Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the long waiting times between updates, but school is nearing its end and that means studying for finals and less time to write! :( I really hope you are all enjoying the story so far - it's so amazing to check the view counter and see the number always growing! This story has seen over 6,000 views! Thank you so much!

"Where are Naheel and Etka?" I demanded, grabbing the nearest Sister Kateri and I passed. She saw our state, and her eyes widened in shock.

"They came in an hour ago," She said, waving over another Sister and taking me by the arm. "Naheel is in the Infirmary with Etka."

"What happened to you two?" The other Sister, who had taken up helping Kateri asked, as they led us towards the Infirmary. I wanted to run, but I could barely stand anymore. I had to see Etka.

"Ruae, Anahi fought off at least a hundred soldiers," Kateri explained, and I stared at her in surprise. "And she battled the Firelord."

"What?" Ruae exclaimed in shock. "How are you still alive?"

"Did you kill him?" The other Sister asked, and I shook my head.

"Kateri saved me before he killed me," I answered quietly, looking over at her. Her headscarf was loose, and her eyeliner was smudged. A thin trickle of blood ran down from her nose and the side of her cheek was scraped raw from her fall. I met her gaze and bowed my head to her. "Thank you," I said humbly, reaching for her hand. "I would not be alive if it weren't for you."

Kateri gave a grim smile as we reached the Infirmary, and I let go of her hand. My eyes found my brother, kneeling over Etka, who was lying on his stomach, his eyes shut in pain, and I broke free of my company and ran towards them. "Etka!" I cried, falling to my knees at his side. He opened his eyes weakly, and I wanted to pull him into my arms, keep him close to my heart forever, where no one could hurt him ever again. He looked so fragile, so weak, though, that all I could do was hold his hand and gingerly touch his face.

"Anahi..." He murmured, his voice raw and gravelly from shouting.

"Shh," I said gently, my eyes falling over to his back. Naheel and some of the Sisters were trying to salvage the bloody mess of skin that was now Etka's back, and evidently without much anesthetic. He squeezed my hand tightly, and tears came to my eyes.

"Now we're even," He murmured, his voice low enough to for only me to hear it.

"Even?" I breathed, struggling to hold back my tears. "What-What are you talking about?"

"When I attacked you," Etka said. "When I beat you. I deserve this. Now we're even."

Suddenly, I felt as if my throat had closed off, and I turned away, my lips struggling to keep from betraying a sob. "Oh, Etka," I choked. "Don't ever think that. Please don't ever...think that you deserved what they did to you."

I knew that Naheel and Kateri were probably watching this, and more than anything, I wanted to be alone with Etka. I wanted to hold him and protect him and never let him be hurt like this again.

"Anahi," I felt a gentle hand touch my shoulder, and I lifted my head to see Kateri standing behind me. "You're hurt too. You need help."

"I want to stay with him," I said stubbornly, like a child. "I don't ever want to leave him again."

"Anahi, you're covered in ash and you're bleeding," Kateri coaxed gently, and Etka let go of my hand. "It will only be for a little while. I promise."

I sighed, suddenly realizing how exhausted I was again. Seeing Etka had given me a burst of energy. "Go," Etka urged, his teeth grit tightly together. "I'm not going anywhere." I bent down and pressed my lips to his forehead, letting my touch linger before leaving the room with Kateri, holding tightly onto her arm.

I followed her and a few other Sisters through the halls of the Temple to an area I had never been before, chambers behind large wooden doors, where Kateri told me the Sister's resided. Unlike the area of the Temple where the refugees resided, this section was more quiet, more reserved, and in a calming way, more sacred. I knew that I was being let into a very important place.

"This way," Kateri said, leading me into a long room filled with dozens of dark, marble bathtubs. She paused before one, and took down her headscarf and robes before climbing in and turning on the water. I took the one beside her and did the same.

As the tub filled with warm, comfortable water, my gaze went down to my hands. I hadn't noticed before the angry red burns across my skin, and when I caught my reflection in the shiny, black marble on the walls, I was shocked at what I saw.

My hair was disheveled from wrestling with Ozai, and black soot and grime from the street covered seemingly every inch of my exposed skin. My eyes looked haunted, hollow, and burns sliced up my arms and legs.

I closed my eyes, and saw myself throwing tongues of fire, striking and burning any soldier who crossed my path. I remembered trying to escape with Kateri, and I had stepped on a body, charred beyond recognition.

I had done that.

I had killed all of those soldiers.

My body shook with a silent sob, and I couldn't breathe. "Anahi!" Kateri looked over in alarm, and I was shaking all over.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," I chanted, horrified at myself. My trembling hands went up to my face and shook against my cheeks.

Kateri climbed out of her tub and hurried over to me, pulling a towel around herself and kneeling beside me, holding me upwards by my shoulders. "Anahi, talk to me," She said sharply. "Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

"I'm not him!" I cried shrilly, tears rolling down my face. "I'm nothing like him!"

Kateri's face changed, and her eyes fell. "Anahi," She said softly, getting up and climbing into the tub of water with me. Kateri pulled me into her arms, and I buried my head into her shoulder, crying weakly. "You are nothing like your Father," She said in a firm, but gentle voice. "You did what you had to to save Etka, and he's alive and safe now, because of you. I'm alive and safe now because of you."

"I k-killed at least a hun-hundred men today," I stammered, my voice shaking, and Kateri rubbed my back, gently brushing my hair out of my face. "I killed them!" I looked Kateri in the eyes, tears still swimming in my own.

