Chapter 9: Healing
AN: Still on pace to keep up my three chapter's a week schedule! Feeling the urgency to finish this even more, but I hope to promise a full story! Anyways, the plot is slowly creeping forward in this one, with some fluff still mixed in :) Thank you again to everyone who chooses to read this story. You've made my dreams of anyone ever reading a story of mine come true! As always, I apologize for any errors, English is my second language.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
The catacombs of Ba Sing Se were dark. The place was scary to be in. The walls trembled from the surrounding battle, and the only thing surrounding Katara were her own enemies. Somewhere out there in the battlefield was Aang, but she couldn't focus on that right now. She had to focus on her own survival. Then, a blinding flash of light made the entire room stop. Dai Li, Fire Nation royalty, and one lone waterbender stared in awe at the rising airbender who appeared to have mastered the Avatar State.
Katara couldn't have been more proud of him. This was something that he had desperately wanted to control throughout her small amount of time that she had known him, and he had finally achieved his goal. More importantly, this meant their victory. She knew more than anyone the raw power that Aang possessed in the Avatar State. The world suddenly stopped again when there was another bright flash of light. This time, it wasn't coming from the airbender.
The waterbender watched in horror as the lightning coursed through the Avatar's body. What was full of pure energy and life was now completely limp and falling towards the ground. Tears streaming down her face, she created an almost tsunami-like wave to take down the enemies in her path to reach the airbender. She reached him just in time before his body hit the ground, his limp, lifeless body held tightly in her arms. Katara didn't even know what to do next, she just stood there, mourning for her friend that had just fallen. Suddenly, Iroh was in front of her, telling her to escape, and that he would hold them off.
The next thing she knew, she was on Appa flying through the night sky, her best friend and the person she loved, dead. She sobbed over his body, desperately searching for a solution to save him. Then the lightbulb moment formed in her head- the spirit water! She took the spirit water from her necklace and was about to pour the water out when she froze. The water was gone. She had used it to heal Zuko's scar back in the cave. Just for him to betray them. Now, Aang is dead.
"NOOOOOO!" Her voice pierced through the sky. "Aang, come back please." The incoherent sobs made it hard for anyone to understand her. "I- I love you!" With that, the inconsolable sobbing continued as she mourned for her closest friend that she had in life.
"Katara. . . Katara wake up!" A gentle voice called out to her. The waterbender was brought out of her nightmarish trance and her eyes opened to see two stormy gray eyes looking down at her, full of concern. The room was pitch black, with the full moon still shining bright in the night sky outside. She felt herself be brought in closely to a strong set of arms, bringing her back to reality. A response of her own arms wrapping back around Aang's came immediately, and the sounds of the room were filled with her heavy breathing and the tears that came with it.
"I'm here . . . it's okay . . . I'm not leaving you . . ." Aang soothed softly into her ear as he held her tightly against him. His hands had moved to her back and slowly began to rub against it, allowing the waterbender to relax into his grip. He then laid back against the bed so Katara could fully rest against his body, her head buried into the crook of his neck. Aang felt her wrap her legs around his own, desperately wanting to be as close as possible. Dropping his head to affectionately nuzzle into her hair, he closed his eyes, trying to wish away the pain that she was feeling.
Katara continued to slightly shake against Aang's touch, fear coursing through her body. Though life finally felt like it was going on the right track, all it took was one nightmare of her greatest fear to send her spiraling into a broken state. "I'm here for you, Katara," came another gentle whisper. She could only whimper in response, not daring to look him in the eyes right now. Although she finally had allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of him, she couldn't let him know that losing him was her greatest fear. The only thing that could truly break her.
These actions continued on for another 5 minutes. Katara continued to let her sobs out, Aang would hold her and soothe her, and they both clung on to each other as if their life depended on it. Slowly, the waterbender's breathing became more controlled, and the sounds of sobs trickled into soft tears running down her cheeks. Aang shifted their position so that her head was laying across his chest, and silence enveloped them as she allowed the pulse of his heartbeat to rhythmically soothe her. "Ba Sing Se?" The three words from the airbender drifted into the room, its soothing and understanding tone ringing in Katara's ears. She could only nod in response.
