ANNOUNCEMENT! I have a complete plan for the rest of this fic and more. First, I have a total of 20 chapters planned, with their titles and plot summary. Second, every time I post a new chapter, I will include the title for the next chapter in the summary to add anticipation for you guys. Third, THE BIG PLAN, I am going to also write Book 3 as a continuation of the plot line I am writing right now for Book 2. Lastly, I also want to write a Book 2.5, in order to fill my own plot holes between Book 2 and Book 3. YAY! I am ambitious, but I love the challenge. OH! I also came up for the name of my "Book 3." It will be: Book 3: Fire in the... I won't say the last word because it will spoil some plans I have for Book 2: Earthly Barriers. Although, feel free to guess the last word of the title, if you wish, it can be a game!
One bit of slight bad news. I know I am a quick updater by fanfiction standards, and I am proud of that. However, after this chapter, updates will be more spread apart. I am leaving for vacation at the end of next week and will then go directly into my first year of college, so it may be a little while before the next chapter. Mainly because I want to focus on school and get used to college life.
Anyways, on to the chapter; this one is a more relaxing chapter, no fighting. Chapter 8: Healing Hands. The next chapter will be "The Library."
Chapter 8: Healing Hands
Iroh was worried. Worried for the young airbender. Ever since their battle with Azula, Aang had pushed himself away from Iroh and Zuko. Iroh, to an extent, understood why: he was scared. Scared of himself. Scared of hurting others. Iroh had heard stories of the Avatar State, but never had he thought he could see its power firsthand. He had to admit, it was scary, and Aang knew t that too; that was why he was avoiding everyone. He needed help.
Iroh stood up, leaving the crackling fire and the soothing orange glow it put off in the cool night. He passed a dozing Zuko, who was leaning against a rock, and continued down the small canyon. He knew where the boy was; there was a lone maple tree in the canyon that he had climbed into earlier. Aang ad been there all evening. Iroh assumed that Aang would be asleep when he approached. He was surprised to hear the boy's voice when he reached the base of the maple tree.
"Hey Uncle." Came his voice in a somber tone.
"No need for formalities, Aang." Iroh replied, peering into the branches of the tree, not able to see anything. "If you wish to come down, I would like to talk." He suggested and no sooner, Aang dropped out of the tree, cushioning his fall with airbending.
"Hey Uncle." He murmured again.
"As I said before, you can just call me Iroh."
"I would prefer to call you Uncle or Master Iroh. With the Air Nomads, we were always taught to respect our elders, and the best way is to do that is to use their title." He replied, rather seriously.
"Very well, come sit." With this, he and Aang sat down under the tree in the lotus position. "May I ask what is bothering you?" He asked, showing genuine concern in his eyes.
"It's nothing." Aang sighed.
"I don't believe it's nothing. Please, tell me. I just wish to help" He stated softly, but firmly.
"Ok. I...I was scared." He replied shakily.
"And why is that?" Iroh asked, fully knowing what Aang was scared of hurting others with the Avatar State.
"I'm...I'm scared of hurting you guys because I can't control my emotions." He looked down and away from Iroh. He turned to look at Iroh again, only with tears brimming his eyes. "Do you know what it's like to watch yourself cause so much destruction and not be able to stop it?!" He choked.
"No, I don't, Aang. But, please remember that as the Avatar, you will always have that power and-"
Aang cut him off, "Well, I don't want that power!"
"Aang, please listen." Pleaded Iroh. "If my memory serves me, you will eventually be given the chance to master it." He paused, looking into Aang's eyes. "I know it's tough, but just like your fear of firebending, you will have to come to terms with it eventually." Aang nodded, seeming to understand what Iroh was saying. Iroh smiled, "And, I think the Avatar state is beautiful, in its own way of course."
Aang quirked an eyebrow, curious as to what Uncle had to say, "How so?"
