Author Note: Hi guys! So this story is something that I have been imagining pretty much since I watched the show for the first time, and I'm finally putting it to paper!
Very Kataang, takes place during Aang's coma between book 2 and 3.
Please enjoy and review!
Wake up
Chapter 1: The Fall of The Avatar
Katara was fighting for her life. She had been fighting Zuko, but Azula had now joined in, and they were overpowering her. She could take one, but not both, and Aang had disappeared. "Aang," she thought, "where are you? I need you!"
She continued to try and keep them at bay, but it wasn't enough. They pushed her back into the crystals, and she felt her head slam against it before everything went black.
When she came back, she didn't know how much time had passed, but she was surrounded by Dai Li agents. She took a fighting stance quickly, bending the water to defend herself. She glanced over to the side, to see Aang, who had come back at some point. But he too, was surrounded. "There's too many. We can't get out of here alone."
But then, Aang did something strange. He had made himself a shelter out of crystals using his earth bending. Katara felt a little confused. Was he hiding? No, of course not. Aang was the bravest person she knew, and he wouldn't leave her like that.
Then, she saw it. There was a glow coming from inside. A glow that Katara knew well. Aang was going into the Avatar State. She realized that she hadn't gotten to ask Aang if his practice with the guru had been completed. Had he mastered it?
A loud crash and bang silenced her thoughts – Aang was fully into the Avatar State and rising above everyone. Katara watched with amazement. He seemed different – he wasn't scary. He seemed calm. And in control. His lessons must have worked! She felt an overwhelming sense of pride as she watched him. She was so proud of him. He had worked so hard, and had come so far. She also felt relief. With Aang mastering it, they had a chance after all!
Another loud boom rang her ears. Before Katara could process what was happening, Aang's body was convulsing violently as lightning coursed through it. Her eyes grew wide as the lightning stopped, and Aang was falling quickly. She wanted to shout his name, but she seemed to have lost all ability to speak. She had to save him, and save him quick.
Her anger rose as she summoned the biggest title wave she could muster. Her eyes stung with tears as she paid no attention to anyone under her wave – they could all drown for all she cared. She had to catch Aang before he hit the ground. And catch him, she did. She wasn't sure how she summoned the strength, but she did it.
He was cold. Too cold. Tears were uncontrollably rolling out of her eyes now as she looked at his face. The usual joyful, kind and loving eyes were closed, and he was limp and lifeless. No, this couldn't be the end. She couldn't lose him. Not before she could tell him how she felt… about how…how…
She looked up for a moment. Somehow, Zuko and Azula had survived her wave. They were walking towards her. They were about to finish the job, no doubt. This was the end. She was going to die with Aang.
Again, something took her by surprise. There were fire blasts coming, but they weren't aimed at her. In fact, they were pushing Zuko and Azula away from her. Then, Iroh jumped in front of her, a barrier between her, Aang, and Azula and Zuko.
"You have to get out of here," he shouted towards her, "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"
Iroh was helping her? Was he really on their side this whole time?
She stood up. She wanted to thank the old man, but she needed to act now. She pulled Aang over her shoulder and she headed towards a water fall. Trying to shake the burning feeling in her stomach as Aang's limp weight made her weak in the knees, she pulled him over as she bended the water.
"I'm going to get you out of here, Aang," she thought as she looked down to his face that was rolling from side to side, "please just stay with me."
The water rushed around them as she headed straight up. She kept her eyes up, trying to find light as she approached the normal ground. She didn't know if she was looking for sunlight or stars, as she had lost track of time while she was imprisoned down there.
She could only hope that she would reach there in time, and that some how, some way, she could save Aang.
"Okay , Toph, this is where we split from Aang and Iroh. Do you feel any vibrations? Are they still down there?" Sokka and Toph were jumping off of Appa, ready to look for Aang and Katara.
Toph placed her hand on the ground, feeling for vibrations in the deep crystal catacombs. "I feel a lot of movement, actually," Toph's eyes grew wide as she realized what was happening, "there's hundreds of Dai Li down there!"
"What? Are you sure? We need to get down there and help them!"
Toph put her hand on Sokka's shoulder before he started to move towards the tunnel she and Aang had made. "Wait, I can feel something else. It feels like… water! A big stream! I think they're coming!"
She quickly made a hole in the ground where she sensed Katara coming, giving her an opening to come to the ground. And sure enough, moments after, Katara approached the surface.
"Katara!" Sokka shouted as he ran towards his sister. But he froze half way towards her as he looked at the other person who was lying on the ground next to her, eyes closed. "Aang? Katara what happened," he was frantically shouting at he looked towards his sister and friend.
"What are you talking about?" Toph asked with a hand on the ground. "Katara is the only one here, there's only one heart beat…"
Toph was cut off by Katara's sobs, something she had been keeping at bay, but now she let out in the open. Toph's eye grew wide with realization. Katara wasn't the only one there.
