Sorry for the delay guys, I was on vacation then I left for a summer camp so I've been pretty busy.
Aang stood atop of Appa fixing up his saddle and gathering their bags. The team had already been traveling for a week since they left the South Pole.
"Is everything ready to go Aang?" Katara asked as she walked up.
"Sure is, we just need to wake up Sokka and we're good to go, next stop, Southern Air Temple!" Aang jumped in the air.
"Umm yeah, Aang about that, I was meaning to tell you something." Katara started but was interrupted by Aang.
"Oh you're going to love it Katara. The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world."
"Aang, you've been gone for a hundred years. A lot can change in that time."
"That's why I want to see it. I can't wait to see how much it has changed since then." Aang noticed Sokka still curled up in his sleeping bag. "Wake up Sokka, we have to go."
"What's the rush?" Sokka asked. "The floor feels so comfortable." Sokka mumbled before dozing off again. Aang stared at him with a thoughtful face, which then turned into a grin.
"Sokka are those Fire Nation ships?" Aang screamed out.
"Where!"Sokka screamed jumping out of his sleeping bag and pulling out his staff while crouching down into a fighting position. He moved his head around frantically searching the empty beach. "I don't see any?" He said standing up but realized he had been fooled when he looked at the grinning 12 year old. "Huh," he sighed. "I guess since I'm up I might as well eat breakfast.
Sokka pulled a small bag from his pack while Aang moved to the top of Appa.
"Hey, where is my jerky?" Sokka asked.
"Oh is that what that was?" Aang looked up. "I used that to start the fire last night.
"You did what?" Sokka shouted in shock. "Now what am I going to eat?" Sokka yelled. Aang just looked at him and shrugged. Sokka dropped his head and slowly climbed on top of Appa.
"Oooohhhh," Sokka groaned as his stomach began to grumble. "It's been forever since I've had anything to eat! Is that to much to ask, just a little piece of meat before I die!"
"Sokka relax. We've only been traveling for a week." Katara said.
"Yeah, that's one whole week that I haven't had a decent meal!" he replied.
"Don't worry Sokka, once you see the Air Temple, you'll forget all about your stomach." Aang said..
"Hmph," Sokka sighed.
"Umm Aang," Katara said, "I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire benders are rutheless, they killed my mother. They would do the same to the Airbenders. You've been gone for a hundred years, anything could have happened in that time."
"You don't understand Katara; the only way to get to an Air Temple is by a sky bison. Look there it is!" Aang shouted as he pointed.
Katara and Sokka stare in awe as the Southern Air Temple comes into view.
"Whoa," Sokka simply states.
"Aang it's beautiful!"
"We're home buddy." Aang pats Appa on the head.
The two sibling followed Aang as he gave his tour of his old home.
"I don't see any meat anywhere." Sokka glumly states.
"Really, that's all you can think of? You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders in an airbender temple." Katara scolded.
"Hey, what can I say, I'm a simple guy with simple needs."
"This is where all the kids would play airball!" Aang said excitedly. He then dropped his head and sighed.
"What's wrong Aang?"
"It's just that, this place feels so different, so deserted. It used to be filled with monks. I guess it has changed."
Not wanting to keep him down, Sokka quickly changes the subject.
"So Aang, this airball, how do you play?" With that Aang's face lit up with excitement.
After about the fifth time that Sokka found himself lying down on his back on the floor, he decided to call it a game.
"Alright Aang, I think I'm done for today." He said weakly. As he rose to his feet, his eyes widened as he saw a Fire Nation helmet on the floor. "Katara, come look at this."
Katara ran over but gasped as she saw what he was gesturing too. She looked at Sokka who gave her a serious look.
"We should tell him." Sokka said. She nodded and turned to call Aang.
"Aang, can you come for a second? There's something you need to see."
"Okay!" Aang replied running over happily. Katara stared at the boy so happy and couldn't stand to see him hurt. Quickly, she waterbended the snow on a rock above to hide the helmet. Sokka in turn stared at her questioningly.
"What's up?" Aang said.
"Oh, just a new waterbending move I wanted you to see." Katara replied.
"Cool, but today, let's just enjoy the temple." Aang said before running off.
"You know, you can't protect him forever. He's got to find out eventually." Sokka told his sister who just walked off behind Aang.
Sokka, catching up to his sister started again in a low voice.
"Katara, you can't pretend fire benders weren't here."
"I can for Aang. If he finds out the fire nation destroyed his home, he'll be crushed."
"Katara, you know just as I do that he deserves the right to know." The two stop as they see Aang standing in front of a statue of an elderly monk.
"Guys, I want you to meet someone. This is monk Gyatsu. He taught me everything I know about air bending. He's the greatest air bender in the world." Aang said admiringly. Aang recalled a memory of Gyatsu telling him he had to meet someone to help him with being the Avatar.
"Come on, there is someone that I think I'm ready to meet." Aang began to walk down a hall. The siblings follow him as he leads them down a long hallway which leads to a large door. Sokka walks up and gives a push but the door won't open.
"It's locked; I think it needs a key." Sokka said.
"That's it Sokka, air bending is the key." Sokka stood back while Aang got into his stance and used air bending on the door which slowly unlocked itself and opened.
"It's just statues." Sokka said as the group walked in.
"Aang do you know these people?" Katara asked.
"I don't know, they all seem sort of familiar, wait! I know who this is! This is Avatar Roku, the avatar before me." Aang said stopping in front of his statue.
"Aang, they are all lined up in the avatar cycle. Could all these be the past avatars?" Katara asked.
