Love in Danger chapter 27: The Avatar dies in the Avatar State!

Such a child" Long Feng said again. "Balance cannot exist in the current way. Once the entire world is under my control I will create a prosperous modern society, modeled after the Fire Nation, where war no longer exists. After all if everything is under my control no one can fight back."

"You're insane" Aang replied. "And full of yourself. But it won't work. I'll stop you!"

"I expected that answer" said Long Feng. "But listen to this. I exploited already existing weaknesses in the Earth Kingdom. This system could not have been very stable if it was so easily toppled. If things return to the old way it will not fix anything! The commoners will still be powerless and poor! How would you solve that Aang?! How would you do away with the political instability, in this nation and the others that lead to the 100 Year War and maintain peace? Do you consider yourself a hero because you ended that war? Real heroes do not end wars, they prevent them!"

Aang hesitated. He couldn't help but remember the guilt Avatar Roku felt over not being able to prevent the 100 Year War. He remembered the difficulty of trying to return Earth Kingdom colonies back from the Fire Nation and how strongly he disagreed with the way Ba Sing Se was run. "…I…I don't know yet. But I do know you can't be allowed to rule the world. You're ruthless and will do anything for power. You brainwashed and murdered Jet."

Long Feng was still unfettered. "Well I didn't expect to turn you to my side. That's why I'm going to kill you before the rest of my plans proceed."

"I'm sick of listening to you talk!" Aang shouted. "Tell me where Katara is or I'll take your bending!" "She's dead!" Long Feng said curtly.

Aang's heart skipped a beat. He realized he couldn't sense Long Feng's heartbeat. He felt the floor around him. There was water in the space directly below them. He and Long Feng were standing on two platforms. The water separating them made him unable to directly feel Long Feng's heartbeat. A metal fence-like floor covered the rest of the room. Aang was surprised Long Feng risked confronting him in a room with water.

"You're lying!" Aang shouted. He had to believe that. She couldn't be dead.

"You can't tell can you?!" Long Feng asked with amusement. "Maybe she's alive maybe she's dead. You'll have to come over here to find out."

Aang knew better than to do what Long Feng wanted. He stayed in his place.

"No?" Long Feng asked. "All right then." He pulled a blowgun out of his sleeve, put it to his lips, and blew. A poison dart flew straight at Aang. Thinking quickly Aang flung some water into the air, stopping it.

"You were a fool to give me water to use!" Aang shouted. He shot a wave forward, turned it into icicles and pinning Long Feng against the wall. "Where's Katara?!"

"I told you she's dead," Long Feng said.

"That's a lie!" He felt himself tremble in fear and rage. His eyes started glowing for a second before he stopped them. He had almost entered the Avatar State involuntarily. That would be dangerous because even with his mastery of the Avatar State it would be very difficult to regain control of his actions if he entered it in blind rage.

"You'll have to come over here to find out!"

Aang hated doing what Long Feng said. He knew it must be a trap. He just had to trust he'd be powerful enough to stop whatever he was planning. He had to save Katara somehow.

He leapt over to Long Feng's platform and placed his palms on his forehead and chest, in the position needed to perform Energybending. He could also feel his heartbeat perfectly.

"Let's try this again" Aang said. "Where is she?" "Dead." Aang felt a reaction.

"A lie" Aang acknowledged with relief.

"Ok you got me!" Long Feng admitted, throwing her arms up into the air in mock surrender. "She's not dead."

"I will take your bending away right now if you don't tell me the truth."

"Oh you don't want to know the truth!" Long Feng said with a sinister smile. Aang tensed up in apprehension. "What…what do you mean?"

"Oh she may not be dead but I'd hardly count that as a blessing." He started laughing maniacally. "Oh believe me I ordered my men not to touch her but sometimes people just can't be controlled! Of course it's no surprise a pretty young woman like her would be popular with the guards."

Aang's grip tightened on Long Feng's shirt. "Popular?"

"Oh yes!" Long Feng said, moving inches away from Aang's face. "Why one guard in particular took a special liking to her. Why I dare say…" His voice adopted a sadistic curl. "…He couldn't keep his hands off her."