"Well, it's the culmination of a thousand lifetimes coming together in harmony, working together. That is what that glow is, am I right?" Aang smiled and nodded. "Sure, it's destructive, but never forget that it is why the world is at peace during the time of the Avatar." Aang frowned a bit. He disappeared for a hundred years and came back to a world at war. "The power it possesses it great, but in a person like you, there is nothing to be afraid of." Iroh smiled.
"But you saw what happened when Azula said that to me, about Katara." Aang rose his voice.
Iroh shook his head. "What she said was disgusting and wrong. She won't say anything like that again to you. Your reaction only demonstrates the immense love you have for your friend." Aang blushed a little at the comment. Iroh stroked his beard for a moment in thought, "Please, tell me more about your friends. You haven't told me much about them; I would certainly like to know more before I get to meet them." Iroh stated, hoping to get the young boy happy again, not only with talking about his friends, but the confidence that he will see them again soon.
Aang grinned, "Well...I'll talk about Sokka first. He is obsessed with eating meat and talking about his skills with a boomerang, which I must say, he is quite good at." Aang paused before Iroh gestured for him to continue. "He's actually quite funny, although, most of his humor stems with from bad puns and sarcasm." Aang chuckled. "All that aside, when things get tough, he's the brains of our group; he always has a plan. Also, his love for his sister, Katara, is immense. He will do anything to protect her. Actually, before I met them, their father left to fight in the war, leaving Sokka to watch over the tribe, so he had to grow up fast." Aang frowned, thinking about how it was his fault that there even was a war that their father had to fight in.
"That had to be hard on both of them. Tell me about his physical attributes, so I could get an idea of what he looks like." Iroh asked.
"Well, he's sixteen now, I think, and a little shorter than Zuko. He's got a wolf tail style haircut, blue eyes and he is strong."
"And your earthbending master, Toph was it?" He asked.
"Yes. Well...where do I start?" Aang paused. "Um well...she uh...she's um...different." He stuttered. "First off, she's blind, but you forget sometimes because she can see with her feet through the vibrations in the earth; it's actually quite incredible." He paused. "Anyway, She's extremely hard-headed. She can be extremely rude and doesn't take any nonsense. Also, she is the self-proclaimed 'Greatest Earthbender in the World.''' He chuckled. "She doesn't act like a twelve year old girl. Actually, she hardly acts like a girl. She's uh...well she's a one-of-a-kind, and you'll know her when you see her."
"Hmm, sounds like an interesting girl. Now, tell me about Katara, you've told me about her waterbending prowess, and that you like her, a lot, but not much else." Iroh stated.
Aang blushed deeply, even Iroh could see the bright crimson glow through the night sky. "Well um...you see she uh-"
Iroh laughed, "There's no need to be nervous, Aang. I won't tell anyone about your crush."
Aang blushed deeper, "I...well...you see...it's not really a crush."He looked down.
Iroh stopped laughing, "Than what is it?"
Aang spoke, the blush ever present. "Well umm...I think I actually might be...in love with her." Aang looked up into Iroh's eyes hesitantly.
Iroh smiled, "Well, then tell me why."
Aang's blush had disappeared and he smiled. "Well she's really pretty, in every way: her eyes, her hair, her smile, her laugh, her voice. Just everything. She's so caring too." He pause as tears of happiness began to form. "She will never turn her back on those in need. She's strong willed and stubborn. And I mean stubborn, but that's another reason why I love her; she just never gives up on what she believes in, it's special you know." He paused again as Iroh smiled at him in encouragement. "She...she was always there for me." He began to cry, only this time, out of sadness. "That's why I coped so well with coming back after a hundred years; she was just there." He paused and took a shaky breath. "I...I just miss her so much." He finished as more tears came out of his eyes.
"She sounds like a amazing young woman." Aang slowly nodded in reply. Iroh let Aang have a few more moments before placing his hand on his shoulder, "You love for her is deep, Aang. Let that make you stronger. You will see her again soon, just stay strong young one."
"I will, and thank you." Aang replied with a weak smile.
"Let's go back to camp and get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." With that they got up and left the maple tree to head back to camp, ready to continue their journey toward Ba Sing Se.
