Chapter 1: First Assignment

Hey guys! Welcome to my new story "Forbidden Love"! Just a warning in advance, this story is going to involve espionage and fighting, so Aang will be more prone to violence and will likely kill other people. Anyway, thank you guys for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A knife landed inches from Aang's face as he walked into the room, making him scramble for cover as he avoided more sent his way. Knife after knife was thrown until it finally stopped while Aang breathed heavily, wondering what in the world was going on. "Sir! Why are you attacking me?" he asked in slight annoyance as he peeked over the edge of the table he had turned over, narrowly avoiding a knife that skimmed just above his head, taking a few locks of his jet black hair with it.

Gyatso stepped out of the shadow and brandished his knives. "You must be prepared for anything, my pupil. Being out in the field, you never know when someone is going to turn around and betray you." He threw another knife as Aang flipped backwards and watched as it lodged into the wall behind him, landing in the spot where his chest would have been had he not moved. "To prove you're ready to be a spy," Gyatso continued before he threw another knife which Aang caught, taking him by surprise. "You must prove that you can handle any situation, even the betrayal of your own master." Gyatso threw one more knife at him, but Aang batted it away with the other knife and pinned Gyatso against the wall with the knife to his throat. Finally satisfied, Gyatso let out a laugh. "You truly have improved since your first lesson, my Ward." Aang grinned and let Gyatso go who straightened out his ruffled up clothes.

"Well, I've had an excellent teacher," Aang told him with a smile while Gyatso laughed and put an arm around him as they walked out of the room. "It seems like only yesterday that I was deemed old enough to begin training."

"Twelve years passed in a day, huh?" Gyatso grinned mischievously, making Aang laugh as well.

"That's what it felt like, anyway," he admitted as they walked to a room filled with older gentleman sitting in a circle. "The Great Council," he bowed to them as Gyatso took his seat to the left of the center of the group.

The man in the center smiled at him. "Aang, you have done well since we first started training you, and with your Mentor's permission, will be made a full spy for the Winds of Fate." He turned to look at Gyatso. "Is he ready to fully join us, Gyatso?"

Gyatso nodded with a proud smile as he looked upon his student. "He is. Every lesson I've taught him, he has taken to heart and has learned it well. He is ready to become one of us."

"Good," the man in the center nodded before returning his attention to Aang. "Kneel, young one." Aang immediately dropped onto his knee and bowed his head, feeling the excitement of the moment course through his body as the man took out a sword from the agency's foundation. "Aang White, do you swear to do whatever it takes to protect the world from what we have deemed as harmful to it, even at the cost of your life?"

Aang nodded solemnly. "I do," he spoke quietly with authority apparent in his voice.

The man nodded again and put his sword over each shoulder and then over his head. "Then by the power vested in me and the council by our founders, I now name you, Aang White, as an official member of the Winds of Fate." He put the sword back and gestured to Aang. "Rise." Aang stood up and looked at the man. "You are now a Wind. May you blow a path to peace for the world to enjoy."

"Thank you," Aang bowed to him and then to each of the council members. Gyatso stood up from his seat and gestured for him to follow.

"Come, young one. We need to get you your gear. We have a special mission for you," Gyatso told him as they walked out of the room. Walking through a few hallways, Aang and Gyatso eventually made it to a set of armor at the end of the hallway with a hole in the center of the armor. Taking a deep breath, Gyatso brought his arms backward and shot them forward, shooting a strong gust of air into the armor which caused a rumbling in the room as it slowly slid open to reveal a pathway. "Come."

Aang followed him out to a room at the end of the passageway and was amazed at all of the technology in there. There was everything from pistols to suits of bulletproof armor, with some strange things he had no clue what they were as he gazed upon them. Gyatso led the way to a section of the room where a large amount of leather jackets hung on a rack of clothes. "When I was your age, we had a different kind of outfit for going out on missions, but as the times change, so must we," he said sagely as he gestured to the rack of jackets.

"Why leather jackets though?" Aang asked in bewilderment as he looked at them closely. "Isn't that a little… impractical?"

Gyatso chuckled as he shook his head. "It may seem that way, but there is a reason why we picked these for your outfits."

