A/N: Thank you once again to everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited. I tried my best to update quicker than last time...did I? *shrug* So here. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.

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Chapter 4: In Too Deep

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I hear loud noises echoing through my ears, a range of sounds that don't make sense. I slip out of bed as quietly as I can. The house is quiet and holds the eerie blue glow of approaching dawn. The noises increase in volume, and I follow them outside into the cold snow.

"Sokka?" I call out tentatively.

The noises become clearer, transforming into angry voices and harsh words. I trail my hand along the wall as I walk around to the back of the house, the side facing the mountains.

"Sokka?"

And then I see them. My brother, a foot away from my father, screaming at his face. My father, looking sad and apologetic, taking in every word. I stare at the bag slung over his shoulder, and the tears running down my brother's face. I know something is wrong. Sokka never cries.

Suddenly Dad leans down and kisses Sokka on the forehead. He whispers something to him, and Sokka immediately shuts up, staring at my father with this incredulous disgust on his face.

My father stands and catches my eye. He smiles at me, but it fades almost as soon as it came. He stands straighter, as if reassuring himself of something, and then he turns, and leaves.

We're both left there, staring at his back as he disappears around the mountainside. I turn to look at Sokka, who still seems to be in shock. I open my mouth to speak.

Sokka lets out a strangled sob as he reaches after my father.

"Dad..."

And then he's taking off after him with a burst of life. I jump in shock and follow as fast as I can.

"Dad! Dad!" he's screaming, over and over again.

I trip over my feet slightly as I run, my eyes trained on my brother's back as he slips farther and farther away from me. I don't want him to go too.

"Sokka! Wait for me!"

He skids to a stop and whips around to face me. This time I do fall when I trip. He hurries over to me and pulls me up by my arm, shoving me back towards the house.

"Stay here, Katara!" He orders with a hurried urgency.

One last shove sends me in the snow, but he doesn't notice. He's gone again. I scramble up, tears leaking from my eyes, tiny fists balled at my sides.

"Sokka! Don't go!" I scream, watching his figure get smaller and smaller and smaller.

"Stay here!" he yells over his shoulder harshly.

"Sokka!" I scream again, louder still. "Don't leave me!"

He doesn't answer, and I sink into the snow, watching the last member of my family disappear around the mountainside.

...

I blinked in the harsh sunlight, awoken by loud voices coming from outside. I felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. I sucked in a deep breath to calm my nerves. The voices got louder.

Rolling my eyes, I slipped out of bed and headed straight to the kitchen. From there, I'd be able to hear most of the yelling outside. As I pulled out the ingredients, I caught a bit of the angry conversation outside.

"How many times do I have to say it before you'll get it through your thick skull? Stay away from her."

That was Sokka.

The Guard let out a sarcastic snort. "I don't have to listen to you."

"You better start if you don't want your face rearranged."

I snorted at that.

"Was that a threat, Watertribe?"

"You better believe it is, Fire Nation."

Someone took a step.

"You better start showing some respect. Or I'll have to report you to my commanding officer."

Another step.

"I couldn't give two shits about your commanding officer. This is between you and me. Stay the hell away from my sister."

"Maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you should be telling her to stay away from me."

My eyes narrowed.

"You think I'm stupid? You think I haven't noticed you stalking her all these years?"

"And yet you don't see her complaining." he added smugly.

I heard knuckles crack under tightened fists.

"Katara doesn't know what's best for her." he said sharply. "She's young and naive and doesn't know the Fire Nation like I do. She has a lot to learn about you people."

The Guard snickered.

"And I'd be more than happy to...educate her."

I heard a loud punch, and suddenly, I heard a scuffle. I scrambled away from the sink and rushed outside and around the house, spotting the two idiots rolling around in the snow like animals.

"You. Little. Shit!" Sokka spat between punches. The Guard swung his elbow up, slamming it into Sokka's jaw. My brother swore and fell off the Guard, pulling his forearms up to protect his face from the barrage of attacks.

"Stop it!" I yelled.

The Guard beat relentlessly at my brother's arms, straddling him tightly by the stomach. He stopped punching to lean down and whisper something in Sokka's ear. Whatever he said sent Sokka into a mad frenzy. He let out a growl of rage and tackled the Guard. This time he leaned over and said something, the Guard struggled to get out from under him, and answered harshly. Sokka froze suddenly, a look of horror and fury etched on his face. Then he slammed his fist across the jaw of the Guard.