Meanwhile,
It was another cold, dark night of flying. It has been three days since Azula's attack and Sokka thought it best to travel at night, for it would be harder to be tracked, and the only place where Katara could sleep was on Appa. Ever since the encounter with Azula, Katara had not been doing well; after the battle, she had severe burns on her left leg, right arm and hand, as well as multiple cuts and bruises. She was constantly healing and rehabbing herself during the daytime hours, but things were progressing slowly, luckily her burns would not scar. She had healed her cuts, bruises and the burn on her hand, but the burns on her arm and leg were better, but still painful. Around camp, Katara walked around with a slight limp and rarely used her right arm. She also had to cut her leggings and her under-wrappings short and her, due to the fact that they were burned, revealing more skin than Sokka would have liked from his sister. Although her water tribe dress covered the front and back, it did not cover the sides, leaving a perfect view for any jerk to see.
Sokka scrunched his nose at the thought. If anyone so much as looks at her in that way, I will be sure they will never see the light of day. Now, though, it was time to check on his sister and Toph. Sokka climbed up the hump of Appa's back and into the saddle, the cool night air nearly freezing him in place. As he plopped down on the saddle he looked around. Toph was sleeping soundly, a blanket wrapped around her and a pack behind her head. He turned his gaze to his sister, who was lying on her left side, facing the center of the saddle. Katara was in her sleeping bag along with Momo, who has noticed her distress lately. She had a contents smile painted on her face, a rarity nowadays, though, she was shivering.
Sokka crawled to the back of the saddle and to his pack, which was sitting next to Toph, and pulledd out another blanket for his sister. He shuffled over to her and placed the blanket over her, careful not to disturb her. Although he was often called a hardhead, or un-caring, by Katara, he was still her brother and he needed to help her whenever she needed it most. Right Now. She needs me now. He thought. She was in pain, horrible pain; not just physical, but emotional pain. Which confirmed once she reacted to the newfound warmth.
With a new comfort Katara spoke in her sleep, "Mmm. Thank you, Aang." She murmured.
With those words, Sokka was overcome by a grave sadness. He knew she cared for him. She missed him. They all did, but especially her. He always knew that she had feelings for him, the depths of which, he did not know. Now, though, she was dreaming of him. That was given. He was happy that she was happy, but she couldn't see what he and Toph could: Reality. The chances of Aang being captured, at this point, were high, but he couldn't tear Katara down like that. Not only that, but if he said something, she would probably disappear at night to save him herself. That's just the way she is, stubborn, willful, brave, strong and determined. When she had a mission, she was going to see it through, and he couldn't let her do that now. Not when they had no idea where Aang was and that there were three crazy girls after him, and probably Zuko.
Zuko, haven't seen him in a while. As he completed his thoughts, the sun began to rise above the horizon to his right. He slowly stood, patting his sisters shoulder softly, and headed for Appa's head, looking for a clearing to land in. He needed sleep, and Katara need to heal. Toph, on the other hand, well...she was just Toph. Sokka took Appa's reins and guided him to a small clearing. The trees were beginning to thin out, signifying the approaching desert. With a soft grunt, Appa set down gently, knowing of the snoozing passengers on his back. Sokka quietly gathered all the supplies he could, ones not being used by Katara or Toph, and set up a small camp. By the time the sun was fully above the horizon, Sokka had started a fire, gathered food, water and started breakfast; although he can really only cook meat and soup. He also rolled small logs near the fire to sit on and set up a tent for Katara to do her healing magic, as Sokka put it. Once he was finally able to sit and close his eyes, he heard a voice from Appa's back.
"Hey, Meathead. Your sister needs help." Came Toph's undeniable bellow.
Sokka sighed and stood up. Although Katara was doing better, she still couldn't get on or off Appa without help. He walked to Appa's tail, which he so kindly laid on the ground, and climbed up. Once to the top, he saw his sister and smiled. "How ya doin' sis?"
She gave him a weak smile, "Better, but I still need your help."
