Author's Note: This chapter starts with the infamous balcony scene between Katara and Aang in the episode "The Ember Island Players" (S3 E17).

I also want to give a shout out to my guest reviewers, since I can't reply to you like I can with the reviewers who have an account. Thank you for all your feedback, encouragement, and support! It makes me happy that I can create stories for you to enjoy. Much love to you all :)

Chapter 4: Mistakes (Part 1)

Katara blinked in the bright light of the wall lamps as she stepped out of the dark auditorium and onto the second-level landing. Watching the Ember Island Players reenact Aang's death in Ba Sing Se had been unnerving, and she had needed a minute to gather herself together. She lagged behind the others in leaving the auditorium—everyone else was already on the landing when she arrived.

But not everyone, she realized. Aang was nowhere in sight. Katara was positive that she had been the last person to leave their section. If the scene with Azula shooting lightning at Aang had disturbed her that much, she worried about how it may have affected him.

"Does anyone know where Aang is?" she asked.

"He left to get me fire gummies, like, ten minutes ago, and I'm still waiting," Sokka complained.

Ten minutes ago? She hadn't noticed Aang leave, but he had also been sitting at the far end of their row. Besides, she had been completely absorbed with what was happening onstage—not because the play was especially riveting, but because it was so cringe-inducing and bad.

At least Aang didn't end up seeing the final scene in Ba Sing Se. But if he had been gone for that long, something wasn't right.

"I'm going to check outside," she said.

The exterior doors on the second floor opened onto several balconies. Most of them were occupied with theatergoers who chatted and laughed about their favorite scenes from the play. Katara finally found Aang on a balcony that overlooked the beach. He was alone, leaning on the railing with his shoulders hunched over, looking out over the water.

She walked up behind him. "Are you all right?"

"No, I'm not," he said shortly. He snatched the hat off his head and threw it on the ground. "I hate this play!"

Something definitely wasn't right. Even though the play painted a painful caricature of Aang and the rest of their group, it was still just a play. Katara joined him at the railing. "I know it's upsetting, but it sounds like you're overreacting."

Instead of calming him down, her words seemed to stir him up even more. "Overreacting? If I hadn't blocked my chakra, I'd probably be in the Avatar state right now!"

Katara sighed inwardly. Maybe the stress of firebending training with Zuko was getting to him. After all, Zuko had been working him pretty hard since they returned from the Sun Warrior ruins. Or maybe it was the upcoming battle with Ozai looming over all of them. They still didn't have a solid plan for how they were going to defeat the Fire Lord, let alone how they were going to even get near him in his palace, which was surrounded by hundreds of soldiers, tanks, war balloons, and airships. She had no doubt that the Fire Lord had reinforced his defenses after the failed invasion.

"Katara, did you really mean what you said in there?" Aang said.

What in the world? "In where? What are you talking about?"

"On stage, when you said I was just like a brother to you, and you didn't have feelings for me."

Katara stiffened. So that's what has him so upset. She wasn't expecting him to say that, but she was not entirely surprised, either.

But she really didn't want to talk about her feelings, especially not in a theater on a resort island in the middle of the Fire Nation. "I didn't say that. An actor said that."

Aang wasn't reassured by her evasive answer. He looked down and seemed dejected. "But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the invasion, and I thought we were going to be together, but we're not."

Why is he dragging this out into the open? Why now, of all times? Katara had thought they were in a good—or at least, okay—place for the last few days. Since the night he comforted her on the dock, they had managed to maintain their friendship without becoming too distant or too close. Now, for some reason, he was threatening to upset that balance.

Katara turned away and shook her head. "Aang, I don't know," was the only thing she could think of to say.

"Why don't you know?"

Katara's fingers gripped the railing. He was insisting on confronting her about her feelings, but she wasn't ready to talk. What was she going to say? That she might be in love with him, but she wasn't totally sure? That she wanted their friendship back, the way it was before? That she wanted to kiss him without being expected to be together with him?

That the idea of being with Aang terrified her?

Sozin's Comet was due to arrive within a week. By this time next week, Aang would still be here, standing in front of her talking to her like he was now, or…he would not.

Panic lurked in the dark corners of Katara's mind. Don't think about it, she told herself. Don't go there.

Katara steeled herself and concentrated on the more immediate problem at hand. Aang needed to focus on fighting the war. He shouldn't be distracting himself—or her—with difficult questions about their relationship.

"Because we're in the middle of a war, and we have other things to worry about," she said. "This isn't the right time."

"Well, when is the right time?"

The right time for what? For them to talk about her feelings? For them to be together? Even Katara didn't exactly know what she meant when she said, It's not the right time. It just came out that way.

Aang was watching her intently, eyes wide, anxious—almost desperate—to hear her answer. Katara really wished he would stop pushing her so hard.

"Aang, I'm sorry. But right now, I'm just a little confused," she said. Feeling self-conscious, she clutched at a strand of hair she wore draped over her shoulder. At least what she said was true. It was the most honest answer she could give him right now.

