A/N. Sorry, normally I'm much faster with updates, but some things happened (good things!), so I really didn't have the time! But here is a chapter I was really waiting for… Enters… Hama.

The day after departing Fire Fountain City, Aang had proposed to go somewhere nice. Katara had not missed the look his glazed eyes, from the concussion he had got from his unfortunate kiss with Ozai's metal nipple. It had been quite clear what he had meant with his look…

For the love of the Spirits, somewhere with privacy!

So, Sokka had got the map, and had picked a rather… Well, un-Sokka like place. It had flowers, forests, small hamlets with neat fields around it… And it was on the main island of the Fire Nation! When Appa had landed in the forest next to one of the villages, Katara had realized something.

This was the first time they were so near the capital of the Fire Nation… So near the Fire Lord and all that he stood for…

Aang had told them that the southern tip of the Capital Island was famous for its picturesque landscapes. He had been here, a hundred years ago, and apparently, he had a friend from one of these villages, a girl named Kashi. She had been the daughter of one of the farmers, and each year, at the end of the summer, a part of the Southern Air Temple novices would go here to help with the harvest…

Katara had listened to his stories these last few weeks, and a sort of trend had settled in them. That the Air Nomads had helped the Fire Nation more than the other nations. Or at least, the Southern Air Temple had visited the Fire Nation often, and at great length. And the waterbender could imagine why… Aang had told her that the monks were afraid of war… And maybe they had thought that if they made him, the Avatar, spent as much time as possible here that it would maybe give peace a chance…

It was weird to imagine Aang during the reign of Sozin. That Fire Lord had been the one to begin the war, but no one could remember his reign. Even her grandmother had been born in the last years of that monster's reign and could not remember him.

But Aang… He had maybe seen him. He may have spoken some words to the Fire Lord on some sort of introduction… She should ask him sometimes, to tell her more about these kinds of personal details. He had opened up about much to the others, but the personal things, his hopes, his dreams… Those he kept for her ears…

They had made camp in the forest, and for the first time in several weeks, they were all gathered around the fire, without fighting or with the one or the other sleeping because of training… Even Toph had opened up. The day before, when they had fled the city and "Combustion Man", Toph had asked her to write to her parents. Katara had done it that night, while Sokka and Aang were asleep.

Instead, she had listened to Toph. For the first time, the girl had actually opened up, and had been honest about her feelings. As they wrote the message, Katara had softly encouraged her to continue, and they had actually written a long letter, nearly four pages long. The waterbender had sent it with that ridiculous hawk Sokka had bought. And she may have included a message from herself, asking Toph's parents to take care of it. Just maybe.

The forest in which they were camping was old. Very old. The trees were thick, and it didn't seem that there were foresters who cut down some trees to make place for younger ones. The place they had chosen for their camp was the only open space in the miles around, and there was a small cave that was just big enough for Appa.

They were gathered around the fire, and for some reason, her brother had decided to tell a… scary… story. She knew his scary stories. They were not. Most of the time it was just a dumb thing he said in a spooky voice. If Katara remembered well, she had stopped being afraid of his stories around four years old.

"Suddenly… They heard something down the hall… in the dark…" He spoke in the voice she reconziged as Be scared around… now!

"Oooooh…." Sokka drew out the sound to make it seem a rather badly tuned owl-cat cried out somewhere.

"It came into the torchlight… and they knew! They knew the blade of Wing-Fun was…. Haunted!" He cried out the last word. Katara sighed. Spirits, his stories hadn't become better with ages… Shaking her head, she caressed Momo's head, for the lemur was rolled up in her lap. Apparently, the waterbender wasn't the only one who wasn't too impressed with Sokka's story.

Aang looked away into the dark, probably not to show his disappointment, and spoke softly, not loud enough for her brother to hear.

"I think I like the man with a sword for a hand story better…"

"And spirits, that one was terrible." Toph spoke up, this time loud enough for Sokka to hear. Huffing, her brother said down.

"You both don't know what art is!" He muttered.

"Spirits, is this what passes as fun in the Water Tribes… You poor people, you don't know how to live…" The blind girl grinned, her face lit up by the flames of the fire.

Katara thought about it. Yes, the Water Tribe parties had mostly been… Well, subdued. But that wasn't surprising, seen the state in which the Southern one was. But even on the North Pole, the parties they had attended had seemed… well, stiff.

She remembered, a few weeks before the raid that killed her mother, they did have a party. Old Kranook had played his drum, and the waterbender recalled how she had fallen asleep during the first dances. It had seemed wonderful, but she had been too young to understand what the festivities were about.