I stomped over to them, planting my hands on my hips angrily.

"Will you two cut it out? Spirits, you do this every time."

Sokka shoved the Guard off of him, obviously fed up with the contact now. The Guard wiped his mouth and spat blood in the snow. I was momentarily distracted by the red. They sat back, catching their breath and glaring at each other with as much hate as they could muster.

"He started it." the Guard said, pointing at my brother accusingly.

"Leave. Now." I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. He looked oddly hurt by my harsh dismissal. Again, I had no idea why. He stood to leave, wincing and grumbling under his breath as he did. I watched him until he disappeared over the hill, before turning back to Sokka, surprised by the angry look he was giving me.

"What?" I snapped.

"I would've won."

I rolled my eyes and moved to help him stand. He grimaced and clutched his ribs, standing up to full height gingerly.

"Sure you would." I mumbled, ignoring the glare. He coughed a little and leaned heavily on my shoulder. "You're lucky he puts up with your crap. If it was any other Guard, you would have been tried for treason."

Sokka snorted humorlessly. "Treason my ass. I'm Water Tribe, not Fire Nation."

"There is no Water Tribe any more." I muttered.

If Sokka heard me, he didn't comment.

During breakfast, Sokka didn't say a word to me. I guessed he was still angry about last night, but I wasn't worried. We'd had that argument a thousand times already. As I washed the dishes in the bucket, Sokka put on his parka and shoes. I didn't ask where he was going. I didn't ask when he'd be back. And he didn't offer up any information either. He just mumbled a quick goodbye, and then he was gone. I tried to contain the sigh if irritation.

Literally two seconds later, I heard footsteps.

"Agni, I thought he'd never leave."

I whipped around, the plate in my hand slipping from my hand and shattering instantly.

"What are you doing here?" I gasped, praying he didn't notice the frozen water. He struggled for an answer in confusion. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"I - I thought…" he stared at the empty table.

"I'm sorry if you didn't get the memo, but our plans were cancelled when you decided to beat up my brother."

The Guard looked indignant. "Hey, he started it. What was I supposed to do, just stand there and take it? He's lucky I didn't start firebending."

He obviously realized that was the wrong thing to say about two seconds too late.

"Get. Out." I said through gritted teeth. He knew more than anyone how much I hated firebending. How much I hated firebenders. Whether that included him or not, I wasn't sure. But he didn't have to know that.

He frowned. "Fine. Whatever. I have to be somewhere anyway."

I rolled my eyes. Sure he did.

…

Three hours passed.

Three hours of absolutely nothing. I was at the cliff fishing, trying to make good on the promise to Hanna's children. And I wasn't catching anything. I sighed loudly and glared at the water below me. My eyes bore into the fish swimming below, taunting me every time they swerved around the bait. Why couldn't I ever catch anything? Sokka made it seem so easy.

An idea popped into my head.

I looked around behind me, making sure no one was near. I smirked a little at the empty fields surrounding the mountains. I set down my pole softly in the snow and lay down on my stomach gently. Casting one last glance over my shoulder, I pulled off my mitten and reached down. I was pretty sure I remembered how to do this. It had only been a few months since I last-

There!

I felt the unfamiliar push and pull, watching the water bubble and pop, bubble and pop. Straining, I focused hard to make a bubble around a fish. When one swam by, I 'bubbled' the water and held it. The fish seemed confused, and started swimming in a frantic circle. A bead of sweat slipped down my temple. I took a deep breath and pulled.

I smiled as I watched the water rise ever so slowly up to meet me, the fish still contained within the liquid. It wavered and wobbled, and I had to stretch my concentration to steady the blob of water coming up the cliff. I started to get up, ready to pull the water up over the edge-

"Watcha doin'?"

I whirled around in fright, twisting my body sharply to face the intruder. Too fast. Before I knew it, I'd lost my balance and slipped over the edge of the cliff.

A minute later, I was shivering in the snow, cold water dripping from every surface of my body. I curled into a ball, trying to suppress the shaking. He climbed out behind me, teeth chattering.

