Author's Note: Sorry for the late updates... My exams are making it hard for me to update regularly... I'm kinda squeezing this chapter into my tight schedule so it might be lower in quality than the previous chapters... Bear with me...

P.S. I know it's kinda confusin'... Even I'm confused but i think Aang has been on the island for a week while Ty Lee has spent two days... I think... Don't hate me...

ON WITH THE STORY...

Would You Like To Spar...?

Chapter 5: Catharsis

Aang blushed when she corrected him. He was about to blurt an apology when he saw a clenched fist sailing towards his face. He quickly sidestepped her fist before he realized something. Her fist was too slow, either that or he was getting too fast. He dismissed the latter thought before bending over to dodge her second fist. Again he had time to see her hand cruise over his head so he deduced that she was going easy on him.

" Your fists are too slow." Aang quipped.

"What...?"

"You're going easy on me, aren't you...?"

"Not really."

"You don't have to... I can handle it "He boasted.

Ty Lee was confused. She had no idea what she was doing sparring with the enemy of her homeland. Azula had sent her on a mission with clear instructions but here she was sparring with her target. Ty Lee could not explain her sudden loss of priority but she could rectify it. She was about to stop their friendly spar when he complained that her attacks were too slow. His boastful comment was the last straw and she decided she was going to turn this into a real match. One that ended with her capturing the boastful monk and delivering him bound to Azula. With her plan in mind, she smirked and threw a punch at him.

Aang was beginning to regret his comments as her fist sailed past his face. It wasn't like the previous attacks. Those had been slow and harmless. These made it seem as if she was trying to capture him again. Aang barely had time to jump over her ensuing kick. The look on her face only helped confirm his suspicions that she was trying to capture him. She looked angry and murderous. Another kick swooshed by. Aang barely dodged that one. He was getting worried that this new development wouldn't bode well for him.

Her third kick hit him square in the chest and it felt like Toph had shot him with her 'rock-et'. Aang was still recovering from the kick when he felt her 'fists of fury' hitting his shoulders. He tried to move his hands but they disobeyed his screaming brain. He had one hope left - his legs.

Aang jumped up and bent a gust of wind from his legs. It launched him backwards through the air like a dart. He flipped his body into a backflip and landed on his feet. He heaved a sigh of relief when the distance between his body and her lethal fists widened by a considerable margin. His relief was short-lived when he saw her coming at him. Instinctively, he jumped up and spun into a kick.

His kick connected with her face and she flew backwards. Aang was mildly surprised when she landed flat on her face. He had been expecting her to land on her feet or hands or fingers. He knew he wasn't to be angry but he was. She was toying with him; first she pretended to be sorry then she tried to capture him.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS ". He yelled. Aang knew they weren't actually friends but he felt like they were. Ty Lee stood up, dusted her clothes, placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

Her reply was cool and scathing. "I am not your friend. You are an enemy of my nation and that makes you my enemy. You are an opposition to the progress of the Fire Nation and you must be eliminated like the rest of your people."

Aang's eyes darkened when she mentioned his people. She had no right to be talking about his people like that. Her nation had taken his family away and she had just declared it like a fisherman announcing the price of his catch.

Aang growled and roared at her. "An opposition? How did we ever oppose your nation? We lived in temples on mountains out of the way of other people. WE NEVER OPPOSED ANYBODY. WE NEVER FOUGHT ANYONE. WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE AN ARMY! "

"That's a lie. The Fire Nation defeated the air nation army under firelord Soz- ".

"We didn't have an army. We were just monks living in temples. We never bothered anyone. But the fire nation marched in and slaughtered them all, my brothers, my fathers, my friends. If i hadn't run away, I'd be dead too like... like the rest of them. "He finished.

Ty Lee watched with her mouth open as Aang crumpled to the floor and covered his face with his hands. His hands were moving again but that wasn't why Ty Lee was shocked. She was blinked rapidly when he began to sob like a girl. His body was shaking lightly.

"My grandfather was a general. He told me that the air nation army fought back with spears. "

Aang's head jerked up violently and his eyes were streaming with tears. He sniffed before he spoke in a shaky voice.

"Your grandfather lied. He and his men killed my family. The only family i ever had. He and his men marched into my home and burnt my family alive. My friends were burnt to their bones under your grandfather's orders. We had no weapons and we didn't resist but they had no mercy. They murdered my family and burnt my home down because they knew the avatar would be born an air nomad. "

Ty Lee was shocked. She had read in the history tomes the account of how the Fire Nation had battled the air nation army. She had never imagined that the history books and her grandfather had lied. The encounter between her nation and his had not been a war. It was a massacre.

