Book One: The Oracle

Chapter One: The Fall

A/N: This is a different format than my other stories. That's because this one hopefully won't suck... but mostly because this one will be much longer; probably a trilogy. I really hope you enjoy this, because it's the first story I've completely planned out in my head from beginning to end. OH... and yes, please review. I most likely won't continue if I don't get reviews. R&Enjoy&R.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

It'd taken a good half hour to open the door to the throne room. No one knew what was going on in there, and no one really had a chance to try and check. There were several dozen battles raging within the entire palace, everyone well over the 'stare-down' stage, and knee deep in the fight.

No one seemed to give up, but many fell. Katara felt so lucky; no one she knew was hurt badly in any sense, just sticking to what they needed to do and following through to the end. Her father and brother were in pristine condition, not even a scratch on them. Toph was fighting more than several fire nation guards, and winning to boot. Suki was helping Sokka with what he was up against, and everyone else seemed to be fine as well.

Katara was the only one who'd even suffered wounds: There was a reddish-black mark from the middle section of the left side of her neck, across and down to the bottom of her shoulder on the same side. There was a small, insignificant cut under her right eye, and a deep gash on her upper right leg. This wound had actually damaged her water tribe attire to the point of no return. Not to mention the amount of blood and ash that had unleashed itself onto the blue fabric, staining it permanently.

As Toph and Katara broke down the door to the room Aang and Ozai were in, a deep feeling of hope and satisfaction filled her mind. She knew Aang could do it, she knew it would follow through for the world... that he was strong enough to defeat such a great and terrible evil.

Her eyes laid upon the dead and beaten body of the once Phoenix Lord Ozai. She winced at the sight of it, and inspected the remains of the room. It was much like the rest of the palace; destroyed, crumbled and weakened. She didn't know how much more the building could take, and didn't want to stay much longer to find out.

"Where's Aang?" Katara said, turning to Toph.

The young earthbender pointed to a wall accompanying a large pile of rubble. Katara raised an eyebrow, but followed her finger's lead, knowing for a fact if anyone could see where he was, it'd be Toph.

They approached the opposite side of the crumbled pillar, seeing Aang almost instantly as they swooped around it. He was on his side, his eyes closed and breathing sharp, uneven breaths.

Katara fell to her knees, pulling Aang to a sitting position who whimpered weakly in her arms. She grasped him in a tight embrace, holding her tears back.

"Aang?"

His eyes fluttered open and he smiled vaguely after catching a glimpse of the beautiful waterbender holding him for dear life. His breathing became even quicker and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"K-Kata... Katara?"

She nodded and he smiled a little wider this time, his eyes still only half open. Katara pulled him into a tighter hug, feeling her tears graze her cheeks.

"It... hurts..." he moaned, his body now stalk-still in her embrace.

"I know, Aang, I know. Shh..." she replied in a soft whisper, stroking the back of his head rhythmically.

"I... I did it..."

She nodded once again, tears now flowing freely down her face. She shut her eyes tightly to keep them from tempting to fall.

"Yes, you did, Aang. Now stay with me... you're going to be okay."

Katara dug her teeth into her bottom lip with an unforgivable pressure, causing the delicate skin to break and exposing more blood. Her body began to take his place with the violent trembling, but her soft cries remained silent and undetected to him.

"No... I can't..." he murmured, eyes fluttering.

"You... you can't what, Aang?"

"I..." Aang's eyes shut and his breathing became unnaturally slow.

She shook him, no longer feeling a heartbeat.

"Aang? Aang! Wake... wake up..." she managed as her tears became more pronounced and she stared at the still body in her loving embrace.

His eyes fluttered once more, even less opened than before and gazed up into her brilliant azure eyes.

"Katara... I... I love you..." he said, the tiniest smile on his lips.

Katara slammed her eyes shut again. She could feel her heart shatter when looking at him this way. Watching him give up right before her eyes. She wasn't even shocked by what he said. It made her feel better in a strange and twisted kind of way. She didn't know how to respond though. Did she love him back? Did she want to let him know she loved him?

Her head spun and she suddenly felt dizzy... felt feint and weak. She did love him. She did want him to know.

"Aang, I..."

As she brought him back into view, he didn't stare back. There wasn't strange or uneven breath emitting from his cold, injured body. There was nothing. Lifelessness.

"I... I... l-love you... t-too," she admitted to his disconnected body in between deep sobs. She finally let go. She was spilling her heart onto him through her tears and he wasn't even there to feel it. She was too late. She just had to think it through. Had to let her analytical mind take part in her actions yet again. Typical Katara. She mocked herself in her head, continuing to drain herself of feeling or energy.

She pulled him even tighter to her, her eyes shut ever so tightly in an attempt to keep the cruel and unfair world away from them. She didn't even care what happened now. She didn't even care that there was still danger within the cursed palace they were in. She welcomed death. She wanted it to take her so that she could be with the boy she loved so dearly, so passionately it scared her. It scared her so much that she didn't even have the time to respond as she wanted to his final words of love.