Aang took a deep breath as he took a hand and slowly brushed it along her hair. He smiled as he heard a purr-like sound in response, the waterbender clearly content. The two of them had never taken the time to truly discuss the events of that day and the three weeks that followed. Aang had run away almost immediately after he had woken up on that ship, and he certainly hadn't taken the time to ask her what she had been through while he was in that state.
Throughout their time in the Fire Nation however, he had picked up the pieces. He also learned that this was the one subject that Katara refused to talk about. She would always change the topic of conversation or would walk away immediately if it was ever brought up. His suspicions had come true about the matter when she had confessed to him the night they defeated Ozai at the balcony of the Fire Nation Palace. What took place in the catacombs had scarred her and would be trauma that she was forced to carry for the rest of her life.
"I won't force you to talk about it . . ." the Avatar slowly began. His voice was gentle, and the tone of comfort brought warmth to the waterbender's body. "But Katara, I will promise you this. Whatever dangers that life brings me in the future . . . I will do everything in my power to come back to you." This got the waterbender to look up, her ocean blue eyes trembling beneath the weight of her past experiences.
"You . . . promise?" The response from her was weak, but hopeful. Aang brought her down closer so he could lean his forehead against hers, a smile enveloping his face.
"Of course . . . you are my world, Katara. I would follow you to the ends of the earth if I have to. When life finds a way to bring us apart for even a moment, I guarantee you that my only thoughts will be on getting back to you, my hope, my strength, my companion." Katara's eyes beamed in response, happiness and love creeping back into her being.
"How do I even deserve you, Aang?" she asked, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.
"That's funny that you ask that, because I ask myself that every single day." When met with a content hum and a yawn from his companion, Aang smiled as he drew the blankets over them. Katara curled up into his arms, and he gently stroked his hands through her hair as he watched her fall back to sleep, peace taking over her form.
The next day had come and a group of friends gathered around the tables of the Jasmine Dragon eating breakfast. Aang had gotten up early to make tarts and jam for the group, which also happened to be Katara's favorite meal. There was one slight problem with the situation though, as Katara had not come down for breakfast. In fact, she was still in her room, peacefully asleep. Aang had thought about waking her, but seeing the beautiful woman sleeping so soundly made him think otherwise.
Sokka had noticed this disappearance too. "What's up with my sister being such a sleepyhead this morning? Usually she's the first one out of bed after you!" He asked, turning his head to the monk while his mouth was still full of food.
Aang softly grinned while a tint of red covered over his face, and he began to scratch the back of his head. "She was still in a deep sleep when I woke up, and she looked so peaceful. I didn't want to ruin that for her. Plus . . . we kind of had a late night" he concluded, his heart still slightly hurting for his companion.
Sokka's eyes narrowed in response and he let out a growl, slamming his fists on the table. "What do you mean you had a late night?" Aggression flowed through his body, "what did you do to my sister?"
Aang's hands immediately flew up in the air as his eyes went as wide as saucers. "We weren't doing anything like that Sokka, I swear!" His voice squeaked. When still met with a skeptical glare, the airbender took a deep breath before further explaining. "There was a full moon last night . . . which had her thinking about certain things that happened in the Fire Nation. Not to mention she had a nightmare about what happened in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se. She was dealing with a lot last night." His voice trailed into a whisper, his tone switching from his normal soothing state to one of concern.
Sokka's eyes immediately faltered as his eyes showed understanding. Across the table, Zuko had closed his eyes and hung his head in shame, knowing exactly what event in Ba Sing Se Aang was talking about. "I'm sorry for yelling at you Aang . . ." Sokka said with his eyes downcast. "Thank you for being there for her, she's lucky to have you." With that, Aang smiled and glanced back up in appreciation.
"Appreciate it, Sokka! Though, I should go wake her now. I'll bring breakfast to her. We have a busy day ahead of us, General Gun Ji requested us to head over and help out with the healing of some of the citizens as a result of the sieges on Ba Sing Se lately." With that, he bid his friends a quick farewell and headed back up the steps with Katara's breakfast in hand. He softly knocked on the door first to make sure he wouldn't be walking in when he wasn't supposed to. When he heard no response, he opened the door and tip-toed in.
