1. Don't you care?

I jump up and earth bend the ground beneath me, knocking Zuko to the ground.

"Aang stop this! We are friends, I can't control how Katara feels about me." Zuko fire bends fire to block my air attack.

"No you can't, but you turned her on, how can we be friends if you took away the one person I love?" I scream at him, trying to hit him when every time I feel my heart breaking bit by bit.

I send an air swipe his way but Zuko dodges and sends a fire swipe back, I dodge it barely, my clothes being singed slightly. Zuko forms a massive fire blast, pushing me back and hitting the wall behind me.

"Oomph."

"Aang are you ok?" Zuko runs over and kneels beside me checking for any wounds. Before he knows it he's flying to the other side of the island and bangs his head hard. I sprint to him with my fist covered in rock. But before I can reach Zuko I find myself on the floor, frozen in place.

"Zuko!" Katara rushes to him and takes him in her arms, hugging him close and healing the cut on his head. "Aang how could you? I feel like I don't know you anymore!"

"K…K…K…Katara I didn't mean to… it just got all out of hand … I… I." I stumble upon my words, suddenly ashamed, what am I doing?

"You monster how can you do such a thing? I trusted you as my friend and this is how you act?" Katara unfreezes the water, and I shakily get to my feet, I'm so cold. She gently props Zuko on the wall and is up in seconds and stalks towards me. Uh oh this can't be good. She is right up in my face and one hand grabs my collar and her other hand on her water pouch.

"You are a jealous and selfish kid. Why can't you just be happy for me?" Silence I can't answer that, because I wanted her to be happy with me not Zuko, my tears threatening to fall. She tightens her grip on my collar.

"If you EVER touch let alone hurt Zuko ever again, you will have to deal with me personally!" Her hand tightens even more with every word, even for an air bender I start to feel kind of choked.

"But …But Katara we are friends, you won't fight you friend."

"You are no friend of mine, not anymore, not if you can't be happy for me. And … And … If you EVER harm Zuko or anyone else than … than I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Katara screeches out the last bit, her body trembling, trying to keep it together. Her eyes are cold and hard challenging me to say something back. She let's go of me and I fall to the floor, too shocked to prevent myself from hitting the ground with a thud. She turns around and goes back to Zuko. I get to my knees and finally the tears come down like a stream.

"K…Katara I feel like you have just chosen him over me. Don't you care that you hurt my feelings, wait do even care about me, did you ever care about me?" Katara ignores me and turns her head away from me, unable to meet my teary gaze.

"Fine then if … if that's how it's going to be, then you don't need me here, I'm leaving, I've practised water bending, earth bending and fire bending enough, I'll take out the Firelord by myself." I get up and grab my glider from the side that I left when I started fighting Zuko.

"Aang you don't have to leave. You haven't mastered fire yet, I've only taught you the basics! Katara was being too harsh." Katara looks at Zuko in shock which quickly changes to anger.

"I've been harsh! Well then next time you want my help to defend you, don't bother asking!" When she turns back to Aang she sees nothing, but a few leaves stirring.

"Katara look what you did! You shouldn't have yelled at him, he was just upset." Zuko yells in frustration.  
>"Just because you are upset doesn't mean you have to attack someone!" Katara turns her back to him, and stalks off, not wanting to deal with this anymore.<p> 


	2. Searching for Aang

A few hours later…

Everyone is seated at the table for dinner. Katara and Zuko sit at opposite ends, ignoring each other.

"Yum Suki this is the best!" Sokka exclaimed between mouthfuls, gulfing one pork chop after the other.

"Glad you like it," Suki smiles, "because it looks like you and Toph are the only ones actually enjoying it." At this she gives a pointed glance at Katara and Zuko who seem to be off in their own worlds.

"You are very right Suki, what's your problem Sugar Queen?" Katara doesn't bother raising her head.

"Nothing." She mumbles.

"I know your lying. And where's Twinkle toes I haven't seen in him in a while." At this both Katara and Zuko jerks their head up. They glance at each other, then turn away, Katara's eyes saying an unspoken message 'I'm still mad at you' Zuko read.

"Now I know something is definitely up, both you and Sparky's heart rate doubled in speed!" No one utters a word. Sokka puts down his plate and pushes himself up from the table.

"You know what Toph is right, you two have been acting very weirdly." Sokka muses while stroking his chin. "So are you going to tell us your dirty little secret?" He strolls over towards Zuko, who breaks into a sweat.

"Wh… wh… what are you talking about guys? There's nothing going on." Zuko stammered, looking very agitated.

"You're lying! Sheech Zuko it looks like being a good liar doesn't run in the family, you need to take a few lessons from your sister."  
>"I think he passes on that Toph. But anyway that's beside the point. What are you hiding?" Sokka bends down, his face just mere millimetres away from Zuko's face.<p>

"I… I… Well you see … I suppose… there may have been a slight misunderstanding between Aang and Katara…"

"I see, and may I ask what is this 'slight misunderstanding' that causes him to miss Suki's wonderful pork chops?" Beads of sweat run down Zuko's face.

