Enjoy reading!
I use Translate, so I apologize for any errors.
I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
"You muzzled him!" Toph exclaimed.
- Muzzle on Appa?! - the airbender became so angry that his eyes turned deadly white, his tattoos glowed, and his face contorted with anger and pain, after which he swung his staff, creating an aerial scythe and destroying one of the sandbender ships.
"Where's Appa?" Aang asked loudly, using the voices of past Avatars.
"M-we sold it to some merchants! They wanted to resell the beast to Ba Sing Se! S-s-he's probably got a new owner right now!" - Gashuin stammered infear.
The sandbenders raised their hands in fear, showing their defenselessness, hoping for mercy. However, the Avatar's pose didn't change: his staff, which he had just used to create aerial scythes to destroy their transport, was still pointed at them, ready to strike at any moment.
Aang's insides clenched painfully. He stillfelt a mixture of emotions. Anger at Toph for not protecting Appa from his abduction. Iresent myself for not being able to save him, for leaving him alone. But the most important and powerful emotion that he felt in his entire being was anger. Anger at these people who stole his friend. A friend with whom he had survived a hundred years in an iceberg. A friend who was his link to past when everything was fine. A friend whom he had known since early childhood and with whom he had a strong spiritual connection.
For a day, his anger boiled under his skin, burning him. Meeting the kidnappers was the last straw. Everything that had accumulated in him was about to burst out.
Unwilling to resist, Aang let the Avatar state consume him. The staff fell out of his hands, falling to the ground. The wind began to pick up more sand, creating a sphere around the boy. A sandstorm caused by the Avatar was starting. It was getting worse by the second.
"We'll do whatever you want! Have mercy on us! We will lead you out of the desert! " - Gashuin shouted, shielding his hand from the dust.
His suggestion was ignored. Now the kidnappers were truly terrified. Nothing could have predicted that the beast they sold well would turn out to be the Avatar's pet. And it seemed that he had no intention of showing mercy. A was ready to take revenge for the harm done.
"Run! Hide!" Sokka shouted as soon as it was obvious that Aang wasn't going to calm down, then grabbed Toph's arm to pull her away from the center of the storm.
The wind reached its peak. A huge amount of sand was in the air, spinning at a tremendous speed. If a person didn't cover their face, it would be safe to say that after a storm, they would have a huge number of scratches and thin cuts on their face.
While everyone was fleeing from the wrath of the last airbender, one figure was still standing still.
Katara didn't take offense when Aang yelled at her, made harsh, accusatory remarks, or gave her a frown. She knew that he was in so much pain that he wasn't doing it on purpose. She knew that if she openly got into an argument with him, a confrontation, things would get much worse. So, she put up with it, hoping that he would get better over time.
But now she saw that she had been wrong. When Toph met the sandbenders, she quickly identified them as kidnappers. And Aang exploded. It was as if the entire Air Nomad philosophy had been tossed into the trash, that Aang didn't care that he might seriously injure or even kill someone. She knew that if he did, he would feel even worse knowing that he had betrayed the philosophy of his people. The early devastation and bitterness turned into full-fledged anger, anger, and agony, which brought the boy to the state of an Avatar. This was the complete opposite of her sweet, caring, and kind airbender.
"It can't go on like this!" - she decided.
Covering her face with her hand, Katara resolutely moved to the center of the air sphere, intending to calm Aang down. The wind pushed her back and ruffled her hair, and sand whipped her face, but she didn't give up.
Finally reaching her destination, the girl grabbed the boy's wrist. Instantly, the Avatar's head turned towards her with a fierce look full of hatred and anger. But the waterbender didn't flinch under the intense gaze. She could see through these layers. She saw the pain and devastation. She saw a boy who was suffering from a loss.
Katara grabbed Aang's other arm without breaking eye contact. In her mind, she was saying: "Please stop. It's not you. Let me help you." It was as if the Avatar had read her mind, as it began to slowly descend to the ground. The wind began to slow.
As soon as the airbender touched the surface, he was pulled into a crushing embrace. There were tears running through his closed lids that he didn't try to hide. She could feel the moisture in her own eyes, but she didn't let the tears fall, intending to be strong for the boy beside her.
After a while, the Avatar's arrows returned to their soft blue color. The wind had stopped completely, and the sand was sinking.
Coming out of the Avatar state, the airbender felt weak, so he fell to his knees, letting the sobs consume him. Katara sat down next to him, holding him close and stroking his back.
"Shhh, Aang, don't cry... shhh..." she soothed her friend. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," she said, and hugged him even tighter, as if to prove that she wouldn't leave him.
She glanced in the direction of the sandbenders, wondering if they had escaped after Aang entered Avatar state. Much to her surprise, they stayed where they were. Right now, Sokka was talking to them, and Toph was standing next to them. What the conversation was about couldn't be heard from this distance.
