Happy new year guys!
I feel like this chapter is going to be a bit controversial but still... enjoy
. . .
You stood on a cliff side overlooking a body of water, silently watching the waves crash against the rocks below. You heard footsteps approaching, and out of the corner of your eye, you saw Katara wordlessly stand beside you.
You suppressed a smile, still looking ahead. Katara always stood on your right. She knew you hated it when people walked up to you on your left. It panicked you since your eyepatch gave you a blind spot of sorts. You liked how she noticed the little things like that.
"Enjoying the view?" she asked after several minutes of silence other than the sound of the waves sloshing.
"And the peace," you said somewhat jokingly. Katara laughed, and you finally turned to look at her, just to see the smile plastered across her face.
"Can't say I blame you," she said, still smiling. You felt your own lips quirk upwards slightly. "Mind if I join you?"
"'Course not. I like your company."
"Is that so?" Katara arched an eyebrow at you. "That's high praise coming from you."
You shrugged, glancing away again bashfully. "It's true."
Facing away from her, you didn't see the way Katara's eyes softened as she looked at you. "I like your company too."
Ordinarily, you wouldn't believe her. But you really, really wanted to. So you just smiled, and she returned it. Then you looked away again, gazing out at the vast body of water before you.
The wind around the cliff blew your hair and clothes around. Katara watched as your shirt shifted slightly, revealing the edge of the bandages that wrapped around your chest and shoulder. Katara frowned as she noticed them.
"How's your shoulder?" she asked. You frowned at the question, rolling your shoulder a little.
It had been over a week since the storm, and your arm had actually started to feel a lot better. It really only hurt if you moved it too much or too fast.
"Getting better," you answered simply, adjusting your sleeve.
"Have you changed the bandages recently?" she inquired. Your face fell. "Hey, don't give me that look. You've got to change them regularly, or you could get an infection. You don't want that, do you?"
"No..." you replied with a sigh, shoulders slumping as you trudged over to your supplies to grab the bandages. You plopped down on a tree stump and started to unbutton your shirt. Katara walked over to you again.
"I could change them for you, if you want," she offered, catching you slightly off guard.
"Oh no, it's fine," you dismissed. "You don't have to do that, I can do it myse-"
"But it would be easier if I did it, wouldn't it?" Katara cut off your protests, crossing her arms. "Don't be stubborn, Y/n. What have I told you about accepting people's help?"
"I don't know. I might have missed it the first twenty-seven times you said it," you responded sarcastically.
Katara's eyebrow rose. "Clearly I need to say it twenty-seven more times to drill it into your head then."
"Please don't," you mumbled.
"Pass me the bandages and I won't have to."
Reluctantly, you handed the roll over. It really was pointless trying to argue with this girl. Katara began to gently unwrap your old bandages and replace them with new ones, admittedly much faster than you could have done it yourself.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked once she was done, securely tying off the end of the wrap.
"Guess not," you said, shooting her a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Katara."
Suddenly you heard rustling, and the two of you whipped your heads towards the sound. Thankfully, it was Aang and Sokka who emerged, and they seemed to be searching for something.
"What's going on?" Katara asked curiously. "Did you lose something?"
"No, we found something!" Aang answered cheerfully, rummaging through some bushes.
You tilted your head. "What is it?"
"A whale-tooth sword," Sokka explained, holding the weapon out for you to see. You studied it, fascinated. "It's the same design as the ones we use back in the Tribe. We're trying to see if we can find anything else."
You nodded in understanding and joined the boys in their hunt. You noticed something on the ground under some fallen leaves. You knelt down and brushed the leaves aside, revealing a spearhead. You picked it up and examined it, calling out to your friends.
"Sokka! Is this from your Tribe too?" you asked. The boy was by your side in an instant, looking at the broken weapon intently. You ran your fingers along the point of the spearhead, noticing that there was ash on it. "It's burned."
Sokka furrowed his brows. He looked around and saw that scorch marks and sharp cuts scarred the tree bark too. "There was a battle! Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders." He turned away from the tree and looked down the slope of the hill to see a black spot on the ground. "The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill."
Sokka jumped to his feet and raced down the hill along a dirt path until he made it to a beach. You, Aang and Katara walked out close behind him.
"So, then what happened?" Aang prompted, intrigued.
"I don't know," Sokka said, disappointed. "The trail ends here."
