(no subject)
So this is after Island, only it's BAD END aka the DR never happened and the characters forgot everything. Yay.
Challenge/Prompt: N/A
Title: The End
And so they saved the world.
It's like no other feeling-knowing, truly knowing, that the tyranny of the Fire Nation has finally been put to rest was the greatest thing in the world. Yes, the fight isn't not over yet; it will take years to rebuild, and for the rest of the world to trust one another. But she knows that they will reach that point. They've dealt with the highest hurdle, and now they simply have to face the rest.
If someone had asked her a little over a year ago if she thought that she would be a part of something so amazing, Katara probably would have berated them for such a dumb idea. It was too big for her. Yet here she is, laughing with her friends who helped bring peace to an aching world. It's enough to make her heart swell up with pride and admiration. They did it, they did it, they did it. All of their hard work had paid off in the end. She can remember the days she had spent back home, trying her hardest to make a small stream of water wiggle just slightly. Those days where no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the fish to unfreeze when someone needed it, or gather drinking water easily, or... Well. No longer will she have to face those days again. Katara has grown up, as well as her brother, and Toph, and Zuko, and Aang.
Especially Aang. He has come a long way from that goofy kid they found in an iceberg. The thought of a life without having met him is horrible; she'd still be clumsily practicing her bending with the constant fear that the Fire Nation might take her away at any moment. She owes the Airbender much more than she could ever tell him, and she didn't have to. All she has to do is look at him, and he knew. They are stuck together for life. That's why she can do it so easily. As they face one another in front of the setting sun, she knows what must be done. Without a moment's hesitation, she leans over and kisses him.
And that's the end of that?
Sometimes, when she's holding Aang's hand while they're walking through town, she feels as if something isn't right. It's always a sudden feeling, and it vanishes as quickly as it appears. Aang would always ask what's wrong, and then give a hundred solutions to fix whatever is wrong, but she'll just laugh it off. Nothing is wrong. Her life is as perfect as it will ever be. She's happy. So she just squeezes his hand a little tighter, and keeps moving forward.
Every now and then she'll see something in the corner of her eye. She'll glance at a mirror and think she sees a flash of yellow around her neck, or she'll lean over to grab something and spot an X on her wrist. But there's nothing there, there's never anything there, and she wonders if all the stress is finally getting to her. She asks Iroh about it one day because she's not sure who else to approach about it, and he answers with gibberish that is most likely wise but doesn't make sense to anyone but him. Katara thanks him for the help, and decides to just stop thinking about it. It's been a long year, she probably just needs a break.
And a break is what she gets. They all visit the beach together, this time without the threat of a war upon them. At first it seems like it was the right decision; the days pass by with the sound of laughter in the air, and good times had by all. But whenever she stares into the ocean, it comes back-that ache, that heart-wrenching pain in her chest that tells her that something is wrong. She's forgetting something important, something that's so important... But she's not. She remembers everything that matters: Her mother, her friends, her battles. She won't ever forget them all. The feeling never leaves her though, and it comes more frequently. Almost every time she steps into the warm sand, it hits her. It's wrong. All of it is wrong. Her dreams are filled with faces she's never seen and places she's never been to, and it worries her.
They return home. It's becoming an obsession; she doodles things like huts and strange machines that have four wheels. She comments that Suki would look nice with green hair. When Sokka jokes about reading people's minds, she finds herself getting irrationally angry at him. It doesn't make any sense. And yet, for some reason, it does. A part of her knows that it's right, and that she should be feeling these things. There's nothing wrong with you, it says, you're getting better. And sometimes, for a moment, she believes it.
Then she looks at Aang, and he's grinning at her before he plops a quick kiss on her mouth. Katara grins back, and they both run off together, giggling, and all her worries disappear. There's nothing wrong. And even if there is, she'll fix it. They'll fix it. Together. Because she truly, completely, believes that they can face any problem, and overcome any obstacle. And that's what this is-a problem and an obstacle. It's no match for her.
She makes a bracelet in the shape of an X. It's not very well made, but for its purpose it doesn't need to be. She puts it on her wrist almost immediately after finishing it, and wears it for the entire day. Nothing feels wrong, or strange, or out of place. Everything is as it should be. That night, she sits on her bed in total darkness except for a single candle. She has a knife in one hand and carefully, very carefully, she cuts the bracelet off. It falls limply to her side, and she lets out a sigh of relief. Nothing bad happened. Katara stands and walks over to the window; there's a full moon out tonight. It fills her with strength, and hope, and sorrow-wait, sorrow? She really must be tired. Katara crawls into bed, under the covers, and lets the remains of the bracelet fall to the floor. She sleeps a dreamless sleep that night, and she never worries about it again. The feeling's gone.
