A/N: I know, I suck at this whole updating on time thing… Do I get any points if I promise that it's not intentional?? Anywho… Here's the next chapter. As always, please review!!

Chapter Three

In All is One

"Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is…"

Sokka's words still rang in Katara's ears just as strongly as they had when he'd said them so nonchalantly, taking great regard in the young Avatar's natural powers so many months ago... When their journey had just started together…

"…I suppose he is…"

Almost a year later Katara was still just as unsure about her feelings towards her airbending friend as she was then.

Sure, she loved him. This she knew without a shadow of a doubt. She'd never felt such a strong connection with anyone as she felt with Aang. Given the occasion, she would gladly give her own life to save his. She always knew he would do great things, and even in those few hours before she knew him as the Avatar she could see vast potential in his abilities.

As a little girl, she grew up with her Gran Gran's stories about him… The Avatar… Destined to save the world, to end the war, and bring peace…The entire world lay in those small tattooed hands of his, and he somehow managed to bear the burden with a smile. He was everything good in a world overrun with distrust, hatred, and fear…

And she loved him like no other.

'But,' she thought wearily as she watched Aang dodge another fireball from the hands of the Fire Prince – she was always watching with untrusting eyes whenever they sparred – 'what exactly does that mean?'

The real question for Katara wasn't if she loved Aang… The real question for Katara remained, was she in love with Aang… Was she really in love with the Avatar? Was that warm feeling in her chest the love of a friend, like the love she had for her family? Or was it something different?

She was frustrated beyond all comprehension with the whole situation.

Before the invasion, she'd thought that she'd been so sure. Aang was a close friend, her best friend even. She knew that she'd do anything for him, but their future held no romance as far as she was concerned. She'd pushed any of those feelings that she had harbored down into her belly, convincing herself that Aang had duties and far more important things to worry about than some silly Watertribe girl and her broken heart…Right? On top of that, he was a monk, and although she knew little to nothing about the Airbending heritage, she was sure that she'd never heard of them marrying or falling in love… All signs seemed to be pointing her in the direction of keeping their relationship strictly platonic.

But that… that… kiss! It'd been so incredibly unexpected, yet not so surprising after all. At first she'd been shocked at the feeling of his mouth pressing against hers so suddenly and without warning. Then as surprise melted to realization, she'd had little time to react before he'd pulled away with a decisive set of his jaw and gaze of his eyes. With a frown, she had watched him take off in the sky, annoyed at her own lack of reply – What must he be thinking?

In fact… even now, she'd never really had time to react at all. What with their defeat after the failed invasion and then hiding out in the Western Air Temple. The last month had flown by with him spending most waking moments training with Zuko. She'd only recently realized that neither she nor Aang had yet to even acknowledge the fact that he'd kissed her that day among the sea spray. He did kiss her that day… right?

She sighed as she recalled their conversation earlier that morning on the terrace. She'd been so sure he was finally going to explain what that had been all about. Though, she had to admit that, at this point, she still wasn't quite sure of what explanation she was hoping to hear. Did she hope that he'd tell her that it had been a mistake? That he only wanted to be friends? Or was she hoping for something more? Perhaps a confession of his undying love?

She sighed, her bangs bouncing from her breath. It wasn't in her nature to be unsure of anything, especially self-certainty, and even now it was maddening that she felt so confused about something should seem so simple. If only he'd been able to finish what it was that he was wanting to say…

"Don't let your guard down," Zuko's voice broke her reverie, and she frowned as she followed the sound to the temporary training grounds ahead.

Fiery blazes lit the courtyard as the Avatar and his teacher lunged balls of flames at each other. Aang was holding his own against the more experienced bender, but it was clear that Zuko had the upper hand as he relentlessly dealt his shots. Katara felt her frown deepen as she watched him…

It was infuriating and somewhat humiliating that Aang had allowed this… this traitor into their family circle so easily. There was a time in Katara's life that she believed that everyone made mistakes and deserved a second chance. She would have argued that, given the opportunity, everyone is capable of doing the right thing and no one is beyond believing in.

However, that blind faith that once characterized her so well was now so distant. Her travels had opened her eyes to the cruelties of the world and its inhabitants. She no longer felt the undying urge to "forgive and forget", especially, she noted with much disdain, when the offender had affronted her, personally…

Zuko had been so… so... – misleading just didn't seem the right word – deceitful! She had trusted him! Pitied him even! She had empathized with his feelings of loss in those crystal catacombs beneath the palace floors, and how was she repaid? With fire and flames and death… His death…

Katara's glare deepened and she felt her breath coming in short spurts as she recalled that tragic night. She had felt Aang's spiritless body so languid in her arms, an empty shell of what had once been so full of life… She shuddered, drawing her knees up under her chin and resting her cheek on her kneecaps. Her heart thudded painfully in tune to the sound of dancing flames beyond her, and the same deep uneasy feeling that had haunted her that night in Ba Sing Se seeded itself in the pit of her stomach once more. It was a feeling of remorse she had also felt as she watched her mother die in that Firenation raid all those years ago.

