Author's Note: Chapter 5 picks up where the previous chapter left off.

Chapter 5: Mistakes (Part 2)

It was late morning, and the hot sun beat down on the courtyard where Katara and the rest of the group were gathered. Everyone had retreated to the steps that descended into the courtyard, which were protected by the shade of the roof that sheltered the open-air corridors. Everyone, that was, except for one.

Irritated, Katara picked at the flowing fabric of her dark red pants. Her run-ins with Aang earlier that morning had left her restless and on edge. "What in the world is taking Zuko so long?"

"He's only been gone for half an hour," Suki said. "The market isn't exactly next door, and he has to pick up lunch for six people, after all."

Why did Suki have to be so reasonable? It was infuriating. "Why did he have to be the one to go? Someone else could have gone instead. Zuko should be here, training Aang."

Suki shrugged. "Maybe he thought Aang needed a break. Zuko could probably use a break, too. Training someone can be hard work." With a sly smile, she nudged Sokka with her foot. "Especially when your student thinks he's already hot stuff."

"Hey, I asked you to teach me how to fight after I admitted that I didn't know what I was doing," Sokka said in an injured tone. Then he wiggled his eyebrows at Suki. "Besides, I'm not the only one who thinks I'm hot stuff."

Suki blushed, but she had a pleased little smile on her face. Katara suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

The loud clatter of something falling made Katara jump. She turned around to see Aang sitting in front of a pile of small rectangular stone blocks. A similar collection of stone blocks belonged to Toph, only hers were still standing in the form of a tall tower. Aang was scratching his head while Toph cackled, gloating over her victory.

Watching them only made Katara more annoyed. Ever since Zuko left, Aang and Toph had been playing a game with the stone blocks—something involving earthbending and trying to knock down the other person's tower. "Why are the two of you sitting around and goofing off? If you're going to earthbend, you should at least be training," Katara said. Then she frowned. "Actually, Aang should be practicing firebending right now, even if Zuko isn't here. And I still don't understand why Zuko had to be the one to go get lunch!"

"Relax, Miss Prissy Pants," Toph said in a condescending tone. "I can't believe you're thinking about firebending when it's roasting out here. Besides, Zuko wouldn't have gone into town in the first place if someone hadn't burned the scallion pancakes this morning."

"Yeah, and the meat buns were so soggy, it was like eating mush," Sokka said.

"If you guys have a problem with my cooking, then you can do it yourselves!" Katara snapped.

"The parts of the scallion pancakes that weren't burned tasted pretty good," Aang offered helpfully.

Aang trying to get on her good side irritated Katara even more. He really thinks it's that easy to make up for last night and this morning, doesn't he? "It was your idea to pick up food for lunch," she said, turning on him. "Zuko wouldn't have left if you hadn't suggested it in the first place!"

"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting Zuko to volunteer to go. Besides, I thought that maybe you could use a break from cooking lunch, after what happened with breakfast."

After what happened with breakfast? Aang was what happened with breakfast. Katara had only meant to step into the garden for a quick minute to pick some more scallions, so she had left the food cooking on the stove. But that minute had stretched into something much longer. If it hadn't been for Aang, breakfast would have been perfectly fine, and Zuko would be training him right now instead of going into town to pick up food.

Katara narrowed her eyes at Aang. "How about I decide when I need a break and when I don't," she said in a dangerously low voice.

An uncomfortable hush fell over the group, and everyone was carefully looking at anything but Katara and Aang.

Then Sokka cleared his throat. "So, what did you all think of the play last night? Does anyone have any favorite scenes? Favorite jokes?"

Katara shot her brother the evil eye. "I can't believe you want to talk about that horrible play, Sokka. It may have been a joke to you, but it wasn't to the rest of us."

"Actually, I thought most of it was pretty funny," Toph said with a smirk.

"You stay out of this, Toph! No one asked you," Katara said, jabbing a finger at the small earthbender. Then she whipped around and trained her finger on her brother. "And Sokka, stop trying to change the subject. Am I really the only one who thinks it's important for Aang to learn firebending? Am I the only one who cares that Sozin's Comet is just a few days away?"

Toph sighed. "We do care, Katara. We just don't bring it up every five minutes like you do."

"Toph's right. Just because we don't talk about it all the time doesn't mean that we're not working hard to prepare to fight the Fire Lord," Sokka said.

Katara threw her hands up in frustration. "Then how come I don't see anyone preparing?"