"The Firelord kills and disposes of those who threaten him," Kateri said. "But you killed to save the lives of those you love. You are selfless, Anahi. You were ready to die so that the one you loved could be saved, and you further protected Naheel and I so that we could escape." Kateri gave me a grim smile and took my hands in hers. "You were a hero today, Anahi. Don't forget that."

I looked down at my hands in hers, and closed them into fists. "I will never firebend again," I said gravely. "Not after the atrocities I committed today. I won't hurt anyone else like I did today."

Kateri looked at me sadly for a long time. "I understand," She said softly. "And I admire your sacrifice. Let's get you cleaned up, and then go see Etka and Naheel, alright?"

After we had finished washing up, Kateri had given me clean robes to wear, simple and red and comfortable. I didn't ask where they came from.

I went down to the Infirmary, to find it now mostly empty of people, save Etka and Naheel. Naheel was bent over Etka, his hands gracing over the mauled skin. It was a hallowed scene, just the two of them against a high-ceilinged wall surrounded by pillars. Etka looked like he was fading in and out of consciousness, and I heard him murmur something to Naheel.

"It's alright, Etka," Naheel said softly, gently using his healing water to soothe Etka's back. "You're safe here."

I felt the sense that I was intruding on something, and I ducked behind a large red pillar, unnoticed. Neither man looked up nor heard me enter. I held my breath.

"A...nahi..." Etka grunted, and Naheel soothed him.

"She's gone, don't worry," He promised. "Everyone's left. It's just us." Etka's face suddenly crumpled. He released a strangled cry, and I realized this was him finally acknowledging his pain, something he hadn't done during the flogging, and refused to do in front of me.

"It hurts..." He moaned, tears running down his cheeks, and I was stone still, completely floored at the strength of this man. Etka was shaking, and my brother gently tried to calm him down, soothing the pain of his wounds.

"She saw your sacrifice," Naheel said soothingly. "Anahi knows what you have done so that she could live."

Etka's eyes were clamped shut, but silent tears rolled down as he grit his teeth against the pain. "I would never betray her," He swore, giving a low moan of pain. "I'd rather die."

Naheel paused, his face full of resolve. "I know. She knows that too."

Etka groaned against his teeth, tears running down his cheeks as he desperately tried to prevent them. "You can cry in front of me," Naheel said gently. "It won't make you any less of a man."

Etka released a sob that pierced straight through my heart, and I felt myself tear up again. He buried his face in his arms and wept, his back shaking as Naheel tried to stop his pain.

I leaned back against the pillar, unable to watch any longer. Every sound of pain Etka made was like a knife in my chest, but I didn't dare go over to comfort him. If Etka knew that I had seen him break down like this, I would be wounding his dignity as well.

Naheel did his best to soothe him, and when Etka's sobs quieted down and I knew that he had passed out again, I stepped out from behind the pillar, to see Naheel kneeling over Etka with his face in bloodied hands. Etka was asleep again.

"Naheel," I murmured quietly, as not to wake Etka, and wearily, my brother raised his head. I walked quietly over to him and knelt beside him, pressing my lips to his temple.

"Thank you," I murmured, and he drew me into his arms, holding onto me tightly. He stayed like this, holding me for a long while, his face buried in my neck.

"I'm so glad you're alive," He murmured, and I wound my fingers into his tunic, clinging to my brother.

"You saved him," I breathed, pulling away and wiping tears from my eyes.

"How much did you hear?" Naheel asked, his attention going back to the man passed out before us.

"I heard him break," I said softly, my hand running down Etka's long hair. "He thinks that crying out is a sign of weakness, and yet he was so strong today."

"I tried to do the best that I could," Naheel said, his hands passing over Etka's back once more. It looked considerably better from when I had first seen it, but there was still plenty of evidence of the torture he had suffered. "I'm not that good, and-and there was so much blood, Anahi..."

"He's alive because of you," I said gently. "He owes you his life."

"Etka owes me nothing," Naheel said, grasping my hand in his. "Not after he gave me you."

I smiled sadly at my brother, and he leaned over, kissing my forehead. "I'm going to get cleaned up," He told me. "And find us something to eat."

"I'll stay with Etka," I replied. "I want to be here when he wakes."

Naheel stood and smiled softly at me. "I'll be back," He said, and I reached for Etka's hand.

Kateri ran into Naheel in the hall outside the Infirmary, her eyes widening with startled surprise. "Oh, I was just going in to check and see how Etka and Anahi were doing - " She blurted out in explanation, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

"They're alright now," Naheel said gravely. He looked exhausted, and to her shock, Kateri realized that there were tears in his eyes.

"Naheel..."

"Ozai would have killed her if you hadn't gone back." His voice was low, and his face somber, unbetraying of the fact that he was about to cry. Kateri was moved. "I told you not too, that she could handle it, and I have never been so glad to be wrong." A tear shot down his cheek, and Kateri wrapped her arms around his chest.

"Thank you for my sister," Naheel murmured into her hair, and Kateri looked up at him, her hand gently caressing his cheek. Her clean, pale fingers sharply contrasted with his tanned skin, day-old stubble, and Etka's blood. Naheel's chilling blue eyes were swimming with tears, and she reached up and wiped them away.

"It's alright now," She said to console him. Kateri didn't even think of what the Sisters would say to this. She knew right now was that the man she deeply cared about was suffering, and his pain was causing hers now. She felt his hands reach for her face, and he kissed her. Kateri felt the salt of his tears on his lips.

Naheel needed her, and she needed him too. Today had been a terrifying nightmare, and even now, she knew there was no guarantee of their safety. There was no promise of tomorrow, and as Kateri kissed Naheel back, she worried that the Firelord's wrath upon them all was only beginning.