Chapter 2

Katara ran through the woods, ignoring the twigs and blades of grass that sliced her bare feet. She glanced over her shoulder and was relieved to see that Hama was falling behind. But her relief did not last long as Sokka and Aang, under Hama's control, flanked her and started to close in on her. Katara launched tendrils of water at them, but they were too quick and easily dodged her strike.

She couldn't outrun them. The boys matched her pace, and they were getting close enough for her to see their faces. Katara was horrified to see that Hama was somehow controlling their emotions along with their bodies. Their expressions were twisted into angry snarls, and their eyes glinted with cold hatred, the kind that killed.

Sokka lifted his sword in a fighting stance, and Aang wielded spikes of ice between his fingers. Her brother flung the sword at the same time that Aang unleashed a flurry of spikes. She froze in terror, even as every instinct pulled at her to keep running. But her feet wouldn't move. Sword and spikes rushed toward her head, and she screamed—

Katara bolted upright in bed, breathing fast and soaked in sweat. It was just a dream, she told herself as she tried to catch her breath. Just a dream.

She got up and paced the room, hoping that walking around would help get rid of the cold horror that lingered from the dream. Once her heart stopped racing, she started to feel better. She sat back down on the bed. The lamp on her nightstand kept sputtering, but it was still burning, so she couldn't have been asleep for long. But the soft mattress no longer seemed inviting, and she found the flickering shadows on the wall unsettling.

Feeling restless, she got up and walked around the room again. She couldn't get the hateful expressions on the boys' faces—Aang's in particular—out of her head. It was just a dream, she knew, but it still felt very real.

Maybe Aang was still up. She hoped he was. Maybe seeing him would calm her down and help her forget about the dream.

Katara stepped into the hallway. Aang had taken the room across from hers, and he had left his door cracked open. His lamp was still lit, but she didn't hear him moving around. If he was already asleep, she didn't want to wake him up. But maybe, just maybe, he was still awake. She tapped his door softly with her knuckles. "Aang? It's Katara. Are you still up?"

She heard Aang get to his feet from somewhere inside the room. He opened the door and seemed surprised to see her. "Hi, Katara. Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly," she said, now feeling a little embarrassed at bothering him for something so trivial. "I was having a dream. More like a nightmare, actually. But anyway. I'm having trouble sleeping."

"Do you want to come in? Maybe we could talk about it."

"But if you're going to bed, I don't want to keep you."

"No worries. I was just meditating."

Katara followed him inside, and they sat down on the floor facing each other. "So tell me about your dream," Aang said.

"Okay. Um. So I dreamed that I was running through the woods, and Hama was chasing me. She was also controlling you and Sokka, and both of you were chasing me, too. And then you attacked me. Sokka with his sword, and you with some ice spikes." Explaining her dream out loud made it sound so absurd. Which it was.

But Katara had told him this much already, so she might as well keep going. She kept her head down and drew little circles on the floor with her finger. "That wasn't even the worst of it. Hama also controlled your emotions. I know that's impossible, because that's not how bloodbending works. But it seemed so real. She made you and Sokka hate me so much that you wanted to kill me. I know it sounds stupid, but that's the part I can't get out of my head."

Aang took her hand. "Katara, you know I don't hate you."

Katara lifted her head and gave him a small smile. "I know. It was just a dream. I'm being silly, aren't I?"

"No, you're not. I can tell it really bothers you."

"Thanks, Aang. For listening."

"I have dreams, too, sometimes. And nightmares. So I get it."

Katara furrowed her brow. "Are you having nightmares again?" It was just like Aang to keep things like that to himself so the rest of them wouldn't worry.

"No, I haven't had any for a while, not since I unlocked my chakras. I was just trying to say that I understand how it feels."

"Oh. Right." He was comparing his nightmares about the Avatar state to her silly, insignificant nightmare about Hama. "Aang, I'm sorry for bothering you like this. It was just a stupid dream. At least your dreams were important. They actually meant something."

"Don't say that, Katara. You probably had that dream because you're scared. I mean, Hama did make me and Sokka attack you tonight, and she forced you to learn bloodbending to keep us from killing each other. That's a lot to go through, especially for you."

