Hi, everybody. Yeah, I know it's been a while. Sorry about that.


What was that noise?

Katara got up from her bed and tried to determine what was preventing her from sleeping.

It sounded like a voice. Aang's voice? Was he talking to himself?

Katara tried to decipher what the young Avatar could possibly be saying, but she couldn't really make anything out. A couple of 'no's and a…sniffle?

Was he crying?

Katara exited her room and walked down the dark hallway of the Fire Nation Royal Family's vacation house. Aang's room was only three doors down, but the walk felt like it went on for miles. The hallway was cold and damp, a musty odor hanging in the air. Creepy.

Aang's bedroom door was slightly open, and a candle was lit at his bedside. What Katara saw in there made her heart sink to her toes.

Aang was sitting up in his bed, his face in his hands. He was trembling erratically, his shoulders shaking as he cried into his palms.

Katara frowned. She'd never seen him cry before, not like this. He'd shed a few tears, but she had never seen him actually sob. Concerned, she walked into the bedroom. "Aang? Are you okay?"

He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. "I-I'm fine," he uttered. "P-please…just l-leave me alone."

Whoa. Where did that come from? Was Katara the reason Aang was so upset?

Defying his request, she walked closer to him and lay a hand on his shoulder from behind. "Not going to happen. Come on, tell me what's wrong."

He tried squirming away from her grasp, but to no avail. "I-I can't."

"Why not?" Katara asked gently. "If it's a secret, I promise I won't tell anyone."

Aang sniffled. "K-Katara…the comet is coming in t-two days. A-and I have no idea what to…" He trailed off, a violent sob escaping his lips.

"Shh…" She wrapped her arms around her terrified friend in an effort to console him. "It's okay…"

"No, it's not!" he shouted, pulling away from her embrace. "I have to fight the most evil man on the planet in two days! I haven't even mastered Earthbending or Firebending yet! You all want me to kill him, and it goes against everything I believe in, and…I-I…you—agh!" He collapsed back into Katara's arms, continuing to sob on her shoulder.

She rubbed his back soothingly. "Hey, you can do it. I know you can."

"But…I-I can't kill him, Katara," he replied.

She pushed him away just enough so she could look him in the eyes. "Aang, if you don't, then—"

"Why didn't you s-stick up for me?" Aang asked suddenly, cutting her off.

Katara corked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears from flowing out of his eyes. "At dinner, Katara. Wh-why did you side with everyone else when they told me to take Ozai's life?" he questioned. "You know that the A-Air Nomads don't—"

"Aang, you don't understand," she interrupted. "The world can't afford to lose you againI. If you don't kill Ozai, he might kill you. And then this whole war, the whole world, is all lost. You have to—"

"But what if there's another way?" he argued.

"What other way, Aang? What other suggestions do you have?" Katara was beginning to get annoyed now. "There is no other way! If you want to win this war…you have to kill him. You'll die if you don't."

"WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE IN ME?!" Aang screamed.

Katara gasped. How dare he make such an outrageous accusation?! Tears began welling up in her own eyes. She had half a mind to yell back at him and storm out of the room, but she restrained herself. "I do believe in you," she said softly. "I always have."

Aang had begun quietly crying again. "Katara…I really didn't want to say this, but…you've forced my hand. I like you, a lot. S-so much that you're all I think about sometimes. I-I'm not going to kill Ozai…I just can't…and I need to kn-know that you're with me on this. Because without you supporting me, th-there's just no world to fight for…"

Katara's eyes widened. That was a lot to take in, and enough to elicit a few tears from her as well. "A-Aang, I…I can't talk about us right now. Now is not the time."

"Then don't," he said insistently. "Just tell me that you support my decision. Please…"

"I'm sorry, but…I just can't do that," she responded. "I'm not going to condone a decision that could get you killed! I can't lose you, not again!"

Aang blinked. "Um…what do you mean, you can't lose me?"

Katara sighed. "I watched you die right in front of me, Aang, in Ba Sing Se. I watched Azula shoot you, and I watched you fall from the sky. I caught you, I healed you, I cried over your dead body for weeks…I don't want to go through that ever again. Ozai can make it happen, just as easily as Azula did. But I don't have any more Spirit Water to bring you back again…which is why you have to end him. I can't bear the thought of losing you again. You're my best friend, and I love you."

With that, the Waterbender stood up and exited the room, leaving the Avatar to make his decision.


I do not own ATLA.