"No, it doesn't," you said, pointing to the left. "The trees in this direction are broken. They must have gone this way."
You started to walk that way, but Sokka stopped you. "Wait... you're wrong. Smell that smoke in the air? They obviously went this way."
He gestured off to the right.
"Or it's literally right there," Katara said, pointing to something in the distance. You both turned to see a Water Tribe ship, half obscured behind large rocks, sitting idly on the shore.
You and Sokka suddenly looked very embarrassed.
"Oh..." you said rather awkwardly. "Good, uh... good work."
Sokka squinted, and his flustered expression suddenly morphed into a wide grin. "Hey, it's one of our boats!"
He ran towards it, Katara following closely behind. "Is this dad's boat?"
"No, but it's from his fleet," Sokka replied. He turned to his sister, almost in disbelief. "Dad was here."
. . .
Sokka and Katara wanted to stick around for a while to see if anyone would come back, so you set up camp by the Water Tribe ship. Aang and Momo were fast asleep on Appa's right paw and Katara had drifted off in her sleeping bag nearby. You thought Sokka would try and get some rest, but he just gazed into the fire sadly. You approached him.
"You okay, Sokka?" you asked, taking a seat on the log beside him.
"Yeah," he answered, poking the campfire with a stick. "Just thinking."
"About what?"
"About the day my dad left to fight in this war." He sighed, shoulders slumping. "I wanted to go with him, but he told me I wasn't old enough to go to war... He told me that being a man is knowing where you're needed most. And I was needed at the Tribe, to protect Katara and my village."
You hummed, brows furrowing slightly as you stared at the blazing fire before you. "He sounds very wise."
"He is," Sokka agreed, a small smile on his lips. "Everything I know, all my tricks and strategies, I learnt from him."
"You must miss him."
"I do. Every day," he admitted, his smile faltering momentarily. "But I know he's out there somewhere, fighting for us, for the whole world. He's being strong, so I've got to be strong too. For him, for my sister, and for my entire Tribe."
"That's very admirable, Sokka," you said, glancing at him. "But you have nothing to prove to anybody. You don't have to try and act more 'manly'. You know that, right?"
"Yeah," he replied quietly, looking down at his feet. "I know."
You frowned, opening your mouth to speak again, but you didn't get the chance. You heard a strange noise in the distance and your head snapped towards it immediately. You whipped up your bow and drew an arrow in one quick movement, aiming at the source of the sound.
"Who's there?" you demanded. You saw Sokka rise to his feet beside you, grabbing his boomerang. "Show yourself!"
A man emerged from the shadows, wearing Water Tribe clothes and white bandages covering the upper left portion of his torso.
"Sokka?" the man asked, surprised.
"Who are- wait a minute..." Sokka's eyes widened in realisation. "Y/n, stand down! Bato? Is that you?"
You frowned but complied with your friend's request, lowering your bow slightly. Your friends started to stir, having heard all the commotion.
"Who the what now?" Aang asked groggily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
Katara saw Bato and her eyes widened as she quickly jumped to her feet, a wide grin on her face. "Bato!"
"Sokka! Katara! It is so good to see you two," the Bato guy said, hugging the siblings. "You've grown so much."
You stood beside Aang a few feet away, watching the scene awkwardly.
Aang bowed in greeting. "Hi, I'm Aang."
You stiffly copied your friend's action. "And I'm-"
"Where's Dad?" Sokka asked eagerly, cutting you off. You frowned, straightening up again.
"Is he here?" Katara added.
"No, he and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now," Bato answered. Both siblings looked crestfallen by the news. A gust of wind blew past, causing them to shiver. "This is no place for a reunion. Let's get inside."
Bato turned and slung his arms around Sokka and Katara, leading them away. After a moment, he looked back at you and gestured for you to follow. You and Aang glanced at each other, shrugged, and trailed behind them.
He led you to an open courtyard, where several nuns milled about.
"After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey. The sisters have cared for me ever since. Superior, these are Hakoda's children." A woman turned around. "They've been travelling with the Avatar and their friend. I found them by my boat."
"Young Avatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence," The Mother Superior said. "Welcome to our abbey."
"Thank you," Aang said. "It's truly an honour to be here. If there's anything-"
"What smells so good, Bato?" Sokka asked, abruptly cutting Aang off. He frowned and you patted him on the back sympathetically.
