A/N. So… I will be gone for at least a week, sorry to drop this cliffhanger on you! But when I will be back, I'll have several chapters for both stories!

I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Well, flying to Omashu was a bad idea. A very bad one. They hadn't had any news from the war since leaving the North Pole. It seemed that the destruction of one fleet had not hampered the Fire Nation's war effort, and they had concentrated on the Earth Kingdom. Omashu, the last city on the western coast, was their target.

Katara saw many camps in the valleys, but it seemed not to be that much a hindrance, because they could just fly over them. But on the mountain tops, the Fire Nation had posted catapults and crews. They seemed to have been warned that the Avatar would try to go to Omashu. At first, she didn't understand how they could have known. But then, the fact that the friendship between Aang and Bumi had been the talk over the whole continent, it seemed logical. The Fire Nation had guessed that after the North Pole, Aang would try to get to the best earthbender on earth, who was also his friend.

After a few fiery stones, fired by the catapults, they decided to go back, and try the secret tunnel that Chong had talked about. Everything was better than being toasted high up in the sky.

"Secret love cave, here we go," Sokka said, rather irritated, when they walked past the nomads. Aang walked in front of her, shoulders slumped and looking rather green. Of course, going through tunnels underground wouldn't be his idea of a fun trip. The waterbender had remarked, several times during their travels, that the airbender would be happiest dancing on the ledge of Appa's saddle, looking over the horizon, and talking about the funny things they saw. That was his idea of a good trip.

Walking towards the supposed entrance, Sokka asked how far the tunnel went. The answer Chong gave didn't reassure Katara. It was a labyrinth. Not just a tunnel. A maze. Perfect. Just what they needed.

"No need to worry. All you have to do, is trust in love. According to the curse." Lily said without a hint of worry.

"Stupid love. Stupid curse." The waterbender heard her brother mutter.

They arrived in front of a rather grand entrance, with statues and inscriptions just above the arc, that Katara couldn't read.

"Cave of the Lovers," she heard Aang mutter just behind her. Turning around, she saw the airbender look straight at her. Feeling blood rush to her face, she asked.

"Y-you can read that?"

"Yeah… I took some lessons on ancient scripts… Gyatso taught them…" He explained, shuffling from one foot to another. The airbender looked bashful, and Katara recalled their discussion from the day before. He knew about the cultures of other nations…

Her musings were interrupted by Sokka.

"Tell me more about that curse."

"Well… The legend says that only those who trust in love will be able to navigate the maze." Chong said, pulling on the cords of his instrument.

"Or die." Lily put in, very helpfully.

"Oh yeah… That's the rest of the song."

Katara saw her brother slap a hand against his forehead. She also had her doubts. Maybe they could go through the Fire Nation blockade during the night?

But of course, that wasn't an option. One of the other guys pointed to a smoke plume talking nonsense.

"That is no fire… That is the army…" She sighed. So, cursed love tunnel it was.

"All we have to do is trust in love?" Aang's voice could hardly be heard. Remembering the look he had given her while talking about the name of the cave, she quickly looked back at the smoke. But, glancing over her shoulder, she could see the airbender look in her direction.

"We can make it." He said, with a confidence she hadn't yet heard from him. He sounded… Sure of himself. But not in a bad way.

They had not even made it five minutes into the vase when it split in two. While they were discussing to best tunnel, Katara heard a loud rumble behind her. The dim light from the entrance disappeared. The Fire Nation had destroyed the entrance… and the only exit that they knew of.

Appa bellowed loudly, running back and trying to get out. Poor bison… He was afraid of the dark, and of caves. It seemed cruel to have dragged him under the ground. She went over to the bison to calm him. Putting a hand on the Sky Bison's head, his big brown eyes stared at her, and he seemed to calm down.

Chong pulled some torches out of their bag and gave some to Aang. Lighting one, they moved forward. Katara stayed next to Appa, still with a hand on him, to show him she was there for him.

Sokka was tracing their path on a piece of paper, and, after what felt like an hour, they found themselves in front of a junction. One that looked like the one at the entrance. They had walked in a circle. Just. Perfect.

A screege pierced the silence. A giant shadow fell over them, and from the darkness, a wolf bat came flying towards the torch that Sokka was holding in his hand. Her brother waved to fire towards the creature, but the torch slipped out of his hand. She saw it fly towards Appa, and touching one of his paws. Oh Spirits, not good.

If Sky Bisons could cry out, Appa would have done it. HE began stomping around in the cramped space. And a ten-ton creature doing that was dangerous. She ran out of the way, towards the tunnel on right, while Aang ran around Appa, trying to calm him. Then, the bison hit one of the cave walls. In the light of her own torch, Katara could see the cracks appear. Higher and higher. A little pebble fell in front of her. Then another. And the noises that Appa was making were quickly silenced by the great rumbling of the cave roof. Falling in.

She fixed the falling stones with horror, too stunned to move. This was how they were going to die. But then, the waterbender felt the air around them pick up, and push towards the other side of the cave. And not a second after that, arms around her waist, pushing her away from the cave in.

When the commotion died down, she realized that a body had slammed her out of the way. And now, was laying on top of her. Looking sideways, Katara saw the familiar bald head and tattoos.

"Aang… can you get off me please?" She whispered, not knowing why she felt embarrassed.

"Oh.. Yeah! Yeah!" He scrambled up, quickly getting several feet away from her, looking rather shy, but with a small smile on his lips.

Appa was pushing his head against the rubble, lowing quietly, as if to tell them he was sorry.

