Katara wasn't sure if a day had passed or if it was still the same day. She couldn't see up through the hole good enough to check if it was still light outside or not. It felt like she had been here for hours, watching for any intruders and also checking on Aang. His forehead was still clammy, and his skin was covered in sweat. She hoped that he was sweating out his fever instead of dying because of it.
The cave didn't feel that bad; it wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm, either. The only way to break a fever was to place as many blankets around the person, but they didn't have any blankets with them at all. She had to put her parka around him and she also took off her outer clothes just to keep him warm so he could break the fever.
Chill bumps appeared on her skin as little snowflakes filtered into the cave next to her. Her skin hadn't started turning blue yet, which was a good thing for her. Maybe if she laid down next to him, she could get warmer and help him sweat out his fever. Katara lowered herself next to him, scooting across the dusty floor. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. Draping her parka around the two of them, Katara let out a sigh of relief. The parka was really warm, which was a good thing for both of them.
The darkness around them was weighing down on Katara's heart and mind, making her doubt their chances. The way out was more difficult than what Katara remembered, so she wasn't sure if they would be able to get out easily. They hardly had any food, and the coldness from the snow above them wasn't helping matters. They seemed worse off in here than in the forest.
If Aang died, Katara would blame herself. Sure, he was the one who ate the berries, but she was the one taking care of him. She had taken care of Sokka and Gran-Gran back home when they were sick, so what was hard about caring for Aang? Maybe it was because they were in the Hunger Games. To win the Games, everyone had to be dead, including the boy in her arms. That was the only way for her to win, so shouldn't she just let him die? She could leave him here to die -
"What are you thinking about?" Aang said, making her jump away from him. Apparently during her internal battle, Aang had woken up. "Your face was screwed up in a frown."
Katara sucked in a deep breath, turning away from him. Her cheeks burned in shame. "I was thinking about . . . Sokka," she hastily said, rubbing at her eyes. She couldn't believe that she would let a thought like that cross her mind. Aang was so nice to her, and that was how she would repay him? She was a monster. "I'm worried about him."
"He'll be fine," Aang said, groaning slightly. Katara looked over her shoulder and saw him trying to sit up. Her parka fell off of his chest, landing on the ground in a dusty heap. "From what I know about him, he won't let himself get killed."
"Yeah, you're right." Katara turned her gaze back to the opposite wall, her heart hammering in her chest. She never wanted to tell Aang or anyone else what she was just thinking. She was crazy enough as it was. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Slightly." He tapped her shoulder and then appeared in her vision. His pale face was drawn into a frown. "What's wrong with you?"
"I already told you," she snapped, hanging her head so that he wouldn't see the shame on her face. "I'm worried about Sokka. That's it."
"Right," Aang said awkwardly. He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She slowly leaned into his embrace, wishing her heart wasn't beating so erratically. Her heart thudded against her chest harder under his touch, making her frown. "I promise you, Katara, Sokka will be fine. I saw him practice his fighting skills back in the Capital, and he was really good."
"I know that." Katara sighed, closing her eyes. "It's hard not to worry, you know?"
"Yeah." He shivered, so she quickly wrapped the parka around him again. "Are you sure I'm getting better?" Aang asked softly. "You don't have to lie to me, either."
"I'm - I'm not really sure," she answered truthfully. "For a while there, you looked like you were going to get better. Now, I'm not so sure."
"If I'm dying, leave me here," he said. He took her hands in his like he was pleading with her. "Please leave me. I don't want you to watch me die. I'd rather die alone than you stay here."
"Aang, stop talking like that," Katara said softly. She squeezed his hands reassuringly. Of course she wouldn't leave him. Those thoughts earlier weren't her own; they were the Game Masters' thoughts. They made her lose hope. "I'm not going to leave you, and you're not going to die, okay?"
"Do you anything else about the berries that I ate?"
"Not that much. Only that they're poisonous," Katara said, glad that he changed the subject slightly. "I'm guessing that since you aren't dead yet, you didn't eat that much."
"Correct."
"You may have saved your life by eating only a little." She gave him a soft smile, but she wasn't sure if he could see it in the darkness. His hand reached out for hers and clasped it, making her say, "You know, I'm glad that we got stuck together."
"Me too." He slowly laced his fingers through hers. She was surprised to find her face heating up slightly. "I hope I get better soon so we can get out of this cave."
Katara nodded. She hastily pulled her hand out of his and went over to where their supplies were laying. Aang needed to drink some water. She had water in her little pouch that Sokka had gotten for her. She just didn't know where it was right now. Her hands felt around the ground of the cave, and they accidentally knocked against the staff that she found for Aang. It fell against the floor with a loud crack. Katara winced but stopped moving. The crack echoed around her.
"Did you hear that?" she whispered to Aang.