"It doesn't hurt to take a break sometimes," Aang interjected. "Resting every now and then actually helps me get ready for the next practice session."

Katara crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. Who was he to talk? "There is such a thing as too much rest, you know. Don't you think you've been doing too much resting and not enough training?"

"What do you want from me, Katara?" Aang said heatedly. "I've been working my arrow off training with Zuko. I just started learning to firebend a few weeks ago. There's only so much I can do!"

"That's exactly my point! You've only been firebending for a few weeks. You need to practice as much firebending as you can before you face Ozai!"

"So what are you saying? That I should be spending every waking moment firebending?"

"Okay everyone, time out," Sokka said, waving his hands in the air. "We're all under pressure and stressed out and the heat isn't helping. Let's take a minute to cool down, and we can talk more about firebending after Zuko gets back."

Katara glared at her brother. "Sokka, don't get involved. Besides, shouldn't you be planning the logistics for our attack on the Fire Nation?"

"I've been trying, but it's a tough nut to crack."

"Maybe you'd better crack it, then!"

"Easy for you to say." Sokka raised an eyebrow at Katara. "Since we're taking turns criticizing each other about how hard we're working, what exactly are you doing to prepare?"

Katara's head was about to explode, and she could picture herself with steam coming out of her ears. "I'm trying to keep everyone on track, that's what! If you all stayed focused on what you need to do, I wouldn't have to say anything at all!"

"We are staying focused!" Sokka protested.

"Then why do we still have no plan for attacking the Fire Lord? How are we going to get close enough to Ozai for Aang to even fight him?"

"You make it sound like infiltrating the Fire Nation with just the six of us—with no army, no allies, and no backup—should be as easy as planning a trip to the beach! Ever since the Earth Kingdom fell, fighting this war has become harder and harder. If we didn't have so much riding on this, I would even say it's impossible."

Impossible… Her brother's words stunned Katara out of her self-righteous rage. No, that can't be true. Panic started to take hold. "No. It's not impossible. We can't think like that. There has to be a way."

"Wait a minute," Aang said suddenly. "I think there is a way."

All heads turned to stare at Aang.

"What Sokka said about the Earth Kingdom got me thinking," he said. "The Earth Kingdom fell when the Fire Nation captured Ba Sing Se. The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the arrival of Sozin's Comet was for us to win the war. But the Fire Nation has already won the war."

Katara frowned. "What are you saying, Aang?"

"I'm saying that the Fire Nation has already accomplished what it set out to do, which is to conquer the world. They defeated the Earth Kingdom at Ba Sing Se. The Water Tribes are still standing, but the Northern Water Tribe has stayed out of the conflict, and the fighters from the Southern Water Tribe have all been captured. The Fire Nation doesn't need Sozin's Comet to win the war, because they've already won.

"That means I don't have to fight the Fire Lord before Sozin's Comet arrives. I can take the time I need to train and learn firebending, and then I'll face him when I'm ready."

The feeling of panic evaporated as a heavy weight lifted from Katara's shoulders. She felt so light, she was almost giddy with relief. Aang doesn't have to fight the Fire Lord. Not right now. She couldn't stop smiling. Aang doesn't have to fight the Fire Lord. Aang doesn't have to fight the Fire Lord, she repeated to herself over and over.

Everyone else was visibly relieved, and the tension that had been hanging over all of them was gone.

Sokka smacked his forehead. "Why didn't I see that before? It's so obvious now that you mention it!" He slapped Aang on the back. "Aang, my friend, you're brilliant!"

"Yeah, twinkle toes, you're smarter than I give you credit for," Toph said.

Aang was grinning from ear to ear. "Heh, thanks guys." Then his smile faded, and he grew serious. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to slack off on my training. We all know how the Fire Nation treats their prisoners and the people they've conquered. I need to be ready to face Ozai, but we also need to free our friends and the people of the Earth Kingdom as soon as we can."

Then he looked straight at Katara. Aang was talking to the group, but she knew his words were mostly meant for her. He was going to end the war, and he was going to do it when he was ready. Still elated by a sense of immense relief, she couldn't help smiling at him.

He smiled back, and in that moment, despite everything that had happened, they were friends again.

Dinner that night was a group effort. Maybe it was because they all felt like they had more freedom to slow down and appreciate the little things in life, like enjoying each other's company while working side by side. Or maybe because there was a mood of celebration in the air. Whatever the reason, everyone—even Toph and Zuko—chipped in, and the kitchen was filled with the hubbub of lively chatter and the loud banging of pots and pans.