Sokka knelt down to his sister and wrapped her in his arms, not saying a word. His eyes fixed on the lifeless figure on the ground. This was it – they lost him. The hope of the world, the person who brought a sparkle to his sister's eyes for the first time since their mother died, was gone. He felt tears threatening his eyes as well, as he realized just what this meant. Not only was his best friend gone, but the Fire Nation had won.
"He… was..in…the…Avatar…" Katara forced out as as tears streamed down her cheeks. She let go of her brother and grabbed on to Aang's body, rocking back and forth as she placed her head on his chest, desperately searching for any sign of life in him.
Sokka stood up and gingerly placed his hands around Aang, picking him up to take him to Appa. Toph stood to the side, tears in her eyes, as she felt the situation unfold. She couldn't bring herself to speak – she just kept her head low.
"Sokka," Katara breathed out, "we can't lose him. Not now-"
"Shhhh Katara," Sokka said as he helped his sister up onto Appa, then Toph. Earth King Kuei sat on Appa's back already, eyes glossed over as he witnessed the scene play out. "Katara, we need to get out of here," Sokka whispered.
She nodded as they laid Aang gently down on Appa's back. "Appa, yip yip," Toph yelled as the Bison flew into the air, letting out grunts and groans that signaled he could sense something was wrong with his master. Momo sniffed Aang's head as he purred, trying to nudge Aang awake. Sokka picked up the lemur, placing him on his shoulder. "It's okay buddy, it's gonna be okay," he said to Momo as the creature moaned at the sight of his unresponsive master.
Katara's eyes didn't stop the stream of tears as she stared at Aang, his body sprawled out on Appa's back. This couldn't be. They couldn't lose him, not now, not in this way. Azula took a cheap shot to his back, and she only wished she had seen her plan before it was too late. The sobs erupted once again and she laid her head down on his chest again, wishing, hoping, praying, there was some way she could bring him back.
Her eyes grew wide and she lifted her head. "This spirit water," she said, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "I can try healing him with the spirit water!"
Sokka raised his hand in attempt to protest, but quickly realized Katara had her mind set. He nodded and helped her pick Aang up and bring him to Appa's head, so she could prop him up properly. Then, he moved back to Appa's back to watch with baited breath as Katara attempted the unthinkable.
Katara looked at Aang for a moment as she took the vial of water from her neck. He almost looked like he was just sleeping, but she only wished that was the case. She picked him up and placed him over her shoulder, so she could access the entry wound on his back. She cringed at the sight of it. He was badly burned, and she could even see some nerves sticking out. It was practically a hole straight through to his heart. She said a little prayer to the spirits as she bended the water from the vial. It glowed a bright white as she moved it over his back, and tenderly placed it on his wound. The glow disappeared, and then, nothing happened. "No, it didn't work," she thought as he didn't stir. She let out another sob and hugged him tightly, realizing he was gone forever.
But then, something amazing happened! His tattoo glowed – and then, what Katara felt was the sound of an angel. Aang was grunting, stirring in fact. She quickly gasped and pulled out of her embrace to look at his face. A moment Katara would not forget. Aang's eyes were open. He was alive. He stared at her weakly as she stared into his half lidded eyes. He gave her a half smile, before she embraced him again. She held him tight, feeling his heart beat against her chest. He didn't hug her back, but she knew it was because he probably didn't have the strength to lift his arms.
She held on to him for what felt like ages before pulling back, looking at his half open eyes once again. "I thought I lost you," she whispered.
"Katara," he whimpered out, but Katara shook her head. "It's okay, Aang. Iroh held them off so we could get out of there. You're going to be okay," she still kept her voice at a whisper as new tears formed in her eyes, but this time, they were tears of joy. Aang let a weak smile out again, before he closed his eyes and she felt him go limp in her arms again. She had a flash of worry before placing her ear on his chest again, to hear a steady heartbeat. It was weak, but it was there. He just needed rest.
She shifted her body so she laid his head into her arms. She held him close to her, not wanting to ever let go.
"The Earth Kingdom, has fallen," Earth King Kuei solemnly declared as they flew over the rest of Ba Sing Se. He was right. Aang might be alive now, but the war was still lost. The Fire Nation conquered the last Earth Kingdom stronghold there was. Even with Aang surviving now, how were they going to make it? Where would they even go?
She was interrupted from her thoughts as Sokka came down to Appa's head with them and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We should go to dad at Chameleon Bay. We need to find somewhere safe where Aang can heal and recover."
Katara nodded her head, letting her brother take the reigns. "Get some rest, Katara, it will only be a few hours before we get there."
She nodded, grabbing on to Aang even tighter and leaning her head on his, before she let sleep overtake her.
"Katara," Sokka whispered as he lightly shook her. "Katara, wake up. There's the fleet."
Sokka was pointing at a few Water Tribe ships down at the bay, as he took Appa down towards the water. Katara shifted to look at Aang, who was still asleep. She knew he needed sleep, but she decided to try and wake him so they could help him to the ship.
