A/N: HAPPY KATAANG WEEK! *throws confetti in the air* Thank you so much for checking out my contribution :D

This is my very first time joining a ship week, so please tell me if I'm doing anything wrong. Still, I really hope I don't disappoint! :)

Now then, I'm going to kick things off with a little angst.

Day 1: Secrets
Word Count: Roughly 3,000
Rating: T
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Angst

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

"What are you smiling about?" Katara asked as she and Aang walked into Republic City's sprawling legislative building.

Aang smirked. "Well, it's not every day that I get to bring my beautiful wife to work," he answered smoothly.

She rolled her eyes in an effort to hide her flushed expression. "And with good reason."

He nodded. "It is hard to get the acolytes to watch Bumi. They're terrified of him," he said, chuckling.

She couldn't help but laugh along with him. "Well, yes, there's that. But . . . I don't really speak up at these kinds of meetings, Aang. What if I say something wrong?" she fretted.

"You once helped a bunch of earthbenders find their courage," the Avatar reminded her. "You'll do fine."

"This is different. I'm bringing to attention something I wish never existed," she said, looking at the floor.

He smiled reassuringly. "That's why you're going to propose outlawing it. Ah, here we are," he said, leading her into the meeting hall.

Katara's eyes widened at the vastness of the place—she was sure that they could easily fit in Republic City's entire population in there, Appa included. Sunlight streamed in from the glass windows, painting the walls a beautiful gold, while glistening chandeliers hung from the lofty ceiling. Pride filled her as she marveled at how all those long months of planning had more than paid off.

"We also hold trials here," Aang informed her, seeing her curiously studying the rows of empty chairs that surrounded them on both sides. "But most of the time, we just hold council meetings over there."

He pointed to a U-shaped table at the end of the room, and Katara could see that there were a few people already seated at it.

"Avatar Aang, Lady Katara." The council, consisting of representatives from each nation, stood up and bowed in unison as they approached.

Katara reddened at the gesture, but Aang was relaxed, obviously used to it. Though the new metropolis was already fully established and filled with people from every nation, council meetings continually kept the Avatar busy, as many things—mainly political—were yet to be sorted out. "Please, take your seats," he said, motioning for them to sit back down.

"Good to have you here, sis," a familiar voice said. The waterbender looked up to see Sokka grinning at her.

"Sokka!" she exclaimed, rushing towards him.

"Hey, you're the star of this meeting. You sit over here." He pointed to the chair next to him, which was at the head of the table. "Aang will sit on your other side, right across me. Knock 'em dead, Katara," he said, winking at her.

Reminded of the task that lay ahead of her, Katara gave him a weak smile in return before making her way to her seat. Aang, ever the gentleman, pulled out the chair for her, giving her hand one last squeeze before taking his place on her right.

When everyone was settled, Sokka stood up. "Now that everyone is present, I hereby call this meeting to order!" he declared, banging the gavel in front of him. Katara was surprised to hear how official-sounding her lunatic brother sounded.

"Before we begin, I'd like to introduce to you Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe." Katara stood up, flustered but smiling as polite applause echoed around the room. "She has a proposal for a new law, and Avatar Aang and I decided that a council meeting would be the best venue for her to voice out what she has to say."

He gestured at her. "Lady Katara, please, take the floor," he said, bowing graciously before sitting down.

Suddenly nervous again, she glanced at Aang, who flashed her a smile and a discreet thumbs-up. She visibly relaxed at the encouragement, walking over to the mouth of the end of the table and facing the council with newfound confidence.

She cleared her throat. "Good morning, everyone. As Councilman Sokka said, my name is Katara, and I have come to petition the outlawing of a rare and monstrous form of waterbending that only a few people in this world know about—bloodbending."

The council started murmuring, exchanging confused looks. It was obviously the first time they had heard of it.

"Bloodbending operates on the principle of manipulating the water in a person's body," Katara explained. "Only possible under a full moon, this allows a waterbender to take control of a person and force him to do things against his will—much like a puppeteer."

