A/N: The characters of the Avatar Universe are in no way owned by me. But, I still love writing them.
Welcome back! Thank you to my reviewers the old and the new. Your words are very sweet and they mean so much to me. Also, thanks Stego for that correction. I have got to stop writing at ungodly hours of the night.
Special shout out to my new story followers: Mayflowerss and Teckor. I appreciate it!
I really loved writing this chapter. I took me a little while to get started, but as soon as I did, I couldn't stop. As such, there might be some mature themes but I promise, it keeps its teen rating.
"Do you think he'll wake up any time soon?"
"I don't know."
"It's been four days, he has to wake up soon."
"It's impossible to say, Koko."
"Hmph."
The world came to me in bits and piece. It leaked into the darkness and stretched and arm out, coaxing me toward the voice that felt like home. She was always there when I was close enough to the light to hear, but something always pulled me back.
"Help me lift him, I need to change his bandages."
"How bad is it?"
"His wounds are healing well enough. I don't know why he's not waking up. Thank you for being here, Yue."
"Of course."
I tip toed to the light, her voice warm and welcoming alongside a sweeter sounding voice. I could feel a pair of small hands sliding under my shoulders and lifting me. All I could feel was pain. Pain that tainted the light. Pain that invited the darkness back.
Pain was good, I thought. I hadn't felt it before.
"Please, Aang," Home whispered. That was my name for her. I knew it wasn't her name. Her real name was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't remember. Home seemed to fit. "It's been three days since you screamed when Yue and I tried to change your dressings. It's been nine days since we left the Fire Nation. Your wounds are not bad enough to warrant this—they're healed enough to not need bandages anymore. Whatever battle you're fighting, it's in your head." Home sniffled. Was she crying?
"No one blames you for what happened. We should have been prepared for it, event Azula agrees with us, and she said she told you they wouldn't fight our battle. You did your best when the odds were against you. You didn't have to go after them, but you did. You should have had back up, but you didn't. This isn't…this isn't like what happened to your people. The Fire Nation still lives, the people will still thrive when this is all over. You don't have to feel ashamed."
Pictures started to fill my mind, replacing the darkness with something more substantial. A face to the voice. A name for the voice. Her brother, his fiancée, the battle fought on the mountainside of the capital of the Fire Nation.
My failure.
My failure would not define me. I would not let the world down and abandon them once again.
I was swimming now, kicking myself to the surface of whatever held me here, struggling to breathe in the confines of my own mind when, finally, I broke to the top.
The room I was in was empty. Two chairs were beside my bed, a bowl of water and cloth set between them. Other than the bed and an end table, those were the only pieces of furniture in the room.
Voices in the other room drew my attention, Katara's hushed, panicked tone urged me forward despite the wincing in my sides. My throat was dry and my lips chapped. The last I remember hearing, it'd been nine days since the siege. They probably forced as much water in me as they could, but it wasn't nearly enough. I felt weak and tired, but I had to see Katara. I had to ask her what happened. I had to find out how we were here and who was with us.
Grunting, I made my way to the doorway, leaning against it for support. I found Katara, Sokka, Yue, Azula, and Zuko seated around a table with plates of food in front of them. A glance out the window behind them told me that it was dusk—dinner time.
"The Fire Nation sent out and edict a few days ago," Zuko's voice was filled with grief and defeat. "General Zhao is declaring himself Firelord and he has the support of the North. Speculation at the docks is they'll invade the Earth Kingdom soon."
"We're heading there next," Katara said firmly. Home.
Azula nodded. "Aang trained there alongside a girl from a powerful family. Her family might be able to help us."
"Good luck with that," I laughed, though it turned into a cough. "Toph Beifong cut herself off from her family as soon as she could."
Each head snapped up, eyes wide as they stared.
Katara was the first to move, careening herself across the gap between us and flinging her arms around my neck. Our lips found each other not a second later and my arms secured themselves around her waist, only having to shift slightly so my back pressed up against the doorframe, bearing our weight.