"I-I'm sorry," the boy suddenly whispered, his voice shaking with tears.
"You don't have to apologize, it's not your fault, Aang," she said softly.
"I-I was t-so angry about losing Appa" - he shuddered. – I lost myself to this b-pain… I have behaved abominably towards you, even though you have done nothing wrong… I'm so ashamed...
"Don't leave me, Katara, please… I don't want to lose you… You're all I have left... " The boy's voice was still hoarse from crying.
"We are not angry with you, Aang," the girl replied. – We understand that you're in a lot of pain… And I'll never leave you.
There was a moment of silence. The Airbender had stopped crying, and now he was just shaking. But he held Katara tightly, as if he was afraid that she would disappear after all. Waterbender didn't complain, but she mentally scolded herself for not hugging him sooner.
"He was so hurt and lonely all this time… I didn't see enough. What I didn't notice was that in addition to his anger, there was also a sense of loss and bitterness. I was blind, so I let him slide into an Avatar state. If I had hugged him earlier, he would have opened up to me... It would have been easier for Aang to go through with it… Unfortunately, nothing can be changed… But I'll be there for him now, and I won't let him feel abandoned and alone. I'm willing to stay up all night if it means he's getting better. We'll get through this. Together»."
"It's going to be all right, Aang, it's going to be all right," she said softly, still stroking his back. – We'll get Appa back, no matter what it takes.
"Thank you," he murmured against the waterbender's shoulder.
They could have continued to sit with their arms around each other, but Sokka came up to them.
"Hey ... guys, we need to move now, so we can get out of the desert by nightfall," he said, keeping some distance between them so as not to make Aang nervous, but Aang gave no sign that he'd heard anything at all.
"We'll be right there, Sokka," the blue - eyed girl said, and the warrior nodded and walked away.
"Aang, let's get up," she whispered, starting to rise from her knees.
Sensing movement, the airbender slowly rose, still feeling weak. But he didn't let go of her, clinging tightly to her.
"We have to go," Katara said, then took Aang's hand, twisting their fingers together and pulling him along.
Aang obeyed without a word.
"Aang, say something. Please, " the girl said, turning around. – I'm worried."
"I'm so afraid of falling apart again, Katara," - he said softly, lowering his head. – I don't want to enter the Avatar state again.
"You won't do it," she said. – You can resist it.
"Thank you for believing in me," he said with a small smile.
This did not go unnoticed. Katara felt better, knowing that Aang felt a little better.
"Let's go," she said, and they moved on.
The closer they got to the sandbenders, the closer Aang got to Katara. When they were very close, the airbender held on tightly to the girl's dress. Katara didn't mind, because she understood that he was looking for support and support. He trusted her, and she wasn't about to betray that trust.
"We offer our deepest apologies for what our people have done," the sandbender leader said, bowing low as the other sandbenders got down on one knee. – We didn't know it was Avatar's bison.
These words were clearly spoken to the Avatar, but he didn't say anything, only pressing closer to the waterbender. He felt like the Avatar state wanted to consume him again when he heard the reminder of what the sandbenders had done. About whom they forcibly stole. About whom they sold into unknown hands. Who knows what those "unknown hands" might have done to his friend. Dark thoughts began to engulf the boy's mind, and he once again sensed that the past Avatars wanted to prove themselves and punish the kidnappers.
Katara turned her head toward the airbender clinging to her when she felt him start to shake. As the wind died ominously, as if before another storm.
"Aang, breathe," she said, turning fully to face the young Avatar when it became obvious that he wasn't feeling very well. - Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
After a while, Aang's breathing calmed enough to whisper.
"I need to answer them," he muttered.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Katara asked.
"I have to," he said, then looked straight into her eyes. – I know that if I start to sink, you will help me. I trust you.
"All right," she agreed. Then she kissed him on the cheek and pulled away.
Taking a deep breath, Aang looked at the sandbenders. He saw fear on people's faces.
"They're afraid of me… What kind of Avatar am I that makes people afraid of him... an avatar is supposed to bring peace to where he ends up. And I..."
"I forgive you for what you did," he began, trying to keep his voice steady. "The Air Nomads always thought -"
The boy's voice trailed off. Air Nomads. He wanted to explain their philosophy to people who probably had never heard of them. The philosophy of people who are no longer there. Tell the people who stole your last home reminder. And now, because of their selfish reasons, he might lose Appa forever. This last link to his past. He once again felt the negative emotions engulfing him, bringing him closer to the state of an Avatar, as memories of his native Temple in its full glory, of Gyatso and his fruit pies flashed before his eyes…And now it's just memories, because people couldn't contain their selfish ambitions and desires. And now, the same people took his friend away from him...