"And why is that?" Aang asked as he saw one with the symbol of their agency on top of the hood: a light blue swirl of air.

"Though the leather may be harder to move in," Gyatso admitted. "It provides more protection and makes concealing the bullet-proof part of it easier than any other material we have tried so far. Not to mention that if you're trying to blend in with a crowd, many young ones wear leather jackets in the winter."

"But what about if I have a mission in any other season?" Aang wondered.

Gyatso laughed a little. "Then I'm afraid you'll just look like what you young people call a 'Douchebag'."

Aang shrugged as he picked one out and put it on. "It shouldn't be a problem. It's not like I care about what other people think of me."

"Of course not," Gyatso grinned as he looked at his charge. "Anything else would have been going directly against our very motto. Do you remember what it is?"

Aang grinned back as he thought about it. "Nothing matters except the fate of the world."

"Exactly," Gyatso agreed as he straightened out Aang's jacket for him. "I know you will go on to do great things, young one. Your family was well-known for their brave acts throughout the agency.

Aang's grin dropped as he was reminded of his deceased family. "Yeah, at least that's what I've heard, anyway." He paused and looked to Gyatso. "What were they like before they died?"

Gyatso was silent for a few moments. "Your father was a strong and intelligent young man, but his pride often got in his own way," he finally said. "It was likely his pride which took his life. And your mother…" he trailed off, trying to remember what he could about her. "She was a very kind and caring young woman, which often surprised me when she went from that one minute to deadly and unforgiving the next. Though I suppose being trained for missions would make anyone into a fierce weapon." He shook his head at himself. "At any rate, they were both wonderful people, and although I didn't know them very well, anyone could tell that they loved you very much."

Aang smiled a little at his words before he looked at him gratefully. "Thank you, Gyatso. I'm glad that I at least got to know something about them."

"Of course, my boy," Gyatso smiled and patted him on the back. "I know that I would have wanted to know what my parents were like." Shaking his head from these thoughts, he quickly returned to business. "Now, back to where we were, you have your jacket, but there are a few standard items that you must carry with you always. Any other gadgets that you will need in the field will be assigned by Teo before you go out on your mission."

Aang smiled at the mention of his best friend. Although Teo was originally from the Earthen agency, there had been a misunderstanding that caused him and his father to flee for fear of death, to which the Winds took them in and made them one of their own. Now they couldn't be happier. They were free to tinker and invent whatever their hearts desired which, fortunately for the Winds, usually involved lots of weapons and gadgets that proved useful on their missions. "Sounds good to me," he grinned as Gyatso led the way back out to the main room and walked over to a wall with an assortment of gadgets on it.

"Firstly, we're going to give you this," he started as he grabbed an earpiece off of the wall and handed it to him. "This will be your means of communication for when you need to get in contact with base and with any other agents you might be out on a mission with." Aang nodded in response and pressed the power button before putting it inside his ear. "Great. The second thing we have for you is this," Gyatso took a ball point pen off of the table and handed it to Aang who looked at it in bewilderment. "This pen is not your average pen," he promised as he took another one and clicked it, revealing a long strand of collected energy shooting through the tip. Aang could feel the waves of heat radiating from it as he stared at it in amazement. "This pen, although appearing common, is far more lethal than anything else you'll find in the world. Not only is it ideal for fighting, it can also cut through any kind of metal known to man, and therefore will allow you access to any place you may need to go."

Aang grinned as he looked at his own pen in amazement. "That's amazing, Gyatso. What else do you have for me?" he asked excitedly. Gyatso chuckled and reached up on the wall to pull down a smart phone with a case on it. "You're giving me a phone? Won't that give away my position?" he asked curiously.

Gyatso shook his head. "This isn't really a phone, it's just made to look like it is," he assured him as he handed it to him. "Turn it on," he ordered. Aang turned it on and was amazed as a dozen programs came up on it. "This will help you get into areas that others will not want you in, along with some other added perks."

"Like what?" Aang asked curiously as he searched through the programs and noticed one with the money symbol on it.

