A/N. The chapter I've been waiting for!

As the light of day made way for the night, Aang moved over the mile of open country. He had avoided his friends, even making sure to hover just above the ground thanks to some light airbending to make sure Toph wouldn't feel him. He had checked if they were still where he and Hakoda had left them… Toph, Suki, Sokka, Appa and Momo had all been clustered together close to the tents of the Water Tribe, and he had felt the worry in their heartbeats… But he didn't want them to know what he was going to do.

Suki and Toph would try and talk him out of it, while Sokka would want to come with… And he needed to do this silently. Get in the town, find On Ji, let her guide him to Katara… And get out. That was all he needed to do. He had snatched a dark cloak from Piandao's tent, which made him feel guilty… But he hadn't any other clothes than the flowing orange and saffron robes, and if those weren't a clear sign of who he was, his tattoos were.

So, as he crawled as silently as possible over the ground, using his elbows to pull himself forward, Aang knew what he needed to do. Without bending, he had to inch as close as possible to the walls. He could have run the mile, without breaking a sweat… But if just one soldier saw the dust his airbending created, if only one saw a flash of orange… They would know what he was trying to do. And act accordingly… So no, he would do it the old-fashioned way. Sneak into the town. And only use bending whenever absolutely necessary.

The soft noise of insects in the air had begun to lessen as soon as dark settled in completely. In this region of the world, around this time of year, night settled quickly, Aang knew that from all the days he had spent here… he didn't recognize it, but still, he and Kuzon had laughed a lot in those days, pranking and doing all sorts of things… Spirits, how long ago that seemed… Even if he knew that for him, it was supposed to be a year or two ago… And not a more than a century. But here he was… Crawling to the town he had visited, but did not recognize, a hundred years later…

As Aang inched closer and closer, he began to hear the soft murmurs of voices carrying in the wind. He couldn't understand everything, but caught words from time to time, such as relief, sign and fire. It wasn't much, but he guessed that some guards on the wall were being relieved, and had to signal if something was amiss. At least, he guessed.

Oh, guessing? That's a good idea.

He ignored the voice.

Suddenly, he felt the earth give way under his fingers, and guessed he had arrived at the ditch in front of the wall. Now, the sky was completely dark, and the only light came from above him, on the wall… Hoping that no one was looking directly down, Aang inhaled softly and left himself roll into the ditch. The grass in the deepest part of the moat was high enough to hide him, so the airbender checked if the cloak was still covering his clothes.

Aang regretted his choices. He shouldn't have shaven his hair off… He shouldn't have thrown away his disguise. Everyone who had been in the group they had met earlier would be able to tell who he was… They would probably have spoken to their families and friends about the Avatar, and his… questionable fashion sense. But it was too late for regrets… At least, these regrets.

Regrets, he had aplenty.

Putting his hands onto the damp earth, he inhaled and tried to reach out. Aang's earthbending hit an unmovable line, long and thick… He guessed that was the foundation, those Toph had spoken of… At least, that meant he was close to the walls. Sighing softly, Aang knew what he had to do. He would have to climb up the other side of the ditch… feel his way there, and go from there.

As he began to crawl up the slope towards the bricks and mortar of the wall, he heard voices, now far closer than those he had heard before.

"You think they will try something?" A man's voice spoke.

"No way, they are not that stupid. They have far too few men to assault this shithole, and the princess has them scared." Another person answered.

"You never know. I was stationed at Yu Dao, and the stories some of the survivors of the North told us…" The first man answered, sounding terrified. Aang felt a shiver run over his spine at the idea of someone afraid of him… But he was used to it… Everyone looked at him differently… First at the Air Temple. Then again, during their travels… It had only worsen ever since defeating Ozai…

As his fingers grazed the hard surface of the wall, Aang pressed his palm against the surface. There were not only those two soldiers on the wall… there were nearly one or two ever ten yards… Far too many to hope to cross the fortification just by jumping on it, and down on the other side…

Pressing his forehead against the cool stones, Aang had to resist the impulse to hit his head against it as he realized what he would have to do… As silently as possible. And managing to avoid to destroy the wall, if possible.

Putting his other hand next to the one already pressed against the wall, the airbender inhaled softly, forcing the bricks back. As he increased the effort he put into his earthbending, he felt the stones move, one by one. It was dangerous… But if he couldn't go over the wall, he would go through it. Letting his hands slip into the hole created by his first try, Aang continued until the space was big enough for him to crawl into. Trying to ignore the dark, crushing thought that hundreds of tons of stones were above him, Aang continued to pry a small tunnel into the wall.