The repetitive motions of peeling and chopping carrots and daikon radish allowed Katara's mind to wander. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this relaxed, this at ease about the future. That was not to say she was completely carefree, since they still had to fight the Fire Nation at some point, but the pressure of needing to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of the week had lifted, and she actually felt…good.

Suki, who was carrying a cleaver and a large napa cabbage, slid a cutting board into an empty spot on the counter next to Katara. She laid the cabbage on the board and started chopping, her knife crunching as she sliced through the crinkled leaves. "What a relief, right?" she said to Katara. "Not having Sozin's Comet hanging over our heads anymore."

"Yes, it's a huge relief."

"Especially for you, I imagine."

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell you've been worried about Aang. That he won't be ready to fight the Fire Lord this week."

"I think we've all been worried about that."

Suki gave Katara a searching look. "I don't mean to pry, but is something going on with you and Aang?"

Katara froze, with her hand and knife hovering in mid-air. "I told you, we're not together," she said stiffly.

"No, that's not what I meant. It's just that you're usually so close, but lately things seem tense between the two of you."

Katara didn't say anything and went back to chopping the carrots. Where did Suki get off asking her questions like this? Katara was feeling good about finally having an advantage in the war, and Suki had to come in and remind her of her problems with Aang.

"I know it's none of my business—"

You better believe it's not.

"—but the only reason I'm bringing it up is because we're still fighting a war. I know it's not something anyone likes to think about, but anything can happen. The people we love, the people we care about—they can disappear from our lives in the blink of an eye.

"When you, Aang, and Sokka left Kyoshi Island, I didn't know if I would ever see Sokka again. It was only pure chance that I ran into you guys at the ferry station to Ba Sing Se. When I joined your group to help you cross the Serpent's Pass, I thought Sokka wanted to be with me. But then he acted like he didn't. I was embarrassed and hurt, but I still talked to him about it after we got to the other side. He was about to disappear from my life again, maybe for good this time. I didn't want my last memories of him to be uncomfortable and confused. I wanted to settle things between us, clear the air, so we could say goodbye on good terms."

This was the first time Katara was hearing about how her brother and Suki got together. Suki's story piqued her curiosity. "So how did it go? Your talk with Sokka?" she asked.

Suki blushed. "Like I said, I was kind of embarrassed to even bring it up, but…I'd say it went well." She smiled. "Obviously."

Katara had always assumed that the way Sokka and Suki started their relationship was easy and painless, but now she saw that wasn't the case. Suki had a point, too. Things between her and Aang were strained, but she didn't want to remember their friendship that way if…something happened. It didn't matter whose fault it was. She didn't want her last memories of Aang to be unpleasant ones.

"The play last night was pretty harsh on Aang," Suki said. "Well, it was harsh on all of you, but it was probably the worst for Aang."

Why was Suki bringing up the play? The other girl had to know it was a touchy subject. It wasn't exactly small talk material. "Yeah. I'm sure it was for Zuko, too," Katara said. "It must have been hard for them to watch themselves get…defeated…by Azula and the Fire Lord."

"That's not all, though," Suki said. "Can you imagine what it must have been like for Aang to see a woman playing him onstage? As if that wasn't enough to make a guy feel insecure, he had to hear your actress say that you love him like a brother, when he obviously has feelings for you. I mean, ouch. Talk about harsh."

Katara knew the play had made Aang upset, but she didn't realize just how brutal it was for him until Suki pointed it out.

But he still shouldn't have kissed her.

"All I'm saying is that whatever issues you guys are having, the play probably didn't help," Suki said.

"Yeah. You're probably right."

Suki finished chopping the cabbage, and she scooped the sliced leaves into a large bowl. "Well, I'd better get these into the stew pot. Try talking to Aang. It might help smooth things over."

"Okay. I'll think about it." Then Katara cocked her head at the other girl. "Why do you care so much, anyway?"

"I can tell that you and Aang mean a lot to each other. It's really hard to see the two of you unhappy. Anyway, think about what I said." Suki hefted the bowl of sliced cabbage onto her hip and walked away.

Katara wasn't sure if her relationship with Aang could be repaired, but she would talk to him. Try to, anyway.

The next morning, Katara went to find Aang. It was early—just after sunrise—so he was probably still sleeping. Which was fine, because she was planning to wait for him outside his room.

