Disclaimer: Nick and Viacom own all things that have to do with ATLA. I think that's all that has to be said.
Chapter 4:
It was a few hours later, and the sun was beginning to set. But for the gang, the day was far from over. For some, a rescue mission was being prepared. For others, a fear of death and loss was looming. And for two particular people, a night of romance was about to occur, even if the couple wanted to take it slow. But there were two things the gang all had in common that night. Two things that were on their minds. One was that they all had someone important to them on their minds. And two, which was that they all were afraid of losing someone close to them. Unfortunately, there was one other thing that each and every member of the gang had in common. They all were completely unaware that multiple forces were about to cause the entire world to turn to chaos…
At Katara and Sokka's cottage, Katara had just finished putting her earth kingdom dress on, and was now finishing up getting ready. The love of her life had just agreed to go on a date with her, and her brother was nowhere near by to object to the date. Still, Katara had yet to get approval from her father, who would be visiting the gang within a matter of days. She and Aang had decided they would just go to dinner, so that she could prove that Aang and her are a responsible couple. Though she secretly in the back of her mind wished to do something more exciting on their first date, she realized it was better than nothing. It would just be her and Aang, and for Katara, that was just perfect.
As Katara was finishing up, a few blocks down from the cottage, Aang was walking down the street. He had spent the last few hours looking for something nice to wear, so he could impress Katara. Sadly, he failed to realize he really didn't have that many options. All he had was his original Air Nation clothing, his new monk clothing, and his old Fire Nation uniform. He didn't have enough time to go out and find something better to wear, so he decided he'd just wear his monk clothing. As he walked to Katara's cottage, he was afraid that when she saw him, that she'd see him like a little kid again. His heart pounded rapidly in worry as he approached the small house. He slowly walked up to the door and knocked on it, and began to worry that he'd do something wrong and embarrassing during his date. Everything that could possibly go wrong flashed through his mind as he waited for Katara. For a moment, he thought about turning back.
Then the door opened, and every worry on his mind vanished instantly. He looked at Katara in her stunning dress, and smiled. To him, she was an angel on earth, an angel he wanted to never let go of. Katara looked at him and blushed. She thought that Aang looked so much more mature in his monk outfit, and more handsome as well. After a minute of silence, Aang was the first one to speak.
"So… should we head over to the restaurant?" Aang asked.
Katara nodded and smiled. Aang gently took Katara's hand, and together the couple began to walk towards the restaurant. The night that both Katara and Aang had waited for had at last come. No war… No enemies… No distractions. Tonight, it would just be Aang and Katara, with only the other on their minds.
Meanwhile, back at the teashop, Sokka made the finishing touches on the plan.
"So do we all agree this is the best way to go?" Asked Sokka.
"Yes, if everything goes to plan, you'll be able to save Yue from this mysterious spirit." Said Iroh.
Suki looked over the plan, and then found one vital error.
"How exactly are we going to defend ourselves in the spirit world? There's no way to bend." Suki pointed out.
Sokka was about to face palm himself when Iroh stopped him.
"We might not be able to bend, but we can bring weapons into the spirit world." Said Iroh.
"What weapon could be powerful enough to fight a spirit? I don't have my sword or boomerang anymore, and Suki's fans aren't going to be able to stop a spirit single handed." Said Sokka.
"I know someone who might be able to give us some weapons to fight. Follow me." Said Iroh.
The trio then walked out of the teashop. As Iroh locked up the shop, he placed a sign onto the door which said: CLOSED, WILL REOPEN WHEN MANAGER RETURNS. Iroh then began to lead Sokka and Suki to his friend, as the trio walked across the city to find him.
Meanwhile, at Zuko and Mai's cottage, the couple had returned from their search for the person who threatened Mai. Mai was starting to become extremely worried about Zuko. She feared that the hunt for this mysterious person might turn Zuko back into the raging firebender he once was.
"Zuko… maybe you should rest." Suggested Mai.
"No… Not till I find this man, and teach him a lesson for threatening your life." Replied Zuko.
Mai sighed and put her arms around his neck. "Zuko, if you keep acting like this, your going to turn into someone you don't want to be. Don't you remember how hard you worked to get to where you are right now?"
