oOo

Mai walked quickly down the corridors of the palace residential section, not quite breaking into a trot although her body longed to be racing away from Zuko's private quarters at top speed. How could he, how could he do this to her, to them? Although she showed her usual impassive face to the few people she passed, she was screaming inside. It was only a kiss, she tried to tell herself. He'll get over it eventually. He still wants to marry you. Hollow words, pathetic in their desire to paint things in a light that showed them still having a future together.

A bitter smile crossed her lips. A future together. Hah! She was no foolish child, no innocent in the ways of court life. Political marriages happened all the time, and her marriage to Zuko was considered by many to fall into that category. How ironic that everyone who believed so turned out to be right after all. Zuko may have proposed to her out of love, but he was only with her now out of some stupid sense of obligation. She turned a corner, nearly colliding with a serving girl, who bowed and stuttered an apology that Mai barely heard as she impatiently brushed past her.

Still fuming, not really aware of where she was going, Mai passed down two more halls, taking left and right turns seemingly at random until she suddenly found herself stopping in front of a door. His door. She placed a hand on it, fingertips barely brushing wood, then abruptly formed a fist and knocked. Hard.

"Come in!" his voice sang out, and she pushed the door open. You don't have to do this, her conscience whispered. Yes I do, she told it fiercely. Yes I do. She entered the room, banging the door shut behind her as hard as she could, the only vent for her turbulent emotions she would allow. For now.

Aang, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor poring over an ancient Air-Bending manuscript, jumped to his feet, startled at the sound of his door crashing shut. He studied Mai cautiously, wondering what was wrong as he automatically re-rolled the delicate scroll and tucked it into his belt. "Mai? Is everything OK?" Then, as he more narrowly observed her face: "Did something happen?"

Mai walked directly up to him. They could look eye-to-eye now, he'd grown so much during the past two years. Sometimes she forgot how much younger than her he was. Younger than her, and younger than Katara, the woman he'd steadfastly loved for the past three years… "Yes, something happened," she snarled. "Six months ago."

Aang's brow knitted in confusion. "Why don't you have some tea?" He took Mai's arm and led her gently to the low table by the window, waiting as she fidgeted a moment before flopping onto the nearest cushion. She opened her mouth to spew out the whole story, only to be shushed by Aang as he concentrated on pouring out the tea. Only after she'd taken a few sips did he look at her attentively. "Okay, what happened six months ago that's got you so upset now?"

He's matured, was Mai's first, startled thought. When she first met him, the Avatar would have badgered her until she told him everything. Now, he'd given her a chance to calm down, to proceed rationally. "Zuko and Katara kissed," she blurted out. So much for rationality.

"I know, Katara told me about it," was Aang's startling reply. He gazed sympathetically at Mai. "I'm sorry Zuko waited till now to tell you, but they were trapped, and it was just a kiss--"

"You don't understand," Mai interrupted. "Zuko didn't tell me, he told his mother. I just happened to hear it. And it wasn't just a kiss," she added angrily. "Not for him, anyway. He's in love with her, he's been in love with her all this time, at least since Azula took them captive. And I'm willing to bet Katara knows it." She gazed down at her clenched fists, suddenly noticing the betrothal ring on her left hand. With a grunt of pain she wrenched it off and threw it down onto the table, watching as it bounced and spun and finally rolled to a stop against Aang's teapot.

The sudden silence was deafening. Aang rose to his feet, bowed formally to Mai, then walked toward the door. "Where are you going?" she demanded, not moving from her seat, not trusting her legs to hold her upright, fighting the tears that had knotted themselves into her chest and throat on their way to her eyes.

"To talk to Katara," Aang replied as he opened the door. "I'll be back a little later. So we can talk more." The door closed softly behind him, and the tears finally finished their journey as Mai laid her head on the table and wept.

oOo

Katara opened the door to her chambers, not sure who to expect, but knowing by the repeated knocking that it had to be important. Aang was there, and she smiled even though she was confused. His sense of propriety was such that, even though they had slept side-by-side in the wilderness together for a year, now that they were back in civilization he was so uncomfortable at the thought of visiting her in her sleeping quarters that he had never laid eyes on them. Until now. "Aang? Is everything OK?"