Katara sensed something was wrong when Aang abruptly stopped talking. She thought he was trying to find the right words, but when his tattoos flickered ominously, she realized he was " drowning." The tattoos did not have time to light up, signaling the entrance to the Avatar state, as the girl rushed to the airbender and hugged him.
As soon as Aang was in her arms, he broke down. Tears welled up in waves in his eyes. The boy completely lost any composure. He was shaking violently as he sobbed into the waterbender's shoulder.
"Forgive me, forgive me," the airbender repeated. – I couldn't, I broke down. I'm weak.
"Anyone would break down if they lost what they love, lost what they hold dear," - the blue-eyed girl replied, patting the Avatar's back. - You're the strongest person I've ever met.
After a while, the boy calmed down and looked up, his eyes red from crying.
"Thank you for saving me," he said.
"Don't worry about it, Aang," Katara said softly, placing her hand on his cheek. "But we need to get on a transport to get out of the desert by nightfall."
"I understand," the airbender replied, and they stood up.
The sandbenders and Toph and Sokka had already taken their places on the ship, ready to leave at any moment. Katara and Aang walked over, holding hands, and sat on the edge. In particular, Aang sat on the edge to be as far away from the thieves as possible, and Katara sat next to him, not wanting to let him go.
As soon as they landed, the ship began to move. Sandbenders bent their element, creating small sandstorms in their sails. They were certainly nothing compared to the hurricane that the Avatar was creating. Thanks to the actions of several benders, the sailboat acquired an impressive speed. The ship cut through the desert sands, moving towards the exit from it.
"How are you feeling?" Katara asked in a whisper as Aang rested his head on her shoulder.
"I'm tired," he said just as softly, burying his face in her shoulder. "I -"
"You're afraid I'll leave," she guessed when she saw the airbender clinging tightly to her.
"Sorry," Aang muttered, loosening his grip. – I'm probably boring you already.
"No, no!" The waterbender quickly said, hugging the boy tighter. – I understand. I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just wanted to ask.
"Then my answer is yes," the young Avatar said with a sigh. – I know you already said you wouldn't leave me, but I'm still afraid... I wasn't lying or embellishing when I said you were all I had left… I want to say that… To say that...
"Come on, Aang, you can tell me anything, you know that" the girl mentioned with a smile.
"You're my best friend, Katara," Aang said, getting cold feet. – I can't lose you, either.
"You're my best friend, too, Aang," she said softly, kissing him on the cheek.
"I'm pretty sure he meant something else," - Katara thought, sighing inwardly. – " He's so much more than just a friend to me."
" I'm a coward," - the airbender groaned inwardly. - "But I couldn't survive her rejection if she didn't feel the same way. Especially now that Appa's been kidnapped."
"Thank you for being here," Aang said.
"I'll always be there for you," Katara said softly.
At some point, they fell asleep. Airbender's head was on Waterbender's shoulder, his soft breath lightly tickling her neck. The blue-eyed girl's head was touching the boy's, her arms still wrapped around him.
Sokka saw it all, and even though the older brother in him didn't want his younger sister to be so close to the boy, he suppressed the feeling. Right now, Aang was worse off than the others, and he needed every comfort available. After entering the Avatar states almost twice, it's not surprising that the airbender fell asleep.
"They're asleep, aren't they?" Toph, who was sitting next to him, suddenly asked.
"Yes," the warrior said, turning his head to the blind girl. – I thought you couldn't see."
"I can feel some vibrations, but they're very fuzzy," she explained, then asked timidly: "What was going on with Aang?"
"You don't know?" Sokka asked.
"No," she said.
"As you already know, Aang is an Avatar," the warrior explained. – When he feels too much emotion, or his life is in danger, he enters the Avatar state.
- As I understand it, it was due to strong emotions?
"Exactly," Sokka agreed. – But we were a little more lucky this time.
"This time?"
- Yes. When we first started our journey, we visited the Southern Air Temple. There, Aang found the skeleton of his mentor. His name was Gyatso, as I recall. And it was worse that time. He entered the Avatar state and practically blew up the mountain where the Temple was located, and we were threatened to be thrown off the mountain due to the strong wind. Katara was able to calm Aang down by bringing him back.
- So, this time he also calmed down only thanks to Katara?
- Yes. She's the only, one who can pull him out of his Avatar state. He, in turn, never harms her while he is in it.
- He doesn't control anything when he's in this state. Why is Katara always intact?
"I don't know. When we went to Omasha so that Aang could learn earthbending from his friend, King Bumi, we stayed in the same fortress. There we met General Fong, who wanted to end the war by learning how to control Aang when he was in the Avatar state. In the end, everything went wrong, and Fong sealed Katara in the ground. That's when Aang entered the Avatar state, thinking my sister was dead. The general got what he wanted, so he pulled Katara out. Aang saw that Katara was alive, and then directed his anger at Fong. He destroyed the fortress in a fit of rage. Much had been destroyed, but everything near Katara was intact. There was not a speck of dust or a scratch on Katara. She was untouched. That's when I realized that even in the Avatar state, Aang wouldn't hurt Katara.
