Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

A/N: There will be Zutara later on, although this story mainly focuses on Katara's adventures in the Northern Water Tribe. If you are a fan of fluffy Kataang, DO NOT READ.

The two young people strolled through a small Earth Kingdom village. The boy was an airbender, with light skin and the telltale markings of an Airbending Master; the girl had a darker complexion and black hair, tied intricately into a braid. The boy finally spoke to the girl, saying, "I love you, Katara, more than anything else in the world." The girl smiled.

"I love you too..." As her voice faded away, she stared into the clear blue sky.

"You sound distracted. What's wrong?''

''What?" As she returned to reality's grasp, she turned to face the boy. "Oh, nothing.''

''You sure?'' He touched her arm, his eyes filled with concern.

''Yeah, it's just that I've been thinking about a lot of stuff since we got together.''

''Any doubts?'' His face split into a grin.

''Well...'' She clenched her teeth, preparing to break his heart. It was, quite possibly, the hardest thing she'd had to do in her fifteen years.

''Don't do this to me Katara, please don't.'' He seemed to sense her discomfort at the situation, and caressed her hand.

''I'm sorry, Aang. I know how you feel about me, but I just don't feel that way about you. Please try to understand. I want to be your friend and I want you to be mine. When you told me that you cared for me-''

"-Loved you." He interrupted. She continued without fail.

"-I was scared. I didn't love you back, but I knew you had been through so much already. I wanted you to be happy, and I was wrong. I see now that lying to you, even to make you happy, just made our situation worse. I'm sorry, Aang. I shouldn't have done this to you."

His eyes appeared opaque, and she stepped away in fear. ''How can this be happening to me? I mean, I save the earth, defeat Ozai, and can finally be with the woman I love, and now it's all falling to pieces. Why me?''

''Aang, you need to understand what I've been thinking the last week or so.'' The tears were now flowing freely from her eyes, and rolling to her chin.

''Okay, try me..."

Katara paused and took a breath. This just may have been more difficult than she had assumed it would be. "I'm trying to say, Aang, that you are only a friend to me. That is all you ever could be."

The young Avatar's eyes glowed a fierce blue as Katara backed away, slowly at first, but soon she broke into a fast run, perfected from months of trying to escape Fire Nation soldiers. Aang sprinted after her in quick pursuit, the arrows surrounding his limbs beginning to shine. He roared in an unearthly voice, "Why? Why? What have you done, Katara?"

She yelled, "Aang, stop! What are you doing?" He crouched to the ground, fearing that he would inflict great damage on the Earth Kingdom town, or on Katara. Attempting to calm himself with meditation techniques he had learned as a child, he opened his eyes to reveal that they no longer glowed, that his tattoos no longer shone. Katara knelt down next to Aang, comforting him although he no longer wanted her comfort. She murmured, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen this way. I'm sorry..."

They sat together, sobbing for hours. When night fell, Aang stood stoically.

"Katara," he started, "thank you for being honest with me. I know you just wanted me to be happy." He stopped to catch his breath, which was fading quickly from the raw emotion he was pouring into his speech. "I would like to be your friend, even after this, and I'm sorry for losing my temper-"

"-It's okay, really. After what I did to you, I deserve it."

"No, you don't." His voice was sharp, curt. "Don't ever think you deserve that."

Katara began to speak. Surely, this was the final blow to his heart, the information that just might send him over the edge. "Aang, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you for a while.''

He wearily responded, "What is it?"

Her eyes brimmed with tears, and her voice quivered. "I want to return to the Northern Water Tribe, so I'm going. Alone."