Hi, guys! It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that, but here it is! The next chapter has finally arrived!

Mz topsy turvy: poignant-Profoundly moving; touching. Now, as for the rest of your review, yes, Aang's finally back, and thank you for thinking of a word and sparing me another mission. Thanks for the review, and bye!

KingKey980: Didn't you used to be KingRock980, or am I loopy? Anyhow, thanks for the compliment, and I know for a fact this one is longer than the last one, as I just typed it, and am going back and adding this AN.

prettyshon10: *looks as innocent as possible* What would possibly make you think that that's what the Contaminated are? Okay, you're correct. Just to let you know, these people will play a big part in the finale. :) Thanks for reviewing, and I think I found your friend.

Jokermask: You're very welcome, and thanks for your review. I was glad to check out your stories! :) Hope you like the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

Squek squek: 0.o You were drinking tea? Wow! Well, here's some more, and don't worry, this chapter is longer, and I'm not sure if you'll consider the ending a cliffhanger or not.

Avatarelements03: Uh, I'm not sure how many chapters I'll have for this, but An Avatar Christmas Carol should be ten at most. I hope you enjoy chappie 16 as much as the last one, and thanks for reviewing! XD

Avatarlover123: Cliff-hangers can be quite deadly if left untreated, so here's the antidote, chapter 16! :) Thanks for reviewing! See ya!

kira97: Just check your PMs. :)

Guest: Uh...right here? I seriously apologize for not updating sooner, but hopefully you'll enjoy this! Thanks for reviewing! Bye!

To say that the guard rushed to find Team Avatar was an understatement. He sped toward the room where the meeting was being held, running as fast as his long legs could carry him. Bursting through the doors, he eyes fell upon the very shocked faces of the Gaang.

The first to regain his composure was Zuko, "Tongzhi...what are you doing? Can't you see that we're in the middle of a meeting?"

"My apologies, Firelord, but…there's something you need to see."

"I'm sure whatever it is can wait! This is far more important!" snapped Katara. Normally, Team Avatar would be mad at Katara for snapping, but they understood exactly how she felt at the moment. They themselves were a bit annoyed at the guard.

""I-I'm sorry...but...it's very important…" Tongzhi gasped out between breaths. He was still recovering from his dash to Team Avatar.

"Just give us a few seconds, Tongzhi. We'll be right with you in a sec-"

"AVATAR AANG IS HERE!" Tongzhi blurted out, unable to hold back the news any longer. Yelling seemed to have cured his previous out-of-breath state, and he elaborated, "He-He's collapsed outside the palace right now. There's also some other man with him. I think he's a member of the Dai Li."

The faces gaping at him made Tongzhi shift rather uncomfortably. He coughed awkwardly.

Finally, Toph recovered from her shock just enough to say, "Well, what are you waiting for? Show us."

Tongzhi led Team Avatar to the area where Aang and the man were located. Emotions had hit Katara like a tidal wave. Was Aang okay? Did he remember anything about defeating Ozai? Did he remember Katara? How was he going to react to seeing Team Avatar-the rest of Team Avatar? What did Azula do to him?

Finally, Team Avatar's eyes zeroed in on the limp forms of Aang and the Dai Li agent. Katara made a beeline for Aang, not caring much about the other person. Her eyes watered. Aang's face was scrunched up in pain, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. Wondering what could possibly cause her boyfriend so much pain, Katara silently removed Aang from the shoulders of the man and cradled him in her arms (Aang was two years younger than her, and rather light for his age, so she could pick him up easily enough).

"Get the healers," Katara said quietly, her voice void of any emotion. She needed to focus on healing Aang right now, not be overcome by the emotions that were threatening to spill out of her like water pressing against a dam.

Deciding that the waterbender need not be questioned at the moment, Zuko ordered Tongzhi to get the healers, while he and Sokka silently picked up Feng, carrying the agent between the two of them. Feng stirred slightly.

"Aang…?" he asked, looking around.

"He's safe," was all Sokka said in response.

Feng nodded, though he didn't look appeased.

"Where is he?"

"With Katara."

Feng nodded in understanding, starting to wake up, "So, I finally get...to properly meet the...Water Tribe girl?"

"When did people start calling her that?" Zuko asked.

"I'll...tell you...once I've gotten some rest…" Feng trailed off. It had been quite a long journey, after all.

Zuko sighed, but decided that Feng would be more beneficial when he was rested up.

"Fine," he relented.

Feng smiled slightly, and his eyes began to droop.

When Feng awoke next, he lay in a soft, cozy bed. The room was empty, though that didn't really surprise Feng, for once he remembered where he was, he knew everyone and their grandmother would be obsessed with making sure the Avatar was okay. Besides, Feng had only been exhausted, while Aang had serious injuries. Azula didn't hold back in the midst of a torture session.