Oh, how he wished that Toph would be here… just for this. He didn't lie to himself, he knew very well that he wasn't the best earthbender… His friend would probably be able to knock a beautiful tunnel into the wall, with decorations and all, just with soft tap of a knuckle on a brick… He, however, would have to be content with a crude tunnel barely high enough to crawl through…

As long as it took him inside, it didn't matter.

The silence inside the small space was the worst. Outside, the soft noises coming from the town had accompanied him. But here? Here, the only sounds were the scrapping and grinding of bricks that were bent into an unnatural position to make way for him…

"Monkeyfeathers!" He cursed as a sharp pain cut into his hand. Pressing his other hand against his mouth, he stayed silent as he tried to listen if someone had heard the noise coming from inside the wall. As he waited, he felt warmth spreading into his right palm. He had probably been cut with something sharp from the bricks… But that wasn't important. He would look at it after… After getting out of this claustrophobic nightmare.

Using only one hand, he continued.

Pressing his fingertips against a smooth feeling stone, he pushed it, and it dropped. Frowning, Aang suddenly felt the cool, fresh air enter his tunnel. Realizing he had crossed that wall… He waited. For anyone to have seen the stone drop and call for the guards. When no such warning came, the airbender found another stone, and dropped it too. As soon as the dark stone fell away, Aang saw that the hole he had created look straight against another wall a few yards across from him. So… Probably a small street or alley. The wall in front of him was lit by light coming from above, probably the top of the fortification… So, there would be guards probably looking outwards… But would they have people watching the streets?

Spirits, he had really not thought this through…

But it was too late for that. He was nearly inside… Nearly able to find Katara… And if that wasn't worth the risk, let the Spirits take him now.

As he pushed the stones out, Aang crawled outside the hole and, staying on his hands and knees, looked left and right. There was no sign of anyone here… And indeed, it was a small street, straight and running along the inner side of the town's wall. On his left, there seemed to be a corner leading into a bigger street… Keeping his hand on the ground, he began to feel for anything that would warn him of being detected. Closing his eyes, he felt that close to the bigger street, the wall changed in form, leaving a huge gap into it… So, probably the northern gate.

Changing his focus, he felt that on the wall, there were soldiers, but turned towards the siege camp… So, with a bit of luck, they had not seen him. There were also people on the other side of the wall, huddled around something that Aang supposed was a fire… Further away, close to the gate, there was a rather big group of people inside one of the buildings, and the heartbeats were so mixed that he could not discern anything specific...

All the better. At least, he knew to avoid that building.

What had Furzo said? On Ji's home was somewhere in the centre of the town… That meant he would need to get southwards. This gate was the northern one, and the big street was probably running on a north-south axis… If he wanted to get there fast, it would mean using the street. If he wanted to get there safely… Well, he could probably use the maze of alleys, hoping to find the place he was looking for.

Screw safety.

Standing up, he checked if the cloak covered his clothing, or at least his tunic. His trousers and boots wouldn't attract suspicion… Not like the orange and saffron half tunic would at least. Pulling the hood over his head to hide his bald head and tattoos, Aang began to walk towards the left… Towards the gate.

Turning the corner, Aang dipped his head as he saw that there were soldiers at the gate. Inhaling softly, he tried to act as naturally as possible… Quickly scanning the area, he saw the building he had sensed. As the airbender observed it, he felt anger bubble to the surface. It was clearly not the nicest of places, an alehouse of ill repute… Katara hated such places. When they had come across them during their travels, she had always talked about the fact that those places were riddled with diseases and so on… Spirits, he even remembered such a place in Ba Sing Se, where the people working there had worn Air Nomad clothing because it was exotic

Hoping the guards did not look his way, Aang turned to the right, turning towards the south. He had to go there… Go to the centre of the town… Pulling the hood over his face as he walked past the inn, Aang ignored the sounds coming from it… Laughs, raucous singing… And other sounds.

As he began to leave the walls behind him, Aang also began to feel… Hopeful. He had managed to get into the town, and, for the moment, no one seemed to notice him… He would only need to get to On Ji's house… And then, he would know where Katara was. On Ji had spoken to her! She had to! So… Spirits, hopefully, she would help him…

And if she did not, he would still stay in the town. He would go to each and every house. He would find her.