Zuko sighed. He shut his eyes and spoke softly. "I know I need to keep a calm head, but I can't afford to lose anyone else close to me again. My mother is still missing, my uncle almost vanished from my life… and then this happens…"
Suddenly, a messenger hawk landed outside the window. Mai walked over and opened the window, and the bird flew into the room, landing right in front of Zuko. He bent down and took the message from the hawk.
"This is one of our elite messenger hawks that can travel the world quickly. I told my men only to use it in an emergency…" Zuko said.
He opened the scroll and read was written on the letter. When he was done, he stood there with a shocked, depressed face. Mai noticed right away that something horrible had happened in the fire nation.
"Zuko… what does it say?" Mai asked.
Zuko shook his head. "You don't want to know…"
Katara and Aang walked into the large restaurant. It was very crowded, and it looked like there were no tables left for them.
Aang sighed. "I knew I should have gotten a reservation."
Katara put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "It's ok, Aang. We can always come back another time."
The couple was preparing to leave when the headwaiter noticed Aang. He quickly ran in front of them.
"Avatar Aang, my humblest apologies. I should have helped you out right away, forgive me."
"That's ok, all the tables are taken anyway, and I don't want to make anyone get up." Said Aang politely.
"Ahh, then we shall find another way to get a table for the Avatar and his girlfriend."
The couple blushed at the last part of the sentence. Never before had they been referred to as a couple, until now.
The headwaiter went to the back for a moment, and then returned, with a giant smile on his face.
"We've set up a table on the balcony, where you two can be alone, if you are interested."
Katara and Aang looked at each other and nodded. The headwaiter lead them to their table, and sat them down. The table had a small, lit candle in the middle. From the balcony, there was a small lake, one of the few inside the city's walls, which sparkled under the sun, which continued to set. Katara and Aang looked at each other and blushed.
"I'll assume you both are ok with the area we set up." Said the Headwaiter.
The couple nodded at sat down. They ordered their food, and then the headwaiter went to the kitchen to go get the order filled out. Katara and Aang were silent for a little while after he left, unsure as to what to say to each other. It's been a long time since the last time they were alone together and they didn't have to worry about the war. They both wanted to say something, but neither one was sure what they should talk about. Eventually, the food came out, and Katara and Aang began to eat their meal. They ate in silence for a little while, until Katara eventually broke the silence, wanting to ask the question she wanted to know the answer to for a long time.
"Aang… Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah sure."
"You told me awhile back that your seventh chuckra was blocked, but you never really told me why it was blocked."
Aang looked down and sighed.
"You want to know, don't you?"
Katara nodded.
"My seventh chuckra was blocked because of earthly attachments, and the guru said I had to give them up to master the avatar state… and I couldn't give up one of them…"
Katara looked at Aang sadly for a moment, and then looked down.
"It's me, isn't it?"
Aang nodded.
"I couldn't give you up Katara…"
"But Aang, you risked the fate of the world!"
"Katara… you have to understand…"
"What would have happened if you lost to the firelord? Everything we worked so hard to do could have been lost!"
"Katara… "
"Imagine all the lives that could have been lost, Aang! The Firelord could have…"
"You're my world Katara!"
Katara stopped talking for a moment. She knew Aang cared for her… but she had no idea he cared this much.
"W-What?"
"Katara… you're the only reason I fought this entire war. I mean, I lost my people, my home, everything. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had any hope left to fight."
Katara was speechless.
"I-I gave you hope?"
Aang nodded.
"Katara… I…I love you."
Katara blushed and looked down. Everything was happening so fast. This was supposed to be one normal, calm date. But Katara realized right then and there that as long as Aang was in her life, things would never be normal. She then knew what she had to say next, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to say it, but she knew deep down she had to.
"Aang…"
"Yes Katara?"
Meanwhile, Zuko had read the scroll to Mai, explaining the whole situation with Azula.
"I can't believe it…" Zuko said in shock.
"Wasn't Azula in a mental ward for treatment?" Asked Mai.
"She was…" Said Zuko. "But apparently, the scroll says she that she attacked a few doctors there, and they decided it would be better to transfer her to a prison cell until they could figure out what to do with her. So they put her in the prison by the capital to keep a close eye on her."
