Nightfall

Forty

Night had fallen by the time Katara made it back home. The train stopped every hour at each District, and she guessed that District 4 would be the last stop. She was right. Her feet walked the familiar streets that were bathed in moonlight. It was empty, the city was. No one was out. All were safely tucked away in their houses. Some hadn't even come home. Some would never come back home.

However, Katara couldn't stay in the Capital. It brought back memories that she fought hard to forget. She could see each and every person who died in the Games everywhere she looked. They didn't deserve to die. Each of them had a life. Each of them had a family. Each of them had a future. And they were cut short.

She passed by her house. It was dark in there because no one had been home for a couple of days. No one would probably come back there, either. She knew for a fact that she wouldn't come back again, and she guessed that Sokka and her father would remain in the Capital to help rebuild for the next couple of years. It would remain uninhabited probably forever. She was fine with that, though. 

Katara pushed the door open slowly. It still looked the same as it did when she left for the Games. The blue blanket that she had made a few years ago was still laying on the couch where Gran-Gran would sleep most nights. It still kept the shape of the old woman; she must have died there. She picked up the blanket and pressed it against her cheek. It was so soft and so loved. 

Tears pricked her eyes as Gran-Gran's smell washed over her. She hadn't been there to say goodbye to her grandmother as she died. She hadn't been there to hold her hand and tell her it was going to be okay and that her and Sokka would be okay. She hadn't been there when she should have. 

She dropped the blanket back down on the couch and glanced around the little house. The ghosts of her mother and grandmother were all around her. She could feel them caressing her and wrapping her up in love. They would be with her forever, she knew. They would take care of her as she survived alone for the rest of her life.

Katara pressed her lips together. She nodded once at the house that had raised her before exiting quickly. The door shut softly behind her, shutting off that part of her past. It would always remain with her, but she wouldn't let it rule her life anymore. At least, she would try to not let it rule her life. There was no guarantee that she could overcome her past struggles.

She made her way over to the local graveyard. Most of the people that died in this town were buried there; if people had a little more money than most, they would buy their own family plot and be buried there. Her feet knew the way so that she didn't have to focus on the pain building in her chest. She had one very special person to visit, and nothing would stop her from visiting her. 

The gate and fence around the graveyard was rusted from the ocean that was near their town. The salt water ruined everything metal in this town, no matter how much people tried to protect it. Katara had to force the gate open, and it squealed loudly as it protested against her. It didn't bother her as much as it should have. Her ears were still struggling to pick up on some things, but it felt like they were getting a little better. She knew she would never fully gain her hearing back, but she was fine with it. As long as she stuck to her plan, she wouldn't have to talk to anyone ever again.

Katara had no idea where Gran-Gran was buried, so she wandered aimlessly around the graveyard until she saw the her grandmother's name on the small gravestone. She bent down, pressing her knees into the soft dirt and traced her fingers across the engraved name. "I'm sorry for not being here," she whispered gently. "I'm sorry for everything. I wasn't always the best granddaughter. I fought with you too much, I made you angry a lot, and yet, you still loved me. That's what grandmothers do, don't they? They love their grandchildren so much, no matter what they may do to them." Katara smiled sadly, the tears building in her eyes. "I miss you so much, Gran-Gran. But I know you're in a better place now with Mom."