Ty Lee couldn't take it anymore so she turned on her heel and ran into the forest. It began to rain heavily but she ignored the pelting drops of water and ran on. She slowed down and stopped to sit at the base of a tree. She tucked her head in between her heads and began to think.

She didn't know why but she believed him. The look in his eyes as he spoke had said more than he had. His eyes had been filled with tears, agony and pain. He had not been lying about what her nation had done to his which meant that the Fire Nation were lying. They were lying to the boys and girls in the academies. They were all being fed lies. She had been taught in the Royal Girls Academy that the air nation were enemies of the Fire Nation's progress. If the rest of Aang's people were anything like him, then there was no way they could have been enemies of progress.

A sound interrupted Ty Lee's thoughts. She looked up but the heavy rain was making it hard to see clearly. She squinted and saw it. It was a *wolfhound and it was snarling at her. Ty Lee scrambled to her feet quickly and faced the snarling beast.

The wolfhound was standing a few feet away. It was breathing slowly and its fur-covered back rose evenly with every breath it took. It snarled again then reared up before it charged at her.

Ty Lee leapt to the side. It rushed by her in a frenzy. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her pounding heart. This creature wasn't a bender that she could poke until it was harmless. It was a wild creature and she couldn't just bend down and poke it its pressure points, if it had any. Her best bet would be to kick it in the torso. Ty Lee nodded to herself and waited for the beast to charge again.

It came straight at her again like she wanted and Ty Lee sidestepped again and let the beast pass before she kicked its stomach with all the strength she could muster. Her right leg hit the wolfhound in its side and it fell on its side whining in pain. Ty Lee grinned and huffed at the groaning creature on the ground.

Her elation was short-lived when she felt a thick liquid running down her leg. She looked down and saw blood pouring from three claw marks on her left leg. The wolfhound must have slashed her leg before she kicked it. Or was it after? Ty Lee's musings were cut short when the wolfhound now on its feet let out a loud howl that made her ears hurt. Ty Lee was afraid because if her suspicions were correct, then the wolf was calling in reinforcements. She had barely survived one wolfhound, how would she cope with more than one? Two answering howls echoed in the distance and Ty Lee began to fear for her life.

Aang was a bit confused when he looked up to see that Ty Lee had vanished. He could see her tracks leading into the forest. Aang contemplated following her but he decided against it. It was raining hard and the sky was rumbling like a dragon. Aang got up and walked to the cave. He entered the cave and re-lit the dying fire so the cave would get warm. He was about to bend the waterbend his clothes dry when he heard a wolfhound's howl. He stooped in his tracks and turned slowly to face the direction the howl had come from. When he heard the responding howl. His eyes widened in fear and he heard his voice.

"Ty Lee."

Aang shot of the cave as fast as he could and followed her tracks as quick as he could. He knew what those howls meant. Sokka had told him that a wolfhound only howls when it has found prey. They didn't howl like their relatives, the wolves to announce their position they made barking sounds instead. Aang was worried to death. One wolfhound was a formidable foe, even for him. Three was a death sentence. Aang knew he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her after all it was his fault that she was out there.

Ty Lee was exhausted. She had thought one wolfhound was enough trouble but now that she was facing three, she was beginning to wish it was only one wolfhound that was trying to kill her. She had put up a good fight but one girl could only do so much against three wolfhounds. She had kicked all of them as hard as she could but they had inflicted some serious injuries on her. Her back had three bleeding gashes that adorned her midriff. Her face had one thin slash and her left leg had another trio of bleeding wounds. Ty Lee was fighting for her life but these wolfhounds were relentless and her exhaustion was making it a losing battle.

Ty Lee screamed in pain when one bit her already wounded leg. That made it two claw injuries and a bite wound on her left leg and one faint line where one wolfhound had grazed her on her right. Ty Lee looked at the wolfhounds and took a deep breath. She limped backwards until her back hit a tree. Both legs were weak so she decided to lean against the tree for support. She let out a sigh of exhaustion.

The wolfhounds seemed to understand the situation as they growled at each other before they turned to snarl at her. Ty Lee swallowed and desperately began to wish she was a bender. So she could bend the wolfhounds away. Ty Lee swallowed again and braced herself. The first wolf growled before lunging forward. Ty Lee could see its claws quivering in anticipation.