"Sokka, leave him alone." For the first time during the whole meal Katara makes eye contact with someone.

"Hmm you're right, I shouldn't be asking Zuko, because perhaps he wasn't there." He looks at Zuko who's looking very intently on his food. "So Katara what was this misunderstanding?"

"That's none of your business Sokka." Katara folds her arms across her chest and glares at him.

"That's your opinion, but considering you are my little sister I think whatever affects you must also affect me." Sokka smiles and his eyes gleams with 'you can't get out of this one' look.

"Eurh! Fine, Aang was angry with Zuko because he and I are together, happy now!"

"WHAT?!" Sokka screeches Katara looks around and everyone is staring at her with their mouths wide open and Zuko is hiding his face in his hands.

"How is my sister with … with an evil fire nation guy? How could you hurt Aang like that?"

"I can be with whoever I want Sokka. And Aang was being selfish he can't expect to have everything he wants."

"But that's just it Sugar Queen, Twinkle Toes doesn't have everything he wants, in fact everything he did have was taken away!" Katara scowls at her.  
>"Don't act like you know more than me because…"<p>

"I'm not acting like anything, I'm just stating facts or do you have a problem with that Sweetness?" Toph smirks ready for the upcoming outburst.

"What is your problem?!"

"I don't have a problem, you obviously have the problem." Katara's face is full of fury, a vein on her head pumping with anger, obvious for everyone to see but Toph.

"WILL YOU ALLL JUST BE QUEIT!" Zuko roars, the campfire bursts into a pillar of fire, everyone recoils and then the flame dies down. "There is no point in arguing, our priority is to find Aang before he does something dumb." Sokka and Suki nod their agreement, while the other two turn their backs to each other.

"I'm pretty sure Aang can take care of himself since he is the Avatar." Katara mumbles under her breath.

"Wow for once Sweetness isn't worried, this must be serious." Katara pretends she didn't hear that.

"Ok guys we should really start to look for him, I mean he's been gone for hours, anything could have happened to him, even if he is the Avatar, he's still a kid. Sooo I say we take Appa and…"

"What do you expect us to find him just roaming around?"

"Well didn't you find him in a cave using Appa?" Sokka says giving Katara a pointed look. "Lets go guys!" They all get on Appa and take off.

Few hours later…

"Erm Sokka we've been searching for hours and there's still no sign of him." Suki voices out everyone's thoughts.

"Yeh as much as I want to find Twinkle Toes I'm getting sick of flying, even Sparky over here is dozing off." She punches Zuko's arm and he jerks awake while rubbing his arm.

"Eh what was that for?"

"We are trying to look for Aang not to doze off."

"Erm yes of course I was just taking er a break." Katara raises an eyebrow at him, at which he looks away.

"Hey guys, down there I see something!" Suki points at a silver glint in the dark. Katara and Zuko huddles to the side of the saddle to take a glimpse, and indeed there is something shinning from the reflection of the glistening moonlight. Sokka pulls the reins to land.

"Hey isn't this Aang's staff?" Zuko questions with a slightly worried expression. The group crowds around him.

"Yeh and why is there an arrow sticking out of it?" Sokka examines the staff and turns it over in his hands.

"Guys something is not right here, Aang wouldn't abandon his staff willingly like it was nothing, its like the last things left from the Air Nomads." Suki said, thinking of a reason for Aang's strange behaviour.

"That's because he didn't willing left it," Sokka looks everyone in the eyes with a grave expression, "he was ambushed." He bends to his knees to inspect the footprints, takes a sample of mud with his finger and smells it. "And I have a bad feeling I know who took him." The group stares at Sokka of the possibilities of who it could be and come up with not a very pleasant result. Even Katara knits her eyebrows together wearing a concerned expression, because even though she's angry at Aang she never had the chance to tell him she did care…

"Guys there's a big group of people coming and I don't think they're friendly!" Toph shouts feeling the heavy vibrations of the earth. Then a huge blast of fire causes the group to disperse and take their fighting stances. Before soon a sea of arrows are raining from above; Toph forms an earth roof, the makes a mini fortress

"How are we meant to fight with a hundred and one arrows ready to hit us!" Sokka complained.

"It's worse than that." Everyone gawks at Zuko thinking he's gone crazy.

"How in the world can it be any worse than, firstly Aang has been captured, secondly we are being attacked, thirdly we can't defend ourselves from the attackers because of these arrows and fourthly…"

"Because these arrows contain a chemical that will knock us unconscious in no time, then they won't have to fight, we will find ourselves being shipped off to some cell or to be executed. And that's how it can be worse." Team Avatar takes a big gulp and looks at one another with a 'what are we going to do now' look. Not long after they hear rumbling.

"Oh no they are breaking in."

"Give up Zu Zu, we've got you cornered." Everyone's face is plastered with horror, its Azula.