"Great…" Mai said sarcastically.
"It says they want me to come back to the Fire Nation alone."
"Why?" Mai then thought about this for a minute, and then realized why the message said that. "They don't want Aang to come down."
Zuko nodded. "He'll attract attention. People could panic that Azula escaped. And not only that, but if she realizes were hunting her, any trail she and the person who helped her escape will be covered."
"Who would have helped her escape?" Asked Mai.
"I don't know. But whoever it was, they must have some sort of plan."
Mai sighed.
"So what are you going to do?" Asked Mai.
"What do you mean?"
"You have to make a choice, Zuko. You said you wanted to hunt down the guy who threatened to kill me, but you also have to stop your sister, and you're the only one who can."
Zuko realized that he had no choice. He was going to have to choose to either stay with Mai, or head to the Fire Nation to hunt down Azula.
"I can't leave you alone Mai…" Zuko said.
"Oh come on Zuko, you said it yourself, I can take care of myself. Don't let me be a factor. If you think the soldiers you have standing by can find Azula, then stay here. But if Azula is still too big of a threat, then you need to go."
Zuko thought about it for a moment, considering everything that was going on. He then came to an decision.
"I'm not leaving you alone Mai…"
"Zuko…"
"Let me finish, I want you to come with me."
"If we both go, we'll attract attention. If you go down to the Fire Nation quietly, no one will notice. They'll think that you're just checking up on the nation."
"Then we'll sneak down together!"
"Zuko, that's too big of a risk…"
"So was the stunt you pulled at the prison."
Mai sighed. Zuko did have a point; she did pull off a big risk letting Zuko and Sokka escape at the boiling rock.
"There's a small, 2 person boat I have that can travel quickly across the ocean. We can take it and quietly get down to the Fire Nation; no one will suspect a thing. And we'll be far away from the guy who threatened you."
Mai thought about it for a moment. It did solve both problems.
"Fine. We'll go down to the Fire Nation together."
The couple then started to pack their bags. They had to move fast, for if they really knew Azula, they knew she wouldn't stay in enemy territory for too long without an army…
"Aang…"
"Yes, Katara?"
"I…. I love you too."
Aang smiled, and his heart began to beat quickly. The girl of his dreams had just said she loved him. For a second, everything was going perfectly.
"But…"
And then everything broke apart.
"I have to wait…"
"What?" Asked Aang.
"Aang… It's clear to me that we can't be in a relationship with each other without having really strong feelings for each other… and I can't be with you yet…"
"No…"
"I need my Dad's consent. If he feels your responsible enough to not let go of your duties while were in a relationship… then I'll be with you. I trust him enough to know that he'll be able to figure out if you'll be able to do that. But until then…"
"Katara… Please…"
A tear went down Katara's face. She hated to do this, but if Aang wasn't going to think about his duty to the world because of her… she wouldn't be able to live with herself if something terrible happened.
"I need you to stay away from me until my dad comes."
"Katara… No…"
She couldn't continue to rip his heart out… it was hurting her too much inside. She quickly left the area, leaving Aang alone at the table.
"IDIOT!" Aang shouted, as he face palmed himself.
The woman he loved had just left him because he risked the world… for his only world. Now he knew the risk backfired… because all he was left with… was a broken heart.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Well, that's the end of chapter 4. And look, it's the dreaded "To be continued!". Next chapter is going to be epic, as multi-epic chases begin! Zuko and Mai chase Azula, Sokka, Suki and Iroh prepare to head into the spirit world to find Yue, and Aang chases after Katara's heart, trying to prove he can be with her and still be the avatar. And what exactly happened to Toph... and those two cloaked hunters... hmmm... It's going to be an epic chapter 5! Also, I finally got to check out the Reader Traffic section of FanFiction, and saw how many of you guys are reading the new chapters I post. So the special thanks this week goes to all of you who read my story every time a new chapter comes out! You guys rock! And extra-special thanks to those who review and track my story. Remember, I read every review you guys send in, so feel free to make any comments you like, because I take all comments into consideration. Thanks for reading, and Chapter 5 is on the way! P.S, did I see a reference to the story title in this chapter?