Not that anyone could remember, that is. Water Tribe culture had begun to be limited to… Well, survive another day. They didn't have time for a party at her home, not since a long time…

Wait… There were always the stories her Gran Gran and her mother told them, late at night around the fire. Most of the time, it was forgotten legends, like the Avatar. But there had been one…

"I've got one! And this is a true Southern Water Tribe story!" She spoke up, making Toph look up with raised eyebrows, and Aang turned away from the darkness to fix his grey eyes on her.

"Oh no, not one of those My cousin knew a guy that this happened to? Please, I've heard enough of those by Kalika," Sokka sighed. Katara couldn't' help but agree. The woman he was talking about was the mother of Iqaluk, and was… well, she wasn't the brightest star in the sky. And she always told stories that she had conjured up herself. Most of the time, they were inconsistent. But to stay nice, her Gran Gran had told them to just nod along, and smile.

"No, this one happened to Mum…" She told her brother. Sokka immediate stopped rolling his eyes, and sat down a bit straighter. From the corner of her eye, Katara saw Aang change his sitting position, so that his full body was turned towards her. She felt a corner of her lips turn upwards at that small sign of interest.

"It happened when our mother was a little girl. A snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mum realized she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm… So, Mum and some others went to check on Nini's family, fearing that the storm had done them for good. When they got there… no one was home. The fire was still burning in the central hearth… The men went to look in the tundra around the igloo… But Mum stayed inside. When she was alone… She heard a voice." Katara wasn't sure if this had really happened, or if her mother had told that story just to tease her when she was little… But it was better than the haunted sword.

"It's so cold… I can't get warm… Mum heard the voice whisper. She turned around and saw Nini standing by the fire…" The waterbender saw the small shudder from her brother. Yeah, in their culture, ghosts were not something that you wanted in your home, "The girl was blue, and shivering… Like she was frozen. Mum ran outside, but when everyone came back… Nini was gone."

"W-where did she go?" Toph asked in a rather subdued voice. Of course, she could sense that Katara wasn't lying.

"No one knows… Nini's house stands empty to this day. But sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney. Like little Nini is still trying to get warm…"

Sokka shuddered clearly this time. Katara realized he must have known the igloo which they were expressively forbidden from entering by their grandmother. She also saw Aang edging towards her, with an uncomfortable look in his eyes. If she remembered well, from what she had read in the scrolls in his chest, Air Nomads believed in good spirits… But also evil ones, who haunted the place of their death for vengeance against those who had caused it… Voluntarily or involuntarily.

She herself also felt… weird. Remembering the story had made her think of how she had lain under the pelts the night her mother had told her Nini's story… And how afraid she had been. After an hour, she had admitted that she was afraid and had joined her mother under her own pelts for that night…

A call of some bird pierced the silence that had settled around them, and suddenly, Katara felt a hand on her own, from Aang's side. She herself skirted closer towards the airbender. It wasn't… well, it wasn't weird to do so on a cold night. Or even on a warm one. Was it? And even if it was… She didn't care. Granted, Toph and Sokka didn't exactly know what had happened between her and Aang… Yet. They were still waiting to tell them. Maybe tomorrow… Their temperaments had all calmed down, and true to her word, the blind girl hadn't teased them anymore.

"Guys… Did you hear that?" Toph suddenly asked, and Katara herself felt a shiver on her back. It felt like… Like something… or someone, was watching them… And now the earthbender looked… well, afraid. An emotion that was rare and scary on her face.

"I… it seems there are people under the mountain" Toph turned her head towards the big dark silhouette of the mountain in the distance, "And… They're screaming."

Alright, that was enough. Katara felt the shiver in her back even harder, and also Aang against her own shoulder. She edged a bit towards him. It felt good… They could say that they were… scarred? Yeah, let's say that. They were scarred.

Her own brother tried not to show his fear, but she could see it on his face. And indeed… Toph didn't lie. Well, not about these things. And certainly not in that tone of voice…

"Hehe… Nice try Toph!" Sokka chuckled, but his laughter sounded… off. He was probably trying to shake off his own fear, and acted like it was a joke…

"I'm really hearing it…" Toph answered, sounded unsure of herself. Maybe it was far away, and maybe it was just something like a party or something… And the blind girl just misinterpreted it?

"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories!" Katara interjected. It would probably be just a party… But then again, the Fire Nation didn't seem to know what a party was…

"It just stopped…" Toph's voice still sounded afraid. She wasn't joking…

"Alright Toph, cut it out." Aang chuckled weakly from besides her. The waterbender could feel his whole side pressed against her now, and she softly pressed herself against him. Spirits, it had been too long since they… Well… yeah.

"Hello children."

The voice came from the dark, and from that darkness appeared a dark silhouette, with a large white aura around it. Oh shit, Spirits… Tui and La…

Katara grabbed Aang around his shoulder, and she could feel his own arms around her. Momo chirped from in between, clearly not amused by the fact he had been woken up by two clutching bodies. From her left, she heard Sokka scream, and even Toph sounded surprised, gasping for air.

