A Kataang Fanfiction-Chapter16

KATAANG FANFICTION: CHAPTER 16
TOO EASY

Aang frowned, twirling the savory noodles about his heavy chopsticks. His cheek rested against his closed fist, giving him a rather solitude and pouty look.

"What's up, Aang?" Zuko asked, accidentally spraying bits of komodo chicken all over the table. His clumsiness drew a sigh from Mai, who wiped her section of the table with a napkin in disgust.

"It's been five minutes," Aang muttered, "she's not back yet." He returned to his brooding, quietly inserting the steaming noodles to his mouth.

"Don't worry," Mai reassured him, scrubbing the komodo chicken residue from Zuko's chin, "she has two broken limbs. Of course she's going to take a while."

Aang's frown deepened. "I don't know . . ." he sighed, "something just doesn't feel right." He violently speared an eggplant mushroom, swirling it in soy sauce before stuffing it into his mouth moodily.

As five minutes came and left, Aang thought he would die of anxiety. Ignoring the consoling words that his friends offered, he soon shoved his chair from the table and took off for the bathrooms. His rising sense of panic was not helping his nerves.

His progress was hindered when he encountered a wild group of admirers who were giggling and squirming just outside of the private door. His eyebrow ticked in annoyance, but he restrained his anger and called out to the crowd instead.  

"I would love to stay and talk with you, but I apologize. I'm looking for my wife, Master Katara. Have any of you seen her?"

His hope rapidly declined as the people exchanged confused expressions and negative exclamations.

Softly pushing through the group, he muttered, "thanks anyways . . ." Breaking free, he dodged another group and broke into a jog, heart threatening to burst from his chest as he searched for the bathroom. Baring his teeth in frustration, he seized an employee and pulled him aside.

"Where is Shen?" he asked, eyes blazing.

"I don't know," the man stammered, slightly alarmed by Aang's abrupt appearance. "I think that he went to the dumpsters to toss something . . ."

Aang almost snarled, letting the man free.

Other people might have thought that Aang was overreacting; however, he felt that his actions were very much necessary after what he and Katara had just been through.

"Is everything all right, Avatar?" a passerby asked him, seeming concerned.

"No," Aang said, "My wife left to find the bathroom almost twenty minutes ago . . . she's not back yet, and now I can't find her."

"She's the Waterbending Master, right?" the woman asked, eyebrows scrunching in curiosity.

"Yes," Aang answered, nodding vigorously, "have you seen her, by chance?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. She came out of there—" she pointed to the bathroomdoor—"about ten minutes ago."

"Was she alone?" Aang asked sharply.

"No, someone was with her."

"Who?"

The kind woman shrugged her drooping shoulders. "I don't know . . . she was sickly looking, quite pale and thin."

"Did you catch what she looked like?" Aang snapped.

"Well," she said, "she was wearing red and black robes, quite tattered. She had a loose bun in her hair, and her face was flanked with two long locks of hair. She was a firebender, I know that."

"Azula," Aang hissed, eyes turning to ice. "Thank you," he said stiffly, brushing past the woman.

He was trembling, his whole body quivering with sick anxiety. Finally arriving at the bathroom, he almost tore the rolling door from its tracks when he threw it aside. Ignoring the fact that it was a lady's room, he stormed inside, searching for anything to hint of Katara's current condition.

His casting gaze fell upon a sight that almost made him sick. Katara's crutch was lying on the ground, pitifully snapped and broken. It was in two pieces, suggesting that violence was indeed involved in her capture. Dreat rose in Aang's throat as he bent down to one knee, hesitantly stroking a finger down the splintered wood. He hissed and drew his hand back when a rogue sliver pierced his flesh. Pulling it from his fingertip, he gently picked up the two halves, face heating with fury.

Suddenly, a faint gleam caught his attention. Following the sparkle, his mouth twisted in pain when he saw the engagement necklace he had carved so carefully lying haphazardly on he floor. Reaching for it haltingly, his eyes began to sting. "I thought I told you to be careful," he murmured, fingers brushing the leather strap like a feather. He grasped it firmly as it slid into his broad palm. He was drawing it closer to his chest when--

The floor opened beneath him. He began to fall into a pitch black underworld.


*******

Never in the entire history of their relationship had Katara longed for Aang's protective arms this badly. His warm embrace seemed a distant thing in this black dungeon, this rotten hole.
Her nose wrinkled in disgust as the putrid fumes of decay assaulted her nostrils. Shuddering amidst the freezing temperature, she opened her eyes as wide as they would go, hoping against all odds that she would somehow be able to see through the thick curtain of black obstructing her view.

