Part Two

One lone waterbender sat huddled in the corner of her tent; wrapped hastily in scratchy blue blankets. Black pitch engulfed her senses. The air was heavy with the stillness and silence that battle brought.

She sat statuelike, her breath coming now and then in ragged bursts. A rebellious tear welling in her eyes. She was sure the hour was late; her body's natural clock told her so. But the peace of slumber would not take her.

Katara's head hummed a miserable aching tune. In actuality, she was exhausted, but worry clouded her stupor. Sighing in her body's protest to move, the waterbender crept from her snug nest and out into the night. The sounds of snoring Watertribe men echoed across the small campsite. Katara took no notice of this however. She was deep in thought as she lithely made her way to one of the tents closer to shore; being careful not to make any sound whatsoever.

Finally reaching her destination, she slipped casually into the dark space. Soft, even breaths could be heard somewhere to the right of where she stood. Following the sound, she carefully shuffled past the entrance. Then, kneeling down, she pressed a palm forward; searching for a pale hand in the darkness.

When her hand finally came in contact with his, she sighed in relief. The boy's hand was soft, but clammy and hot; a fever plaguing his young body. As quickly as the calm had come, anxiety tooks it's turn. She swiftly ran her other hand to find his blistering forehead. Hoping the cool contrast of her fingertips would bring some relief to him, she cradled his head in her arms.

She sat cross-legged on the floor of the young monk's tent like that for several minutes; softly singing a tune to hopefully relax his contorted features. She could only wish he got a restful night of sleep, despite her inability to do so. As she attempted to bring peace to him- something she knew might not be possible given the situation, she herself could feel a veil being lifted from her eyes.

She had experienced this sensation a few times before, but none as strongly as now; as she cradled him like an infant in her arms. She felt clear to bursting, and was perfectly content with the idea of never leaving him. Now, as she thought about it, sleep would probably more easily come. What with the comfort and wellness she felt with his presence.

It had been several days since the incident (that was what they were calling it now), and in that time, Aang had only stirred long enough to down some water. She had been working diligently to heal the dark mark on his backside, but to no avail. Perhaps, she thought, she would be successful once he regained conciousness. However, he hadn't ever really awoken since she had used the spirit water to revive him. Trepidation flew over her nerves.

If he did not wake up soon, he would die.

Katara's eyes stung painfully; willing her to give in to her emotions. She shook her head bitterly. She wasn't going to begin thinking like that. He was going to wake upIncoherent mumbling.

The waterbender gasped suddenly, suprised by the contrast playing before her. Lying against her, Aang, who had been silent and unresponsive moments before, now writhed beneath her.

"No...mmm..."

Both excited and anxious by these events, Katara leaned closer. "What is it Aang? Can you hear me?" The young monk continued his sighing protests; battling an invisible force in his nightmarish dreams. Wishing to comfort, she came closer still, whispering so to soothe.

"Shhhh, it's alright Aang. I'm here."

Then, as if the words had convicted some foreign truth to him, he lay limp in her arms. Fearing the worst, Katara fumbled to find his heartbeat beneath his chest. To her relief, she found it beating steadily; his breath smooth and relaxed in turn. The peace upon his face brought a smile to Katara's lips, gracing her eyes as well. Then, he mouthed a contented and airy sigh; as if heaven had opened up to him.

"Katara."

Her heart skipped a beat. He had spoken clearly and audibly in his sleep. He had said her name. She could have flown ten feet in the air if it was possible. This could be the break through for him. He could have a chance of getting better-

"K-katara. please-", he whispered. His voice conveyed a feeling of loss and agony. Like it hurt him to say her name. She absolutely hated the idea of bringing him pain in such a way. She had to help him.

She softly replied, "It's alright. What is it? What do you need?"

The young waterbender hoped her voice sounded strong and comforting to him. But, she wasn't so sure herself. For a minute, Katara wasn't sure he was even still with her. But then, she heard him start again; the sleep making his words come out lazily. "Please, don't leave me."

"I won't, I promise. I'll stay as long as you need me to."

He was quickly losing his hold to reality, as the sleep began to pull him away once again. But he kept on, clearly needing to say something he didn't have time to; what with the exhaustion clouding his head. He whispered still even quieter,"Forever?"

She nodded her head. "Yes."

This seemed to be just what he needed. He began to slide off into his dreams; this time they held promises of happiness and freedom from darkness. Smile gracing his lips, he uttered his farewell, "Love you."

The teary-eyed Katara could only nod, mouth agape with astonishment. So little had been said, but the meaning of it all had been clear, and held so much to her. Pulling him farther into her embrace, she hugged him gently, hoping he could feel it wherever he was.

As she stood to make her way to her tent, she acknowledged that Aang was going to be alright. When she finally settled back into her blankets and had hidden herself in their familiar warmth, she could feel the hazy fog of sleep coming at long last. She smiled knowing that things were going to get better, now and forever.

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A/N:

Well, here's part two. Yes, I do plan on continuing this story. This will not be the last of it.

I had planned to make "Whispers that calm us" a oneshot, but then alot of people wanted to see a second chapter. So I did, but now I feel like the story could be touched upon just a tad more. I'm not sure how many chapters long it will be, but It will be atleast three chapters long.

This chapter was sort of like a flash back in Katara's point of view. I thought it was important for readers to understand her story as well.

Hope you liked it, and keep watching for more!

Tell me what you think.