The only thing I could think was home. Home. Home. Home. That was her voice dragging me back to the surface. I needed her to know how important she was to me. She needed to understand I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for her.
Home.
"Ugh," Sokka scoffed from his seat. "You two are giving me the oogies."
"Oh, grow up," Azula and Yue both snapped.
"Oh, come on! If they wanna do that, they can get a room. We all wanna talk to him, I don't know why they can't wait."
That was the thing, though. It couldn't wait. We'd spent years waiting, wasting our time together due to propriety and the world around us falling apart. We almost lost our chance.
It wasn't going to happen again.
I didn't hear the rest of his rant, I was too busy tugging her back into the room, and she was too busy nudging the door closed with her foot. The last thing we heard was Sokka's scream of horror and, presumably, his struggling against the other three while they dragged him from the house.
Katara slipped away with a sheet wrapped around her, ducking back in with the plate of fruits and nuts that had been on the table in the main room. "They're still gone," she whispered, placing the plate between us on the bed. Her hair was still matted to her face and her cheeks were flush, tinted with a beautiful shade of pink.
"Eat, sweetie," she murmured, holding out a berry. "You need to get your strength back."
I gave her a wry look as I shoveled food into my mouth and she smacked my shoulder. "Not for that!" She buried her face in her hands and I gently lifted her chin with my knuckle, placing a small kiss on the tip of her nose. I wanted to look at that face as much as I could for the rest of my life. I'd already lived 22 years without it, I didn't want to add anymore to that number. What I didn't like, however, was the sadness that filled her eyes as she looked me up and down after we'd finished most of the plate.
"What is it?"
She smiled softly. "You were asleep for ten days, Aang. So much has happened since then, and you're still recovering. My first reaction isn't to update you or to check on you. It was to kiss you."
"We did a little more than kissing," I pointed out, knowing she'd shoot me the glare that I'd grown to love. I loved everything.
"My point is," she sighed, popping a berry into her mouth, "that it won't happen again. We need to put this war first. We can't shove it to the side because of us."
While she was right, solving the world's problems did need to come first, I couldn't let it be my only focus. "Katara," I sat up, taking her hands in mine. "You're right, the war does come first. This is a problem we need to solve quickly. But," I reached up, gently brushing my fingers against her cheek. "We're human, and we can follow our hearts, too. Even if they deviate from the mission just a little. Like you said, I was out for ten days. Ten days that I floated in and out of consciousness because of your voice.
"Katara," my voice lowered. "When I was unconscious, I heard some of what was going on around me. I heard your voice, and the instant I heard it, I knew if I followed that voice, home was on the other end. You were on the other end. I'm not going to make the same mistake I did growing up. I'm not going to let my responsibilities prevent me from loving you. If you want to take a step back, that's fine. I'll honor your wishes, but please understand that I am in this, for better or for worse."
She leaned forward, the plate forgotten and discarded, sent clattering to the floor as she kissed me. "How can I disagree with something like that?" she asked against my lips.
I grinned and leaned into the kiss, despite exhaustion beginning to set in. I'd been asleep for ten days but my whole body felt sluggish.
"Aang—oh!" I expected Sokka to be standing there, ready to hit me with his boomerang. Instead, I saw Koko.
Which meant we were on Kyoshi Island.
I'd completely forgotten I'd heard her talking to Katara.
"Can't you knock?" Katara snapped over her shoulder. Koko mumbled her apology and closed the door.
I leaned my head back against the wall, sighing to myself. "We better go talk to the others, I need to know what happened to everyone else."
"Are you sure you're up for it?" she asked, though she was already rolling away and getting dressed. "You've barely eaten anything other than that plate of fruit. You shouldn't over extend yourself so quickly."
I nodded. "I need to know what we're doing next."
Sokka's scowl never left his face as we sat in the main room, sipping the tea Zuko had brewed for us, telling us how Iroh had taught him how to balance the water and tea leaves just right. The mention of his uncle was a sobering experience, though. Everyone had quieted, sadness filling the room.