Bato sniffed. "The sisters craft ointments and perfumes."
"Perfume?" Sokka jabbed his thumb at Appa. "Maybe we can dump some on Appa, because he stinks so much. Am I right?"
Everyone was silent. A single person coughed.
"...Good one, Sokka," you said after a while. The boy pouted.
"You have your father's wit."
. . .
Bato led you to the hut he was staying in. A tent on the opposite side of the door was the bed chamber, there was a fire with cushions in the middle, and various pelts placed and hung around everywhere.
"Bato, it looks just like home!" Katara exclaimed as you all filed in.
You arched an eyebrow, looking around. You don't know what you expected their home to look like, but it definitely wasn't this.
"Everything's here, even the pelts!" Sokka agreed, just as excited.
"It's very... cosy," you said with a small smile, unsure of what to say. You eyed a bear head warily.
"Yeah, nothing's cosier than dead animal skins," Aang said sarcastically. You elbowed him in the side.
You joined Sokka and Katara by the fire. Katara opened the lid of the pot that was simmering over the flames, her eyes lighting up once she saw its contents.
"No way! Stewed sea prunes!" Katara exclaimed, surprised and delighted.
"Help yourselves!" Bato insisted.
"Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things!" Sokka said as he took a bowl. Bato handed one to you and Aang too. The airbender sniffed his bowl but quickly turned away in disgust and set it aside.
You stared down at your bowl. The thick brown soup reminded you of the muck you had to eat when you were a slave. You were never a picky eater; you couldn't afford to be. So you took a polite sip, almost choking as the chunky food slithered down your throat.
"It's very... stew-y. And prune-y. And salty..." you trailed off, barely suppressing a grimace. You tried it again, hoping it might taste better the second time now that you knew what to expect. You gagged. Nope, it was still nasty.
"Bato, is it true that you and dad lassoed an arctic hippo?" Katara asked as you fought to keep the food from coming back up again.
"It was your father's idea," Bato replied, smiling a little. "He just dragged me along. Well, the hippo did the dragging!"
"Hey, I ride animals too!" Aang said, perking up slightly. "There was this one time when I rode a giant eel and I-"
"So, who was it that came up with the Great Blubber Fiasco?" Sokka inquired, cutting the boy off.
Bato chuckled to himself. "You knew about that?"
"Everyone does!"
"Yeah, everyone," you grumbled bitterly, crossing your arms over your chest.
Aang looked curious. "What's the story?"
Sokka waved him off. "It's a long one Aang, some other time."
"You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures," Katara said, looking at Bato.
"Not all of which were hilarious at the time, but everything's funny in hindsight," Bato replied, chuckling again.
"Was it you or Dad that put an octopus on your head and convinced Gran-Gran you were a water spirit?" Sokka asked.
"Your dad wore the octopus," Bato answered, lowering his voice, "But I did the spooky voice."
The three of them laughed. You frowned, clenching your jaw and glaring down at your lap as they continued to retell stories and happy memories. Memories that you didn't have with your own family. Memories that you would never have with your family.
"There's something I should tell you kids," Bato said after recounting another tale, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "I'm expecting a message from your father."
Your head snapped up at that, eyes widening.
Katara looked excited. "Really?!"
"When?" Sokka asked eagerly.
"Any day now. Your father said he'd send a message when they found the rendezvous point. If you wait until the message arrives, you can come with me and see your father again."
You and Aang looked at your friends with a sad and worried expression.
"It's been over two years since we've seen Dad," Sokka said. "That would be so incredible! Right, Katara?"
"I do really miss him, it would be great to see Dad," Katara agreed.
Aang couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and left, and no one but you took any notice. Frowning, you also exited the hut, following after him.
"Everything okay, Aang?" you asked, finding him sitting on the bow of Bato's boat. You crossed your arms and looked at him, slightly concerned.
"Yep! Everything's just fine!" Aang responded, somewhat angrily. "Great, in fact! Awesome!"
You tilted your head at him, slightly amused. "You're a bad liar, Avatar." You took a seat beside him, staring out at the ocean. "You gonna tell me what's really wrong? You've been acting weird all day."
"I just..." Aang sighed, shoulders slumping sadly as he hung his head. "I can't believe they would just leave us like that."
You opened your mouth to reply, but the sound of an ostrich horse galloping over interrupted you. You both turned to see a messenger arrive.
