A/N. Longest chapter that I have written in a while! And sorry, no warnings needed for this one lol!

I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Stirring the soup in the bowl, Katara sighed. She didn't like this. Any of it, to be honest! Aang was still not back, and it was already the end of the second day. He had said that it would take no more than two or three days! And it wasn't because she missed him! She was perfectly capable of surviving a day without him, or at least, she thought.

No, this was because she didn't trust that prince. Of course, he would have tried something! Why had they let them go, alone? And Zuko had been armed! How stupid had they been?

"The soup is getting rather bland, isn't it?" Toph fell down next to her, holding her own bowl under her nose and sniffing.

Yeah… Their supplies were running out faster than anticipated. But they were too many, and there was just not enough of everything to make a decent meal… Today, it had been Sokka's turn to cook. And his cooking skills were not too good to begin with… But if he didn't have everything to make it at least edible… Well, he couldn't help it.

"We need spices, rice, meat… Everything actually… Our supplies are not going to last. I think we still have… What, five days' worth of food? And it will be five very boring days of soup with a few vegetables." Katara sighed as she put the spoon into the thin liquid.

"Twinkletoes talked about orchards… Did he tell you where they were, exactly?" The blind girl grumbled, as she swallowed a spoonful of the soup.

"Further down in the valley. We need Appa to reach those… And we can't do that until Aang is back." She purposely didn't mention the firebender. Because, of course, he wasn't going to come back. He would have tried something, she just knew it.

Looking at the others in their group, the waterbender realized that they were getting at the end of the rope. Sokka had been scribbling on the last piece of his papers, cursing from time to time. She hadn't asked him what he had been doing, but it was clear it had irritated him. The Duke was being rather wild, which she attributed to the fact that most children became agitated when they were bored. Haru had been a brooding dark presence in the corner ever since they had found the nun… The only people who didn't seem to be affected by this mood were Teo and Toph.

Because Katara knew perfectly well that she hadn't been a ray of sunshine today. After yesterday, finding the Air Nomad hanging from the beam… Well, she had spent a lot of time looking at the mosaic. And not one of the nuns had been wearing the kind of pendant the dead woman had around her neck.

So, it hadn't been one of the active nuns, those who spent their time taking care of the children in the temple… It had probably been one of the older nuns. Katara couldn't imagine what it would have been like if one of the elderly people of her village had suffered like that… That would have broken the spirit of resistance rather quickly, for sure.

Suddenly, from somewhere in the canyon, resounded the soft bellow she would recognize anywhere. A Sky Bison! Meaning that at least, Appa was close! Katara quickly put her bowl down, stood up and nearly ran to the edge of the terrasse.

Peering into the evening mist hanging in the abyss, she couldn't see where it had come from. Her brother came to stand next to her, his spyglass in his hand.

"That was Appa, right?" He whispered, looking left to right in the canyon.

"Had to be. Only he makes that sound." At least, she hadn't imagined it!

For the next few minutes, she and Sokka were just standing, looking into the canyon and straining their ears to hear that sound again. It had to be them. Of course, it was them! Appa and Aang had survived so much more than just a weak firebender. Of course, they were coming back. Hopefully with one less person.

No… As much as she hated to admit it, they needed the prince. Not as a person naturally, but by the fact that he actually knew how to firebend. Tui and La, how she would have preferred to have anyone else train Aang… But they needed a teacher now. So, they had to make do. With Zuko.

"There!" her brother suddenly pointed into the mist, and, straining her eyes, Katara saw the soft shadow of Appa in the mist. As he approached, she also saw the flash of orange on the bison's head. Relief flooded her whole body as she realized that Aang was back. Unharmed, as he was able to steer Appa… Spirits thank you…

As the bison came out of the mist, she also saw that there was someone in the saddle. Oh. Joy. Zuko had also survived. What a relief.

She could see the airbender clearly now, and if she saw correctly, he seemed in perfect health. There were no traces of blood on his clothes, or bandages around some wound. So, it seemed that Zuko had not betrayed them.

Yet.

Appa landed, and Katara moved towards the bison, but she could only see an orange and saffron whirlwind before she felt her feet go off the ground. There were hands on her waist, and before she could even realize what was happening, the waterbender saw that they turned in a full circle, with Aang's laugh ringing clearly in her ears.

"You should have seen it!" She heard his voice call out happily.

"Aang, put me down!" She laughed along. Katara couldn't help it, his happiness was always infectious. As her feet came back to the ground, she saw him clearly now. There was not even a trace of a battle, or anything that could have hurt him. The only thing she observed was that he stank. And not just of old sweat, what would be normal after a few days without bathing. But of brimstone, that mineral the Fire Nation used to coat their projectiles as they engulf it in flames.

