Sorry about the length; I'm on vacation in Oregon with my family and I'm really busy. More is coming soon, I promise! Hope you enjoy; please follow the three Rs- read, review and (this is a new one) recommend! Thanks for everything :)

Chapter Eleven
Left Behind Again

The aching of her body was the first thing she was aware of. She felt the pulse of her heart in her head, and felt the throbbing of sore muscles traveling through her limbs. I overdid it, she thought drowsily, then- is something burning?

Her eyes flashed open, revealing the intricate decay of water stains on the ceiling and the familiar surroundings of her room. She sighed with relief at having woken up in her own bed as the events of last night rushed back into her head. She traced her stomach, still feeling a deep bruise where the Dai Li agent had been stabbed, and as a result; she'd felt the pain.

But how had she gotten back into bed? Her shoulder stiffened, and she looked around the room suspiciously. There was a scent of something musty and rich in the room. She'd smelled it before, but not in this place, and she couldn't name it. Her blue gaze meandered over the rough floorboards, then up the nightstand by her rickety bed. A piece of thick parchment was pinned to the wood by a thick knife, and on the paper was handwriting she was sure belonged to the Blue Spirit.

She ripped it free and read the note. I'm sorry for hurting you. I won't let it happen again- B. Her heart thumped in her chest, and she put a hand over it as if she could squash the feelings within it. He'd taken her mother's necklace off her and laid it on the table as well, and she bit her lip as she slipped the chain over her head and felt the pendant nestle between her breasts.

There was a knock on the door, and Aang slipped into her room looking unusually somber. She stood up, crushing Blue's note in her hand and hiding it behind her back. "Good, you're up," Aang said, then smiled softly. "Lani has all her things packed, and I went to see Appa this morning. He's all ready for the journey, and waiting just outside of Caldera, by the pier. We were waiting for you to get up."

Her throat tightened, and she turned away, trying to hide her tears from her best friend. She'd forgotten that he and Lani were leaving. "Okay," she croaked, forcing herself to think of what was best for her child. She's not safe here, Katara reminded herself, and swallowed down the knot in her tremulous body.

Aang hugged her from behind, setting his chin on her shoulder. His body was soft and friendly against her back, but she could tell that he was fighting off the urges to make it into something more, and she stepped away. "I was thinking about taking Lani on a trip around the world before taking her to Iroh," he said hesitantly," You know, so she can see the things we've seen, and some of the things the Fire Nation did."

"That's a good idea," Katara mused, picturing the little girl on Kyoshi and in the Air Temples. Lani would love seeing those things. "But you would have to promise to always keep her safe."

Aang nodded, and she sighed. "Give me a minute to get ready, and then we'll go." He left the room and she went on autopilot, mechanically pulling a dress over her head, slipping her necklace inside the collar. She walked into the family room and saw Lani bouncing up and down on her seat, smiling widely.

"Mama!" the little girl yelled, catapulting herself into Katara's arms. She laughed, pushing an unruly strand of hair behind the child's ear and kissing her cheek.

"Are you all ready to go?" she asked, and Lani nodded, slipping out of her grasp and grabbing a pack. She slipped it over her thin shoulders and skipped back to her side, holding her hand as if it was a lifeline. "Let's leave, then." Katara bit back tears as they left the house, knowing she would be returning to it alone.

The walk to the pier was uneventful, and she found her mind wandering to the night she'd found Lani. There was no way of knowing that she'd become so ingrained in her heart, but now she couldn't see herself letting the girl leave.

"Oh, Jun Hi, look at that family over there! They look so happy!" The hushed whisper carried across the street, and she looked up to see two old women staring joyfully at her, Lani and Aang. One of them stepped forward with an indulgent smile at Lani. "I'm sorry, but it's not often you see families which are whole anymore, considering that most men fought in the war and many women had to take their places in the factories. And such an exquisite child! She's beautiful!"

Katara laughed, knowing that Lani looked younger than she really was, and that she herself looked older than nineteen. "Thanks," she started, "but-"

"I have the best mama in the world!" Lani interrupted, swinging their joined hands back and forth and grinning up at the old woman. "She saved me and took me in when my old mama and papa died." Then she grabbed Aang's hand. "And he's our best friend."

The woman's smile tightened a bit, and she looked over Katara again, sizing her up. A blush crept over the skin on the back of her neck- there had been plenty of single mothers in the tribe growing up, since all the men were gone. But here, it was almost a crime, even if the child wasn't hers.

"I see," she said, then raised her eyebrows and watched as Katara moved in front of Lani protectively. She was too young to be exposed to this kind of discrimination.

"We have somewhere to be. Thank you for your kind words, but my daughter and I are running late. Come on," she said, and pulled the little girl away, trusting Aang to follow after them. She didn't notice Lani turning around until her hand slipped from her grasp.

"She's a better person than you are!" she yelled back at the woman, then turned around, grabbed Katara's hand and haughtily led the way again. She bit back a smile, looking down at the strong little girl she cherished. Lani glanced up at her and shrugged her shoulders. "It's true. She was old and smelly and not nice at all." Katara didn't reply, and heard Aang chortling quietly behind them.

The scent of the sea alerted them to the fact that the pier was right around the corner, and Katara held her breath as it came into view, making a last-ditch effort to control the tears until Lani couldn't see them. The girl wriggled in excitement and tugged them forward, pulling Aang by his robes. "Come on, come on!" she said, and then stopped dead in the middle of the street, her eyes wide.

Katara looked at Aang and saw him stowing his bison-whistle back in his robes, his eyes on the sky. She followed his gaze, seeing a small shadow behind the clouds becoming larger and clearer, morphing into the impressive shape of Appa. He touched down on the hill overlooking the pier to the left, and all around them, cries went up and fingers pointed.