"When you put it that way…I guess you're right." She took his other hand. Even when she was making a fool out of herself, he never made her feel foolish. "Thanks, Aang."

Sitting with Aang, talking and holding hands, felt so natural that Katara began to feel at peace for the first time that night. She knew she needed to get some sleep, but she didn't want this moment to end. She was also afraid that if she left now, the dreams would return.

"Hey Aang, I was thinking…can we try meditating, the way we did earlier tonight? I think it will help me sleep better." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She was shocked at her own audacity, given how the last time went. And yet she said it without even a hint of a blush. It was late, and she must be losing her filter. But she meant it—she really did believe that meditating with Aang would help.

Aang, for his part, seemed unfazed. "Sure thing. Let's do it."

Still holding her hands, he folded his legs into the lotus position and closed his eyes. Katara followed suit. "Breathe in—" he said, and inhaled "—breathe out." He exhaled. "Focus on what you feel. Not what you feel inside, but what you feel around you."

Katara breathed as Aang instructed, and she slowed her breath to match his rhythm. Focus on what you feel around you. She uncurled her fingers from his hands and traced the creases of his palms. There was something about touching Aang, taking in the smallest details about him, that she found soothing.

With her eyes closed, she continued to breathe deeply as she trailed her fingers to the back of his hands. "Your arrow tattoos follow your chi paths," she murmured, as she drew an invisible line from his hands to his elbows. It was probably best to explain what she was doing, this time. "Your arrows stop under your arms, near your shoulders—" her hands traveled up his arms, then rested on his shoulders "—but the chi paths keep going. They go across the chest…then they fan out—" she splayed her fingers out on his chest "—and flow through your heart."

She moved her hands down and laid them on either side of his breastbone. Her hands rose and fell with his chest as he breathed. She could feel his heart beating, a faint pulsing beneath his ribs. Maybe she was imagining things, but it seemed a little fast to her—

Aang closed his hands around her wrists, and her breath caught. That was when she noticed her own heart was going a little fast, too. She opened her eyes to find their faces only inches apart. He was staring intently at her, the usual pale gray of his irises now dark with emotion.

As Katara held his gaze, she felt a flutter in her stomach that was both unsettling and thrilling at the same time. He moved her hands up to his shoulders and rested her palms on his collarbone, with her fingers cradling the base of his neck. His own hands were shaking. He leaned forward until their foreheads touched, and he closed his eyes.

The fluttering feeling in her stomach grew stronger until it became unbearable. Katara tilted her head—their noses brushed—and kissed him. No more hesitation. She wanted to kiss him. She knew that now.

Aang took in a sharp breath and froze. For a terrifying moment, Katara thought she had made a mistake. Then he kissed her back. His lips were soft like she remembered, but they pressed against hers with an eagerness she wasn't expecting. Her chest felt tight, her breathing fast and shallow. This kiss was very different than the one they had shared in the lovers' cave.

Katara pulled back first, feeling a bit breathless and overwhelmed. From the way Aang hunched his shoulders, he was experiencing the same effect. He looked up, his eyes searching her face. "Katara, I—"

She laid her fingers on his mouth to stop the words from coming out. "Don't talk," she whispered. Then she kissed him, a brief touching of the lips. "Not right now." No talking. No thinking. Thinking was messy. She circled her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss.

This time, there was no hesitation on his part. He leaned into the kiss with an enthusiasm that sent a tingling sensation down her spine. His breath on her face came in short, trembling bursts, and Katara's own breathing was no steadier. He had clearly thought about kissing her before. She only wondered if he had thought about it for as long as she had.

When they eventually came apart, Katara rested her forehead on Aang's, trying to catch her breath, feeling dizzy and elated.

A faint knocking noise came from somewhere in the distance, like wooden sandals striking cobblestones. Katara paid it no attention.

Aang took her hands and pulled her to her feet. Katara noticed with a thrill how close they were standing. He gave her a shy smile and reached up to touch her face. His fingers tremored slightly against her cheek. Katara had touched his face many times before—it came so naturally to her—but she realized that for Aang, such a gesture must feel incredibly bold. She smiled back and pressed his hand to her cheek.

