Aangrocks

Captured- by Aang-mega-fan

Aang opened his eyes. All he could remember was being next to the river, watching Katara practise her water bending skills. He did not know where he was now. He blinked and looked around him. He was in a dimly lit black room. He tried to move, but realised that he was chained against the wall; his hands out to the sides and his ankles were chained to the floor a foot a part. He looked around again and saw a familiar figure in a corner.
“Zuko.”
Zuko turned round. He grinned.
“Oh your awake. Just in time to. I need to ask you a very important question.”
“What do I know that you don’t?”
Zuko walked over to where Aang was stood, defenceless.
“Well I want to know, how many of the bending arts you have mastered so far, Avatar?” Zuko waited for an answer, but Aang did not show the slightest signs of giving it to him any time soon. “Very well.” Zuko clicked his fingers and a soldier came in dragging a girl into the room. It was…
“Katara!” Aang struggled against his chains to try and break free, but in vain. Zuko’s smile broadened.
“Well well.” he laughed. “Aren’t we defensive.” He walked over to Katara. She looked at Aang with a pleading look on her face. The guards had tied a piece of cloth over her mouth so that she could not talk. This was the first time Aang had seen her this distressed. He could see tears in her eyes. “I thought that you wouldn’t want to be alone so I had the guards bring your little girlfriend with them.” Zuko reached out and put one hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t touch her!” Aang shouted at Zuko. Aang took in a deep breath and blew the biggest gust of wind he could manage at Zuko. He was knocked off his feet and thrown backwards into a wall. He jumped to his feet.
“You’ll regret that Avatar!” Zuko walked over to Aang and punched him in the side of his face. The punch was not the hardest he could muster, but it knocked all the breath out of Aang. He heard Katara’s muffled scream. He kept his head bent low. He could taste the blood in his mouth; it made him feel sick. There was nothing he could do nothing to save himself or Katara. Zuko began to walk towards the door when the guard spoke.
“What shall I do with the girl sir?” he asked.
“Just tie her hands together and leave her here with the Avatar. I don’t care what you do with her.” Aang could sense that he had angered him by the tone in his voice.
The guard did what Zuko had told him. He tied the rope around Katara’s hands in a firmer knot and left her there in the middle of the room, untied the cloth round her mouth and left the room. He closed the door and stood guard at the end of the corridor.
“Aang are you alright?” Katara whispered. She walked over to him. Aang looked up at her. “Your bleeding really badly and… you look pale.”
Aang could see how worried she was about him. He felt ashamed.
“I’m fine.” he lied. Blood ran down his cheek as he spoke. Katara pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blood off his face. “Are you alright Katara?”
She paused before speaking. “What did they do to you? Were you awake or were you knocked out for the whole time?”
“Knocked out, why? Were you?”
“No. They grabbed me from behind and tied my hands together. Then they put a piece of cloth over my mouth and I fell asleep. I saw them carry you away though. You had a bruise on the back of your head.” She looked at the top of his head and let out a little gasp. There was a large, purple bruise where he had been struck. “They hit you really hard.” She reached up and touched the bruise gently. Aang let out a gasp of pain. Katara’s eyes filled with tears again. She tried to blink back the tears, but Aang had already seen them.
“It’s not that bad.” He reassured her. “Things could be much worse than this.” Katara began to cry harder. She put her arms over his head, round his neck and cried into his shoulder. He leant his head on hers. He would have hugged her, but his hands were chained out to the sides. They stayed like this for a few minutes. Katara was beginning to calm down. He did not know what to do next. He did not speak in case he made her cry again.
It was an awkward few minutes for Aang. He had never seen Katara cry like this. He had never seen her in such a state in all the time they had been together. He felt horrible. It was his fault that she was with him on this journey. It was his fault that she had been captured and hurt when the firebenders had attacked him. It was his fault that she was here now. Zuko had captured her to make him feel like this.
“Promise me that we will stay together through this.” Katara whispered. “Promise me Aang.” Her voice sounded desperate and frightened.
“I promise. I wont let you out of my site. If they take me away, I promise I’ll come back for you.”
Katara hugged Aang even tighter. “I know you will.” Katara said. She smiled at Aang. Aang could not help but smile back at her. He had said something that had made her happy and that made him feel better in himself. Katara leant forward and kissed his cheek. They looked at each other for a moment then they kissed again. Katara was not worried any longer and neither was Aang. They would fight through this together. They both knew that they could trust each other with their life.