And that's the end of that.
Challenge/Prompt: N/A
Title: The End
And so they saved the world.
It's like no other feeling-knowing, truly knowing, that the tyranny of the Fire Nation has finally been put to rest was the greatest thing in the world. Yes, the fight isn't not over yet; it will take years to rebuild, and for the rest of the world to trust one another. But she knows that they will reach that point. They've dealt with the highest hurdle, and now they simply have to face the rest.
If someone had asked her a little over a year ago if she thought that she would be a part of something so amazing, Katara probably would have berated them for such a dumb idea. It was too big for her. Yet here she is, laughing with her friends who helped bring peace to an aching world. It's enough to make her heart swell up with pride and admiration. They did it, they did it, they did it. All of their hard work had paid off in the end. She can remember the days she had spent back home, trying her hardest to make a small stream of water wiggle just slightly. Those days where no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the fish to unfreeze when someone needed it, or gather drinking water easily, or... Well. No longer will she have to face those days again. Katara has grown up, as well as her brother, and Toph, and Zuko, and Aang.
Especially Aang. He has come a long way from that goofy kid they found in an iceberg. The thought of a life without having met him is horrible; she'd still be clumsily practicing her bending with the constant fear that the Fire Nation might take her away at any moment. She owes the Airbender much more than she could ever tell him, and she didn't have to. All she has to do is look at him, and he knew. They are stuck together for life. That's why she can do it so easily. As they face one another in front of the setting sun, she knows what must be done. Without a moment's hesitation, she leans over and kisses him.
And that's the end of that?
Sometimes, when she's holding Aang's hand while they're walking through town, she feels as if something isn't right. It's always a sudden feeling, and it vanishes as quickly as it appears. Aang would always ask what's wrong, and then give a hundred solutions to fix whatever is wrong, but she'll just laugh it off. Nothing is wrong. Her life is as perfect as it will ever be. She's happy. So she just squeezes his hand a little tighter, and keeps moving forward.
Every now and then she'll see something in the corner of her eye. She'll glance at a mirror and think she sees a flash of yellow around her neck, or she'll lean over to grab something and spot an X on her wrist. But there's nothing there, there's never anything there, and she wonders if all the stress is finally getting to her. She asks Iroh about it one day because she's not sure who else to approach about it, and he answers with gibberish that is most likely wise but doesn't make sense to anyone but him. Katara thanks him for the help, and decides to just stop thinking about it. It's been a long year, she probably just needs a break.
And a break is what she gets. They all visit the beach together, this time without the threat of a war upon them. At first it seems like it was the right decision; the days pass by with the sound of laughter in the air, and good times had by all. But whenever she stares into the ocean, it comes back-that ache, that heart-wrenching pain in her chest that tells her that something is wrong. She's forgetting something important, something that's so important... But she's not. She remembers everything that matters: Her mother, her friends, her battles. She won't ever forget them all. The feeling never leaves her though, and it comes more frequently. Almost every time she steps into the warm sand, it hits her. It's wrong. All of it is wrong. Her dreams are filled with faces she's never seen and places she's never been to, and it worries her.
They return home. It's becoming an obsession; she doodles things like huts and strange machines that have four wheels. She comments that Suki would look nice with green hair. When Sokka jokes about reading people's minds, she finds herself getting irrationally angry at him. It doesn't make any sense. And yet, for some reason, it does. A part of her knows that it's right, and that she should be feeling these things. There's nothing wrong with you, it says, you're getting better. And sometimes, for a moment, she believes it.
Then she looks at Aang, and he's grinning at her before he plops a quick kiss on her mouth. Katara grins back, and they both run off together, giggling, and all her worries disappear. There's nothing wrong. And even if there is, she'll fix it. They'll fix it. Together. Because she truly, completely, believes that they can face any problem, and overcome any obstacle. And that's what this is-a problem and an obstacle. It's no match for her.
She makes a bracelet in the shape of an X. It's not very well made, but for its purpose it doesn't need to be. She puts it on her wrist almost immediately after finishing it, and wears it for the entire day. Nothing feels wrong, or strange, or out of place. Everything is as it should be. That night, she sits on her bed in total darkness except for a single candle. She has a knife in one hand and carefully, very carefully, she cuts the bracelet off. It falls limply to her side, and she lets out a sigh of relief. Nothing bad happened. Katara stands and walks over to the window; there's a full moon out tonight. It fills her with strength, and hope, and sorrow-wait, sorrow? She really must be tired. Katara crawls into bed, under the covers, and lets the remains of the bracelet fall to the floor. She sleeps a dreamless sleep that night, and she never worries about it again. The feeling's gone.
And that's the end of that.