Author's note: This chapter is set at the Western Air Temple during the events of the episode "The Firebending Masters" (S3 E13), when Aang and Zuko search for the Sun Warrior ruins to learn about the original methods of firebending.

Chapter 1: Discovery

Katara was angry. Not just upset. Angry. People tended to avoid Katara when she was angry.

She gathered up a thick tendril of water from the ruined fountain. With a scream of fury, she jabbed her hands at the cliff in front of her. The mass of water surged forward and separated into hundreds of icy spikes that flew into the cliff wall. The spikes struck the rock with a series of dull thunks, but Katara wasn't satisfied. With a sweep of her hands, she sent another flurry of spikes into the cliff, and another, and another.

Katara continued to attack the cliff with hail after hail of ice spikes. Her form was bad. Her stance was too tense, too aggressive. She was wasting her energy—making unnecessary movements, yelling. But she didn't care.

She hurled a final volley of ice daggers into the cliff face before hunching over, bracing her hands on her knees, breathing hard. Why did we let him go? Why did I let him go?

Earlier that morning…

"Aang, I need to talk to you."

Aang was in the courtyard, adjusting Appa's harness. Zuko was already in the saddle, drumming his fingers, impatient to get going.

Katara pulled Aang away from the sky bison and steered him to an empty corner of the courtyard. "This isn't a good idea. You shouldn't go off to find the Sun Warrior ruins with Zuko, not alone. He can't be trusted."

"I know it's hard to trust someone who hunted us for so long. But like Iroh said, there is good inside of Zuko. I've seen it for myself, when he rescued me from Zhao last winter. And when he tried to stop Combustion Man from attacking us. He's changed, Katara. I'm sure of it."

Katara gritted her teeth. Aang was so trusting, so willing to forgive. She loved that about him. He usually turned out to have good judgment, too, even if she sometimes questioned it. But for some reason, he couldn't see what Zuko was capable of doing. "Aang. Zuko hired an assassin to kill us. To kill you. Not just capture, but kill." Katara threw her arms into the air. "And in case you forgot, he almost succeeded the other day!"

Aang put his hands up, trying to appease her. "I know, I know. But Zuko's on our side now. It's not his fault Combustion Man wouldn't listen to him."

"Not his fault?!" Katara's voice rose to a screech. "Of course it's his fault!"

"No, it's not. Combustion Man—"

"And stop calling him Combustion Man! That's a ridiculous name!"

"Okay, I'll stop. But I have to do this, Katara. So does Zuko. It's the only chance I have to learn firebending."

Aang was right, of course. But so was Katara. "You don't have to go with him alone. We can come with you."

He shook his head. "That's too many people. Appa can't carry all that weight."

"We don't all have to come. Just me, Sokka, and Toph."

Aang chuckled, a self-conscious sound. "I really don't think that's necessary."

"Fine. How about just me, then? I'll come with you. You need someone to watch your back."

A look of longing passed over Aang's face, and his expression softened. "I wouldn't mind if you came with me. Actually, I'd really like it if you did."

Katara was taken aback by the directness of his response. Then again, they had kissed on the submarine. No—he had kissed her. But she'd kissed him back. Her lips burned and her face grew warm just thinking about it. Focus, Katara. Focus. "All right. It's settled, then."

She started to push past him, but Aang held up a hand to stop her. "No. As much as I want you to come, something tells me I need to do this alone. Just me and Zuko."

"What?"

"The Sun Warriors were the first people to learn firebending from the dragons. We're going to one of their sacred ruins. I think it's best if the firebenders, me and Zuko, are the only ones going."

"Aang—"

"I'll be fine. You saw Zuko yesterday. He can barely make a puff of fire. Even if he does try something, it won't be anything I can't handle."

"He could pull a sword on you when you're not looking. He trained his whole life with Master Piandao, after all."

"Katara, don't worry. Everything will be okay."

Katara frowned. He wasn't listening to her. She knew what would make him listen, but talking about it meant reopening an old wound, a memory that hurt too much to even think about. She took a deep breath. "Aang, I need to tell you something about Zuko. Something I haven't told anyone else.

"Back in Ba Sing Se, when Zuko and I were prisoners in the crystal catacombs—before you and Iroh rescued us—we talked about some things. I was angry with him at first, but then he opened up about his mother. He said that the Fire Nation took her away from him, just like they took my mother away from me. I started to see him as a person, someone just like us, and not an enemy obsessed with capturing the Avatar. I was even going to try to heal his scar with the spirit water from the North Pole.