"What happened?" She immediately asked, feeling her own joy drop like a stone in the water. Of course, there had been an ambush! That smell was so distinctly firebender that it could come from the airbender. No way.

"We found the Sun Warriors Katara! They are not dead!" Aang still laughed, and she remarked that he hadn't taken his hands of her waist. Looking into his eyes, she saw that burning look he always had… When…

Oh!

No… No, they couldn't! That prince shouldn't know! And the others, although she trusted everyone else… If they were captured and tortured for information… But that was not important at this moment.

"They were there? You mean, actual people?" She kept the conversation on that, as she moved back slightly to step out of his reach. Katara hated the fact that she needed to do that… But for the moment, it had to be like this. For his own safety.

"Hundreds! And I didn't even tell you the best part! There were-"

"Aang. We swore not to tell." A raspy voice interrupted the airbender. Whipping her head around, she saw the firebender stand with a bag filled with scrolls in his hand, looking at them.

Aang?

That prince had never called the airbender by his name. It had always been The Avatar.

"They told us not to tell it to people we didn't trust. Remember what we talked about. Trust." Aang answered from behind her. Turning around, she looked at the airbender with a raised eyebrow. Where did this come from? Since when did he talk to that prince… About trust? And why did they act… friendly?

Zuko grumbled something she didn't understand, and began to walk towards where the others were still sitting with their dinner. She saw how Sokka followed him, a few steps behind, and knew that her brother was not letting the firebender out of his sight.

Turning back to Aang, she saw that same look in his eyes.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" She asked, trying to get back to the subject at hand. Sure, that look had woken something inside her that wouldn't be quite appropriate to do in front of other people… But they couldn't. Could they?

"Come, I'll tell the story. If I let Zuko tell it, we lose all the drama!" With that, the airbender took her hand and pulled her towards the fire.

Katara didn't like this. He seemed to be way too friendly with the firebender! What had happened? Had the prince somehow brainwashed him? No way Aang would just trust him blindly! He was too smart for that.

But as she was being pulled to the campfire, the waterbender realized that it was actually exactly like Aang. He would give anyone a second chance… And she loved him for that. But he couldn't be considering giving Zuko that second chance, could he? Aang knew what the firebender had done! How… How could anyone be given a second chance after all what he had done?

As they approached the fire, the airbender released her hand. The small pang in her heart at the loss of contact made her bite her lip. Tui and La, if this went on like this… Well, her wish to keep them a secret for those who didn't know… Would probably not survive the night.

"So, will you tell us what happened?" She heard her brother speak as she stepped into the light of the fire. Zuko had been seated where she had sat, next to Toph, and Katara didn't like that either. Before, he had eaten in his own corner. Alone. And she had liked it that way.

"Aang will tell it better than I would, I think…" The raspy voice suggested, and those ember eyes followed the airbender's movements. Aang had taken a bowl from next to their cooking pot and had filled it with soup. Katara sat down next to Teo, who smiled kindly at her as he moved his chair slightly to create more room. Nodding at the young man, she turned back to where the airbender had filled his bowl and put it down next to the pot. Then he walked to the middle of the circle.

"So, we started our trip badly. Zuko is quite a terrible guide to be honest." Aang began to talk, in that voice he used when telling a story he liked. Katara had to hide a smile, knowing that he was loving this. Not to be the centre of attention that, he had never liked. But to tell stories and act as if everything was normal, and that their lives were all right at this moment… That, he loved.

"I had a bad map." The firebender muttered, but she ignored it. Sure, a bad map. Why couldn't he just admit he was a little shit?

"But we found it, thank to my exceptional map reading!" Aang continued, waving the objections of the prince away. At that, she heard her brother chuckle. Yeah… The airbender wasn't known for his sense of direction. At all.

"We landed, leaving Appa at the beach. The island looked beautiful… old and as if it hadn't been touched by human hands in centuries. Ruins of great stone temples and streets were still visible, but it was mostly overgrown. But it had all these traps!" At that, the airbender bent slightly towards The Duke, "You would have loved that. There was one with spikes, with a skeleton in it and all!"

This was the Aang she had missed for… Oh, weeks probably. As much as she loved his serious side… Sometimes, hearing the goofy and happy side was good as well.

"We found a temple with a door, like the one in the Fire Temple, at the solstice! There was even the same mechanism, with the ruby and all that! Zuko proved he wasn't hit too many times against the head, for he tricked the mechanism with the reflection of the sun. So, I have to admit, we could have used that a few months ago… But not important! We got inside, and actually found something!" The airbender still spoke in that voice… The voice she recognized suddenly. It was the one he used when they were alone… Without so many clothes… The voice he used when he was truly, utterly happy…

They had found something that had made him happy.

