Yay! A long chappie! Just to clear things up, Katara is suddenly being nice to Zuko because of what happened in the prequel. She didn't just wake up and decide to be miss-sunshine. I hate it when fanfics do that. Oh, and this is all set at the Western Air Temple.

Disclaimer: If I owned avatar I would stop obsessing over what's going to happen in Boiling Rock, 'cause I would already know. tear

A cry rang out and Katara dropped her bending water in alarm. She quickly climbed out of the fountain and ran to where the boys were training, leaving dark wet footprints on the stone. The first thing she saw was Aang. He was sitting on a bench and holding his arm tightly.

She stormed up to Zuko, "What happened!" Zuko backed away from the furious glint in her eyes.

A hand on Katara's shoulder spun her around.

"It's my fault, Katara." Sokka said calmly. "Aang got hurt while he was messing around with my sword. "

"Sokka! He could have really hurt himself! You and Zuko shoud have watched him more carefully!"

"Why are you bringing Zuko into this?"

"Because he was standing right here. Why do you have a problem with me accusing Zuko?"

"Because that's all you do lately.

Katara stared at him in shock with a gaping mouth.

"I haven't accused him of anything for the last two days - except except when he took extra oatmeal rations. Don't worry, Zuko and I have made . . . amends." She gave their subject a sideways glance.

"Alright . . . I was just saying." Sokka waved both hands in front of his chest. "I'm sorry I didn't keep an eye on Aang."

"And I'm sorry I didn't either. Katara was right, I shouldn't have been distracting you, Sokka." Zuko offered.

"And I'm sorry I blew up in your face, Zuko." Katara said.

"Apology accepted, peasant." She could tell that he was trying to lighten the mood. She folded her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised.

"So you WANT me to blow up in your face?"

"I'm sorry that I got hurt in the first place.' Aang stood up and walked over. "I'm the Avatar, I shouldn't need someone to watch over me like a little kid. This isn't anyone's fault but my own.'

"Do you think you could heal this?" Aang asked and showed her the cut, his eyes pleading like a mooselion pup.

"No problem." She smiled back.

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Toph and Katara were staring each other down, each with a good-sized glob of mud in each hand. Unlike last time, though, they were laughing.

"Ready to surrender?" Toph taunted.

"What do you take me for – an earthbender? This fight isn't finished."

"Then why are you breathing so hard?"

"Why do you have a huge scrape on your arm? " Katara said before muttering under her breath, "Remind me to heal that later."

"To let you feel like you were winning."

" I am winning."

Toph brought her knee up high before stomping into the earth. Katara inwardly grimaced as mud splashed up Toph's leg and all over Toph's red capris. She didn't have to do the laundry. A rumbling beneath her feet gave her a second's notice, and when a pillar of rock unearthed itself, Katara was already flying at Toph with a stream of water behind her. Toph chopped at the ground with her hand causing Katara to lose her balance on her runway of ice, and before Toph could protect herself, Katara had fallen on top of her and both lay in a panting heap on the ground. Katara thought quickly and brought an ice dagger to Toph's throat.

"Over yet?"

Toph knocked it out of her hands with a small rock and quickly raised a boulder above her.

"I don't know, you tell me."

Katara's eyes narrowed, and before Toph could react, a flick of her wrists sent a glob of mud flying toward her. Splat! It covered Toph face like a deformed spa mask. Toph couldn't bend it away because of the boulder she held above Katara, but the mud was all inside her mouth and nose making it hard to breath. Toph tossed her boulder aside.

"Truce?", she asked.

"Truce." Toph swiped her arm across her face and sneezed. They helped each other up, looking for all the world like they had just taken a mud bath. They laughed.

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Katara sighed. She bended most of the mud out of her fire nation clothes and threw it out the window before tossing them into a basket. The laundry would have to wait until tomorrow. It was a good thing she had both her red and blue outfits. She looked out the window and saw the mist once again gathering in the moonlight. One could almost see the spirits of air benders flirting around. Friendly ones, of course.

She turned back to her bed and started to ponytail her hair, when her head started to feel light and hot. Her vision blurred for a second, and she stumbled to grab the bed, her hair falling back down around her shoulders. As the sensation cleared, Katara realized how tired she truly was. Her extensive training that day must have caused the dizzy spell. First practicing in the fountain, then teaching Aang a new form, then sparring Aang, revisiting her own forms, then sparring Zuko in a lightening round, and two rounds of sparring Toph. Katara sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her temples. Today had been a good day, nonetheless. And everyone knew that there would not be many more of those. As soon as Aang mastered all four elements they would be off again, and from that journey nothing was certain. Who would live, who wouldn't be coming back, if the Fire Lord would be defeated, if they would reach him before Sozin's comet, if Aang would be able to handle it all, if Zuko would remain faithful to them, if the others survived pri . . . . . would Zuko stand the test? She thought back a few hours:

He was facing her and they had just ended their sparring. They bowed to each other respectfully. As they came up, Zuko's face had a slight smile on it, as if he was trying to hold back laughter. Having just been beaten, Katara had been in a bit of a bad mood.

"What are smirking at?" she had almost snapped at him. But Zuko either didn't notice or didn't care.

"I was thinking about-about us doing this after the fight at the north pole."

Katara hadn't been able to help cracking a smile: it was an absurd thought. With friendly sarcasm, she added " I don't think I was quite up to it, sorry. Being knocked out against a tree and all . .. "

"No, no I meant after the second time."

"Ohhh, the time when I beat you?"

"You di-"

"Hmm?"

"I . . ."

"Exactly." She said feigning an air of superiority.

"I don't think I was up to it, sorry. Being knocked out after falling some twenty feet into ice tends to do that to me." Zuko had replied with a wry grin, and his scar wrinkled a bit at the bottom. They had looked at each other for a moment as if trying to figure something out. Then they had started to laugh.

Katara opened her deep blue eyes and stared blankly at her bedroom wall. I can only hope he's really chosen us. Suddenly, a scene flashed in her mind. They were back in the crystal catacombs, and he was firing at her. She brought up a shield, but as Azula joined his attacks, Katara was thrown backwards.

Katara blinked rapidly and took a deep breath to erase the image from her head. No, Zuko was with them now. Or was h- STOP IT! She gathered her bed sheets into her fists. She had to stop thinking about him. She flopped back onto the bed. I'll think about – Aang! . . . . .and how he needs to master water as soon as possible. Maybe if he starts - She groaned.

"This is too much stress for a 15 year old girl," she said to no one in particular. Unless an airbender spirit was keeping her company. She pulled her legs into bed and underneath the cool sheets. Then, she rolled onto her side, pulling the blankets with her.

CRASH!

She groaned again and mumbled something. Stupid lamp, I'll clean it up in the morning, she thought.

Read and review or Zuko will lose his firebending again. ;D