"Aang," she whispered in the airbender's ears as she moved her arm so he was lying flat on his back again. "Aang, wake up," she said, slightly rubbing his head to make him stir. But he didn't respond.
He wasn't moving. His head rolled from side to side again as she shook him a bit more intensely now, his body limp and unresponsive. She started to feel anxious again, worried that he wasn't waking up. "Aang, wake up! Please!" She raised her voice a bit, causing the rest of the group to look over at them.
"Sokka, he won't wake up! Aang," she said frantically, tears forming in her eyes again. She thought he was going to be okay.
Sokka placed a hand on his chest, worried the heart beat was gone again, but he sighed a sigh of relief as he felt the steady beat. "Katara, it's okay. His heart is beating. His body just needs rest. I'm sure he will wake up soon."
Katara nodded, taking a deep breath. She looked down again at his peaceful face, hoping and praying that was the case.
They continued to descend as they approached the main ship. Hakoda was already on deck, looking up at the Flying Bison. This was the third time he had seen the Bison, and last time, the Avatar had been riding it as he had come to pick Sokka up. His eyebrows raised as Appa flew closer and closer, before he could see Sokka waving at him.
"Dad!" He shouted, jumping off of Appa and hugging his father tightly.
Hakoda embraced his son. "Sokka, what's going on? Weren't you going to the city with the Avatar?"
Sokka nodded before me motioned him to walk over to Appa, who was now low enough for the whole team to jump off. Sokka walked up to Appa's head, and took Aang from Katara's arms, letting Katara jump off of Appa as well.
"Katara!" Hakoda shouted as he ran to his daughter and gave her a big hug. Katara did not hug him tightly back, but she placed her arms around him. She felt hiccups rise as tears threatened once again.
Hakoda let his daughter go, looking at her puffy red eyes and noticing the sleeping avatar in Sokka's arms.
"What happened," he gasped, realizing the burnt clothes.
"Dad, this is Aang, our friend, and the Avatar. He's been badly hurt and we need somewhere safe to keep him while he recovers. Can you help us?"
Hakoda nodded, motioning his son to follow him below deck. "This is our friend Toph, as well as the Earth King. I'm sorry to put all of this on you dad, but we're in a tough position."
"That's okay son," Hakoda said, "you're all welcome with us as long as you'd like. I do warn you, our ships were badly damaged from our battle with the Fire Nation fleet. We're not going to be able to fight if we come across any other Fire Nation ships. I don't know how safe this will be."
"Well, at least for the next few days. Then we can figure out a plan."
Hakoda nodded as the rest of their group slid off Appa. Katara followed them close by as they brought Aang down to a room, and laid him on some animal skin.
"Katara," Hakoda whispered to his daughter, "sweetie, what happened?"
"We were fighting off the Fire Nation princess and prince, when their reinforcements came," she whispered, not taking her eyes off of the sleeping figure. "He was shot down but Azula, the princess. She can bend lightning. I caught him and used my healing to bring him back. But now he won't wake up and.."
Katara was cut off by her father wrapping her into a tight hug. She once again let her cries out, feeling like that was all she could do. "We are going to keep him safe, Katara, he can heal here."
She nodded her head before releasing the hug. She was a little cold with her father, but Hakoda wrote it off as the emotions of what she had just gone through.
"Bato! Get some bandages and blankets. We will need to wrap his wounds and keep him warm while he recovers."
Bato nodded and left the room to get the supplies requested.
"I need to heal him," Katara said, bending some water out of the water jugs in the room. Hakoda's eyes grew wide as he watched his daughter's hands glow as she placed them on Aang's chest.
"Yeah," Sokka whispered, noticing his father's surprise, "I guess I forgot to mention that Katara's a healer, too."
Hakoda simply nodded and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Katara, we need to take his burnt shirt off so we can bandage his wounds."
Katara simply nodded, a slight rosiness rising in her cheeks.
Hakoda nodded back and gently lifted the airbender, propping him up so he had access to remove the damaged clothing. He shuddered as the wound on his back came in to view, realizing just how bad of a shot he got. Him and Sokka rolled the shirt off of his arms and head, exposing his bare skin. There were burns throughout his chest and arms, most likely from the lightning coursing through him.
As they finished, Bato walked in with bandages. They tenderly wrapped wherever there were burns, before laying him down again on his back.
"I need to heal him," Katara stated, signaling that she wanted the men to leave the room so she could do so.
"Katara," Sokka whispered, "you should get some rest first. Let his body recover a little."
Katara simply moved Sokka's hand off her shoulder, before declaring, "no, I just slept. He needs healing."
Sokka opened his mouth in protest, but Hakoda grabbed his arm and nodded towards the door, signaling that they should leave her alone with the unconscious airbender for a little while. Sokka sighed before leaving the room.
"Aang, please wake up," she whispered now that no one was watching. "Please, I need you."
Author Note: Please review!
