Chapter 11

After he refused to cooperate with Jet's plan, many members of the Resistance began treating Aang more coldly. Jet was popular, especially among the young women of the group, and the more radical freedom fighters. If Iroh and Zuko, the generally accepted leaders, hadn't spoken up for Aang, he might have been kicked out of the group. In addition to his girlfriend, Aang's closest friends in the Resistance were Ty Lee and Sokka; Mai and Zuko were friendly, but too busy to spend much time with him. He was so isolated that Katara was grateful even for the attention of Yoshio, a new member who seemed to admire Aang. The airbender never complained, though. When Katara pushed him to comment on the situation, he only cheerfully remarked how much happier he was than in the Fire Nation. It was as if the abuse he had suffered had recalibrated his tolerance for meanness, so that a little mild ostracism was no big deal.

In this tense atmosphere, Katara felt instantly alarmed when she noticed Zuko, Mai, Iroh, and Sokka speaking secretively. She was afraid another plan was brewing that would make Aang feel even more alienated from the Resistance than he already did. She approached them assertively, hoping she could nip it in the bud.

"Katara! You need to hear this," Zuko greeted her, his tone somber. He handed her a letter. "Bad news from our contact in the Fire Nation. We have a spy in our midst."

"This has never happened before." Mai shook her head, unbelieving. "How did we welcome a spy into our camp?"

"The note talks about staging something with the Rough Rhinos," Sokka pointed out. "That implicates—"

"Yoshio," Katara finished, dismayed. Her primary concern was not for the Resistance's vulnerability, but for Aang's poor heart, and that was a sign of how her priorities had shifted. She wanted nothing more than to surround her boyfriend with a loving community, but instead, she had embroiled him in a contentious band of jaded, traumatized ruffians who refused to try to understand his nonviolent philosophy. Katara was chagrined to see how the Resistance's own inner divisions had played right into the Fire Nation's plan. It figured that just when Aang made a friend, it was someone who was actively conspiring against him.

"The spy could have killed any number of us in our sleep whenever he wanted." Mai pointed out. "He knows where we are, and has probably communicated our location to the local garrison by now, but we haven't been attacked."

"My sister is smart." the banished prince remarked, his mouth a grim line. "She's playing a long game."

"But what's the goal?" Sokka wondered. "What is she trying to accomplish with this spy?"

"Only one way to find out. We have to question him." Zuko declared.

"No. This is the time for neutral jing." Iroh argued. "We must listen and wait for the right moment to strike."

"If we let Yoshio know we're on to him, we lose the advantage we have now." Mai agreed.

"But what are we going to do while we wait?" Sokka pushed, then turned to his sister. "Especially considering this spy has made himself the Avatar's new best buddy."

"Let me be the one to tell Aang, please." Katara insisted. The others agreed.

For the rest of the day, the waterbender delayed. She watched Aang from afar, ready to intervene if Yoshio approached him, but the spy was away for the day with a hunting party. One of the things she loved the most about Aang was his openheartedness, the way he offered simple, uncomplicated friendship to anyone, even those who didn't deserve it. Perhaps learning to love people who hurt him had helped him survive in the palace. She wanted to procrastinate forever, to allow Aang to continue to believe he had left all treachery behind in the Fire Nation. She wished she could protect him from the pain of this revelation, but knew it was impossible.

Because she couldn't help remembering what had happened the last time she had tried that. Putting off telling Aang the truth about his people's annihilation had been the fatal mistake that had almost cost her everything. She wouldn't do the same thing again. But no matter how convinced she was that she was doing the right thing, it didn't make it hurt any less.

She would have to trust that if Ozai hadn't been able to whip the goodness out of Aang in six years, a friend he'd only known a few weeks would not be able to disillusion him either. She vowed that she would stand by him, and prove to him that in the end, kindness and honesty would prevail.

As night fell, Katara found her boyfriend alone, brushing Appa.

"I have something I need to tell you, Aang," she began nervously.

"Yes, we do need to talk." Aang put down the brush and turned to her, face more somber than she'd seen it since their escape.

"Yoshio is a spy from the Fire Nation." She blurted out. Aang's jaw dropped and he sat down in shock. Wringing her hands, Katara continued. "I was afraid to tell you because I know you've become friends, but I have to tell you the truth."

"How do you know?" he asked. There was no doubt in his voice; it was a simple request for the whole story.

"We have our own spy in Caldera, and he got us word." She waited for him to respond, but he remained silent, staring into space. "Please say something!" She begged.

Aang sighed. "If Yoshio is a Fire Nation spy, then that explains some things."

"Like what?" Katara's chest tightened.

"Like why he's telling me that you're using me."

"What?" Katara's face fell in dismay.

"He says that the Resistance sees me as a weapon, and you've done this before, dating guys to further the cause, and turning on them when they weren't useful anymore."

"Well, um, I did do that a couple of times." Katara admitted uncomfortably. "Before I met you. But I never loved any of them. You have to know that you're more important to me than the Resistance."

He nodded. "And I know that….that other time….you were trying to save your brother. I forgave you for it."

"But it hurt you, and I hated that." Her forehead was screwed up with anxiety. "I still hate it."

"It's past." Aang exhaled deeply, moving on. He lifted one arm, and she took his invitation, pressing herself into his side. For a few breaths, the two just took comfort from the other's touch. "I guess this means he was lying." Aang murmured into her hair.

"He probably told you a lot of lies, but which one are you thinking of?" Katara asked warily.

"When he said some of the children survived, and were adopted in the Earth Kingdom."

"Oh, sweetie." Her heart broke for him again. She didn't know whether it was kinder to encourage his hope, or extinguish it, so she compromised with uncertainty. "I've never heard of anything like that, but I suppose it's possible some of them made it."

Aang shook his head. "Either way, he told me what I wanted to hear so I'd trust him. And it worked. I feel like a chump."

"No!" Katara objected, placing her hand on his chest in urgency. "The fact that you still offered a stranger your friendship, after everything you've been through, that's beautiful, sweetie. Please don't ever lose that."

"What did the others decide about Yoshio?" He knew he wasn't the only one affected by the spy, but he really didn't want to be complicit in an execution or torture.

"Iroh says to do nothing, yet. Wait for his next move. We can't disrupt his plans until we know what he's trying to do."

The airbender nodded, relieved. "Then I'll have to pretend I don't know. But I won't give him any new information that he could share."

"Oh, he'll be watched too closely to share anything else with the Fire Nation." Katara assured him.

"Good." Aang lifted her chin with a fingertip. "Hey. It takes more than a spy to come between us."

She smiled. "That's right." She offered him her lips and he took them between his own. Their kiss bloomed, a flower of trust opening between them, wondrous and hardy.


In the morning, Aang and Katara emerged from their tent, to find that, in the night, Sokka had disappeared.


Author's Note: Tell me what you think of that cliffhanger! I really appreciate every review. I'll post again in a week on Friday.