"For instance," Gyatso stepped closer and pointed to the one he was looking at. "That one right there is all the funds you will ever need for your missions. We do not bother with cash anymore, so our money for the agency is all pooled into one offshore account that we distribute access to each of our agents. If you ever need anything, simply use that program and put it against the computer and it will be paid for."

Aang smiled as he looked at it. "That will definitely come in handy," he thought aloud before he looked at the rest of the programs with one especially catching his eye. "Sound enhancer?" he asked curiously as he looked up at his mentor.

Gyatso grinned. "I'm glad that you mentioned that, because the final gadget I will give you is related to that." He returned his attention to the wall and took off a box that held some orange earbuds in them and gave it to him. "That program will activate your microphone which, once in use, will be able to detect conversations from a hundred miles away."

"Really?" Aang asked with wide eyes as he stared down at the 'phone' in amazement.

"Really," Gyatso agreed as he patted him on the back and started walking out. "Now you have your standard gear, but I have one more not-so-standard piece of gear to give you. Follow me." Aang did as he was told and followed his mentor to another room filled with various weapons. There was everything from swords to guns along the walls as they walked in. "You may pick one of these weapons, but keep in mind that you'll want something quiet to ensure that you are not caught. Choose wisely," he advised him before taking a step back and letting Aang look around.

As he searched through the many rows of weapons, a small dagger with the symbol of the agency caught his eye. Making his way over to it quickly, he picked it up and admired it in the light. It looked to be brand new, appearing just as deadly as it appeared elegant. Gyatso smiled as he noticed what had taken Aang's interest. "You have good taste, Aang. This is the favored weapon of our top spies, and was even used by your father."

Aang looked at him in amazement. "Really?" Gyatso nodded with a small smile. Aang looked back at it and ran his hand over it when he felt the symbol on it being pressed. Without warning, the dagger tripled in size and turned into a longsword as Aang gasped in amazement at it.

"This weapon isn't like any of the others," Gyatso promised as he took it from his student and showed it to him. "This sword has several uses besides fighting. It can deflect any projectile shot at it and can even be used if you are in a dark place."

"I don't think I'm going to be depressed, Gyatso," Aang laughed a little as he took the sword back and admired it.

Gyatso laughed as well and shook his head. "No, Aang. That is not what I meant. Hold down on the button for five seconds." Aang did as he was told while Gyatso walked over to the end of the room and turned off the lights, making him gasp as the sword glowed a bright orange in the dark. "As you can see, I meant quite literally if you're in a dark place," Gyatso chuckled before he walked over and turned the lights back on.

"That's amazing!" Aang stared at his new weapon in awe before he pressed the button again and shrunk it back to a dagger. Gyatso walked over to a corner of the room and gave him a sheathe to put over his shoulder.

"This sheathe will only surrender its weapon when your dna activates it, so no one will be able to take it without your say-so. Any other questions?" Aang shook his head as he sheathed his dagger. "Good. Come, we must prepare you for your mission." Aang nodded and followed him out of the room as Gyatso closed it behind him and made their way to the planning room in the center of the building. As they walked into the room, Aang couldn't help but admire the beauty of where they were located. The Last Headquarters of the Winds had once been in the city where they thought they would not be discovered, but with an attack there that demolished it, the council decided they would never make that mistake again. Now at their new headquarters, they were located at the top of a mountain range where no one but those they trusted would know they were there. Gyatso finally made it to the center of the room and blew some air into two holes in the ground, making a large screen come up from the ground with Aang's profile on it. "Your first mission won't be easy, young one," Gyatso warned.

Aang shrugged as he looked at the screen. "I never expected it to be. Nothing about being a spy is easy."

"Wise words," Gyatso agreed with a small chuckle before becoming serious again. "We have gotten reports on a potential threat happening on a large island in the Caribbean." A picture of said island was displayed on the screen for Aang to see. "We are not entirely sure what it is we're looking for, but that is what we need to find out. Your mission will be to infiltrate the main building and gather as much information on it as you can and report back to us. Once we have seen what we are dealing with, we will figure out from there on next steps. Do you think you can handle this?"

"Yes sir," Aang replied confidently, making Gyatso smile at how grown up his student had become.