Speaking of Aang, Feng wanted to see him. Now. While Katara and the other healers might be able to cure the boy's physical scars, that wasn't his main reason for coming here. The mental scars could be far more devastating if left untreated. They were bad even when treated. Aang needed Feng, but wasn't about to open up. That's why they were here. Maybe Team Avatar, once Aang's closest friends, could solve this little trust issue.

With Katara…

The image of Aang's scarred, mangled body was burned into Katara's body, and there was no chance of her forgetting it soon, if ever. Katara shuddered. Aang's flesh was burned all over his back. Large, purple bruises and cuts (seemingly infected) covered his body. He was abnormally skinny. You could clearly see his ribs. His body was pale, almost ghostly white. His breath was ragged and uneven. He looked like breathing was about just as much an effort as it was for a healthy man to climb a mountain.

What scared Katara most, however, were the murmurs.

They started off as soft, incoherent whispers. Aang would shift a little as he whispered. He would twitch and cry out. That wasn't what had scared her, though. It was when she could finally make out what Aang was saying. She'd been sitting alone with Aang after the long healing session, softly tracing the arrow on his now-shaved head. He was passed out, but the muttering had gotten louder.

"Stop! Get away! Leave me alone! Can't...trust you."

Can't trust who? Katara had wondered, leaning in.

"Aang? Can you hear me?" she asked gently.

Aang paused in his whispering for a second before saying, "You…"

There was no emotion in his voice as he said this. He'd spoken the word without a single bit of love, nor the slightest hint of malice.

Not losing hope, Katara had asked, "Do you know who I am?"

A small silence, then, "No, but...I've met you before."

"Really? Do you know my name?"

"Ka-Nami-" Aang had stuttered.

Katara was still feeling the same stab of pain that had come when Aang mixed up her real name and fake name. So he wasn't cured. She had expected this, but it still hurt. He didn't even remember her.

No, we'll help him. Aang will be back soon, Katara assured herself. She couldn't-wouldn't lose Aang. He'd get better. He had to.

"Katara? The Dai Li agent is awake," came the voice of Sokka, interrupting Katara's thoughts, "Do you want to talk to him now?"

"Er," Katara bit her lip and glanced once more at Aang. She didn't want to leave him…

As if reading Katara's thoughts, Sokka said, "Even the healers took a break, Katara. I'm sure you can too."

"Oh, alright, but we better be done soon."

Katara and Sokka silently made their way to the agent's room. Sokka wasn't exactly sure what to say to Katara. Did Katara need comforting after seeing Aang's condition, or was she just happy that he was back, and comforting would just give her a reason to be sad? Sokka wasn't even sure how he felt. He was thrilled that Aang was finally back, but the Avatar was seriously injured. How was Sokka supposed to feel?

The siblings made it to the agent's room, where the rest of Team Avatar was already waiting. In the middle of the room was a bed with a man laying in it. There were two chairs on each side of the bed, Toph and Zuko already sitting in two of them. Katara walked over and sat down by Toph, Sokka taking the seat by Zuko.

"Well, I'm guessing that's everyone?" asked the man in the bed.

"That's all of us," said Zuko, "Now, start explaining."

"Can I at least know-even though I think I've figured it out-what your names are? I just want to be sure I've got it right," said the man.

"Alright, I'm Zuko. That's Toph, Katara, and sitting next to me is Sokka," said Zuko, motioning to each one of them.

"Now can we know who you are?" asked Toph.

"Feng," the man introduced himself, "head hypnotist for the Dai Li."

"So you're the one to blame," Toph growled, cracking her knuckles. Feng didn't answer, but Katara noticed his eyes flash with...guilt?

"Alright, now tell us why you're here," ordered Sokka.

"I guess I do owe you all an explanation, don't I? Shall I start from the beginning?"

Zuko nodded, "That would be nice."

"Well, alright, I'll start when Aang first got hypnotized. Admiral Khon was announcing his Plan to all the Rebels. Something Khon said got to Aang, and-"

"What was it?" Katara interrupted.

"What was what?"

"What did Khon say?"

"I don't know for sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say Phase Three was what really struck Aang."

"And Phase Three is…?" said Sokka.

"By Phase Two, Khon would've had control of the Earth Kingdom. In Phase Three, he planned on using the Rebels and newly drafted Earth Kingdom men to raid this very palace. While everyone was busy battling, a small squad of specially chosen men was to find all of you-" Feng gestured to all of Team Avatar, "-and kill you."

Team Avatar's eyes widened. There was a plot to kill them, and they were fairly certain Aang had sacrificed his own mind to try and prevent it. How else would he have been discovered when he'd been doing so well?

"And it gets worse," Feng sighed, "Aang was chosen."

"No," Katara breathed.

"But, why would they choose a twelve year old? They didn't even know he was the Avatar at that point," Sokka pointed out.

"Yes," said Feng, "but Aang had actually been doing quite well for himself, and Khon had decided to take him in as apprentice, and of course, if he was Khon's apprentice, he had to have an important spot in the mission.

"But Aang was unwilling. He protested, and when asked what had gotten into him, he angrily sent a blast of air at Admiral Khon. Then we all knew.