* * * * *

Katara sat down at Aang’s feet and leant against his leg. She had fallen asleep and Aang did not want to disturb her. She woke up a minute before the guards came in. She sat up as they entered. Zuko came in after them. Aang felt his anger rise. He kept a straight face, but his mouth was a thin line across his face. Katara stood up beside him.
“We’re taking you to the fire fortress now.” Zuko sneered. “You will remain silent or who knows. One of you may just be left behind.” Katara looked sideways at Aang, but Aang kept his gaze on Zuko, his temper at boiling point. Katara knew how Aang felt and she grew worried that he would go into his Avatar state, but Aang kept calm. He did not want to make things any worse.
The guards unlocked the chains from Aang’s wrists and ankles and replaced them with even heavier ones so that he could not attempt to escape. Two guards took hold of each of Katara’s arms and six guards stood round Aang. Zuko led the way out of the room and down long passage after long passage. They were led outside and into a large carriage. Three guards were seated on either side of Aang and the two guards that held Katara sat on either side of her. Zuko was sat in the carriage in front of them. They drove for half an hour in complete silence to the fire fortress.

* * * * *

When they arrived, they were greeted by more guards. They shut the three gates behind them after they passed through. Aang and Katara were then lead into the fortress’ main building. They walked up stairs, through corridors, up more stairs until they had finally reached their destination. They were locked in a small room similar to before. The guards chained Aang to the wall as before and left them. Katara lay at Aang’s feet and silently cried. It was not until she sniffed loudly that Aang realised she was crying.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“We don’t know whether they have captured Sokka, Appa or Momo. They could be anywhere. And even if they haven’t been caught, they don’t know where we are. They might never find us.” She began to cry harder. Aang could not think of any words to comfort her, so he let her cry and left her on her own.
“Where are Sokka and the others?” Aang thought. “Will they be able to find us?”

