A/N: Surpriseeee update! XD hehe, I have tomorrow off so thought I could stay up a little later to post this chapter and esp considering its one of the chapters I've been hyping up for a while, I didn't think it would be fair to delay it XD Mind you, I had a read through and I think chapter 21 is even better than this, but this chapter is the start of the climax so hope it meets expectations XD

You know it's funny, the line that I THOUGHT everyone would choose last chapter, ended up not being the line that everyone actually chose as their favourite, you are all angst addicts by choosing the line – no one will love a monster like me lol, what did I turn you all into? Jokes aside, I'm glad the angst is resonating with all of ya.

Guest review responses:

Haneypots: haha not a bad Sokka plan XD I'm starting to see why this line was so popular now…it's like a collision of the past and present rearing its head in a way. Haha I don't want to spoil it, but just trust me with this ;) Dude gah thank you so much, that means so much, I'm super happy that you've enjoyed the fic this much and honoured you're willing to join my future writing adventures XD which trope is that? I am not I'm afraid XD

A: Happy Birthday dude! You're the reason why I got this chapter out today as a birthday gift XD I…just hope there's no hair pulling/crying/anger on your birthday because of this chapter haha. I'm learning holidays are rarely restful haha, but fun that they are, I'm glad you had a good time! You've made it! It's here XD although chapter 21 is the chapter I also can't wait for you to read and I feel it will pack more of a punch, this chapter is a just a flavour of it. That's a…pretty good prediction XD but not all is entirely accurate I'm relieved to say, gotta keep something under my sleeves XD Haha nah nothing exciting, it's a brilliant thought tho, but Yun is just regular Yun with a big heart XD welp this line got like 4 votes, so it's the most popular and prob the first line that practically everyone pointed out, I'm impressed XD Dang that was the line that I thought EVERYONE would choose, but nope you and everyone surprised me haha, but you're right, it is bittersweet. Ooof you calculated when it will be finished by?! I didn't even know that haha. Looks like I'll have to make sure I write another good fic in that year gap to keep you occupied XD Thanks again for all the thoughts and hope you're having an awesome day!

Guest: Thank you! XD

/

5 Days Later:

Katara's POV:

"I'm such an idiot." I whisper to myself as I run a hazardous hand through my hair while I wait for Yatsu to get dressed. We're meant to go to the aquarium today, but all I can think about was what I said to the Airbender. I chew my lip. 'I haven't seen or heard from him since and I don't blame him. I was so out of line and if...spirits, if Yatsu heard what I said that day, I'd get the award for being the worst mother in the history of mothers.' I drop my head in shame as I feel the heaviness in my eyelids from the lack of sleep over agonising about what I said to my ex-husband. I groan.

"I shouldn't have said any of that." I mutter to myself as I close my eyes. 'Why couldn't I have kept my cool? Or played it off? I just...I was more upset over the broken chain than I let myself believe at the time. How could I not? It was the first gift he ever gave me. I just didn't want him to see how torn up I was over it in case he got the wrong idea and...gah, I'm just deluding myself.' I realise with another groan.

"Mummy, I'm ready." A small voice calls out from behind me and I twist around to see the young boy all dressed, with his shoes on. I smile at him and cross the room.

"That's great, is Yun and Fuki ready too?" I ask gently and he nods his head as he points to the duo standing by the house door. "Great, let's go." I say as I take his hand. 'Honestly the trip to the aquarium was more to cheer up Yatsu who's been down for the last few days. I assumed it's because his Dad hasn't paid him a visit, but the boy has strangely not asked about the man which makes me wonder if it's something else.' I think worriedly as we walk towards the car.

Yun takes the wheel and the car journey is mostly filled with Fuki and Yun conversing enthusiastically while both Yatsu and I remain quiet, lost in our thoughts. When we finally reach the aquarium and exit the car, I sense Fuki coming to walk beside me.

"Are you Ok Auntie Katara? You seem sad these days." The girl queries in concern and with a smile, I reach forward to sling my arm around her shoulders.

"I'm fine darling. Just have too much going on in my mind." I reassure warmly. The young teen looks sceptical but is hesitant to push the conversation further as she flashes me a grin.

