A/N: Love is a Battlefield is a Kataang-centric comic that happens at the Western Air Temple during The Boiling Rock. Naturally, I had to fix it. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This comic originally written by J. Torres.

Book 3: Fire; Chapter 23: Love is a Battlefield

Aang sat on the floor of the Western Air Temple, drawing in the dirt with a stick. He drew the Water Tribe and Air Nomad symbols and surrounded them with a heart, as he thought about Katara and his feelings for her. With Zuko and Sokka gone, the atmosphere around the temple was much quieter, and Katara was more relaxed without the constant tension looming between her and the Fire Prince. Aang hoped that he could finally talk to her about his feelings before the two boys came back, but he hadn't found just the right moment yet.

"Hey!" Aang jumped at the sound of Katara's friendly greeting as she emerged from behind a pillar. "What are you doing over there?"

Aang stood quickly and hid the stick behind his back. "Uh … nothing, Katara!" he answered nervously, hoping she hadn't seen the drawing.

Katara seemed to be holding something behind her back as well.

"Aang, I have something very important to say to you …" she began seriously.

"Really?" Aang said, happily surprised. "I mean … yeah, I've been wanting to talk to you, too, but—"

"Think fast!" Katara's expression turned mischievous as she hurled a water ball at him from behind her back.

What the …?! Aang was caught completely off-guard. A surprise water attack was the last thing on his mind, and he didn't think fast enough to block as the water ball splashed in his face. Katara laughed at the sight of Aang soaking wet, and allowed herself to gloat a little at getting a hit on the young Avatar. Aang was annoyed, and combined with his disappointment that she hadn't been coming to him to fulfill his romantic fantasies, annoyance turned quickly into outright anger.

"That's it?" he snapped at her. "That's what you had to say to me? I thought maybe you finally wanted to talk about—"

"Enough moping around," Katara interrupted.

Our feelings, Aang finished silently.

"Time to practice your firebending." She dropped into a striking stance as she warned, "Watch out or you might get another one in the kisser!"

Aang lost his concentration at the word "kisser." Kiss … he thought, as his mind drifted back to the day of the eclipse and invasion, and the moment he had tried to kiss her but she had hugged him instead. Had she avoided him on purpose, or had she really not realized his intentions that day? The uncertainty was driving him crazy.

"Come on, Aang!" Katara called, jolting him back into the present. "Zuko said to practice your firebending while he's away with Sokka!"

Huh? What? Aang thought as he snapped out of it, but not fast enough for the water attack descending upon him. Katara waited for her water strike to clear, only to find a pile of stones where Aang had stood.

"Aang? Are you in there? Hello?" Katara called from outside.

"Yeah, I'm in here Katara," came Aang's voice from inside the rock pile.

"Well," she said, "nice defensive earthbending move, but you're supposed to be practicing your firebending."

"I don't really feel like practicing my firebending right now," Aang said as he huddled inside his rock shelter.

Katara was getting annoyed. She had been in a playful mood, trying to make practice feel like a game for him with her surprise water attack, but Aang simply would not engage. Play time was over. She thought he was passed his hesitance in firebending, but apparently there was still some work to do in this area. "Aang, you have to be ready to battle the Fire Lord. This is not time for games or playing Hide-Aang-Seek."

"Who's really playing games here, Katara?" Aang barked at her. "Are you sure you're not the one hiding something? I thought you wanted to talk about what happened before the invasion!"

Katara was at a loss. What happened before the invasion? "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about," Katara said, bringing it back to the present issue. "You're supposed to be preparing for the Fire Lord!" She summoned a water whip and turned it into icicles as it struck the rock pile, some of the icicles poking through between the stones.

"Cut it out, Katara!" Aang yelled. "I said I don't feel like doing this right now!"

"Come on already, Aang!" Katara yelled back, losing patience. She pulled water over her hands and stepped back into a defensive stance. "Show me some fire!"

Finally, Aang had had enough. "Fine! You want fire?" He shouted, letting his breath pool into flames in his hands. "I'll show you fire!" Aang released all his frustration into the flames as fire erupted through the top of the rocks and stone flew in all directions.

"Whoa!" Katara exclaimed in surprise, and then she had to duck and cover to protect herself from the flaming rocks.

As the debris cleared, Aang looked over to see Katara in her crouched position. His annoyance and frustration evaporated as concern for her overtook him. "Oh no!" He cried out. "Katara! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you – are you okay?"

But Katara was not the least bit injured. She turned to him and smiled. "I'm fine, Aang – and that 'volcano' move was impressive! Come on, let's practice it again so that you can show Zuko later." But Aang turned from her and started walking away. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Are you … scared of burning me again?"

Aang looked down at his drawing of the heart. "Actually," he sighed and brushed the doodle away with his foot, "I'm more worried about being the one who gets burned."