Nightfall

Thirty

It felt like it had been nighttime forever. The stars were still out, shining down upon them, leading them toward their unknown destiny. Katara had no idea what they were getting into, but she trusted her brother. If he trusted these people that he was taking them to, then she had to trust them as well. At least, she had to trust them to a certain extent. She would be hesitant around them until she knew what they really were like.

The grass underneath Katara's feet brushed against her ankles, tickling her skin. She quickened her pace so that she wouldn't feel the grass around her. She didn't want to get stuck here without the others noticing. Most of her group was far ahead of her; she knew that they were close to the White Lotus headquarters because Lu Ten, Suki, and Sokka all were arguing over the directions about where they needed to go. The only person that was near her was Aang, who kept throwing her worried glances every few minutes.

"I hope you're not regretting your decision of joining in with this revolution," Aang said, startling her. His soft voice carried across the wind easily toward her. 

"No," she said quickly. The two of them fell into step together, their strides matching each others. "No, I'm not. I'm just -"

"Terrified."

"Yes," she breathed out. "I'm terrified that this won't work, that we'll all be killed because we want to create a better world for ourselves."

"So am I." Katara looked at Aang in the dim moonlight. Shadows covered his face, but she could see how bright his eyes were. "Hey, just because I'm optimistic about the future doesn't mean that I'm not afraid."

"Right," Katara said, averting her gaze. "I'm sorry. I thought that you weren't afraid of anything."

"I'm afraid of everything," he said with a slight laugh. The laugh fell upon her ears like the sweetest music that she had ever heard; she wished he would laugh more often. "But I don't let it affect me. I push through the fear. Half the time, I ignore it."

"I don't know how you can ignore fear." Katara shook her head. Her dark hair fell into her eyes, but she didn't bother pushing it away. It created a barrier between her and the rest of the world. "It has ruled my life every single day since I have been alive."

Suddenly, his hand grasped hers tightly. He didn't have to speak because she knew what he was going to say. He would probably tell her that fear was not the way to live and that she needed to let it go or else she would be miserable. She already knew that. She was already miserable. She would always stay that way, no matter how hard she tried to get away from it. Grief had a mind of it's own, and it overstayed it's welcome. Katara didn't have the guts to push it away from her because she didn't know how to live without it. 

"I've found that when I get scared," Aang softly said, "taking a couple of deep breaths will help the terror slowly go away. It doesn't always work, but it's better than nothing."

"I'll have to try it sometime," she said, nodding. She gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Thank you, Aang. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

The two of them fell into silence. It wasn't bad, though. It was nice and soft and gentle. The two of them didn't have to talk to enjoy each other's presence. As long as she was with him, she felt more at peace than she did anywhere else. It was a strange feeling, but she was welcome to the peace.

Katara looked up at their group to find them all staring at her and Aang, even Toph. A building rose up behind them, illuminating the night sky with the fire that burned all the way around it. For a second there, Katara thought that the building was on fire, but then she realized the fire was controlled by a fence.