"You need to relax more. Hopefully watching the fish will do you some good." Fuki jokes and I chuckle at her attempt to cheer me up.

"For sure." I say as we move towards the first exhibition of clown fish. "Yatsu, don't they look like Nemo?" I point out, only to find my son staring perplexed at someone behind us.

"Mummy, is that Daddy?" The boy whispers as he tugs the end of my dress. I blink twice and immediately jerk my head behind me, scanning the area carefully. I spot the back of a bald head and blue arrow several moments later. I furrow my eyebrows and automatically glance to Yun who's doing everything in his power not to meet my gaze. My frown deepens as I release a low tsk from my mouth.

"Yun." I voice with a note of warning and with a cough the earthbender finally drags his eyes to meet mine as he gives me a sheepish expression.

"Erm, surprise?" The consultant offers as my lips dip down in displeasure.

"You invited him here?" I grit out as he scratches his non-existent beard.

"Well, not exactly. I knew he would be here for something to do with his work according to your brother, so I suggested we came today as well." Yun explains guiltily and I pinch the bridge of my nose in exasperation.

"Yun you shouldn't meddle in my affairs with that man." I chide firmly, but I don't get the chances to say any more about it because Yatsu is running towards the older Airbender.

"Daddy!" I hear him yell and my heart drops when the Air Nomad turns in confusion to spot Yatsu running towards him. His jaw drops, but he schools his features as he bends down with open arms to hug the boy and pick him up.

"Yatsu? What are you doing here? Are you with someone?" I can just about hear him from my fixed position a couple of metres away. I clench my hand, undecided on whether to go over to them or not.

"I'm with Mama!" Yatsu reveals and immediately the man's head snaps up, his eyes searching for me amongst the crowds. I swallow and push my frozen feet forward. His eyes fall on me a moment later and his lips twists downwards. My heart plummets and I suddenly wish I could just disappear. I clear my throat as I reach them.

"Hey." I greet with the barest of nods as Aang shifts the boy to his right.

"Hey. I didn't expect to see you both here." The Airbender voices neutrally and I wince at how detached he sounds.

"Fuki and Mr Yun are here too!" Yatsu chimes in and the displeasure on the Air Nomad's face intensifies.

"I see. Well, I'm on duty, so I can't really chat now. I hope you have fun." My ex-husband reveals as he passes Yatsu to me. I furrow my eyebrows.

"On duty? Here? Is there something going on?" I question in concern and for the briefest of moments, the hard glint in his eyes eases.

"It's probably nothing, but I thought to investigate just in case. It might be worth if the four of you choose some place else to spend your day out." The Avatar suggests while Yatsu turns his head back and forth between us in confusion.

"Daddy what do you work as?" Our son queries with a scrunched-up face. Aang freezes slightly, but I had prepared an answer for this long ago.

"Your Dad helps the council a lot. You'd find it boring." I wave off as Yatsu purses his lips. Aang shoots me a grateful expression before nodding his head at the child.

"Yeah, just as your Mum said. I'm sorry I have to dash, but tell me all about it later." The Airbender bids.

However, he doesn't take more than two steps when the sounds of screaming fills the exhibition room. Aang's eyes dart around and the source of the screaming becomes quickly apparent. There's someone lying on the floor with a hole through his head, seemingly dead as a hooded person stands over the body with a large knife. The killer whistles and immediately a swarm of masked men come running to his side.

At this, mayhem breaks loose and people from the public start screaming and running away. Someone slams into me and Yatsu drops from my arms before suddenly being engulfed by the crowd. I panic and try to push through the people to get to him, but he's disappeared. I can't see him. I snap my head back and forth frantically to search for him.

"Yatsu! Yatsu!" I shout as fear grips my heart.

"Mummy! Daddy!" The sudden scream has me whipping my head around and the sight that greets me has me wanting to keel over and vomit. There, right in the midst of the shouting and running people, is my son being tightly held by the arm while a knife is pressed against his throat.

"How dare you touch him?!" I screech as I start sprinting towards my son. I sense Aang running beside me, but we both abruptly stop when he pulls the knife closer to Yatsu who's trying his hardest not to burst out into tears.

