Okay, so here's chapter 17! I'm sorry you guys that I didn't write back to you almost instantaneously, but my dad banned me from the computer until I finished my homework, not permitting me to write back to all of your awesome comments! But here it is, chapter 17, and I hope you enjoy! Will Katara and Zuko make it home? And just how badly hurt are they? And how will everyone at the South Pole react? Read more!

The butler motioned them in and led them to the main room. He told them to stop and wait as he walked up to the man sitting at a table, his back towards them. The butler walked up and bowed. "Master, there's someone to see you. He says he's an old friend."

Piandao got up and turned. He saw two wet and shivering people, a young man and woman, and the young man looked badly beaten up. His face looked terrible. He walked towards them and stared into the young man's tired blue eyes.

He recognized him at once. He knew those eyes anywhere. His own widened.

"Sokka?"

"Hello, Master."

Piandao smiled at his old student. "Wow, Sokka, you've grown and changed. Your face looks terrible, though."

Sokka chuckled. "You look great yourself, Master."

Piandao looked the same, except for a few wrinkles and some grey streaks in his hair.

"Please, come and get dried off. Tell me about your adventures. Where have you been? What have you done?"

"I'm sorry, master. We cannot stay. I came to ask you for a few favors. Can you help us?"

"What do you need?"

"Do you remember my sister? And do you know of the banished Prince Zuko?"

"Yes…"

"Zuko is now part of our family and one of our best friends. He joined us before the final battle. But we need some supplies to get home."

"What do you need?"

"Some bandages and blankets. My sister and Zuko are gravely injured, and we need some bandages for their wounds and blankets to keep them warm. And you remember Aang?"

"The Avatar?"

"Yea. He needs a new robe or at least a shirt. We're traveling back to the South Pole, our home, and we need to keep warm."

"I'd be honored to help." He turned to his butler. "Pack my ostrich horse with 4 warm feather blankets, a few rolls of bandages, a warm shirt for Aang, food, water, and new cloaks." He turned to Sokka. "How many are there of you?"

"Six," Sokka said. "But master, we only need blankets and bandages."

"Sokka," Piandao placed a firm but friendly hand on Sokka's shoulder. "I want to give help to you, and I'll give my help in the way I should. Now, rest in front of the fire and we'll all leave once I get the supplies."

15 minutes later, Piandao handed Sokka and Toph two new cloaks. As they put them on, and Piandao put on his own, they opened the doors and the butler was standing there, holding the ostrich horse. Piandao took it by the reins and followed Sokka and Toph through the village and towards the makeshift camp. Aang and Ara looked up as they came back. "You remember my master Piandao, Aang," Sokka said. Piandao bowed. "Avatar Aang. You've grown too, and lost your hair," he said, smiling. Aang smiled tiredly, and looked at Katara. Piandao's smile faded as he handed the reins to Toph and knelt next to Katara. He removed the bloodstained cloak and closed his eyes. "You're telling me that after what she's been through and that she looks like this that she's not dead?"

"We thought she was, but she's not," Aang said sadly. "We will get her and Zuko help later. What we need is to keep her warm. I've stopped the bleeding, as much as I can with my clothes."

"Speaking of that," Piandao interrupted. "This is for you." He took a shirt out from underneath his cloak and handed it to Aang. "Thanks," he said as he quickly put it on. Piandao looked at Katara again, and then at Toph. "Can I have my ostrich horse over here please?"

Toph led it over to him, and he took the reins. "Down," he commanded, and immediately, the animal lay down. He took out two of the four largest parcels. "These are my warmest blankets," he said. "Fold one in half, lay her on it, and put the other full on top of her. Do the same for the other one," he nodded towards Zuko. "Aang, I need you to put this cloak on Katara. Take off what's left of her clothes. They'll just spread infection, so discard them. While you're doing that, I'll work on the fire bender. He seems to be aware of his pain. Sokka, help me."

Aang and Toph worked on putting the cloak over Katara, and Piandao knelt next to Ara. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Piandao, Sokka's old sword master and a friend."

"I'm Ara, Aang and Katara's daughter."

Piandao looked at Aang, then Katara. "You two got married?"

Aang sadly nodded and stroked Katara's cheek. Piandao turned back to Zuko. "Let's see what the damage is on him." He removed the cloak, and Zuko's wound frightened them all. They could see the whites of his ribs, blood everywhere, and in the back, Piandao saw a muscle slowly moving in a rythmic beat. "Geez; that wound went to his heart. I can see his heart." He moved quickly to get the bandages. "Ara, slowly take off his shirt and throw it away."

She gasped as her lifelong friend and mentor groaned loudly in agony as she tried to peel the embedded shirt from his wound. "I'm sorry, Zuko," she whispered as she silently cried and continued to pull.