"He sounded just like the way he did when he talked to you about joining us to teach you firebending. I thought he had changed. But he hadn't. He wanted to get his 'honor' back so badly—" Katara flexed her fingers to make air quotes at the word honor "—that the moment he saw an opportunity, he betrayed us. He betrayed you. He's the reason you were killed!"

Katara's eyes filled with angry tears, and she dashed them away with the back of her hand. Aang had a pained expression on his face. He laid a hand on her arm. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Katara. It must have hurt you so much. More than I can imagine. But I think Zuko has changed. I really do. He's not the same person he was before."

Why doesn't he see? The anger and frustration inside Katara were rising to a boil. She pushed Aang's hand away. "Don't you get it? He had me convinced by his little act! I almost used up the spirit water on him! If you and Iroh hadn't showed up when you did, there would've been none left for you. And you wouldn't have needed any in the first place if you hadn't died. But you did die, and it was all because of Zuko!" Katara flung her arm out and jabbed a finger at Zuko, who was lounging in Appa's saddle.

"I was a fool to believe him!" Katara shouted, not caring if Zuko heard. "But I won't make the same mistake again." She put her hands on her hips and glared at Aang. "And neither should you."

Aang looked down and seemed to mull over her words. "I don't know, Katara. I think this time will be different. Zuko needs this as much as I do."

"Then you leave me no choice. I'm coming, whether you like it or not." She marched past him, determined to push through any protest he might have.

"No." Aang stepped in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. Not as a reassuring touch, but to stand his ground. "It has to be this way. Please trust me, Katara."

They stared at each other, neither one willing to budge. Finally, Katara relented. Aang was the Avatar, after all. She had to trust his judgment, even when it scared her to do so. She folded her arms across her chest. "Fine. But tell Zuko that if he tries anything, he'll have to answer to me."

He gave her a small smile. "I will. Thanks, Katara. For believing in me."

Katara nodded. "Be safe, Aang," she said softly.

He lingered for a moment, as if he wanted to say something more, but then thought better of it.

Katara watched him go. I can't lose you again, she wanted to say, but the moment had passed. Aang leaped into Appa's saddle, and the sky bison lifted off from the ground. Soon they were nothing more than a speck in the distance.

Not long after Aang left with Zuko, Katara was certain she had made a mistake in letting him go. Their absence left her too much time to think. Normally, she would be spending her time training Aang, helping Toph train Aang, or watching Zuko teach Aang how to firebend. And watching Zuko's every move, no matter what he was doing, waiting for him to slip up. But now that they were gone—for who knows how long—there was very little to keep her attention occupied.

She kept going over her conversation with Aang in her head. Each time, she was more and more convinced that she had made the wrong decision to let him go. Her mind was filled with nothing but the memory of what had happened in Ba Sing Se. Zuko's deception. Her naïve trust in him. Zuko's betrayal. Aang, struck down by lightning. Aang, falling, falling, falling… Aang's lifeless body in her arms. His dead eyes, staring at nothing. Over. And over. And over again.

Katara straightened up. With a growl, she lunged toward the fountain with outstretched arms. Grunting with effort, she brought her hands together and began to lift them up. All of the water in the fountain slowly rose into the air in a single, fluid, massive disc. The muscles in her arms burned as she struggled to keep the huge mass of water hovering in the air. She pulled her arms back and heaved the water against the cliff, freezing it and coating the entire cliff face with a layer of ice. I shouldn't—She raised her hands over her head—have let—clenched her hands into fists—him—swept her arms to the side—go!—and jabbed her fingers, like daggers, down to the ground.

The ice covering the cliff shattered, a million glittering, knife-like shards spraying into the air. Katara dropped to her knees, panting from the exertion. Sweat dripped down her face, and her clothes were soaked.

In the end, taking her rage out on the cliff didn't make her feel better. In some ways, she felt worse. She was still angry at Aang for not listening to her. Angry at herself for letting him go. For letting him convince her that he was doing the right thing. And bitter, so deeply bitter, at Zuko. She felt tired. Empty. Drained.

"Um, Katara?" came a timid voice from somewhere behind her.

Katara didn't bother turning around. "What do you want, Sokka?"