* * * * *

Aang was walking down a long, dark passage way lit by red flames. All that he could hear was his echoing footsteps and his breath. He turned one corner after another until he came to a tall, black door. Engraved on the door was a flame. He pushed the door open and saw a figure standing in the shadows.
“I have been waiting for you Aang.” The figure stepped forwards and Aang recognised him at once. It was Monk Gyatso.
“Monk Gyatso. Why are you…?”
“You must escape Aang. You must find the way out.”
The figure changed into Zuko.
“Where is Katara?” Aang shouted. “Where is she!”
Zuko laughed at him.
“You are to late Avatar. We have already disposed of her. You left her behind. You left her unprotected.”
Aang stood stunned. He was paralysed. Katara was gone; forever.
“No.” Aang could hardly speak. “You…you haven’t.” He was shaking all over.
“Oh we have Avatar. She’s gone for good.”
The figure disappeared. Aang could hear Katara speaking in distant voice;
“Promise me that we will stay together through this. Promise me Aang.”
He heard his own voice reply.
“I promise. I wont let you out of my site. If they take me away, I promise I’ll come back for you.”
He had lied to her. He had lied to his friend. His best friend. He fell to his knees, his hands over his face.
“How could I have let them take her? Why did I leave her!” he shouted. His voice echoed around the room.
Suddenly, twenty guards came into the room they surrounded him. He remembered what Master had said. He had to escape, but there were to many of them. He was out numbered. The guards closed in around him. There was no escape. Guards came up behind him and tied his arms behind his back. They led him into a room where a man sat behind a large flame. Zuko stood next to him, a huge smile of pride on his face.
“Here is the Avatar father.” Zuko said to the man. “He’s all yours.”
“Very good, Prince Zuko.” The man said. “Now you will finally meet your end Avatar.” One of the guards pushed Aang down onto his knees. The man stood up and walked towards Aang. Aang knew that this was the end. He closed his eyes tight, heard a sword being drawn and then…
Aang woke with a start. He was covered in sweat. His breathes were short and quick. Aang looked around him. He let out a sigh of relief. Katara was laying at his feet, safe and unharmed. He calmed down and let his breath go back to its normal speed.
“It was all a dream.” He said to himself. “Just a dream.”
Aang could not feel his arms or his legs. He felt numb all over. Katara soon woke up. At first she did not seem to know where she was, but she soon remembered.
“Has anyone come in during the night?” she asked him.
“I don’t know. I’ve been asleep just like you have. Oh, my back.” A searing pain went up Aang’s spine. Katara stood up and looked at Aang more closely.
“Why are you wet? What’s happened to you. Your looking even more pale than you did yesterday.”
Aang did not want to tell her his dream, because he knew that this would worry her.
“Nothing. It’s really hot in here; that’s all.”
Katara did not question him any further. However, she did not believe that nothing was wrong. He was soaking wet and he was deathly pale. She decided that she would find out what he was keeping from her.
“I dreamt that I was falling into a volcano last night. I suppose that that’s because the temperature in here. It’s quite warm in here.”
Aang looked at her. He could see that she wanted him to follow suite, but he was not going to tell her about his dream.
“I never remember my dreams nowadays. I always forget them when I wake up.”
Aang could see that Katara suspected him. He sighed and decided he could not keep it from her forever. He told her his whole dream, but he missed out the fact that she had been killed by the firebenders. Instead, he told her that she was still being held hostage. As Aang came to the part of the dream where he was brought before Zuko’s father, he let his head hang. Katara did not interrupt as Aang told her his nightmare.
“Dreams don’t always come true do they? I mean, they wont really… well… kill you will they?” Her voice got gradually quieter as she asked the question.
