I remember what I wanted to say now. Aang killing Ozai is so freaking unlikely that I nearly broke my head apart trying to figure out how to do it, but it's so darn interesting exploring such a scenario that I couldn't help myself. Anyway, that's it. Chapter 2 for you

Chapter 2: Trauma

The fire burns below and for moment, just for a moment, I consider letting it continue. If I leave it be, then I can continue to feel it's heat. I can let it grow. I can let it engulf me. And, if I let myself fall, maybe then it will consume me. A hot tear slips from my eye. Inhale. I gaze down at the fire. Exhale. My hands spread water across the land. Just like that, I extinguish the flames—just like I ended the man who started them.

My body weighs me down, so I let it fall to the ground. My feet dangle off the edge and I'm suddenly very aware of how high I'm up. From here, I can watch the comet soar away. It's odd to say that the view it leaves behind is beautiful. The sky is radiant, unlike the land now marred by the fire that has passed. It's quiet and unlike the silence before, this one is cold. My hands shake on my lap. I can't think. I just killed a man.

Ungracefully, on his side, Ozai lays in a pool of his own blood and I...well, I watch the still crimson sky. It a softer color, not so vibrant, than the fluid staining the stone. Clouds almost pink, quiet and calm after so much destruction. I killed a man. Momo quietly finds his way onto my shoulder. His warmth reminds me I'm cold. Ozai, are you cold?

I clench my eyes shut. Ozai's golden eyes stare back at me. The shock and the fear they held engraved in my memory. Is that what my people looked like when they took their last breath? My throat tightens. The shock and the fear I felt when the blood started pouring, is that how they felt when they were forced to fight for their lives. I think of my friends, of the children younger than myself, were they scared?

"To bend another's energy, you're own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed"

Could I-

I focus on my shoes, Am I-

I choke on a sob. No. You don't get to do that. My body weighs me down and shoulder stings as I command water to me. Gently, I let it wash over Ozai. His long hair sticks to the ground, golden eyes wide open. Bruises and scrapes scattered around his body appear clearly as the water wipes away the dirt. The water isn't dark with filth, much rather stained red. Hastily, I wipe the rebellious tears steaming down my face.

I concentrate on forming water around his wound and search within my past lives knowledge for a way to close it. Finally, when the skin closes, a large scar is left in it place. I force myself to move his body into a sitting position. He's limp and still warm to the touch. I hold him slightly against a formation of earth. Taking a deep breath, I finally dare to look at him intently. There is no fire left in him. The passionate ferocity he held before is hard to even imagine. There is nothing.

These eyes will haunt me, always.

These first couple chapters are short just because trauma is hard to process. I didn't want to overwhelm myself (or anybody else), there's a lot of back and forth, jumping from thought to thought, I thought it would be too much for one chapter. Fair warning, I do expect chapters to grow increasingly longer as I get back into the swing of writing and the gang is all back together. Do feel welcome to review, or not :)