"Aang ran away as fast as he could, taking that lemur of his with him. He managed to get outside, but in the middle of that vast desert, he couldn't reach help fast enough. He was caught and thrown in a cell. About an hour later, Khon came to me with a-a proposition. He said that killing Aang would be a waste of potential, and he wanted me to get Aang on the Rebels' side. I wish I hadn't agreed.

"Well, I did as I was told. This was quite a bit different from what we did to Jet at Ba Sing Se. This time, instead of altering Aang's memories, we erased them, as trying to replace all of Aang's memories with new ones would take for ever. Jet only needed a small amount changed.

"After successfully erasing them, I changed Aang's personality and beliefs. I made him strongly loyal to the Rebels, and gave him a deep desire to prove himself in the eyes of Admiral Khon. Some of the personality changes weren't my doing, however. His circumstances just influenced him to act differently. For example, he hated it when people pried, because he had to put up with it on a daily basis.

"I was beginning to think I could pull Aang through this, when Phase One happened."

"What do you mean, 'Phase One happened'?" Katara raised an eyebrow.

"Aang and I were freeing Azula from her asylum, when we ran into you," Feng nodded his head at Zuko, "I-I'm not sure what happened, but I think you must have said something that would've really upset his old self, and that might've brought up old memories. After fighting you, I knew I had to take care of Aang."

"But, wouldn't Aang remembering things be a good thing?" asked Sokka.

"To you, maybe, but to Aang, it was devastating. His old life was clashing with his new one. If one life didn't win against the other, then they would clash with one another forever. This would eventually drive Aang mad."

"I nearly drove Aang mad…" Zuko hung his head in shame.

"Pardon my asking, but what do you think you said that really struck Aang?" Feng inquired.

"I'm not-wait! Oh no, I think I know."

"What?" asked Katara.

"I-I accused him of-of murdering."

"That was probably the worst thing you could've said," said a very blunt Toph.

"It's all my fault. Why did I have to say that?!" Zuko exclaimed.

"You didn't know, Zuko," Katara tried comforting him. Zuko nodded, but he didn't look all too convinced.

"Anyway," said Feng, "we went back to base, and Azula thought she'd be in charge, but Khon said no. As you can imagine, that upset her, and she hatched a plan for me to hypnotize Aang into her slave. I didn't want to do it, so I told her that Aang needed more time to recover. She eventually grew impatient, so I said that if she could get Aang away from the Rebel base, I would do as she said. I didn't think she'd succeed, but sadly, I was wrong.

"So, as I expected, the attempt at brainwashing failed. Two minds in one body is hard enough, but three is just impossible. Aang began to crack, and Azula grew frustrated. She had Aang locked up, and began to torture him. He was pretty much left to rot, except for food and drink."

Katara's eyes were slightly watering.

"I knew Aang needed my help, but he didn't trust me. He didn't trust anyone, not even himself. He couldn't trust anyone. He wasn't sure which life was real."

"That's-that's horrible!" Katara gasped. She then remembered what Aang had said in front of her earlier. "Stop! Get away! Leave me alone! Can't...trust you."

Feng nodded, "I know. I wasn't sure what to do, but then I remembered. You all are his best friends. He once trusted you more than anyone. I thought that maybe, if I could get him here, you might be able to win his trust, and convince him that he can trust me. I knew it was a risk. Seeing you again might just push him over the edge, but it was the only hope I had."

After a long pause, Sokka finally spoke, "And why should Aang be able to trust you, after all you've done to him?"

Feng sighed, "I know what I did was wrong. I was a coward, still am. But, now, I just want Aang to be safe. We-we grew close at the Rebel base. I got to know him. He's that last person to deserve this. I'm so sorry."

"Well, if you can help Twinkletoes, that's good enough for me," Toph finally said.

"I still don't know about this," Katara said doubtfully.

"Me neither," Sokka was still a bit angry at Feng.

"Guys, remember when I tried to join the group? You gave me a chance, and I redeemed myself. Maybe Feng can do the same," said Zuko, reliving those first few days after he joined the group.

Sokka seemed to consider this for a moment before saying, "Right, I'm in too."

Zuko turned nervously toward Katara, who had a tendency to hold grudges, "And you, Katara?"

Katara closed her eyes as she thought. This man had put Aang through so much. Aang had trusted him. Katara knew of Aang's bond with Feng more than the rest of Team Avatar. Aang had talked about him a lot during their nightly meetings. Aang seemed to have admired Feng, looked up to him like a son to a father. Then Feng betrayed him. He turned him over to Azula. He was more afraid for himself then for Aang.

But...right now, Feng was Aang's only hope. Feng knew how to help Aang. He knew what needed to be done. None of Team Avatar knew much about what was happening to Aang, much less how to fix it. Besides, maybe Zuko was right. The hypnotist did seem to regret his mistake.

Katara slowly opened her eyes. She had to agree to this, for Aang.

"I'm in. Where do we start?"

Well, what do you think?