There was silence.
“I don’t know.” he replied. “But I wont let them keep you here. I’ll make sure that you escape before they do any thing to me. I promise.”
Katara could not help but admire Aang’s bravery and loyalty. She gave him a cuddle and stood next to him for a while. After going through all this with Katara, he did not feel embarrassed that she was so close to him. He felt reassured by her presence.
“Why haven’t they chained me up as well?” Katara asked him. “I’ve been thinking about that since last night when we arrived here.”
“I’m glad they didn’t though.” said Aang. “If they had, you wouldn’t have been able to stand next to me or… comfort me.” Aang blushed at the last two words. Katara smiled. “He may be brave,” Katara mused, “but he’s very easily embarrassed.”
Katara was very tired as she could not sleep for most of the night. She wanted to just fall to the ground and be dragged into the deepest sleep. That would make her relax. Not to have any worries or be in any danger. Then Katara thought of what might happen to Aang if she was not there to protect him. Anything could happen to him. When Aang had told her his nightmare, she became very frightened for him. She told Aang that she would not sleep until they were free when he told her to rest. Katara also refused to leave Aang’s side. She stayed standing there even when Aang told her she should sit down, because she was not chained standing up.
Aang was very worried about Katara as well. Even when he told her to sleep, he did not want to be alone. He wanted to be near Katara forever and never leave her side. Aang wondered silently whether the dream would come true or not. The one part in his dream that he dreaded to come true was not him being killed, but the fact that he had left Katara and in doing so, had allowed her to be killed by the firebenders. His heart stopped when he pictured Katara dead in his mind. He closed his eyes. He could not bear the site. At that moment a guard came in with water and bread for them. he left it near the door and left. Katara left it there. Aang would not dare eat it. He did not trust the firebenders at all. He would not put it past them if they had poisoned it all.
Aang thought about Katara and how she might be able to escape if they could beat the guard when he came next time.
“We should come up with a plan for you to escape.” Aang told Katara. When the next guard comes, you might be able to run and get help.”
“What! I’m not leaving you. Ever.” Aang did not expect that response from Katara.
“You’ve got to escape Katara. I’ll be fine here. I’m sure I can come up with some way to escape.”
Katara stood in front of him so that her face was only a few inches from Aang’s.
“I wont leave you. You promised that you wouldn’t leave me, so now I’m promising that I wont leave you. I’d regret it my whole life.”
“But what if I escape unharmed?” Aang asked.
Katara stayed silent for a few seconds lost in thought. Her head dropped down.
“But what if you don’t?” she whispered. “What if they…”
Aang interrupted her.
“Then I don’t escape. But at least I’ll leave this world knowing that there is someone here to defend it in my place.” Aang told her. “Look at me.” Katara looked up into his eyes with her tear filled blue ones. “I’ll be fine. I’m the Avatar. I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
Katara’s lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears again. The tears started to create a river down her cheeks.
“I love you Aang. I-I don’t know what I’d d-do with out you!” She put hers arms round his neck and cried into his shoulder as she had done yesterday.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you either, but… you’ve got to get out of here. I would prefer to know that you had a chance to break free, rather than knowing that you could end up staying here without anyone to protect you.” Katara lifted her head from his shoulder. Her eyes were red. Aang leant forward and kissed her on her forehead. “Come on. We’ve got to come up with a plan.” Katara did not argue, but inside her, she was broken hearted.