The Northern Water Tribe representative, Yuri, raised his hand, and Katara nodded at him. "Lady Katara, how did you find out about this? Such a thing is unheard of even in the North."

She pursed her lips. "As I said, bloodbending is very rare. But the main reason you probably don't know about it is because to my knowledge, it was invented by a Southern waterbender."

"Lady Katara," Councilwoman Ming, the Earth Kingdom representative, spoke up. "Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought you were the only surviving waterbender from the South Pole."

"It's true that I was the only Southern waterbender to be born after generations. However, during my travels with Avatar Aang, Councilman Sokka, and Chief Toph Beifong, we came across an old woman named Hama. It turned out that she was a waterbender from our tribe, and the only one who had escaped from prison."

Everyone at the table nodded.

"As you all know, the Fire Nation invaded my home decades ago and took away all the waterbenders from our tribe." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Fire Nation council member—Zara, if she remembered right—look down in embarrassment. She felt a pang of remorse for bringing up the Fire Nation's previous crimes, but there was no other way to explain the situation. "Hama described the experience as torturous—they were locked in cells and kept away from any possible source of water," she continued. "Or at least, that's what the guards thought.

"There were also rats in her prison, and it wasn't long before she realized that they were just living packs of water. Every full moon, she practiced with them, and when she had perfected the skill, she bloodbent the guards, forcing them to release her."

"Where is she now?" Councilwoman Lia asked. She was an acolyte chosen to represent the Air Nomads.

"The last we saw of her was a few weeks before Sozin's Comet," she answered. "She was locked up by the people from a Fire Nation town near her house for using her bloodbending to trap them in a cave. She wanted revenge," she said sadly. Though she in no way approved of Hama's means, she couldn't deny understanding the bitterness the old waterbender felt.

Everyone looked horror-stricken at her story. "Imagine, having no control over your body. It must be horrible," Zara said, shaking her head.

"It's worse than horrible," Sokka said, speaking up for the first time. He glanced over at Aang. "Hama bloodbent me and Aang, and she almost made us kill each other." The Avatar nodded, and they both shuddered at the memory.

Lia gasped. "How were you able to escape her control?" she asked.

Katara stiffened in terror at the question. She caught Aang's eye, and he too, seemed tense about the direction the discussion was headed.

Sokka, however, plowed on, oblivious. "Luckily for us, Katara—" He stopped, catching himself. "Er, uh . . . luckily for us, Katara saved us. Yep, good old Katara," he said, patting his sister's shoulder in an attempt to cover up the note of nervousness in his voice.

Unfortunately, her brother's acting was transparent. "How exactly did Lady Katara save you and Avatar Aang?" Ming asked, frowning.

Zara's eyes grew wide. "Did she bloodbend Hama?"

Katara took a panicked step back as everyone in the room turned to her. "Is it true, Lady Katara? Are you a bloodbender yourself?" Yuri probed.

Cornered, her first instinct was to deny it."I—" She opened her mouth to speak, but Hama's words came back to her.

You're a bloodbender, her raspy voice said, her evil cackle ringing in her ears.

"I—um—" she stuttered, trying to fight the tight feeling in her chest.

"Lady Katara—"

Aang stood up, banging a fist on the table. "Enough! Katara has bloodbent once, and that was to save us." She bit her lip guiltily. Not just once. "I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for her," he said, sweeping the council in a steely gaze.

A resounding gasp echoed in the room. "So it's true! Lady Katara is a bloodbender!" She winced as Ming's words sent chills down her spine.

Aang clenched his teeth. "Hama forced her to learn bloodbending by threatening us. She has the capability, yes, but the very fact that she's petitioning—"

"Avatar Aang, with all due respect, she's a threat to the peace of Republic City," Lia pleaded." She could take control of—"

"There's nothing respectful in what you just said," Sokka spat out. "Katara would never—"

"She's a bloodbender, for spirit's sake! A monster!" Zara exclaimed, looking right at her.