The silhouette walked into the light of the fire, and it was… just a woman. A small old woman. The white aura around her was actually just her hair that flowed freely around her shoulders and back. She looked to be around her grandmother's age, and was bent in the back, but apparently still quite fit, if she had been walking through the thick forest around them all by herself, without a torch in the dark.

Exhaling softly, Katara felt relieved. There was nothing to be afraid of! Just a gentle old person!

"Oh my, sorry to frighten you! My name is Hama!" The woman smiled kindly, nodding to each of them in turn, "You children shouldn't be out in the forest, all alone! I have a small inn nearby. Why don't you come back there, instead of sitting her in the forest?"

Well… it did sound inviting. A real bed? Real walls around her? It had been… So long. So long had that she actually had a good night's sleep… The last time that she had a bed was… on the ship? Yes, that was it. The woman didn't even seem surprised by Appa, who hadn't had the time to hide himself. She just smiled at him, and the bison didn't growl or stomp down his paws like he did when he saw someone he didn't trust…

And if Appa trusted the woman… Why shouldn't they?

"Would you like that? Some spiced tea, and warm beds? You all look rather… Well travelled. A few days in an actual bed would do you all some good I gather. And if you don't have money, that is not a problem. I have some roof tiles I need repaired, and you boys seem quite capable. The girls can help me with other things, surely. Come on." The woman, Hama, smiled and waved them along.

Katara looked at Sokka, who seemed relieved and actually… trusting the woman. Toph didn't say anything, but it was as clear as day on her face that she would like a bed. Hah, all that talk about rough living, but she could still appreciate comfort apparently. Looking to her left, Katara saw Aang smile and nod. Yeah, there was no choice. The woman seemed quite nice.

"With pleasure, thanks Miss Hama." Katara bowed slightly, like Aang had taught them to do. The woman was still Fire Nation, even if she seemed nice, so better to keep their assumed identities.

They followed the woman to a small path a few yards away from their campsite, and Aang waved towards Appa, who stayed still.

"I'll get him tomorrow morning. He is used to spending nights in the forest. Often, when Gyatso and I visited the Fire Nation, he had to stay away from the villages where people would try to disturb him." The airbender explained softly, so that Hama didn't hear them.

They emerged from the forest, and the path became larger and better. In the valley, a village of around a hundred houses gathered around a small river. The sloped of the valley had several buildings. Hama walked in front of them, towards one of the large buildings at the top of the slope. She produced a key from one of her pockets and opened the door.

There was already light on inside, and the old woman gestured to follow her. Katara entered the room, and it felt… nice. For some reason, she felt… like she was at home. Like she had just walked inside her grandmother's igloo. Yeah, that was what she was feeling. Why, she didn't know. Maybe because the old woman made her think of her grandmother, gentle and caring? That was surely it.

"Sit down youngsters! I'll make some tea, and then show you the rooms." Hama smiled as she began to look through several cabinets.

Rooms. Plural. Finally… Some privacy.

"Can I help you?" She asked. Katara felt bad about doing nothing while a woman of at least sixty or seventy did all that by herself.

"Oh no dear, don't worry, I'm still as fit as a fiddle." The old woman smiled. Katara nodded, and sat down next to Aang.

"You know, it still feels weird to me to see older people." He whispered to her. Not understanding what he meant, she raised an eyebrow towards him.

"You know… Because technically… I'm the oldest person alive, except Bumi that is. And Guru Pathik." He whispered back.

Oh… Yeah. Oh! She had… Oh spirits, she was in a relationship with a hundred- and sixteen-year-old teenager. Spirits.

"Well, well, you seem good friends." Hama suddenly appeared next to her, with a steaming tea pot in her hands.

"Oh! Yeah!" Katara smiled weakly, and she could nearly feel the amused looks of Sokka and the grin of Toph.

"Thanks or letting us stay here tonight, you have a lovely inn!" The waterbender changed the subject quickly, looking around. It was true. The inn seemed in a pretty good condition, clean and well maintained. They were clearly in the private rooms of Hama, but there was an open door that led to a common room, long and high.

"Aren't you sweet? I run it for… well, forty years now!" Hama smiled, sitting down at the head of the table.

"You really have to be careful out there. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in." The old woman looked down in her teacup, while passing the teapot to Katara, who filled her own cup before giving it to Aang.

"What do you mean, disappearing?" Sokka asked, as he took the pot from the airbender. Katara smelled the tea and smiled. Tea mixed with fire spices. Those, they had discovered the first few days in the Fire Nation. At first, Katara had not been sure what to think of the spices that the people here apparently used for everything, but after a few days, she had begun to appreciate the kick it gave to food. In small doses.