Even if that meant he would risk discovery.

The voices had been calm… That was a relief at least. There had not been horrible thoughts crossing his mind, and no fears that gripped his heart like an ice-cold fist… That was something… he supposed…

"Well? What is happening?" Roku nearly shook Kuruk as the Water Tribe sat on a slab of rock, legs crossed, concentrated.

"He feels… Hopeful?" The waterbender whispered, frowning deeply.

"That is good news… Right?" Yangchen didn't sound too convinced.

"Let's hope…"

As Aang kept close to the walls of the houses, he walked south over the long, straight street. He knew he shouldn't bend here… At most, he could do some firebending… But if anyone saw him bend anything else, let alone bend all elements… They would know who had come into their town.

And that, he supposed… Was something he should avoid at all cost. Not only because Azula and the governor of this place had warned him to leave, if he wanted Katara to be safe… But also because of his conversation with Furzo.

Shoji doesn't like the Avatar… or Kuzon.

The airbender supposed it was normal, the Fire Nation had heard, for a century, that the Avatar was evil incarnate… And now, that evil was standing right inside their nation… and he had defeated the person they saw as Agni on earth… Yeah… That was probably a good reason to hate him in their minds.

But why had Shoji hated Kuzon? That, he could not tell. Perhaps it was because of what Furzo had said. Shoji had a crush on On Ji… And well, Aang knew that the girl had been seemed friendly… And he had not thought anything about it. But perhaps… Well, it was no use thinking about it.

The street stopped, forking into several smaller roads. Looking at the buildings, Aang suddenly recognized it. This was the old part, the part he had known in his childhood… This was Kuzon's hometown. This was the part they had visited several months ago… Spirits, he still couldn't believe how fast the Fire Nation had built the walls, and the new town… But all that wasn't important. Now… Now, he had to find On Ji's home.

Around the centre of the old town. That was what Furzo had said… And Aang remembered the same thing, when he had walked into the town with On Ji several months ago… Or at least, she had given him the general direction of her home.

A house, surrounded with walls, with a small oil lamp burning close to a window of a library. That was all… All he had. But it would be enough. It had to be enough. Except if, for once, this Orsu person, On Ji's father, had not lit the lamp… How was he supposed to recognize the house then? He supposed he could use earthbending to detect On Ji… Perhaps. He didn't know what she felt like, and how in the Spirits name he would be supposed to recognize her heartbeat.

All his hope… On a little light burning in a lamp…

Above him, the dark night sky suddenly burst with light. Looking up in alarm, Aang realized that the light had come from thunder… The monsoon was on the brink of beginning… Spirits, he had to get out of here. Kuzon had told him, more than once, that monsoon season on Kirashi was… interesting, to say the least. As above him, the sky began to rumble, Aang quickened his step, going into the dark streets of the old town.

"Fucking weather! If they are thinking I'm going to do rounds in the fucking monsoon, they can kiss their ass goodbye." A voice suddenly spoke, and the airbender saw the light of a fire approach from one of the corners in the street. Holding his breath, he quickly ducked into a side alley. Crouching, he heard another voice.

"At least we will have roofs above our heads. Those idiots outside are going to be in the mud rivers."

That provoked a humourless laugh from the first person. Aang saw the light approach, and from his hiding place, he saw two people walk on the street… If just one looked into the alley… he would be discovered.

"Madness." The first man shook his head, feeding the flame in his hand with a little more strength. Aang held in his breath, hoping and praying to whatever Spirit would hear him that the soldiers would not look at him.

"Not long now." The second soldier lifted his head towards the sky. Aang felt the air move as the man inhaled deeply.

"It even smells like rain."

With that the two soldiers began to walk on. The airbender waited a minute, as the light from the fire began to dim, and then disappeared completely. Emerging from his hiding place, he glanced this left, the direction the soldiers had gone. There was no sign…

Exhaling softly, he began to walk further into the old parts of town. He recognized a small plaza, the one where there had been a market those few days they had spent here… Where an old woman had not understood him when he had asked her a question in her own native language… The thought made him sad… The Fire Nation had lost so much…

Not as much as you, Air Degenerate.

The dark thought startled him, but Aang quickly moved on. There would be time enough to address his own thought and state of mind… After. After finding Katara.