Katara climbed the stairs to the top level of the house. Aang had picked the room on the highest floor, which came as no surprise to her. He was an Air Nomad, after all.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she was disappointed to find that the door to his room was wide open. Was he up already? She had hoped to catch him before he started his day.

A warm breeze came through the doorway and gently stirred her hair. Aang often preferred to sleep outside in the open air. She wondered if he had slept with the door and windows open so he could feel closer to the outdoors. Maybe he was still in his room after all.

Katara walked over to the doorway and was about to knock when she saw him. Directly on the other side of the room was the door to the balcony, which he had left open, too. She could see straight through the room to the balcony, where Aang was leaning against the railing, barefoot and shirtless, watching the waves. How long has he been up? she wondered. After some hesitation, she walked inside.

She paused at the threshold of the balcony. "Aang?" she said softly.

He turned around and met her eyes briefly, before looking away. "Oh hi, Katara."

Katara went up to the railing. She watched the raven gulls dive for fish in the ocean. "I'm glad you don't have to fight the Fire Lord this week," she said.

"Yeah…me too."

For a few moments, the only sounds were the roar of the waves crashing against the shore and the cawing of the raven gulls.

"Aang, I—"

"Katara, I—"

A small shiver went through Katara at the sense of déjà vu, as she remembered how she had stood with Aang on the submarine during the invasion and told him how much she believed in him. And then they had kissed.

But that was from another life. So much had happened since then, and they were in a much different place now.

"Go ahead," she said.

"I was wrong to kiss you that night, when we were at the play," Aang said, folding his arms on the railing and staring out at the water. "I couldn't stand the idea that you only thought of me like a brother. And when you said it wasn't the right time, I thought that maybe you did have feelings for me after all, and the timing just wasn't right. I thought that kissing you would help you realize that now was the right time for us to be together. But I shouldn't have assumed any of those things. I shouldn't have kissed you."

He turned to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Katara. I made a huge mistake. I would ask you to forgive me, but I understand if you can't."

"It's not about the kiss, Aang."

Aang furrowed his brow in confusion. "It's not?"

"Well, it is, sort of. The kiss is part of it." Katara hugged her arms to her chest. Opening up to Aang made her feel vulnerable. Not that long ago, feeling vulnerable around Aang was something she would have welcomed, because it brought them closer together. But now, being vulnerable around him only made her feel exposed. "I know you've been wanting to talk about…us. I wasn't ready to talk about my feelings that night, at the play. I'm still not ready. But you tried to force me to talk about it anyway. You backed me into a corner, and I had no way out. I felt very uncomfortable. And then you kissed me."

Aang sank to the floor and held his head in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Katara. I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I shouldn't have done that. I was being stupid and selfish."

He sounded so pained that Katara felt a pang of sympathy. This was the Aang she knew. Or thought she knew. These days, she wasn't so sure anymore.

But there was one thing she was sure of. She and Aang couldn't go on like this. Kneeling down next to him, she said, "Aang, I forgive you."

Aang lifted his head. His pale gray eyes were filled with both shame and gratitude. "Thank you, Katara. Even though I don't deserve it."

"You said yourself that forgiveness is the first step to begin healing," she said. "I want our friendship to heal. I want us to be friends again."

He gave her a small, tentative smile. She smiled back. But things didn't feel quite settled between them yet. "Aang, I need to ask for your forgiveness, too."

"What do you mean? You didn't do anything wrong."

Katara looked down and traced a seam between the floorboards with her finger. It was her turn to feel ashamed. "Back when we were at the Western Air Temple, I knew you wanted to talk. I knew it all along, but I pretended that I didn't. I did and said things that probably made you feel hurt and confused. I wasn't ready to talk, and I was confused, too. But that doesn't make it right." It was so hard to meet his eyes, but she made herself do it anyway. "I'm sorry, Aang. I shouldn't have treated you like I did."

"I forgive you, Katara," he said. His eyes were so open and clear and had none of the guardedness that she still felt.

"Thank you," she said.

Usually, after they made up from an argument, this was the point where they would give each other a hug. But everything that had happened between them was far bigger than any argument. Aang knew to give her some space now, and Katara…well, she needed the space. She had forgiven him, but that didn't mean she trusted him enough to let herself open up around him. Not yet. With more than a little sadness, she wondered if she would ever feel as comfortable around Aang as she used to, if there would always be a wall between them.

But at least they were friends again. For now, that was the best she could hope for.