Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Author's Note: Chapter 13 review responses are at the end.

Confessions

I've never been in love before, either. It's great! I'm glad. The timing stinks.

--Joe, Joe Versus the Volcano

Aang had a hard time sleeping that night. He knew he needed to rest because they were planning to find and stop the Fire Nation machine the next day, but he couldn't settle his mind. Not only was he concerned about where Princess Azula was and whether they had slowed her down long enough, but he was also puzzling over the new information he had obtained about Katara yesterday.

Okay, even if she was…how did Sokka put it?

Hot and bothered.

Right. Even if that was because of me, it doesn't mean she loves me.

Get real. You're short, skinny, and bald. What else could it be?

Gee, thanks. I never knew I was so critical of myself.

I'm just saying, there's not much else about you that could cause a physical reaction in a girl. Well, okay, you are a very powerful airbender and the Avatar. Not that you were exhibiting any of those qualities at the time.

If this is how I sounded to Katara in the Cave of Two Lovers, no wonder she got mad at me.

I'm just trying to help.

You're lousy at it. Maybe I misunderstood.

This is ridiculous. Just tell her you love her, and see what happens. Aang rubbed his forehead, just above the brow ridges.

I'd rather know what was going to happen.

I thought you liked surprises in life.

Usually. Anyway, I need to focus on Azula right now. Maybe when we've stopped her from wrecking the countryside, I can talk to Katara.

When Aang did doze off, just a couple of hours before dawn, he had nightmares: Katara being killed, seeing Katara injured again and going into the Avatar State, the Avatar State hurting her. He woke from the last one as the sun rose, knowing what he needed to do.

Quietly, Aang removed all unnecessary burdens from Appa's back while strapping his staff on. The bison grunted a little and came partly awake.

"Sorry, Appa," Aang apologized for waking him so early. "There's something we have to do. Just you and me, like the old days." He walked lightly over to the large head. Appa made another low noise and nuzzled the boy, and Aang smiled as he ruffled the fur alongside Appa's nose.

"What are you doing?" Aang started and turned to see Katara standing there, hands on her hips, glaring at him inquisitorially.

"I, um…couldn't sleep?" he tried. Katara crossed her arms over her chest and showed by her expression that she wasn't buying it. Her burned sleeve seemed to stand in mute condemnation.

"You were about to go off on your own again, weren't you?" she accused, then sighed. "Aang, I thought we'd already been through this."

"Yes, but this is different. I need to do this by myself."

"You're not alone anymore. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Others were stirring at the camp, either because of Katara's rising voice or because it was simply time to get up.

"Look, it's my responsibility to stop Azula. I'm the one she's after."

"That's what we're all planning to do."

"What's going on?" Sokka asked blearily, walking toward them and rubbing his eyes. Suki was with him, and all the others weren't far behind. So much for leaving quietly.

"He was just about to take off after Azula alone," Katara announced.

"I think we should come with you," Iroh came forward with Zuko. "That machine needs a firebender to operate it."

"If we can lure Azula out, it might give you time to destroy or disable it," Zuko chimed in.

"But be careful," Iroh added. "It will still have some weapons the other two girls can use." Aang considered the offer, decided it was a good idea, and nodded and gestured for them to get on Appa. He braced himself for the coming explosion. He wasn't disappointed.

"Wait a minute!" Katara's voice was becoming downright shrill. "They can come, but I can't? You know I can fight!"

"Of course I know that. That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"I…I just can't see you hurt again!" Aang turned his back on her.

"What? I'm healed. I'm fine!"

"It's not that. You don't understand."

"Maybe if you explain it to me, I will understand!" she shouted. Aang closed his eyes. He knew her well enough by now to realize that the anger in her voice was only there to mask the hurt. He couldn't leave her like this.

"Why?" Katara persisted.

Just tell her.

"Fine," Aang said softly, answering the internal and external voices at the same time. He opened his eyes and whirled on her. He stared straight into Katara's icy blue gaze and said, "Because I love you." Her eyes widened, but he didn't wait for any further reaction. He turned, leapt up on Appa's head, and called out, "Yip yip."

Katara stared after Appa for a long moment. Her mind was blank. She forced it to begin working again as she turned to the others, but she had room at first for only one thought.

Aang loved her. He loved her. Her eyes rested first on her brother. His expression was not without sympathy, but he seemed to be waiting for the proverbial axe to fall. It registered with Katara that Sokka did not look surprised.

"You knew," she realized, advancing on him. "You knew, and you didn't tell me!"

"Yes, I knew. You could have, too, if you'd paid attention." In a softer tone, he added, "Didn't you ever wonder why you were the only one who could bring him out of the Avatar State?"

"I'm the only one who really tried!"

"Yes, but why?"

"Because I knew…he'd never hurt me," Katara finished the sentence in a hush approaching a whisper. At some level, she had known.

A hundred memories of Aang crowded on her brain: crashing into a snow bank, riding the elephant koi, weaving a necklace out of fishing line, rescuing her from a Fire Festival demonstration, offering to refuse waterbending lessons because she couldn't join him, and many others. The smiles, the hugs, the blushes – all the little ways he had tried to tell her, signs she had either ignored, missed, or mistaken. Katara sank down onto a rock.

"Oh, spirits," she swore, tears stinging her eyes. "I am such an idiot!"

The rock on which Katara was sitting lurched upward, forcing her to her feet again.

"We don't have time for this, Sugar Queen," said Toph forcefully. "We know the situation. Now, what are we gonna do about it?"

Sokka ignored her for the moment, walked up to Katara, and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"You love him, too, don't you?" he asked quietly. She couldn't meet his searching gaze, but she nodded miserably. "Then you know what you have to do." The mixture of firmness and gentleness in his tone, suddenly so reminiscent of their father, caused Katara to lift her chin.

