-CHAPTER 14-

-FIANCE-

-SCORE: HEY THERE DELILAH: PLAIN WHITE TS (in all its incarnations)-

My Gmail is acting up, and I'm not reliable able to send/receive emails. When it's back in action, I'll be contacting the lovely people who have offered to beta for me.

---

"Damnit Katara answer me! What are you wearing around your neck?"

Aang shifted to whisper in her ear, "Who is this guy, he looks familiar."

"Ahhh, it's the Blizzard," Mei squeeled.

"He's the guy from the tournament yesterday…my fiancé" Katara was embarrassed, why did he have to show up now…or ever for that matter?

"Yuji, go away. You're not wanted here." Katara screamed.

"Answer my question. That damn well better not be what it looks like."

"It is, it's a betrothal necklace. It's Aang's betrothals necklace, and I'm wearing it because I'm his betrothed, so GO AWAY."

Yuji paused. "WHAT!?! You know that our parents have already agreed to our marriage. They will never accept this…stranger. Have you lost your mind Katara? Besides, what good is a weakling like that?" shifting his focus, "Are you even a bender?"

Aaang's answer was cut off by an angry Katara. "He's a greater bender than you will ever be, in fact he's the…"Katara was muffled by Aangs hand.

"Undercover, remember?"

Katara sighed, removing Aang's hand. "Please, just let this go. You know I never wanted to marry you."

"Would you abandon our culture so quickly? Our families made this decision, and I am sure Chief Hakoda would disapprove of this behavior. Or do you not care about your father's wishes anymore. He will never accept this man as a son. What will you do, leave your homeland?"

Katara stared with cold eyes, and Aang was compelled to act. Ever the diplomat, Aang stood forward and attempted to diffuse the situation, attempted being the operative word.

"There's no need for so much anger, I am certain that this can all be resolved peacefully. Perhaps a proper introduction would….."

"Shut up outsider! No one wants to hear you talk. This is between me and my betrothed."

"Well, I believe it is quite clear that she does not intend to marry you, so she isn't really your betrothed now is she?"

"Yeah well, I believe you can go to hell."

"Come now, nothing's going to be resolved with that kind of attitude."

An ice dagger came flying at Aang's face, only to be vaporized before it hit.

"Was that entirely necessary?"

"Yes if it will get you to SHUT UP!" More ice daggers came flying, but all were dissolved.

"How dare you try to steal Katara away from me!"

Aang began to get agitated. "She was never yours to begin with, stop treating her like a possession!"

"I'll treat her however I want to, she's my betrothed." Yuji let loose a barrage of daggers and ice balls, more than Aang could simply vaporize. He dispelled what he could and deflected the rest to what he thought was a safe location. He didn't know that Mei had snuck up from behind to see the battle up close. She was hiding behind a snow bank when the dagger turned to race towards her.

There was an ear piercing scream when the dagger grazed Mei's forehead. The wound wasn't deep but the spilt blood fell across her face making the injury seem far worse. All three benders turned to see Mei hunched over, blood running down her hands and onto the white snow around her. Katara rushed over, drawing water from her pouch as she ran. Yuji was clearly concerned as he moved towards Mei, but before he took three steps he was stopped in his tracks.

Aang saw the red liquid pour from her wound and stain the ground, He froze as the memories came flooding back.

A young girl, a cold night, the flames of her burning village behind her. She was crouched in the corner clinging onto a woman. It was her mother. She was dead. The girl was crying when she turned to him. The sweat and tears and dirt and blood on her face were all he could see. So much blood. Those eyes looked at him with so much pain. "Who will help us?" The words echoed in his mind.

Aang's eyes glowed a fierce blue, his tattoos lighting up along with it. In an instant he had surrounded himself with a giant ice golem at least three times his own size. With a swift motion the golem set off after Yuji. Its voice echoed with the power of avatars long dead.

"You will feel my wrath!" was all he said as his arm lunged forward, ready to crush Yuji with one blow. But at the last moment he stopped. The glow disappeared as Aang realized he had lost control. The power dispelled, and the golem returned to its icy home. Aang dropped to his knees not believing he had lost control like that. It had been so long, he thought he had finally beaten it.

Yuji stared with horror as he realized who this stranger actually was.

Katara saw the entire encounter but was busy healing Mei's wound. It was just a gash, and with Katara's skill there would not even be a scar. When she finished and made sure that Mei was fine, she rushed to Aang's crumpled form. She helped him to his feet and asked if he was alright, but he remained silent. Instead, he walked towards the still paralyzed Yuji.

Yuji was growing more terrified as the Avatar approached him.

Slowly, and showing more remorse than thought humanly possible, Aang bowed and begged forgiveness for his actions.

Yuji was dumbstruck, here was the Avatar bowing to him, asking for his forgiveness. When he finally regained use of his body, Yuji moved to bow, showing his deference by bowing lower than the Avatar.