Her current predicament was due to Azula's cunning. The bathroom had had a distinct feeling of ill will; Katara had sensed it as soon as she entered. The princess had loomed from the shadows, teeth gleaming, eyes burning. She had thrown Katara's crutch to the ground, grinding it under her heel as the startled waterbender stumbled. Quickly gagging her hostage, Azula ripped off the engagement necklace, throwing it beside the broken crutch. Then, she had hauled Katara to her feet, threatening death if the captive girl didn't act normal.

How they had gotten down to the dungeon was beyond Katara's comprehension, seeing as Azula had blindfolded her before entrance. When they arrived at this particular spot, Azula chained her. With a sadistic goal to inflict pain, the princess secured Katara's broken arm high above her head, forcing it to twist in a direction that brought forth pain so severe it was nauseating. In addition, Azula had tangled Katara's hair around a restraining bar behind her skull, forcing her to hold her head up.

Which brought her to the present.

Katara whimpered, itching to rest her neck. However, every time she allowed her head to droop even slightly forward, pain seared across her scalp.

Her eyes were completely exhausted, dried of tears. She did not cry. She would if she could.

She wanted a distraction, a way to avert her brain from this torturous hell. Naturally, a certain Airbender flashed through her head, wearing his usual goofy grin, eyes twinkling.

"Aang," she whispered hoarsely, smiling weakly at the sound of his name. It was so soft . . . So simple . . .

Sighing, she drifted, floating back to happy memories with Aang . . . memories that made the pain disappear, if only for two seconds. Out of all the memories, only one reallly stuck . . .

--
Katara sat on the couch with her legs curled under her, examining a scroll that had just arrived in the mail. Her eyes skimmed the headline gleefully, abosorbing the cheerful heading:

WAR IS OVER; THANK YOU, AVATAR!

As everybody in the world knows, the century-long war has finally met its end, thanks to our Avatar, 13-year-old Aang. There was a tulmultuous cry of victory around the war-torn world as the Fire Nation flag fell from Ba Sing Se's great walls and palaces. With happiness and relief flowing through the air, it's no surprise that love has spread among our citizens as well. According to a few witnesses, our Avatar was not exempt from this infectious spread! Suspicions were confirmed yesterday when citizens saw Avatar Aang outside of the esteemed tea shop 'The Jasmine Dragon' with young waterbending Master Katara, a gem from the sparse South Pole. Now, as a city, we wish this popular young couple luck.

Katara stared at the page blankly, blushing. A small smile played about her lips. Shaking her head with a laugh on her tongue, she rolled up the scroll with nimble fingers. Setting it aside, she put her feet up and relaxed against the cushions, enjoying the newfound luxury of Ba Sing Se's upper class houses.

She was just closing her eyes when she heard a door open and close from down the hall.
Immidiately recognizing the delicate footsteps, her heart did a small traipse as Aang lumbered in, rubbing his sleep-ridden eyes.

Katara blushed furiously.

It had only been one day since they had gotten together. She was still humorously nervous and jittery whenever she set eyes on him.

He yawned, stretching his arms above his head. Scratching his arrow, he jumped when he suddenly noticed Katara. Instantly turning scarlet, he grinned and said, "Morning, Katara."

She smiled at him, wiggling her fingers in greeting. "Hey, Aang."

He turned an even darker shade of red.

Shifting to turn, he tripped over one of his feet, stumbling. He was extremely flustered.

Katara averted her eyes, holding back a small giggle. He was actually pretty cute when he was nervous.

An awkward gap of silence followed them, leaving a hint of embarrassment in its wake.
Aang was rummaging in the cupboards when he cleared his throat. "So, Katara . . ." he paused. "Do you want to do something today?"

Katara's lips twitched. "What do you mean by that, Aang?"

He accidentally bumped his head on the cabinet door. "Well," he stammered, massaging that spot, "you know . . . we could go to dinner tonight or something."

Katara grinned. "Aang," she said, slightly teasing, "Are you asking me on a date?"

Aang hesitated, analyzing her light expression. "Yeah . . . I guess I am," he grinned and shrugged.

"Well," Katara said, "I would love to."

Aang smiled with relief. "Great." Leaning over, he grabbed his breakfast from the lower counter. Grunting, he stood and walked to where Katara was sitting, just a bit hesitant and nervous.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" He asked, flushing just a bit.

Katara shook her head. "Of course not, Aang," she patted the empty cushion next to her.

He settled down, placing the plate on his lap. "Sorry for making that awkward," he apologized. "I'm just getting used to actually being with you now."

