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Black Team's Event Week Fanfiction
He could feel his arms. Like a shock of electricity through his limbs, feeling filled the nerves of his body. He tested the feeling of his fingers and toes by moving them beneath the sheet of his bed. For a feeling that should have been so familiar it felt so foreign. His fingers brushed soft bedding but this brought no comfort to him.
He next moved to open his eyes. He opened them only to slits and even the dim light of wherever he was brought a throbbing headache to his forehead and he shut them just as quickly. He waited for the pain to subside before trying again. After a few more tries he could force them to remain open but focusing them was another issue.
He turned his head, in the corner propped against a chair was Sokka; he was asleep with his arms crossed lightly snoring. Aang turned back to stare at the canvas above his head. He was in a tent. He didn't bother to spend time examining it; he next tested his entire body by pushing himself up in bed.
Nausea and head pains ensued but he ignored them and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He looked down to find bandages around his torso and shoulders. He studied them curiously. What happened? He remembered there was lights..Dai Li agents fell from the ceiling like bats.
Suddenly flashes dictated his mind's eye: he said Katara, then himself in the Avatar State, a flash of lightning, then..nothing. Blackness, emptiness. He suddenly felt encased, he felt like he needed to get out. He rushed passed Sokka stumbling from his weakened legs. He didn't care if he woke him..he had remembered what had happened.
At the end he felt his trembling legs give out and he hit soft grass. At least I know my nerves are working, he grumbled in his own mind as he massaged his elbows, which had broken his fall. He cursed himself mentally but was relieved by the fresh air.
"Aang?" a voice whispered breathlessly from somewhere in front of him. He looked up reflexively at the sound of his voice. Katara sat before a campfire, her clothes were torn but a cloak draped her shoulders reminding Aang of the chilling tempature.
Wordlessly she rose, pulled him to his feet, and hugged him tightly. Aang stood there awkwardly. Normally he would be all too willing to return her embrace but too much was happening and his nausea wasn't helping. When she finally released him, he turned to look at her with his eyes coming in and out of focus.
"What happened?" he asked bringing his hand to his head. He felt fuzzy prickles under his fingertips and immediate brought his other hand up to his head. Again prickles poked his fingers. "I have hair!" he exclaimed with a hoarse voice. Katara motioned for him to join her by the campfire.
"You've been asleep." she began tensely. Aang said nothing, baiting her to continue. "You were hurt, badly. I healed you but, you went into a sleep..I don't understand what happened but it doesn't matter: You're awake!" she tried to sound cheerful but obviously a lot was eating at her.
Aang didn't respond immediately, he digested the information. He was hurt.Azula. That much he remembered; that also brought about the memory of the Avatar State, what the Guru had said. Love, a hinder to the Avatar State. How could that be? If the avatar was suppose to represent peace and balance, how could something so peaceful be considered a bad thing?
He needed to talk to someone, there were two people who came to mind. One was beyond Aang's knowledge and one, the one that sat right in front of him, was the one person he could not talk to. She was the reason, she was the hinder. How could he tell her that?
"Katara?" he began before he could stop himself. She turned to him but did not speak. "The Avatar State." he began almost as if he was speaking to himself.
"What about it?" she asked almost with malice, the anger being directed at the thought of the Avatar State not at the Avatar himself.
"Roku told me it was a defense mechanism, if that's all it's suppose to be then do you think I need it against the Fire Lord?" he asked staring at the churning fire that burned before him. It crackled, filling the silence as Katara thought of how to word her answer.
"I think there are some things in our world that our beyond our control and are meant to remain that way," she said carefully, she knew a careless answer would quickly turn Aang against her. "I have faith in you, you. Not the Avatar State or any supernatural power that comes with the title of Avatar. I have faith in Aang," she said softly.
He turned to look at her, for once able to focus his eyes and he took in her features. Her sapphire eyes were warm and he felt safe, they were like his escape from it. She loved him, whether as a brother or more, she loved him for him; and she had faith in him. And that meant all the world to him. He felt color rising in his cheeks as Katara was forced to turn her gaze away, she too had a shade of pink dashed across her cheeks.
"Why do ask?" she asked him without daring to look at him. He stammered, he had expected this question but not after what she had said. He quickly racked through his mind for a response.
"Just uh..something the Guru told me," he put simply. He knew Katara was going to murder him if she ever found out the truth. She turned to him again and stared into his eyes searching for a hint of falter or lies. Even though Aang was certain he should signs, she either didn't vocalize them or refused to accept the thought that he was lying to her.
"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to wake up," a high-pitched voice rang from behind Aang. He smiled, he recognized that voice. "So sleeping beauty, have a nice three-week nap?" she asked, she emphasized the words "three-weeks."
"Three-weeks?!" he exclaimed and turned to Katara who smiled sheepishly before turning back to the fire. Three-weeks..he didn't have much time. If the eclipse was coming at the end of summer then he had to heal fast if he was to be any use to anybody but the Fire Lord.
"Don't worry Aang," Katara said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder, "First you need to heal, and then we'll work on battle strategies." It was as if she was reading his mind; he both hated that and loved it at the same time. Silence fell for a few awkward seconds. It was Toph who broke it.
"Well when you two are done flirting with each other, someone might wanna check on Snoozles. If he wakes up and finds Aang missing he might have a heart-attack," and with that she walked off strutting leaving the two of them sitting there hot-faced and embarrassed.
But none of Toph's comments could affect Aang. Katara had understood, she had told him what he wanted to hear without him even having to tell her what he was talking about specifically. He didn't have to let her go because he didn't need the abilities of the Avatar State, Katara believed in him and that was enough to make him believe in himself. And most important of all.
He was alive.
Page Last Updated: May 1, 2008 5:04 PM