Though her tone was accusatory, her brown eyes reflected fear—the exact same fear she saw in the Southern Raider's captain, the same look that had haunted her for years.

Katara felt tears pool in her eyes, and she blinked them back furiously, hating herself. She had no right to cry—Zara only spoke the truth. She was a monster.

"How dare you say that about my sister!" Sokka exploded, standing up as well and paying no attention to the chair that toppled over in the process. "She's the damn head healer at the hospital, in case you've all forgotten!"

"Councilman Sokka—"

"You have no idea what she's gone through!" Aang roared. She could see from his livid expression that he was on the verge of losing it. "Katara is the bravest, most compassionate person I have ever known, and I will not allow you to talk to her like that!"

Each word he uttered felt like getting stabbed. She closed her eyes. If only they knew . . .

Lia took a deep breath, trying to talk as gently as possible. "Avatar Aang, we understand that you may be biased towards your wife—"

"Biased?!" Sokka raged. "I'll have you all know that Katara cried for hours after she bloodbent Hama, and if any of you have the nerve to say that she would use that power for her own personal—"

She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't watch her husband and her brother defend her when she knew that she was a hypocrite and a coward. Suffocated by guilt, she ran out of the room, letting the tears run freely down her face.

"Katara!" Aang called after her, but she had already disappeared. He turned to glare at the council. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. I'm going after her, and I expect you to all be ready with an apology when we return."

"Oh, they will," Sokka said menacingly, crossing his arms. The representatives shrank back into their chairs as he eyed them sinisterly.

Aang nodded, then dashed out of the hall with the aid of his airbending, the sound of Sokka's fuming voice fading with the distance.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

After a few minutes of searching, he finally found her in a corner, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Katara! There you are." Relief was evident in his voice. He immediately knelt down beside her, putting an arm over her shoulder and holding her close.

"You and Sokka didn't have to say all that," she mumbled.

"Of course we did. I don't know what's gotten into the council." He shook his head.

"But they're right, Aang," she said, her voice shaky. "I'm a bloodbender." She turned to look up at him. Her ocean eyes were puffy from crying.

It hurt him to see her like this: so pained and miserable. He momentarily let go of his earlier rage, only wanting to make her feel better.

"That's a lie, Katara. We both know the truth, and Sokka knows it, too. He's giving the council the yelling of a lifetime right now," he said, smirking and shaking his head. "Honestly, I almost went into the Avatar State back there."

"No, Aang, you don't understand—"

"Don't understand what?" His gray eyes searched hers, looking for an explanation.

She drew in a shuddering breath. "I'm a hypocrite."

"What?" He was utterly confused. "Katara, what are you talking about?"

She seemed torn for a moment, as if deciding on something. "I—I've never told anyone this before. The only one who knows is Zuko, and that's because he was there at the time."

"What—"

She closed her eyes. "Hama wasn't the only person I bloodbent." she confessed. "I bloodbent someone else out of spite, Aang. An innocent man." Her voice broke at the end.

His eyes widened in shock. "When was this?"

She looked away. "When Zuko and I were looking for the person who killed my mother. We found the ship of the Southern Raiders, so we hijacked it. I b—bloodbent the captain, thinking he was the man . . ." She leaned into his chest, collapsing into sobs once more.

Aang's grip on her tightened, immediately understanding. "But you didn't bloodbend the real killer, did you?"

She shook her head. "We found him the morning after. If it were a full moon, I can't say I wouldn't have . . ." she trailed off despondently.

Aang didn't say anything for a while, holding her as she cried into his robe and letting everything she had told him sink in. He thought back to the flash of pain in her eyes back at the meeting, and realized that it wasn't because she had been hurt by the council's accusations. It was the pain of guilt—guilt from hiding something she was ashamed of, something she regretted.

It was the kind of pain, he realized, that he was all too familiar with.

