Katara: The World's Lost Hope

Awakening

Katara opens her eyes only to see a Fire Nation flag hanging on the wall above her. She sits up, and finds that she's in a room much like the one she was held captive in all that time ago. Her chest tightens. This is very bad. Katara needs to get out of here, to escape.

She attempts to stand up, nearly collapsing in the process. She wills her legs to move, and they somehow do. Leaning heavily against the walls, Katara makes her way out of the room, surprised by the unlocked door and lack of guards. Why isn't she in chains? Her legs shake beneath her, and everything slightly spins, but Katara needs to get off this ship. She can't be taken. Katara makes her way out to the ship's deck when a familiar friend lands on her shoulder.

"Momo?" She asks. Is she hallucinating? A soldier turns around at the sound of her voice.

"Katara!" they shout, but it's Sokka's voice. Katara's breathing quickens. Black and blue spots blot out her vision. Her head feels light. Katara stares into the blue eyes of this Fire Nation soldier before everything goes black.

-----

Katara wakes up again, but she's now surrounded by all her friends. She tries to sit up, but a hand pushes her down.

"Rest," Sokka says to her.

"Wha?" Katara mumbles. What's happening? Where are they? Azula. Her fingers pointing right at Katara. Her lips quirked into a smirk. White flashes. The emptyness. The pull of the void. Sokka pulls his sister into a hug, tears streaming down his face.

"You're okay," he whispers. Eventually the two pull themselves apart, and Sokka wipes away the tears on his cheeks. "You were gone for a couple of weeks, Katara. You almost died. We almost lost you."

"You sure took your sweet time, Sugar Queen," Toph says, looking down at Katara. Amka pulls Katara into a hug.

"Where are we? And why is everyone dressed in Fire Nation clothes?" Katara asks her brother. He hands her a canteen with fresh water, and she drinks greedily.

"After Ba Sing Se, we found dad and the rest of the fleet. We managed to steal a Fire Nation ship and Fire Nation clothes, so we can sneak into the Fire Nation."

"Sneak into the Fire Nation? Was this one of your plans?" Katara asks her brother.

"Yeah," he says, giving her his goofy grin. "Oh! I forgot the best part! The world thinks you're dead!"

"What?" Katara says, nearly spitting out the water in her mouth. "How is that good? The world needs me! What use am I if they think I'm dead?"

"You don't get it. The Fire Nation thinks you're dead. They're not going to be looking for us. It's just the break we need!"

"I... well, I guess you're right."

"I know."

"So what's the plan?"

"The most important thing for you to do right now is recover. We'll handle everything else."

"But Sokka-"

"Katara, we almost lost you," Amka says, cutting her off. "You're no good to the world if you're still half dead. Please. Just rest."

"I guess you're right, but I can't sit here and do nothing," Katara sighs, leaning back against Appa.

"Katara?" Hakoda says. The group splits, revealing the chief standing behind them. As Hakoda approaches, Katara's friends leave.

"Dad!" Katara says as she reaches towards him. Hakoda kneels down and hugs his daughter.

"You're finally awake," he says. It's been four years since Katara has seen her dad, since he left their tribe. She's glad to see that he's okay, but there's a twisting in her gut. Four years. She pulls away, and gives her dad a weak smile. The silence between them becomes awkward. Katara looks away from her dad, avoiding his gaze. Hakoda stares at his daughter, wondering what's wrong. "So... you're the Avatar, huh?"