"I'm looking for Bato of the Water Tribe," the messenger said.
"Uhhh, I know Bato!" Aang said, slightly panicked. You shot him a confused look.
"Make sure he gets this!" He handed Aang a scroll before riding away. Aang curiously unravelled the message, finding that it was actually a map.
"It's the map to Sokka and Katara's dad!" he exclaimed. His curious look changed to frustration as he crumpled the map and stuffed it inside his clothes. You frowned.
"What the hell are you doing?" you demanded, reaching for the map. "We have to give it to them."
"Do we?" Aang asked. "If we give them this map, they're just going to leave us. Do you really want that to happen?"
"Of course I don't," you replied, face softening slightly. Then your expression hardened again. "But it's not our choice to make."
You stared at the ground, conflicted.
"Do you know what I would give to meet my parents, Aang? Just once?" you asked, your voice quiet and tinged with sadness. "Sokka and Katara have a chance to see their father again after years of being apart. We can't take that from them, Aang. We can't."
Aang looked down guiltily. You held out your hand.
"Give me the map, Aang."
The airbender reached into his robes and pulled out the scroll and slowly extended it to you... then hesitated, gripping the parchment tighter.
"Wait... I should be the one to give this to them," he said, retracting his hand. You cocked your head at him in confusion. "But... maybe we could wait a little bit first? To... spend a bit more time with them before they leave halfway across the world?"
"I-" you cut yourself off, words dying in your throat. Honestly, Aang's suggestion sounded appealing. You didn't want to see your friends go, not at all, so you wanted to savour your last moments with them as much as you could. You sighed. "Okay. But we give it to them tonight, tomorrow at the latest, okay?"
"Okay." Aang looked the tiniest bit happier as he tucked the map back into his clothes.
You sighed again, scrubbing your hands down your face. "We should head back."
Aang nodded in agreement, and the two of you made your way back to Bato's hut.
"Hey, everyone!" Aang greeted as you walked through the door. "Sorry we were gone so long."
"Oh, hey Aang, Y/n," Katara replied. "I didn't notice you left."
"Well, now we're back!" Aang said cheerily. He sat down. "Sure could go for some delicious sea prunes!"
The Avatar quickly took a bite of some sea prunes, but choked them back up, yet he pretended to enjoy them. You all looked at him strangely.
. . .
The next day, you find yourself walking to Bato's ship again with your friends and the man himself.
"This ship is sentimental to me," Bato said, looking up at it somewhat wistfully. "It was built by my father."
You looked down at the ground, noticing that the tracks from the messenger's ostrich horse were still visible. Aang seemed to notice too as he airbended the sand to cover the tracks. You frowned, but turned away and pretended not to see anything.
"Is this the boat he took you ice dodging in?" Sokka asked the man.
"Yep! It's got the scar to prove it. Ha. How 'bout you Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice dodging."
Sokka suddenly looked saddened. Katara cut in, saving him from having to explain the embarrassing detail for himself. "He never got to go. Dad left before he was old enough."
Bato looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I forgot you were too young."
"What's ice dodging?" Aang asked, curious.
"It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members. When you turn fourteen, your dad takes you-" Bato paused. He smiled and put his hand on Sokka's shoulder with a new thought. "You know what, you're about to find out!"
. . .
You found yourself on Bato's boat, which was now sailing close to shore.
"Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust," Bato explained. "In our village, ice dodging was done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs."
"How are we supposed to ice dodge without ice?" Sokka asked.
"You'll be dodging those." Bato pointed to a group of tall, sharp, jagged rocks near the shore. Katara and Sokka appeared nervous. "Sokka, you steer and call the shots, lead wisely. Katara, you secure the main sail. The winds can be brutal, so be brave. Aang, you control the jib. Y/n, you control the tack. The two of you must work together. Without your steady hands, we all go down. Your positions are about trust."
"Jib?" Aang asked, confused. "Tack?"
"Tacking is when you turn the bow of the boat through the eye of the wind," you explained. "Jibing is when you turn the stern through the eye of the wind."
"Right..." Aang said, slightly unsure. "I knew that..."
"We had a similar tradition when I was a pirate. We took sailboards and smaller boats out to the reef and navigated through the rocks." You smiled a little at the memory of better times. "I was the reigning champion. That's where I won these necklaces and rings."