Once his shirt was off, they could all see that Zuko's whole center and right side of his chest was affected. They all didn't know that the damage had been that bad. The mark went past what his shirt had burned away, but Piandao said nothing as he took some linen and gauze and wrapped the whole wound in it first. Then he took the bandages. While Ara held up his body, with his head on her shoulder, Piandao wrapped the bandages tightly around Zuko's chest and middle. Ara turned away every time she saw or felt Zuko wince. A few times he cried out. But a few minutes later he was done and his cloak was back on. Piandao stood up. "These two blankets are for him. Do the same way for him as Katara. I wish I could help more."

"No, master," Sokka said. "That is more than enough. Thank you so much for your kindness. And I will come back to tell of my adventures, and to fight you to show what I've learned."

"I'll be looking forward to it. I bet now you can beat me. Here's your food, water, and cloaks. Keep those two safe." He smiled at Sokka. "I'm very proud of you. And get your face fixed up."

Sokka laughed. "Thank you, master." He bowed.

"Thank you master," the other three said.

"You're welcome. I will see you all again in time." He got on and rode his ostrich horse into the darkness. They watched him leave, and then Sokka took two of the blankets, climbed on Appa, and folded one in half. Zuko was to go first. Ara helped him up, even though he was still out, but she was a strong young woman. Toph earthbended them slowly up. Ara laid him down gently and put his cloak over his head. She took the other blanket, put it over him, and tucked it around his head. She kissed his cheek, and then went to help her father with Katara.

She grabbed her mother's two blankets, jumped up, and set one down in half, and then watched as Toph slowly lifted Aang and Katara to Appa's height, and he softly airbended her onto the blanket. He pulled her hood over her head and wrapped the blanket around her. He sat next to her and Ara sat next to Zuko. Toph sat next to Sokka, who gathered all of the new supplies together. They all put their cloaks on, and Sokka yelled, "Yip, yip!" Appa took off.

The storm kept on getting worse as the bison continued to fly southward. Aang pulled his hood over his head and pulled the blanket over Katara's head. He motioned Ara to do the same. As she was about to, Zuko groaned and opened his eyes.

"Ara?"

She broke into a smile, and he smiled weakly back. "I feel like I'm being ripped apart."

"Just relax. We'll be home soon. I'm right here."

He closed his eyes and she pulled the blanket over his head. She reached for his hand underneath the blanket and squeezed it. And she felt a slight squeeze back. She smiled as she closed her eyes and bent over him, shielding her face from the cold rain and trying to keep his body warm with hers.

Appa soared through the whole night, through the storm. He was tired, but Sokka and Toph kept him going. They knew he could do it.

He was still flying around two in the morning when the rain turned into snow. They all shielded themselves, but decided to stop until it passed over them. Aang and Ara made a giant iceberg, and Appa landed. Aang used the ocean and froze it over their heads to make a shelter. They all huddled together on Appa in a circle, trying to keep the two injured warm, and they all swiftly fell asleep.

2 hours later, Aang woke. He got off Appa and walked to the opening of the makeshift cave. The storm was gone, and the air was filled with darkness and silence as the snow fell softly and melted as it touched the sea. Aang waterbended the top off, and as everyone continued to sleep, he directed Appa towards the south. They flew silently.

About an hour later, Sokka woke. He crawled to sit next to Aang. He was silent as his best friend said nothing either. And without saying a word, he took the reins from Aang's hands and pointed to him and then the saddle. Aang got the message, smiled weakly, and crawled back to his place next to Katara.

As Aang stroked her cheek, he had flashbacks of when she found him in the iceberg, how they had had so many adventures together, how they were best friends and were always there for each other. Tears gathered in his eyes as he kissed her forehead.

As the day passed into night, Aang saw lights in the distance. He got up and sat next to Sokka again. "Is that it?"

Sokka nodded. "We're almost home. Wake up Ara and Toph. Get them ready." Aang woke them up and looked up as fog settled into the snow-filled sky. "Great," muttered Aang as they all held on. Ara suddenly noticed Zuko moving around. She pulled up the blanket and his eyes opened. "I had a feeling we're almost there," he said, groaning as he tried to sit up. "You should just rest," Ara said, but he wouldn't have it. He shook his head. "I need to sit up." He leaned on Ara's shoulder and sighed. "I can't even breathe easily." He closed his eyes, while she put her arms gently around him. He was deathly pale, and he winced with every breath he took.

"Don't worry, Zuko," she said. "We're almost there. Hold on."

The gang finally saw land. They sighed with relief as knew it was only a few miles more, and Aang whispered to Katara.