He managed a grin at her repetition of his question to Mai. "I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I think I need to talk to you about something."

"You think?" Katara arched an eyebrow inquisitively, then shrugged. "Where? The garden?" It was one of his favorite places, grown even more green and lush now that a Water Bender was in semi-permanent residence during this time of post-war reconstruction and reconciliation.

Aang shook his head. "No, right here should be fine." He paused, looking curiously over her shoulder. "Nice room, I like the colors." The spacious, airy chamber was decorated in cool shades of blue and white, both her personal favorites and the colors most associated with her element.

Blinking with surprise, Katara stepped back, wordlessly allowing him entrance. He prowled around the edges of the room, examining the draperies, the ornately carved shutters that held back the oppressive mid-day heat, the oblong-shaped bed, the wardrobe where her clothes hung, the low table and cushions almost identical to his own under the window, the few rugs that decorated the cool, tiled floor. Even the mosaics laid into that surface were in various shades of blue, rather than the usual Fire Nation reds and oranges; Zuko must have ordered it for her specially. Aang's own chambers were more generically decorated, and his heart sank as he examined this further proof of Mai's assertion. Even the shutters, he realized, were carved with fanciful versions of penguins and various forms of South Polar sea-life. Probably not something Zuko just happened to have laying around.

Katara watched, eyes wide with curiosity, as he circled her room. She saw him stop and gaze down at the floors then over at her shutters, bewildered by the sudden flash of sadness she saw cross his features before he looked back at her. "Really, Aang, you're scaring me. What's wrong? What happened?"

"Mai's in my room. I think she's crying. She was really upset, and I could tell she needed to be alone for a little while. So I came here."

Katara's bewilderment only grew. "Are we talking about the same Mai? The one who hardly ever cracks a smile…or a frown? Why is she so upset, and why did she go to you about it?" A suspicion was dawning, but it was one she was trying very hard not to allow to come to full bloom in her mind. Better to hear what Aang had to say before jumping–leaping joyfully, more like–to conclusions.

Instead of answering any of Katara's questions, Aang offered one of his own. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do," Katara replied, shocked. She rushed to his side, taking his hand in hers. "How could you even doubt it? What did Mai say?"

"She just found out about the kiss. You know, the one you told me about that meant nothing to either you or Zuko." She couldn't tell by either his tone of voice or his expressionless face what he was feeling. "Only she found out it did mean something, at least to Zuko. That's why I asked. Oh, I know you love me," he added, patting her hand gently before disentangling his fingers from hers, allowing his arms to hang by his sides. "But you love Sokka and Suki and Toph, too. You love Iroh and your father. I guess what I should have asked was whether you were in love with me."

Katara turned her head to the side. "In love with, love, what difference does it make? I love you, we're together, we've had two wonderful years, just because Mai found out about the kiss doesn't change anything!"

"Yes it does!" Aang burst out, all that control and maturity going by the wayside, his still-deepening voice cracking in a way it hadn't in months. "Weren't you listening to me? The kiss meant something to Zuko! I just want to know if it meant anything to you! I deserve to know the truth!"

A heavy silence hung over them. Katara was utterly at a loss for words. "I know it meant something to Zuko," she finally said, crossing her arms, clutching her elbows defensively. "But I thought, I hoped, it was just because of what we shared together during captivity. We didn't talk about it after; I know I just wanted things to get back to normal. Back the way they used to be, before..." Her voice trailed off in confusion. "I know, I'm not answering your question." She became defensive. "But it's not fair to take it out on me just because of what Mai told you!"

"Mai said Zuko's in love with you." That took all the wind out of Katara's sails. Her cheeks flashed red, then white, then red again. Aang felt an overwhelming sadness as he witnessed her reaction. "Not was, but is. He never told you?"

