In that moment, time was still. The air bender crawled toward Katara's body.

"K-Katara.." Aang murmured, "Please be okay Katara. PLEASE!"

He stood on his knees, observing the arrow and then at Katara's painful expression. The arrow was lodged in her torso. A thousand words raced as Aang thought about what to do. Should he pull it out? Would any healing techniques Yagoda had taught him work? He wasn't sure.

'What do I do?'

Before he could process further, a wall of ice was disbursed to block another arrow that was shot toward him. Kano was on her knees next to Katara.

"AANG!" Kano cried out, "Don't worry about Katara, I'll take care of her wound. Whoever shot that arrow isn't going to stop."

Registering her words, Aang shook his head to clear his mind. Kano was right. He needed to find out who was doing this. Gathering the air around him, Aang leaped high in the air and looked in the direction of where the arrows came. On the rooftop of a bar, Aang found the shooter and recognized the man immediately. At that moment, his vision went white with rage as he screamed with a thousand voices.

"AIZO!"

The old general snarled as he set his sights on Aang and shot an arrow only to be negated from its target. In one instance, Aang swiped heavy air at Aizo, knocking him off from the bar rooftop. The old man groaned as he lay on the ground. Slowly, he sat up and made an effort to get back on his feet.

Unfortunately for him, the avatar wouldn't let him get his bearings. Aang stomped the general's chest and forced him on his back.

"D-damn you…" Aizo muttered.

"It was a mistake not looking for you yesterday," Aang replied as he glared with his glowing eyes. "This time I won't let you get away."

"As if I will give you the chance", Aizo gritted his teeth and swiped fire. Aang dodged it easily and stomped his foot down on the fire bender's midsection. Over and over, he would not let up on the stomping. This time he would not relent from beating Aizo to a bloody mess.

Feeling desperate, Aizo roared a wave of flame. Aang jumped back and the general got back to his feet as quick as he could. Aizo cocked his fist back and pushed forward until Aang grabbed a hold of his fist and stopped the attack before it could come.

"It's time to finish what I started in the cave…"

Kano reached out to the water she held in her flask. She guided the water over the wound, cleansing it of dirt and debris. The water swirled around the arrow, loosening its grip on the flesh with each pass. Katara winced in pain, but Kano tried to be gentle, her movements becoming steady and reassuring.

Katara slowly opened her eyes and squinted at the other water bender, "Kanooo…"

"Don't talk" Kano said, "You're seriously hurt, and I can't risk you moving around."

"Where is Aang?" Katara coughed.

Kano glanced back at where Aang and Aizo were in the distance. Her eyes filled with rage when she caught sight of the fire general.

"That monster was still alive. It looks like Aang will finally kill him."

Kano felt a tug on her shirt and looked down to gazing at her with a pained expression. "We can't let Aang be consumed by his rage. W-w-we can't let him kill Aizo.."

"Are you kidding me?! After what he's done to Ino, the villagers and now you? He needs to be put down!" Kano argued.

"The air nomads believed all life was sacred Kano", Katara murmured, "I-I don't want Aang to forget his beliefs like this…The fire nation already killed his people, we can't let Aizo kill what little Aang has left of his people…"

"KATARA!" Sokka screamed as he, Suki, and Toph ran to them.

"What happened?!" Toph demanded.

"Aizo tried to kill Aang but Katara pushed him out of the way", Kano explained as she focused the water over the opened wound. Katara fought to keep her eyes open, but it was in vain as she fell unconscious.

"Oh my gosh, Katara!" Suki cried out.

"She'll be fine", Kano assured, "but someone needs to stop Aang or he'll kill Aizo."

At this point, Aang grabbed hold of Aizo's dirty collar and threw him like a stick doll. The image of Katara's still body haunting his mind. He breathed heavily as he remembered her smiling face and…

"I'm not going to give up on you!"

"I love you."

Tears fell from his whitened eyes. Without a single thought, Aang planted Aizo's feet beneath the earth. Aizo stared at him with hate in his eyes as he tried to regain his composure.

Aang didn't think to use any bending. Within his hands, he held the strength of his past lives. With his hands, he would beat the life out of the old fire bender.

POW! Aang shot a fist to Aizo's abdomen. A strike powerful enough to make Aizo go into a coughing fit as he felt the contents of his stomach rising. Aang wouldn't stop.

POW! POW! POW! He threw a flurry of punches and struck every part of Aizo that he could. His mind fluttered to Katara as he heard her voice in his head. Tears continued to fall as he howled.

Kano said she would take care of Katara but what if she couldn't? What if Katara didn't make it? All because he didn't stop until he found Aizo. He wouldn't stop until he made Aizo pay for what he had done. Not again.

Aizo was already a mess when Aang caught sight of him but now he was barely recognizable. He was turned into a mess of blood, sweat, and tears as Aang made him into a mess of pulp with his strikes.

Just how many more people would he lose to monsters like Aizo?

His mind racing with nothing but images of Katara, Aang gripped Aizo's throat with his hands. His fingers squeezed the air from the general's lungs. He couldn't stop himself. He wouldn't stop himself from choking the life out of Aizo if he had to. He thought of twisting the old man's neck, but it would be too quick. Aang would make him suffer.

Before he could go further, Aang's friends arrived at his side and began pulling back his arms.

"AANG STOP!" Suki yelled from his left.

"You don't have to kill him Aang!" Sokka said from his right.

"He shot Katara! He needs to pay!"

"Trust us Aang." Toph stood before him with her hands on his shoulders, "I'd love to see this guy dead, but we can't let you dirty your hands with his blood! You are not a killer!"

"Had I killed him before then Katara would be okay!"

"Do you really think she'll be okay knowing you threw away your beliefs because of what happened? Katara doesn't want that for you! None of us do! You can't let Aizo kill that part of you." Suki said.

"I CAN'T LOSE ANYONE ELSE!"

"You're not going to lose anyone else Aang! We'll always be here and so will Katara!" Suki cried out.

"People like him already took enough from the world. Don't let him take away the air bender that you are!" Sokka urged.

"If not for us then do it for Katara!" Toph insisted.

With his friends' words registering in his mind, Aang let himself go. The glow and power of his past lives withered down as did the grip he held on Aizo's air. His energy diminished, and Aang fell to his knees. Sokka had let go of him but Suki remained firm in her grip.

"Is…is Katara okay?" Aang asked.

Suki nodded, "Kano has already taken care of the wound. Katara will be okay."

They all look to the old general who withered in the hold the earth had on him.

"I'll inform Josu of what happened. Maybe they'll have a cellar they can keep Aizo in," Sokka spoke.

"I'll go with you," Toph said.

Aang let out a deep sigh as he turned away from Aizo. It was finally over, and he could rest easy now that the threat to the villagers and him was stopped.

All that mattered was Katara now.