"You know, Katara, you're not the only one with a secret," he admitted, keeping his eyes trained on the ground.

She sniffed, looking up at him. "Huh?"

"You know that Air Nomads believe that all life is sacred. I live out this principle by practicing vegetarianism and avoiding murder at all costs." Her eyebrows furrowed, not sure where he was going with all this. "But the truth is, I don't have as clean a reputation as most people would think."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember that buzzard wasp that took Momo back in the desert?" She nodded. "I—I killed it," he confessed. "It had already let go of Momo and was flying away, but I struck it down because I wanted revenge." He hung his head in shame.

"Aang . . ." she whispered, holding a hand to his cheek. "You were mad about Appa."

"Well, you were mad about your mother," he countered. "Rage is a dangerous thing, Katara. It makes you do things you normally wouldn't."

"Things you would regret for the rest of your life," she said, closing her eyes.

"Exactly," he said. "But . . . Guru Pathik once told me that if you want to be a positive influence on the world, you have to accept the reality of things and forgive yourself."

"Easier said than done."

He half-smiled at the scowl on her face. "Trust me, I know," There was a hint of sorrow in his stormy eyes, and Katara knew that it wasn't just because of the buzzard wasp. Not being there for his people, losing control while in the Avatar State—it was in that moment that she realized he was stronger than she had ever imagined.

She sighed. "You're right. It's just . . . no matter how you put it, Hama and I both bloodbent innocent people because we wanted vengeance. I've always found what she did sickening, and it turns out that I'm no better than her. "

"That's not true," Aang disagreed. "You're sorry for what you did, right?"

"More than anything."

He kissed her forehead. "Then that makes all the difference," he assured her. "What you did was wrong, but unlike Hama, you regret it, Katara. It's only right that you feel remorseful, but you can't let the past haunt you forever."

Katara averted her eyes, not ready to accept his wisdom but unable to deny it either.

"We're all mere humans," he continued. "Try as we might, we'll always be flawed. It's just a matter of realizing our mistakes and doing our best to fix them."

A small smile slowly spread onto her face as his words washed over her, filling her with a newfound sense of peace and lightness. "You're right. Thanks, Aang," she said gratefully. "For making me feel better and for not seeing me as a monster."

He laughed lightly. "I don't think anything can change the way I see you. Or feel about you, for that matter."

She felt a blush creep up on her cheeks and turned away from the affectionate look he was giving her. "Aang!"

"What? You know it's true."

She shook her head. "You're hopeless."

"Always have been," he said good-humoredly. "Now, what do you say we head back now?" He airbent himself up. "You've got a law proposal to finish."

She hesitated. "What am I going to tell the council now? I mean, they know I'vebloodbent, and I can't expect them to be as understanding as you. They're terrified of me already."

He paused for a while, thoughtful. "I suppose you should just come clean. I can't promise it'll fully erase any doubts they have about you, but I'll back you up with my Avatar wisdom if things get out of hand again." He grinned impishly. "I don't think you have to worry about anything, though. Sokka was really letting them have it when I left, and I'd be surprised if they aren't begging for forgiveness on their knees when we return."

"I see," she said, laughing as he helped her up. "We'd better get going, then. Maybe they'd go easier on me if I save them from Sokka's wrath."

"It's worth a shot," he agreed, automatically taking her hand. The simple touch spoke volumes—that she wasn't alone in this, that he believed in her, that the secrets they had shared were safe.

That as flawed as they both were, he stubbornly still chose to love her.

"Thanks again, Aang," she said softly, tiptoeing up to kiss him on the cheek. She smirked at how this time, it was his turn to blush.

"Anytime," he said as they walked back to the meeting hall together, hand in hand.

. . . That turned out way longer than expected.

For some reason, Yakone's line "It was outlawed by that coward Katara." has always fascinated me, so I'm glad I finally got to write a fic about it.

Constructive criticism/comments would be great, but I'm honestly just thankful you read my story :)

See you all tomorrow! :D