"Good. Before I forget, there is one other thing I must warn you about," Gyatso told him as he pressed a button and a picture of a figure in the background came on. "This is a well-known agent of the Water agency, known as 'The Wave'."

Aang tried to take a closer look at them, but could not find anything that could tell him about what kind of person they were. "Okay?" he asked in confusion as he turned back to Gyatso. "What should I know about them?"

Gyatso pressed a button and the screen changed to a picture of the symbol of the Water agency. "As you know, for a long time we have held an alliance with them, but recently things have not gone well for either of our agencies. This agent was seen attacking one of our own, and has in the process broken the alliance that we shared. Now they are open for attack should we run into them, but we will not seek them out. All except for this one, that is," he amended as he pointed to 'The Wave' on the right of the symbol. "This one has proven to be too much of a risk to be left alive, and we cannot allow them to try to harm more of our brothers and sisters. Word has it that the Water agency is sending 'The Wave' to find out what's going on as we are, but we will have a different purpose added to our mission." He gave Aang a serious look. "To ensure that justice is done, 'The Wave' must be silenced forever."

Sweat poured down Katara's face as she sparred with her brother. "Come on, Sokka! You're supposed to keep up with me," she taunted as she swung at him with her fist. Sokka easily side-stepped her strike and attempted to kick her from behind, but she simply rolled out of the way and his foot met the wall behind her.

"Ow!" he yelled in pain as he hopped around on his good foot and quickly got over the pain before returning his attention to his sister. "I'm trying, but if you didn't move around so much, then maybe I wouldn't keep kicking walls," he grumbled before moving up again to strike. Katara didn't give him the chance and swept him off his feet, making him crash to the ground hard as he let out a groan of pain.

She smirked at him as she wiped some sweat from her forehead. "How do you ever expect to beat me if you keep doing the same moves?" she teased before offering a hand to help him up.

"You're one to talk," Sokka snorted with a roll of his eyes as he took it and stood up. "At least I didn't attack one of the Winds and make our several hundred years old alliance crumble into nothing."

Katara's smirk dropped as she looked down in shame before her pride stepped in. "Well how was I supposed to know that he was an agent of the Winds?" she asked defiantly with her arms crossed.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe you could tell by the big swirl pattern on their hoods?" he shot back before he leaned against the wall and took a sip of his water bottle. "Now thanks to you, we have been made enemies of the only agency that we truly got along with."

Katara rolled her eyes in return. "Hey, we get along pretty well with the Earthen agency," she argued before taking a sip herself.

"Maybe," Sokka conceded as he wiped some sweat from his brows. "But still. The Winds were our closest allies before you decided to attack one of their top people."

"Sokka, I told you, it was an accident!" she exclaimed exasperatedly with the biggest roll of her eyes Sokka had ever seen from her. "If I had known that he was a Wind, I never would have done it."

Sokka shook his head and walked out of the room with her right behind him. "Well maybe if you had waited for more than one second to attack him, then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation. Now not only do we have to watch out for the Fire agency, we have to watch out for the Wind agency too."

Katara snorted and rolled her eyes once again. "Oh please. We'll be fine, Sokka. The Fire agency is filled with a bunch of easily angered douchebags and the Wind agents are filled with peaceful old men. There's nothing to worry about."

"Wow," Sokka laughed incredulously as he made his way to their rooms. "You really don't know anything about the Winds, do you?"

She looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? The records in the agency library-"

"Are from four hundred years ago," Sokka cut her off as he took another sip from his water bottle and turned down a hallway. "You know, before the whole agency battle that forced the Winds to become hostile towards their enemies when their leader was assassinated?"

Katara's eyes widened as she remembered the story of how the once peaceful agency had become known as the most lethal one in history. "That's right," she muttered while slapping her own forehead in disbelief at herself. "And now instead of being our friends, they probably hate us."