"H-h-holy sh-sh-shi-shi-it, that's cold." he gasped, bending over on all fours. And then he was silent. He began mumbling to himself about the cold, probably expecting me to join in. But I couldn't even look at him. I was so embarrassed, having to be fished out of the water by him of all people. Yes, I still couldn't swim.

I peeked up at him, only slightly intrigued by his sudden silence. I watched the steam rise steadily off his back, and suddenly, I had no problem with firebending. In fact, I was extremely jealous now. I looked to my right, where my house was, ready and waiting with a warm bath and warm clothes and warm food...on the other side of the mountain.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled myself up shakily, muscles numbing from the cold. I'd only made it up halfway when I felt him tug me back down. He pulled me close to his chest, holding firm as I struggled.

"What are you doing?" I yelled hoarsely. "Let go of me!"

"I'm warming you up." he murmured into my neck. I shuddered at the sudden heat from his breath.

"I swear, if you don't get away from me right now, I'll scream."

He tightened his grip. "No, you won't."

He was right. But not because of the reason he thought. I calmed my struggles a bit as the heat seeped through my clothes and my shivers became less violent.

"People are going to see us." I mumbled drearily.

"Don't worry." he said with a chuckle. "If we stay still enough, they'll think we're a tiger seal or something."

I wanted to tell him to let go. I wanted to tell him not to come near me ever again. I wanted to tell him we could never be friends. I wanted to tell him to stop trying so hard. But as my eyes grew heavy and my limbs stopped shaking, I found that I had absolutely no problem keeping my mouth shut.

…

When I woke up the second time, I was in my bed, and I was warm.

I flew up out of the covers, preparing to beat the bloody pulp out of the body lying next to me. But there was no one there. Confused, I straightened and tiptoed out the door, peeping into the corridor first.

"Hello?" I called out quietly.

When I got no answer I allowed myself to relax. I stepped out into the hall, stretching my back and glancing out the kitchen window. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of the setting sun.

"Shoot." I hissed, scrambling around to find my parka. I grabbed it from the table and rushed out the door, boots crunching heavily in the snow.

I made it to the mountain in record time, a loud sigh of relief rushing from my lungs as I spotted my fishing pole and bucket right where I left them. I groaned when I saw another thing I left here, also right where I left him. He turned when he heard me coming and offered a small smile as I slowed to a walk. I was a bit confused at his silence. He never ran out of things to say, did he?

I stopped behind him to pick up my bucket, straightening cautiously and staring at his back unsurely. He still hadn't said anything. I shifted my weight to the next foot and tightened my grip on the bucket.

What is wrong with you? Do you want him to talk to you or something?

I shook my head a little and stepped back.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

I was startled by his question.

I guess…

"I thought you were a waterbender." he scoffed, and my blood freezes. He turned his head to look at me, mouth curling up at the corner. "Can you believe that?"

I was silent because I couldn't think of anything to say. He was looking at the ocean once again. The silence stretched as I scrambled for something to say.

"That wasn't the first time we met." I finally blurt out.

His face snaps towards me suddenly in surprise, as if he hadn't expected me to speak at all. I kicked myself for answering.

"It wasn't?"

I shook my head. Why are you doing this? Why are you talking to him?

"The first time we met, you burned my doll."

He looked genuinely shocked by this.

"I did?"

I nodded uncomfortably, shifting again. This was a good way to end the conversation. I could leave right now and go home. Instead, as if being controlled by some higher force, I felt words spilling out of my mouth as if scared I wouldn't have another chance.

"Yes. You were angry that I wouldn't let you be the dragon, so you burned my doll, and I slapped you."

He let out a small chuckle and looked back out to the sea. "Yeah, that sounds like you."

My feet itched forward to stand next to him against my better judgment.

"Your father, cousin, brother, whatever... that other Guard came out and started yelling at my brother. Said I had to apologize."

He scoffed at the mention of my brother.

"I think I remember that. And that stupid ass boomerang he always carried around."

I snorted softly before I could stop it. He looked over at me, smiling in response. I cleared my throat and looked at the sparkling water glowing in the sunset. I couldn't bring myself to leave. Not yet.

"He's my cousin."

I cocked my head at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"The Guard who yelled at you." he said, staring out into space. "He's my cousin."

"Oh." I mumbled, suddenly ready to leave now.

He continued anyway. "I moved here with him. He's retired now."