"It's alright boy… Not your fault… I don't like it either here, underground…" The airbender pushed his shoulder gently against his bison's front leg. Appa seemed to shrink in size and cuddle up against Aang. It would have been hilarious to see. If they weren't in mortal danger.

"Aang… We have to get to Sokka… Quickly. This torch will only last some time… And if it goes out, then… we are screwed." Katara said, also walking over to the bison and softly petted his left ear. They began to walk.

Moving through the tunnels, trying to keep to the left, in the direction Sokka's tunnel had gone, they quickly lost any sense of direction. Aang was keeping the torch in his hand, and it felt awkward. This was the first time in a long time they were alone. Like, really alone. There had always been people around them… And now, she only heard one person. Him. His breath, his footsteps. His quiet hiss when a little bit of the torch fell down on his hand.

"So… That girl seemed very interested in you." Small talk concerning the girl she had been a bit jealous of. Good plan Katara.

"Yeah… But she didn't interest me." She heard Aang answer, and, looking at him, she saw him staring directly at her. Was it just her, or had he put the emphasis on she didn't interest me?

"Did you… have a girlfriend? You know, before the iceberg?" Why did she ask that? Seriously was she just torturing herself?

"Nope! Not me!" the airbender responded quickly. "Well… There were crushes. Of course. But I spent most of my time in an all-male temple. Not that that means nothing happened. But not for me."

So, here they were, walking through a literal labyrinth, with only limited light. And Katara managed to talk about the one thing that could make this worse. Yeah.

"Oh… okay…" She managed to say.

"And you?" He muttered. Great. It got from bad to worse.

"Oh… No! You know, with the whole male population gone… There were not many opportunities."

"Okay… And Jet?" Was he doing it on purpose?

"No… He was just some stupid crush. It lasted for a two whole days. But nothing happened. Fortunately!" She laughed way too loudly.

They walked in silence after that awkward conversation. Why was it so easy to talk to him, but when they touched on these kind of subjects, it was awkward and rather painful to listen to. Further in the tunnel, she could make out a shape.

"Is that a door?" She asked the airbender, who looked up. Before he could do anything, Appa bellowed loudly and rushed forwards. The bison head butting the rock and it fell away with a loud crash. Only darkness met their eyes.

She lifted to torch higher, and shapes became visible. Several statues, and, in the middle of the vast room, two shapes… Looking like coffins…

"It's a tomb." Aang said, in a low voice.

Walking down the stairs, the torch cast shadows over the room. Katara saw a statue of a man in one corner, and one of a woman in the other. In the back of the room, two statues seemed to bend towards each other.

Walking to the tomb, she saw that the dais was decorated with a fresco. Underneath each picture, there were writing. That even she managed to decipher.

Two young lovers met on a mountain that divided their two villages, which were at war for centuries. They fell in love, and to hide their love, the two lovers were forced to learn earthbending from the badgermoles, becoming the first earthbenders. They met inside the mountain, loving each other for several years. Then… The man was killed. By her village. The woman used her earthbdening to put a stop to the war and made the two villages move into the first city, build by bending.

At the last panel, she got tears in her eyes.

"The woman's name was Oma… And the man was named Shu… The great city of Omashu was built as a monument to their love." They must have loved each other very much, for the woman never took a husband, and died.

Katara turned to Aang, and she saw a look in his eyes that she had seen some time, fleeting. But now it stayed, and he fixed her. It was like… awe. He was in awe.

"A love stronger than war, famine or brutality. That is very… Air Nomad of them." He laughed weakly.

"A love that managed to be born, even when the world around them burned." She whispered back. It seemed rather familiar to her.

Turning around, she saw the two statues in the back more clearly. Oma and Shu. Leaning towards each other to share a kiss. Their lips didn't touch, but the body language was clear. Both had their hands on the other, as if to search for comfort in each other's touch.

There was an inscription underneath the statues.

"Love is brightest in the dark…"

What did that mean? That love, real love, was strongest at the darkest moment? She felt that real love should be like that. Her parents had been like that. And at the darkest moment, her mother had been taken away from them. Her father had proved his love for her by leading the tribe to war, even if they couldn't change much. He had said that the tribe should help the Earth Kingdom, but she had seen the look in his eyes. He didn't go to war to help anyone. He had gone to war to stop the people who had taken away his love.

How are we going to find a way out of the tunnels?" Aang asked in a soft voice. That brought her back to earth.

Love is brightest in the dark.

Two lovers, forbidden to love each other by a war. Two statues, leaning to one another. In the dark/

"I have a crazy idea." The words left her mouth before she could stop herself.

"What?" The airbender asked gently.

"Never mind, it is crazy!" It didn't seem so crazy to her. But she didn't want to embarrass herself.

"Katara… What is it?" He moved closer, and she felt her arm brush against hers.

"I-I was thinking… the curse said we'll be trapped in here forever… Unless we trust in love." She didn't look at him, but she could feel the warmth rush to her face.

"Right…" Oh clueless Aang…

"And here, there is written Love is brightest in the dark, and had a picture of them kissing…" Katara tried to look anywhere but at the airbender.

"Where are you going with this?" He asked, but she heard the hesitation in his voice. That made the next sentence even more difficult. Now, she was clearly blushing. She could feel her heart pound in her chest.

"W-what if we… if we kissed?"

Answers :

Gabriela N. Gonzalez : Katara showed moments in the show when she was jealous, so I wanted to add that into the story! And let's be honest… Aang won't go for anyone else lol!

Ashley Barbosa : Yeah, just a little chapter to get to the important part!