The sight before him was still one that overwhelmed him. The waterbender lay with her back to him, her back raising slightly with each breath that she took in her sleep. He took his place next to her, and gently ran his hands along her back to massage her. The two stayed this way for another minute, Aang taking in her beauty while she slept, before she finally began to stir. Katara slowly rolled over to meet the stormy gray eyes sparkling before her, and a soft smile forming across her companion's face. "Morning, Katara," Aang lovingly cooed.
He was taken aback in surprise when her response was to grab him fervently by his robes and pull him in for a deep, fervent kiss. After a quick second of shock, he closed his eyes and responded with equal passion, before the two eventually pulled away. Aang could only chuckle as his face had turned bright red. "What was that for?" he questioned.
The waterbender could only smile back at him. "A little thank you for last night. I found the greatest guy in the world, and now I can claim him as my companion." Aang beamed in response, before handing her what he had made for breakfast. It still felt weird that they were together now, but if all mornings started like this, it was certainly something that he could get used to.
The couple walked hand in hand as they made their way to the makeshift medical building of Ba Sing Se. When they arrived, they were met by General Gun Ji, who was more than happy to see them, and greeted them both with a bow. "Avatar Aang and Master Katara!" He beamed, his voice sounding hopeful. "I take it that you two have come to help with healing some of the wounded."
Aang smiled as he shot a glance over to his companion. "Master Katara is the resident expert in that department, but I'm here to help in whatever way I can." Katara flashed a grin back to Aang in response, before turning to address General Gun Ji.
"If I may ask, will we have access to a good amount of water? It's what us waterbenders use for our healing practices." The General could only smile in response.
"Of course! There will be plenty of water, and I have some members of my militia currently out gathering more just in case if it will be needed. Shall I take you both inside?" The couple nodded, and with a deep breath, they entered the building together. The sight here was one that quickly brought them back down to earth. The two were quickly reminded of the sacrifices and results of the war, as rows and rows of beds were spread across the room, all sporting wounded civilians and soldiers from the final battle.
Groaning and moaning could be heard throughout the room, and a musky smell of sweat filled the area with its aroma. There had to have been around 50 wounded in this area alone, and the two could only imagine how many more might be out there, or have already met a worse fate. With a look of determination on her face, Katara stumbled forward and found a bowl of water, and began to work on her first patient. The man was an Earth Kingdom soldier, who had a burn across half of his face. Aang could already see the mental exhaustion forming in the waterbender's eyes, and he knew that the physical exhaustion would soon follow her. While she was finally able to peacefully sleep, she still had not gotten a lot of rest last night.
Finding a bowl of water next to him, Aang wondered how he could help. He closely watched Katara's movements that she made, connecting it to a conversation they once had in the Fire Nation about her healing powers. "It's really simple for me actually. Instead of using the power of water for destruction, I just focus on using that power for good. Then when healing, I follow the chi paths of the body, and the water does the rest. Lastly, I just imagine that the person I'm healing is someone I love, and it never fails me anytime."
Aang felt terrible for the wounded in the room, and he knew that Katara wouldn't be able to get to all of the patients today. He had to help, the least he could do is at least try to heal them. Concentrating on the water in the bowl before him, he closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he felt the push and pull of the water before him. Instead of using it to form a weapon, he imagined using this force for good- to heal, not destroy. His eyes opened in surprise when he heard the familiar hum of the water before him. Looking at his hands, he saw the glow that marked the healing power was working. Aang almost broke his concentration to jump up and down in joy. At last, he can use his Avatar powers for good and healing, and not for fighting in a war.
He immediately got to work on the patient in front of him. This citizen was a frail old woman, still in a state of unconsciousness. Her breathing was fragile, and she had a burn mark that stretched across her shoulder and down her torso. He found it easy to love this innocent citizen, who didn't deserve the pain that she was currently in. Following the chi paths of her body, he slowly let the healing power flow through him, gently going over the burn marks. He furrowed his brow in pure concentration, smiling as he could hear the moans of relief coming from the patient that he was working on. He continued to work when at last, the burns of the body were all gone, and he could sense the woman's breathing to be much stronger now. She was still asleep, but she clearly would be waking up soon.
Beaming at the good deed that he had just done, he was ready to continue working on the next patient, wanting to heal as many as he possibly could. Before he could grab his bowl of water and move to the next patient, he felt arms wrap around him, followed by a familiar soothing voice. "I'm so proud of you, Aang. I never even thought of even teaching you that." He turned around to see a beaming Katara, and he had his own sense of accomplishment masking his own face.
