Being a busy bee STINKS! I have no time to write! I hope I made it up to you guys, I tried to make this chapter long and somewhat interesting.

As the search raged on, tension began to grow in the village. The Southerners began to eye their counterparts with suspicion, never letting them out of their sights. Even more so they were worried about the bender I had informed Hakoda about. He bent fire like it was his true nation, yet his tanned skin suggested that he was a water tribe son. Hahn had suggested that he may be a duel bender, but those benders were rarely seen, and if they were society typically shunned them rather than make them part of their culture. Especially when they were ones that bent opposing elements.

However arguments began to pop up. The South wanted the North to leave, demanding that they were no longer needed while the North believed that they were needed. Almost all of the Southerners agreed that the North was going to leave, and it was going to be soon. Key word: Almost.

"They can't leave! What if a big storm comes in and half the village blows down? Who will fix it?" Katara asked, flinging her delicate hands up in frustration. She stood opposite me as I sat patiently on my bed, waiting for her ranting to come to an end. She crossed her arms over her chested and paced across the room.

"Katara, you have plenty of capable benders living in the South Pole. The North needs to leave this place before any more strands of your culture are lost do to this transition!"

She threw her hands up in the air, causing the water in the basin beside her to shoot up and then slowly fall back down. I shook my head as she talked. What a powerful bender she could be if she just learned how to control her power.

"What do you know anyway, Aang? You've been gone for ten years! Four years gathering the world for that stupid conference that didn't solve anything for us! Another two spent in the Fire Nation and you spent nearly four in the Earth Kingdom! What there is so important?"

"Everything! You try fixing all the corruption that the Earth Kingdom was drowning in! It took me two years to get the King up to date on all the things happening outside of Ba Sing Se, two years that I would have much rather spent elsewhere."

"Like where? Back in the Fire Nation with Zuko and Azula? Don't think I haven't heard the rumors about you and the Fire Princess. Word travels in the trade market."

I squeezed my eyes shut, resisting the temptation to scream at her, lash out at her in every possible way. She was being unfair. It's not like I chose to stay away from her. I had to, I had no choice.

"Katara, the Northerners are leaving as soon as the storm passes. Accept it, because there's nothing you can do." I stood and made my way for the door.

"If Sangok goes, I'm following him."

I froze, my reoccurring dream coming back to me. "No, Katara you have to stay."

She huffed in frustration. "And why is that Aang?"

"Please...for me, just stay here. That way I know you are safe," I pleaded, my eyes watering.

The village stood around me, saying their farewells as I saddled a still tired Appa. I graciously accepted their parting gifts, including a bag of seal jerky, which I was hesitant on eating.

"Aang!" a small voice cried out as I walked away with Appa, trying to clear the village before we took off.

I turned to see Katara running up to me. "Aang, please take me with you!"

I shook my head, no. "Katara, you know I can't do that."

She grasped my arm, digging her nails into the tender flesh desperately. "I could learn how to bend, you wouldn't have to worry about me at all!"

"That's not true," I cooed, gently taking her face in my hands. "Katara, I've worried about your safety throughout the whole time I've been here. It would only be worse if we traveled to countries on the brink of war. I can't risk you getting hurt."

"But Aang..." she said softly. "I want to be with you."

As my heart seemed to fall apart in my chest, I some how found the courage to lean forward and press my lips softly against hers. The kiss lasted only a moment, but it was enough to make me weak in the knees. My heart screamed for me to stay, knowing that it would forever be in pieces without her. Yet, it was better that I was in pieces and not the world.

"Please...for me, just stay here. That way I know you are safe."

She sniffed and slowly nodded, tears spilling out from her eyes.

I embraced her one last time, inhaling her sweet scent and stepped back, resisting giving her another kiss. I flew up on Appa and flew away, leaving the Water Tribe beauty behind me.

Her eyes narrowed into slits as she recognized those words. My eyes slowly met her glare and she cast her eyes downward. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Aang," she said through clenched teeth. "You cannot keep me here with your words! Not after what you did to me."

I shook my head, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. "Katara, I didn't mean to."

"No, Aang!" she snapped, slowly lifting her gaze to mine. "I waited for you for years. I finally came of age and plenty of men asked me to be their bride! Yet, I said no because I foolishly believed that you would come here immediately after you fixed everything. I thought that we would have our chance together. It broke my heart when you didn't come back for me, Aang. I cried myself to sleep for months and months. Mom and Dad didn't know what to do about me." She paused, smiling softly as her gaze shifted toward the door. "They sent me to the North Pole, where I met Sangok. He went out of his way to make sure I was smiling every moment I was with him. Every promise he made to me he kept and he never left me waiting." She smiled softly. "Always early, sometimes annoyingly early."

"Katara..." I choked out, blinking away the tears forming.