Katara closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure. She couldn't understand why Aang suddenly decided that tonight was the time to confront her about why they weren't together. The timing couldn't be worse. They had to be prepared to face the Fire Lord this week. Not just physically prepared, but mentally, too. If—no, when—they won the battle, when they won the war, then there would be all the time in the world to figure out—

The only warning Katara had was Aang's breath on her face. Then he was kissing her. She jerked back in shock, and her hand flew to where his lips had touched her mouth. She had thought about kissing him before, but this was different. Kissing Aang was the last thing on her mind right now, and she was pretty sure he knew it, too. But he had gone ahead and kissed her anyway.

"I just said I was confused," she said sharply, and took a step back. She hugged her arms protectively around herself.

Aang only stared at her, stunned by her reaction.

"I'm going inside," she said. She ran back into the theater, not caring that it looked like she was fleeing from him.

When the play resumed, Katara was watching, but she hardly paid attention. All she could think about was the uncomfortable conversation with Aang on the balcony—and Aang's unwanted kiss. He had been so insistent, so intent on making her come out and say how she felt about him, even though she wasn't ready to talk about it. Then, at the height of her confusion, he had kissed her. What was he thinking? Did he really think kissing me would make me less confused? Or change my mind?

The more she thought about the kiss, the more humiliated and upset she became. This was a side of Aang she had never seen before. He was usually so gentle and thoughtful. Sure, they'd had their disagreements and arguments—even raised their voices at each other—but he had never forced her to do anything she wasn't comfortable doing. And recently, she had been certain that he loved her. It wasn't until now that she realized how much she had cherished the idea of Aang being in love with her. She had imagined that his love would be a deeper, more selfless form of the love they shared as friends. But apparently, she didn't know him as well as she thought she did. If tonight was an example of what being with Aang was like, she wasn't sure she wanted his love after all.

The bench in the row behind her creaked as someone entered their section and sat down. Aang must have finally returned from the balcony. Katara heard Sokka give him a rundown of the scenes he had missed. Then she noticed with a start that the next scene had to do with her encounter with Aang on the submarine, when he had kissed her—their first real kiss. The memory of that kiss was something she kept tucked away in a secret part of her heart, a precious memory that she turned over in her head when she was thinking especially warm thoughts about Aang. But that memory was now tainted by the bitterness of tonight's unwanted kiss.

At first, Katara was relieved that the actors did not act out their kiss on the submarine. Which meant that no one—not the playwright, nor anyone who was at the invasion—knew about the kiss. But when the actress who was playing her said the line about loving Aang like a brother, Katara cringed and shrank back into the bench. All she wanted to do was to disappear until this horrible play was over.

The next morning, it was Katara's turn to make breakfast. That meant she had to wake up earlier than everyone else, which suited her just fine. She wasn't in the mood to be around other people right now—Aang in particular. Instead, she looked forward to having something to do, something to keep herself busy with and not think too much about the play or her conversation with Aang on the balcony at the theater.

Katara had to enter the dining room to reach the kitchen, which was located just off the dining room. The long, ornately carved dining table was empty, and the room was deserted. The door to the kitchen was hidden by heavy drapes to spare the royal family from looking at such a crude eyesore while they enjoyed their meal. She was making a mental inventory of the food they had in stock when she pushed aside the drapes and ran straight into Aang.

Aang was wearing his Fire Nation outfit minus his shirt, his usual state of dress ever since they had arrived at the house on Ember Island. He was carrying an armful of persimmons and oranges, which scattered all over the floor when Katara bumped into him.

Their eyes met, and Katara looked away. "Hi Aang…" she said. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's okay," he said quickly, and stooped down to pick up the fallen fruit.

"Let me help you with that," she said. Although she did feel bad about making him spill the fruit, the faster she helped him clean up, the less time she would have to spend around him.

"Don't worry about it, I've got it," he said with a forced cheerfulness. "No need to trouble yourself."

Katara reached for a persimmon at the same time as Aang, and his hand inadvertently covered hers. She jerked her hand away as if burned by his touch.

They both crouched on the dining room floor, avoiding each other's gaze. The seconds ticked by.

When Katara couldn't take the tension anymore, she stood up and said, "I'm gonna go—"

"Yeah, I'd better go—"

"—get breakfast ready."

"—get ready for training."

Katara squeezed past Aang to get to the kitchen door, and he hurried away without bothering to pick up the rest of the fruit.

Once inside the kitchen, Katara leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. The awkward encounter she just had with Aang was exactly the kind of scenario she'd been hoping to avoid. But she refused to let herself dwell on it and busied herself with making preparations for breakfast.

As Katara rummaged through the pantry, she found that she had enough ingredients to make almost anything she wanted. There was enough material to make savory scallion pancakes stuffed with egg, turnip cakes, and mushroom meat buns—a much more lavish meal than their usual fare of fruit, dried meat, and fried eggs. She figured everyone could use a special treat after their painful night out at the theater.