Truly happy.

And she knew that in a few hours, she would have to break that happiness with the news about that nun they had found… No. Katara couldn't do that. Let him have this moment, she would tell him later… A few days later perhaps. At least, that would give him this night to be happy.

The waterbender quickly concentrated back to the story, because Aang hadn't stopped talking while she decided that.

"… So, a golden egg came out of the floor after we finished those moves." Wait, what had happened? She had just missed a crucial piece of the story, hadn't she?

"Of course, Zuko just had to pick it up, and the room filled with this disgusting sticky stuff… So thanks for that! I really thought at that moment you had let me into an ambush. Sorry about that, once more. And for the things I said."

Of course Aang would have thought that! At least, he hadn't trusted Zuko! But… He was apologizing. That made her uneasy. That meant that the firebender had actually not let him into a trap.

"You had no reason to think otherwise. I said some bad stuff too." The prince answered, barely above a whisper. And it didn't escape Katara that Zuko had dropped the well-spoken choice of words he had used before. Before, he had sounded that a rich pampered man. Now… He sounded a bit more normal. And she didn't like that. That meant he was getting comfortable. And that, she didn't want.

"Anyway! We spent… What, a good four, five hours stuck in that disgusting stuff? Until some guy showed up, with a feather thing on his head and tattoos all over his face. He seemed rather nice, but also… I don't know… Zuko, how would you describe him?" Aang turned the firebender. And Katara still didn't like the way the airbender was treating the prince. Way too friendly.

"Creepy." Zuko grumbled.

"Oh, Chief Hai Jhoa was nice! But yeah, so, the Sun Warriors are actually still around! But no one must know, alright? You don't tell a soul!" Aang's voice turned serious for a moment, and the waterbender knew that that meant that he was dead serious, even if it was just for an instance.

"So, we asked them to teach us the real meaning of firebending! They said that we would have to face the masters, who would judge our character, past and ancestry. Then, they gave us a flame of the first fire to present to the masters, who resided on the peak of a mountain!"

That sounded… Alright. Not too dangerous. Of course, Aang would have nothing to fear with that kind of trial. And of course, the firebender would have failed that test. Was it because of that that the man seemed irritated? Yeah, that had to be it.

"And if you failed the test?" Sokka asked, sounding rather interested.

"They would have killed us." The prince spoke before Aang could even get a word out.

Wait, what?!

They had both passed that trial? No way!

"Yeah, yeah, that is not important! So, we climbed the mountain, and there were caves! The chief explained to us that we had to present the flames at the entrance, and that the masters would judge us then."

Aang was beginning to walk in circles around the campfire, and Katara saw how the light illuminated his face. There was a flash of teeth, a wide smile, and those beautiful grey eyes seemed almost black in the fire light. And those black eyes seemed to look directly at her.

"Before continuing this. You all have to promise not to speak about this." Zuko spoke up. She had to hold in a scoff. She wasn't going to promise anything to that man.

"He is right." Aang surprised her by agreeing. Seriously? What had happened at that Sun Warrior Island?

The others began to mumble their agreement, and promises, but Katara just looked at the airbender. Those dark eyes turned back to her, and she saw the small nod from Aang.

"I promise." She spoke, keeping her own gaze on the airbender. She had no problem swearing secrecy to him. But she wouldn't do the same to Zuko.

"Alright! So, we presented the flames, and the whole mountain began to shake. My fire went out, so I tried to get some of Zuko, but he was being greedy." Aang wagged a finger at the firebender, smiling. Katara would have laughed at the silly face he was sporting if it wasn't directed at Zuko.

"You laughed and mocked me when mine went out seconds later, remember?" The prince observed with an irritated voice.

"Yeah, yeah, that's true. Anyhow… The masters came out of the caves. Only… They weren't human. They… were… dragons! Old ones, oh… surely centuries and centuries! Fang was just a small worm compared to these!" The airbender laughed.

Dragons… They had seriously found dragons… And those beasts had judged them… And found them to be worthy. What the actual fuck had happened there?

"Fang?" Haru asked, apparently a bit lost, and Katara saw the doubt in his pale green eyes. Yeah… If you weren't used to their adventures, this would probably sound rather crazy…

"Avatar Roku's dragon, he is just the best!" Aang explained, as if that would make anything less confusing for those who had joined them recently. And the waterbender saw the confusion on Teo, Haru's and The Duke's faces. Even Zuko seemed rather lost for words.