"Yep. Good job on that, by the way," Sokka said fake-cheerily as they reached the housing portion of the agency. As they walked in, Katara still couldn't help but be amazed at where their agency had picked to hide. Being by water was one thing, but having their headquarters anchored underneath water was something else entirely. It worked well for them, however, as the only way anyone would be able to know where their location was if they scanned with sonar over vast amounts of the oceans which would take far too long before they finally found it. It was a bit of a pain for those who enjoyed fresh air, as they would have to go up in a submarine to get it, but was otherwise ideal for them. Ever since Katara was a little girl, she had always enjoyed being in the water. Even before her parents had joined the agency her grandfather ran, she had always felt a special connection to the water. Likely due to the fact that she was a Water bender, but regardless, that connection was there all the same. "I suppose it doesn't really matter now," Sokka continued as he made his way to their rooms that were right across from each other. "We'll just have to be careful when we go out in the field."

"You mean like the mission we're going on tomorrow?" she asked seriously.

He nodded slowly as he thought about it. "Yes, exactly like the mission we're going on tomorrow," he agreed as he thought more into it. "Though on the bright side, we won't be going in alone."

Katara looked at him curiously as they walked. "What do you mean? It's usually just us on our missions."

"Yeah, it usually is," he agreed as he finally reached his room and turned around to look at her. "But this mission is more serious than the other ones we've been on. This could actually be a big deal if we're not careful, so the Earthen agency has sent their best agent to help us out."

Katara smiled a little as she thought about it. "That's cool. It'll be nice having someone else help us out. Then maybe we can even finish the mission quicker and get back home."

"I wouldn't get too excited yet," Sokka chuckled as he leaned up against the door and almost fell from the door that had opened slightly. After making sure he was okay, he continued, "There's a reason why this agent is the best of the Earthen agency. They say that though she's the strongest agent they've got, that also means that she's the proudest and most stubborn agent they've got."

Katara groaned in annoyance as she rolled her eyes. "Of course she is. It wouldn't be a mission if there wasn't an unexpected complication, would it?"

"No it wouldn't," he agreed as he moved and leaned up against the wall, secretly sighing in relief as he didn't fall again. "But we'll have to work together to get this done. Especially if we do end up having the Winds on our tail."

"Yeah, we will," Katara nodded as she thought about it. "Have we heard anything about the Winds' movements lately?"

Sokka shook his head. "No, we haven't heard much about them, but knowing how involved they were in the state of the World, I wouldn't put it past them to send their own agents to see what's going on."

"We'll definitely have to watch out for them, then," Katara mused as she thought it over. "Especially if they send their newest agent."

Sokka looked at her in confusion. "How do you know new stuff about the Winds that I don't?" he asked in confusion.

Katara shrugged. "Before I… made my mistake… there was a chat between our people and the Winds. While we were all talking, I spoke to a few of the agents there and they were all talking about the same man. A trainee that was about to be made an agent that they wouldn't stop talking about."

"What was the big deal with this guy?" Sokka wondered as he scratched his head.

"Apparently he's not like any other agent they've had before," she told him with a slightly worried look on her face. "They say that he's the most deadly agent they've ever had, and that he has powers that no one else has ever shown before."

Sokka's eyebrow raised as he looked at her disbelievingly. "Oh please. They probably just wanted to brag about something. I'm sure it's nothing." Katara still didn't look sure, but he shrugged and stood up straight. "If what they said is true, then we'll just have to be extra careful in case we run into him. Okay?"

"Okay," Katara agreed before turning around. "I'm gonna get some sleep. Night Sokka." Without another word, she quickly walked into her apartment and shut the door while slumping up against it. She didn't want her brother to see her like this, but she was truly worried. What she hadn't told her brother was that the agents of the Winds she had spoken to had told her more than she had let on. According to them, this new agent was the most cunning, intelligent, and strong spy they had ever had. And there was something else, too. Something from a legend long ago… Katara still wasn't sure if she should believe them or not, but she had seen videos of him on missions that he had gone on with agents of the Water Agency. If he was the one sent after her… she would truly have to watch her back. Sighing slightly, she shook off her nerves and made her way to her bed. As she laid down, her mind couldn't help but think about this agent who might be after her. Katara wasn't one to be easily scared, but if the legends she had heard were true…

A knock on the door sounded, making her curious as she snapped out of her thoughts. No one had visited her this late at night for a long time. Without a second thought, she quickly got out of her bed and opened the door, becoming confused when no one was there. As she looked around, an envelope caught her eye as it laid on the ground in front of her. Raising an eyebrow, she crouched down and picked it up, making sure to close the door before she walked to the table and sat down, wondering why someone had left her a letter. Opening it quickly, she took out a letter and was amazed to see it in scrambled letters. "I'll need my descrambler," she thought aloud before going into her room and digging through her desk. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found it and brought it out to the table. Placing the letter flat out on the table, she scanned it with her descrambler and read the contents on the screen.