"Yeah. You dropped my staff."
"No. Did you hear it echo?"
"Not really."
"I did." Katara grabbed onto his staff and used it to feel around in front of her. She jabbed it at the walls until she nearly fell forward with her force. "There's tunnels, Aang! It isn't just a cave!"
"Are you serious?"
"Completely."
Katara took another step forward, holding his staff out in front of her. She wanted to see how far the tunnels went, but she couldn't see hardly anything the further she went forward. The edge of the staff hit the side of the wall, so she changed her course ever so slightly.
"Don't go too far," Aang called out. "I don't want you to get lost."
"I know!" she said, continuing her trek. She should be listening to him, but she needed to know where these tunnels went.
Katara stumbled over a dip in the path. She placed a hand on the wall, stopping her fall. The darkness beat around her body, but she wasn't afraid. Aang was behind her, waiting for her. What was there to be afraid of with him there?
Something hit her shoes, rolling away. Katara blindly reached forward, her hand brushing over the dusty ground. She couldn't feel whatever touched her feet, so she stood back up and continued forward. That was a bad decision. Whatever she had kicked away was right in front of her, and she rolled right over the thing and nearly faceplanted. The staff lodged itself between the two walls, stopping her fall toward the rough ground. With the staff stuck in place, Katara crouched down and reach forward. Her fingers wrapped around another stick. She picked it up; while doing so, it scratched against the wall, lighting the tunnel up with fire light.
Katara had found a torch!
The fire light slowly filled up the small space she was in. She kicked the staff from out of the wall and picked it up, heading back toward Aang. Before she made it back to him, she noticed random marks in the walls. She peered forward, a frown on her face. Her eyes poured over the story etched in the stone, her mind going back to when she was little. Of course she remembered the people who lived in these same caves!
The fire light bobbed up and down as she ran back toward Aang. He was sitting on the ground, shielding his eyes with the parka. "I see that you found some light," he said, glancing over the top of the park. "Thanks for blinding me."
"Yup," she said, not bothering to get upset with him. She plopped down next to him, holding the torch high up in the air. "I know where we're at."
"What?" His cheeks were redder, which was an amazing sight. His grey eyes were cloudy, though, but it was probably from the confusion. "You know where we're at?"
"Do you remember the Games from when we were little?" she asked, jumping right into the story. Katara was so excited that she forgot all about the need to keep her voice down in case there was anyone near the entrance to the cave. "I don't remember how old I was when it happened, but I remember hearing about Oma and Shu."
Aang frowned, dropping the parka down onto the ground. "Those names are familiar, but I can't place them."
"Oma and Shu were two volunteers from District Seven. They took the place of the two little kids that were called to be in the Games, but the twist was that they were in love. They didn't tell anyone that they were together, but it came out later that they were together. The two of them found this tunnel system and stayed here for a while, until one day when they ran out of food. Shu said that he would go out and find them food and Oma agreed. He never came back to her." Katara could feel the sadness all around her. It passed through the air and was especially bad in the rock itself. "Someone had killed Shu, and Oma was devastated. No one knows if she went insane or if she was in her right mind, but she obliterated everyone else in the Games. She eventually won, but disappeared soon after."
"I remember that," Aang said softly. His face was screwed up and his eyes looked a little misty. "The monks told me that you are never the same after the love of your life dies." His eyes flicked up to hers, sending a slight shiver down her spine. In the soft fire light, Aang looked older than he was, though he wasn't that much younger than she was. He had his own fire in his eyes. "They always told me that when I find the one for me, never let go of them."
"The monks were smart," Katara commented, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. The way he was looking at her made her very nervous. "My mom used to tell me that my dad was her happily ever after. There was no one else in the world that loved her like Dad did, and right up until the day she was taken, she loved him back just as much." She cleared her throat, focusing her gaze on the wall behind Aang's head. "I told myself when I was younger that I wanted to find love like that in the future. I'm afraid my future is gone now that I'm here in the Games."
"I don't think so," Aang whispered, the shadows dancing across his face. "You never know what may happen in here, who you may meet." His lips turned up in a grin and he said, "We met in here. If we hadn't been thrust into the Games, we would have never met."
"I'm glad we met," she softly said, reaching out for his hand. He gladly took hers, drawing her closer to him. The torch clattered to the ground and the light was snuffed out, but she wasn't mad or upset.
Aang's arms wrapped around her body and she rested her head against his chest. She could hear how fast his heart was racing, and hers matched his. The only good thing about the Games was meeting him, she figured. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known the joy he gave her. Katara remembered what the fortuneteller told her, that she already knew who her true love was. In the darkness, she believed that she had found him for just one second. That way, she could focus on the hope flooding through her veins. She doubted that she would ever find love like what her parents had, but a girl could always dream.