Katara regarded you with a small smile on her face. "I forgot you were practically an expert when it comes to boats."
You returned her smile as you took up your position. "I am in my element, Katara. At sea, everything is always in motion. There's no option but to become one with the forces of nature, with wind and water."
She crossed her arms, quirking an eyebrow at you. "Oh, water is your element now, is it?"
"I know it's weird since I'm..." You glanced at Bato, trailing off. You didn't want him to know that you were a firebender. "...You know. But being out on the sea is where I feel the most at ease. Where I feel free."
"I'm glad you are confident in your abilities," Bato said, sitting cross-legged at the front of the boat. "Because for this to be done right, I cannot help. You pass or fail on your own."
Sokka studied the rocky shores. "Aang, ease up on the jib. Katara, steady. Y/n, keep up the tack. Aang, less sail. Katara, give him room. Aang, helm to lee. Helm to lee!"
"What does that even mean?!" Aang demanded.
"Turn the boat so it goes with the wind!" you shouted, crossing over to Aang's side of the boat to assist him. Sokka struggled, but you managed to pass through the rocks safely.
"Great job!" Sokka praised.
Your friends smiled, but it quickly fell when you saw that you were heading for a large bundle of rocks.
"There's no way through!" Katara exclaimed.
Bato stood up and grabbed the side of the boat. "Sokka, you've already proven yourself. Maybe we should-"
"Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail," Sokka ordered, ignoring him. He had a determined look on his face. "Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks. Now!"
"What do you want me to do?" you asked.
"Just hang on!"
You frowned. "That's not a job. I can-"
"Just do what I say!" Sokka shouted. You clenched your jaw but held onto a nearby rope as your friends did all the work.
Katara bended the water below the boat whilst Aang fired airbending blasts at the sail. You watched nervously as the boat soared through the air... but it didn't have enough height to clear one of the higher rocks.
Thinking quickly, you leaped to the front of the boat and made two slicing motions, sending whirling discs of fire at the rocks, cutting the tops clean off and letting you clear them with no problem. Sokka sighed in relief as you reached clear water.
Bato looked at you with wide eyes. "You... you're a firebender."
You tensed up, having momentarily forgotten that he didn't know your secret. You lowered your gaze to the ground, ashamed. "I... I am."
"Bato, Y/n may be a firebender, but he's not with the Fire Nation. He's been helping us fight against them!" Katara exclaimed.
Bato looked conflicted. "We have been at war with your people for years. But... you are just a child. I can't hold you accountable for any of that. And if Sokka and Katara trust you, then I have no reason not to."
You were taken aback by his words. "Just like that? You're not going to... shout at me or something?"
"Why would I shout at you for helping us?" Bato smiled warmly at you. "You played your part in getting us through that challenge. I should be thanking you."
You looked away, unable to accept his kindness. You stared silently at the water as you beached at the shore again. Bato retrieved a small pot of purple paint.
"The spirits of water bear witness to these marks. For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned."
Bato used his thumb to put an arc and a small dot on Sokka's forehead.
"For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us."
He painted a crescent moon mark on Katara's forehead.
"For Aang and Y/n, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now honorary members of the Water Tribe."
Bato gave you both an arc on your foreheads. You and Aang glanced at each other guiltily.
"I can't," you said quietly, looking down.
"Of course you can!" Katara insisted. "Y/n, just because you're a firebender doesn't mean-"
"I can't accept it either," Aang cut in, surprising everyone. You both wiped the mark off your heads. "You can't trust me."
Katara looked at both of you in concern. "What are you talking about?"
"A messenger gave this to me for Bato." Aang took the crumpled map out from his sleeve. Katara took it from him. "You have to understand. I was afraid you would-"
"This is the map to our father!" Sokka roared angrily. "You had it the whole time? How could you?"
"It's not Aang's fault. I knew about it too," you said, meeting his furious eyes.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Katara asked, hurt.
"We were going to, I swear," you said genuinely. "We just... we wanted to spend some more time with you before you... before you left us."
"Well, I hope it was worth it," Sokka said bitterly, turning away from you. "You two can go to the North Pole by yourselves. I'm going to find Dad."
Bato placed his hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Wait, Sokka, I think you should-"
Sokka brushed his hand off, turning to his sister. "Katara, are you with me?"