"I know just hang on." And with that he picked her up bridal style and slowly climbed down Appa's tail, followed by Toph. "I started breakfast and got your tent ready."
"Sokka, you really didn't have to do all this by yourself, especially after flying all night." She scolded him.
"Yeah well, you're not in any condition to do anything." He repremanded setting her down on one of the logs. "And would you really want Toph to gather food and water." He chuckled.
"Hey!" Yelled Toph, punching his arm.
Sokka didn't reply. Katara sighed, "But Sokka-"
"No 'buts.' I don't want you to hurt yourself and you need to spend your time healing, ok." He scolded her gently.
Katara sighed in defeat, "Ok."
"Good. Now I'm gonna get some sleep. Please be careful and do your magic healing."
"Sokka!" She exclaimed with a mile. He was happy to see her smile again.
"Ok. Ok. I'll leave you alone." And with that he slipped into his tent and quickly fell asleep. Once he was out of sight, Katara stood up, letting out a small whimper, and walked to their water skins. She grabbed one and made her way back to her seat, sitting down, she pulled back her dress slightly and began the healing process. She cringed at the initial touch of the water, but eventually relaxed at the soothing feeling. She continued to work on her leg, all the while, Toph sat across the fire, staring blankly in her direction.
Toph couldn't understand the pain she was in. She had never been burned before and she dreaded what a burn would look like if she could see it. She wanted to help; she may have seemed like a rude, down-to-earth (No pun intended) stubborn girl, but she really looked out for her friends and she wanted to show it. "Do you need any help?" She asked genuinely.
Katara stopped what she was doing and looked up at the blind girl, a little shocked. What could she do to help. Not wanting to just pass it off, Katara had an idea, "Um...sure. Can you bend a small platform so I can elevate my leg a little." Katara asked, knowing she didn't need to keep it elevated at this point. The worst damage was gone, now it just stung more than anything.
Toph stood up and walked towards her friend. "You might wanna move your leg to the side for a minute." Toph suggested. Once she felt Katara's leg move, Toph stomped the ground, raising a small circular earthen platform about a foot off the ground.
Once the earth had settled, Katara lifted her leg so her foot was resting on the platform and continued her healing session. Her arm stung from its burn, but her leg was worse so she pressed on. "Thank you, Toph."
"Hey. What are friends for?" She asked rhetorically, and was surprised to get an answer as she sat back down.
"Being there when they are needed most, when others won't be. They're always kind. They forgive. They comfort you." A tear escaped her eye. Toph continued to listen. "They...they never leave your side." She choked as she moved to heal her arm, all her gratitude coming out in one swig
There was a moment of silence as Toph contemplated this. "What about brothers?" Toph asked softly.
There was a small chuckle from Katara through her sobs. "Well...they always annoying. They're butts sometimes. They don't always understand you." More tears ran down her face. "But...but they'll do anything in their power to protect you, no matter what." She choked.
Toph wanted to cry, but she had to stay strong for Katara. "And Aang?"
Katara felt something make its way into her throat. She gulped, "He likes people for who they really are. He...he is always selfless towards others. He's everything a brother and a friend are, other than the annoying parts of a brother." She chuckled slightly. "He...he...he's the most amazing and caring person in the world." She paused taking a shaky breath. "I...I...I love him, Toph." She exclaimed, stopping her healing.
"I know it's tough, but Sokka and I are here for you." Toph comforted.
Katara was relieved and grateful for everything. She looked up at Toph and pulled her into a fierce hug. "I know and I can't thank you or Sokka enough for everything."
"Yeah. Yeah. Just don't tell Sokka; he'll think I'm goin' soft, which I'm not!" Toph exclaimed. "Now, fix yourself up because I wanna spar with you again."
Katara giggled, feeling much better both physically and mentally. "Yes, Miss Beifong." Toph glowered at her before walking away while Katara continued her healing, now happy and hopeful of the future.
A/N: Again, the next update will probably be a while. Thanks for reading and please review; it helps me out so much to know you guys enjoy this.