Something in his tone told me there was more to the story than he was telling, more that he wanted to say, but wouldn't until he knew I was willing to listen.

"How...how is he?"

He sucked in a deep breath. "Not too good."

"Is he sick?" I asked, cringing at the bluntness of my question.

The breath whooshed out of him. "Yeah."

We fell back into silence.

Now would be a good time to leave. I don't want to do this. I don't want to get in too deep.

"He's so weak and fragile and I can't do anything for him. No one is taking care of him but me. And I don't have much. That's why I...that's why I..." he shook his head suddenly and turned to leave. "You know what? Forget it. I'll see you...I mean..."

He shook his head again with a sad smile and walked away. I listened to his departing footsteps for a moment.

"Wait!" I cried, whirling around to catch up to him.

He stopped without turning, showing that he was listening. I slowed to a stop behind him, twisting my fingers awkwardly.

"Thank you. For earlier, I mean."

I saw his cheeks lift slightly, and found my own doing the same. It stayed, even after he vanished behind the mountain.

...

The door opened and there stood Zaq, grinning widely to show me his brand new missing tooth. I praised him for it, telling him he was growing up so fast. He grinned harder.

"Where's your mommy?" I asked, peeking inside the house.

He vanished inside the house screaming for his mother at the top of his lungs. Lydia screamed back at him from somewhere in the house to stop shouting or he'll wake the baby. Zaq yelled back an 'okay.' I set the pail of fish on the counter and waited for her appear.

"Katara. Hello." I smiled at her softly and gestured to the fish.

"Here it is. Just like I promised." I said. "I'm sorry it's not much...the fish hated me today."

Hanna looked at me strangely. "Katara. You didn't have to."

"Of course I did. I made a promise to the children. I had to keep it."

"Really, Katara, it's too much."

I glanced at the half full bucket of fish. "No. No it's really not."

"What you brought this morning was more than enough."

My protest died on my lips. "I...I didn't bring any this morning."

Hanna cocks an eyebrow.

"There was a bucket on our step this morning. I'm surprised no one stole it."

I racked my memory for any notion of what she described. No. I'd spent my whole morning at home. I'd spent my afternoon asleep, and my evening...my evening...

And then I understood.

"Oh. Must have slipped my mind. Sorry."

She was staring at me again.

"Katara, are you feeling alright? You've been sort of...all over the place lately."

"Oh no. I'm perfectly fine, thanks." I said with a reassuring smile. "Anyways. I better get home. It's getting dark."

She waved me away without another word.

...

"Yugoda? I'm here. Sorry I came so late. I got caught up with something and-"

I cut myself off short and smiled at the sight of her fast asleep in her rocking chair. She looked peaceful. But sleeping in a chair will do a number on her neck, especially when her bones are so fragile already.

As quietly as I could, I stepped over to her and pressed softly on her shoulder.

"Yugoda?" She woke on contact, smiling blearily at me.

"Oh, hello dear. I didn't know you were coming." she said, sounding a little embarrassed.

I smiled at her and helped her out of her chair gently. "Come on. Let's get you to bed."

"How's the baby?" she asked, once she was settled under her covers. She placed a gentle hand on my stomach and smiled.

I couldn't find it in me to answer.

"She'll be strong when she grows up." she whispered, then almost as an after thought, "Hopefully not too strong."

My eyes burned as I pulled away, kissing the top of her head and assuring her I'd be back tomorrow. I always made sure to tell her I'd come, even though she'd forget by morning. I shut the door and stepped out into the night, the light of the windows around me guiding me through the village. I didn't want to go home yet. I was looking for a certain someone, hoping to give him my thanks for what he did for Hanna's family.

Speaking of Hanna...

I slowed instantly as I passed her house, eyeing the collection of Guards hovering around near her door.

"...not doing too well...gonna make it."

I trained my ear to their conversation, getting as close as I dared while passing by.

"I heard he won't make it past morning."

"He's probably already dead. We're never up to date on this shitty block of ice."

They spoke a little more about news they'd heard, one particular phrase sparked my interest enough to stop and listen for a bit. They didn't elaborate on it though, which annoyed me a bit. Instead, another Guard interrupted, full of complaints.

"Speaking of which, we're all about due for a transfer. When can we get the hell out of here? Let the next sorry batch of noobs take over this place."