"A step closer and I'll kill him." The hooded figure threatens. I swallow just as I see Yun start to approach us. I shake my head at him.

"Take Fuki and go." I order, but the earthbender looks torn.

"I can't leave you and..." He starts, but I give him a pleading look.

"P-Please." I beg and with a flash of indecision he turns back and grabs his daughter who's kicking against him as she keeps pleading with her father to turn back and save Yatsu. I swallow and turn my attention back to my son. "Please let him go." I urge, dropping my hostile tone when I realise I'm completely at a disadvantage.

"And why should I do that?" The man who's holding Yatsu jeers. I glance at Aang who's face has gone entirely pale as he clenches his hands in anger. When he notices my eyes on him, he gives me the barest of head shakes and my heart plummets when I realise he doesn't know how to get out of this either. I swallow hard at what I'm going to do next, knowing my ex-husband will hate it, but I have no other choice.

"What do you want with a little boy?" I ask calmly, but I already have an inking on what he's going to say. Under the man's mask, I can see him smiling.

"It's less about the boy and more about who his father is. Having the Avatar under my command is an alluring prospect." The hooded man reveals and I sense Aang stiffening up beside me, but fortunately the room has been cleared completely of bystanders. The only people who remain are the masked person's men. I bite the inside of my cheek. 'Shoot Azula, why did you have to be right?' I think with disdain as I take a slow step forward, but the killer pulls Yatsu closer into his body. "I said another step and I'll kill him." He warns acidly and Yatsu releases a pained whimper which tears at my insides. I raise my hands in front of me carefully.

"Then let's trade. Me for the boy." I state calmly which causes Aang to whip his head towards me in anger.

"Are you mad?! He'll kill you!" The Air Nomad bellows, but I ignore him completely as I keep my eyes firmly fixed on the hooded man who's holding the life of my son in his hands. His face splits into a smirk.

"I don't know, I think the Avatar's son is a much more appealing blackmail tool." The killer mocks. I bite the inside of my cheek as I silently apologise to both Yatsu and my ex-husband for my next words.

"I'd beg to differ. Aang's known me for nearly two decades. I'm the closest person there is to him. He only discovered that he had a son a few months ago. He's barely made an attachment to him." I say, playing with the truth in the hopes that it will sway my son's captor. It took everything in me not to stumble over saying the Airbender's name, but I knew I had to make it convincing and I couldn't afford to be a terrible actor at such a crucial moment. I watch as the masked man purses his lips as he lowers the knife slightly from Yatsu's neck.

"You're not wrong there." He utters to himself as he taps his shoe against the floor. "Fine, you for the boy." He agrees and my heart leaps up in a brief moment of victory. One of his men comes towards me, but Aang is snarling as he steps in front of me.

"You're being stupid." The Airbender growls at me as he raises a protective arm in front of me. I grit my teeth and grab his raised arm.

"I need to save Yatsu." I force out thickly, earning the Airbender's attention as he glances behind him to me.

"There has to be another way." He argues, but his lips start wobbling and I know he's already figured out that there's nothing else we can do right now.

"There isn't. You promised me that Yatsu is the priority. He's our son." I whisper in a plea. 'I've never really referred to Yatsu as our son. It's always been his or mine.' I hear his breathing catch as he turns towards me.

"I-I did, but not like this. I said I'd protect you." Aang replies as his voice becomes strained. I can't help but fall for him slightly when he says that, but I close my eyes tightly for a moment before re-opening them and move to give him a warm hug. I can feel his body trembling beneath me and part of me wonders if it's an old buried reaction from what happened to him in his past.

"Hush, you'll figure something out." I murmur quietly as I rest a hand at the back of his head to pull it into my shoulder.

"K-Katara please, I don't like this." The Air Nomad begs and I can feel my shoulder becoming damp from what I can only assume is his tears. My breathing catches as past memories are shoved into my mind's eye. 'Spirits I never wanted him to go through anything like this again.' I think to myself as I feel my own eyes watering.

"Hurry up, I don't have all day." The masked man yells and finally I push the Air Nomad away and allow one of his men to grab me firmly by the bicep. He drags me towards his leader and when the leader is satisfied that I'm close enough, he releases the boy.