Emboldened by her encouragement, Aang brought his other hand up and cradled her face between his hands. He was the one to kiss her this time. Tentative at first, as if unsure of how he would be received. Which warmed Katara's heart, because didn't they just spend the last several minutes doing nothing but kiss each other? Though she supposed she was the one who started it each time. My sweet, gentle Aang, she thought. Wait. Was he her Aang, now? And if he was, what did that make her? Don't think, she reminded herself. Thinking was too confusing. She closed her eyes as his arms enveloped her waist, and she eagerly gave in to his kiss.

The knocking came again, louder and more persistent now, but Katara tried to ignore it. Just the sounds of the village stirring in the early morning. Is it morning already? she wondered, but then decided that she didn't care. She only wanted to lose herself in kissing Aang.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Startled, Katara pulled away. Aang stared at her, his expression puzzled. "Katara? Are you okay? Was it…something I did?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "And no, it's not you. That annoying noise, though. Where is it coming from?"

"What noise?"

Katara blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, 'what noise?' You don't hear it?"

"No, I don't hear anything."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Augh! There it is again!" she said, irritated, running a hand through her hair. She wanted to give those villagers an earful or two. Maybe with some waterbending thrown in for good measure. How dare they interrupt her and Aang with their infernal knocking!

"I don't know what you're talking ab—"

The door burst open and Sokka marched into the room. "Katara! What are you doing?"

Katara yelped and sat up straight in bed, heart pounding. "Nothing! We weren't doing anything!"

Sokka peered at her with a raised eyebrow. "So…what exactly is it that you weren't doing? And with who?"

"Ah—we were only—" Sokka yanked back the window drapes, and Katara rubbed her eyes in the bright morning light. "Oh. It was just a dream."

An immense sense of relief washed over her. For a heart-stopping minute, Katara had thought that Sokka walked in on her and Aang kissing. Maybe not in the actual act of kissing, but they had their arms wrapped around each other and were obviously sharing an intimate moment—or several moments, as it were. Except that none of it had actually happened. Relief was soon replaced by disappointment. Katara touched her lips, trying to cling to the memory of what their kisses felt like before the dream faded away.

A pillow whacked her in the face. "Hey!" Katara grabbed the pillow and whipped it back at Sokka. "What's your problem?"

"What's my problem? Our problem is that you slept in and we need to get a move on! In case you've forgotten, the eclipse is only a week away. We still have a lot of ground to cover before we get to the rendezvous point."

"Yeah, all right," she grumbled. He did have a point.

"Better hurry up. We're finishing up breakfast, and food's almost gone. You can always make out with your dream boyfriend later."

"He's not my boyfr—" Katara started to say before she cut herself off. Her face burned as she realized she just confirmed Sokka's guess.

"Don't wanna know, don't really care," he said, waving her away.

"What I mean is—"

Sokka plugged his ears. "La la la, REALLY don't wanna know." He started to walk out of her room. "Just get ready and pack up. We're leaving right after breakfast."

When Katara walked into the main sitting area, everyone was already there and dressed for the day. Sokka was seated on the couch, poring over a map. Toph lounged on an overstuffed chair, feet propped up on a chair arm, contentedly digging around in one nostril with her pinky finger. Katara cringed inwardly—she going to have to talk to the girl about that disgusting habit sometime. She deliberately turned her back on the pint-sized earthbender and headed for the dining table.

Aang was sitting at the table, munching on a slice of papaya. He waved at her. Katara slid into a chair across from him. "Hey Aang," she said.

"Morning, Katara!" he said brightly. "I saved a plate for you. Otherwise Sokka would've cleaned everything out."

"Thanks." She pulled the plate over. Aang knew what she liked for breakfast—the plate was filled with several pieces of mango (no papaya, thankfully) and glazed meat buns. "Did you oversleep, too?"

"A little. And when I was doing my morning meditation—"

Katara felt the heat rise to her cheeks at the word "meditation." She ducked her head and took a bite of a curry bun, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"—Sokka came barging in and said we need to leave soon. He seems kind of on edge today."

