I really appreciate the reviews I get. And I'd like to thank everyone who submitted one. Especially taffy0823. thanks for your criticism. you've helped me. so, hopefully, i've fixed what you pointed out.

all right. I don't own Avatar. really, i don't. but i am in an elaborate plot to kidnap the producers of the show...yeah...all i need is both the money and the facilities to hold them hostage while making them produce more shows (impossible). so, seeing as how i CAN'T kidnap the producers...it seems i'll never own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Chapter Three

An endless maze of black rock surrounded her, the heat of them drying out her very core. Katara sighed in defeat of the labyrinth and slid down against the wall. The stone felt warm, comforting. But Katara felt no water, none of the refreshing coolness of water.

She stared ahead of her, eyes playing over the shadows flickering across the opposite wall. But, as she stared, Katara noticed the depth of one particular shadow. Curious, she stood and crossed the tiny corridor, gaze still glued to the shadows. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the darkness and emerged into the sunlight.

He stood there, kneeling in a bed of fire lilies. At her approach, he turned, one of the flowers in his hand.

Katara cocked her head to the side, smiling faintly. "Are you going to give me a flower?" she asked him.

Zuko shook his head and looked down at the flower. "I would never give you a lily like this," he whispered. He rose and moved towards the pond. He knelt for a moment and then again faced Katara. This time, he held an exotically blue water lily. With a smile, he brought it to her. "I would give you this."

--

Katara woke up and pushed a hand through her heavy fall of hair. Why did she keep having such strange dreams? And why was Zuko suddenly playing starring roles? She shook her head and glanced out the window. Nightfall. Her short nap had been welcome but now she wanted to practice some of her more complicated waterbending...

Rising, she washed her face and fixed her hair, all the while thinking about Aang. Should she teach him these forbidden moves? Or keep them to herself? As she left her room, Katara decided to at least teach him to take water from the air—as a way to tie the two elements together. It might prove useful later on.

Katara approached the too-quiet campfire, careful not to look at Zuko. "Aang, I want to teach you some new waterbending techniques," she said.

At her words, Aang immediately grew troubled. "You're not going to teach me bloodbending, are you, Katara?"

As Katara shook her head, Zuko leaned closer to Toph. "Bloodbending?" he asked in a small voice. "Did I hear that right?"

"Yep!" Sokka said cheerily before Toph could answer. "Katara can manipulate all the blood in your body and make you do whatever she wants. It's pretty cool, actually."

Katara whirled on her brother, furious. "It's not cool, Sokka! Bloodbending is a horrible ability, one I wish I had never learned."

"Why?" Sokka countered. "It just means you're the greatest waterbender around." He laughed. "I bet you could even give old Pakku a run for his money."

"Enough, Sokka." Katara frowned, a shiver running through her. "You don't know what it feels like, making someone move against their will. If I pulled too hard..." she trailed off and shook her head. "If I pulled too hard, I could pull the blood from their veins. And that's something I wish I had never found out."

"Anyway," Toph interrupted, slamming a small boulder into Sokka, "what are you teaching Twinkle Toes?"

"I'm a bit curious, too," Aang said. "I didn't know you had learned anything else from Hama."

Katara forced a smile on her face and turned back to Aang. "I'm going to teach you how to pull water from thin air."

"What?" Zuko exclaimed. "Bloodbending? Pulling water from air? This is a joke, right?"

Solemnly, Aang shook his head. "Actually, no. Katara is possibly the best waterbender in the world. She even surpassed Sifu Pakku, considered the best in the Northern Water Tribe."

"Yeah," Sokka supplied, wiping dirt off his clothes. "And since Katara's the only bender in the Southern Water Tribe, that makes her the best."

Blushing at the praise, Katara took hold of Aang and began to drag him off to the gardens. "If anyone wants to watch, they can," she said.

Katara expelled a long breath and then smiled at Aang. "All you need to do is concentrate on the water you feel," she told him. "There's water everywhere, even in the air." Her smile brightened. "Where do you think rain comes from?"

"The sky," Aang answered unnecessarily.

Katara nodded. "With your connections to both air and water, this should be easy. Now, watch me."

Katara held up a hand and closed her eyes, feeling for the water around her. As the others watched, beads of water began to condense on her fingers before sheathing them thinly. She whipped her hand to the side, sending the water flying. A small breath had five icicles burying themselves into a tree.

"Now," she whispered to Aang through the astonished silence. "You try." As he began to close his eyes, she held up her hand again, palm outward. "But don't do anything yet. Just feel."

For the next hour, Katara took Aang through the steps of producing water from air. Towards the end, he was actually able to gather a few droplets...before using those droplets for some new game. Katara opened her mouth to chastise him but paused, noting the moon's position in the sky.

"All right, Aang. That's enough for tonight. We'll try again tomorrow."

Aang nodded readily and rushed off. The others followed less enthusiastically. Zuko watched Katara for a moment, still a bit dazed by her display. And then he turned, ready for bed.

"Zuko...wait."

Zuko looked back, his face passive. Katara bit her lip nervously. "What is it?" he asked softly.

"Umm...What do you know about flowers?" she asked, turning to face the pond.

"Flowers?" Zuko frowned, confused. What was this about?

"Yes. Flowers. Lilies, especially. Water lillies."

"Oh." Zuko sat down on a nearby bench. "I don't know much," he admitted. "But I do remember..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

Katara looked at him. "You remember...?" she prompted.

Zuko's eyes flickered away. "I remember my mother used to have them in her garden," he answered. "They were so beautiful, especially the blue ones."

"Blue ones?" Katara asked, her heart beginning to race.

"Yeah. I used to think it was silly of her, but now..."

Katara's heart contracted suddenly. Shaking her head, she walked past him. "Oh," she said, before disappearing into the temple.

Zuko stared after her, confused. Katara certainly know how to act mysteriously. "Why was she asking about flowers?" he asked, eyes traveling to the moon. "What does it mean?"

Aagn watched from the shadows as Katara and Zuko talked. There was something there, something that made Aang...angry. When Katara left, Aang left, too, heading back to his room. He really liked Katara. But what was going on?

As he walked past Toph's room, A hand touched his arm. Aang looked at the earthbender. "What is it?" he asked. "I'm kinda tired, Toph."

Toph threw her hands into the air and moved off. "All right, Twinkle Toes," she said gently, despite her annoyance. "But I'm here if you want to get something off your chest." The blind bender turned and disappered into her room, leaving Aang to his troubled thoughts.

Out in the garden, Zuko rubbed at his arms, mind flashing to the earlier conversation. "You don't know what it feels like, making someone move against their will...If I pulled too hard, I could pull the blood from their veins..."

Before, when he fought with Katara, Zuko had always felt she was strong. He just hadn't realized how strong she was in comparison to other waterbenders. If he thought about it, Katara was like his sister in that respect: a prodigy. Yet Katara did not want to use such tremendous power against anyone. "...that's something I wish I had never found out..."

What made Katara so compassionate? Her healing? Her compassionate nature had brought her so close to him in the caves beneath Ba Sing Se. She looked at him with compassion, trust. Later, she hated him with so much ferocity. And now...

Zuko sank back down onto the bench. Now, he didn't know what to think.

i'd like to thank, once again, those who reviewed. let's see...whennerdscollide, celya, Maskedgoddess, lovedreamergrl, Shi Sendo, Akriloth Warrior, solareclipse, Dragon Jadefire, and (of course) taffy0823.

oh, and thanks to all who have read and favorited this story. it's much appreciated, too! well, please review!