As he wiped off a stray scorch mark, Aang could sense someone approaching. "What are you doing?" he heard, and he turned to face Katara in the dim lamplight.

"Making sure the saddle is ready for our trip tomorrow." He gestured to a sleeping Appa.

"So you're really going to go with Zuko . . . alone?"

"Well, yeah, he's my firebending teacher. And we kind of need to discover the origin of fire!"

She sat down next to him. "I don't know, Aang. I don't feel good about this. I think it might be a trap. How do we know he's not faking his issues with firebending? He burned Toph just the other night. And now he's got you going off alone with him to who knows where. I don't like this at all."

"Katara, I know you don't trust Zuko yet. But I do. If he still wanted me dead or captured he would have let Combustion Man finish the job."

"It seemed staged to me."

"Look, you didn't sit around all day watching how frustrated he was with himself. Zuko's a lot of things, but he's not that great of an actor. And he didn't come up with the idea of finding the original source of firebending – Toph did. If this is a trick, then she must be in on it."

"Still, I want to go with you! Just to make sure . . ."

Aang was liking that idea. Even with Zuko there, they would be more alone than they had been the past few days. And maybe she would want to talk about their kiss. . . .

". . . but I can't leave Toph with her feet like this. She needs more healing."

"Oh," said Aang.

"And that makes me even more suspicious about this whole thing! It's like he knew he would have to get me out of the way -"

"Katara, you're sounding kind of paranoid. Toph said Zuko didn't burn her feet on purpose. And even if he did, that's thinking really far ahead. Since when has Zuko ever come at us with anything that sophisticated? That's more Azula's style than Zuko's."

"Underestimating Zuko has cost us before. I won't let it happen again."

She said it with such fierceness that Aang couldn't help but think of his death in Ba Sing Se . . . and his guilt at that failure. He took a breath and said, "Look, Katara, even if you're right and Zuko is lying, don't you think I'll be able to fight him off if things go wrong? I mean . . . I've failed at a lot of things lately, but I know I can do that."

Her expression twisted, and she put an arm on his shoulder. "Aang. Just because things go wrong doesn't mean it's all your fault."

Aang admitted, "Katara, your father is a prisoner of the Fire Nation because I couldn't get to Ozai in time. Don't tell me it's not my fault." It was a truth that he'd been suppressing ever since they left Royal Palace City, when Katara had seen his tears over leaving their party behind. She'd come up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, being strong for him even though it was her family breaking up due to his mistake. It should have been the other way around. He'd needed to be strong for her.

"I don't blame you, Aang," she told him. "I won't pretend I'm not worried about Dad, but . . . these things happen in war. If I dwell on it too much, I'll go crazy. I have to focus on fighting this war."

Aang heard Guru Pathik's voice in her words. Accept the reality that these things happened, but do not let it cloud and poison your energy.

"I know my dad is tough," Katara continued. "He'll make it. And he has faith in you . . . just like I do."

"Still?" asked Aang.

"Always."

Zuko and Aang rose early that morning and loaded Appa in companionable silence. Or at least Aang preferred to think of it as companionable. Truthfully it was a bit awkward.

As Zuko handed Aang the last of the little baggage they'd be taking, he heard a swishing in the air. He turned toward it and was confronted with ice daggers aimed right at his heart. He reflexively created a fire blast to shield himself from them, but had forgotten that in its weakened state, his firebending would not deter them from their course. It was a fatal mistake. He should have used the time to dodge the ice crystals, but now they were too close for him to move in time.

Aang turned to find Zuko inches away from being impaled, and his staff moved without thinking. His forceful gust of air accomplished what Zuko's firebending had not; the icicles fell to the floor and shattered several feet away.

"What's with you, Katara?" Aang yelled. "You could've killed him!"

Katara stepped out from behind a pillar and said, "I had to make sure you were safe. And I wouldn't have let him die anyway."

"That was still completely uncalled for!"

Katara shrugged. "Now I believe that Zuko really lost his firebending. There's no way he can overpower you."

"As if I could do that even when I had my firebending," scoffed Zuko. "What – did you think I was going to ambush him?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I thought you'd do."

"Look, I get that you're crazy about Aang," said Zuko, oblivious to Katara's subsequent sputtering and Aang's surprised jump, "but I thought you had more faith in his abilities than that."

"I – I do!"

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it."

"Well, you – I mean – I – There's not anything wrong with me wanting him to be safe!" she insisted. "I know he could fight you off any day, but – ugh! Look, I just don't like the idea of him being in danger, okay? Even if he can handle it! Aang's had enough near-death experiences, thank you very much!"

"Well, he's going to have more if he's really going to defeat the Firelord. Get used to it."

"Just because I've accepted the idea doesn't mean I like it!"

"Because you care about him. We get it."

Her face reddened more deeply as she turned away. "Don't you have some ruins to explore?"

"Yeah," said Zuko. "I guess we should get going. You ready, Aang?"

Unable to take his eyes off Katara, Aang mumbled, "Ready . . . yeah."

"Then what are you doing in the saddle? I don't know how to fly this thing."

As Zuko climbed up the tail and Aang slid down to Appa's head, Katara said, "Good luck, Aang," though still recovering from her blush.

Aang could feel his cheeks heating to match hers. "Thanks, Katara. We'll see you in a couple days."

"I'll be watching the skies."

Aang nodded and gave Appa the command to fly. As they left the Western Air Temple behind, he asked Zuko, "Do you really think that's why she was so worried? Because she cares about me . . . that way?"

Zuko gave him a look. "Isn't it obvious?"

Aang knew there was a reason he was coming to like Zuko so much.