates Azula, for obvious reasons. So, she thought she could solve the problem by killing her. Katara, even if she didn't realize what she was afraid of, thought it would solve your problems. And you stopped her!"

Maybe… That was true? Katara had never liked confessing her fears, not even to herself… And perhaps… Just perhaps, subconsciously, she had been afraid. Aang had seen what that fear did to the waterbender the night after Hama, when her strong façade had crumbled… It had been reconstructed in less than a day, but he had still seen it…

"But… If I had not done so…" He began, only to be cut off once more by the auburn-haired girl.

"That is not what is important to Katara, Aang… The fact that you did, that made her mad. I'm not saying you were wrong, because you weren't… But Katara just saw the one way in her mind to end the war, without having to lose anyone else she loves. And tried to take it. That is it. Have you all been so blind to it that you can't see that she is the less stable of the group? You all rely on her for support, but sometimes, it would be good to return the favour."

He let his head hang in shame. Katara had constantly been supporting him after the defeat of the invasion, had listened to the horrible truth of what he had lost due to the Fire Nation… And had always been kind and understanding.

She had not been mad that he had hidden the existence of Jinora… The waterbender had opened her arms for him to find comfort…

And he had not done the same thing…

He had not listened to her concerns about Zuko, brushing them aside because his presence was necessary. He had not taken time to listen to her, about what she had lost during the invasion. People had died, people she probably had known her whole life… And he had not thought about that, for even a moment.

Hakoda's escape, thank to Sokka, had made him think about it, for a brief instance. He had seen the happiness in her eyes, seeing her father safe and sound. But there were so many more… nearly a hundred of her closest family and friends had gone into the prisons… And how many would come out of them?

Then, there was the fact that the Fire Nation would probably win this war unless they managed to stop Ozai in just over two weeks… He had tried so hard to protect Katara, that he hadn't thought about the other side of the coin… She was afraid for him. Afraid that these two weeks would perhaps be the last they spent together, as his fight with the Fire Lord was not guaranteed to see the result they wished for. He… he could die.

He had ignored her fears, because his own were so great… But that didn't mean that they weren't there, hidden underneath a mantle of care and kindness.

And Suki, after just a few days, had seen them, while he had been blind to them.

"I didn't… I didn't mean to ignore her suffering…" He whispered, still staring to the ground. Spirits, how had he been so blind? He had only thought about his own fears, who, even if they included Katara, didn't take into account her fears. Her worries.

Because he had just… Kind of assumed they were on the same page about it.

"But she has gone to literally murder someone!" Sokka objected, standing up. Yes… That was true. But he knew Katara… She wouldn't do that, right?

Aang lifted himself up, helped by his airbending. Suki and Toph didn't look all that surprised at what his friend just had said, so he assumed Sokka had already told them as the airbender had watched Katara leave with Zuko and Appa.

"We'll… We will just have to wait and see what she decides to do." He sighed, trying to do what Suki had kind of instructed him to do. Let her do what she thought was best…

Even… Even if it was killing someone.

"Is it deserved?" Toph suddenly asked, making him turn around in shock. No murder is ever deserved!

"Oh yes…" Sokka muttered darkly, "That, it is."

Aang knew he had totally different ideas about justice than most people… But what would justify the murder of a man, who had been following orders? Perhaps against his own wishes?

"Would you… Would you tell us? What happened, I mean?" Suki asked, sitting down next to the blind girl. Aang watched his friend's face darken with unspoken emotion.

"I was… Nine, ten? Yes. That day… I was to go with the hunt for the first time in my life…" The voice of his friend sounded… emotionless. As if he was trying, with all his might, not to sound too sad. And Aang had never heard the story, so, he sat down with the girls, listening to the water tribe boy in front of them.

"It was the beginning of the Midnight Season, and at the south pole, that means that the sun never sets… At least, not really. We were to go hunting some small game, so I was allowed with them. My mother… My mother had made it very clear to me that if I didn't listen to Bato and Dad, she would have my hide." A soft smile cracked through the blank façade.

"Sounds like she had her hands full with you." Suki shook her head, smiling. And Aang saw the softness in that gesture. It quietly encouraged Sokka to open up more about that day, but at the same time, showed him that it was alright to feel something.