"Oh no anyone but her. Why can't it be Combustion Man, why?" Sokka weeps bitterly on the ground.

**A/N: Hi sorry that this chapter is kinda boring and not action packed, but I knew I had to write a chapter that ties everything together and to make sense for the rest of the plot. Hope you liked it :)**


	3. Captured

"Hey ZuZu why don't you come out of the tent and give your sister a proper welcome!"

"What are we going to do now?" Suki panicked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure we are cornered and it's only a matter of time until they break in." Zuko admitted, taking up his fighting stance, waiting for the moment they break in.

"Not if I can help it." Toph bends another wall around the five. They all lessen their stances and crouch down to discuss what to do next.

"We need a plan." At that everyone turns their heads to Sokka.

"Hey what are you guys looking at me for?!"

"Well you are the plan guy." Katara stated looking at her brother as a matter-of-factly.

"Who made me the plan guy?" He whined, just as they felt another jolt underneath them.

"Guys we don't have time for this!"

"You know ZuZu we could strike a deal. If you allow me to capture you…" Everyone's mouths drop wide open.

"Like we'll be dumb enough to do that!" Katara shouts at the crazed princess.

"Tut tut tut you should know peasant it's rude to interrupt while the princess is speaking," Katara jumps up ready to give Azula a piece of her mind, but is stopped by Zuko putting his hand on her arm and pulling her back down. His eyes saying 'Let's see what she has to say', she sighs and nods. "Anyway as I was saying, if you allow me to capture you with no hassle, I promise not to kill you or my prisoner, the Avatar." Everyone looks in dismay as the weight of what she said settled in. "Because I am such a nice princess I will allow you 5 minutes to confer between yourselves and if you don't give me an answer then I will kill all of you, including the Avatar." The group glance to the sides as the sound of silence fills the air.

"Soooo what are we going to do? Just hand ourselves over?" Sokka questions everyone, hoping someone has a better idea.

"No! That has got to be a death sentence!" Katara argues, outraged at the suggestion.

"In all my life I have always listened to this one statement, 'Azula always lies'." Everyone but Toph nods in agreement.

"Have you dunderheads forgotten one crucial thing? Aang has been ambushed, and as far as we know, no one is hunting for the Avatar except your crazy sister. You may have always believed she never lies, but trust me on this one I'm sure she does have Aang."

"And what if she doesn't? No one is going to come and save us." Suki insists, not feeling comfortable about being a prisoner again in such little time distance from the first time.

"And what if she does? No one is going to be able to save Aang either! We are all he's got. Sugar Queen have you forgotten that you are the one who taught him all he knows in water bending not to mention you guys are meant to be good friends?" Katara looks away from her _'she forgot to say was good friends…'_ "Have I not heard you all say that Aang is our last hope to put an end to this war?"

"Guys Toph is right, we have to find out if she has Aang." Zuko agrees. Toph grins,

"Well thank god for that, I hate giving these cheesy talks, they make me want to smash stuff up." The group just roll their eyes while Sokka starts shaking his head in shame.

"GUYS ARE WE CRAZY? I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ARE ACTUALLY DISCUSSING THIS! Aang is our buddy, our hope. Would Aang hesitate one second if he found out any of us may even be in the tiniest way in trouble? NO! Katara when he thought you were in trouble he even… erm left as soon as he could." Sokka falters _'phew that was a close one, I almost forgot I promised Aang that I wouldn't tell anyone especially Katara about preferring not to go into the avatar state but rather to see if Katara is ok'_. Katara glares at him,

"Will you all stop trying to make me feel guilty because I'm NOT!" She shouts at them, _'if anyone is guilty it's Aang, if he just accepted that he can't be with me then none of this would have happened.' _However everyone else are having slightly different thoughts _'if Katara let Aang know in a more gentle way, he wouldn't have ran away and wouldn't have been captured, and we all wouldn't be in this mess' _but they all knew better not to voice their thoughts aloud.

"Well ZuZu are we going to do this the hard way or the easy way?" The group gave each other a look with one determined nod, Zuko gets up and shouts,

"We accept your deal."

**A/N: Hi guys hope you liked this chapter. Sorry about all the cliff-hangers and taking a while to update. I promise my next chapter will be more interesting and updated quicker! Thanks for reading. If anything you don't like let me know. **


	4. Tortured

At once Toph bends away the walls that formed their shelter and they step outside, to see Azula grinning maniacally. They all take a big gulp and take one step closer.

"I knew you all wouldn't let the Avatar die. But I must say when I did capture him he was very sloppy and looked like he was crying. Did his only friends hurt him?" She teased looking at each of them in turn but none of them make eye contact with her. "No matter, I'm sure I will find out soon enough. GUARDS, tie the prisoners up and put them on board the ship. I want you to set sail as soon as possible." With that she turns her back on them and strolls off, with the group following not far behind. Before they know it, they are on the ship, sailing to some unknown destination, Toph and Sokka in a wooden cell on one side of the room and the cell on the other side made out of metal containing Suki, Katara and Zuko.