* * * * *

Aang looked around the room trying to come up with a plan. There was nothing in the room except for the bread and water the guards had left for them.
“Do you have anything in your pockets? Anything at all.” Aang asked Katara.
She thought for a moment. Her face lit up.
“I think that I took Sokka’s boomerang. Oh no… I left that in my bag by the river!”
She checked her pockets for anything else they could use in their plan. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Did you have anything with you when the firebenders attacked?”
Aang thought for a moment. He remembered the shark tooth that he had bought from one of the markets they had visited a few weeks ago. He had placed it in his pocket for good luck.
“I have that shark tooth I bought. It might just be sharp enough to cut that rope. It’s in my pocket.” Aang tilted his head towards his breast pocket. Katara blushed a little as she retrieved the shark tooth.
“Now try and break the rope.” Aang told her. She sat down and hacked at the rope for several minutes. Finally, it was loose enough to slip her hands from them.
“Now what?” Katara asked him. Aang thought for a minute. What if the guards came back and saw that she was free from the ropes?
“Tie a piece of rope round your wrists. Make it look just like the knot the guard tied or else they might get suspicious.” Katara did as Aang told her. She made the knot loose enough for her to slip her hands out, but tight enough so that the rope would not fall off. “Great! Now we wait until the guards come back.”
“But how will I get past them?” Katara said.
Aang thought for a minute.
“I’ll blast him out of the way, just like I did with Zuko, but I’ll make sure that I hit him really hard so that he gets knocked out. Then you can slip past him and run to get help.” Aang smiled to himself at his ingenious plan.
“But what about you? How will I get back to you?”
“You wont. You go and get help. I’ll escape on my own. If you don’t escape by the time I’m free, then I’ll find you. Please don’t cry.” Aang saw Katara’s eyes filling with tears. “You can escape, no problem.”
Katara sniffed and wiped her eyes.
“It’s not me I’m worried about.” She cried. “It’s you! How will you escape from these chains?” She grabbed one of the chains and examined it. “You can’t use air bending to break these.”
“Okay… I’ve got it! Once I’ve got the guard knocked out, You could get the keys and unlock the chains! Then we can escape together okay?” Katara smiled at him.
“I really can’t believe that you came up with that. Even Sokka couldn’t have come up with a plan like that.” She smiled at Aang.
“We can’t seem happy when the guard comes. We’ve got to act as though nothings happened. You could start by getting rid of that smile.” Katara’s grin faded. She looked at Aang’s lip.
“You have a bruise on your lip now. From where Zuko punched you. Didn’t it hurt?”
Aang’s smile faded as well.
“Not badly.” he replied. “But it didn’t feel that great.”
“Your going to have a nice collection of bruises when we get out of here.” Katara smiled. Aang smiled as well. No matter how bad a situation was, Katara always made him feel better.
They waited in silence for the guards to arrive. The guard came in with the bread and water as he had done earlier, but as he turned to leave, Aang had a surprise for him. He took in a deep breath and blew out the biggest blast of air he had ever made. The guard was knocked off his feet and hit against the door, closing it with a loud slam.
“Quick!” Aang shouted. “Get the key!”
Katara leapt to her feet and ran to the guard. She slipped of the ropes round her wrists and began to search his pockets.
“Got it!” She ran back to Aang and began unlocking the chains at his ankles. When they were unchained she unlocked the chains at his wrists. They fell onto the wall. Aang rubbed his wrists; they were aching.
“Are you alright?” Katara asked. She let out a scream when she saw his wrists. They were scratched and were bleeding in areas.
Aang saw how worried she was, so he pulled his sleeves over his wrists.
“I’m fine.” He said. “Let’s get out of here before more guards come.”
They ran across the room, passed the unconscious guard and through the maze of passage ways to the next floor down. They ran through more passage ways and through long halls until they were out of breath.
“Where’s the… bloody exit?” Aang said as he massaged his chest. “I have the worst stitch.”