"Yeah… Katara was the perfect child. I was the troublemaker… But yeah, so, we were preparing to go. I say we, but all I did was throw snowballs at Katara, who had been talking our Dad's ears off about something… I don't remember what exactly. Something… Something about what Gran Gran was going to make for someone's birthday?"

It was typical for Sokka to worry about the fact he had forgotten such a trivial detail, and Aang had to slight suspicion that his friend was focusing on that, rather than continuing the story.

"Not important. The black snow arrived at that moment…" Sokka suddenly turned around, letting his back face them while he looked over towards the ocean. The airbender didn't say anything about that, because he knew what the black snow meant.

Fire Nation ships…

"There were two ships. One landed on the east side of the village, the other on the west. They quickly closed off all escape routes." This time, Sokka's voice sounded nearly mechanical, as if he wanted it to be over as fast as possible.

"I was put behind the wall as the men who had prepared to go hunting went to meet the soldiers. I don't think they had thought they would face prepared, armed warriors. There was a fight, but the warriors were slowly pushed back. Then… Katara raced past me, straight into the fighting. I followed, of course. Not that I could have changed anything if something happened… But still. She weaved through the battle, towards our dad."

That sounded like something Katara would do… Bolt straight through a battle, without even considering the fact she might get injured or worse…

"I followed, and then I heard her speak to our dad… There is a strange man in the tent!"

Ah… Spirits. That would have been horrible… Katara had seen the attacker… And would probably still remember him…

"Of course, Dad immediately ran towards our home. Katara and I followed, not knowing what it meant. As we arrived close to the tent, we also saw the soldiers retreat towards the ships. As the warriors cried out victory… We discovered something that was everything but victory."

Aang resisted the urge to hug his friend. It wouldn't be welcomed, he knew that.

"The first thing we noticed was… Was the smell. Gran Gran had already been inside and walked out when we arrived. Dad entered, but she stopped me and Katara. But she couldn't stop us seeing what happened when Dad opened the tent. Whatever… Whatever he had done, that wasn't our mother anymore."

Butchered. Kya had been… butchered. Spirits, no child should ever see a person like that. Spirits, who was he kidding? No one should ever see a body like that.

Sokka didn't continue the story, but there was no need. Aang could imagine that Hakoda had not been in the right frame of mind the following months… or perhaps even years. For… three years? Three years after what happened, he had sailed away, taking every abled bodied man with him. And the chief had said it himself. He had done so to hurt the people who had hurt him.

Three years hadn't been enough to come to terms. Spirits, Aang had seen Hakoda's hurt look when he watched Katara. He had told him that of the two, Katara resembled their mother the most, at least, the voice and the eyes. So, no… Hakoda had never come to terms with it.

And he could understand that…

So, why had he not understood Katara's desire for revenge? If he had seen people he loved killed right in front of him… Spirits, he had nearly blown up a building seeing a skeleton of a person who had died a hundred years ago… So, what would he have done in Katara's place?

Sokka walked away, towards the ocean side of their camp, and Suki followed him. The airbender opted not to do the same thing… For he knew that his friend didn't want him there, at this moment.

Sighing, he stood up, stretched, and looked around. So… What now?

"Are you alright?" Toph asked. Turning, he saw that the blind girl had also straightened up, and was now standing in the middle of the camp, also without an apparent purpose.

"Not really… But I know what is wrong. I should have talked to Katara, but instead… I just listed all my fears, over and over again… instead of asking what she thought of it… I'm such a bad…" A bad what? What was he? He and Katara had agreed on a relationship… But to call her his girlfriend? That did not do it justice. He had started to call her his companion, like the Air Nomads always did in case they chose not to marry… But that seemed too easy, too… simple.

"No, you're not. You had good intentions. The implementation of those intentions could use some work, however." Toph punched his arm, making him nearly lose his balance.

"Yeah… I know. I shouldn't have tried to stop her, with Azula… Or with this whole thing…" He waved his hand towards the sky, in the direction Zuko, Katara and Appa had flown off to.

"Oh, stopping her with Azula was a good thing. She would have died trying to kill that little shit. But yeah… After that, you both were kind of a mess. So, how is the first fight of the relationship?" The blind girl bent a stool out of rock and sat down, pulling a leg up and she began to pick… something… out between her toes.

"No fun. I prefer the other parts…" He sighed, falling down on the ground in front of Toph. Katara had said that she would be back tomorrow…

"The fucking part you mean?" The earthbender grinned wickedly.