"Mummy!" Yatsu yells as he tries to move towards me, but when I spot the killer ready to lower his hand with a blow, I snap out my own hand to grab the man's, stopping his descent. The power of the blow vibrates down my arm, but I'm too livid with fury to feel the pain.

"I said, don't touch him." I growl. The killer scrunches his nose up in a snarl.

"Why you little witch." He hisses as he turns towards me.

"Aang, take Yatsu!" I order and in seconds Yatsu is airbended away from us and into his father's tight embrace, but Aang's eyes never leave me. "Get him out of here." I instruct before my captor can make any more insane demands of him.

"But Katara..." My ex-husband tries to argue, but I shoot him the most fiery glare that I can muster.

"NOW!" I yell and with that the earth suddenly engulfs the duo and they vanish.

"You witch!" The masked man bellows as he moves to slap me hard across the face. I bite my tongue as my head whips to the left, but I barely feel the pain. The only thing I care about right now is that Yatsu is safe and that Aang managed to get away before he could be threatened further. I release a breath that I didn't even realise I was holding. 'Everyone's safe.' I reassure myself just as the masked man snaps his arm out to grip me by the neck. I start choking at the pressure against my windpipe.

"You think you're so clever, but I've got a surprise of my own." The man mocks and with his free hand, he drops his hood and rips off his mask. My heart freezes at the face of the man before me. It's scarred and beat up, but I recognise it instantly it's still easily recognisable to me.

"Y-Yon Rha?" I choke out as a fear like none other grips my entire body as I stare at the man in disbelief. He must've liked the reaction on my face because he drops me to the floor a moment later as he starts smirking.

"Thought you got rid of me, eh? I'm not that easy to kill." He jeers as he crosses his arms while I push myself backwards onto my heels as I gawk at the man in shock.

"No, you're meant to be dead! You had an icicle to your aorta and then exploded the entire area!" I yell in distress and if anything, that makes the gleam is his eyes brighten.

"An icicle you put there, but that's nothing with a little surgery. You should know that Dr Aqua. And the bombs? You really think I'd set off bombs and kill myself without an escape route? How foolish of you dear." Yon Rha ridicules and I feel my body shaking in anguish, realising that I haven't got rid of the man as I had hoped. 'I had felt awful that I had a hand in his death, but now? I wish I did a better job in ridding the world of him.' I grit my teeth as I move to stand up, but he's surprisingly fast as he roughly pushes down on my shoulder, keeping me kneeling on the floor.

"Why re-appear now? It's been years." I demand, but my voice wavers with heart-stopping terror and I hate myself for it, especially when his smirk broadens.

"Well, you see I was a bit banged up from the ordeal and had to let myself heal. Ozai had lost his grip on his remaining supporters, so I had to take the time to win them over to my side instead. It took time for them to see our gang can be successful with illegal drug dealing and the likes. Now, they serve me only, but business has been slow and I thought who better to steal and make me money than the most powerful man on earth, the Avatar." Yon Rha explains as he watches my face carefully. I try hard not to give him the satisfaction of his words, but my stomach twists anyway.

"So, you wanted to use us as bait." I finish for him and his eyes glint with wicked intentions.

"I was only planning to use the boy, but you are a much nicer fit. The child would've given me too much of a headache and I probably wouldn't have the patience to keep him around for long." Yon Rha utters smoothly.

The way he speaks so candidly over my son's life has my blood boiling and quicker than lightning I'm up on my feet and punching him right in the face. He staggers back, but before I can run, two of his men grab my arms, pulling them behind me before forcing me to the ground with a loud thud. I yell as pain crawls up my shoulders.

"You're a monster." I curse as Yon Rha regains his footing before crouching down in front of me with a scowl on his face.

"You're lucky I need you alive, but that doesn't mean I have to treat you cordially." He hisses as he spits in my face. I grit my teeth, but say nothing. "I remember how ballistic the Avatar became when I last kidnapped the pair of you, so I know you're as good as bait as any, even if you are only his ex. I do wonder why you guys split up in the end, I thought with me out of the way things would smooth over for you both." Yon Rha wonders aloud and I'm suddenly hit with a realisation. 'He doesn't know Aang lost his memories.' I think to myself with wide eyes.

