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 12: Alone

AN: Kind of a shorter chapter, today. Since mental health really wasn't a huge topic when the show originally aired, it doesn't surprise me that nothing is ever really brought up in that sense. I don't know why, but to me I always sensed that Aang would deal with depression/anxiety as a result of his duties as the Avatar and the war, so I wanted to write that in as part of his character here. Of course, Katara is the best as always :)

Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to read, you all make me one happy author :) I apologize for an errors, English is my second language.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

It was noon when Katara woke back up. Sitting up in the bed and stretching her arms, she sighed to herself as she saw the empty space next to her in the bed. Things had not gone the way either her or Aang had planned last night, and quite honestly they had ruined the perfect day that they had just shared before. Then seeing him injured again brought out the worst fears from her, and she had broken down crying confessing her love to him. Thinking back on the previous night, it was weird how her worst nightmare turned out to end so pleasantly. Even though she knew Aang loved her, it felt so nice to finally hear the words from him. Then the last words that he said before they had drifted off to sleep . . . soul mate? Their relationship together was still a little hard for Katara to believe, but still, those words . . . felt so right.

Walking downstairs, Katara found that the rest of the group was already eating breakfast. Everyone, but Aang that is. Trying not to give it a second thought, she sat down and joined her friends as they shared a meal. They all had bags under their eyes from the rebellion interrupting them last night. After all was said and done, the group had only probably gotten around 3 hours of sleep in total for the night. Katara absent-mindedly ate her meal before her thoughts were interrupted by Suki. "Hey Katara, how is Aang doing?" The rest of the group suddenly stopped what they were doing, staring at her and eagerly awaiting for her response.

The waterbender shot a look of confusion towards the group, before choosing to speak. "He's doing fine . . . he should be a little sore today . . . but that's it . . . why?" she wearily ended her sentence. Katara became exponentially more confused as the rest of the group suddenly looked down at their plates again, not meeting her gaze. "What's going on?" she demanded, concern rising in her tone.

Sokka decided that he was going to be the brave one out of the group. "You two . . ." he started off, speaking slowly and thoughtfully, as if trying to make sure he didn't say the wrong thing. "You two didn't get into a fight or anything, right?" His face sagged at the end of the sentence, and he was looking at his sister with concern. His eyes did widen though when he was met with her sudden exasperation.

"What! No? Why in the world would you say that?" She stammered. Did he say something mean about her this morning? Did he regret the things that he said last night? Maybe she took their relationship too fast . . .

Toph suddenly cut off her thoughts. "Twinkletoes was just acting weird this morning. He came downstairs while we were all here, and just blankly walked past all of us. He didn't even say good morning to any of us." She let out with a soft chuckle, clearly she wasn't too worried. But . . . that still wasn't like Aang to act like that. Was he mad at her? Did she do something wrong?

"Where did he go?" She immediately responded. She tried not to show it, but the worry was evident in her voice. The look of concern that Sokka shot her didn't help either.

"He went that way." He explained, pointing towards the outside balcony entrance. His face twisted once again when she hurriedly ran out the door, not giving him the chance to ask any more questions about the matter. Stepping outside, Katara quickly glanced around the area. Aang wasn't anywhere in sight. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she set out to look for him, finding herself wandering out into the city. The streets were bustling at this time of day, and the crowds made it hard to travel through the narrow area.

She eventually found herself getting lost, and before she knew it, she was outside the city and seeing a natural forest in front of her. She was about to turn around and head back into the city area, trying to find her way back to the Jasmine Dragon, when she heard the sound of water beckoning her. Following the natural call of her element, she slowly made her way into the forest, quickening her pace as the sound of the stream became louder. Finally, she became content as the water came into her view.

The sight in front of her was perfect. The water gave a light hum as the waves of the stream gently crashed against the shore. The sun was reflecting off of the water's hue, causing it to sparkle in the glimmering light. At the shore was a small sandy beach, extending out in a crescent shape against the stream. As the beach led into the path of the forest, trees surrounded the area giving a serene aura to the area. It was a beautiful sight to take in, but that's not what Katara was focused on. Instead, her sights were on an airbender staring absent-mindedly out into the water.

Katara found her heart almost fluttering as she finally found the person that she had been looking for this entire time. The wind gently rippled through his shorts, and the Avatar was shirtless, the scar from his fall at Ba Sing Se still evident on his back. The waterbender found herself biting her lip subconsciously as she stared at his muscular form. Her body gave her a gentle shudder as she had to remind herself that his looks were not the reason that she was out looking for him.

As she took a seat next to him, she tried to find what exactly his pensive gaze was looking at. Following it, she noticed that it didn't lead to anything interesting, so she decided to give up and address the airbender. "Aang?" She softly called his name, as if saying it any louder would disturb his peace. The airbender almost jumped as his name was called, and he quickly took two breaths to recompose himself. Looking over to see it was Katara, his face filled with relief as a small smile crept through his face.