"Well, when the moon turns full, people walk into the woods… and they don't come back. But no worry, the full moon is only in two days, so nothing to worry about!" Hama smiled, putting her hand together.

Well… There had to be a catch, of course. So, Hama was a nice old lady who liked to frighten her guests. Alright, Katara could live with that. The inn was clean, warm and inviting, and it was the first time in a really long time that they could get a good night sleep, without being interrupted by fights, wild animals going through their supplies and so on…

"Come on, finish your tea, and I'll show you your room, and you can get a good night's sleep." Hama stood up. Katara quickly threw the last of the tea in her throat, and the others did the same. Yeah, getting some sleep did sound good.

They followed the old woman up the stairs, and they entered a corridor with several doors. Toph was pointed to the first door on the right, and Sokka to the one next to it on the left. Katara waited patiently for Hama to say which one would be for her, but the old woman waited for the two to enter their rooms and close the doors after wishing them good night.

"I imagine you two will want one together?" Hama asked, smiling at them.

Katara felt a blush rush to her face and heard Aang sputter some inaudible words next to her.

"Oh, please. I'm old, bent and have a weak hip. But I'm not blind. Just one rule in my inn. No… funny business." Hama continued to smile. Spirits, old people were really gifted. They always managed to make you uncomfortable.

"No, no, we don't… I mean, we won't…" Aang begun, but Hama laughed.

"Oh please, yes you do, and yes you would. I just warn you that the walls are thin, and I imagine you don't want to give your friends a show."

Oh spirits, please not, everything but that.

"Thank you." Katara whispered, and opened the door to the room Hama was pointing to still smiling widely, Grabbing Aang's arm, she pulled him inside.

The room was not very large, with just a cupboard and a large bed squeezed into it, but it was clean and comfortable. Katara walked to the window, and looked outside. The inn had a really good location, with their room overlooking the valley.

"People would pay well for such a place to spend the night… But we are the only ones it seems…" Katara said softly, but didn't get an answer. Turning around, she saw how Aang was still blushing madly, looking at the bed and at her.

"We already slept in the same bed Aang." She whispered, smiling at his expression. They had indeed. In Ba Sing Se, while spending those weeks searching for Appa, her bedroom had quickly become their bedroom. Nothing had happened during those nights, except the need of feeling the other's arms around them, but still, they had settled into it quite easily.

"I… I know. But that was before… Before we… you know. What if one of the others finds out?" He whispered back, lighting a candle with the flint and steel that lay on the nightstand.

"Then, they will find out. We are not doing anything wrong Aang." She answered, this time not bothering to whisper. Enough with the secrecy.

"Are you sure? I could ask Hama for another room…" The airbender answered, but she had seen the look in his eyes. Even if they wouldn't do anything, because apparently, the walls were thin, it would still be nice to spent time together… Without the prying eyes of their friends.

"I'm sure." Katara spoke, and she shimmered out of her skirt. Normally, she would keep it on during the nights in case they needed to flee or something, but not now. She didn't want to, and it would be rather… relaxing to sleep like that… With Aang beside her, no?

She heard the sound of fabric being moved, and looked up, seeing that the airbender was removing the vest and shirt he was wearing. Biting her lip, she quickly looked down. Maybe this had been a bad idea. They would both need to resist… Well, doing things.

And it was difficult. Aang's training had brought back most of the muscles he had lost during his coma, and he had grown yet more during this month. It was difficult to keep her eyes to herself when they trained waterbending… but like this, it would be impossible. And his hair had also grown considerably. Even if it was still weird to see Aang with hair, it had quite… Well, she liked it. He would probably shave it off the moment he could, but she would miss it. Perhaps.

Standing in just her lower binding and her top, Katara cast a look towards the airbender, who was kicking off his boots, to stand in just his trousers. Yeah… She was quite a fan.

"So… sleep?" He asked, and the hesitation in his voice made Katara think he was maybe hoping for a bit more. But they couldn't. As Hama had said, the walls were thin, and she couldn't imagine how embarrassing their morning would be if they did something.

"Sleep. And… Maybe we can find a place far away from the others, soon? And… try some things?" She answered, while lying down on the bed. The waterbender felt how she sank into the mattress, and she had to fight off the deep sleep to hear Aang's answer, as he lay down beside her.

"Yes! I… I mean, yeah, sure."

Smiling at his poor attempt of being casual, Katara pressed herself against him, feeling an arm around her, and fell into a deep sleep.

Answers :

Rak : Thank you! I have planned for three chapters about this episodes, and after that, I'll have to see what I do. I still want to put a smut chapter in before the invasion… Because of reasons lol.