"Some breaks are too hard to repair." I mutter, but the man simply looks at me in amusement.

"It seems he still loves you plenty, which is all I need to get what I want." The firebender mutters as he reaches forward to grip my chin. "Don't pull a stunt like that again, otherwise..." His other hand lights up with fire and I flinch as memories of the time he whipped me flashes before my eyes. The firebender drops his hand from my chin and pushes himself to his feet. "We'll take her to our hideout and plan our next move. We can't give them time to think." Yon Rha orders and suddenly I'm forcibly pulled up to my feet as the men keep my arms pulled behind me. "Careful to keep this one away from water too." The man adds as he moves forward to clamp a chain around my feet.

"You're not going to win." I mutter and when he turns to face me, his eyes glint dangerously.

"Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing." Yon Rha retorts as he stretches an arm towards me to grasp my shoulder. "I'm going to need to take a picture of you to send to your ex, so try to look like you're in pain." He murmurs lightly and suddenly the hand that's resting on my shoulder flares up with fire. A scream rips out of my throat from the intensity of the heat. The punch to the side of my face that follows is nothing compared to the still raging agony I feel from the burnt joint. I barely register the flash of a camera as I feel my knees buckling from the pain.

"Good, this will do." I hear him utter as he moves away from me. The two masked men at my sides start dragging me behind their leader and I try hard not to let the tears fall. 'Shoot, it took me ages to get over the last time I was at this man's mercy and now I have to go through it all over again. Even worse, this time I don't have anyone with me and no idea if anyone will be able to find me.'

I swallow and screw my eyes tightly closed. 'At least Yatsu, Aang, Yun and Fuki got away.' I try to convince myself, but the fear that swirls around my gut makes it hard for me not to vomit right then and there. 'Please find me Aang.' I silently plead.

Meanwhile at Yun's house:

Aang's POV:

I'm pacing up and down the corridor in a panic as all I can think about is Katara captured in that man's clutches. I'm so frazzled that I barely register Yatsu crying until Yun grips me by the shoulders and shakes me hard.

"Get a hold of yourself and comfort your son." Yun orders harshly, in a tone that I've never heard him use with me before. I swallow and numbly move towards the boy who's bawling his eyes out as he calls for his mother. My heart seizes and I gather him in my arms.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. I'll get your Mummy back." I murmur softly, but the boy barely registers my words as he continues crying.

"Mummy is with bad people. S-she...she...I want her back." He bawls as more tears drip down his face. I rock him back and forth while rubbing his back.

"I'll get her back, I promise." I whisper, but his small hands bundle into fists.

"H-How? You have no idea where she is. You should've saved her, but you left her." Yatsu accuses in between hiccups and I freeze at his words. 'He's right. I should've never left her. Who knows what they're doing to her right now.' I think numbly. 'I've saved countless of people over the years, but I never had to save someone I know and it hits very differently when it's someone you care about. My brain just stopped working. Katara was the one who stepped up and saved our son.' My knees almost buckle at how useless I've been until I remember I'm still holding Yatsu.

"I'm s-sorry buddy." I stutter as my eyes cloud with tears. Yatsu's eyes widen when he notices I'm close to crying myself and he leans forward to bang his head against my shoulder.

"Please get her back." He whispers and with a swallow I nod my head.

"I will, I promise." I vow firmly.

"Fuki, why don't you take Yatsu to the conservatory?" Yun suggests lightly to his daughter who's been strangely quiet the entire time. She jerks her head up in acknowledgement and moves towards me. I bend down to put Yatsu on the floor just as Fuki reaches for his hand.

"Don't worry, our Dads will figure something out." Fuki murmurs kindly to the younger boy who looks up at her with watery eyes.

"But they had a knife, anything could happen." Yatsu points out as more tears spill from his eyes and it hits me how scared he must've been being held at knife point like that and watching as his mother willingly sacrificing herself for him. "Mummy would be here if it wasn't for me." Yatsu adds with a croak and suddenly he's sobbing again.