"Well look on the bright side guys, at least we definitely know that she has Aang." Everyone scowls at him and Toph punches his arm. "Owww what was that for?"

"How can being in a cell with no idea where we are going, be on the bright side?" Zuko growls out, itching to punch him too, but restricted from doing so behind these bars.

"Hey at least I was trying to ease the tension!"

"You know, what has me really surprised is that Azula put Toph in a wooden cell and me in a metal cell, as if she knows… well you know what I mean."  
>"Yeh that had me stumped too Sugar Queen. Maybe it was coincidence?" Before Katara could reply they hear the sound of heavy footsteps of guards.<p>

"Princess Azula wants to speak to all of you." They take them out of their cells and leads them down a couple of corridors and around a few corners, and inside a huge room where Azula is sitting on a throne in the middle of the room.

"Well hello all, I hope you were all getting comfortable." She grins wickedly.

"Enough games Azula, show us where Aang is!" Zuko grows, if his hands were not tied and the promise he made to Azula he would have taken her down right now. Azula gets up and circles around the group.

"Always getting to the point are we ZuZu? Don't worry I'll show you to your friend, but I must warn you he might not be the same as you know him." She walks off and the guards behind the group pushes them forward, but not before they all frown with concern. They get to a door which is opened and as they go inside, nothing could have prepared them for this sight. Aang's arms were chained to opposite poles and so were his legs, and on him was massive bruises and cuts scattered all over his fragile little body, his clothes were torn, barely just hanging off of him. He looked like he was ready to collapse if it wasn't for the chains holding him up. But what chilled them all to the bone was when Aang lifted his head slightly to see who had entered, his eyes was bloodshot red with bags under his eyes, his fun loving cheerfulness was gone all that was left was dull pain.

"You monster! You lied Azula!" Zuko bellowed, having to be restrained by one of the guards.

"No actually I didn't lie, he's alive isn't he? I never said I wouldn't harm him did I? Now guards take them back to their cells."

Back in their cells…

"I…I can't believe Aang he… oh buddy I'm sorry we didn't come quicker." Sokka choked out, trying to be strong for the others, but failing miserably_, 'if she did that to Aang then what's stopping her from doing that to any of us?'_

"Erm guys not needing to remind you or anything, but kind of blind here, what was wrong with Twinkle Toes?"

"Trust me Toph you don't want to know."

"That monster! We need to escape from here with Aang before we are shipped over to the Fire Nation! And in there, there will be no mercy what so ever!" Zuko declares while pacing up and down in the cell.

"Oh no kidding? Well if you haven't realised genius, we are in a cell that we can't get of!" Katara scoffed, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Well at least I'm trying to think of something. You haven't thought of anything, actually you don't even care that Aang has been beaten half to death!" Katara jumps up and paces right in front of him

"Don't talk to me about caring! If I correctly remember you had something to do with the last time Aang nearly died!" Zuko steps back shocked.

"Well at least I've changed to the better you've changed to the worse!" She scowls at him and moves her face mere millimetres away from his face and shouts,

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT?!"

"WE ARE THROUGH!" Katara steps back and looks in shock.

"W…w… what did you say?"

"I said we are through, I think it's easier if keep our relationship as friends and nothing more. I'm sorry Katara." Zuko turns away from her giving her his back. Katara raises her hand ready to slap him, but Suki decides to intervene.

"That's enough. We are all worried about Aang and getting on each other's nerves. We just need to cool down, so we can come up with a plan to get out of here."

"Humph, I'm sure Katara is not worried at all." Zuko mutters under his breath just loud enough for Suki to hear, who gives him a glare.

Next day the group is again brought out of their cell and in the same room with Azula.

"I heard you all getting restless of being in your cells, so I have a special treat for you all. You will all be moved to another room and not only that but get to watch some entertainment. Now follow me." Everyone frowns but walks after her.

"Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to enjoy this 'entertainment'?" Sokka whispers to Zuko, who merely shrugs and notices this was the same route they took them to go to see Aang yesterday.

"I think I agree with you Sokka." They go inside the room and see Aang in the exact same position as yesterday.

"Guards tie the prisoners on that wall, I want them to see everything." She smirks while the group already have dread filling the pits of their stomachs. "For my special guests I will do something new, which has not yet been done in the world, and you will be the first ones to witness it." She brings out a pole which has two spikes on the top, connecting them together is a wire. "Now Avatar are you ready for your punishment?" Aang stirs a little but doesn't lift his eyes to meet the princess. She forms a fire ball and slaps his arm causing him to jump. "I said… ARE YOU READY?" This time he lifts his head up to look at the princess and gives her a death look as much as he can muster. "Avatar you have guests, let's try to make this entertaining as possible for them ok? Now let the entertainment begin!"