"Mmm. The invasion is coming up soon. He's just trying to get us to the rendezvous point on time." Katara was secretly glad that everyone turned to her brother as the leader of their group instead of her. It was nice to rely on someone else to be in charge.

"If anyone can get us where we need to go, it's Sokka," Aang said with a shrug.

"All right, you lazy bums! Time to get moving!" Sokka called out as he rolled up his map.

"Right on cue," Katara said, rolling her eyes. Aang snickered.

"And no more late nights for you two sleepyheads," her brother said, jabbing a finger in their direction.

Katara flushed and grabbed a large square of cloth and mumbled something about wrapping up food for the road. She cast a sidelong glance at Aang, who busied himself with untying and retying his headband.

"You know what they say," Sokka continued. "The early turtle duck gets the worm. Gotta make the hay while the sun still shines."

"The squeaky wheel gets the kick," Toph chimed in.

"That's right! The squeaky wheel—wait a minute, are you calling me a squeaky wheel?"

Toph shrugged. "Hey, you said it, not me."

Sokka opened his mouth to make a retort, but then he smirked. "Whoever gets to Appa first gets dibs on the best seat!" he said, before grabbing his pack and dashing out the door.

Toph jumped to her feet and ran after him. "Oh no, there's no way I'm losing this race to you dunderheads! You know how much I hate flying!"

Katara smiled as she watched them go. "We'd better get going, too. I wouldn't put it past Sokka to leave me a spot on top of the luggage pile."

She and Aang gathered up their bags and left the inn. Katara hung back a bit behind Aang as they wove through the streets, watching the way his arms swayed as he walked. Even though his Fire Nation outfit covered him from head to toe, she could picture his arrow tattoos winding up his arms and legs, his forehead arrow disappearing into his hair before emerging at his neck and plunging down his back.

Her eyes followed the curves of his forehead and nose, and down to the vermilion border of his mouth. Katara's gaze lingered on his lips. She could still feel how they pressed against hers, his breath quickening on her face, his arms warm around her waist, pulling her close. That memory isn't real, Katara reminded herself, with more than a little regret. But what was real was their arms around each other during their meditation session, even if it was unintentional. And they'd almost kissed. A tingling sensation washed over her as she remembered how, with their arms entwined, they had leaned in to each other. And now, in the broad light of day, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the village, she knew their almost-kiss hadn't been just a heat of the moment thing. At least, not for her.

But what did it mean, her wanting to kiss Aang? Did it mean she loved him? And if she didn't, why was she thinking about kissing him? She had thought about and actually did kiss Jet—quite a few times, in fact—during the short time they were together. But she knew now, with a certainty as clear as water, that she didn't love him and never had. But Aang…he was so different from Jet. She loved Aang, and she loved him deeply—of that much she was aware—but did she love him that way? Was she in love with Aang? Her mind skirted around the idea, as if the thought of being in love with her friend—the boy in the iceberg, the bald little Air Nomad, the Avatar—was too strange or too uncomfortable to consider.

At the same time, though, she wished that she could find an excuse to kiss him. She wanted to know what his lips really felt like. Would he kiss her back? Would he be as eager—and tender—as he'd been in her dream? Would kissing him leave her breathless like she imagined?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Aang said, tilting his head in her direction.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Katara quickly averted her eyes and trained her gaze straight ahead.

"Do I have something on my face?"

Katara relaxed her shoulders. She hadn't even realized she'd tensed up. "No, I just got lost in thought. That's all."

"I noticed you've been kind of quiet today. Are you still thinking about last night?"

She gave a start and nearly stumbled. Which part of last night? Bloodbending Hama, almost kissing you, or dreaming about kissing you? "Uh, no. Actually, yeah. Kind of."

"Are you okay?" He was talking about her struggle with bloodbending. Katara breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just need to work it out on my own," she said, but part of her wanted to ask him to meditate with her again. To help her gain closure about bloodbending, of course. You've already gotten closure, said a voice in the back of her mind. But she wanted to see where meditating with Aang would lead. Where do you think it's going to lead? said the voice again, mocking her.