"Katara Aqua," she read aloud as she looked between the screen and the letter. "I am taking a serious risk by doing this, but your father once saved my life, so now I give you this warning: The Agent we have told you about is being sent after you." She stopped reading for a moment and took a deep breath, feeling her fear spike as the realization hit her before she continued, "If you are not careful, he will take your life. Watch your back, because he is not like any foe you have ever faced before. Give your father my best wishes." She paused as she looked at the letter closely and saw there was more. "P.S. This letter and the descrambler you used will self-destruct in ten seconds upon reading this last word." Her eyes widened as the paper and the descrambler started counting down in perfect sync. Knowing what she had to do, she quickly ran to the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet, just barely managing to get it out of the way before a thud could be heard from the drainage pipes. She just hoped that it wouldn't cause any plumbing issues. The last thing her agency needed was to call in a plumber and then erase his or her memories like they had to do before. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head at herself. "You really did it now, huh Katara?" she chided herself as she walked back to her room and laid down in her bed. Wrapping herself in her blankets, it wasn't long before she fell into a deep sleep.

A loud crash! woke Katara up, making her shoot up instantly and look around with tired eyes. What's going on? She thought tiredly before she slowly got up and snuck over to her bedroom door. Cracking it open slightly, she was surprised to see complete darkness in her apartment. Katara wasn't afraid of the dark, but she was no stranger to late night bathroom visits, and had made sure to have at least a nightlight out there to guide her way to the bathroom. But now there was no light at all, and she wasn't sure what to think of that. Certainly that couldn't be a good sign, could it? Another crashing sound came to her right, to which she quickly ran to and found herself in her kitchen. As she turned on the lights, she saw that there was nothing there except a pot that had fallen from the counter. Wait a minute… she thought as her eyes widened a little in fear. I didn't leave a pot on the counter… Light footsteps could be heard behind her, making her turn around quickly as she stared into the darkness of the living room. Taking a few deep breaths until she was calm, she took the pan that had 'dropped' onto the ground and got into a defensive position. "Whoever you are, stay away from me!" she warned, trying to hide the fear in her voice and failing. A pair of white eyes came out of the dark, making her gasp as they moved closer to her until she could see the silhouette of a man with a hood hanging over his face. "Who are you?" she asked while pointing the pan at him.

"I am your end," the man whispered back before closing his dark gray eyes again. Katara's eyes widened in fear as she tried to make a dash for it, but a blade came out of her chest, ending her life as she hit the floor.

Flash.

Katara breathed heavily as she ran across a rooftop. She was running from something, but she didn't know what from. All she knew was that if she stopped, she would die. A flash of black caught the corner of her eye as she continued running, temporarily slowing down from time to time to jump over an obstacle in her path.

"You cannot run forever," a voice promised from behind her. A new wave of fear rolled off of her as she ran faster, knowing that the only way she would lose her attacker was with speed. A large air vent stood in her way, making her worry a little before an idea came to mind. Not wanting to waste a second, she quickly jumped onto a smaller vent to her left and vaulted to the top and disappeared into the ventilation system. Landing roughly, she shook her head and crawled through it until she felt she had put enough distance between her and whatever was chasing her. "And you cannot hide forever," the voice whispered in her ear behind her, making her eyes widen in surprise before everything went dark.

Flash

Katara gasped and shot up from her dreams, panting heavily and trying desperately to regain her bearings. She couldn't seem to shake off the fear from her dreams as she tried to breathe, and it only grew worse as time passed. "You're finally awake," a voice said from behind her. Her eyes widened in fear as she got up from her bed and turned around in a defensive position, but saw no one on her bed. Confused and still breathing heavily, she crept over to her window and looked outside, but saw nothing. As she looked through the window, she saw some movement in the reflection from the glass, making her gasp as she stared into the dark gray eyes that had haunted her dreams. "And now you will sleep forever," the hooded man said before he brandished a dagger from his back and stabbed her through hers, going right through her lungs as she ceased breath.