"What happened?" I finally asked. "When I left, you guys were hiding away in the bunker. What changed?"
Zuko was the first to reply. "We never intended to stay there. Uncle Iroh is old, his fighting days are behind him, and my father would never leave my mother to defend herself on her own. She's resourceful and strong, but she can't handle as many benders as he can. They intended to stay in the bunker. Azula and I were making sure they were safe before going back out there. You were already gone by the time we made it back, and Katara slipped Lu Ten's grasp, and the hidden entrance was already closing by then."
"It doesn't stay open forever," Azula interjected. "We'd taken too long and then had to figure out how to open it without exposing the door. Sokka's boomerang worked as a wedge and we were able to pry it open, but Katara was long gone by then."
I glanced over to the waterbender beside me. Her eyes were firm and unyielding. "I don't regret running out into the city. People needed my help, and you had other things you needed to worry about. Someone had to provide them with help."
I smiled, lacing my fingers in hers and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand, unbelievably proud of her sacrifice.
"Appa found us as soon as we reached the main gates. Despite your wall, Aang, they still got over it, somehow. Between the four of us, we managed to clear the courtyard."
"Five," Yue interrupted. "I helped as much as I could."
"Which wasn't a lot," Azula muttered.
Zuko elbowed her silently while Sokka continued. "We were stuck at the gate when Appa found us. He took us to Katara who'd found Hahn—"
"Wait, what?" I interrupted, glancing back at Katara. "Hahn was there?"
She nodded. "He was acting…strange. I don't know if it was because he wanted to confuse me, but he claims I was kidnapped and you're trying to corrupt me against him. He was trying to subdue me when they showed up. From there, we went straight to you and found you unconscious. I don't know how we made it out alive."
Wait, she'd said there were five of them in the courtyard. "Where's Lu Ten?"
"He stayed behind when Appa picked us up. He didn't want to leave his father behind. As far as we know, he retreated to the bunker," Yue answered.
"And the Fire Nation?"
Zuko's hand balled into a fist. "It's under Northern control. We don't know what's happened to our family. We're hoping they'll find a way to send word."
"If they're even alive," Azula whispered. "We'll know soon enough, Mai and Ty Lee weren't at the palace when it happened, they'll find us."
Even though I'd overheard this news earlier, it was still devastating to see Zuko's and Azula's differing reactions. Zuko had always leaned toward a more hopeful outlook on life, while Azula expected the worst. She said that way her expectations were met most of the time. But it made for some difficult discussions with the two.
With a sigh, I stood, rubbing the stiffness out of my neck. "We need to get to the Ba Sing Se as soon as possible, we'll make a stop in Gaoling."
"What's in Gaoling?"
I grinned. "Azula mentioned her earlier. Toph Beifong."
After further discussion, we decided to stay on the island for a few more days to gather provisions and, hopefully, hear from the Royal family. I'd written to the Earth King, hoping it would reach him before whatever lies the North was spreading did. I didn't hold much hope; the North was much closer to him than Kyoshi Island was.
We knew we couldn't delay much longer, but still we put leaving off. Katara claimed I wasn't fit for travel, Sokka said Appa seemed tired after his visit with him—I confirmed his story by visiting the bison myself. Except, Appa wasn't really that tired. He was simply enjoying the pampering the people of Kyoshi gave him every time we visited—which was only three times now. Still, we all came up with excuses hoping we would hear from them.
"Aang?"
A small voice called my name as I moved around the marketplace, collecting food and other items we would need on our journey to Gaoling. When I turned around, I felt a sinking feeling in my chest as I saw Koko staring up at me, her brows knitted together in confusion. I'd stayed with her family during my stop here on the way to the Southern Water Tribe. While I was here, she'd developed a sort of crush on me. I'm ashamed to admit that I did little to discourage it; in a way, I liked the attention, but it was still wrong to allow her to get her hopes up, especially when she was only eighteen. I should have known better.
"Hey, Koko," I greeted, trying to sound as cheerful as I could. I set my basket down, handing several coins over to the vendor before picking the basket back up and gesturing to her to walk with me. "How're you doing?"