Azula flicks a switch on the pole and the wire sparks alight, she then stabs it into his arm causing him to flinch and grind his teeth in pain, _'I'm not going to cry or scream, not with my friends watching, I can't, I have to be strong for them, they came to save me and look at the mess they got in._' His eyes shift to look at his friends, Sokka shouting something inaudible, Zuko and Toph struggling from their bonds to get free, Suki crying and Katara, she's looking straight at him, her expression unreadable. Azula takes off the electric pole.

"Are you trying to ruin the entertainment? Looks like I need to take this to a whole new level. I need to find your weakest and most vulnerable part. Hmm I know what about the scar on your back?" He could vaguely hear the sound of gasps on the other side of the room, and vaguely feels Azula ripping off the remaining top half of his clothing revealing his pink raw scar, the next thing he knows is absolutely blinding pain, he jerks back and gasps aloud. "Hmm you like that? Well let's try to crank up the electricity current then."

She thrusts the pole in the centre of his scar and this time, no matter how much he tries he can't stop the scream working its way up his throat.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAAAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHA!"

The blood curdling scream emitted from the young boy cause his friends' hearts to break.

Aang jerks back violently, his body trying to squirm away from the intense pain, his fingers digging deep into his hands to try to withstand the agony, allowing drips of blood to fall from his hands. Soon Azula removes the pole but the boy is still jerking and violently shaking from the electric current, as if he has no control over his own body.

Azula steps closer to the boy and whispers to him in his ear. "You know you can still change your mind, you don't have to take all the pain, let your friends join in, or what about the water tribe peasant? Didn't she cause you pain? Don't you want to inflict the same pain to her? You know you want to."

"N…N…N…Never! She's … not … a peasant…" Aang manages to croak out before he slips into unconsciousness.

"As you wish Avatar!" She turns her back to him and walks out closing the door behind her.

"Aang? Aang buddy? Can you hear me?"

"It's no use Sokka he's unconscious." Zuko tries to tell him gently.

"Your sister is an EVIL MANIAC!"

"Don't tell me about it."

"Erm guys how… how long can Aang well you know… hang in there?" Suki questions worryingly. Sokka and Zuko turns to look at Aang but what catches their attention is the small pool of blood forming behind him.

"Aang is tough, we just need to get out of here as soon as possible. Hey Katara what do you think? Since you're a healer and everything." Everyone turns to her except Toph who stares into the distance looking completely helpless and blind. Katara looks at each one of them in turn and sighs.

"I don't know guys, I can heal but I don't know how much blood he has lost." At that the group looks at Aang in despair and one by one falls into an uneasy sleep.

Four hours later…

Aang stirs awake, his whole body screaming in anguish, he lifts his head ever so slightly and sees his friends still tied up and asleep. _'How are we going to get out of here? This is my fault, I shouldn't have ran off. If any of them are harmed I will never forgive myself, that's why I made that deal with Azula… But how can I trust her? The sooner we get out of here the better.'_ This is his last thought as he falls into an uneasy sleep

Next day…

"WAKE UP PRISONERS!" The clanging of metal jerks everyone awake. "I have a little surprise in store for you all!" She gives a wicked grin and with her pole in hand she walks towards the weak airbender. "On my pole of pain here, I have 6 settings, 1 being the lowest electric current and 6 being the highest electric current which could lead to death if held for more than a few seconds." The group takes a big gulp and sweat starts to pour down their faces. "Yesterday the highest I used was 2. So this is how we're going to play the game I have in mind. I will electrocute the Avatar and slowly go up the different settings until the water tribe peasant forgives and says sorry to the Avatar for whatever he did."

Sokka frowns, _'well that's easy, Katara will say straight away she forgives Aang… right?'_ he looks at her, Toph thinks this through, '_uh oh we're in trouble, Sugar Queen is as stubborn as me, no way she'll say sorry before Aang says sorry first.'_ Katara bites her lip, _'what?! Me say sorry to Aang, it's his fault in the first place that we're in this mess! He's the one who attacked Zuko not me! But do I want to see Aang hurt? Eurgh! It's as if Azula knows I'm stubborn.'_ Aang looks at Katara straight in the eye, _'I know she doesn't forgive me, I can see it in her eyes, this will be the ultimate test to see if she cares about me or not, but by the look on her eyes I know this is going to be a very painful couple of hours,_' he braces himself for the upcoming electricity.

"Now let the game begin!" She jabs the pole straight into Aang's scar at setting 2, he jerks violently, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turn white while grinding his teeth so hard to try to stop the scream working its way up his throat. "I don't hear any apologies! Let's see how much the mighty Avatar can take before he falls." She increases the setting to 3 and he starts howling, trying as hard as he could not to scream any louder.

"Katara why aren't you saying sorry to Aang, so this can end!" Suki yells at her.

"I… I can't… I didn't do anything!" She shifts her body weight away from them, trying to block out the airbender's howl.

"Still no forgiveness, wow peasant you are harsh, kind of like me, too bad you are from the water tribe otherwise I would have recruited you." She turns it up to 4, the boy emits an ear-piercing scream, causing everyone to wince except for the crazy princess.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAHH!"