But to make all that food, she needed one more frying pan if she was going to have breakfast ready in time. She recalled that they did have an extra frying pan—it was part of the group's supply of pots and pans that they used when they were on the go. Since they were staying at an actual house now with a fully equipped kitchen, they had left the things they didn't need—including the frying pan—in Appa's saddle.

Katara headed to the partially covered courtyard that served as Appa's shelter. Even though Aang had said he was going to get ready for training, she kept out a careful eye for any sign of him. Thankfully, aside from the sky bison, the courtyard was empty.

Grabbing fistfuls of fur for leverage, she climbed up Appa's broad flank. She planted her hands on the edge of the saddle and was about to hoist herself over the lip when she saw Aang lying on the floor of the saddle, arms behind his head, gazing at the sky.

Katara let out a small yelp of surprise and almost lost her grip. Aang gave a start and scrambled away from her into a sitting position.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "I thought you were getting ready for training."

"I was. But I needed some time to think," he said. "Did you need something?"

"I need to get a frying pan from our supplies so I can make breakfast."

Aang gave her a puzzled look. "Aren't there frying pans in the kitchen?"

"Yes, but there aren't enough."

"Aren't there, like, three?"

"Yes, but I need—" Why did she have to justify herself to Aang about needing another frying pan? Why were they having this conversation at all? "Ugh, never mind. I don't think I need the frying pan after all."

"Wait. I can get it out for you," Aang said as he crawled over to their pile of supplies.

Katara waved him away. "No, no, I'm good," she said, and she let go of the saddle and slid down Appa's side and quickly—but not too quickly—walked out of the courtyard.

Without the extra frying pan, Katara had to leave out the turnip cakes. But that was all right, because that just meant she needed to make a few extra scallion pancakes and meat buns.

The scallion pancakes sizzled away in their pans and the meat buns were cooking in a tower of steamer baskets. Katara had enough dough to make a few more pancakes, but she needed more scallions. Fortunately, she had seen some green onion shoots poking up amongst the weeds in the overgrown garden outside.

Katara pushed open the back door of the kitchen that led to the garden and stepped outside. The sun was well above the horizon now, and the air was already uncomfortably warm. It was going to be another hot, sweltering day.

She was making her way to a patch of green onion shoots when she heard footsteps crunching in the gravel. Just as she turned around, Aang rounded the corner of the house.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Katara.

"Um, hi," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away. "Don't mind me. Just keep doing your thing."

He started to walk back the way he came, but Katara had had enough. It seemed like every time she turned around, Aang was there. "Aang, why are you following me?"

"I'm not following you. I was just taking a walk."

"You were taking a walk outside the kitchen. You know it's my turn to make breakfast today."

"I know that, but I was expecting you to be inside the kitchen, not outside!" he said defensively. "Besides, I was taking a walk around the house. That's all."

"Then how is it that I keep running into you? Like, three times, this morning?"

"I don't know, Katara. Maybe it's because we're staying in the same house."

"That's a convenient excuse, especially since I haven't seen anyone else yet today!"

"Look, I haven't been following you. I went to the kitchen earlier this morning to get some food for me and Appa. And don't forget that you found me in Appa's saddle."

Aang's reasoning was way too logical, which made Katara even more frustrated. "What were you doing in Appa's saddle, anyway? You were supposed to be getting ready for training! Or were you just waiting around for me to show up?"

"I wasn't waiting around for you! How was I supposed to know you needed something from Appa's saddle?"

"I don't know. Maybe you could explain to me why you happened to be lounging around in Appa's saddle at the exact same moment I needed to get something from our supplies!" Katara knew she was starting to sound paranoid, but she was so worked up that she didn't care.

"Appa is my sky bison, so I can lounge around or do whatever I want in his saddle!"

"Oh yeah? Apparently you think you can do whatever you want to anyone you want!"

Katara's words hung in the air, and the heavy silence that followed pressed down on both of them.

Aang stared at the ground. His shoulders curled forward, and he resembled a turtle duck trying to shrink back into its shell. He looked so small.

"Katara, you're not being fair," he said in a quiet voice.

Something snapped inside Katara, and the words came tumbling out. "Not being fair? Do you know what's not fair? Trying to make me to talk about something I'm not ready to talk about! Kissing me when that was obviously the last thing I wanted to do!"

Aang flinched as if her words stung him. When he finally looked up and met her eyes, she saw that he was confused and hurt—and ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Katara," he said. "I shouldn't have done that. I know that now."

Katara opened her mouth to begin another tirade, but her anger had fizzled out. She felt deflated. Instead, she turned her back to Aang and closed her eyes. "Aang, just leave me alone. Please."

The strength had gone out of her legs, but she managed to wait until Aang left before sinking to the ground. Katara sat among the weeds in the ruined garden, a remnant of happier days gone by. Without knowing why, she began to cry.

To be continued…