“It can’t be… to far… from here.” Katara panted. She looked around her. They were in a large hall. There were six doors on each wall. “One of these has to be the exit.” She peered through each of the doors on all sides of the wall. All except the largest door. Aang walked over to it, still holding his chest. It had a large flame engraved on it. He opened it and peered through. This hall was even larger than the one they were in. It was very dark. The only source of light was from the bright red flames atop tall pillars lined along the walls. He walked in. All he could hear was the echoing of his foot steps and the sound of his breath.
“Aang?” Katara sounded worried. “Aang? I don’t think that this is the right way. Let’s try another door. Aang?” Aang did not stopped. He walked on. His pace grew quicker along with his breath. This place seemed very familiar. He stopped. This was the place he had dreamt of.
Suddenly, he heard a scream. He turned round. Katara had gone. The door had shut.
”Katara!” He ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He turned on the spot trying to find a way out. Then a voice spoke from the darkness.
“I have been waiting for you.”
A figure stepped out from the shadows. It was Zuko.
“Where is Katara?” Aang shouted. “Where is she!”
Zuko laughed.
“You are to late Avatar. We have already disposed of her. You left her behind. You left her unprotected.”
Aang stood stunned. He was paralysed. This was not happening. “It’s just a dream.” He thought. “I’m just dreaming again.”
He turned around, but Katara was gone.
“No.” Aang turned to face Zuko. He could hardly speak. “You… you haven’t.” e was shaking all over. He had to be dreaming again. This was not happening…
“Oh we have, Avatar. She’s gone for good.” Zuko turned and walked out of the hall. Aang tried to follow him, but he could not move. This was really happening. He must be having the night mare again. He could hear Katara’s voice, but it was different than it had been in his dreams.
“It’s not me I’m worried about… it’s you!”
He fell to his knees. He put his hands over his face. “She can’t be thinking that now.” Aang thought.
“Why did I leave her!” he shouted. The doors on either side of the hall opened. Twenty guards came into the room, ten from each side. Aang stood up. He had to find a way out of here. He had to escape.
The guards surrounded him, blocking his way. They closed in on him. Aang air kicked and flipped, but it was no use. He was out numbered twenty to one. He attacked the guards with all his energy, but some of the guards attacked him from behind. They hit him on the bruise he had got at the river side. Aang fell to the floor in agony, his hands over his head. He had been defeated.
Unlike the dream, the guards did not tie him up. He had used up all his energy in the battle. They led him into a room where, as Aang had dreamt, a man sat behind a fire with Zuko standing next to him. Aang could not believe that his nightmare had come true. He thought about Katara. “Have they really killed her, or was Zuko just trying to wind me up?” Aang did not know.
Zuko smiled at his father.
“Here is the Avatar, father.” Zuko said. “He’s all yours.”
“Very good, Prince Zuko.” his father said. He stood up and walked over to Aang where he towered over Aang. “I never imagined the Avatar as a young and… foolish boy.” Zuko laughed at this. “Now you shall meet your end Avatar.”
Aang lost all his exhaustion. He felt rage build up inside him. His arrow tattoos glowed a violent shade of blue. He stared up at Zuko’s father.
“I don’t think I will.” Aang said in his Avatar voice. He blasted the guards around him away and they hit the walls. They fell unconscious to the floor. Zuko looked at Aang with an expression of fear and shock. His father stood his grounds. Aang blasted his strongest gust of wind at him and he hit the wall. Aang then made a wind storm around them. He had trapped Zuko’s father.
“Where is Katara?” He asked him. “What have you done with her?”
Zuko’s father smiled.
“Ah yes, the girl. We locked her away in the most secure room in the fortress.”
Aang’s rage grew stronger.
“Free her, let me go and I’ll let you live. If you don’t, your reign ends now.”
Zuko’s father laughed.
“You wouldn’t kill me, Avatar.” he sneered.
“You watch.” Aang could not control his anger any longer. He lifted his arms into the air and dropped them. The wind storm collapsed onto them.
“Father!” Zuko shouted.
There was silence. Dust hung thick in the air. Then, light shone through the cloud of dust. Zuko could see Aang’s arrow tattoo and eyes shining brightly. Aang walked into the clean air and out of the room. He had to find Katara. He could not leave her behind again. He ran down the hall to find her.
Zuko ran to his father. He knelt down beside him. Most of the dust had cleared now. He looked into his fathers face. There was no hope. He was dead.
Zuko’s eyes burned with tears.
“That’s it Avatar.” he whispered. “Now you’ll really pay.” He ran from the room and began to search for Aang.