"KATARA STOP BEING A STUBBORN HEAD AND SAY SORRY TO AANG ALREADY!" Toph bellows, ashamed at the young water bender. Indecision plays on her face, but only for a fraction of a second, _'what am I doing, letting Aang suffer, I am such a horrible person!'_ she then nods and turns to the airbender.

"Aang I forgive you!" At once the princess removes the pole from the boy and strolls over to the group.

"You ruined my game! Maybe you would like a taste of my pole." Katara gasps and tries to struggle out of the ropes, but its useless she can't escape from the princess's clutches.

"LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!" Azula turns to Sokka and thrusts the electric pole onto his arm at setting 3, he jerks back and hits his head on the wall behind him, knocking him unconsciousness.

"SOKKA!" Katara, Suki and Zuko yells in unison.

"Y…uo... pr…om..is..ed!" Aang chokes out, Azula turns back to the Avatar, raising her pole at setting 5.

"Yes about that, I lied." She thrusts it in the exact centre of his scar and he gives out a blood curdling scream, jerking back and forth wildly, suddenly his tattoos begin to glow bright white, and the air around the young Avatar start to form a ball of wind around him, blowing Azula away from him and into the wall. Aang pulls at the chains and they break off, the chains at his feet melt away, he moves his arms above his head then back down, tearing the ground into two, he spreads a ball of fire around the whole room, melting the chains of his friends, Suki catches Sokka just before he falls to the ground, he stirs awake and opens his eyes,

"What's happening?"

"Aang managed to get into the Avatar State." He gets shakily up to his feet with the help of Suki.

"But that's impossible, he blocked his chakra!"

"Snoozles this is no time to ask questions, we've got to get out of here before he destroys the whole place!"

"Guys what happened to Azula?" Katara questions, and everyone looks around, but finds no one apart from Aang rising into the air, causing tornados around him.

"Katara go and stop Aang otherwise we'll all be destroyed along with this place." Zuko yells at her, she nods and runs up to Aang.

"Aang Azula is gone, you can stop now!" He doesn't seem to hear her. "Aang I'm…I'm sorry, I was horrible to you and I acted like I didn't care, but the truth is Aang I do care, I care about you a lot and I'm so very sorry that I hurt you like that, it was wrong and selfish." Slowly the winds dies down and Aang descends back to the ground, the glow from his tattoos vanishes and just before he collapses Katara catches him and lays him gently on her lap, he opens his eyes and blinks a couple of times.

"I'm sorry Katara." He whispers before slipping into unconsciousness.

"No I'm the one who should be sorry." She whispers back and holds the boy close to her.

"We've got get out of here!"

"How are we going to do that smart guy?" Toph yells at Zuko. He pulls out a bison whistle from around his neck and blows through it.

"All this time you could have called Appa?" Sokka whines.

**A/N: Hi hope you liked it. Sorry it's a bit graphic, but I wanted to try to make it seem realistic. Just have to post one more chapter and then I've finished this story; but I've been thinking about making a possible sequel, what do you think? Please let me know, and hopefully it wont take me long to update my next chapter :)**


	5. Awakening and Reconciliation

3 days later…

I start to get some feeling back, my eyes flutter open, I blink several times to adjust to the lighting. I notice that I'm on a soft bed, with the feel of bandages wrapped around me. I cast my eyes around the room to find Katara at the far back, bending some water into a pot. I shift my weight to try to get up but a shooting pain hits me in my back causing me to groan aloud. Katara spins round and runs over to me.

"Aang! You're awake!" She lightly sits on the bed beside me, trying to avoid causing me any more pain, and gently places her hand on top of mine. She gives me a small smile and I give her a weak one back. "How are you feeling?"

"Well not as bad as when I was in that cell."

"I do hope not. I've been trying to heal you all this time. Most of your minor cuts and bruises are gone, but your back where your scar is…" Katara trails off and looks away. Ahh that explains why the pain is less intense. My scar the cause of so much anguish…

"Thanks Katara, I appreciate it a lot." She gives me a warm smile. Suddenly Sokka bursts in the room.

"Hey Katara you said you'll start to prepare some din…" He stops in mid-sentence as he looks at me and rushes to me, "AANG! Buddy, you're awake!" I grin at him.

"Yep, I didn't know you missed me."

"What a dumb question! Of course I missed you. How are you doing?" I try to shrug but end up wincing. "Riiight looks like I ended up asking a dumb question too." Katara gets up from the bed.

"Well I'll go and prepare some dinner, you must be hungry after not eating for 3 days." She leaves the room and Sokka takes a seat on a chair next to my bed.

"I was unconscious for 3 DAYS?! What about Azula, she could be plotting her next move to capture us and torture us and then she'll end up throwing us into the fire nation and then we'll…"

"Woah woah woah buddy, you got to calm down." I gape at him.

"Calm down? Calm down? How can I be calm when we have Azula on our tail?" I shout, but immediately regret it when my back starts throbbing in pain, I let out a low growl.

