The first 16 chapters belong to Avatarfan792, and I take no credit for them. Here is a link to where the story was originally posted: s/14303822/1/The-Aftermath

Chapter 5: Illness

AN: Some more cute fluff for this chapter before we get into a really serious one next episode. Once again, thank you for the reviews! I originally planned for this story to be an 8 chapter story, and now my ideas have quickly grown to expand it to something so much larger :) Thank you to everyone who reads this story and takes the time to review, it means the world to me!

Once again, I apologize for any errors, as English is my second language. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

It had only been a half hour since the Gaang had been in the air. To Aang however, it felt like a lifetime. His exhaustion from the previous week had fully taken over now, and it was visually apparent to everyone that the airbender had a lack of sleep. Currently, Aang was drifting in and out of sleep, trying to stay conscious so he could remain in control of Appa. Although the rest of the group was concerned for the airbender, he appeared to be his normal self, wearing his signature grin and laughing along at Sokka's corny jokes.

Aang, however, felt absolutely terrible. Not only was he struggling just to stay awake, but his head had been pounding for some reason. He also must have been used to the weather in the Fire Nation, because as they were getting further south towards the Southern Air Temple, he found himself shivering a lot. This was abnormal for him, as he normally was able to control the climate around him as an airbender. The thing he hated the most was the fact that he felt weak. Especially leading up to the final fight against Ozai, Aang had been overexerting himself in his training. Though he was always tired, he was missing the strength that he had felt after those training sessions.

The avatar was quickly taken out of his little sleep-deprived bubble when he felt himself falling. He didn't realize what exactly was happening until he heard his name being screamed by a familiar female voice. Finally getting his bearings, he looked up and quickly saw the sight of Appa quickly disappearing out of his point of view above. That's when he realized what was happening. I fell asleep and rolled off of Appa.

Quickly thinking, he was able to take his glider and activate it to help slow his fall. Using the remaining strength and willpower, he used his airbending to help propel himself up, slowly flying back to the saddle of Appa. Once he reached his destination, he collapsed, lying on his back on the floor, desperately heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Relieved to still be alive, he tried to collect his thoughts, but was quickly interrupted.

"Aang, what in the world were you thinking, are you crazy?" Katara immediately rushed to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder to check if he was okay. Aang immediately felt a sense of guilt wash over him. He didn't mean to cause such a scare to his friends! He tried to reach his arm up to give Katara a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, but found that he was using all of his energy to do so.

"Katara . . . I'm sorry . . . I must have fallen asleep." Now Aang was getting frustrated with himself. He was trying to tell her these things in a reassuring tone, but when he spoke it came out in a croaked whisper. To make matters worse, it felt like daggers had been piercing his throat every time he tried to speak. Aang winced in pain just from making a simple sentence.

"What's wrong with Twinkletoes? I can't see what's going on but he sounds like my grandpa after trying to get up!" Toph lightly teased. Katara rolled her eyes at this comment, looking much more concerned for the boy sprawled out in front of her. She has become all too familiar with the warmth that Aang's touch brings to her, but this time his touch felt cold. Quickly taking his hands to bring it down next to him so he could rest, she noticed the sweat that resided in his palms. Worried, she quickly put the back against Aang's forehead, and gasped.

"Aang, you're burning up!" Aang tried to play it off, giving a weak smile in return.

"I'm . . . fine" was all the airbender could manage before collapsing back to the floor, his energy gone. Katara just shook her head in return.

"No, you're not fine, Aang. We need to find somewhere so you can get some rest." She tried to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, frowning at how frail he seemed to respond to her touch.

"Wow . . . looking at him now, he looks like a weak little kid. Hard to believe that he just stopped the Fire Lord on the Comet a few days ago." Sokka remarked. The rest of the group seemed to nod in agreement, before becoming concerned once again when the Avatar's entire body began to shake, shivering in the cold climate.

"Aang, you poor thing." Katara softly whispered. Gently, she picked Aang up so he could lie against her, his head sitting in her lap. To her amusement, Aang immediately responded by curling into her, cuddling into her lap like a cat. She could feel her heart drop when she looked into his gray eyes. What normally was full of energy and joy was replaced by fear. "Get some sleep, I'll be right here." She softly whispered, slowly massaging his head to help him relax.

Aang didn't need to be asked twice. For the first time in forever, he finally allowed his body to respond to its needs. His breathing quickly began to lighten, and he soon was fast asleep in the waterbender's arms.

"He looks so . . . vulnerable." Suki softly observed. Katara softly smiled as she softly gazed at the sleeping boy in her arms.