"Uh, it's just that all of the water in our camp froze. Like, all of it. In our cups, in the pots, in the fountain. Then it all kind of exploded in our faces."

"So what?"

"So I wanted to see if you're okay."

Katara didn't reply. An awkward silence followed.

"So, uh…are you okay?" Sokka asked again.

"No."

Her brother's footsteps shuffled closer. He put a hand on her shoulder. "This is about Aang going off with Zuko, isn't it?"

She nodded without saying anything. Her eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision.

"Look, I know you're worried. But it's Aang. He'll be fine."

Katara whirled on him, tears streaming down her face. "You don't know that," she hissed. "Why didn't you stop him? If nothing else, I should have stopped him. But instead, I let him go like the useless, helpless idiot that I am!"

A loud crack echoed around them. The water that had covered the cliff was now frozen on the ground, with a newly-formed fissure running through it.

Sokka held up his hands. "Whoa, okay, let's just take a deep breath, all right?"

Katara crossed her arms over her chest and fixed him with an angry stare.

"You know what? Maybe if you eat something, it'll help. It's almost lunchtime anyway." Sokka walked ahead, leading the way. He beckoned for her to follow. "Come on, you'll feel better once you get some food in you."

Katara sat with the others in a circle around their campsite in the large, sheltered anteroom of the courtyard. Her friends kept up a lively chatter as they slurped their bowls of stew, trading stories and telling jokes. The bowl between her hands had gone cold. She was sure the food was delicious—it was Sokka's signature meat and daikon radish stew—but she had no appetite.

Everyone around her suddenly broke out into peals of laughter. Sokka must have made a particularly witty remark, judging from the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Katara set her bowl on the tiled floor with a loud bang and stood up. "How can you all sit here, joking around, like everything is fine and dandy?"

"We know everything isn't fine," Teo said. He seemed surprised at her outburst. "We know we lost the battle on the Day of Black Sun. Our friends and families were captured, but at least none of them were seriously hurt. We need to keep looking ahead if we're going to win this war. Dwelling on the things we can't change isn't going to help."

"He's right Katara," Toph said. "We need to keep moving forward. I know it feels like we're just sitting around doing nothing, but that's because Aang and Zuko are off to learn what they can about firebending in the Sun Warrior ruins."

"What if it's a trap? Did anyone think of that?" Katara demanded.

"A trap? By who? The Sun Warriors?" Sokka said, looking puzzled.

Katara threw her hands up in frustration. "How can you be so dense? A trap by Zuko, of course!" She scrunched up the left side of her face and said in a deep, mocking tone, "'I've lost my stuff. I can't firebend.'" Then, in her normal voice, she said, "He could be lying. He's good at that. I should know. Just look how easily you were all taken in!"

"But he wasn't lying. I could tell," Toph said, holding up a foot and wiggling her toes.

"Well, maybe your all-knowing feet are wrong sometimes!"

If Toph was offended, she didn't show it. "Even if he is lying, he's just a firebender. Aang is an airbender, earthbender, and waterbender all rolled into one. He can take Zuko no problem."

"Yeah!" Sokka chimed in. "He's got the trifecta of the bending elements." He made some punching motions in the air. "Whoosh! Pow! Kerblooey! Zuko doesn't stand a chance."

Katara clenched her hands into fists. "You guys just don't get it. It doesn't matter if Aang can bend three elements and Zuko can bend only one. Azula is only a firebender, and she killed Aang with a single bolt of lightning. When Aang was in the Avatar state!"

She paused to let that sink in.

"We shouldn't have let him go with Zuko. I shouldn't have let him go. I should be with him right now!"

An uncomfortable silence descended. Katara scanned her friends' faces, daring them to say something, to contradict her. They all avoided meeting her eyes.

"I'm going for a walk. I need to clear my head," she said, and stalked away.

The hallways of the Western Air Temple were wide and spacious, and the thick stone of the floor and walls cooled the hot summer air. The sunlight coming through the windows high up near the vaulted ceilings gave Katara the illusion that she was still outside, despite being indoors. The Air Nomads must have designed their buildings to mimic the sense of freedom they felt with airbending and flying. The thought filled her with a profound sadness. An entire people and way of life lost to time, wiped out by a power-hungry Fire Lord. Her heart ached for Aang.