"Fine," she squeaked, although she looked as if something was bothering her. I didn't push it. "That's great! We need more people enjoying themselves nowadays."
"Yeah…" She nodded, angling her head up at me. "I heard about the Northern advance on the Fire Nation and how aggressive they've been with the southern tribe. That was very heroic of you, to try to take on all those benders at once."
I snorted. "Katara might disagree and say I was foolish."
She stopped walking, her eyes narrowing slightly at the mention of Katara's name. "Is that the girl I—" she cut herself off, her cheeks turning a shade of red.
"Yes," I said quickly, glancing around. We were well out of the main hustle and bustle of the marketplace, wandering on our own back toward the house the group was staying at, but I still didn't want to mention such things around other people.
Koko nodded, her frown deepening. "I don't understand," she admitted. "When you were here before—"
This time, I was the one to cut her off. "I know. We had dinners together, we stayed up talking, you showed me some techniques unique to the Kyoshi warriors, and we shared a few moments together," I sighed, squeezing my eyes together while my free hand rubbed the tenseness from the back of my neck. "I should have let you think there was more to our friendship when I knew how I felt about another woman, Koko. I'm sorry I wasn't mature enough to let you know there wasn't a chance."
"There wasn't a chance?" She looked up at me, her eyes hurt and confused.
I hesitated before responding. Then decided to go the route of complete honesty. "There might have been, had the circumstances with Katara been different, Koko. But they aren't. I love Katara, heart and soul. It'd be unfair to you if I said otherwise. My situation with her isn't going to change."
She nodded, her gaze falling to the ground before finally looking up at me, squinting against the sun at my back. "You've changed, Aang," she noted, looking a little relieved as she turned to walk away.
I realized why she had looked so relieved when the village threw us a farewell dinner and she was tucked against the side of another man. I was happy for her, and relieved that things didn't end as badly as they could have. Koko was stubborn and demanding; it could have turned out worse.
"What are you grinning about?" Katara asked when she joined me at the table, our hands entwining on my knee.
"Hm?" I blinked, coming out of my daze and focusing my attention on her. "Oh, nothing. Just realizing how quickly things can change."
She returned my stare with a sweet, almost sad smile while her hand gently squeezed mine. "Things do change quickly," she agreed. "We've been here almost two weeks and it already feels like home, but we're already moving on." Her head swiveled, looking around the room at the people that had cared for us over the past week. "I'll miss it here, but I find our moving around kind of exciting."
It was nomadic, I realized. A throwback to my roots and heritage. When an air nomad came of age, we traditionally went on a pilgrimage across the world to further connect ourselves with our spirit. Many of us fell in love with the traveling and stuck with it, serving as a helping hand in communities, and finally settling down in places we thought we could call home. While many benders chose to live as monks or nuns at the temples, some settled elsewhere. The Air Nomads were never really a nation like the Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom, simply a community of people with a connection to the spirit world that transcended earthly ideals.
We were peaceful folk that Firelord Sozin murdered on his own selfish quest to rule the world. A quest Arnook and his people were pursuing as we sat here.
"Aang," Katara whispered, her hand traveling up my arm and resting on my back. "You have that look, again."
"What look?" I asked, my throat dry and ashy.
"The look you get when you think of what happened to your people." She frowned, applying a gentle pressure to my shoulders that made me want to moan. "You're very tense up here," she noted, massaging her palm into my shoulder.
"Sorry," I heaved a sigh, leaning forward and resting my chin against the table. "You said something that reminded me of home."
"I'm glad I did." She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and left, wandering around the party.
A new hand clasped my shoulder and I looked up to find Zuko, giving it a firm squeeze. "C'mon," he said. "You look like you could use some sparring."
He wasn't wrong.
I would never make peace with what happened to my people. I had learned to live with it, but I would never stop feeling the guilt of abandoning them.
I would never be okay with being the last airbender left.