Her face stayed in a scrunched position, her eyes slammed and locked tightly, her upper teeth clamped down on her lip, her loud sobs echoing off the walls of the demolished room. Her face was drenched with tears, old and new, along with sweat and drying blood. She pulled Aang even closer in an endearing manner, her face buried into his sweet, intoxicating smell that lingered even through the stench of smoke within the horrid walls. She laid soft and affectionate kisses on his jaw line and neck, praying for it to bring him back, her tears running down his chest in the process.

"No..." she muttered, running her hand down Aang's arm, finding her destination and grabbing onto his hand.

"Please... No..." Her cries became louder and she hadn't paid any attention to her friends and family standing a few yards away. They all had grief strewn across their face as the young girl tried everything humanly possible to awaken the boy in her arms from his deep and permanent slumber.

"You... you can't... l-leave me..."

Sokka took a step nearer to his sister, but a persistent hand kept him in place. He turned and looked at his father in confusion, but sighed as the man shook his head. Sokka got the message and walked out of the room along with Toph, Suki, and Haru.

"Why?!" he heard his sister yell from the room he'd just exited. "WHY?!" she screeched, louder this time, her voice bouncing off of every wall still intact and piercing Sokka in the heart. He clutched himself as if her words of pain and sorrow and confusion were literally striking and breaking through his skin, causing lethal damage. He shivered slightly as he held the tears that threatened to fall at bay.

Hakoda and Zuko ushered the others out of the room, giving Katara her space. She sat there motionless, aside from the shaking her sobs caused her.

She found it hard to open her eyes. Everything was dark in her head. Everyone was the enemy. There was no where to go, no escape or way out. She was locked behind closed eyes.

She whispered sweet things in his ear, but suddenly stopped as her eyes finally shot open.

"C-couldn't be..." she said, now noticing the glowing streaks of silverish-blue running down the boy's cheek, neck and torso. She stared at him, an endless quaking frown on her lips, but her tears ceased to fall as she kept as still as possible.

"Aang?" she asked, a tinge of begging in her voice. She peered down at his hand intertwined with hers and then back at his face.

His neck tightened in her grip and he began to cough forcefully. She almost choked on her own breath as she inhaled sharply in excitement. She slowly rubbed his back, trying to help him catch his breath so he wouldn't go out again. Somehow, someway, she'd healed him, but it didn't matter. All that mattered now was keeping him alive long enough to maintain his living status.

When his coughing fit was over, he opened his eyes into slits. A small smile played across his face, and the same memory flashed through both their minds: the coup at Ba Sing Se.

If it was similar, though, Aang was going to make it. She wouldn't have to lose him and she wouldn't have to deal with this sort of thing again. The war was over.

Katara could feel tears rushing back to her eyes, this time around, tears of joy instead of sorrow.

"Ka... Ka..."

"Shh, Aang, shh..."

As her fresh tears fell, they continued to glow with her healing properties, and Katara held the young Avatar closer.

"I... love... you..." Aang managed through deep breaths. She could feel her frown slowly turning into a smile as he said these words, knowing that this time, she had the chance to respond.

"I love you too, Aang. So... so much. You better not leave me again."

He laughed softly, wincing at the pain it caused his abdomen.

"Does... this mean... I'm go... gonna... grow hair... again?" he questioned with a bit of monotone sarcasm in his voice.

She giggled at him.

"Hey, who knew? There was an upside to this whole thing."

He shook his head lightly and shifted in her arms, slowly closing his eyes. He let out one long breath and no longer spoke. He was out cold, but this time, he was breathing.

She sighed, disappointed, but content at the same time. He was going to live. But he was probably going to go through the same thing as he did when Azula hit him. Like daughter, like father she supposed... So she would have to deal with him asleep for a while, what did it matter? He was still alive.

She could deal with that for now.

While she slowly and delicately rocked Aang as they sat on the rough carpet floor, the others outside the room caused a murmur of sound. They were all asking questions and trying to figure out what was going on. Toph on the other hand already knew.

"Sokka?" she said, grasping the boy's shirt in her fingers, "Either I'm losing my touch... or Twinkletoes is alive."

The young warrior sighed.

"Toph... you saw him. He's gone. You even said so yourself..."

Toph just shook her head, getting a tad aggravated already.

"No... I just felt one heartbeat... and now there's two."

"Someone probably went in there to check on Katara. It's not him. He's... he's gone."

"Sokka..." she pleaded, "Have I ever been wrong before?"

He sighed yet again.

"Is this some sick joke, Toph? You know this isn't the time to play games. Seriously, have some respect for the poor kid."

Toph growled under her breath, pushing him back and forth while his shirt was still in her grasp.

"Sokka! Aang. Is. Alive. I'm telling you! I know!"