Walking through the temple helped Katara settle her mind. She felt like she was in another place and time. This was the third air temple she had visited. While each air temple was different, they all evoked a sense of peace and tranquility. Which was not surprising, since the temples had been built and inhabited by monks and nuns.

Katara passed through the living quarters. Room after room was empty, unclaimed. The silence that had seemed so peaceful at first now struck her as mournful. The original owners of these rooms were dead and gone, and no airbender would live within their walls again. The enormity of the Air Nomads' extinction weighed heavy in the air.

With a renewed sense of clarity, Katara knew they had to defeat the Fire Nation no matter what the cost. Already, the personal toll the war had taken on her—on them all—was high. There was even more at stake now, and they were nearing the apex of everything they had been working for. Defeating the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation would demand everything they had, and they would give it their all. Even if it meant the risk of losing everything and everyone they loved. What other choice did they have?

The war would demand more out of Aang than anyone else. Aang, the last of an extinct people. Aang, the Avatar. The hopes and lives of the entire world rested on his shoulders. If he lost, then they all lost.

That meant Aang had to win. There was no other option. Katara refused to consider the alternative. But for Aang to win, he first had to survive to see the day he would face Fire Lord Ozai.

She was approaching one of corners of the temple, which housed a cluster of rooms that were in better condition than the others. Even though she and her friends slept and took their meals in the anteroom of the courtyard, they kept the rest of their belongings in this part of the temple.

The doors to the most of the rooms were left open. There was little sense in keeping them closed, since the only valuables their group possessed were money and food, both of which were shared with everyone. Only one door was shut. Zuko's room.

Have you got something to hide, now? Katara pushed the door open and walked inside. Several objects lay scattered across the bed. Zuko must have taken his satchel with him, along with what was necessary for the trip. Some of the things he left behind were practical items, like the inkstone and writing brush. Others were wrapped in paper or cloth. Katara was more interested in the latter.

Two flat objects covered in paper turned out to be small ink portraits of Iroh and a woman Katara assumed was Zuko's mother. Maybe he wasn't lying about his mother, after all. Katara frowned. But that doesn't mean he won't betray Aang. She set the portraits aside.

The next item was carefully wrapped in cloth. One end was round like a cylinder, and it had two sides that flattened out and tapered to a point. When she unfolded the cloth, the contents rolled out and clanged against the wooden rim of the bed. Katara gasped. A chill ran through her. I knew he couldn't be trusted! She quickly wrapped up the object, tucked it into her pocket, and dashed out of the room.

That night, Katara waited for everyone else to fall asleep. She lay in her sleeping bag, with the object she found in Zuko's room pressing into her ribs. The knowledge of what it was burned a hole in her side.

She waited until the mumbling and tossing and turning subsided. The fire in the middle of their circle had died down, but the glowing embers gave her just enough light to see. She slipped out of the sleeping bag and tiptoed into the shadows on bare feet. Keeping a wide berth from her sleeping friends, she rounded the circle until she reached the spot where Sokka lay. On silent feet, she slowly approached her brother. She knelt down by the foot of his sleeping bag, where he kept his satchel. Feeling around in the near-darkness, she undid the clasps and opened the flap. She reached inside, closed her fingers around the wooden knob a scroll, and pulled it out.

It was too dark for Katara to tell if it was the one she needed, so she took as many as she could get her hands on. She straightened, clutching the armful of scrolls to her chest. But they were too many for her to juggle—one slipped out and clattered on the floor before rolling away.

Katara winced and fervently willed her friends to stay asleep. She crawled along the floor, groping around for the runaway scroll. It had rolled somewhere between Sokka and Haru. There you are, she thought triumphantly as her fingers brushed the tube of paper. She snatched up the scroll and turned to stand, and came face to face with Sokka.

Katara let out a small shriek and nearly lost her grip on the rest of the scrolls. Sokka was not pleased. "Katara, what do you think you're doing with my maps?"

The game was up, so she might as well be honest. "I'm going after Aang."

Sokka sighed and passed a hand over his face. "Okay, look. This thing of yours about Aang and Zuko is becoming an obsession."

"It's not an obsession. Zuko can't be trusted—"

"Katara—"

"—and I have proof."

Katara walked out into the courtyard and set down the maps. Her brother had no choice but to follow. This could turn into a long conversation, and she didn't want to wake the others.