"Is? That… he isn't still around somewhere, is he?" The child asked, and Katara new why he asked. When she had been younger, there had been a few months where she had been terrified to go to sleep each night, because she was afraid a hippo cow would come and eat her. That had been around… When she had been six, seven? And each night, her mother had to explain why that was impossible, but she still had been scarred.

"Oh no, I met Fang and Roku in the Spirit World. No worries." Aang explained, and she heard the slight tinge of sadness in his voice. Of course, he remembered the life story the old Avatar had shown him…

"That is not important, can we get back at you two met DRAGONS?" Sokka nearly yelled, sounding rather alarmed, "You know, huge, fire breathing monsters. How did you even survive?"

Yeah… She would like to know that too actually.

"Oh, yes! Well, I'm sure Zuko was wetting his pants…" Aang began, now grinning.

"Uhm, yes! They were going to judge our ancestry. You know, Sozin, the guy responsible for the war, the one who made dragon hunting a sport. I had my reservations about how they would judge him, yeah!" The firebender interrupted, probably not understanding that the airbender had been joking. Tui and La, what an idiot.

"And they talked! In our heads. I didn't really understand how… But they spoke of both our fears, and regrets… And also explained why we shouldn't hold on to those. And then, showed us… What firebending truly is, without the whole Fire Nation propaganda." Aang smiled.

Both their fears? He had heard what made Zuko fear for his life? Oh, she needed to know that! That way, if he betrayed them, she would know how to make him suffer. Or… well, maybe that explained why Aang was so much friendlier with the firebender. Maybe… Maybe he had heard something that made him… trust Zuko.

The thought made her nearly gag. No way.

But… Wait…

Aang's biggest fear is probably about me.

Zuko knows.

Shit.

If Aang head heard these things about Zuko… The firebender would have heard the same kinds of things about the airbender! That… That was really bad!

"They explained that fire isn't destruction and rage… no, it is life and passion." The last word was said while she felt his eyes on her, and, looking up, Katara indeed saw how the grey eyes looked directly at her, with that soft smile… Her worries nearly disappeared as snow under the sun, melted away by that look…

"So, they showed you a whole lot of philosophical mumbo-jumbos. But the question is, can Sparky bend again?" Toph's voice broke the little moment and Katara quickly looked away. Spirits… What was this? She had never been like this, drawn to the airbender just by a look and a smile…

Well…That was a lie.

She had always been drawn to him like that… During their dancing, for example.

Oh… Now she understood. It was lust. Tui and La…

"Sparky? Seriously, first Sifu Hotman, and now Sparky? What is wrong with my actual name?" Zuko spoke up angrily, and their campfire flared up.

"Alright, Zuzu it is!" Aang interjected quickly, and Katara watched as the firebender nearly deflated. She remembered that Azula had called the prince that time in the Earth Kingdom.

"No. I accept Sparky." Zuko grumbled, sitting down, "To answer your question… Toph… Yes, we can bend again."

Toph?! The prince never called them by their real names! But… well, at least there was some good news. If the firebender could bend again, he could teach Aang. And they would be one step closer at defeating Ozai.

"Come on Zuko, let's show them what we learned!" Aang jumped to the prince and grabbed his arm. Katara heard the grumbled protests, but Aang just pulled him towards the open space next to their eating corner.

"Do we have to?" She heard Zuko mutter to Aang. The airbender answered something that she didn't manage to catch, but the firebender just moved his arms up, exasperated.

"Alright. Have it your way."

Aang and the prince bowed to each other, and began to move. Katara watched as both of the men in front of them moved gracefully, moving their arms and legs in elegant forms that alternated low kicks, high punches and swift hand gestures. They both made the same movements each step, but mirrored as they turned in a semi circle, only to meet up again and creating a full circle.

"With these forms, we will be unstoppable! No one knows these!" Aang explained, as he and Zuko came back to the light of the fire.

"The dragons taught you a dance…" Sokka sounded amused. And… Well, Katara had to admit. It looked very much like a dance…

"It's not a dance! It's a firebending form!" The prince spoke briskly as he sat down next to her brother.

"Oh, we will just tap dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord!" Sokka laughed now.

"Hey, it's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old! We got scrolls that look older than this temple to learn the new forms!" Zuko showed the bag he had been carrying when he had come down from Appa, and Katara realized that indeed, the scrolls she had seen in there looked old… Even older than time itself.

Had the Sun Warriors given them that? Being judged by the Master and surviving was a real honour in that case… But she couldn't help it. She needed to laugh at Zuko.

"Yeah, how is your little form called?" At first, the firebender looked surprised at her, as if he couldn't believe she was actually talking to him. And she couldn't believe it either… She had hoped it would sound a little less… teasing.