The Fire Nation and its war had done unspeakable horrors to those that she held so dearly. Her family had been devastated, uprooted, and split apart. Her home had been torn to pieces and almost obliterated. And now her comrades in arms were imprisoned…

She was startled from her thoughts at the sound of someone slamming into a rock face. Being used to the sound, she glanced up, expecting to see Toph and her brother fighting over something as usual – Sokka, of course, being on the opposite side of a wall of rock. However, it wasn't her brother and the blind Earthbender she saw…

Aang was slumped against a broken fountain, Zuko standing over him forebodingly – apparently Aang had taken quite a hit. "You can't keep relying on defensive opportunities. As a Firebender, you must seek out an opponent's weakness…" Zuko paused to send a fireball at the ground only inches from Aang's ear, "…and you eliminate it."

Aang groaned as he rolled onto his side with a thud, "Ok, lesson learned."

"Aang!" Katara jumped up without realizing it, and ran through the courtyard towards him. She crouched down next to him as he sat up, holding his side, ignoring the rolling of Zuko's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Aang barely managed to answer with a "Katara, I'm fine," before Katara's glare shot up to the Fire Prince.

"What was that?! Are you trying to kill him?!" she yelled as she put a protective hand on Aang's back.

Zuko glared back equally with arms crossed as usual. "He's fine. You're interrupting a training session," he growled. "I suggest you leave."

"Training is over," she answered vehemently before turning back to Aang, her face softening as she tried to help him to his feet. "Come on Aang. Why don't you just take a break for a while?"

She was startled when he pulled his arm out of her grasp. She looked up to meet his eyes that were set determinedly, but still holding the gentleness they always did. He repeated his words from earlier, "Katara, I'm fine." He paused and then motioned back towards the temple, "Zuko's right, I've got a lot of training to do before we leave. I think you should just go inside. We'll be done in a few hours."

Katara's jaw dropped. "What do you mean…I thought… But he…?" she couldn't even really get her words into sentences before Aang smiled sadly and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Just go inside Katara. I'm fine, I promise."

She exhaled sharply, unbelieving of what she was hearing. He'd never…. He'd never told her no… But he just did… And worse…

He'd sided with Zuko…

"Fine," she answered back, unable to hide the hurt and anger in her voice. "Let him blow you to bits! See if I care!"

With that, she spun on her heels and stormed out of the courtyard and back up the stairs leading to the temple.

Once she'd disappeared through the temple arches, Aang looked to Zuko, worried, "Do you think I upset her?"

Zuko rolled his eyes before offering a hand to help the young Avatar to his feet, "What gave you that idea?" he muttered.

Sokka was sprawled across an empty bed roll on his stomach when he heard a set of familiar angry footsteps echoing from down the hallway. For a fleeting moment he entertained the idea of peering open an eye to see who it was, but that thought went as soon as it had come… He grunted, pulling an arm from its comfortable spot under his head to swat at the pestering fly buzzing in his left ear. Besides, he already knew who it was without interrupting his nap completely…

Seeking some peace and quiet among the Air Temple's many empty chambers, Sokka had retreated from Toph's incessant scheming and invitations to spar – which always ended with him on his butt under a wall of rock – hours ago. The past hour had found him snoozing lazily among the sun's rays and the sounds of the bubbling water fountain nearby. It was only after he heard those familiar footsteps that he remembered the main reason he'd been hanging out with Toph and avoiding the others in the first place…

Katara had been acting so strange the past few days. Scratch that… She was always acting weird, and he had long ago given up on ever understanding any of the complex inner workings of his little sister.

However, she'd been acting extra strange ever since the invasion. The first few days he'd passed it off as disappointment and failure, the same feelings that he had felt after leaving their dad to the Fire Nation's will… But instead of coming to terms with the situation and moving onto to the next invasion, Katara had stayed distant, sidetracked, and in a seemingly moodier mood than usual. He wondered silently if her peculiar behavior had anything to do with the newest addition to their team. Sokka rolled his eyes behind closed eye lids. That was a stupid thought… Of course it had something to do with Zuko.