"You're fine," she chuckled, brushing some hair behind her ear. "I'm trying to get used to it, too . . ." grinning, she handed him the news scroll. "But check this out . . . All of Ba Sing Se knows that we're a thing now."

A slight frown fluttered across his face. "Really?"

She nodded, pointing to the article she had stumbled upon. She examined his face as his eyes scanned the page, waiting for his reaction. When he finished, he turned and met her eyes. "At least their reaction was better than Sokka's!"

Katara flashed him a smile. "I know. That terd doesn't know how to respect people's privacy."

Sighing, she swallowed her nerves and placed her head on his shoulder. "Eat your breakfast," she nagged, "It's the most important meal of the day."

Aang nodded, mind suddenly scrambled. He tried to clear his thoughts, but the smell of her hair was intoxicating. The almost irresistible urge to put his arms around her was making his arms itch, but he was at loss of what to do. After all, he was new at this. Coughing lightly, he plucked his toast from the plate and took a large bite, munching slowly and warily.  

Katara smiled softly, sensing his hesitancy.

The nervous-beyond-belief airbender finished his toast in silence, hyper aware of Katara's head on his shoulder the entire time. Clearing his throat, he set the plate to the side and settled back, creating a more comfortable head rest for his "Forever Girl".

They didn't have to talk; it was unnecessary. The feelings flowing between them were tangible.

Aang noticed her hand. It was lightly and strategically placed on her lap, lightly relaxed and still. Steeling himself, he reached for it, slipping his hand into hers, intertwining thier fingers for the first time. A warm feeling that gave him chills rushed up his arm, making him smile. That wasn't so hard . . .

Katara folded her fingers over his hand, the warm feeling running up her arm as well. At that moment, she knew that this relationship was going to work out.

---

Katara smiled, flexing the hand that Aang had held that day. She laughed when she remembered how nervous he had been, smiling as she remembered that moment.

She was drifting off again when a loud splash suddenly shattered the chilly silence. Instantly, she went stock-still, holding her breath in terror. If that was Azula, that meant that Shen lost . . .

The unknown being was sloshing around in the water, slowly but surely getting closer and closer to Katara. Every step it took sent a jolt of fear through her heart.

She was trying with all of her might to stay absolutely silent, but that was ruined when her arm shifted against the wall. Try as she might, she could not hold back the cry of pain that escaped her dry lips when she felt the bone fragments scrape against one another.

The mysterious thing froze. After a brief pause, the thing whispered, "Katara?"

She could not have felt a greater surge of relief as Aang's voice called her name. "Aang!" she cried hoarsely, a smile spreading over her lips.

Immediately, a fire blazed to life about thirty feet away form her. There stood Aang, appearing pale and hallowed under the flame he was producing. His eyes found Katara. "Oh, Spirits," he whispered, fury raging through him again. Bending over, he used his leg strength to leap from the shallow water, flying high into the air. He landed in front of Katara, almost stumbling in his haste to protect her. Cradling her face in both hands, he winced. "You're freezing," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "What happened?"

Katara's bottom lip trembled. "Azula got me. I'm sorry, Aang."

"I thought we agreed not to be sorry for things Azula caused," Aang said sternly. "I'm going to get you out of here. Hold on." Stroking the back of his hand down her face, he grabbed the chain that was lassoed around her waist. Easily snapping the chains with metalbending (and silently thanking Toph along the way), he moved on and broke the restraints on her ankles as well.

He shuddered when he saw her arm. "Katara . . ." he murmured, "you seriously need to repel trouble, not attract it."
Being extremely careful, he took the chains from her broken arm. He lowered it even more carefully, trying his best not to hurt it. Katara grit her teeth to keep from screaming as the bones shifted and scraped.

"I don't think you'll be able to untangle my hair," she moaned, grasping her throbbing arm.

"I'm not going to ruin your hair," Aang said firmly. "I'll get it off." He went to her side, setting to work with his agile fingers. Her hair seemed to be impossibly tangled around the bar, but he wasn't about to let it be ruined. He picked at it tirelessly, intent on getting it free.

"Aang, it's useless," Katara sighed, still wincing in pain. "Just cut it."

"Katara, I can get it. I—"

"Aang. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Please. Just cut it."

Aang grimaced. "Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"All right . . ." He muttered, pulling a hidden knife from his belt. Gently gathering her hair at the base of her neck, he hesitated. "This is probably going to hurt," he warned, touching her cheek.

She nodded, biting her lip. Reaching back, she took a hold of his forearm and squeezed her eyes shut.  

Aang pulled her hair taught against the bar, placing the blade as close to the bar as he could to preserve as much of her hair as possible. Clenching his jaw, he began to saw through it as softly as he could, trying not to tug against her head.