"Somewhere along the way I realized I loved him. Not soon after he asked me to be his bride and I said yes almost instantly. We returned here because I yearned for home and I wanted to tell Mom and Dad myself rather than by mail. It was then that they told me you were returning. Initially I wanted to leave but then I realized that I would have to face the ghost of my past rather than run from it."

"Katara I know I kept you waiting and I understand why you believe that I didn't want to return to you. But if I had, the world would have been destroyed. I can't let millions of people suffer for me, Katara."

"But they can't suffer for me?" she said softly.

I yearned to say that they could, but the betrothal necklace kept me from doing so. "Katara, if you can't understand that my duty as the Avatar comes before my personal life, then maybe this is all for the best."

Before she could make a reply Kya rushed in. "Aang! Aang, please hurry! The storms coming in and our hunting crew is still out there!"

I gave Katara one last look before I retreated from the room, leaving the tear-struck girl behind.

After hours of searching in the wasteland, I returned to the Chieftain's home, throwing my staff against the wall. My brow furrowed together in frustration as I slumped down against the wall. After half the day, my search concluded with no avail. Where could they be? The blizzard hadn't picked up yet, so they couldn't be buried.

"Aang?" Kya's worried voice called.

"What am I supposed to do, Kya? I searched everywhere and I can't find them at all! I practically broke the ice apart and nothing!"

"Shh," she cooed at me, rubbing my back in a motherly way. "Aang, they'll survive the night, don't worry."

I shook my head. That wouldn't work. They had to be found. "Who was in the party, Kya?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know who.

She hesitated as tears bridged her lashes. Her hands moved to covers her small mouth and she cast her gaze away from mine.

I stood and threw my hands behind my head, letting them cradle my neck as I squeezed my eyes shut. "Hakoda's in the group, isn't he?"

She nodded. "This was meant to be a bonding moment for he and Sangok. He, Bato, Sangok, two Southerners and three other Northerners left this morning. They thought they would beat the storm but I guess not."

"He what?" I stood and began pacing. "How could he be so daft? The poles are practically at war with each other and he goes on a hunting trip with only three men for protection? Bato and Hakoda can't bend! They'll be no match fro Sangok if he turns on them."

"Why do you assume Sangok would do that?" Katara asked.

I looked up to find that her mood hadn't improved since I had left. Her eyes were slits of hatred, hate that targeted me. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. Why did I think that? Jealousy?

She shook her head at me, disgust consuming her beautiful face. "You monster. Did you even bother looking? With all the Northerners in the group I'm surprised that you even left to search for them."

I stood erect, my hands balling into fists. "In all the years you've known me, you accuse me of this? Of letting eight innocent lives wander off and have to fight the cold that beats against them for days, maybe even weeks? Katara, I am no monster. But, perhaps you are for making such an accusation." I cast my gaze downward, not wanting to see the anger that would be boiling on her face.

In the meantime, Kya had found her voice. "Stop it, both of you. Other families are suffering and all you can do is bicker with each other?" she huffed, turning her gaze to me. "As the Avatar I expected better from you. Katara," her voice was cold as she moved to speak to her daughter. "You are the chiefs daughter, you're expected to be the role model of the village, please, at least act like it."

We were both silent, realizing our errors. "You're right, Kya," I whispered and made for the door snatching my staff as I did. "Gather the villagers, we're meeting at the town hall." I gave Katara one last fleeting glance and made my way into the cold, leaving a selfish, weeping girl in my wake.

The storm raged on, with the winds picking up, tossing the snow around the village, creating the illusion that it was snowing. I town hall was at the highest point in the village, a safe haven if the village were to ever be buried in snow. By the time I had made it up there, the village had already gathered. The room was crowded with villagers, Northerners, and traders, all of which were frantically conversing with the others. Kya and Katara were not among them, nor did I see Bato's family. Nevertheless, the room was pact with well over a hundred people. It still shocked me how much the population of the Tribe had grown.

My staff pounded against the floor as I asked for their attention. The room fell silent almost instantly as their stares all shifted to me.

I stared out amongst the sea of people, shifting awkwardly as I did. I realized that I had no idea what to say, but I had to say something.

"People of the Southern tribe, the moment htat has come upon us is of a stressful nature, but much like the element of water itself, the people of the water nations are unbreakable. In this time of difficulty we need to remain united as a people and be there for those who are in a state of disarray because their loved one's whereabouts are unknown. As the Avatar, I will do all within my power to reunite the families of those around us, however, I cannot do it alone. While myself and a search party of volunteers attempt to retrieve those who are lost, I need you, the people of the Souther Water Tribe, to stand strong and be a untied front against the storm that rages on."

My speech was followed with silence until one small figure stood and said "I volunteer."

I shook my head, no.

Not Katara.

I'm not going to lie, I'm not happy with this chapter but I REALLY needed to update.

Also, I would like to thank my dear friend Paula for helping me write the speech Aang gave. Paula, I LOVE YOU!