When Aang had first suggested that Zuko was supposed to be his Firebending teacher, Sokka had been skeptical in the least. But as he had told his airbending friend… if Zuko joining the group meant defeat of the Fire Lord, Sokka was all in…

Sure, the newest addition to their group had seriously disrupted their group dynamics. And on more than one occasion Sokka had to remind himself that it was all for the betterment of their final goal. But that didn't make it any easier to accept Zuko as a member of the team… as a member of their family…

And he knew his little sister well enough to understand that her resentment towards Zuko and everything he had once stood for would not easily be squandered. It would take more than an apology to convince her that he was truly sorry…

Katara's incessant pacing up and down the hallway was starting to seriously interrupt his afternoon nap, and Sokka was having a hard time ignoring the several grunts and sighs that accompanied it. Succumbing to his brotherly duties – and much to his dismay – he rolled out of his bedroll and stumbled to the doorway.

"Katara," he called as he stretched his sleepy muscles. "What's going on?"

She was startled from her pacing as he leaned against the now-open doorway to the room he'd been snoozing in. "N-nothing," she muttered before turning back down the hall. "Sorry, I didn't know you were down here."

Thinking quickly, he called after her, "Hey wait!"

She stopped suddenly without turning around and Sokka continued without missing a beat.

"I want to show you something…"

She paused before turning to face him. "Show me what?" she asked hesitantly. If there was anything she'd learned in her nearly 15 years of life, it was that her older brother always had a plan up his sleeve.

"Come on," he said simply while turning down the opposite end of the hallway, gesturing a hand over his shoulder. "I want to see what you think about it."

For a second she looked as if she'd put up a fight, but instead she sighed and followed him. "Wait up!" she called after him.

Sokka slowed his pace enough until Katara was matching stride beside him. She peered over at him as they continued down the winding hallway, "What's this all about?"

He chuckled softly and gazed over at her narrowly, "You'll see!"

Realizing that it was useless to attempt to pry any more information from him, Katara resorted to finishing their walk in silence. After a few moments she was starting to wonder exactly where it was her brother was taking her and what exactly his motives were… Her thoughts were halted when he suddenly stopped at the base of a giant pair of doors.

The doors spanned the width of the wide hallway and were twice as tall. They were made of the same white stone she'd seen in several parts of the temple before, but the sheer size of them was astounding. From floor to ceiling they were carved with elaborate patterns and amazingly detailed designs.

"Sokka," Katara whispered as her eyes traveled along the intricate carvings and beautiful craftsmanship, "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Sokka answered nonchalantly, "I found it a few weeks ago while I was looking for something to use as a lookout tower…"

"It's…" Katara was at a loss of words – whether by confusion or admiration, she wasn't sure. "It's… amazing…"

"I thought you'd like it," Sokka smiled as he watched his little sister.

Katara continued to study the intricate carvings. As she studied them closer, she realized the carvings each branched off from seven symbols that spanned the height of the doors. They sat right in the middle of the doors, so that half of the symbols were on one door, and half on the other door. She immediately recognized the symbols for earth (at the bottom of the doors), then water, fire, and air as they continued up the line. The top three symbols she didn't recognize, and at the top of the doors above the last symbol it said…

"In all is one", Katara whispered softly as she ran her fingers along the water symbol, feeling the smooth cold stone beneath the pads of her fingers.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Sokka asked suddenly.

"I don't know…" Katara answered, distracted.

"Sounds like Avatar stuff," Sokka reasoned as he peered at the door with new interest.

Katara giggled, "Sokka, that's always your answer for something you don't understand…"

"No, really!" the older warrior argued. "Look… Earth… Water… Fire… Air…" he said as he pointed to each symbol respectively. "Isn't that the Avatar cycle?"

Katara thought for a moment, then shook her head, "No… The Avatar cycle is air, water, earth, fire…"

"Oh…" Sokka replied disappointingly as he kicked at a nearby pebble.

Katara sighed, trying to think of what the strange order of the elements might mean, and perhaps more importantly, what the last three she didn't recognize stood for. Her thoughts were interrupted by Sokka's stomach. She frowned as she looked over at her older brother rubbing his belly.

"What?" he asked defensively. "I'm a growing man!"

Katara shook her head in a You're hopeless gesture.

Satisfied that his little excursion had apparently distracted Katara from whatever it was that had upset her in the first place, he grinned. "Come on," Sokka muttered, turning back down the hall in the direction they had come from. "I'm starving. Let's go find some dinner."

"But, what about the door? We still don't know what it means!" she called after him.

Sokka paused to turn around and take one last scrutinizing look at the pair of doors, "Well… whatever it means, I still think it sounds like Avatar mumbo jumbo." He shrugged his shoulders and disappeared around the corner.

Katara sighed as she turned around to take another glance at the door. "Avatar stuff…" she muttered. "Well, then we should ask Aang about it…"