Altered | A Genderswap ATLA AU

See, Kids, This is Why You Never go On Strange Ships

Aang and Katasi returned to the village, guilt written on their faces for the incident that had occurred moments before. And, unfortunately for them, the rest of the tribe had seen the flare as well.

"Yay! Aang's back!" the children cheered as they ran towards her, eager to resume their playing. Meanwhile, all the adults only stared at them.

Sokka stalked forward out of the gathered crowd, steam practically coming out her ears. "I knew it! Didn't I tell you she's a spy?! She signalled the Fire Navy with that flare!" she accused, obviously and rightfully furious. "You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?"

"Aang didn't do anything!" Katasi defended. "It was an accident!"

Aang scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah, we were on this ship, and there were these booby traps, and, well, we walked right into one."

"Katasi, you shouldn't have gone on that ship!" Gran Gran scolded. "Now we could all be in danger."

He looked down, ashamed. "Don't blame Katasi," Aang said since it was, after all, her fault. "I'm the one who brought him there and I'm the one who convinced to come inside with me. He didn't want to go."

"Aha! So, the traitor confesses! Warriors, away from the enemy!" Sokka declared. "This traitor is banned from our village! "

"You're making a mistake!" Katasi exclaimed.

"No, I'm not. I'm doing what you should be doing, keeping our promise to Mom! I'm protecting you and the village from threats like her!" his sister shot back.

"Aang is not our enemy! She's brought back something we haven't had in a long time: fun," he countered stubbornly.

"Fun?! You can't fight firebenders with fun!"

Aang tilted her head and smiled innocently. "How would you know if you've never tried?"

"Get out of our village! Now!" ordered Sokka, ignoring her remark.

"Grandmother, please! She can't do this!" Katasi begged.

"Katasi, you knew going on that ship was forbidden. Now your sister is right," agreed Gran Gran much to his dismay. "I think it's best that the airbender leave."

"Well, then, I'm banished, too!" Katasi snapped. He turned and grabbed Aang's arm before storming off with her. "C'mon, Aang, let's go."

"And where do you think you're going?" Sokka shouted.

"To find a waterbending teacher! Aang's taking me to the North Pole." Either way, he got his wish. Only difference it was because his family pushed them away.

"I am?" Aang asked. "Cool!"

Sokka stared after them at that. He couldn't actually be thinking.... "Katasi, are you really going to choose her, over your tribe, over your own family?" she demanded.

Aang and Katasi froze in their tracks, him as he actually thought over his decision, her over the realization she couldn't come between him and his home. He wouldn't be able to come back once they left, and that would be over her head. She just couldn't, with good conscience, let Katasi leave his tribe.

So despite the company she desired on her trip, a familiar face since after a hundred years, many things were bound to have changed, she decided to continue her journey home alone. "I don't want to come between you and your family, Katasi," Aang told him. "Air Nomads don't really have families, and I don't want you to lose yours." With that Aang took her arm away from him and made her way to Appa by herself.

"Then you're leaving the South Pole?" asked Katasi sadly. "This is goodbye?" How wonderful. He finally had a friend close to his own age, who was a girl that wasn't his sister, and now the tribe was forcing her to leave. Today couldn't get possibly worse.