* * * * *

Aang had run through the room lit with red flames. He ran up the stairs and along the passage ways to the dungeons.
“Katara?” he shouted. “Katara?”
He ran from room to room trying to find her until he can to the last room. As Zuko’s father had said, it was the most secure room in the fortress. Aang had no problem dealing with the guards though. As he entered the room, he went into his Avatar state again. They had chained Katara to the wall as they had with him. This made Aang furious. He blasted the guards out of his way with ease. He approached Katara and blasted the chains away with fire, but took care not to burn her.
His Avatar state faded away and he collapsed to the floor.
“Aang!” Katara fell to the ground next to him. Aang had used so much energy, that he was not awake at all. “Aang!” Katara lifted his upper body off the floor and laid him in her lap. “Oh Aang… wake up… please!” Aang’s eyes opened slowly. His eyes focused and he saw Katara above him.
“Katara… are you alright?”
She held him close to her.
“I’m fine. What’s happened? How did you find me?”
“Zuko’s father captured me and… I just lost control… I… I…”
“Killed my father.”
Katara looked up and saw Zuko standing in the door way.
“What?” Katara did not believe Zuko at all.
“You heard me. He killed my father.” Zuko took a few steps into the room.
“Aang wouldn’t do anything like that, would you Aang?” She looked down into Aang’s face. There was silence.
“It’s true.” Aang stood up. “I did. But there was nothing else I could do. He was about to kill me. I had to defend myself and I… I lost control of my anger.”
Katara looked at Aang as though she had never seen him before. Zuko walked up to Aang, picked him up by the collar and pinned him against the wall.
“I should have killed you the moment I had you chained in that room, Avatar.” Zuko whispered. “I knew that you would cause trouble If let you live.” Zuko dropped Aang. He hit the fell hard to the floor. He looked up at Katara. She had a look of deep shock on her face. Aang felt deeply ashamed.
“I’m going to fight you now Avatar and kill you as I should have done before.”
Zuko walked into the centre of the room and stood, ready to fight.
“Come on Avatar! You don’t’ want your girlfriend here to remember you as the one who gave into defeat and let her be captured, do you?”
Aang stood up. His temper rose again. His tattoos shone bright as he began the battle.
Aang more fiercely than Katara had ever seen. She backed against the wall and watched with utmost fear. She did not want Aang to get injured, but she need not have worried. Aang fought very strongly. He used every bending skill to defeat Zuko. Air bending, water bending, fire bending and earth bending. Zuko was on the floor within less than a minute.
He looked up at Aang, who was still in his Avatar state. Aang had the most fierce expression on his face. Zuko could not fight anymore.
“I’ll let you live,” Aang said, “But me and Katara are free. You will not fight us any more or chase us anymore.”
Aang bent down so that his face was inches from Zuko’s.
“Understood?”
Zuko did not reply, but he gave Aang a look of deep loathing.
Aang turned to face Katara. She still had a shocked expression on her face. Aang frowned. His arrow tattoos’ light faded. However, he did not collapse. He had finally mastered and controlled all the bending arts. Katara ran to him and hugged him tightly. Aang hugged her back. They began to walk out of the room when Aang remembered something.
“Oh yes. About that question you asked me yesterday… the answer is, I have mastered all the bending arts.” Aang grinned at Zuko, then walked out of the room with Katara.
They ran out of the main building of the fortress with ease. Most of the guards were guarding the gates. They snuck out of the gates and ran down the road, away from the fortress. They ran into the forest and hid behind the trees.
“We made it!” Aang shouted. “We made it Katara!” He looked at Katara. She did not look happy. She looked really upset. Aang figured that she was still upset about the fact that he had left her behind.
“Look.” he said. “I’m sorry that I left you behind. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s not that.” Katara turned away from him. “You… you killed Zuko’s father.
Aang could not believe that she was reminding him of this. Did she not see that it was Zuko’s father they were talking about?
“Katara. Zuko’s father was about to kill me. He forced me to use all my power against him. I had to defend myself. Don’t you see that?” Aang waited for Katara to answer him. She turned round.
“Aang. I know you were defending yourself, but… killing a human being. Isn’t that a bit…”
“HE WAS ABOUT TO KILL ME!” Aang had lost control of his anger again. His eyes were like flames. “HE’S THE ENEMY! I HAD TO TAKE SOME SORT OF ACTION AGAINST HIM!” His arrow tattoos lit up warningly. “ENEMIES FIGHT AGAINST EACHOTHER KATARA! THAT’S THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS! IF I HADN’T FOUGHT HIM, I WOULD HAVE DIED AND YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AS WELL!” Aang was breathing fast. His face was red with anger.
Katara’s eyes had filled with tears. She had never been shouted at that much before and Aang was the person she had least expected to shout at her.
Aang looked at Katara. He regretted shouting at her.
“Katara… I didn’t mean to shout at you… I… I got really worried about you…Zuko’s father told me they had locked you up and… I lost control of myself… please forgive me?”
Katara looked into his eyes. She could see that he was really sorry. She ran up to him and hugged him.
“I’m sorry to. I should have followed you and helped you. I’m sorry.” Katara cried into his shoulder.
“Hey! I’ve had you cry the entire ocean on me now!” Aang said sarcastically. Katara laughed through the tears. Aang put his hands on her face and lifted her head up so he could see her. “You don’t need to be sorry for anything. It was my fault you were captured. Nothing that has happened over the last few days has been your fault.” Aang smiled at Katara. “I’m not angry with you.” He wiped the tears from her face and hugged her.
“I’m glad we’re together again.” Katara said. “I was really worried about you when they took me away. I didn’t know what would happen to you.”
“I was worried about you more. I thought that Zuko had hurt you or even worse…” Aang could not say “killed you”.
“But it’s all over now.” Katara said. “Let’s find the others. They’re going to be worried about us.”
Katara began to walk, but Aang grabbed her hand.
“I can call Appa from here.” He pulled out his bison whistle and blew into it as hard as he could. “He will be here in a few minutes.” Aang sat down and leant against a tree. Katara sat beside him. They waited.
Suddenly, a large white figure hovered above them.
“Appa!” Aang leapt to his feet. Appa landed near them. Sokka and Momo were sat on Appa’s back. Sokka jumped off and ran towards them.
“What’s happened to you guys? Where have you been? Whoa! What happened to you Aang?” Sokka pointed to Aang’s lip and the now very purple bruise on Aang’s head.
“I’ll explain later. Let’s get away from here before the fire benders come.” Aang jumped onto Appa’s head. “Come on you two!”
“Fire benders? What’s going on?” Katara pushed Sokka onto Appa’s back and climbed on herself.
“Yip-yip!” Aang shouted. Appa flew into the air and over the forest.
Aang and Katara were free at last. They were finally free from the fire benders.

The End

Piczo