Chapter 2: Katara's Dilemma

Slumped on a bed, Katara's mind was full of turmoil. She was very troubled by the play, too. But it was not for the reasons that Aang had suspected. The scene involving her and Zuko disgusted her just as much as it had the former Fire Nation prince and the Avatar. But that wasn't what really upset her so much. It was reliving the scene where she had seen Aang get blasted by Azula that really had upset her so much. That was the most traumatic moment she had ever been through during the course of their adventures. Katara had not realized how much Aang had meant to her until he almost lost his life. The pain she felt then was horrifying. She knew Aang had not yet completed his training as the Avatar to withstand a dangerous attack like that.

Now it was coming back to haunt her, too. She knew that Aang would have to face Fire Lord Ozai very soon. But what if he didn't come back? What if Fire Lord Ozai took him down, too?

Complicating all this was her own feelings for Aang. When she first freed him from the iceberg back when their adventures began, Katara felt an instant connection to him. He was unlike any other boy she had met. He was sweet, funny, playful, and friendly. She never could have guessed that he was also the Avatar. He had been her best friend, her closest companion. But somewhere along the line, she, too, began to develop romantic feelings for him. Perhaps it was on account of Aunt Wu's prophecy that one day she would be married to a powerful bender. Or maybe it was due to the first kiss they ever shared in the Cave of Two Lovers. Whatever it was, what she felt for Aang wasn't just platonic anymore. It was more than that. And it troubled her very much.

Katara knew that Aang had to give it everything he had to take down the Fire Lord. Saving the world was his responsibility. But she feared that her own love for the boy would prove to be distracting, so much so in fact, that perhaps it would cause him to fail. Besides, she had also lost a lot of people she had been so close to—her mother, especially. She didn't want to go through that again. Perhaps it was best that she kept her feelings for Aang a secret so that he wouldn't fail. She hadn't even talked about the kiss they shared at the invasion, even though she had been very touched by that.

Now Katara began to wonder if perhaps not talking to Aang about it might have been a mistake. As surprised as she had been by his impulsive kiss when they were on the balcony of the theater that night, after telling him she was confused, that wasn't what was troubling her. It was the heartbroken look on Aang's face after she yelled at him for his actions. She hated seeing him look like that. He had brought her so much joy when they were on their travels, and it pained her whenever he lost that goofy, fun-loving persona she had come to love so much about him.

Still, she wondered, what had compelled him to kiss her like that? Katara didn't know what to think of it. It wasn't something she was expecting him to do, and even though a part of her wanted to kiss him back then, she could not. But then she began to think of it. Was it because of what she said to him about being confused? Was it her determination to keep Aang focused on his battle? Or was it because he was so upset by that peculiar scene in the play?

Wait a minute. It might have been all of the above. Katara hadn't really meant what she said about being confused. The emotions she felt that night were deeper than she could bring herself to admit. Still, it pained her to see Aang so heartbroken. As much as she wanted to convince herself that this was for his own good, she still felt horrible.

Katara knew Aang too well to know that whenever he was this upset, he needed comfort. It was the best thing that helped him get over his troubles. She had comforted him so many times during their adventure — when he learned that he was the last airbender, when Appa was stolen, when they had failed the invasion… all those times she had been there for him. But this time, she had distanced herself from him. In so doing, perhaps she had unintentionally caused Aang more grief than she thought possible.

Couldn't she have handled that whole conversation differently? Should she have been more patient with Aang and not gotten angry? Should she have told him how she really felt? Perhaps then, maybe, Aang would not have been compelled to kiss her. Katara knew he hadn't done it out of spite, but she didn't know how to take it. She just wasn't in the mood back then. And it was frustrating that Aang didn't seem to understand that.

But that didn't seem to matter now. Katara missed Aang, and she felt ashamed. How could she talk to him now? How could she explain to him that she wanted him to focus on the most important thing right without distracting or hurting him?

Either way, she felt that the bond between her and Aang was gone. And she regretted that very much. If only they hadn't gone to see that stupid play. Then none of this would have happened.

Katara was so troubled by all this that she wept herself to sleep.


The next morning, when Katara woke up, her mind felt a bit clearer. But no sooner had she done so then she began to think about Aang again. She hadn't spoken to him since she left him on the balcony. Perhaps maybe she could at least try to speak with him and try a different approach. That way they wouldn't be on uncertain terms. All right, that's what she'd do. As much as she wanted Aang to be focused on his task, she didn't want to cause him more pain.