"The… Dragon Dance." The firebender grumbled softly, nearly so softly that Katara didn't hear it. First, she tried to hold in her laugh, but when Toph began to snort at the name, her own laugh came out. The other laughed too, and she saw that Aang was chuckling just as hard as the others. The only one who didn't laugh was Zuko. But she hadn't expected it.

And for some reason… It was good to hear the sound of happiness resound in between these walls. Aang had told her that the temple had never been silent, and that the most haunting thing here was the silence. And for a few moments, that silence had disappeared, to be replaced by merriment.

After a few moments, the laughter died down, and she heard her brother speak.

"Alright, that's enough for today. I guess you will want to train early tomorrow, to learn all these new forms?" The question had been directed at Aang, but Zuko answered.

"We talked about it on the way back. We will do morning meditation when the sun comes up. Then, he should train with Toph and… then his waterbending. I will have him after lunch until the sun goes down. Is that… alright?" Katara had to admit… that sounded good. Even though Aang would probably be exhausted at the end of such a day…

"Oh… yeah! Very good even! Well, good night!" Sokka stood up, nodded and began to walk back to his room, followed by the others who spoke the same good night wishes. After a few minutes, that left Aang, Zuko and her on the Terrasse.

"So… ehm, I'm going to sleep." The firebender pointed a thumb to the guest building, "Tomorrow morning… At dawn. Sun meditation, is that alright?"

"Sounds good Zuko. See you tomorrow. And good night." Aang spoke, and Katara saw that he didn't look at the firebender. No… his eyes were fixed on her. Standing up from her place next to the fire, she smiled at him.

"Good night Aang… and you too… Katara."

How did the firebender even know her name? Trying not to scowl too hard, she nodded without saying a word to him, preferring to keep her eyes looking at the airbender in front of her. The waterbender heard the prince walk away, and his footsteps disappeared after a few moments.

"Spirits I missed you." The airbender quickly walked the few steps that separated him and her. As soon as she felt his arms around her, she sighed into it. Yeah… She had missed this too.

"Glad you are alright." She murmured as she put her own arms around him, pressing the airbender against her.

"Can… Spirits Katara, I need you… Could we find a place, away from the others? Just this night… After that, we will be careful again. I… I can't…"

"Yes." She surprised herself by agreeing without a second thought. Sure, it was dangerous… if someone heard even the faintest sound, their secret was out… But Tui and La, she needed this too…

"Just… Just spend time together. I know we can't do… that… here. The walls are made to echo sounds." Aang sounded disappointed, and yeah… They couldn't leave the Air Temple without alarming the people around them. And Toph would surely feel anything they did. And would tease them without remorse.

"Together is enough. It is always enough Aang." Katara answered, just happy that he had come back unscathed.

"Well… I'm sure that after a few days of intense training, Zuko will be as tired as I will be… He will need to put in a rest day… And maybe… maybe we could use that to get away? Make up some excuse? Maybe we could say we are going to explore the temple…" Aang whispered in her ear, and she felt the hot breath travel on her sin, making her shudder… in a very way.

She didn't have the hear tot tell him about the Meditation Building… Not tonight.

"That sounds alright… Let's just spent time together in our room… Then, in a few days… Well, perhaps I have been reading our book..." She had. And she had found some rather interesting things...

"Really?" The airbender kissed her under her ear.

"We need to get to our room Aang…" Katara managed to say. This was going to be the nicest torture ever, wasn't it? They couldn't… Do that, without arousing suspicion. But that didn't mean that everything was off the table!

Answers :

Kalaong: Exactly! I love Maiko, because they are just perfect for each other. The one balances out the other and they don't take shit from the other. And your description of the Asian flavored Game of Thrones has inspired me! I see if I can get a chapter in this story with Zuko describing how it was to live in the Fire Nation Palace!

Jjsmith103 : Yeah, I never understood why the Avatar needs to choose duty over love, as the exact reason of the Avatar in human form is to make sure that that doesn't happen. And of course, Zuko needs to get his head out of the sand. And seen his character, he wouldn't do that without someone telling him to do so. Iroh did it, and it seemed quite appropriate to let Aang have a go. Because of course Zuko needs to earn the forgiveness.

Alyssa : Sorry to disappoint you, I promise, next chapter is going to be interesting lol! I hope you are feeling better!

Rak : Exactly, the last few chapters were mostly Aang dealing with the fact he was living in the temple and that the woman he loves is in danger. I needed an external force to put him back on track, and it seemed that the dragons would be a great choice! And yeah, Of course Aang looks as dopey and lovesick as Zuko does!