After Ozai: Book Two (Kataang FanFic)

Chapter Twelve: TLC

 Once they had made their great escape away from both Azula and her army of Dai Li agents, Aang and his friends set off towards the Western Air Temple. Aang didn't know why, but Iroh suggested they make their way towards the North Pole, hence, their pitstop would be the Western Air Temple. There, they would be safe and secure, and most importantly, away from Azula. Despite this, there were a few others that felt that this shouldn't be their course of action. Sokka specifically found this as a bad idea, considering their previous luck at the Western Air Temple. Not once, but twice, had they run into Combustion Man here, and considering the fact that Aang had attacked the combustion benders multiple times, this spelled nothing but doom within the eyes of Sokka. The same thought had also crossed Aang's mind as the threat of the familiar foe consistently weighed on his mind. Looking behind him, Aang took in the image of his friends, all of them whispering to one another. To his left, Iroh was treating Katara's arms with the small amount of materials they had while giving her tips on how to numb herself in case her pain became too unbearable. To his right, Sokka and Zuko looked over maps and documents, planning their next course of action once they made it to the Northern Water Tribe. Behind them, Toph and Suki discussed different attacking stances, sharpening each other's skills for future battles.

Smiling weakly, Aang turned back around and watched the beautiful ocean beneath him pass by. No matter how tense a situation could be or how much danger they were in, whenever Aang took ahold of Appa's reins and just enjoyed the flight, it would always bring an easing calmness around him. However, the events that had just recently transpired had seeded deep within the mind of the Airbender. He had been unable to call upon the Avatar State on his own, Katara's pain being the only reason as to why it made an appearance. Now that he thought of it, Aang hadn't been able to call upon his past lives' wisdom at all recently, at least, not on his own free will. This power to call upon past lives was one that he had taken for granted, especially whenever he was in need and now, now he couldn't even call upon them. Inhaling deeply, Aang closed his eyes and crossed his legs. Given the situation, Aang needed to call upon his past lives and seek their wisdom and advice. As of now, Aang and his friends were constantly jumping from place to place, running from danger and danger, attempting to save the world by words and not actions. The only time Aang and his friends ever acted would be in response to some sort of attack, whether that be from Azula, Long Feng, or the combustion benders. Allowing his mind to go blank, Aang focused his ears and mind towards the gentle waves cascaded on one another below. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, still, there was no sign of any connection with his past lives. Suddenly, the sound of a familiar voice rang in his ears, allocating for his eyes to open in response.

"Aang, look! It's just as mesmerizing as the first time." Smiling, Aang looked from the upcoming temple back towards Katara, however the sight of her arms instantly eradicated the smile. His sudden grimace was one that Katara took note of, she would have to talk to him later.

At once, the rest of their friends joined near the front of the saddle, looking out in awe towards the temple as Appa landed. Once they landed, they all set out to work, setting up shop for the next couple days so that they could recover, recoup, and gameplan for the next few weeks. Aang meanwhile took off towards a nearby cliff, hanging his feet off the side and dangling them freely above the endless abyss. This had clearly gone noticed, not only because Aang was gone but for spirits sake, the Avatar was gone. Looking around worryingly, Katara laid her eyes on his signature blue arrow and sighed weakly.

"Look, all jokes aside, he probably needs some love right now." Confused, Katara turned around and stared amazingly towards her brother and his girlfriend. Together, they both smiled at Katara, nodding towards Aang who remained somberly swinging his legs, his mind deep in thought. Giving them one last nod, Katara slowly walked towards Aang, being careful not to scare him and send him tumbling into the hazy abyss.