The Bearded Man

"Come on Aang", Katara says in an almost pleading voice, "We all need some rest, after all we did just battle for our lives, and you almost died without…." Katara blushes furiously realizing her mistake.

"Without what Katara?" Aang asks softly

"Nothing Aang, we all just need our sleep, and in the air is just not the place to do it. Remember when Appa fell asleep on us in the air?" Katara replies, ignoring the aching feeling she has whenever she lies to him. "I'll tell him someday how I feel, just not now, plus I don't even think he really likes me anyway." Katara thinks to herself. But how will you ever know if he does if you don't tell him? A nagging voice in her head asks. "Shut up…" she replies.

Katara looks up as she hears a somewhat muffled sob from beside her "Aang?" she asks "Are you alright?"

"What do you think?" he responds in a somewhat crushed voice "I was just telling you my plan for tomorrow, and out of the blue you yell at me to shut up. How would you feel?"

Katara realizing her mistake, quickly tries to explain. "Aang when I said shut up just then I thought it was inside my head. You see I was having an argument about…something in my head and well, it sorta just spilled out."

"I'm just gonna take Appa down on the next big field I see so we can rest." Aang says in a voice that screams "I don't believe you Katara!".

"Ok" Katara says in a small voice. "What an idiot I am." She thinks to herself. For once I agree with you. You could have just said 'I was just thinking about you, Aang', and he would be happy, and you would be happy, heck even Sokka would… "Shut up" she thinks to herself, checking over her shoulder to look at Aang. Just admit to him ho- "Not tonight" Just like always…

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"Ok" Katara replies in a hurt voice.

"What is wrong with me?" Aang says to himself. Yep you have screwed yourself pretty bad haven't you?

After helping Katara set up her tent and after a few moments of hearing her soft breathing, "I really need to straighten some things out…alone" he mutters and sets off into the woods quietly, as not to wake Sokka and Toph who at some point had fallen asleep trying to comfort each other and still had smiles on their faces, even while sleeping.

Once far enough away Aang mutter to himself with tears rolling down his face "Why can't it ever be that easy with Katara?" and the answer came almost immediately Because you love her so much that you would do anything to prevent her from suffering…even if that means hiding your true feelings from her. "Sometimes I just feel s-so alone" It would be better if you told her how you feel. "It's just what if she would be happier with someone else? You know, like Zuko or Haru. Why would she ever want some little kid like me?"

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"Finally" Katara thinks to herself as Aang sets off into the woods "Took him long enough" In a few moments she moves out of the camp, but not without noticing Sokka and Toph sleeping comfortably together, hand in hand. "If only Aang and I could be like that" she thinks. Maybe you would be if you actually told him how you feel, instead of trying to keep it a big secret. Ignoring the voice she hears someone sobbing just over the next hill. "Hmm this feels wrong, but…" Katara thinks to herself as she crawls up the hill hidden to Aang at the base of it. As his voice wafts through the air, she can barely believe what she's hearing "she would be happier with someone else…like Zuko or Haru…. Why would she ever want some little kid like me?" "What?!?" Katara thinks to herself, barely containing her emotion "He likes me?" At this thought she can't help but feel somewhat guiltily about her lie to him on Appa, and heads down to comfort her friend

(A.N.: I knew that this constant switching of POV wasn't working out too well so I decided to just try and keep it in as much third person, from now on, as possible. This is my first story so any advice would be extremely appreciated)

But as she heads down to speak with Aang; she spots a small tendril of smoke coming from over the nearby crest across the plain that she and Aang are on. Startled by this she loses her balance and falls down the hill landing almost right into Aang's lap. "Katara, what are you doing here?" he asks, hurriedly wiping tears from his face.

"Shush, there's someone over there with a fire" Katara quickly responds.

"Go back to the camp and warn the others" Aang says, helping Katara off the ground, with a slight blush. "I'll go check it out and see if they're friendly"

"Aang no! It could be a fire nation camp" Katara replies, a worried expression crossing her face, before she quickly tries to cover it up.

"Katara I'm not gonna get hurt again", Aang replies, and slightly softer " And I don't want you to get hurt…"

Katara blushing tries to think of what to say to this, and thinking of nothing, starts to turn away. Tell him! "I'll go wake up Sokka and Toph" she decides to say, and starts to walk back to camp

"Katara wait!" Aang yells, and then in a voice that she barely hears "Don't go…don't leave"

Katara, turning, notices him blushing furiously, and can't help but wonder: Is I more than just liking me that he feels? Katara, a little flustered, starts to reply "Aang, I umm need to, to say somethi-"

"Is everything ok over here?" a new voice asks.

As the two friends turn to look at their new visitor, they can't help but notice the strange combination of fire nation reds, water tribe blues, earth kingdom neutrals, and even a necklace of a master air bender.

Aang is the first to speak "Who are you?"