"Yes. Yes, I do," she replied, her voice strengthening as she spoke. "We have to go after them. I have to tell him…"

"That's what I was waiting to hear."

The journey on foot seemed to take forever. Katara kept trying to break into a run, forcing her brother to keep grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her back. Katara knew she had to pace herself and conserve her energy, but the sense of urgency she felt was so strong. It didn't help that there was an irresistible pull inside her, tugging her in Aang's direction. Like Sokka's boomerang, her heart was drawn towards its true owner. Momo alighted on her shoulder and chattered comfortingly to her. She reached up absently to scratch behind his ear.

As the walk went on, Katara was continuing to put things together in her mind, trying to absorb the massive truth Aang had laid upon her. Suddenly, she gripped Sokka's arm as a stunning realization hit her.

"Sokka!"

"What?"

"It's love. Love is the trigger!"

"Huh? Trigger for what?"

"The Avatar State." Sokka stopped at that, turning to Katara and gripping her by the upper arms.

"What do you mean?" he asked intently. "I thought that--"

"I know. Avatar Roku told Aang that it only happened when the Avatar is in mortal danger." Unwilling to stand still very long, Katara turned away and resumed walking, her brother moving to keep pace with her. "But think about it. That hasn't always been true. At the Southern Air Temple, nobody was in danger. Later, General Fong threw a whole platoon at him, but it wasn't until he sank me underground--"

"Losing someone he loves also causes it," it was Sokka's turn to interrupt. He sounded both amazed and thoughtful. "Or thinking he has. Wow."

"That's why he didn't want me to come," Katara further explained. "When Azula hit me, before, he must have come close to losing it. How could I be so stupid?"

"You're not stupid," Sokka assured her. "It's just…when you're too close to a situation, you can't see it clearly. I think maybe it's the hardest thing in the world to believe that the person you love can possibly love you back."

"I don't deserve him," Katara insisted, shaking her head wearily. Sokka gave her a wry grin.

"Believe me when I say that he feels exactly the same about you," he told her. Then, in an apparent effort to lighten the mood, he added, "And rightly so. You are my sister, after all."

Katara appreciated this, but she began to despair of reaching their destination before the battle was over. She found herself calculating how long it was likely to take Aang and the others to reach Azula, adjusting for whether she had been able to move yet this morning and whether she would have come toward where she thought they were camped or gone on to the next village. Presumably, Aang would want to keep Appa out of harm's way, so he would land some distance from the princess and her friends and walk the rest of the way. That would take some time, and Aang was pretty good at stretching out a fight with his avoid and evade tactics.

I suppose we'll have the advantage of following the flashes and explosions, which will help us find the battle faster, whispered a voice in her head.

Well, that's comforting, she thought sourly. Sheesh, I really am starting to think like Sokka.

No sooner had she thought this than flashes did appear in the sky ahead. Katara's heart jumped into her throat as she realized the battle had been joined and began to worry about Aang. Their group climbed a rise, and it seemed that the fight was going on in a small valley beyond the next hill. Sokka and Suki immediately began talking strategy.

"Toph, you and Katara come with me," Sokka said. "We'll try to come behind the machine and do whatever damage we can."

"What about us?" Suki asked, referring to her group.

"Unfortunately, you and your warriors are primarily trained in hand-to-hand combat, which isn't much use against that thing. You'll be our backup. Split into two groups and take cover on our flanks. If we need help, or if those girls come out of the machine, move in."

Suki didn't look too happy, but she gave a curt nod. As they cautiously clambered over the hill, everyone split up and prepared to engage the enemy.

Author's Note: I'm not sure how happy I am with this chapter. Most of it's just a bridge between Aang's confession and the grand finale. Battle next chapter!

Review responses:

Denisen: Thanks!

LittleKitty91093: Yes, there are a lot of Zutara stories out there, which is one of the reasons I wrote this. I hope you're having better luck finding Kataang stuff.

Gir the Insane…: Thanks for the cookie! I admit to projecting a little of myself onto Katara in the last chapter. It's always been the eyes on men that attract me. I've dated a variety of physical types, but they generally tended to lean more towards the long-distance runner than the body-builder. Lean but toned, kind of like Sokka (yes, I love him, too).

xenus: It seems like every new chapter is your favorite. I'm either getting better as I go on, or you're a very happy person that is most pleased with what you're currently doing. Either way, thank you!

SnakeEyes16: Check out the author's notes at the end of the final chapter for info on upcoming works from me. The remainder of the Kataang action in this story will be more dramatic than fluffy. Sorry about that.

frozenheat: I figured everyone would need some humor because the rest is fairly serious.

denythefreshmaker: No! No love triangles!

Kairuthefrog: Great, long review! I thought it worked pretty well to have Katara thinking about Aang the whole time, to kind of defuse the whole Zutara possibility there. You're right; it would be very easy to accidentally convey the feeling that something was developing there.

XXxEndangeredSpeciesxXx: Part of what I'm doing here is putting Zuko through a series of experiences that are forcing him to challenge his assumptions and gradually changing his character. So, yes, he might be a little OOC, but that's completely intentional.

Artemis Rae: I'm so glad you like it! It can be a challenge to fit humorous moments into what is otherwise a fairly serious story, but I love doing it! I really have a hard time writing without humor. I think life is funny, and the humor is a big part of what I love about Avatar, too.

SilvrImage: There's nothing wrong with being innocent, but how could you not know what was happening? I practically gave a blow-by-blow description in the previous chapter. The idea is just that it went a little further before Sokka put a stop to it.

Jini: Thank you so much! I would have liked to have some reviews from you sooner, as well. Glad you're enjoying it! I also like your No One Else, and I hope you finish it soon.