My heart twists and I move to try and console him, but the words don't come. Katara was always the one to cheer him up whenever he became upset over something. It hits me how royally I've failed him as a father. Fortunately, Fuki steps in and shakes her head hard.

"Not true! They were after your Dad for some reason. That horrible man could've done exactly the same with Auntie Katara. You just happened to be the closest person they got to." Fuki denies passionately. So passionately that Yatsu's tears stop while I gawk in admiration for her saying the words I couldn't. I see Yun beam beside me in pride. "Come on, let's leave the adults to talk and come up with a plan." She adds as she starts pulling my son with her. I wait until the door has closed shut before turning to Yun who's face has pinched white.

"You know the urge to punch you right now is very high, but I don't think Katara would approve of it." Yun mutters as he massages his forehead. I swallow and hang my head in shame.

"I wouldn't tell her. I deserve it. I froze and let her get taken away. I should've done something. Anything." I whisper as my throat closes up with indescribable guilt. I hear Yun sigh as he shakes his head.

"No use blaming ourselves now. I'm no better anyway. I don't think there's anything we could've done without putting Yatsu's safety at risk. I just have no idea how we can get to her and why that man was trying to get to you. Do you have any enemies I should know about?" The earthbender queries with furrowed eyebrows. I gulp as I turn my head away. 'I must've made a bunch of enemies over the course of my years as the Avatar and I don't even know any from before I lost my memories. It's impossible for me to narrow it down.' I think anxiously I run a hand over my scalp in thought.

"My work means I come across some unsavoury people, but there's no one I can pinpoint." I admit, praying that he doesn't delve deeper into my job.

"I suppose being the owner of a jewellery chain means you'll attract the wrong crowd. Spirits this is messed up." Yun curses with a groan and in that instant I couldn't be more glad that I had a cover up occupation. Just as I open my mouth to respond, the doorbell rings. I glance at the earthbender with a frown as my legs instinctively drops into a fighting stance.

"Are you expecting anyone?" I ask, already prepared for the group of men that attacked earlier to come barging in, but Yun raises his hand in reassurance.

"That should be Sokka, I called him earlier." The doctor comments as he moves towards the front door. I don't drop my fighting stance until I spot the ponytailed man's face at the door. Another shorter woman appears behind him. The chief of the police force if I recall correctly. I've conversed with her quite a bit for my line of work, but from Katara's recent photos, I've come to realise we've known each other for far longer than she led me to believe. I wait until the pair have entered the house before speaking up.

"You're Katara's brother, right?" I clarify and when he nods his head, I instantly become aware of the worry behind his blue orbs. The same blue orbs that he shares with his sister and nephew. I bite the inside of my cheek when I feel tears pricking the backs of my eyes. 'Shoot, I hate that my last proper conversation with the waterbender was of me arguing with her.' I think as I feel more and more sick.

"This is Toph. You've probably talked with her before. She's an old friend and..." Sokka begins.

"The chief of the police. I know." I cut across impatiently. He quirks an eyebrow while Toph lets out a snort.

"This Twinkletoes sure can be rude sometimes." The master earthbender retorts as she crosses her arms. I bite my tongue and bend my head in apology.

"Sorry. I...do you know how we're going to find her?" I ask anxiously. The way that Sokka and Toph exchanges a look doesn't go unnoticed by me.

"I've already sent out a wide man hunt for Katara, but the city is big. They could be anywhere and we can't rule out the possibility that they've escaped to a nearby city either. We've got time on our side however. Yun called us pretty quickly, so they couldn't have gone too far." Toph explains as shame hits me again. 'Even Katara's fiancé was useful.' I think bitterly.

"So, what now? You want us just to wait?" I press as the woman sighs heavily.

"There isn't too much we can do unfortunately. They destroyed the surrounding CCTV cameras and left no fingerprints at the site. I could try to find her with an ability I've honed, but it only works on a limited scale. I'm going to try of course, but searching is all we can do at this point. Unless we hear from the person who took her of course." Toph replies and I sag backwards in disappointment.

"Do you have any idea who would do this? I was..." I abruptly stop when I remember that Yun is still in the room. He quirks an eyebrow at me in confusion, but fortunately Sokka is quick to step in.