Sokka lifted his drooped head from defeat and lightened up a bit. He glanced between Toph and the doorway to the throne room.

"Are you sure about this?"

She nodded.

"Positive."

Sokka took one more glance at Toph, raised his eyebrow and then, unexpectedly picked her up and hugged her. He squeezed her waist and spun around happily.

"S-Sokka! Put me... down!" she yelled at him. He frowned and finally released her. As he set her on the ground, she dusted herself off and fixed her hair.

"Toph! Do you know what this means?!"

"Um..." she started, "Twinkletoes is alive?"

He nodded.

"Yes! And do you know what that means?"

"He's not... dead?"

Sokka rolled his eyes at the younger girl, obviously irritated.

"Yes, Toph... but that means we get to keep Katara!"

"Uh... we already have Katara... what are you getting at, Snoozles?"

He shook his head and began pacing back in forth in front of her.

"Do you have any idea what would have happened to Katara if he died?"

Toph raised an eyebrow as he stopped pacing and faced her once again with his hand stroking his chin.

"Oh... well, then I guess it's good he's not dead, huh?"

"Toph!" He flung his arms out as if to emphasize his point. "Of course it's good! It's fantastic!"

She laughed lightly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go see him!"

Sokka nodded and walked into the colossal room, people eyeing them as they did so. Hakoda gave his son a disapproving look, and this let Sokka know that he and Toph were the only ones besides his sister who knew the truth. The scuttled in, finding the spot they left the two with ease.

Katara looked up at her friends, her eyes red from crying, but a smile on her face. She was gently rocking the young airbender, holding him close in her arms. Her hair was out of her braid, sprawled out before her, and lying on the boy in her embrace.

"Sokka? Toph?" she questioned, obviously wondering what they were doing in there. Sokka kneeled before his sister, sitting on the back of his legs, his hands in his lap.

"How is he?"

Katara leaned her head on Aang's gingerly, and stared up at her friends.

"He spoke. He's alright... just needs to sleep is all."

Sokka nodded.

"Do you want me to carry him? You've had a long day and your leg probably won't do well under the weight of both of you."

Katara shifted her leg a little, staring down at the large gash near her thigh. She then looked back up and shook her head. Sokka sighed softly, but nodded and his sister wrapped the young Avatar's arm around her neck, helping him to stand. He wasn't even awake, but she managed, soon picking him up from the back of the knees and holding him in her arms as she stood.

Sokka and Toph escorted her out, the boy still in her warm and loving arms. People turned their heads to look and weeped for his life, not knowing he still lived.

Toph shushed the crowd, calming them with words of the Avatar's survival, and they soon fell quiet; if not for Aang's sake, then for Katara's.

"What's going on?" Hakoda asked his son as they walked down the halls and out of the palace, people following and looking at the many bodies and rubble scattered on the ground.

Sokka smiled a bit at his question.

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, Aang is alive."

Hakoda nodded.

All the friends of the Avatar and companions of the ones he knew head out into the afternoon sun. There were new arrivals, such as fire nation soldiers that decided to join the opposing side, other people who'd learned of the showdown and planned on aiding, and northern water tribers who swooped in just at the right time.

"K-Katara?" Haru said nervously, meeting the waterbender at the side. He was leary on giving her the news he was told to give. She looked at him through saddened, yet apprehensive blue eyes, egging him to spit it out.

"Yes?" she said after an elongated silence.

He glared at Teo and Sokka who were now dodging his gaze.

"Um... I have some... particularly bad news..." he replied, blatantly having trouble configuring sentences.

She nodded and stopped for a minute, giving her full attention to Haru, who continued.

"Well... A-Azula... escaped."

Katara stared at her friend with confused eyes. She picked up her pace again, a slight limp in her step as she walked.

"How did this happen?" she questioned, tears forming once more. "I remember knocking her unconscious... maybe even worse. I don't see how she could've just left without a fight."

Haru desperately avoided her watery eyes.

"I... I don't know."

Neither of them spoke of anything for the rest of the walk to Appa. Quite a number were staying behind in order to control any other war activity breakouts, and some people just headed home.

Toph, Sokka, Hakoda and Katara with Aang took off into the midday sun atop Appa's back. This war was finished, along with Ozai, but Azula was still out there somewhere. They all knew their newest and most important duty; help Aang heal. Be it spiritually, mentally or physically, and hopefully all of the above.

A/N: Okay, how did you like? Please take the time to review, it doesn' t take that long and it helps me improve with my writing. Please no flaming. Aang is not dead, and I know it's somewhat cliche that Katara healed him with her tears, but I couldn't kill Aangy. He's too strong of a character. ;) So... please review. I won't continue the story without at least 5 reviews; and thanks for doing so!

Also, I would like to say, these chapters take a little longer to write than usual, so bear with me on taking a while to compose them. Thanks again.

-Katara