Aang led them up to the hill, and Katara leapt at the sky-bison, hugging his thick, wiry fur and hearing the deep groan rumble back in his throat. "Appa, I've missed you!" she whispered into his side, then she stepped back. Lani looked intimidated, and she smiled. "It's okay, honey. He's gentle."

Her daughter stepped forward and reached out, her hand shaking like a leaf, and touched Appa's middle leg. He went still, and she ran her hand along his side, walking around him until she was looking him in the eye. "Hi."

Appa rumbled, Lani giggled, and then hugged him as Katara had done. "See? Appa likes you," Aang pronounced, and then turned to Katara, the same young smile on his face as she remembered. "We have to go, though."

Lani catapulted her small body back into the waterbender's arms, nuzzling her neck. "Promise you'll write me?" she asked, and Katara swore she would.

"You write me some letters too, tell me where you are and what you learn, okay? I want to know everything." Lani nodded, biting her lip and sniffling, her eyes growing misty. Katara kissed her cheek. "No tears, little one. Now is your time to be excited and happy!"

"But I'm gonna miss you," she said in a small voice, and her throat tightened.

"I'll miss you too, baby," she murmured, "but we'll see each other soon okay?" She nodded and burrowed her head in Katara's shoulder. "I love you," she said.

"Love you too, Mama." Knowing she couldn't take any more without breaking down, she jerked her head towards Aang, and he stepped forward and took Lani from her arms, setting the girl on his hip. She immediately felt empty, but strapped down the emotion and smiled thinly.

"Let's go, Lani!" Aang said animatedly, and bent his knees, propelling himself up into Appa's saddle as Lani squealed in surprise. They got situated as she watched from the ground, not daring to move.

With two small words from Aang, Appa took off into the sky with the both of them looking back at her, waving and smiling. She laughed for their sake and returned the farewells, and as soon as they were beyond the clouds, she dropped to her knees and leaned forward, sick with misery and loneliness.

It took a long time for the pain to fade enough to get up and make her way back home. She avoided main streets and dipped into the shadows whenever anyone came near. The sun was beginning to set by the time she finally made it back to her apartment complex, and discovered the man at her door.

He was groaning and sweating with agony, holding his leg still. She could already see that it was bent at an impossible angle, and she bit her lip. The moon was just past being full, so she knew she was powerful enough to heal him.

"Please," he gasped, "are you the Painted Lady?" She nodded, grateful that she'd pulled her hood up during the walk home. His face sagged in relief. "My leg is hurt, and if I don't get it fixed, I'll be out of a job. M-my family needs me, one of my little boys has already passed on to Agni because I couldn't feed him." He began to cry as she helped him inside, fervently thanking the spirits that she'd already cried the sorrow from her body and could not give tears to any more. She laid him down silently and straightened his leg. He yelped sharply, then sighed as his eyes closed.

It was easier to work on healing him when he was knocked out, so she quickly cut the fabric away from the limb and saw swelling and bruising on his lower leg. She delved into his muscles and discovered a severed tendon, wincing and massaging the part on her own body. It's a wonder he made it up the stairs, she thought distractedly, then pulled fresh water onto her hands and began the process.

Halfway through it, he woke up groaning and she pressed lightly on his chest. "Don't move," she murmured, and he nodded, laying back down and sighing.

"This never would have happened if we got the repairs in the factory done. I was up on the catwalk talking to my supervisor- normally I'm down below, lifting bags and carrying things. But the catwalk is rickety and rusted. I took a step and my leg fell through. All I felt was this sharp pain, and then I woke up and my buddies had taken me out into the street. They told me the supervisor wasn't expecting me back, and that I shouldn't expect a job for a cripple, so I came to you."

He leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "Before Lord Zuko died, we petitioned him to get a crew together and do some repairs. He was drawing up reconstruction plans and sending us updates, and we were really hopeful, ya know?" She didn't answer, and he went on, his reminiscent smile replaced by a hard sneer.

"But then that Azula took the throne, and she completely dropped the repairs. I heard she used the budget for the reconstruction to make a new summer house for herself on that damn Ember Island."

Katara stiffened, pursing her lips, remaining silent. He went on, and she hung on every word. "I don't get why she doesn't just stay in the old Fire Lord's summer home- I would say she needed a change of scenery, but from what I hear, the houses are only about a mile apart!" He cursed violently, and she moved away from his leg, having healed all she could. "At least Zuko cared about his citizens! Azula just cares about herself and those who give her what she wants."

He looked down, noticing his leg, and he flushed. "Sorry. I got carried away," he muttered, then stood and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wow," he breathed, turning towards her, his hand going into his pocket and drawing out a few coins. "This is all I have, but please, take it. Thank you."

"No," she said softly, "Spend it on some food for your children. I can get by." He nodded his thanks again and then turned, leaving her home with only a slight limp. She threw off her hood and locked the door, her mind racing.

Why would Azula need another summer home on Ember Island? She remembered that Ty Lee had gone to her first one and had bragged to Suki about it years ago. And they were so close together, both of them still standing. She realized in a moment that the house wasn't for Azula at all- it was for Ursa.

She needed to get there, no matter what. She had to get to Ember Island and see if there was any chance that Zuko's mother was there- surely his own mom would know what had happened, what everyone was hiding.

"Finally," she breathed, then went into her room to plan her next moves without noticing the blue mask leering in at her from behind the glass of her bedroom window.

By the time she looked up, he was gone.

I know it's short, but I promise the next one will be . Please review, tell me what you think is going to happen next! Who thinks Ursa will be on Ember Island, who thinks Katara is following a dead end, and who thinks something else? Let me know! Thanks :)