Aang's eyes widened, he felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. He shook his head frantically. "No! No!"

"I'm not lying as you can tell" Long Feng reminded. "While you were chasing you own tail looking for me, this man decided to take your wife's body as his prize!"

Aang was becoming totally hysterical. He stumbled backwards, clutching his head in his hands. "No! No! No! No!"

"That's right! You failed to protect your own wife!"

"SHUT UP!" Aang shouted with the voices of all the previous Avatars. His eyes and tattoos started glowing. Wind started blowing furiously throughout the chamber. The walls started cracking. He had completely lost control. The sheer force melted the ice surrounding Long Feng.

He lunged forward, grabbed Long Feng by the neck and forced him against the wall. All notions of mercy and pacifism had been forced out of Aang's mind by primal fury.

"DIE! YOU MOTHER FUCKER ! " the Avatars shouted.

Even in the face of this awesome power Long Feng was unfazed. "I'm not going to die. You are."

Aang felt a painful tightness spreading throughout his body. Suddenly the wind stopped and he couldn't move. He stood there frozen in that position.

"You were so focused on me you didn't even notice my subordinate slip into the water tank from underground," Long Feng explained, "and shoot a poison dart into your foot."

A grate in the floor lifted open and poli crawled out of the water carrying a blowgun in his remaining hand. Aang could now feel the numbness was radiating from his injured foot.

Long Feng reached up and pried Aang's hand away from his neck. "The Shirshu is a remarkable creature. It's venom instantly paralysis any prey, making it highly coveted among bounty hunters. Well the males that is. A female's vensom on the other hand is so deadly that no one has ever survived contact with it. While useless for capturing targets alive, it is the perfect tool for…assassinations."

Aang felt like he was choking. His entire body was as stiff as a statue.

Long Feng kept bragging. "The best part is that because it takes several minutes to kill you have

to listen to what I'm going to say now." He punched Aang in the face knocking him to the ground with blood leaking from his mouth. It still hurt despite the paralysis.

He knelt down and whispered in Aang's ear. "My army is over 100,000 men strong. Without you there is no possible way Ba Sing Se can defend against it. I will reclaim the city. I will take control of the Earth, Fire and Water Nations. I will kill every single one of your friends to make you pay for all you've done to me and there is nothing you can do about it."

Long Feng's words all cut Aang like knives. But as his still glowing eyes began to close there was only man's words echoing through his head.

Avatar Avatar Roku's voice rang. If you are killed in the Avatar State the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist.

Long Feng had one final taunt. "Oh and by the way, a guard did attack Katara like I just told you but another of my followers stopped him before he could do her any harm. You got all worked up for nothing."

Aang's eyes closed. "See you in hell, Avatar."

Long Feng noticed Katara's necklace had fallen out of Aang's shirt. It was covered in blood from his shoulder wound. He picked it up and handed it to poli.

"Well done poli" Long Feng said. "You managed to redeem yourself for your failures. Even missing your hand your aim and stealth were as true as ever."

poli was absolutely ecstatic. "Yes sir!"

"Send this necklace to your brother. Tell him to make sure to return it to its owner." poli sounded delighted with cruelty. "Yes sir!"

That night Katara was lying in wait, ready to put her plan of escape into action. When jing opened the door she prepared to attack. She stopped when he threw her bloodstained necklace on the floor.

She forgot about everything and knelt down to grab it. When she saw the blood she became terrified. "What happened?!"

jing stared at her with a cold expression. "The Avatar is dead."

Katara clutched the necklace to her heart. "No…No that's not true!" Tears began to flow. "You're lying!"

jing's stone-like face continued to glare, like he was figuring out what horrible insult to follow with. Then something worse happened. His expression changed. It became like it was when Katara was first imprisoned, only deeper. It was full of nothing but pity. "I'm sorry. Truly I am."

And she knew he was telling the truth.

He turned around and left. Katara buried her hands in her face, sobbing in unbearable pain.