Ty Lee was shocked and a little confused when a foot blurred out of nowhere and hit the wolfhound in its face. The force of the kick sent the beast flying to her left into a nearby tree. The foot landed and Ty Lee jerked her head up to see who it belonged to. She could stop a grin from spreading across her face when she saw Aang standing, combat ready in front of her.

He turned to look at her. His gaze swept over her body quickly, only slowing when his eyes found a bleeding wound. His gaze got to her face and his eyes darkened in what looked like anger. Ty Lee was surprised. Had he been worried about her? Ty Lee watched speechless as he turned around to face her beastly assailants. Ty Lee didn't know why but she had a feeling that the wolfhounds were in trouble.

Aang was furious. They had hurt Ty Lee. They had marred her beautiful skin with claw marks. He was pissed and he wasn't even sure why. He looked at the three wolfhounds and he assumed his airbending stance. The first wolfhound lunged at him and Aang shot an air blast at it. The wolfhound howled as it hurtled backwards. The second one did the same and Aang repeated the action. Aang was focusing so much on the two in his front, that he forgot that there were three wolfhounds, not two. The two wolfhounds snarled and leapt at Aang again but he blasted them back with two air canons. He turned his head to see how Ty Lee was dong and saw two things that made him angrier than he already was. Ty Lee was unconscious and the third wolfhound had slipped past him and was rearing to attack her.

Aang turned fully and watched as the third wolfhound sailed at the unconscious Ty Lee. Aang punched his arm into the air and a stone wall materialized between Ty Lee and the leaping wolfhound. The wolfhound hit the wall with a loud smack and fell down without a sound. Aang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the wolfhound was unconscious. His moment relief passed when the two wolfhounds hit him at the same time. The impact knocked his body forwards and he had to put his arms in his front to prevent his face from hitting the muddy ground.

Ty Lee opened her eyes slowly. She was losing blood fast from her untended wounds fast. Her head was throbbing and her wounds were hurting. The rain had let up but the sky was still rumbling dangerously. She turned and saw a wall that she could have sworn wasn't there a few minutes ago. She looked straight ahead and her breath caught in her throat. Aang was on the muddy ground and was using his hands to brace his body. His clothes were ripped in numerous places and there were two ugly looking gashes on his shoulders. The culprits responsible were on each side of him and they were growling victoriously.

Her voice was weak and hoarse but she managed to produce the sound she wanted. "Aang? ". As if he had been shot with an arrow, Aang's head jerked up suddenly and his eyes and tattoos became a brilliant white. Ty Lee gasped as he rose without using his hands. It was almost as if he was floating on air. If Azula's descriptions were correct, he was in the avatar state.

Aang was weak. The double attack that the two wolfhounds had executed had weakened him. He was trying to summon strength to push is body up when he heard his name. Her voice sounded weak and full of fear. His head jerked up and he saw her face through a brilliant sheen of white. Then everything froze. The leaves were frozen in place, the rain drops had stopped mid-air. It was as if everything in the world had stopped in time. Everything except him.

Aang looked down and saw that his feet were hovering above the ground. Then it happened. One moment, everything was frozen and he was floating, the next moment, his feet were on the ground and his hands could move. Aang spread both arms out in the direction of each wolfhound and a wave of mud and water hit each wolfhound sending them flying in opposite directions. And as quickly as it began, it was over.

Ty Lee blinked. A moment ago, he had been floating, now he was standing and his arms were outstretched. His hands had bent water and mud that had swept the two wolfhounds away. He took a deep breath and dropped his hands.

Aang walked slowly towards Ty Lee. Her face had an unreadable expression on it. He bent down and picked her up bridal style and she clung to him like he was a rope and she was drowning. Pain shot through his body from his shoulders but he didn't show it. The look in her eyes was enough to make him not feel the pain searing through his body. He swiveled his body in the direction of their cave and he began to walk slowly. Each step was painful but he could handle it.

He stopped and looked at her face before he spoke.

" I'm sorry for yelling at you ".

" I'm sorry for the things i said ". She replied almost immediately.

Aang nodded and continued to walk. Suddenly it wasn't hard to walk anymore and his shoulders hurt a little less. Aang smiled as he trudged on slowly to the safe haven of their cave.

Author's Note: Sorry for my late updates. Exams are sucking the life out of me. I'm trying to atone for my delayed updates by making this my longest chapter yet... Am i forgiven...?

Anyway i hope you like it… Please review and tell me what you think…

DRAC OUT…