"Together we can do so much good for the world." He excitedly responded in return. The two quickly embraced again, nuzzling their heads against each other, before returning back to their task at hand. The day dragged on as they diligently worked with their patients, healing burns, broken bones, and bruises and cuts of all kinds. Exhaustion had taken over them, but they both were determined to not rest until every patient had been seen. Finally, he saw Katara move to her last patient for the day, and he moved on to meet his. When he got there, his heart dropped and his body froze.
Before him lay a little girl, around three years old. She had soft brunette hair that formed in pigtails and she lay asleep. The right side of her chest and the entirety of her arms were filled with cuts and bruises. Aang stood there in horror as he wondered who could have even done such a thing to an adorable child like her. Taking a deep breath to center himself, he got the water from the bowl and listened as it made its familiar hum and glow.
He gently worked the healing magic across the little girl's body, smiling to himself as he heard her softly cooing and humming to the touch. Just as he was finishing his final touches on her arm, she began to stir, and he watched as the little girl opened her eyes. They were a bright emerald green, and they were staring into his stormy gray eyes with wonder and awe. The girl let out a gasp of surprise, before squealing with excitement.
"The Avatar! It's the Avatar!" Her voice was filled with pure joy and happiness, her soft laughter ringing through the dullness of the room. Aang smiled as he watched the little girl sit up, then throw her arms around him. "My hero." Her voice filled with wonder. Aang knelt down so he was eye level with her, a soft laugh escaping him.
"Hey there, what's your name?" He asked, his tone soothing to the girl but also matching her enthusiasm.
The little girl's eyes lit up at the statement, shocked that the Avatar would even pay her any attention. "Cici!" she laughed, throwing her hands up in the air to bring emphasis to her name. Her emerald green eyes seemed to share the same sparkle that the Avatar's stormy gray's currently bore.
Aang let out a toothy grin and booped Cici on the nose, bringing out laughter from the girl. "It's nice to meet you, Cici!" His facial expression turned playfully serious as he leaned forward and whispered to the girl, "Can I let you in on a little secret?" The girl gasped and slowly nodded her head. Chuckling, Aang continued his mysterious tone. "I actually have a first name you know, you can call me Aang."
Cici's eyes widened as if this were the most surprising piece of news that she ever heard. "Wooowww . . ." she sighed, before her face suddenly lit up again. "Mr. Aang! Is it true that you have a sky bison?" Her tone was full of excitement as if she were just dying to know.
Aang grinned in return before nodding his head enthusiastically. "I sure do . . . he's my best friend. His name is Appa. In my nation's language, Appa actually means friend!"
"Cool!" the little girl shouted in response. "Could I meet him, please?" With the end of her sentence, she gave Aang the biggest puppy eyes she could possibly muster, her emerald green hue popping out at him. Aang could feel his heart melt in return.
"Of course you can. You're all healed up so you'll be able to leave today! Where do you live? Appa and I can pay you a visit sometime tomorrow." He said with a smile forming across his face.
"By the Jasmine Dragon!" The girl happily responded. "My friends and I play outside the shop all the time!" Cici was absolutely beaming, she and Aang had made each other's day.
"Very well . . . Appa and I will pay you a visit tomorrow if you promise me one thing." The little girl's eyes grew big as she stared back at him in anticipation. "If you promise you'll rest until you're ready to go home and feel all better, we both will happily visit tomorrow." The girl excitedly nodded her head in response, and Aang waved her goodbye, heading back towards Katara.
When the two stepped out of the building, the moon was already back up signifying night time, and they both realized they were exhausted. They tiredly made their way back to the Jasmine Dragon, and climbed into bed together, cuddling into each other's arms. "I'm so proud of you Aang . . ." Katara began, her ocean blue eyes beaming at him. "Plus, it looks like you made a new friend along the way."
Aang let out a soft chuckle in response. "I had the best teacher in the world to learn from. Thank you, Sifu Katara." With that, the two of them let the exhaustion take over them, and they fell asleep together, with smiles on their faces. The war was now over, and now the two of them could work on putting the world back together, one step at a time.