Renegaded Spirits

Monsters

A man walked through a market as he bought some fruits and vegetables. He heard a wind chime behind him in the almost empty town. The clouds of a storm were rolling in, rain would fall any minute.

"Hello?" The old man looked behind him as he held the basket of food. The marketer looked at him confused.

"Did you see someone?" He asked the man he was buying from. The man shook his head.

The old man finished his small shopping trip and started to walk back home to his mother. He walked down stone stairs at the edge of the town but felt someone watching him still.

"Is someone there?" He called looking up. Nothing.

"I'm to old for this," the man sighed as he continued to walk.

On his way home it began to down pour as he still felt eyes on him from behind and kept looking back suspiciously. Picking up his pace every other time he looked behind him. He glanced behind him as he swore he heard foot steps. He went faster.

"Nobody sneaks up on me without getting burned!" He growled as he punched fire at a bush behind him. But no one was there. He picked up his food from the market but as he turned back he tripped over a string and fell face first into the mud. Just as the old man looked up he saw fire land in front of him as he gasped jumping back.

"We weren't behind the bush," the man looked up seeing two masked figures, one that had blue with white horns and the other was white with red markings.

"I wouldn't try firebending again," Zuko growled.

"Whoever you are take my money, take whatever you want," Yon Rha begged pathetically. But Katara walked over with a glare.

She pulled her mask up on her head, next to Zuko as she looked down at the man.

"Do you know who I am?" Katara asked darkly.

"No... I'm not sure..." the old man looked at her with wide eyes.

"Oh you better remember me like your life depends on it!" Katara snapped getting closer.

"Why don't you take a closer look," she hissed narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yes... I remember you now... your the little water tribe girl!" Yon Rha looked at her now remembering those same blue eyes that were once afraid of him seven years ago.

"You invaded my home, took my mother from me!" Katara snarled down at him as the man trembled in fear.

He gulped. He remembered the woman he killed. He remembered the daughter that went to find her father near tears.

"She lied to you though, she wasn't a water bender," Katara hissed at him. "She was protecting them..."

"What? Who?" Yon Rha asked confused.

"ME!" Katara yelled and stopped the rain around them in a second. Yon Rha looked around as his breathing stopped.

Zuko pulled his mask on her head as well as he looked at the water being bended into a dome around them to stop the rain from pouring down on them.

Katara inhaled deeply, anger fueling her. With tears in her eyes, Katara let out a battle cry as she bended the water around and down into sharp shards of ice as they aimed straight to Yon Rha as she screamed.

But the ice stopped inches from him, hovering by his face.  

Katara paused looking at the terrified old man and dropped her stance as it changed the ice back into water as she let her arms dangle at her sides letting rain pour on them again. 

"I did a bad thing, I know I did, I'm a monster, you deserve revenge, why don't you take my mother? That would be fair?" Yon Rha got on his hands and knees as he looked up at Katara beggingly. Tears ran down his face. He was just pathetic.

"I always wondered what kind of person could do such a thing, but now that I see you, I think I understand," Katara looked at him in disgust with her eye brows knitted together.

"There's just nothing inside you, nothing at all, your pathetic and sad and empty," she walked towards him glaring at him.

"Please spare me," Yon Rha bowed to her with his head down.

"As much as I hate you, I just can't do it," Kataras hands trembled as she looked at him shaking her head.

"But it doesn't mean you don't deserve every ounce of suffering and pain that comes your way," she spat before walking away.

Zuko walked up to him and put his finger under the mans chin with a dark look in his eyes as the man helplessly sobbed.

"If it were up to me, I'd snap your neck right now," Zuko whispered in his ear, shivers ran down the old mans spine.

"So you better pray that you don't see us again," he said simply and let go harshly of the old man.

Zuko went to find Katara but paused seeing her standing in the wet grass and a soft sob escaped her throat.

"Hey..." Zuko walked up to her and put a hand on her back. He let her know he was here.

"I couldn't do it," she looked at him as tears trailed down her face, mixing with the rain.

"It's okay kat," he pulled her into a tight hug as she wrapped her arms around his chest and let out a heavy sob, she wailed against his shirt as her body trembled. She gasped for air but another sob came out.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry," she sobbed holding onto him. He didn't let go, loosen, didnt faltered his arms around her, protecting her from the world.

"It's okay, she's proud of you, we all are," Zuko held her head against his chest.

A tear ran down his face hearing her continue to cry in his arms. He hated seeing her hurt like this. He hated it.

"I'm here Katara,"

——

Katara sat at the end of a dock as Zuko dropped her off there, she said she needed time to think. He said he'll tell the others so she wouldn't have to. She watched the sun set against the calm waters that her toes barely touched.
But Aang came back to check up on her with Zuko behind.

"Katara are you okay?" Aang ran up concerned.

"I'm fine," she didn't look back at the two benders.

"Zuko told me what you did, or what you didn't do I guess, I'm proud of you," Aang smiled relieved as Katara glanced back.

"I wanted to do it, I wanted to take out all my anger on him but I couldn't, I don't know if I'm to weak to do it or I'm strong enough not to," she closed her eyes bowing her head down.

"You did the right thing, forgiveness of the first step you have to take to begin healing," Aang told her softly as she got to her feet to face them.

"I didn't forgive him," Katara told Aang sternly.

"I'll never forgive him," she breathed.

"But thank you for letting me be the one to choose," Katara smiled at Aang and walked past Zuko, her hand grazing his as she passed by him.

"You were right about Katara, violence wasn't the answer," Zuko watched his love walk back to few bison.

"It never is," Aang smiled.

"Then I have a question for you," he sighed turning back to Aang seriously.

"What are you going to do when you face my father?"