"Even the heroes need to rest sometimes." She responded. Katara knew that even though Aang desperately wanted to revisit his home, that they couldn't finish the journey tonight. Her healing works wonders, but even her powers can't heal a fever. So, the next best thing they could do is find a place to rest for the night. "Sokka," she commanded in a whisper, "we need to find a place to land for the night. Aang's not going to be able to make it out in this weather."

Fortunately for Katara, her brother was more than understanding. Quickly hopping down to the head of Appa, he took the reins and began to search ahead for the nearest city. Luckily for them, they found an island just ahead, and they flew down looking for a place to shelter. Sokka, Toph, and Suki took off to see if they could find anyone to provide hospitality, or in the worst case scenario for the night, a cave that they could stay in.

Aang was still fast asleep in Katara's arms. Looking down at the airbender, she couldn't help but be in awe in the stark contrast of his normal form. When Aang was at his best, his body gave off a certain energy of excitement. His muscles would proudly stand out on his exterior, and his lighthearted laugh he gave always made it seem like he was walking on air. Now, his body looked like it was fighting for survival. He felt so light and weak in her arms, and every breath that he took was a clear battle for his body. Instead of his playful energy, his entire body gave off an aura of exhaustion.

Softly running her hands across his back as he slept, Katara tried her best to lend him some of the strength that she had. She couldn't help but think that Aang has been put through enough lately, they all had. As she got lost in her thoughts, she became startled as the body in her arms began to move. She slowly watched as Aang's eyes slowly fluttered open. Instead of their normal sparkle, they just showed his exhaustion and weakness.

"K-Katara?" he croaked out. "I . . . don't think I . . . feel so good." She could feel her heart slightly breaking for him, desperately wishing she could magically make things okay.

"Shhhhh," she softly chided. "Just continue to get some rest, Aang. It's the best thing you can do right now. We're trying to find a warm place for us to stay tonight." She absent mindedly rubbed his back while speaking, desperately trying to will any sort of comfort into him. As quickly as he was awake, he went back to sleep, still curled in her arms. She smiled at the closeness that was shared between them at the moment, and she desperately wanted to tell him that she craved for more moments like these.

It was becoming comical at this point on how life was trying to keep them apart. Every time that they had a moment together where one of them was going to finally become brave and take the final move, something always got in the way. She selfishly wanted Aang all to herself, and was beginning to grow impatient now that her feelings were so strong. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the return of her brother.

"How's he doing?" Sokka asked. Her brother wasn't normally one to be one that pays close attention in these types of moments, so the look of concern on his face was one that Katara sincerely appreciated.

"Honestly . . . he's not doing too great. He woke up and admitted that he didn't feel good, but he was back asleep almost immediately." Katara confided back. She was trying so hard to stay strong and not display her own state of anxiety she had for Aang at this moment.

"The good news is we found some shelter. There's a couple that owns an inn here and they wanted to let us stay for however long we need in thanks for what we did to end the war." Her brother whispered back. Katara softly smiled, both at the clear kindness of these strangers, and the fact that her brother was being considerate of Aang's current condition.

"The problem is . . ." her brother continued, "there are only 3 rooms available. I don't think Aang should be alone though. I could probably stay with him, but then you would have to share a room with Suki since Toph doesn't like-"

"I can stay with Aang." She cut her brother off. When met with a slight recoil reaction and her brother's eyes as wide as saucers, she responded by rolling her eyes. "Relax, Sokka. Look at him now. He's clearly comfortable around me, and I can be there to provide any healing during the night if he needs it. Besides, you need to continue resting and healing that leg of yours."

Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to convince her otherwise, Sokka sighed and gave in. Together, they woke Aang up and informed him of the situation, and Sokka began to take in some supplies that would be needed for the night. Katara helped Aang off of Appa, and with his arm wrapped around her shoulder, she gently walked him to the inn. Aang was able to give a slight bow to the inn owner to show his appreciation, but once he reached the bed, he collapsed and was asleep once again.

Katara used this moment to gather some supplies to help her get through the night with him. The innkeeper was kind enough to give her some washcloths and water, as well as some freshly made soup to feed to Aang when he was ready. Once she had everything she needed, she climbed into the otherside of the bed, trying to be as quiet as possible to not disturb Aang. As if she were a magnet, Aang immediately curled up into her, which immediately caused her to react by placing her arms around him. She almost pulled away in embarrassment, but she felt her heart melt when Aang let out a content sigh in return. Smiling, she realized that his warmth made her just as relaxed as he was.

Katara continued to work gently as she got a cold wash cloth, and gently dabbed at the sweat forming at his forehead. It pained her to see him in such a weak state, and she desperately wished she could take on some of the pain that he was going through right now. Seeing that he was sound asleep and would probably be staying that way for a while, she allowed her own body to relax, melting into his touch. As she began to close her eyes, she felt his heartbeat, and allowed the sounds of the rhythms of his soft breath drift her off into her own sleep.