"I..." Katara looked back at you, and your eyes locked. You shot her a desperate, pleading look, silently begging her not to go. She hesitated... and then tore her gaze away from you, closing her eyes. "I'm with you, Sokka."
You and Aang looked sadly at the siblings as they walked away with Bato.
. . .
Back at the village, Bato helped Katara secure her pack before going to join Sokka at the abbey gate. Katara lingered behind for a moment to say a final goodbye to you and Aang.
You wanted to beg for her to stay, to not leave you, but you knew that wouldn't be fair. This must be hard enough for her as it was, you didn't need to make it any worse. So instead you simply asked;
"Do you think we'll ever see each other again?"
"Maybe," Katara replied, and you frowned. "My Dad is fighting in the war too, so our paths might cross again. But if not, then... good luck."
"Yeah," you said quietly, glaring down at your feet. "You too."
Katara hesitated for a moment... and then she threw her arms around your neck in a quick hug. You didn't have a chance to react as she pulled away almost as quickly as she initiated the action. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she walked over to join Sokka and Bato by the abbey gate.
You swallowed the lump in your throat as you stared at her. Then the Mother Superior approached you, blocking your view of her.
"Guess we should be moving on," Aang said miserably, jumping on Appa.
"That would be best," Mother Superior agreed.
Appa growled and walked out the gates. You saw three figures walking away in the distance, and you could swear something inside you broke a little. Your eyes stung and you looked away, squeezing them shut.
"We're idiots, Y/n," Aang said sadly as he watched your friends leave.
"Yeah," you agreed, lowering your head dejectedly. "We are."
. . .
Despite everything, you and Aang couldn't find it in yourselves to leave. Appa sat with the abandoned Water Tribe ship behind you.
"Why do the people I care about always turn against me?" you asked no one in particular. First your crewmates, and now Sokka and Katara. You were starting to think you were cursed. You frowned. Who were you kidding? After everything that had happened in your life, you were definitely cursed.
"I'm not against you, Y/n," Aang said, trying to reassure you, but it didn't work. Sokka said something like that once too. 'Even if Aang and Katara turn against you, I'll still have your back'. You scoffed. What a lie that turned out to be.
"I should be happy for them," you said quietly. "They're finally going to see their father again after all this time. But I'm not. And maybe it's because I'm selfish. Or maybe it's because I'm jealous that I'll never get to have a reunion with my parents. But most of all, I just want them to come back."
"I know, buddy. I do too." Aang sighed. "I guess we should probably get going, huh? The Fire Nation doesn't stop for anybody."
Aang grabbed Appa's reins, but before he could give the command to start flying, the Mother Superior ran up to you.
"Avatar and friend, you must leave!" she shouted desperately.
"Okay, we get it," Aang grumbled. "No need to rub it in."
"A group of people came to the abbey looking for you," Mother Superior said, successfully grabbing your attention.
"Who?" you asked, tilting your head to the side.
"A fierce looking woman with a horrible monster, and a young man with a scar."
You and Aang scowled. "Zuko."
"The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you."
"A necklace?" you repeated, confused. You grabbed the chains around your neck before your eyes widened in realisation. "Katara."
. . .
"What's it doing?" Zuko demanded impatiently, watching Nyla walk around in a loop. "It's just going in circles."
Suddenly Aang swooped in on his glider, flying over Nyla, who stood on his hind legs and attempted to paralyse the Avatar with its tongue. He missed and also threw off his riders.
"Aang!" Katara exclaimed, looking up.
June scowled and cracked her whip. "Up!"
June and Nyla charged at Aang, but Appa knocked them down, you riding atop the bison. Nyla and June went crashing into a wall and fell down, unmoving. You leaped off Appa and landed beside Aang, the two of you facing Zuko.
You glared at the banished prince, noticing the blue necklace hanging out of his pocket. "You have something I want."
"Is that so?" Zuko scowled, raising his fists. "Then come and get it."
You didn't waste any time in blasting fire at the boy, who sidestepped and retaliated with a blast of his own. You weaved out of the way and punched two more fire balls at him. He ducked under one and intercepted the other with a fire punch of his own. Then he shot more blasts, this time aiming for Aang, who twirled his staff to extinguish the flames. He sent a blast of air at Zuko, who dodged, only to be hit by your fire ball.