She pulled out a wad of cloth from her pocket, unwrapped it, and showed the contents to Sokka. The object inside gleamed faintly in the moonlight. The base of the object was a wide, red ring bordered with gold trim. Rising up from the ring were two flat pieces of metal that were styled to resemble golden flames.

"What is that?" Sokka asked.

"It seems to be a Fire Nation ornament."

Sokka frowned. "Where did you get it?"

"Zuko's room."

"Zuko's—augh, never mind. I'm not even going to ask why you were snooping around in there." Sokka took the ornament from her. Tucked between the two flames was a long pin. Sokka pulled out the pin and threaded it through a small hole in each of the flame pieces. "I think it's a royal hair ornament. The round part at the bottom goes around the base of the topknot, and the pin goes higher up through the hair to hold it in place."

"And what reason would Zuko have to keep something like this?" Katara demanded in a heated whisper. "He said he turned his back on his kingdom to come to our side. But he brings along with him something that reminds him of the Fire Nation. So he doesn't forget who he really is and why he's here!"

Sokka rubbed his chin. "It does raise some questions. But I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation—"

"Why do you keep defending him? Why am I the only one who cares that Aang is in danger?" Katara was seething now. One wrong word, one wrong look, and she was ready to explode.

Sokka made a calming motion with his hands. "Katara, I know how much you love him—"

Something stirred inside her, and her anger began to deflate. Her brother's words echoed in her head. I know how much you love him.

I love him…

"—and really, we all do. We all love Aang, and we do care that he could be in danger. But he's also the Avatar. He'll always be in some kind of danger, whether we like it or not. And sometimes he'll have to handle it by himself. I think this is one of those times. I mean, he would've fought the Fire Lord head-on during the invasion if our plan hadn't been sabotaged. He'll still need to face Ozai eventually. If we believe in him enough to fight Ozai, shouldn't we believe in him to handle this trip with Zuko?"

Katara wanted to protest, but Sokka sounded so reasonable. "I guess you're right, Sokka. But I hate feeling so helpless. Like there's nothing I can do. I felt so helpless in Ba Sing Se, when Azula shot Aang with lightning." Her voice choked up as the memory overwhelmed her, the shock and grief still raw. "I watched her kill him right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do about it!" Katara made an angry swipe with her hand as tears streamed down her face.

Sokka put a steady hand on her shoulder. "But you did do something, Katara," he said quietly. "You brought him back. That's something no one else could do but you."

Katara wiped away her tears with her palm, smearing them across her face. "I had the spirit water from the North Pole. I couldn't have done it without the spirit water. But that's gone now. There's no more left. If something happens to Aang, I won't be able to bring him back."

Sokka took a deep breath as if steeling himself for what he had to say next. "Katara…listen. This isn't going to be easy to hear, but I'll say it anyway. First, you've got to stop blaming yourself for what happened in Ba Sing Se. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't even really Zuko's fault—" Katara narrowed her eyes at him "—okay, maybe it was a little his fault. But my point is, Azula was the one who killed Aang. And it wasn't because of anything you did or didn't do.

"My second point is that you need to learn to let go. I know you love Aang—" There it was again, that word, love "—and you want to protect him. But he's the Avatar. He may not have seemed like much in the beginning, but he's changed. A lot. He's growing into the person who's going to end this war and save the world. He will be the one protecting us."

Sniffling, Katara listened to her brother without interrupting. I love him. I love Aang. The revelation hit her like a ten-ton boulder. I love Aang. Aang, the Avatar. I'm in love the Avatar.

Her knees suddenly felt weak, and she sank to the ground. Let go, he says. I need to learn to let go. She closed her eyes, trying to make sense of the emotions swirling inside of her, threatening to overwhelm her. It was too much to take in.

When Katara felt like she was losing control, she did something about it. Taking action helped her focus, gave her something to grab onto. "Okay, you've made your point. We need to trust Aang to handle himself around Zuko. Fair enough. But what if they both get into trouble? How long do we wait for them to come back?"

Sokka stared at her in disbelief. "You're serious about going after them."

"Well, why not?"

"If something bad happens to them, you think we'll get there in time on foot? With mountains and rivers along the way?"

"So you know which way they went!"

"No, I don't. But they flew to the ruins on Appa. It will take us days, if not weeks, of walking to get to the same place. If we can even find it."