"Hey there, Katara." Aang responded with a smile. Although she couldn't exactly sense it, something seemed off. Neither his smile nor his tone seemed genuine. Katara took a moment to study his face, trying to search for any clues that would give away his current mood. Aang seemed to recognize this as he shot a confused look back at her. "Is everything okay?" He asked tentatively.

For some reason, this brought out some of the frustration and stress Katara had from earlier this morning out of her. "I should be the one that's asking you that." She said crossly, Aang gasped at the tone of her voice, clearly confused. Katara felt slightly guilty on how it all came out, so she tried to collect herself before continuing. "All of our friends are worried about you. They said you went walking off without even saying hello to them this morning." While her tone was still warmer, it wasn't exactly comforting.

"Oh . . ." was all Aang could let out, a sense of guilt washing over his face as he stared at the ground. "I guess I was too lost in thought this morning that I walked right past them." His tone was uncomfortable, and his body agreed with him as he shifted so he was holding his knees against him to comfort himself. Katara didn't know if it was her lack of sleep, her self-doubt about his love that he proclaimed for her last night, or the stress that she still carried from seeing him injured like he was, but whatever reason it was caused her temper to snap.

"You expect me to believe that?" she shouted incredulously. "Why in the world is my brother asking me if we got into a fight?" Katara took two heaves of breaths as her eyes shot daggers at Aang, who's eyes were wide and confused.

"What? What are you talking about?" He asked, tilting his head back at her. His voice remained calm but she could sense the worry in his voice. He tried to scoot towards her but she scooted away from him. Katara saw the hurt in his eyes that resulted from her actions and she felt bad about it, but she needed answers.

"They were all staring at me this morning like we BROKE UP. They thought that you were upset so obviously I'm the one who caused it. So what is it, Aang? What did I do?" She threw her hands up in frustration as she finished her sentence, allowing her arms to come back down and loudly hit at her side. Katara didn't know why, but she became even more frustrated when Aang just stared blankly at her.

"Katara . . ." he started, pondering what to say. Aang could clearly tell that she was upset with him and he didn't know why. Nor did he understand why she thought he was upset with her? "I'm honestly a little confused . . ." Aang began, trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

"CONFUSED?!" Katara cried out in disbelief. "So what! Everything that we said to each other, our relationship these past few days means nothing to you?" Aang's apparent shock allowed her to take the time to breathe, to try to keep herself from overreacting even further.

"What? No!" The airbender quickly responded, a sense of pain going through his eyes. "I've meant every word that I said, Katara. I'm still hopelessly in love with you. . ." his eyes filled with relief when he noticed Katara's expression softened in response. "I'm just confused as to why you think I would be upset with you, that's all." Aang gently explained, his voice remaining calm and soothing.

Katara allowed the silence to creep over the two of them as she continued to take deep breaths, trying to center herself. Her face flushed red in embarrassment as she realized her temper had taken the best of her and that she had overreacted. "I'm sorry . . ." She finally let out weakly, her voice downcast. "Just seeing you hurt yesterday had me more stressed than I realized, and when everyone was saying that you were acting weird and asking if we got into a fight . . . I guess I jumped to conclusions." She confessed.

Aang responded by pulling her into him, and moved his hands so he rubbed them along her back to soothe her. Finding comfort being close to him, Katara allowed herself to rest her head on his shoulder. "I understand . . . I'm sorry for scaring you so badly last night. But just know that I would never lie to you about my feelings. I still love you, Katara." He admitted, his blush rising to his own cheeks as he reconfirmed his confession from the prior night.

Katara felt herself melt into his shoulder as her heart continued to burst in her chest. "I love you too, Aang." she whispered back. Suddenly, she came to a realization that this wasn't even why she came out to find him. "So why are you out here alone, then?" She inquired, trying to provide comfort in her voice.

Aang never responded, and chose to keep staring at the ground. The light and joy that made up his expression suddenly disappeared. Katara didn't press any further as they stared out into the water, taking in the comfort that the world was currently providing them. Her focus immediately came back to her companion however when she felt the sting of the tears that were streaming down his face landing on her.

"Aang?" She worriedly asked, sitting up and grasping his arm. The airbender started to hyperventilate, and his breaths soon turned into heaves as he fought for air. Just like it happened back at the Southern Air Temple, panic once again coursed through his body causing him to begin shaking as he fought for control of his emotions. Katara threw her arms around him to try and calm him, but it was barely helping. "Aang, what's wrong?" She inquired again, this time her concern filled her tone.