Watching every window as he walked through several streets and alleys, Aang began to feel irritated. Could Furzo not have given him some more detailed indications? How was he supposed to find a window with a lamp burning close to it? For Spirits sake, it was entirely possible that Orsu was one of many who did that! But as he walked past rows of dark windows, he began to doubt it. Most people were probably in bed, or else were working in spaces away from the windows… At least, it had been like that a hundred years ago.

A high wall appeared to his right.

What had Furzo said? That On Ji's home was walled… A walled courtyard, with on one end, stables… And on the other hand, the house. This place could fit that description… On Ji's father had seemed… not terrible. But would he be as kind as he had been if he discovered the Avatar in his home? Spirits… He would probably have to break into the house…

But that was not important. Spirits, he would break down this wall this instant if it brought him any closer to his goal… To Katara…

Quickly walking, he began to follow the whitewashed stones. This side was completely bare, no windows whatsoever… But perhaps one of the other sides? As he turned a corner, he saw that he arrived in a narrow street. Looking at the wall, Aang saw that on the other end… On the corner… A window seemed to flicker. The glass in the frame changed, and seemed… Warm…

There was a light behind it…

Trying to calm his heart, the airbender knew full well that it was eniterlu possible that this was just a coincendce. That this was not On Ji's home. That someone else had lit a fire next to his or her window… But just the idea that this could be the place he was looking for…

He would just have to enter it, ask On Ji where Katara was… And that was it. He would know what was happening… He could get Katara to safety… That was all that mattered…

As he arrived at the window, Aang held in a curse. The window was higher in the wall than he had anticipated, and the lower part arrived just above his head. Looking left and right, checking if there was no one in sight, he just… Jumped.

Pushing the air underneath him in a gentle manner, he stabilized just in the middle of the window. He would just need a few seconds to peer inside… And if there was someone else on the other side of the glass, he just hoped that that person would not see him…

Scanning the room behind the window, he saw stacks and stacks of scrolls and books pilled in several shelves… A library… Furzo had said Orsu kept a light in his library… This could be the place he was looking for! Not caring now, Aang quickly ran past the corner, in the search for a gate, an entrance, anything! Anything that could be used to enter the house!

His heartbeat accelerated… There was hope! Hope to see Katara tonight! To get her out of this place… And finally, finally… Be left in peace. In peace for the rest of his life. He didn't care, the world would figure itself out with normal, intelligent people running it… He would just need a small home somewhere… As long as Katara was in that home.

Spirits, who was he kidding? Home would be anywhere where she was.

The wall was interrupted by a gate that stood open… Just… open. There were no guards, no people in the courtyard beyond. It stood… open.

As he stepped inside the courtyard, he could see light flickering inside one of the buildings on the side of the yard. It seemed to be the stables Furzo had talked about, and Aang supposed that stableboys or something like that were busy with the animals inside… So, probably not the people he was looking for. No offence to On Ji, but she hadn't seemed the type of person to be shovelling animal… shit… in her spare time.

Staying in the shadows, the airbender quickly crossed the stone-paved side of the courtyard, towards the doors of the house on the other side. Putting his hand against the door, it swung open without even a little resistance… This was just too easy… Resisting the urge to just call for On Ji, he entered the corridor. The library had to be on this side of the house… Perhaps the door a little further in the corridor? It seemed a good place to start, perhaps there was a clue to where On Ji was?

Bending the air under his feet, he made sure not to make a sound as he walked cautiously to the door that he thought led to the library. Pushing it softly, he cringed at the sound the old wood made as it scraped softly of over the wooden floor.

"Father?" A soft, gentle voice sounded from behind one of the shelves. Holding his breath, Aang recognized the voice. On Ji… Stepping into the room, he quickly closed the door and bend the air in the room, freezing the movement of it. He had learned at the temple that sound mostly travelled through air… So that by doing that, he could make something soundproof… But it was not easy, and could only be held for a minute… at most.

Stepping through the silent library, he saw a light move behind the shelf where the voice had called from. As the girl appeared from behind, he saw the confusion in her eyes as he quickly put a finger in front of his lips. Then it was horror, before settling into a fearful expression. Spirits… how he hated how people who liked him when they didn't know he was the Avatar began to fear him as soon as they learned who he was…

"It's alright On Ji." Aang whispered as he released the power he was holding over the air around himself… But not around On Ji. It was not kind… but if she shouted… At least it would give him a head start.

