A/N: I'm glad people are enjoying the story, to answer some questions, this will probably be about 25 chapters maybe a little longer. I have the story plotted out for the most part. Ther will only be Katang and Maiko, but I'm thinking about a continuation that could be Sokki/ TophxOC.
I kinda mad this chapter a bit heavy but I like the way it came out... I think. Give me your opinions, suggestions critiques. As always, I will appreciate them.
-CHAPTER 9-
-HER EYES-
-SCORE – INUYASHA THEMES espec. sango
The tea house was a short walk from the stage. The two sat in the corner, far from prying eyes, not that there were any in the desolate shop. Katara had still not been able to say anything and Aang had apparently become mesmerized by the steam form his tea.
"Why?" Katara stared at him waiting for a response.
"Why did you just leave? Why didn't you find me? Why didn't you return any of my letters? What happened to you Aang?"
Aang did not move to respond. He fixed his eyes on the rising steam as it danced and disappeared. He'd spent many late nights pondering what he would say to her, but his thoughts fled him. He was alone and unprepared.
"I'm sorry. I didn't….I couldn't………..Do you remember that day? When we stormed the palace… I saw you there."
Aang paused, resigning himself to his fate.
"I wasn't going to win Katara. Ozai was too strong. He broke my defenses with every blow. He was super human. Sozin's comet had given him too much power, and without knowing advanced firebending, I could barely stay alive. I threw everything I had at him. In the ballroom, I realized that only one of us would leave there alive, and I didn't believe it would be me... As I saw him take his stance for his final blow, all I could think about was you, how I would be leaving you behind, leaving you to their mercy. The end of the war, the fate of the world, nothing else mattered. It was instinct after that, I broke his stance and let loose all the power I had left. It was one final attack…. And I aimed straight for his heart Katara. I killed him. No hesitation, no second thoughts, I took his life."
Aang brought a hand to his eyes to stem the flow of tears.
"Before I collapsed, I saw you. I saw you and I saw Zuko. I still remember those eyes. So much pain and despair, and it was because of me…. While I was unconscious, my spirit was tormented. My past lives advised and consoled me best as they could. In the end I came to realize the tasks that would come and the decisions that would be made to maintain the peace that had cost us so dearly. The avatar would have to do terrible things. He is a force for peace and he is the force that keeps that peace. All I could do was vow that there would be no alternative to the sadness and destruction that I must bring, That I would exhaust every option before I drove another soul to look at me with those eyes."
"When I awoke, I was at peace with my fate. My only worry was for you. Once I knew you were safe, I debated going to you, seeing you smile one last time but I knew it would make everything too difficult. I knew you wouldn't leave my side. I'd tried one too many times to keep you safe, and I knew how stubborn you can be. But this time I couldn't allow you to follow me. You were so caring, so compassionate, so naïf. How could I steal that from you? How could I sully such a pure soul? So I left. I left and I never looked back. I told the council to screen my mail and to remove personal letters so I wouldn't be tempted."
"It was so hard at first. I kept thinking about you and Sokka and Toph. I missed speaking to people without adopting a formal tone. I missed hearing your laughter and seeing your smiles. But it had to be done, and so I did it. That's why I ran. That's why I never looked back."
Aang whipped the last tears form his cheek and stared at his tea, not having the courage or will to look at Katara.
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Katara sat and listened as Aang poured out his soul. She remembered that day, when she had last seen Aang. She saw the pain flowing through Zuko and turned to see Aang kill Ozai. She felt akin to Zuko watching the loss of a parent, regardless of what he had done, Ozai was still a father, and Aang had just left a son orphaned. She stared with cold eyes, but when she saw him collapse, she snapped out of her daze. She left Zuko in Mai's care and rushed to Aang. He lay there limp in her arms, barely breathing and injured badly. Only then did she realize how terrible the fight had been. Only then did she realize how close to death Aang had been and how he waited until he had no alternative. She cried willing her companion to open his eyes but he never did. The healers took him to seclusion and worked on him for weeks, forbidding her from seeing him. She didn't know she would never get the chance to see him again. She didn't know he had seen her look at him so coldly, and she didn't know it would drive him away.
Tears flowed down her face as he finished his explanation. He cared for her so much, and he left her. Stupid Aang, and his hero complex. He had to save everyone else, had to protect them all from pain and suffering. But who would protect him? Who would comfort him and tell him it would be alright? His people were massacred, his friends alienated, his enemies all around.
Next chapter: Katara's response
I'm still looking for someone to Beta and proof, if anyone is interested.