"I . . . I . . ." He tried to respond, but he couldn't breathe well enough to finish his thoughts. Instead, he allowed himself to bury his head into Katara's shoulder, his sobs escaping him as he went through his panic attack. Katara just held him closely against her as she closed her eyes, trying to hide the tears that were welling up in her own eyes at the sight of the airbender.

"Breathe, Aang." She gently instructed, her own tears making her way down her face. "Focus on one breath at a time." She soothed. Aang tried to follow her directions but found that his breaths were still uneven. Katara, now releasing her own sobs, continued to work with him, gently instructing him to breathe so he could compose himself. Her heart was broken at seeing her companion in so much pain, but now that this was the second time that she had seen the Avatar have a panic attack like this, it made her realize that these probably weren't the first ones that he had experienced.

Aang gained control of his breathing after a few minutes, and the two sat on the beach, holding each other as they allowed themselves to let out their emotions. Eventually, the airbender lay calmly and still in her arms, and she smiled to herself as she gently ran her hands down his back, allowing him to soothe himself at her touch. "I'm sorry." He croaked out, his body finding it hard to speak after being in so much stress.

"You don't need to apologize, Aang." Katara responded with sadness overtaking her tone. The two sat there in silence for the next 5 minutes as she continued to run her hands over his body, trying to comfort him in whatever way she could. Eventually, he shifted his body so he was laying down next to her, and he lightly took her into his arms so he could hold her tightly. Katara noticed the fearful look in his eyes, as if she had just discovered his biggest secret. "How long have you been having those, Aang?" Her tone was still one that was comforting, but there was a seriousness to it, to show that this was important to her.

He broke his eye contact with her, his face turning a deep red as if he was embarrassed to admit that he was dealing with this. "I had my first one shortly after our visit to General Fong's base and I thought I had lost you and went crazy in the Avatar State." He dejectedly replied. "They then happened pretty frequently during the war, I just always tried to distance myself from the group when I sensed one was coming." Tears were building up again in his eyes as he confessed.

"Aang . . . why didn't you tell me? I had no idea that they had been even happening, not to mention for that long! I could have helped you!" Katara shakily replied.

"I was . . . I was scared to show how weak I truly am." He finally admitted. "I thought that if you all saw me like this that you wouldn't want anything to do with me." Katara wiped away at the tears that were streaming down his cheeks as she brought him in closer.

"We never would have done that," she coaxed. "And if any of the others would have even thought of making fun of you for it, I would have water whipped them until they understood." She let out a soft laugh, trying to lighten the mood. Then, another question came to her. "You know how you were after we left the Southern Air Temple?" When she was met with a nod, she chose to continue. "Was that the first time that you felt that way before?"

Aang slowly shook his head no, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I first felt that way when I lost Appa, but then it happened again after our failed invasion and we returned to the Western Air Temple. The last time during the war was after our . . . argument at the Ember Island Theater. The Southern Air Temple was the worst I ever felt like that though." There was a stringent pause before he finally finished his statement. "And now I feel like it again now." He whispered, his voice so soft as he was afraid to admit these feelings to her.

"Oh Aang . . ." Katara began, tightening her embrace on the airbender. "What I told you at the Southern Air Temple is true. It is okay to not feel okay. I know that you feel that you need to be strong for the rest of the world, but you don't need to be strong for me. I love you, Aang, and I want to be here to help you when you feel this way. Promise me next time you feel an attack like that coming on that you'll let me know?" When the airbender nodded in response, it caused her to smile.

"Also Aang, it's okay for you to feel sad like this too. No one will judge you if you have to miss the peace meeting tomorrow if you don't feel up to it. Just promise you'll tell me when you feel this way too, okay? You don't have to take this on alone." Once again, the airbender met her with a nod, and she could tell that he would be going into the sleeping phase of his depression extremely soon.

Using his bison whistle to call Appa, the two traveled back to the Jasmine Dragon to meet with the rest of the Gaang, but they had already moved back to the Avatar's house in the Upper Ring. Once they arrived there, Aang immediately went to their new shared bedroom and was fast asleep, working on sleeping off the pain as he had done before. When the group looked curiously at Katara, she explained to them what had happened, and how he had been facing these internal struggles for so long. Thankfully, they more than understood, and told her that they would be more than willing to help if needed.

Night time eventually came, and Aang was still sleeping. As Katara crawled into bed next to him, she smiled and let out a soft laugh as he cuddled into her instinctively. As she leaned in to kiss the top of his head and whisper goodnight, his eyes fluttered open for just a couple of seconds.

"Katara?" his voice squeaked out past his exhaustion.

"Yes, Aang?"

"I love you so much. Thanks for saving me again." Katara never got the chance to respond, as he was immediately asleep after his statement. Lightly kissing his forehead, she allowed sleep to wash over her, smiling as she knew that he no longer had to take that burden on alone.