"But—"

"This is exactly what I meant when I said you need to let go. Aang is the Avatar. Zuko is a talented firebender. Or he used to be. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that they'll be fine. We need to learn to let go, and we need to wait for them to come back."

Katara sighed and held up her hands in surrender. "Okay. Fine. I'm letting go. We'll wait here for them to come back."

"Great." Sokka yawned loudly and stretched his arms. "I'm going back to sleep. I'm exhausted."

Katara spent most of the next day waterbending. Not the uncontrolled, aggressive outbursts from the previous day, but the graceful, disciplined, flowing movements that waterbending was known for. She'd found a shallow pool of water on a terrace overlooking the courtyard that housed their campsite. The pool was just the right depth—the water level stopped just above her knees, submerging her legs enough to keep her cool, yet allowing enough space for her to weave and dip her hands with ease. It was the perfect vantage point, too. She would be the first to spot Appa returning with Aang and Zuko.

If they return. They will, she thought, trying to reassure herself. She moved her hands in a circle, pushing and pulling a globe of water around the perimeter of the pool. Usually, Aang would stand opposite her, pushing while she pulled, and pulling while she pushed. She missed him more than she thought she would. They had spent nearly every day of the last year together. When they were apart, he was never gone for more than a day. This time, he had been gone for a day and a half. Possibly longer than that. She hated not knowing when he would be back.

When had she fallen in love with Aang? She'd certainly cared for him, loved him in some fashion, since the day she broke him out of the iceberg. Her love had deepened as their friendship grew. But that was only natural.

Katara had always imagined that when she fell in love, she would feel giddy and lovestruck and spend her days mooning over the object of her affection. Wasn't that how it was supposed to be? She had felt a little like that with Jet.

But it different with Aang. Or was it? She remembered their kiss on the submarine. It came out of nowhere. And it happened so fast that at first, she questioned whether it had really happened at all. They were in the middle of the invasion, and Aang was worried that he might lose against Ozai. That he wouldn't come back. She was trying to reassure him, even as the thought of losing him terrified her. The next thing she knew, he was kissing her. His lips were confident and firm—determined, even—and only his shaky breath on her face betrayed his nervousness. After she recovered from the initial shock, she melted into the kiss, only to have him pull away and fly off. How could he kiss her and leave her just like that, not knowing if she would ever see him alive again?

That was not how she imagined their first kiss would be like. Except they'd had their first kiss already, in the lovers' cave near Omashu. But she didn't count that one, not really. Ever since then, she'd wondered what kissing him, really kissing him, would feel like. She'd been having more and more daydreams about kissing Aang, especially over the last few months. Katara blushed as she recalled having particularly vivid thoughts about kissing him after he'd danced with her that night in the cave.

Had she been in love with Aang all that time? She wasn't starry-eyed over him, but frequent thoughts about kissing probably counted as a sign of being in love. But if she was in love with him, and if he was in love with her, why weren't they staring all moon-eyed at each other and sneaking kisses in the lonely corners of the temple?

Because he was Aang, and Aang was her friend. They liked to laugh at stupid jokes and play tag and hide-and-seek. They practiced waterbending together. They were fighting in a war together. She and Toph (and Zuko, she grudgingly admitted) trained him with the goal of helping him, the Avatar, master the elements so he would be prepared to fight Fire Lord Ozai. She had a hard time imagining herself acting any differently around him.

Aang wasn't her idea of boyfriend material, either. He was younger than her, shorter than her, and he had no hair. Yet she was attracted to him in spite of herself. She loved him for his gentle heart and free spirit, and he understood her like no one else.

So was she really in love with Aang? Last night, when Sokka talked her out of following him and Zuko, she had thought she was. It had seemed so obvious to her. But now, after a good night's sleep and in the bright clarity of daylight, she was starting to doubt herself. Maybe she was attracted to him just because they spent so much time together. Maybe it was just Aunt Wu's prediction—that she would marry a powerful bender—messing with her head, even though she knew the old fortuneteller was a fraud. If she was really in love with him, why did she feel embarrassed about having fantasies about kissing him? Why did the idea of being in a relationship with him frighten her?

It was all so confusing.

Maybe she would know for sure when she saw Aang again, after he came back. She hoped so, anyway. Suddenly, the memory of Zuko in Ba Sing Se, Zuko their enemy, rose up in her mind unbidden. His scowling face, his deadly quiet voice when he told her he had changed—and not in the way she had expected. Katara's hands faltered, and the globe of water fell apart and splashed back into the pool.