Katara shook her head, once again speechless. But her eyes spoke volumes.

"So he was going to be all noble and self-sacrificing because of Mai and probably because of me," Aang continued when it was obvious she couldn't bring herself to say anything. He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking like the awkward, uncertain youngster Katara had freed from the ice three years ago instead of the sturdy young man he'd grown into. "I just need to know the truth, Katara. Are you doing the same thing?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Katara whispered. "It's Zuko and Mai's problem, why do you have to make it ours?"

"Just answer the question. Please. Are you being noble and self-sacrificing because you don't want to hurt me?"

"We've been happy together. Even if we aren't formally betrothed, everyone knows we have an understanding. Even Zuko knows it, why do you think he never said anything, especially to me? If what Mai says is true," Katara added in a rush, "it's something Zuko's chosen to keep private–wait, how did she find out? Did he tell her himself?"

Aang shook his head. "She overheard him telling his mother."

"Then he obviously never meant for anyone else to know, or he would have said something sooner," Katara said, feeling conflicted relief at the thought. "So like I said, it's their problem, not ours. We should just put it behind us and go on with our lives like we have been." She winced inwardly at the desperation in her voice, knowing even as she spoke the words that it was too late for that.

"Katara! Are you doing the same thing?" Aang almost shouted, tears of frustration stinging the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away angrily. "Why won't you answer me?"

"Because I don't know what to say!" Katara shouted back. "There! Are you satisfied? Even if I do have feelings for Zuko, even if he has feelings for me, we haven't done anything about it and probably never would if Mai had just minded her own business and kept her stupid mouth shut!" Eyes widened in consternation, her hands flew to cover her own mouth, but it was too late.

"So." Aang looked at her sadly. "I guess that's a yes."

"Aang, I'm sorry," Katara whispered, dropping her head to her hands, then straightening up and looking directly at him. "Please don't hate me."

A wistful smile crossed Aang's features. "I could never hate you, Katara," he replied softly, tracing a fingertip across her jawline. "I'll always be there for you, you know that. But I don't want to be with you because you feel obligated. If whatever you and Zuko are feeling for each other is real, I won't stand in your way. I know we said 'forever' but I won't keep you to it." A pained expression crossed his face. "But I'm not so noble and self-sacrificing that I can stay and watch while you work things out. It's time for me to take another tour of the Earth Kingdom, maybe even check in on some of our other friends. I'll be back in a month, maybe a little longer than that." He attempted a smile "Try not to get kidnapped by any crazy Fire Benders this time, will you?"

"I'll try," Katara replied, head bowed. She felt his lips pressed against her forehead, then listened to his soft footsteps as he crossed the room. Only when she heard the door shut did she look up again.

What just happened? She stood in the middle of her room, lost in thought. Everything was fine, why did Mai have to go and mess things up?

But she didn't, a small voice inside her head chided her. You did, by falling in love with the Fire Lord and not being honest about it with anyone, yourself included. Things like that don't just go away, now do they?

No, she answered herself silently before walking over to her bed and collapsing onto it in exhaustion. "No," she repeated aloud, staring up at the ceiling. "I guess they don't just go away. The only thing that goes away if you ignore it is your teeth." That was one of Uncle's favorite sayings.

She winced. When had she started referring to Zuko's uncle as if he were her own relative? Why did she feel so comfortable with the Lady Ursa? Why did she spend so much time in the Fire Nation, even when Aang was away on good-will visits, trying to shore up the tentative peace with his presence? Because she was in love with Zuko. And now the two people she most wanted to keep that from knew it.

Katara groaned. Aang was leaving, Mai probably hated her, Zuko might or might not know that his conversation with his mother had been overheard...what a mess. "What do I do now?" she asked, knowing the answer even as she voiced the question aloud.

The only thing she could do. If Mai was wrong, if she'd misunderstood something, then all of this could be for nothing.

And if Mai was right?

The answer to that question was almost as troubling. And there was only one way to find out.

She had to talk to Zuko.