Katara resorted to grinding her teeth, trying to block out the pain of having hair ripped from her head.

Aang let out the breath he was holding when he finished, allowing the rest of her hair to tumble over her shoulders. As soon as he released it, Katara began to fall forward with exhaustion. He caught her, protectively drawing her limp body to his chest. She leaned on him heavily, nestling into his warm chest and pressing her head into his shoulder. A warm feeling flooded her body as his strong arms wrapped around her, remembering how she had longed for them not five minutes ago. She began to cry anew, tears returning in rivers. He held her tighter.

"We're leaving, Katara," he said, a steely edge to his voice. "We're leaving tonight."

"Leaving, are you?"

Aang and Katara jumped simultaneously, moving to protective stances. Aang pushed his wife behind his back.

Azula stood a ways away, leaning against a slimy wall and sneering.

"You!" Aang snapped.

"Me," she said, mocking him.

"I am going to kill you!" Aang snarled, more aggressive than Katara had ever seen him.

"Don't get all hissy," Azula sighed nonchelantly, flicking her hair from her face, "I know when I've lost, so I'm not staying. I'm just letting that peasant," her eyes flickered to Katara, "knows that her fat friend is the only reason she is alive, and that he did not defeat me." Sighing once more, the sickly girl turned her back on the pair. "Till we meet again!"

Aang wouldn't have it. Acting out in pure aggression, he threw his hands forward, freezing the wretched water into spears as it flew. They struck violently, causing a miniature explosion of water and unknown filth.

Katara held her breath, hoping beyond all reason that the princess was down.

No such luck was available. She had disappeard.

Aang snarled, vanishing from Katara's view as he allowed the fire to disappear.

Panic seized her, and she reached out to clutch the distressed Avatar's arm.

"Aang," she said, "I can't see . . ."

Through the veil of darkness, she heard him sigh. Seconds later, a small flame appeared on the palm of his hand. Looking very crestfallen, he stood up slowly. He ran his hand over his head, fingers lingering on the light bruise that still adorned it. Exhaling loudly, he turned and embraced Katara, pressing his face into her hair.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"You're fine."

"We're leaving tonight, Katara," he said, "I don't' want her getting to you ever again. Next time I see her, she is dead." He leaned back, looking into her eyes. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "My arm is killing me, that's all . . ."

"You probably re-broke it . . ."

"I know."

Aang sighed again. "What did Azula mean when she said 'you're lucky your fat friend saved you'?"

Katara placed a hand over her mouth. "Oh!" she gasped. "I completely forgot!" she placed her broken arm on Aang's chest. "Aang . . . it was Shen who saved me . . . I don't know where he is now, but he was the one who stopped Azula."

Aang frowned. "What happened? Give me every detail."

Katara leaned forward, resting against his sturdy frame. "Well, as soon as I walked into the bathroom, I knew something was up. Of course, right when I felt it, she got me. She grabbed me from behind and threw my crutch down, breaking it. Then, she told me to do what she wanted or she would kill us. I was helpless . . . I hate being helpless, Aang."

"I know . . ." he consoled her.

"Then," Katara continued, "I had to stand and watch while she set the trap for you. She took my necklace . . ."

"I know," Aang interrupted. "Here, love," he let her go and took a step back, sweeping her hair over her shoulders. In the same movement, he secured the necklace around her neck, his fingers lingering on her skin. She grinned slightly, taking his hand and kissing the back of it.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "Anyways, after she set that up, she dragged me into a different room, where she blindfolded me. She took me down here and chained me up . . . she had a knife. She was threatening to kill me when Shen burst in. He made all of these threats . . . challenged her . . ." Katara shook her head. "Azula looked at me and decided that I couldn't get anywhere. So, she took the challenge. They went out of this room. I didn't hear a thing. That's when you dropped in." She smiled up at him, allowing his small grin to wash away all of her pain.

"You know," she murmured, leaning against him again, "that was way way way too easy. Azula doesn't just give up like that."

"Let's not worry about it now," Aang demanded, pressing his lips against her hair. "I'm just overwhelmed . . . I don't wanna hear any more."

Katara's eyes fluttered shut as she inhaled his unique smell. He had worried so much . . .

Overcome with a sudden wave of gratitude and love, she secured her uninjured arm around his neck and locked her mouth against his. Not willing to let go so soon, she gripped his collar in her fist, pulling him even closer.

Aang was surprised by her sudden move, but he responded gently and compassionately. His fingers trailed over her hair, past her cheekbones, and down her neck, leaving a raging trail of fire on her skin. Breaking away just long enough to whisper her name, he snuffed out the flame to free his other hand.