Aang will come back, she told herself. I need to trust that he will. Sokka was right. I need to let go.

Katara shifted her stance and wove her shaking hands in a different pattern. Tendrils of water swirled in front of her in an intricate dance. She hoped that changing the cadence of her waterbending would calm her, help her convince herself that Aang would be all right.

But it wasn't that easy.

Aang and Zuko didn't return until late that night. Katara was the first one to spot Appa's silhouette in the distance, and she was the first one on her feet, waiting at the edge of the courtyard, ready to meet them.

Aang jumped out of the saddle as soon as Appa touched down. Katara ran to him and threw her arms around him, almost knocking him over. "You're okay," she said. Relief flooded her and spilled over as her eyes welled up with tears. "I was so worried."

She held onto him longer than usual, but not too long, since people were watching. When they stepped back from each other, Aang gave her a gentle smile. "Katara…thanks for letting me go. And for believing in me."

Zuko climbed down from the saddle, and their friends gathered around them. "So did you guys learn anything about firebending?" Toph asked.

"Yeah!" Aang said. His eyes shone with excitement. "But we first had to go through a courtyard that was booby trapped, and then we opened a chamber that had a glowing golden egg inside that was also booby trapped, and then—"

Zuko cut him off. "Basically, the Sun Warriors are still around, and they took us to see the last two dragons alive. The dragons showed us the real meaning of firebending."

"So did you, you know, get your—" Sokka thrust his arms in front of him, pretending to throw fireballs. "—kaboom, kaboom back?"

Zuko nodded.

"Yeah! And we learned this really cool firebending form. Let's show them, Zuko," Aang said, as he moved into position next to Zuko.

"Hold on, fellas," Katara said, putting her hand on Aang's arm. "Maybe this can wait until morning. It's late, and we all need to get some rest."

After some murmurs of disappointment, the others shuffled off to the main area of their camp, leaving Katara alone with Aang in the courtyard.

"You don't know how happy I am that you're back," she said.

Aang stepped closer. "I'm glad to be back. I really missed you, too."

Katara blushed. He's doing it again. The soft look in his eyes, the way he openly said how he felt, without dancing around it like he used to. Her heart fluttered, and she felt a little lightheaded. First the kiss, and now this. It was all happening so fast.

She wasn't sure how to respond. Things were so much simpler before. Before they kissed. "Ah, right. So tell me, did Zuko, uh, try anything…you know, suspicious?" she said, stumbling over her words. She hated being so easily flustered around Aang.

He just shrugged and smiled. "Zuko was fine. Everything was fine. I wasn't worried at all."

Katara crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I was worried. I…almost tried to follow you." She looked down and to the side, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "But Sokka stopped me."

"I'm sorry, Katara. I'm sorry I made you worry." Aang laid his hand on her arm. "It must have been hard for you to wait around until I came back." He was giving her that look again. So open, so sincere. Unabashed about letting her see how he felt.

But hadn't it always been this way? He was just being Aang—wearing his heart on his sleeve, never self-conscious about letting his feelings show. Nothing about him had changed. But the kiss had changed everything. Now she knew that he loved her as more than just a friend. Every look, every touch—which she never used to think twice about—took on a new meaning.

"Yes, waiting was hard." Hard was an understatement. "I was so scared that I would never see you again."

Her voice broke before she could finish talking. All of the rage, terror, and grief that consumed her over the last two days poured of her, and she began to sob. Aang put an arm around her shoulders, and then she was floating through the air—he was carrying her with leaping strides across the courtyard. He set her down on something soft and warm and furry. Appa's huge paw.

Aang sat with Katara as she cried. She clung to him with her arms around his waist, her tears soaking into his shirt.

When her shoulders finally stopped shaking, she lifted her head and dried her face on her sleeves. Aang held her hands, and they sat together without saying anything, save for the occasional shuddering breath—the kind that came after a hard cry—from Katara.

"I'm sorry, Aang," she eventually said. "I should have trusted in you, and I didn't. It's just that I don't trust Zuko, not after he turned on us in Ba Sing Se." She sighed. "I'm not very good at letting go."

"Someone very wise once told me that letting go is overrated." Aang gave her a small smile, as if he was sharing some kind of secret knowledge with her.