The girl opened her mouth, but there was no movement, so Aang supposed it was just shock. Also releasing the air around her, he stepped towards her.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone…" Spirits, how he hated to have to explain that…, "I just… You said she missed me. You have spoken to her? Right?"

Oh Spirits… Now that he asked, he realized that it was entirely possible that On Ji had not spoken to Katara… but that she was just aware of the fact that the waterbender missed him. Perhaps the whole town was aware.

"What are you doing here?" The girl took a step backwards. Pulling off his hood, he saw that On Ji's eyes flashed to his tattoos.

"Looking for Katara of course." He answered softly.

"Of course… Agni, do you know the risk you are taking by just being inside the town?" The frown on the girl's face was surprising to Aang… It didn't look angry, or fearful… But rather… concerned…

"That isn't important. Nothing else matters! On Ji, where is she?" He stepped towards the Fire Nation girl, hands clasped together.

"How did you even get in the town?"

"I bent a tunnel through the wall. It doesn't matter! On Ji… Do you know where she is?" At the same time, he prayed to every spirit he could think of. He would do anything… Anything. Just to see her safe.

"Kuz… Avat… Agni, no, you hate that. Aang." The airbender heard her, confused. How did she know he hated being called the Avatar?

"Aang… She is here."

His heart stopped. What?

"W-wh… What?" He had not understood… That couldn't be…

"Katara. She was captured by soldiers, but they thought she was just another person from the town, so they let her go. She tried to get out, but every plan went wrong… Then the soldiers came, and the siege began… She was just stuck…"

He felt the world turn around him… She… She had been… She had been here the whole time…

"S-safe?" He managed to utter.

"The worse that happened to her was being knocked out by a guard. Nothing else…" On Ji took a step towards him, lifting a hand. For a brief moment, he saw the hesitation in her eyes, but then, she put the hand on his arm, "She is alright."

"W-where… is she… Is she here?" Aang whispered, not even daring to hope.

"My father has set up a hospital in the stables… They went there to check on it."

Slowly turning around, he staggered. Quickly grasping one of the shelves, the airbender steadied himself. She was… She was safe. Alive… Free…

And just outside.

Tears welled up in his eyes… She was alright. There had not been any reason to be worried… Azula had lied, as Zuko always said… Azula always lies.

He didn't do it on purpose, but his feet seemed to move on their own free will. Turning to the door, he nearly flew past it, through the corridor into the night's cool air. As the sky above him rumbled louder and louder, Aang crossed the courtyard towards the building he had thought to be the stables. As he approached it, he could hear a man's voice, one he recognized as being the man to whom he had spoken earlier in the day, outside the town.

"So, it could work? I mean… If this is possible, it could mean some soldiers won't die. Agni, that would be a little kindness in this world."

Arriving at the door of the stables, he saw they stood open. Glancing over the space, he saw that everything was clean… Too clean for a stable. What had On Ji said? Oh, that they had converted it to a hospital…

Two people were standing in the middle of the room. The man on the right was Orsu, with his back turned to him, but the neat hair gathered in a topknot was clearly that of the man who had spoken to him at the gate. And the other…

Spirits, she was beautiful.

Her long brown hair flowed over her back, and the person was wearing the red clothes typical of the Fire Nation… But he would recognize her anywhere…

"Tara…" He managed to croak.

The woman turned around so fast that Aang was nearly startled by the flash of blue eyes staring at him in pure disbelief. It felt as if the world disappeared around him, and there were just those blue eyes… Ocean… So full of promise and love… So much like the beacons calling him home…

"A… Aang…" Her voice… her beautiful voice…

His knees gave away, and he felt that they hit the pavement on the ground as he knelt down. She was really here…

"Aang!"

Suddenly, it felt like something punched him hard just underneath his left shoulder. Confused, the airbender looked down as he saw the cloak fall off his shoulders. The white of his skin began to redden where the point of something sharp stuck out of his chest. Looking up, he saw the horror in Katara's eyes as she began to move towards him.

Then, everything went black as he began to fall forward.

Answers:

Shade5280 : I'm so sorry for the angst! It was so horrible writing this, I could feel the hope and the excitement… But I also knew where I was going! So sorry lol!

Katara2323: So close… And yet, even further away and in more danger than they have been before! I felt so horrible doing this lol! And of course I answered you! I enjoy reviews so much, they really show people enjoy the story!