"Spirits Toph! We just discussed serious things! And no-"

"Exactly. What better way to ease the tension than pestering my favourite boxing ball?" Toph interrupted, flicking whatever she had picked from the skin of her toes towards him. He softly blew it away, not even disgusted.

"You are horrible, you do know that?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

"Ah, Twinkletoes… I know. But you didn't answer my question."

He groaned, letting himself fall back, so that he lay on the ground.

"I just don't like fighting with her." He opted to say. There was no need to lie, but he wasn't going to tell Toph about what he wanted to do, instead of fighting.

"She doesn't like it either. I was awake and listened to your… discussion before she left. Sugar Queen hated it, the fighting I mean. It was like she hesitated… Maybe, when she gets back, you might discuss everything… in a civilized way, I mean." The blind girl suggested.

Katara… had hated fighting too?

"But when she comes back… I just hope she didn't do something she will regret later. Because she would. I know that." He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Fan Girl was right… Katara has to do things her own way." Top stated, before jumping off her stool and walking off, towards the high grass to the north of their camp.

Her own way…

Yes… They were right. Aang just hoped that her way wasn't the way Zuko had encouraged. The path of revenge. After having heard what had really happened… The airbender understood how that could traumatize a person… And certainly, someone like Katara.

Katara still loved her mother, probably more than anything… And it was clear as day that she had not handled that lost very well. But then again, he was one to speak… He had not even accepted that the Air Nomads were really gone. So who was he to criticize how she managed her suffering?

If he had found the waterbender like that, mutilated and burned… oh… He would go after the person who did that. No hesitation. He would go after them and do the same things. So, why had he been so shocked when, given the opportunity, Katara had done exactly that?

Because he hadn't thought of her worries… As Suki had explained. He had just thought of himself… making him rather selfish, wasn't it? The airbender realized that now…

Suddenly, movement beside him made him open his eyes. Momo had crawled towards him, clearly as slowly as possible as not to make any sound. And now, his little paws were inside his tunic, trying to find a place he could have hidden something like a treat.

"Hey Momo…" He whispered, putting a hand inside the pocket of his trousers. He pulled out the bison whistle, and some nuts. He could… he could try and blow it, recalling Appa. What was the exact range of these things? He had seen the really good ones work over several miles, but this one, he had bought at a market… Maybe it was a genuine one, but Aang didn't know for sure.

And it would be the exact opposite of what Suki had told him to do.

Sighing, he put it back and handed the lemur one of the nuts. As Momo walked off, proud that he had managed to trick Aang into giving him a treat, the airbender sat up straight.

He needed to trust Katara, as she had always trusted him, to make the right decision. A decision that would give her closure. One that would heal an open wound… A decision that would enable her of putting the past behind her.

Suki was right. They had neglected Katara's feelings for far too long… He had been taken aback by the sudden burst of anger, but if she had pushed them to underneath the surface for so long… Anything could have triggered it.

They had been too easy to thrust their problem on her shoulders… And maybe he should have seen it… That pilling his worries on shoulders that already had so much to carry on their own… Well, it was selfish. And he needed to stop that. Sharing his worries, yes… But he should also listen to hers. So, sitting in the middle of the camp, he made a vow.

I promise not to judge, whatever she will do. I'll be there to hear the story, without any prejudice. And after this is done, I swear on the Spirits, I'll not trouble her without helping to carry her burden.

Answers :

Kalaong: I have not yet written their reunion discussion, and I don't know yet how I am going to approach that lol! But yes, trying to convince a person who is trying to take vengeance that they aren't evil is probably hard!

Bbacon: Oh, of course that is going to happen, but this part is important for the relationship, because first fights are always important. They show how the other reacts when irritated, and how that person will try and apologize.

Reader: I think he meant that of course, you can't force someone to forgive, but you can encourage them. You just can't expect them to just do it. And of course, I try the personalities as real as possible, meaning that characters will contradict themselves sometimes.

Jjsmith103: I just don't know how to write angst lol! Give me fluff and smut, that writes itself! But angst? God, what a living hell lol! Of course this isn't a Zutara moment! This is one traumatized boy trying to resolve his own issues by helping a traumatized girl: "Wanna go kill the people we hate?". About the culture part, I didn't mean it as an insult towards Aang from Katara, but I imagine it would hurt him.