"The insolence was mine, lord Avatar. There is no need for you to apologize. You honor me with your kindness." Despite how out of place the words seemed coming from Yuji, they were sincere.

The two stood upright, an awkward silence filling the air. Aang was lost in his thoughts, wondering why he had lost it. Katara was filled with concern, and Yuji was still letting the situation sink in.

Sensing the tense moment, Mei moved and took Yuji's arm. "Come, we have had enough battle for one day, let's all forget this and come to dinner.

The three stared at Mei, and realized what she had done, and how tactfully she had done it. They nodded in agreement and the band of four set off to Reika's home.

---

Aang and Katara followed several paces behind Mei and Yuji. Aang still had not said a word since his outburst. When their companions were out of earshot, Katara took Aang's hand and squeezed it gently. "You aren't alone anymore, it will help if you talk about it."

Aang took several steps before he spoke.

"The war didn't end when I defeated Ozai…. We told everyone that the fire nation had been defeated when Iroh took power, but it was a lie. The fire nation was ambitious to the end. Even though we had a foothold, and we were at the palace gates, they had sent several battalions to the earth kingdom. They would strike everywhere simultaneously when the comet drew near. When Ozai fell, those battalions were abandoned. Some returned to the fire nation, while others went rogue. The military leadership was overturned, and those that remained in the earth kingdom were loyal to no one."

"The Earth Kingdom armies were severely injured after that final battle. There was only a handful of healthy men left to protect the entire continent. By the time I regained consciousness, the council of nations had already been formed. The agenda for our first meeting was how I was to be dispatched to quell the rebellions. I was given 100 able bodied soldiers from across the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. The rest would be needed to 'maintain domestic tranquility.' We set out against a rebel force nearly five thousand strong."

"In the beginning it was simple. We just followed the path of destruction until we stumbled upon our prey. From then on in it was simply a matter of the Avatar displaying a great show of strength to intimidate the enemy into submission. The plan worked at first, we had reduced the enemy force by half before they got organized. But the remaining would not go so quietly. The first time they ambushed us we were lucky to get away alive. They had taken an entire village hostage just to lure us in. When we arrived, they burned everything. The village, the hostages, the surrounding forest, everything was set ablaze. My benders tried to quell the blaze but it was too much for them to handle. I had made a path so most of the villagers could escape, but in the end I was outnumbered and I didn't have the strength to enter the Avatar state."

"I escaped pursuit into a burning home. In the corner a girl was clutching onto her mother's charred corpse. She was crying and her face was stained with blood. In the firelight she was almost demonic until I heard her cries for help. "Who will save us?" was all she said before she doubled over sobbing. The surge of emotion triggered the Avatar state, and I felt the power flow within me. I stopped the fires with sheer force of will, and when I found the benders responsible I couldn't stop. I kept attacking until every last one laid dead. Only then did I stop. When the power left me, my body was to weak to move. My men, or what was left of them, took me back to camp. When I awoke, I found more than half of my men were dead. Most of the villagers survived, but not all of them, not that little girl."

"I didn't speak a word for nearly a week after that day. The council sent spiritual guides to help me but I was unresponsive. They said I had been severely traumatized, but time would heal me. It was two months before my troop set out after the remaining benders. They still had number nearing a thousand but they were scattered and splintered. None of the following battles were as horrible as that first one, but occasionally, when I was reminded of that day, I would loose control. The Avatar state would be summoned and I would unleash a vengeful wave of destruction, at least until I could gain control again."

"With time I the episodes would grow less frequent. By the time we had finished removing the last of the rebel forces, nearly two years had passed. Since then today was the first time I have lost control. Mei's face was so much like that little girl. There was so much blood…"

Aang settled back into his silence, looking more morose than before. Katara stopped, holding his arm and jarring him from his mindless march forward. Aang looked up and saw the emotion on Katara's face. She knew that nothing she could say would do any good, so she took him into her arms and held him tightly. Aang settled into her warm embrace and after a moment, let his tears flow. The couple stood there until Aang's tears abated. He pulled away slowly and smiled at Katara.

"Thank you," he whispered.

She kissed him softly, and the two set off again. Mei and Yuji spied on the couple from around the corner. They had heard the Avatar's plight and were in shock. It wasn't until Katara kissed Aang that they turned and ran, desperately trying to cover the distance they should have.

----

I've fallen into the habit of not rereading what I've written, for every time I do, I end up disappointed. Please forgive the stupid mistakes, they'll hopefully be gone with my new chapter, thanks to my beta readers.

As always, please review. I am at a crossroads, as I am trying to decide on the eventual length of the story. I have been inspired to augment the plot and add another story arch with a sokka - suki ship. This would make the story substantially longer but may piss off some of the audience. Give me your thoughts. Should I stick to the original story and plan on a sequel, or make this one all encompassing?