"I guess you could be right Katara." Aang answered.
"Hey check it out." Sokka said pointing to the door. A shadowy figure began to come down the hall while the group hid. Sokka slowly took out his staff. The figure came closer and closer when suddenly, Aang's eyes snapped open.
"Wait!" he suddenly said. Sokka and Katara both snapped up to look at him. They then looked at the door to see a small furry animal standing there.
"It's a lemur" Aang excitedly said. "That's going to be my new pet."
"No Aang," Sokka slowly said drawing out his knife. "That's dinner!" Sokka jumped up and began chase to the animal which turned and ran down the hall. Quickly, Aang followed. The two boys sprinted down the hall trying to outrun the other. Aang finally caught up to Sokka and the two were now running side by side.
"This one's mine Aang! You already took breakfast now you're not taking this!" Sokka yelled. Quickly, he pulled out his staff and swung at Aang who ducked but was then tripped by Sokka's second swing at his ankles. Sokka continued running thinking Aang had fallen behind him. However, he was surprised to see Aang at his side again, only this time cross-legged on a ball of air. This distraction allowed Aang to get in front of Sokka and send a blast of air at him that sent the boy flying down the hall. Aang continued down the hall on his air scooter and followed the lemur out a window and into a small shack, but what he saw made him sick to his stomach. The room was filled with dead bodies, some in fire nation uniforms, and others in air nomad robes. Then, Aang laid his eyes on e skeleton with air nomad robes and monk Gyatsu's chain. Aang dropped to his knees. He felt like he was going to throw up. The fire nation really did wipe out his people. He didn't want to believe it, but a small part of him had known it was true. He let everyone down. He let this happen, if he hadn't left, if he hadn't run away, Gyatsu and everyone else would still be alive. He had so many mixed feelings going through his head, and he started to feel a dark sense rising inside him, a feeling of hatred. For that moment, he had the strongest feeling of hatred for the fire nation, and he wanted to repay them for what they've done.
At that moment Sokka came running in and noticed the boy on his knees with his head down. He was about to say he was only joking about eating the animal, but then he saw the fire nation bodies on the floor and the corpse of Gyatsu.
"Ah man" Sokka said quietly, "Aang come on it's going to be ok. Let's just get out of here." He walked up to the boy and placed his hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, Aang quickly turned to look at Sokka, but Sokka didn't see the same twelve year old he found at the South Pole. His eyes and arrow tattoos were glowing bright blue, but that's not what made him look so different to Sokka. His eyes that first showed fun and compassion were now filled with hatred.
"Aang?" Sokka said. Suddenly Aang violently swung his arm at Sokka, sending an unusually large and powerful blast of air at Sokka that threw him through multiple walls. Aang began to slowly rise to the air, surrounding himself in a dome of violent winds that threw and tore apart everything close to him. Sokka slowly rose out of the rubble and forcibly made his way closer to Aang.
"Aang! Aang!" Sokka called out to the Avatar. The boy didn't turn or make any sign of acknowledging Sokka.
"Don't make me do this Aang!" Sokka slowly drew out his metal staff. "Alright Aang, I didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice." He said quietly.
"Aang, this is for your own good!" he yelled to the young airbender. With his staff, he charged at the boy in the air. When he was close enough, he jumped in the air and swung his staff at the back of the boys head to knock him unconscious. However, Aang quickly turned and caught the end of his staff so Sokka was now dangling in the air. Sokka was going to let go and just fall to the floor, but Aang began to rise higher, blasting a hole in the ceiling.
"Ah! Aang! Aang snap out of it!" Sokka looked down but quickly shot his head back up after getting a little dizzy. "Aang please don't let go of me!" Aang brought his arm out above his head so now Sokka was almost eye level with him. Sokka had never been this scared in his life, not even when the fire nation invaded his home. He wasn't as scared of Aang dropping him to the floor as much as he was of what Aang was going to do after that. Sokka looked down again and noticed he was only about ten feet above the roof of the shack they were in before. Looking at Aang one more time, he pushed off of his staff and fell towards the roof. He landed on the roof; however the old shack was too unstable and collapsed, dropping Sokka to the floor.
"Ugh, that could have gone better." He said lying on his back.
"Sokka!" Katara came running to her brother's aid. "What happened to Aang?" she asked looking up through the hole in the roof at the boy who was flying in the air.
"He found out firebenders killed Gyatsu and he went crazy." Sokka said with some trouble as Katara helped him sit up.
"Oh no, he must feel so hurt and he is releasing it as anger." Katara said.
"Yeah he's pretty angry, but I think I'm the one who's hurt." Sokka replied.
"Aang," Katara yelled out. "Aang please stop! You're not alone! I know what you're going through! I know just what it feels like to lose someone you love! I went through the same pain you're feeling when my mom died! I was angry just like you are right now, and I wanted to wanted to do exactly what you're doing right now! But believe me everything is going to be alright! Gyatsu and the rest of your people may be gone, but Sokka and I are here! We will always be here for you and you know what, we are your family now! We will never let anything happen to you!"
Throughout her speech, Aang slowly started to descend down and now he was inches off the ground. The winds died down and Katara grabbed his hand. Sokka walked up to his other side and patted him on the shoulder. Katara said these last words calmly.
"You will never be alone Aang."
"We'll be there no matter what buddy." Sokka said.
With that, the blue faded from his eyes and tattoos, and he collapsed into Katara's arms.
"I'm sorry." Aang said quietly.
"It's ok" Katara replied giving him a hug.