"We're almost there. Please, Katara, stay with me."

As they went past the guard towers, the guards sounded the gongs, alerting the tribe to the bison's presence. As many ran towards the center of the tribe, Hakoda put on his jacket and ran outside, anxious to see his family. Mai heard the bell too. She smiled. "He's back…" she whispered. "Ty Lee, they're back!" she grabbed her coat and ran outside. Everyone gathered in the center, and Hakoda, Ty Lee, and Mai were the most nervous. As the tribe looked in the fog to the sky, they heard Appa's growl. Everyone cheered. Then, they all saw him. People made room for him to land. As he did, a cloaked figure stood. It was holding something.

When he airbended himself slowly down, silence crawled through the crowd, and everyone became quiet. Immediately Hakoda's smile vanished and his mouth opened. Aang was walking towards them, and he was carrying Katara in his arms.

His eyes were shielded by the hood, but it was plain to see that he had been crying. Even though it was a brand new cloak, her blood stained it. Her head was against Aang's chest, her face was pale, her eyes closed. Hakoda's face fell and tears streamed down his face as Aang looked at his wife, and then up at his father. There was defeat in the Avatar's eyes, and his cheek was stained with her blood. His pants and hands were too. He turned away from Hakoda, walked past Mai and Ty Lee, who were grief stricken and openmouthed, and went into his old tent.

Hakoda then turned and saw two more figures walk towards him. He cried when he saw Sokka and Toph, his son and daughter, with unshed tears in their eyes. He ran to them and they all embraced as they fell to their knees.

Mai couldn't believe this. Her greatest and strongest friends now were dying, dead, hurt, crying, and in pain. Such a tragedy had hit them. But as she looked for Zuko, she saw the last two figures get off of Appa. As the bigger one heavily leaned on the smaller one for support, she knew he was gravely injured. She gasped and started to run to him, calling his name through her tears, but was stopped by Ara shielding Zuko with her body.

"Softly, Mai. He's badly wounded," she whispered.

Mai nodded and walked past Ara. Zuko was barely awake, pale and leaning on Ara for support, his good arm over her shoulder, her arm around his waist.

"Zuko…" Mai whispered.

He looked up slowly, gave a weak smile, and tried to inch forward towards her without Ara's help. But she caught him as he tried to grab her before he fell over. He winced and cried out, but Mai held him gently. She helped him up and put his arm around her shoulder. "Thank you, Ara," she whispered. "I'll take care of him for now." She slowly led him to his tent.

Ara walked slowly to Hakoda to join in the hug, and she looked at her grandfather. His tears were flowing and freezing to his face, but he looked up at them. Ara's and Toph's faces were full of fatigue, but Hakoda barely recognized his son's face, through the bruises and gash on his head. All he could stutter out was, "What happened?"

Sokka looked up. "Azula…Azula killed her," he stammered. "Somehow she came back, but she's barely, and I mean barely, alive."

Hakoda looked towards Aang's tent. "She's still alive?"

"She's not holding on well."

"But she's still got a chance." Hakoda's eyes flashed hope.

"Yes," Toph said. "A small one. Now we just need her to rest."

Aang set Katara down on their old bed carefully. He took off her cloak, unwrapped all of the temporary bandages made out of his robe, and looked at her exposed body. She had to be dead, by the way she looked, but she's not, Aang thought. He sighed as he began to take a warm wet rag and wipe away all of the blood. He tried his hardest not to hurt her, but he continued to clean.

The water bowl was dark red by the time he was done, but as he softly patted her dry, she winced slightly. Aang saw it and smiled, knowing that she was still with him. But seeing his best friend, his protection, his support, his love, like this was too much, and he broke down over her, letting all of his sorrow out again.

Hakoda walked in and his face turned to shock as the sight of his daughter's mangled body. He fell to the side of the tent, leaning on the pole for support. His tears fell as he fell to his knees and crawled like a little child to sit next to Aang, whose head was still leaning over her body. Hakoda put his hand on Aang's shoulder. "Aang, son,"

"Get me some boiling saltwater and an armload of bandages."

"Aang?"

"Dad, please, we don't have much time."

Hakoda ran to get what Aang needed, and Aang reached for Katara's old comb. He gently began to brush out her soft hair, and his tears still fell.

When Hakoda came back, Aang took the bandages and saltwater and placed them next to him. "Hakoda, please leave now. Give me a few hours." He nodded and walked out, and Aang slowly took the water and started to clean all of her wounds. He knew it stung her, but the slight reaction on her face, but he continued to clean her body. When he was done, he took the first bandage and wrapped it around the small gash on her forehead. He took the next one and wrapped it around her neck, around her shoulders, and across her collar bones. He took linen first and placed it around her chest, back, and stomach, and placed a lot, for this was where the most damage was. Then he wrapped the bandages around her and tied them. He kept most of her burns exposed to let them heal on their own, but the worst he wrapped too. He continued to work, tears still falling onto her hand.