"Noooooo!" Katara yelled as she thrashed around in her sleep. "You won't get me!"

Sokka, who had heard his sister's cries in the night, sighed in exasperation. "Katara, wake up!" he yelled as he shook her until she finally woke up.

"Sokka?" Katara asked tiredly as she sat up on her bed and blinked a few times in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

He rolled his eyes. "I heard you screaming in your sleep. I'm surprised that you didn't wake up the rest of the agency!" he exaggerated while waving his arms in the air before he took a deep breath. "Look, as much as I could be complaining about how you woke me up, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Katara was touched by the concern on his face, but she shook her head with a long sigh. "No Sokka, I'm not," she admitted while looking down at her feet. "I didn't tell you the whole truth of what I heard from the Wind Agents."

Sokka raised an eyebrow as he sat on the bed. "What do you mean? What did you not tell me?"

"This Agent they told me about… he's supposed to be the most deadly agent they've ever had," she told him as she tried to clear her fearful dreams from her mind. "They told me that he was supposed to be their champion. The one that would one day lead them into a golden age for their agency and would defeat any enemies they had. But they also told me of a legend…" she trailed off nervously, seeing flashbacks of the dark gray eyes that haunted her.

"What kind of legend?" Sokka asked warily as he looked at her in confusion, wondering what this legend was that could make her so scared.

Katara was silent for another moment before she finally spoke, "I don't know all of the details but… apparently, long ago there was used to be a man who governed over the world, making sure that each of the four countries got along and was known as 'The Peacekeeper'."

"The Peacekeeper?" Sokka asked disbelievingly. "What kind of name is that?"

"Hey, I didn't come up with the name! Just let me finish!" she glared at him, making his eyes widen as he remained silent and waited. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "So this 'Peacekeeper' wasn't like any human the world had ever known. He was the master of all elements and had the wisdom of a thousand lifetimes, but he was still mortal and died from old age. Before his death, his last words were a promise. A promise that one day, when the world needed another peacekeeper to set things right, that God would send another to ensure the world remained in peace." She paused and rubbed her eyes, still feeling drowsy from her sleep. "Then one day, the Winds top two agents fell in love and had a kid. And the kid was supposedly born with the birthmark as the Peacekeeper from the legend. Whether any of that's true or not, I have no clue. What I do know is I've seen footage of him on a mission, and he's not like any agent I've seen before."

Sokka was silent for a moment before he patted her reassuringly on the back. "Okay… well then we'll deal with whatever comes. Right now we've got more important things to worry about. Pakku said that this mission could mean the end of the world if it's not taken care of." He paused and gave her a half hug. "I promise, I'll do whatever I can to protect you."

Katara scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I can protect myself, Sokka."

"Your fear of this guy seems to argue otherwise," he responded with a small chuckle before he became serious again. "Even if this guy does is the man from the legend and is sent after you, we can do this. We've survived a lot of other missions before. Who says we can't do it again? And who knows? Maybe we can explain to him why everything went wrong and he can back off from his orders."

"Yeah… maybe…" Katara replied doubtfully, but she knew better than to argue with her brother when it was so late at night. "Alright, I've kept you up long enough. Go get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Sokka chuckled and stood up. "Yeah, tomorrow should be interesting," he agreed and gave her a small smile. "Get some sleep sis. Love ya."

"Love ya too, bro," she yawned as he walked out of the room and shut the door. Although her fear wasn't gone, she felt a little better knowing that her brother would be there for her. Maybe he was right. Maybe if they just explained what had happened, then maybe he really would abandon his orders of her death. She shook her head at herself. It didn't matter. Being an agent, she was well aware of the risks that came with it, and she knew that to be an agent she would have to accept what could happen on the mission. Taking a deep breath, she breathed out slowly and nodded to herself in the reflection of the window. If she was to die on this mission, she would die as she lived: in the service of others. With that thought in mind, she laid back down and slowly drifted off into peaceful dreams with a small smile on her face.