"Thanks, Aang." He somehow always knew what to say to make her feel better.

Aang gazed at her intently, and his smile was replaced by an expression that was both earnest and yearning. He reached up and brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen into her face, his fingers lightly grazing her cheek. His touch sent a pleasant shiver through her. She suddenly felt warm all over.

Katara wasn't sure who leaned in first. Their noses rubbed in a gentle nuzzle. She slid her eyes closed and tilted her head. Their lips only barely touched when she drew in a sharp breath and abruptly pulled back. "Ouch!" she gasped. Something sharp was jabbing her in the side.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

She shifted her weight away from him and her hand went to her side. It was the Fire Nation hairpiece. She still had it in her pocket. The sharp point of one of the flame pieces dug into her side—the cloth wrapper must have come undone.

Aang was still staring at her, concerned. And nervous. Katara considered telling him what she had discovered about Zuko, but then decided against it. She doubted he would approve.

"No, no. It's just…something in my pocket. It was poking me. No big deal."

"Oh, okay then." Aang was visibly relieved. He took her hands again and pulled her closer, gazing at her with lidded eyes. He was going to kiss her.

Katara's heart raced, and she felt slightly faint. Yesterday morning, they were just friends. Friends who had kissed, but still friends. Just now, they had almost kissed, or sorta-maybe-kinda-kissed. Did that mean they were boyfriend and girlfriend? Aang seemed to think so.

But did she want to be his girlfriend?

It wasn't that Katara didn't want to kiss him. She did. She wanted nothing more than to lean in and feel his lips on hers. The trouble was, she wanted to kiss him without all the expectations that came with kissing, like the way it was in her fantasies. But reality was much different. Messier.

It was too much. Too fast. I can't do this right now. I'm not ready for this.

Katara drew her hands away and stood up. Aang blinked at her in surprise. "You know what? It's getting late," she said. "Why don't you go join the others? There's something I need to take care of."

Before he could respond, Katara turned away and strode briskly toward the campsite. She didn't look back. She didn't want see to the confused—and hurt—look on Aang's face. She could feel his eyes on her as she hurried away.

It wasn't hard for Katara to find Zuko. He was brooding in silence, leaning against the wall in the hallway that led off from the anteroom of the courtyard. Even though he was technically part of their group now, he mostly kept to himself. Which was fine by her.

He saw her approaching. "I hope I've proven myself to you. That I can be trusted," he said.

Katara scowled. "You've only proven that you haven't hurt Aang…yet."

"Then tell me. What do I have to do to earn your trust?"

"All right, then. How do you explain this?" She took a wad of cloth out of her pocket and tossed it to him.

Zuko opened it, and his eyes grew wide. "The Crown Prince headpiece! Where did you get this?" he demanded.

"Maybe the better question is why do you still have it, after you've supposedly 'switched sides?'"

"I can't believe you went through my stuff!"

"It's a good thing I did, because it's clear that you're still trying to get your 'honor' back, Crown Prince Zuko!"

Zuko sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "No. You have it all backwards."

"Oh? Do explain." Katara crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "I'm listening."

"The Crown Prince headpiece is an ancient artifact that belonged to my great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin. He gave it to his best friend, Avatar Roku, as a symbol of their great friendship."

"You mean the same Sozin who left Roku to die while fighting a volcano? Great friendship that was," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Avatar Roku was also my ancestor. He was my mother's grandfather. This headpiece was passed down to her. She entrusted it to my uncle before she was banished, and he eventually gave it to me. I brought it with me as a reminder of my ancestry and my destiny."

"And what destiny is that? To betray the Avatar, just like Fire Lord Sozin did?"

Zuko made a slashing motion with his hand. "No! My destiny is to help the Avatar restore balance to the world. To set right the wrongs of my ancestors."

"Likely story," Katara said, but she felt less certain than she sounded. There was a ring of truth to his words.

Remember, he's fooled you before, she thought to herself. She glared at him. "I've got my eye on you. I'm watching your every move. And don't you forget it," she said, and walked away.

Even if Katara was confused about how she felt about Aang, at least there was no uncertainty when it came to Zuko. For as long as she lived, she would never forgive him, and she would do everything in her power to make sure he never harmed Aang again. It felt good to be so sure about something when nothing else in her life was certain.