After Ozai: Book Two (Kataang FanFic)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Greed

 Day and night, Aang remained awake as they flew to the Southern Air Temple. Upon their arrival, Aang and the rest of their friends expected an all-out war but instead were happily welcomed to an uninhabited, peaceful place. Despite its peaceful aura, Aang could feel the lump growing in his throat due to the pain and suffering that had taken place here during his absence. It might have been peaceful now, but he knew exactly where Gyatso and those firebenders laid. The carnage that had happened at this temple had torn families apart, torn the whole world apart, and it could've been easily avoidable. In fact, the reasoning behind the war could've been scrapped altogether. As they landed, Aang was the last one to dismantle off of Appa. Silently, Aang chewed on his cheek, attempting to keep his mind off of the death and despair that riddled this temple. However, this silence didn't go unnoticed as both Zuko and Katara approached him concerned.

"Aang, you gonna be okay?" Aang looked up towards Zuko and gave him a sad smile before looking towards Katara and then back towards the ground beneath his feet.

"I've never been able to understand the amount of greed that Sozin and his predecessors had. I've never wanted to ever rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible: Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, North, and Southern Water Tribe. Today, we all want to help one another, human beings are, and should be like that. We should want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We shouldn't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there's room for everyone and the good earth is rich, and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, and the aftermath has been felt. This is the reason I've come here, to stop men from allowing greed to get in the way of peace, and kindness." Without another word, Aang barged between Katara and Zuko, bumping their shoulders as he walked past them.

"All I was asking was if he was okay." Katara chuckled sadly as she turned and watched him distance himself from both her and Zuko. Sighing, she turned towards Zuko and bit on her bottom lip.

"Well, does that answer your question? Honestly, we should just leave him be for the time being. You didn't see him the first time he came back here."

"That bad, huh?" Katara nodded as she continued to watch Aang.

"It was the first time I had ever seen him in such rage. You have to remember, he had no clue that there was even a war before he woke. The whole time while we flew from the Southern Water Tribe to here he kept making excuses and reasons as to how the Air Nomads would've escaped. Then, at one point, Sokka, Aang, and I all separated. Funny enough, that was when we met Momo. Sadly, Aang wasn't given the benefit of being able to say goodbye to his people, and when he stumbled upon Gyatso's corpse, he just... lost it."

"I'm sure it was quite an emotional time for him. Seems like it still is." Katara raised an eyebrow towards him and shuffled her feet.

"Zuko, these are his people, his entire upbringing. Everyone he knew and loved died at the hands of your ancestors. Even though he doesn't actively think it, I'm sure he's constantly reminded of it whenever he sees you, or Momo, or anything that can be connected with this place. By no means am I saying that he blames you, but I'm sure he can't help but constantly connect certain things back to this place and what it is today. You don't think that the document was planted there, do you? " Zuko looked oddly towards Katara as he leaned his head to the side.

"Planted? As in, a fake document? Not a chance, there's no way that they would expect us to find that room. I've never even seen that room Katara, it was added for a reason. From what it looked like, it seemed to be an office for either Azula or Ozai." Katara sighed and nodded before saying a quick goodbye to Zuko. Afterward, Katara began to saunter back towards the rest of their friends and sat on one of Appa's limbs as he laid lazily in the courtyard.