"That might come sooner than you think. I heard-"

It took me a second to figure out why they stopped talking, and why I stopped moving. Here I was, all alone in the middle of the night, blatantly eavesdropping on Fire Nation Guards. What was I thinking?

"Hey, you! What are you looking at?"

Four pairs of golden brown eyes snapped towards me. I would have been frozen stiff if I wasn't already here, staring like an idiot. My tongue felt heavy in my throat.

What happened to blending in? What happened to going unnoticed?

"I-I-"

"Spying is a traitorous crime, peasant. Were you spying?"

The Guards stepped closer, and I stepped back. I swallowed even though my mouth had gone completely dry. I stammered incoherently until I spotted a familiar set of brown eyes. Our eyes met for a moment, and then, a split second later, he composed himself, and took another step forward.

"Get lost, girl. Before we get angry." he snapped. I stared at him in disbelief. Before I had a chance to respond, the men brushed me off with a wave of their hand and turned back to their conversation.

That's it? I thought. I mentally kicked myself. What, do you want more?

I turned quickly and all but ran out of the village, speeding up the hill to my house. I reached for the door just as the footsteps behind me grew louder and closer.

"What did you hear?"

"Get lost. Before I get angry." I muttered without looking. My hand trembled over the doorknob, betraying my calm façade.

"What. Did. You. Hear?" his voice was hard, barely containing an emotion I couldn't place. I turned and cocked an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. What I saw in his face made me speak, despite my resolve to ignore him.

"Nothing. Just something about a dead man walking, and everyone's obsession with leaving the 'shitty block of ice.'" I added, watching him pointedly.

Normally he'd laugh nervously and rub his neck, or make some weird comment about never dreaming of leaving me. But he didn't laugh, or comment about it at all. He just stared at me, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

"Are you sure? That's it?" he pressed.

"Yeah. I'm sure." I said, crossing my arms defiantly. He didn't answer. Just stared at the snow near my feet. I took in his tense posture, the one he wore when he was thinking hard about something. My own eyebrows pulled in. "Why? Is there something you're not telling me?"

His head snapped up, eyes wide in shock. And then, it was gone in a split second, and he was glaring at me angrily.

"What if there is? I don't have to share anything with you." he snapped. "I don't have to do anything for you, so get off my back."

He stormed off, and I was left standing there, eyes wide in surprise.

Where did that come from?

I'd never seen him act like that before. He was the easy-going guy who smiled so much I didn't know what he looked like without one. He was annoying and pushy and never knew when to quit. He was never one for mood swings. I was always the emotional one. So why…?

Unless he really did have something to hide. Which made me wonder what it was, and why he would keep it from me. He'd never kept anything from me before. Whatever it was must be really important. So important that he wasn't allowed to tell me. Either that or he was afraid to. Afraid of the punishment he'd get if anyone found out.

The more I thought about it, the more I got excited.

'Learning about what's happening in the War isn't going to lead to anything good, Katara. You'll only get hurt.'

What had Sokka meant by that? How was digging for information going to get me hurt? The worst that could happen is getting caught. And I've been bribing intel out of that Guard for years. I had to do something. I had to know something. Being clueless about your own war is being useless in it. At least, that's what I've told myself over the years.

As I shut the door behind me, I decided to follow my instinct and figure out what other secrets he's been keeping from me. He's always told me all I need to know about the war, but how do I know everything he said was true? Maybe it had something to do with what the other Guard had mentioned, just before I got caught. The part of the conversation I didn't share with the Guard.

I paused in front of my door, eyebrows furrowed as I recalled the phrase that caught my interest. As I pondered it over and over again, I could only think of one question that seemed to lead to a thousand more.

What's an Avatar?

…

A/N: Yay, the Avatar has finally been mentioned. Yes, he is in this story. And also, yes, the Guard is still nameless. I am still struggling with his name. Nothing sounds right in my head, (I think it's because I'm still biased to Gavin. Lol.) So yeah, he's still untitled. I'll probably end up calling him Gavin anyway, unless one of you comes up with this awesome name that will make me worship the ground you walk on...But don't worry, I'll work it into the story soon.

So yeah, sorry that this wasn't a shorter update, but...life happens. Don't forget to review!

-SilverLining33

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P.S. Do any of you watch LOK? Cuz I'm thoroughly pissed at the last episode. Hoping for redemption in episode 10. :)