Walking through the empty Fire Nation Palace, Aang felt alone. Their invasion plan had gone so smoothly up to this point, and now it was up to him to take down the Fire Lord and put a stop to this war once and for all. As he made his way from door to door, he was shocked to find all of the rooms empty. Where was everyone? The eclipse would only be lasting for another 6 minutes, and he needed to get his job done quickly if it was going to happen.

Suddenly, he found his way inside the main doors that led to the throne room. Taking a deep breath, he entered the room, ready to face Fire Lord Ozai head on. Even though he had been preparing for this moment the entire year, the sight of the Fire Lord in front of him was absolutely terrifying.

"You're too late, Avatar" the Fire Lord chided. "The eclipse is over, and now I'm going to show you what true power looks like!" Aang was barely quick enough to react to the fireball heading straight towards him. This battle could not be going worse. The entire time, he was on the defensive, desperately avoiding each attack against him. There wasn't even time for him to counter-attack. Suddenly, the battle stopped for a moment as the door to the throne room was opened once again. Being interrupted by an all too familiar voice.

"Aang!" The Southern Water Tribe girl called. "We need to get out of here, the eclipse is over!" Aang watched in horror as time stopped and things began to move in slow motion. He saw the Fire Lord smirk at him, before turning around and firing a blast at the unsuspecting waterbender. To Aang's horror, he watched his beloved fall into a lifeless clump before him.

"KATARA!" He shouted, running over to her lifeless body. He could barely contain his own breathing as the tears poured out of him. "Please wake up, please Katara. I love you!"

To his shock, he heard her call back. "Aang! Wake up, Aang!"

Opening his eyes, he washed over with relief to see Katara sitting next to him, staring at him with her ocean blue eyes full of concern. She brought him into a gentle embrace against her, and he was reminded at that moment of just how weak he was at the moment. "Did you have a nightmare?" she softly asked, rubbing his back in comfort. He could only nod his head in response, too tired to go into the details of his nightmare - not that he wanted to relive it anyway.

"I thought . . . I lost you." He croaked out. It was easier for him to speak than before, but his voice still came out as a soft whisper. She responded to him by giving him a soft smile and a light squeeze to show that she was still there for him. "I'm here, Aang. It was just a dream. Let's get you some water, that should help with your throat." she softly instructed.

He tried to reach out to the cup she placed before him and drink it himself, but realized that he was too weak to do so. Thankfully, Katara was there to help him. She softly took the cup from his hands and gently pressed it against his lips so he was able to get as much water as he needed. Although it hurt to swallow it all, he could already feel the relief in the throat from the much needed moisture. "Are you hungry?" she asked, her voice so gentle and reassuring. He slowly nodded his head, giving her a weak smile to show how grateful he was for her.

The next 30 minutes consisted of Katara slowly feeding the soup to Aang, lightly massaging his back or his temple while doing so. With every additional mouthful, Aang could slowly feel his strength returning to him. Katara seemed to notice this as she placed the back of her hand against his forehead. To his surprise, she let out a genuine gasp and smile. "Your fever is breaking Aang, a good night's rest and you'll be back to yourself in no time!" He let out a soft groan of pleasure when she then replaced her hand with a damp cloth, continuing to remove some of the added heat he was feeling.

"Come on Aang, let's get some rest, we both desperately need it." Aang's eyes widened as she laid back down and patted the space next to her.

"You're . . . going to stay . . . with me?" he whispered, his voice slowly growing stronger, but still weak. His face still had enough strength to light up when she nodded and smiled in return.

"I told you Aang, I'm not leaving you any longer. You're stuck with me." She teased at the last part, but the sincerity in her voice was enough to make his heart almost burst out of his chest. He slowly lay down next to her, and instantly relaxed as she wrapped her arms around him. They lay there in silence for a while, letting their exhaustion overtake them as they had just each other's heartbeats and breathing to listen to. Just as he felt sleep about to overtake him, he whispered out into the night.

"Katara?"

"What is it Aang?"

"Thank you for taking care of me. It means so much to me." He could feel Katara almost beam in response to his statement, and she slowly started to massage his back in return.

"Of course, Aang. I know you would've done the same for me if our roles were reversed." With that, the two of them let the sleep start to overtake them. Before he let himself fall into a state of blissful unconsciousness, he muttered "You're going to be the best mother ever, Katara." Unfortunately for him, sleep followed immediately after, so he wasn't able to notice the blush that covered Katara from head to toe, and more importantly her response.

"Well since you'll be the best father in the world, we're going to have some lucky kids one day."