They walked along the road leading out of the village. Katara couldn't look at Aang without thinking about how they had kissed, both of them half-naked, in his bedroom late last night. It was just a dream, she reminded herself. A dream about kissing a boy she may or may not be in love with. A boy who she wasn't even sure how he felt about her.

Her head was a jumbled mess, and thinking wasn't making things any better. Katara felt a headache coming on and pinched the bridge of her nose. She needed an outlet. But she didn't really want to talk about it—she felt her cheeks redden at the thought of discussing her dream with anyone, most of all Aang. And she most certainly was not writing this kind of thing down in her diary. But keeping it all bottled up inside was driving her to distraction.

After a while, Katara came to a decision. "Hey Aang, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I was wondering…do you think dreams ever mean anything?"

Aang thought for a moment. "One of the Air Nomad teachings is that dreams are a window to the soul. They reveal our greatest fears and deepest desires, even if we're not aware of what they are. The stronger the emotions, the more vivid the dreams. Why do you ask?"

Her first impulse was to say, No reason, but she pushed it down and forged ahead. "I had a dream about someone last night. Two dreams, actually. In the first one, that person hated me. In the second dream, h—they loved me. Or at least I think they did."

"How did you feel in the dreams? Were they good or bad?"

"The first one, where the person hated me, that was a bad dream. It was really scary. The second one—" Katara suddenly felt warm all over "—it was…it was a good dream."

"So maybe it means that you're afraid this person hates you, and you wish they loved you instead."

"Not exactly. This person doesn't hate me, but if he did hate me…it would be one of the worst things that could ever happen. I don't think I could stand it. I think he loves me, actually. Or I want him to love me. I don't know."

"How do you feel about him? Do you love him?"

Too late, Katara realized her mistake. She had slipped and revealed that she was, in fact, talking about a him. "Maybe. I'm not sure," she replied truthfully.

Aang was quiet, and he stared at his feet as he walked. His face, usually so animated and expressive, was hard to read. Katara suppressed a feeling of rising panic. There's no way he knows I'm talking about him. I could be talking about anyone. Unless…

"Did the monks ever say anything about two people sharing the same dream?" she said, trying to keep her voice casual, as if the thought just occurred to her. "Is it possible for us—for people to be connected through dreams?"

Aang scratched his head. "I don't think so. I've never really thought about it before."

Thank the universe, Katara thought.

"But that reminds me of something that Huu said," he went on. "Remember him? He's the guy in the banyan-grove swamp who controlled vines with waterbending. He said that all living things are connected. Guru Pathik said everything is connected, too. So maybe our thoughts and emotions are connected to each other through our dreams."

"Makes sense," Katara said, but she was only listening with half an ear. She was overcome with relief that Aang didn't seem to know that they were talking about him. And glad that she was able to break the tension between them and get him chatting about something else.

"I wonder if I sometimes share dreams with other people without knowing it," Aang said. "You know, with me being the Avatar and all."

Katara's attention snapped back to full awareness. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"Remember when I was able to find Appa and Momo in the swamp? The swamp was one big outgrowth from the banyan tree, and it connected us to everyone else in the swamp. And at the Eastern Air Temple, when I was…well, I could sense that you were in trouble after Azula captured you in Ba Sing Se. I could do those things because I'm the Avatar. So maybe I'm connected to other people through dreams, too. You know, being the bridge to the spirit world and all."

"I see…" That was something she hadn't considered. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Aang was the Avatar. "I guess it makes sense for dreams to be part of the spirit world."

"Yeah. Anyway, it's just a theory. But I wouldn't mind if it was true."

"What do you mean? Did you have a dream last night, too?" Katara knew she was taking a risk, but she was feeling daring, and intensely curious to boot.

"Yeah, I did. It was no big deal though," he said with a shrug, but he looked away.

Katara couldn't resist trying to draw him out. "I guess…it would be nice if the person I was dreaming about shared the dream with me."