"Aang when you went unconscious we had to find a safe place to go. So we went to a town not far from Kyoshi." I groan, this is feeling unpleasantly familiar.

"I feel like this is Ba Sing Se all over again. I get injured, you guys find a safe place until I wake up. I'm so useless!"

"Aang your being too hard on yourself." Katara walks back to Aang's room but stops a metre away from the door to listen to their conversation '_I wonder what Aang is blaming himself for? He didn't do anything wrong.'_ "You withstood a very high current of electricity, and you didn't slip into unconsciousness until later. When I was zapped with that for a mere second, I was out cold!" I close my eyes, remembering the moment, this is all my fault… "Hey Aang how did you managed to get in the Avatar State?" He leans in closer to me, but my eyes remain closed. Katara takes a small step closer to hear, _'Why is Sokka asking? He was never interested in any of Aang's Avatar stuff before.'_ "You said by refusing to open that earthly attachment chakra, and by being shot by Azula you locked it."

"Sokka I don't know I just don't know." I reply sighing, I wish I didn't tell Sokka about choosing not to open my 7th chakra because of Katara, I can't believe I told him that!

"Well the electric current is very powerful like lightening, and I should know since I've been electrocuted, sooo…. BINGO!" I open my eyes to look at him and raise an eyebrow, what kind of eccentric thought has Sokka come up with this time? "Aang you know with a light switch if you press it the light goes on, so if you press it again what happens?" He looks at me with a gleam in his eye, I frown.

"Well doesn't the light just go off?"

"EXACTLY!" I frown deeper, what in the blazes does a light switch got to do with activating the Avatar State?

"Sokka I don't think I follow."

"Your scar is a like a light switch, when Azula sent lightening at you she blocked you from using the Avatar state, and when she used a high electric current which is very similar to lightening she opened it again, it's like a light switch in a circuit!" Understanding begins to dawn on my face, wow that's amazing.

"Wow Sokka I got to say that sounds like a very plausible explanation." He grins at me and lifts one hand.

"I know, I'm a genius. This is the only advantage I can see from being electrocuted, not sure if finding an explanation for your Avatar state was worth it." He muses to himself. Guilt begins to settle upon me, this is all my fault, I have to tell Sokka.

"Hey Sokka can I tell you something."

"Yeh sure buddy, whatever you want." I gulp, better get this over and down with.

"Ok… it's all my fault that you guys were captured and that you were electrocuted!" I see confusion settle on his face.

"What are you talking about? We went to try to find you and then we were ambushed."

"That's not exactly what happened… I…I kind of made a deal with Azula, if I told her where you guys were likely to be…." Katara gasps with shock which soon turns to rage, _'How dare he? He put us all in danger!'_ She storms out from her hiding place and throws the food on the floor and marches to Aang, with her finger pointed at him.

"WHAT?! YOU PUT ALL OUR LIVES IN DANGER, BY TELLING HER WHERE WE WERE GOING TO BE!" I look uneasily between Sokka and Katara; Sokka's face is full of shame and disappointment while Katara's face is full of fiery rage, I don't know what's worse. Sokka reaches his hand out to his sister's shoulder.

"Katara I'm sure Aang has a very good reason for telling our **enemy** where his **only** **friends** are." He says in a cold voice, which sends shivers down my spine.

"I…I… well she threatened that once she found you guys she would k…kill you. I begged her not to… she asked me what I could offer to change her mind… so I promised her to tell her the location of where you guys were… to make it easier for her to find… as long as she didn't hurt you guys… a…"

"AND YOU TRUSTED HER! How did you know that she wasn't lying? We know Azula always lies." Katara points her finger right into my face. "Because of **you** we were all tied up and thrown into cells, because of **you** Zuko and I broke up, because of **you** Sokka got hurt and because of **you** we've been chased around the world, nearly dying multiple times!" Every single accusation sliced into my heart, breaking it bit by bit, even the one about Zuko, because as much I didn't like them being together, I hate the thought that it was my fault that I broke them up. Everything she said is true, I'm just a walking disaster, bringing destruction to everyone one I meet and every place I go, look what happened in the North Pole, or Ba Sing Se. I look at Sokka but he refuses to meet my eye, I try to hold back my tears.

"Come on Katara, we need to get dinner ready, because everyone is getting hungry." He pulls at her arm and she reluctantly follows but not before glaring at me and stomps out, leaving me all alone in the room. What have I done? They didn't have to know. Why did I tell them? Because it's the right thing to do, a voice whispers to me. Eurgh I'm do dumb! I've lost my love, my best friend, my sort of like a brother, I've lost everything! Every single thought makes my pain even worse and slowly I drift into an uneasy sleep.

Dinner time…. Katara told everything to the group…

"Sugar Queen don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?" Katara whips round to face Toph.

"Too far? He betrayed us! He told Azula of where we will be and the likeliness of us coming to look for him. It's his fault we were captured!" Zuko puts down his bowl and looks up at Katara.