Meanwhile, Mai had finally gotten Zuko to his tent. She helped him lie down, and he was out before he hit the pillow. She took off his cloak and was shocked at the massive bandage that covered his chest. She could see that some blood was already starting to seep through, and tears came to her eyes as she looked at his pain-filled face.

She ran her finger around his scar on his face, and put her hand on his cheek as Ara walked in. She sat down next to Mai and pulled the warm blanket from the trip over him. Mai looked at the young girl, and it was plain to see that she was just as worried and scared, if not more, for him. Mai put her hand on Ara's shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of him."

Ara just stared at him. "I need him, Mai. He's my best friend."

Mai looked at Zuko again. "How did it happen?"

Ara bowed her head and closed her eyes. "Azula," she whispered.

Mai's heart filled with fury. "She's the most evil, vile, corrupt person on the planet. I want to kill her now! She's gone too far!"

"Ugghhh…"

They both turned to Zuko. He half opened his eyes, blinked, and looked around. "Mai? Ara? Where am I? Why do I feel so weak?"

Mai moved closed to him. She smiled. "You're home," she whispered. She leaned into him, careful of his chest, and placed her lips on his. "Rest now," she said. He smiled and looked at Ara. "Thank you for saving my life," he said.

He placed a cold and shaky hand on hers in her lap. But it scared her. She had never in her life known his hands to be cold. They were always warm, full of comfort, full of life. She lifted his hand and put it on her cheek, as if her own heat and life would travel through their touch. He smiled, sighed, and winced. Ara placed his hand back under the blanket.

"Go to sleep now. We're here."

As his eyes closed and he fell asleep, Mai looked at Ara. "Come, sit down, have some tea and rest. Tell me what happened."

Ara sat down crosslegged and sipped her tea. Mai sat across from her. She waited patiently while the young girl got warm and comfortable, and then she started.

"It was after we found my mom, Sokka, and Toph. My dad was pouring his soul out when he found my mother's body, and we all sat there and cried."

"And you weren't crying?"

"I was, but I knew I had to be strong for my dad right then. I hadn't seen her in 2 and a half years; he hadn't seen her in 15 years." She sighed. "Anyway, we were on our way out when Azula burst through the wall. Zuko, Toph, Sokka and I kept her and the Dai Li back, when Appa burst through the roof. We all got on him while Zuko distracted her. He shot flames at the remaining roof, and it collapsed. He thought it fell on her, so he turned and ran to jump on Appa, when she leapt out and—" Ara stopped talking and started crying silently.

"Go on," Mai urged softly.

Ara looked up, her grey eyes glistening. "Azula dug her first two fingers into his heart and let the lightning fill him. He shot backwards, out of the top level of the prison, and he started to fall. So I jumped off Appa and dove to catch him. Once I did, I bended a tornado back up to Appa, and we took off. I set him down and felt his chest, but he was gone.

I suddenly had to find out if I could heal. I bended some rain and ran it over the hole in his chest, and as I breathed out, he breathed in. I hadn't really healed him, but somehow I brought him back." She looked at Zuko. "And then we flew to a fire nation village, where Sokka got his old sword master to help, and he gave us supplies and bandaged Zuko up. And we came home. Zuko saved us. He's a hero, but who—." Her eyes looked into Mai's, whose were filled with tears. "—who paid for it."

"But you risked your life for him," Mai said.

"I had to. I love him—though not in the way you do."

Mai's eyes fell to Ara's wrapped hand. "What happened?"

"I got shocked and burned from trying to grab him. But he's worth it." She smiled weakly. "I'll gladly keep what ever scars I get for him."

Mai smiled. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without him."

Ara stood up, bowed, and walked to the opening. "Me neither."

She walked out and Mai sat next to Zuko. She held his cold hand.

"She saved your life," she whispered as she kissed him.

Alright, I hope you all enjoyed it. It's still sad, but not as sad as the last. Please read and review, and comment, and tell me what you think! Ask questions! Tell me predictions you have! I'd love to know what you think will happen! And, TADAH! I got my readers back! Yea! No tea!

Iroh: Awww…(walks away sadly)

Me: Okay, well, maybe a little, for you…

Iroh: YAY!

Me: Here I go…ick…

(Sorry to all people who love tea. It's nothing against you; I'm making fun of myself for not liking it! So I hope I don't offend you!)

Please read and comment! You guys are the best commentors ever! Thanks for all of your support!

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