You lunged at Zuko, making a grab for Katara's stolen necklace, but you missed. Zuko tried to kick you, but you leaped over the attack and hit him in the face with a spinning moon kick. He crumpled to the ground and you snatched the necklace from his grasp, just before he shot a fire blast at your chest. Aang jumped in front of you, dismissing the attack with his staff before shooting more air at your opponent.
Between the two of you, you and Aang easily overpowered Zuko, who was becoming increasingly frustrated. With a yell, he unleashed a stream of flames at you, which you and Aang countered with your respective elements. The collision caused a large explosion that created a mushroom cloud, sending all three of you flying through roofs of different houses.
You grunted and pushed yourself to your feet, preparing to fight again. But then you heard a shout, followed by the sound of a whip cracking down and you froze, eyes wide with fear.
Suddenly you were a child again, back in the fields. Your clothes were tattered and the cold breeze made you shiver, the icy wind stinging your bare skin and cuts.
Your legs, no, your whole body shook with fear as the man loomed over you, cracking his whip on the ground as he walked closer to you. Your chest tightened. Your breathing turned ragged. Blood pounded behind your eyes, in your ears. Your heart thudded violently in your chest.
Tears pooled in your eyes as you collapsed to your knees, pressing your forehead to the dirty, dirty ground and begging for mercy. The man glared down at you, eyes cold and merciless. He raised his arm, preparing to bring the whip down on you-
A blast of fire struck you, knocking you to the ground. You gasped for air like a fish out of water, clutching your stomach where you had been hit.
"Y/n!" your friends screamed your name. Sokka and Katara still couldn't move, but Aang was at your side in seconds, blasting Zuko away with his airbending. The two of them engaged in combat once more, but you couldn't find it in yourself to get up and fight.
You just curled in on yourself, eyes squeezed shut as tears leaked out. Your whole body trembled, your chest heaving rapidly. You couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't feel anything but fear and pain and helplessness and god, you just wanted it all to stop. Why wouldn't it stop?
You were aware of the fighting going on around you, of the people shouting at you and each other. But it was all just white noise in the background, loud noise that melted into desperate screams and pained wails. You clamped your hands over your ears, but you could still hear it. Still hear them.
You felt your entire body heat up, and flames danced along your skin. Steadily growing bigger and stronger, wild and unpredictable. From where they sat, still partially paralysed, Sokka and Katara's eyes widened.
"He's losing control," Katara said. She knew she needed to get over to you, to help you somehow, but she could still barely move.
"I'm... starting to get some feeling back!" Sokka said. Then some rubble from the roof fell on his head. "Ow!"
Katara frowned, focusing on her body. Her hand twitched slightly, and she felt some feeling return to her arms. She tested them out, still pretty weak but enough to move. She dragged herself over to you on her hands and knees, desperate to help.
She reached out to you, but you shrunk away from her, trying to hide your face between your legs. You tried to make yourself smaller, and maybe he wouldn't notice you. Maybe he wouldn't punish you.
"Please. Please, don't hurt me," you begged, choking on your words. "I'll be good, I promise. I won't mess up again. Please, please, don't hurt me. Please..."
You saw her mouth moving, but you couldn't hear her. All you knew was that she was too close, she was leaning in, telling you something. You waved your hand at her uselessly, attempting to shoo her away but she snatched your hand and pressed her waterskin into it. Suddenly you were thirsty, so thirsty and you drank. The cold liquid soothed your tight throat. Calmed your rapid breathing. You felt light headed. Dizzy.
The flames surrounding you started to die down, and so did the ringing in your ears. Your heartbeat still thudded unsteadily, but it wasn't as violent now, not so loud. You could hear over it, hear Katara speaking, her voice becoming more and more clear with each word.
".../n? Y/n, it's me, it's Katara, your friend. Remember? I'm your friend, Y/n. I'm not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you. Can you hear me? Y/n, can you hear me?"
"K-Katara..." You gasped out her name between ragged, uneven breaths. Katara smiled the tiniest bit, relieved to have finally gotten through to you.
"Yeah, it's me," she said. "It's me. I'm here, I've got you. It's okay. You're okay..."
She slowly wrapped her arms around you and you tensed momentarily before melting into the embrace, burying your face in her shoulder. You whimpered softly, trying not to cry again. You didn't want to cry. Not in front of her, or anybody.
"Come on Y/n, we need to get up," Katara said quietly, voice soft and encouraging in your ear. "Can you do that for me? Can you stand?"