"Is that why you didn't stop her when she tried to calm Aang down?"
"Yes," Sokka said. "It's the only thing that can stop the Avatar from being destroyed everywhere.
"Wow..." the earthbender muttered. "Sweetness is a very brave girl."
"That's right," the warrior agreed, then turned to face the benders. – How long do we have to go?"
"We should still be out of the desert by nightfall," they told him, and then there was silence.
Katara felt a shake on her shoulder, so she opened her eyes a little to see who it was.
"We're out of the desert," Sokka whispered. – Wake up Aang so the sandbenders can leave, - he then moved awayas one of the sandbenders called out to him.
The blue-eyed girl looked around. Indeed, the once sandy desert terrain has been replaced by green grass and a small lake.
"Aang, wake up," the waterbender said softly.
The young Avatar groaned slightly, but still opened his eyes.
"K-Katara?" The boy asked sleepily.
"Hi," she whispered softly, smiling. – We're out of the desert. How are you doing?
"I feel better," he said. – Thank you, Katara.
"For what?"
"For everything," the boy answered without hesitation, taking her hand in his. "For taking care of me. For being so gentle and kind… You're beautiful inside and out, Katara. You could have left, but you stayed with me. Thank you. I'm happy to have you in my life.
"Aang," she whispered in fascination, blushing at the compliment and placing her free hand on his cheek. – After everything we've been through, I would never leave. You are firmly embedded in my life, and I can't imagine my day without you… I'm also very happy to have you in my life...
"You need to let the sandbenders go," the blue-eyed girl said after a while. "But thank you for telling me. That was nice of you, " she kissed him on the cheek, not missing the blush on Aang's face.
They got up from the ship, holding hands, and walked over to the sandbenders, who were talking about something. This time, the girl didn't let go of the airbender. She will be there for him and support him.
As soon as they got closer, the group of benders fell silent and turned to face them. The main one came out and took a step towards them.
"Avatar Aang," he said respectfully.
"Thank you for getting us out of the desert," Aang said.
"We are happy to oblige," - sandbender said, bowing. – We've collected some of our supplies and handed them over to your man. We also once again apologize for what we did. With your permission, we'll head back to the desert.
"I'm letting you go," Aang said in a firm voice, but he tightened his grip on Katara's hand when he was reminded of what had happened. The girl squeezed his hand back, indicating that she was there.
Once permission was granted, the sandbenders returned to their ship and departed for the desert.
"You're doing great," Katara said, smiling at Aang.
— That's not all, " - he clarified, and then they walked over to Toph and Sokka, who had already built a fire.
"How are you, buddy?" The warrior asked as his sister and best friend approached.
"I feel better, thank you," the airbender replied. - Sokka, Toph, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like this.
"Don't worry, we understand," the older boy said.
"Toph, let's talk," Aang said, hoping for a private conversation.
The blind girl silently got up and followed the Avatar.
"Toph, I'm sorry," the airbender began when they were out of earshot. – I shouldn't have blamed you for losing Appa. You tried to stop the library and save us. You couldn't have saved us all at once. Even you have limits.
"So, you don't hate me?" Toph asked quietly.
– I may be angry and upset, but I'll never hate you, Toph. You're my friend, and that will never change.
The blind girl didn't say anything, but she approached the Avatar and hugged him. Aang wasn't expecting this, but he returned the hug.
"We'll find Appa, Aang," Toph whispered.
"Thank you," Aang also whispered.
"If you tell anyone about this hug, I'll bury you," Earthbender said, pulling back and slapping Airbender's arm.
"I'll keep my mouth shut," Aang promised, smiling and rubbing his injured arm as they started back toward the camp.
"How are you?" whispered Katara asked in a whisper as the boy sat next to her by the fire and Toph sat next to Sokka.
"I'm fine," Aang said softly, feeling a little sleepy. "I think I'll go to bed."
"I'll come with you," the blue-eyed girl said, waiting for her brother to object.
"Let's all go to bed," was all Sokka said before putting out the fire.
Aang lay down on the grass, and Katara lay down next to him. She took his hand and intertwined their fingers.
"Good night," Aang whispered, smiling softly.
"Good night, Aang," Katara said, smiling back.
Very soon, the young Avatar's breathing slowed down. She watched as his chest rose and fell calmly. You can't say that a few hours ago he was in an Avatar state, ready to destroy everything in his path. His face relaxed and showed nothing but calmness.
"Good dreams to you, Aang. We'll get Appa back, I promise," - the waterbender said, kissing the airbender on the cheek before closing her eyes, snuggling closer and placing hand on his chest.
Soon the girl also fell asleep to the steady breathing of the boy next to her.