I will never be okay knowing that, one day, I will have to explain to my children that a man was greedy enough to decide that his thirst for power justified the slaughtering of hundreds of thousands of innocent, peaceful people.
The image of monk Gyatso's remains surrounded by Fire Nation skeletons would haunt me until the day I died.
What bothered me the most? I had no reassurance that something like that wasn't going to happen again. The Northern Water Tribe had proven that it would exercise no restraint when it came to proving their strength. Their surprise attack on an already vulnerable Fire Nation left the fate of the fire nation people in the hands of people who didn't care about their culture. Zuko, Azula, and the sprinkle of Fire Nation people still scattered around the world might be all that's left in a few weeks' time, and I wasn't ready to confront that possibility.
"Hey! Watch it!"
Zuko smirked. "Only giving you what you're giving me, Aang," he shot back as he lunged forward, arcing an arm toward my middle. I deflected and spun away, my shoulders heaving. We'd been at this for a while now, and while it felt good to blow off steam, I felt like I was getting even more irate.
Perhaps I needed to meditate on this, instead. I'd been neglecting my regular practice of meditation, surprising even myself. I'd always found comfort in letting my thoughts float away and reconnecting with the Earth's energy, but lately, it's all felt too hectic to try.
I dropped my arms to my side, shaking my head. Zuko dropped his attacks, eyeing me curiously as I flopped to the sand, my head between my knees and the ocean roaring in front of me. With the moon out, I could see the water rippling as the elephant koi broke to the surface from time to time.
"It's not the same, you know," Zuko said and he plopped down beside me.
"What isn't?"
"The North invading the Fire Nation. It's not the same as what happened to your people. What my great-grandfather did was premeditated genocide. Arnook, while his intentions are clearly misplaced, won't kill off the Fire Nation. The Water Nation spirits are all about balance, even he knows better."
"Perhaps…" I mused.
"Aang, if you had been there when he attacked, the world would be in chaos right now. Tensions were already high when you were found. All-out war was on its way. I don't want to say it's better that you weren't, but you lived to save the world another day. You don't need to beat yourself up over not being there. You were twelve years old and lacked experience in the elements."
I'd heard the same thing countless times from other people, and it didn't change a thing. Each time, I simply nodded and excused myself.
"Thanks, Zuko. I think I'm going to go check on Appa, make sure he's ready for tomorrow."
I could tell he didn't believe my excuse, but he didn't argue with me as I walked away.
We left early the next morning, the sun barely above the horizon when Oyaji and Suki, the warrior leader training to take his place as leader, saw us off. Both promised us aid whenever we'd need it, and while I was hopeful we wouldn't, some part of me knew I would be calling on them for their help soon.
Gaoling wasn't far, which meant I made a few stops along the way, pointing out landmarks that made Sokka snore, Azula shout "boring", Zuko shrug, Katara simply smiling and nodding. I was thankful for Yue, because she was at least polite enough to ask me questions regarding why they interested me.
Due to these delays, we didn't arrive in Gaoling until the late afternoon, which was intended. I knew of one way to get in contact with Toph and it was not during the day time.
"What are we doing here?" Katara hissed as we sat down
"Katara," Sokka snapped. "We're CLEARLY here to watch some ninny earthbenders get their butts whooped by some guy named Pebbler. Now you can either shut your mouth and enjoy the show or go sit outside and sulk."
Katara's eyes narrowed. "I just don't see how being here is going to help us."
Before Sokka could reply, the announcer's voice rang out, loud and clear.
"Good evening, folks, and welcome to Earth Rumble VI. I'm your host, Toph Beifong, and tonight we're gonna see some good butt whoopin'!"
Hopefully, that answered Katara's question.
TA DAHH! I'm so excited to introduce and explore Toph more. This is going to be so much fun!
Also, how about that reunion? I had a lot of debate going on about letting that happen, but a friend of my assured me that it'd be fine, so I kept it. And I totally love it.
Anyway, reviews are what keep writers like me going. I love your feedback!
Have a gorgeous weekend,
Em