"Katara don't you think there's more to what Aang told you? Do you honestly think that Azula will actually not hurt us if Aang told her where we were, in time she would have found us. I think that Aang also agreed to take all the lashes and beatings for himself instead of us."

"Oh really, you're just defending him and trying to put him in a good light. How do you know Aang did that?"

"Sparky got a pretty good point. Plus Sugar Queen by the sound of it, you stormed off before Aang could finish his sentence."

"I can't believe you are all defending him!"

"We're only doing what you used to do for him. You were his defender, so someone had to take your place." Katara's mouth drops open.

"Excuse me?"

"You always defended Twinkle Toes, now you are totally against him. What's wrong with you! What changed, is it just because of what he did to Zuko?" Katara moves her mouth to answer but clamps it shut, '_it's true I did always defend him, since when did I start to get cold hearted?'_

"Fine we'll ask him to find out the truth." She turns her back to them, ready to march to Aang's room, Sokka gets up from his seat.

"No Katara, you will ask him, you're the one who's so mad at him, you find out." She spins around to face him.

"Sokka I thought you were mad at him too?"

"No, shocked yes, disappointed maybe but mad no. I'm sure he had his reasons, we know him long enough to judge that. Talk to him, I think you both need it." Katara frowns at him, then exits the room to go to Aang's room. She peers inside to find Aang sleeping, _'looks like I'm going to have to wait.'_ She goes to the far back of the room, she sits down on the floor with her legs tucked underneath her and starts bending the water in the pot.

30 minutes later…

I wake up and then all of what happened today rushes back. Tears start to roll down my face, I can't stay here, not after all I've done to them. I push back the covers and attempt to get up, but end up flopping down on the bed from the pain, no I've got to get up, I use my arms to push myself up into a sitting position, grinding my teeth in the process, Eurgh why is there so much pain? All the while Katara had got to her feet to watch Aang struggling to get up.

"You shouldn't be getting up you know." I jump and glance to the side to find Katara watching me. "I can give you a healing session if you want." I shake my head, they've done enough for me. She sighs and walks up to me and gently pushes me back down on the bed, I weakly protest but her gentle hands on my chest is too soothing that I fall back on the bed, wincing in the process. Katara furrows her eyebrows in concern. I glance away from her.

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me." She kneels beside me.

"Aang I'm sorry I got so angry for no reason.

"It WASN'T for no reason, all that stuff you said it's true! Everything bad happened has been my fault! I cause destruction to everyone I meet and everywhere I go!" I say raising my voice. Katara places her hand on my shoulder.

"What I said was wrong, I said it because I was angry. All the stuff that I said happened was because of me, I was the one for causing you to run off, leading to us all being captured. I'm so sorry, it's my fault." I shift slightly closer to her to comfort her.

"It's not your fault. I made that deal with Azula because I couldn't stand to see any of you guys hurt, I took the lashes because I deserved it and in return she wouldn't hurt you, or so I hoped until I thought of a plan to escape." Katara starts crying.

"You didn't deserve it! You did what you thought you could to protect us, and I rewarded you by shouting in your face. I'm a horrible person." I move my hand and put it on her arm.

"You are not horrible. You are the kindest, caring person I know."

"How can you say that? After shouting and not caring about you being tortured."

"We were both hurting, I hurt you because I was selfish and took my anger out on Zuko, you do unforgivable things when you're hurt." Katara doesn't look convinced, tears still falling down her cheek.

"But how can you forgive me so easily? Why don't you hate me? I was horrible and selfish to you! I don't think I could forgive someone so easily!"

"Because you are my best friend, friends forgive each other, plus you've done so much for me. You came with me to travel the world, risking your life in the process, you comforted me whenever I needed it, you protect me whenever you can, you taught me waterbending, and you brought me back to life, I mean how many friends can say they've brought someone back to life, no one! And that's because your incredible" Katara blushes at that and looks down at her lap. "You're the one who freed me from that iceberg, you are the one who resurrected hope to the world! You inspire me with your caring, stubborn, determined attitude. How can I forget all that? Just because you did one thing wrong? No, I will never forget." Katara looks up at me and gives me a small smile and wipes her tears away with the back of her hand.

"Thanks Aang, you're so understanding and forgiving. If it wasn't for you I would never have become the waterbender I am today, I would never experience so much more than what's outside my small tribe, you say I brought back hope, but to me you are the hope of the world. I don't deserve you as my friend. I want to say thank you, thank you for changing my life to the better." I grin at her, I didn't realise that I made a difference to her life. I sigh in content, finally my friendship with Katara is not going to die. She gets up and bends some water on her hand. "Now do you want me to heal that back of yours?" I grin sheepishly at her.

"Yes please, it's killing me!" She gives me a warm smile and gently helps me up to a sitting position.

**A/N: Hey that was my last chapter for this story hope you enjoyed it! If you want me to do a sequel just ask, all suggestions are welcome :)**


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