"We believe it's a gang that we were investigating, but we have no idea who's in charge of it. We're still in the early stages of figuring it out, but we don't have time to wait for someone to find out more about them. I'm going to join the search. You're welcome to join us." Sokka says and I silently thank him for covering up for me so well, as if he's done it multiple times before. I swallow. 'He probably has.' I realise with wide eyes. 'After all, he was my brother-in-law at one point.' I chew my lip and nod my head.

"What about Yatsu? I don't feel safe leaving him after what's happened." I mutter as my eyes stray to the closed conservatory door. Sokka follows my eyes with a nod.

"Toph is already going to post a few officers around the house for protection, but maybe it's better if you did stay with him just in case." Katara's brother suggests as he swiftly changes his mind. I clench my teeth. 'If anything happened to Yatsu, I don't think I could handle it. Not to mention, Katara would kill me.' I close my eyes, hating that I've been wedged into impossible decisions twice in a row like this. 'Choosing between Katara and Yatsu the first time was hard enough. Having to do it again?' I swallow and nod my head.

"You're r-right. I shouldn't leave him unattended to." I concede reluctantly, but a part of me dies as I say it. Sokka looks torn himself, but he nods his head in acceptance.

"You'll be the first to hear if we find anything." Sokka promises just as the room echoes with a ping from a phone. I watch as Toph digs her hand into her pocket to pull out her phone. Her fingers dance across the screen for several moments before her lips thins and her milky eyes become fierce.

"We have to find her soon." The chief mutters tightly. I watch as Sokka frowns and leans over her shoulder to take a look at her phone. His reaction is instantaneous. His whole face goes pale as his lips part to release a strangled choking sound. I notice the way his hands clench and shake as he stares at the screen. I swallow and take a step towards them.

"What's going on?" I demand. Toph lifts her phone for both Yun and I to see. There in the screen is a photo of Katara kneeling in what appears mid-scream as a blaze of fire encompasses her shoulder. The right side of her face has blown up with a blue-black bruise and her mouth is open as her face is contorted in pain. I hear Yun curse and swear beside me, but all I can see is rage. Hot blinding rage. And guilt. So much guilt that I can barely stand.

The guilt outweighs the anger as my knees buckle beneath me and I crash to the ground. If the anger was a tiny bit stronger, it likely would've tipped me over into the Avatar State. 'Only once from my limited memory do I recall going into the Avatar State from emotion and I swore I'd never do it again. However, right now I feel it bubbling underneath the surface, ready to be let loose at the slightest push.' I swallow, but there's a lump in my throat that's so large that I can't swallow past it. Tears blind my vision as I bang my fists against the ground.

"Shoot." I choke out. Toph takes one glance around the room before sighing heavily.

"I'm going to call a couple more people to help with the search. You better tell Hakoda. Zuko might be able to help and I'm sure Yue would want to know what's going on." The earthbender mutters under her breath as she turns around to head for the door. Sokka finally budges and is close on her heels.

"Do you think it's the Triple Z? It reminds me too much of when..." He trails off with a croak and I can't hear any more of their conversation as the house door clicks to a close behind them. 'Names. So many names of things and people that I don't know. I've only recently met Zuko, but who's Yue and Hakoda? And what's the Triple Z?' I clench my jaws tightly. 'I don't know anything! If Katara had just...' My thoughts trail off as that photo returns unbidden in my mind and I feel like being sick. 'She's going through that because I couldn't save her.' I think with blurry eyes. 'I-I have to do something.'

A/N: Ba-dun, another Brisalad twist! Who thought the guy was still alive? Anyone guessed it? XD Now before you ask – how can someone survive with a hole in their aorta?! There is something called aortic dissection where the aorta basically ruptures and people can survive it depending on where the rupture happened. This was one of the last twists I have, I've got maybe one or two minor ones left, so you've weathered most of the worst of it, congrats! XD

Favourite line…funny I struggled to find a line I enjoyed writing, I think I kept most of them for the next chapter, but Yatsu's one was a lot of fun to write:

"You should've saved her, but you left her."

Alright, next chapter I'm very excited for you to read as well, aim is to post this weekend, but I've got a few things to do so hopefully they don't get in the way of that!

28/10/24