Aang crossed his arms over his chest, with his shoulders hunched. It was a defensive posture. "Even if you don't feel the same way he does about you?" he said flatly.

Ugh. That wasn't what she expected him to say. Things were getting awkward again. Maybe she shouldn't have pushed Aang this far to satisfy her curiosity. Then it dawned on her. Maybe Aang thought her dream was not about him, but about someone else. Was he jealous? But he would only be jealous if he had feelings for her, right?

Why did she like that idea so much?

But seeing Aang close himself off like that made her instantly regret feeling good about something that so clearly made him feel bad.

Katara stepped in front of him and turned to face him. He stopped walking. "Listen, Aang," she began, but she had no idea what to say next. Their conversation was going the wrong direction, and she just needed it to stop.

Aang looked up at her with confusion in his eyes. There was something else, too. Jealousy? No, not quite. He was hurt. Guilt surged up in her chest, and she mentally kicked herself. It was one thing to talk about their dreams, but she didn't have to lead him on like that.

Katara wanted to apologize, but what could she say? I'm sorry for making you think I was dreaming about someone else when I was really dreaming about you, and I'm sorry for hurting you like that, and of course you would only be hurt if you had feelings for me, but I don't actually know if you do. And I'm sorry for talking about a dream where we were kissing, and I really liked it, but I'm not sure if I'm in love with you or not. I'm also sorry for—

Argh! Katara wanted to smack herself. How do I dig myself out of this hole? How do I make things right again?

"Listen, Aang," she said again. "Let's forget about these dreams, okay? They're just…" She almost said stupid, but stopped herself. "…they're just dreams. They probably don't mean anything anyway." She didn't exactly believe that, and she wasn't going to forget her dream anytime soon, but she hated that her fixation on her dream was driving a wedge in their relationship. She just wanted things between them to be okay again.

"Do you really think so? That they don't mean anything?"

"I don't know," Katara admitted. "But that's not important. Because they're not real. What's important are the people right in front of us—"

A lowing sound, Appa's characteristic bellow, rumbled in the distance. They were at the edge of the woods now, which meant the rest of the gang was not far off.

"—and the people around us. The people we love." She put her hands on his shoulders. "They matter more than anything else," she said softly.

"You know, you're right." Aang finally uncrossed his arms and gave her a gentle smile, the kind of smile that sometimes made her heart flutter. "We shouldn't worry so much about things that aren't real. So we don't lose sight of the people we care about."

"Yes." Katara couldn't help smiling back. She felt lighter than air, as if a weight had lifted. This was her Aang, so open and genuine, with no walls between them. Her mind was clear, now. This was the Aang who mattered, not the one she dreamed about kissing.

He stepped in to give her a hug, and she pulled him close. This time, his arms around her waist, solid and reassuring, were real. Memories of kissing him resurfaced—memories from her dream—but she pushed them back down. She wanted to hold on to what was real.

Then Aang took her hand. "Come on," he said, and broke into a trot, pulling her along. "Race you to Appa. Winner gets to not sit next to Sokka and hear him complain about how late we are."

"But you always sit up front because you're the one driving," Katara pointed out.

"Then you can sit up front with me." He let go of her hand and ran ahead. "But only if you win!" he called back.

"Hey, no fair! You got a head start!"

"You have longer legs!"

"Okay fine, but no cheating. That means no airbending!" Katara tried to sound stern, but the effect was ruined because she was also laughing.

As they ran through the woods, under the sun-dappled shade of the trees, Katara felt free. She was free from Hama, free from the temptation of bloodbending. Free from her confusing thoughts and feelings and dreams about Aang. Right now, they were just a Water Tribe girl and an Air Nomad boy racing each other on a warm summer morning.

Somewhere up ahead, Aang whooped and laughed with the sheer joy of running. Even without the advantage of airbending, he was still quicker than her. Katara didn't mind. She tried to pick up her pace, even though she suspected Aang would get to Appa first no matter how fast she ran. Maybe he would let her win. No, probably not, knowing him. Besides, she would rather have him win fair and square. He might ask her to sit up front with him anyway. But even if he didn't, that was okay, too.

Because everything between them was all right.

The End