BEFORE YOU READ THIS!!!!

No flamers please! You'll understand why by the end! This is sad! You may or may not cry!

A Broken Promise

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"Aang, can you promise me something?"

He turned to me, happiness and wonder in his eyes as he answered, "Yeah. What is it, Katara?"

I looked into his gray orbs and put on a fake smile, trying to reassure myself. Though, at a loss, I then retreated to my shameful gaze at my feet. I twiddled my thumbs and stuttered, "Just…Promise me you'll come back…alive."

I saw as his cheerful looked changed into one of concern as he wrapped his arms around me, whispering into my ear, "Don't worry, Katara, I'll come back. It's only a small rebellion."

I pulled back, my hands cupping his face to make him look at me, I stared at him intently, saying in a serious tone, "Please…Promise me."

The monk's eyes softened and nodded, "I promise I'll come back to you, Katara. Alive."

I smiled and embraced him once more before we pulled back only slightly to meet each other's lips in a soft, gentle kiss. Worry seized onto me as we pulled away, smiling at each other before he jumped onto Appa's head with Zuko. I found the strength to lift my arm and wave, concern clear on my face. I waved until they disappeared from sight, sighing as I dropped my arm, looking back down at my feet.

I turned on my heels to walk back into the village, meeting Sokka and giving him a warm smile. He put his arm around me as a loving, brotherly gesture, leading me into the igloo where the tribe was eating dinner.

One week later, Aang was supposed to return. I awaited him at the edge of the ocean outside our village. When he didn't show up, I had shaken it off, thinking that they might have had bad weather. He had made a promise, and I trusted him to keep it. I walked inside and met up with Sokka for dinner once more.

Another week passed. The fear that was gripping onto my heart began taking charge. I looked up at the sky, wanting to see Appa, wanting to see Zuko, and most of all, to see Aang, all safe and sound like he promised.

Two days later my heart broke.

I heard about his death. I heard how he was killed in a surprise attack, an arrow piercing his lung. I didn't believe Zuko when he told me. I knew he was lying. He had to be.

As they brought his body to me the next day, to let me say a final goodbye, it all came crashing down on me. He was gone. He really died. They hadn't lied to me.

I looked down at his motionless body, no pain on his face, no expression at all. I traced the outline of his arrow, something to take my mind off of it. Fresh tears formed in my eyes, not holding back as they fled freely from my face, some landing on the lifeless boy beneath me.

"No," was all I could whisper as I pressed my palm to his chest, hoping to find a heartbeat, a sound, anything that would show to me that he was alive, that all of this was a sick joke. I grasped his hand in mine as I felt Sokka's strong arms embrace me. New tears fled away from my eyes as I remembered all of the good times we had had…

When I freed him from the iceberg.

When he asked me to go penguin sledding with him.

When he burnt me with firebending.

When we learned waterbending together.

When we had our first kiss.

When Azula shot him down.

When we danced in that cave.

When he kissed me during the invasion.

When he defeated Ozai.

Everything that we had gone through together, good and bad, crashing down on me all at once. I almost growled at a man when he came up to me, a small bag in his hands, tapping me on the shoulder.

"What!" I yelled at him, not caring about my streaming tears. The man was taken aback, but he understood how much I was suffering.

He cleared his throat and began to speak, handing me the small gold bag as I stared at it in wonder, "Before the Avatar…well…passed, he asked me to give this to you. He said to tell you how much he loved you, how he loved you with everything he had and more. And his last words were directed to you, hoping that you would have said yes."

My vision was blurred as I reached my hand shakily into the bag, feeling around and grasping onto a ribbon. I pulled it out and saw that it was a necklace. An engagement necklace. I stood there in shock and misery as I looked at the delicate craftsmanship of the stone. It was an Air Nomad symbol, swirled into a Water Tribe symbol. I ran my finger along it's ridges and turned it on it's back to see the symbol for love on the back, underneath, the symbols for together and forever.

I immediately fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, the others around me cried as well, but not as much. Not even close. I gritted my teeth in anger and held the necklace to my chest in a death grip, tears still flowing from my closed eyes.

He made me a promise.

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But he didn't keep it.