You didn't trust yourself to speak, so you simply nodded. You tried to rise to your feet, but your knees buckled. Katara was there to catch you before you fell, wrapping an arm around your waist to support you. You put your arm around her shoulder, and the two of you stumbled over to where Sokka was hiding with Mother Superior.
"That thing sees with its nose," Sokka observed as Nyla and Zuko cornered Aang. "Let's give him something to look at."
"The perfume?" Mother Superior asked. Sokka nodded. Together, he and the nuns pushed over four pots of perfume. Katara handed you over to her brother to support you as she used her waterbending to pour the perfume onto Nyla, clouding its vision of Aang.
The beast went wild, using its tongue to paralyse Zuko, Iroh and June. They all fell to the ground and Iroh cradled June with one arm.
"Uncle?" Zuko said, confused. "I didn't see you get hit with the tongue."
Iroh pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh!"
. . .
Later, you and your friends were back on Appa, soaring through the sky. Katara offered you her waterskin which you took gratefully. You chugged down its contents, not caring as the water spilled down your chin and onto your shirt.
"Are you okay now, Y/n?" Katara asked, concerned.
"What happened back there?" Sokka inquired, also worried. You just frowned, looking down.
"I... I don't want to talk about it," you said quietly. You didn't even want to think about it, about what happened to you. You didn't want to admit how much it affected you, how much it still terrified you despite all the time that had passed. You punched the saddle in frustration. "I was so useless back there."
"Hey, don't get angry at yourself," Katara said gently, placing her hand on your shoulder. "It's not your fault. You couldn't control what happened."
"I couldn't fight! I couldn't do anything, and I had to leave all of you to do all the work!" You shook your head. "If I can't fight, then I don't have anything. I'm worthless."
"That's not true at all!" Katara protested. "You're so much more than just a fighter, Y/n. You're worth so much more than what you can give to other people."
"Yeah," Aang agreed from where he sat atop Appa's head. "You've already helped us out so many times since we've met you. You don't have to prove anything to us. We're just happy to have you."
"We're your friends, Y/n," Sokka said, laying his hand on your shoulder. "We're here for you, no matter what. Through the good times and the bad, not just when it benefits us."
"Don't give me anymore empty promises," you snapped, glaring up at them. "You told me you'd always have my back, remember? But you left. You both left."
Sokka and Katara looked at each other guiltily.
"We... we were wrong," Katara admitted. "I know why you hid the map from us. You were scared we'd leave you."
You frowned, your anger melting away into regret. "Not an excuse. We should have told you."
"Maybe," Sokka agreed. "But I get it. I felt the same way when I saw our dad leave with the fleet. But you guys are our family too. And right now, you need us more."
"And we need you," Katara added. "We're sorry we left you, both of you."
"It's okay," Aang said, as forgiving as ever. He smiled, and you could all see the light in his eyes brighten again. "I'd be angry too. We're just glad you came back."
Katara smiled softly. "Us too."
"I just wish I could give you a little piece of home," you said. "Something to remind you of your family, and what you fight for. Something like... this."
You pulled out her mother's necklace. Katara looked at it in disbelief, slowly reaching out to take it. She looked down at the jewellery, and then back at you.
"How did you...?"
You shrugged, a small smile on your face. "Are you gonna get mad at me if I told you I stole it?"
Instead of answering, Katara leaned forwards to tackle you in a fierce hug. You tensed up at first, stunned, but you quickly hugged her back. The hug lingered for a moment, perhaps a moment too long, but you didn't mind. Not one bit. Sokka looked between the two of you, gears turning in his brain.
When Katara finally pulled away, she was smiling. "Is it really stealing if they stole it from us first?"
You grinned, an odd feeling of pride swelling in your chest. "Heh. We'll make a rebel out of you yet, Katara."
"Not if I make an honest man out of you first."
You laughed, eyes twinkling as you looked at her. "You'd have more luck trying to get Sokka to admit that he's actually an emotional guy."
"Wha- hey, I am not!" Sokka protested. You all laughed as he crossed his arms with a pout, and everything was good again, back to normal.
God, you didn't think it was possible to love 'normal' so much.
So here we have a small snippet of your past and how much it affected you. I plan to look into it more in later chapters, especially Book 2. Look out for the Tales Of Ba Sing Se because they're gonna be wild.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to see you all in the next chapter.