Hey, sorry it took so long for the next chapter. I've been pretty busy with work, and I had a fairly big plot change to work around, which took me a couple days to figure out in my head before I actually started writing. Basically I've added a chapter before what I originally had in mind. Still, I promise to make it up to you by writing the rest of them faster. I've got most of that laid out in my mind. Maybe even some drawings? Well, I know i'm going to do some drawings, it's only a matter of when I have access to a scanner...

Anyways, I want to thank arizony for all his insight and the idea he gave me that I HAD to add (not wanted, had to.) And no matter what you ship, or if you ship at all, you need to check out his story "Through his eyes". It's great. I don't think i can summarize it more clearly.


Katara stared numbly out the window of her classroom. She may have mastered waterbending and helped the Avatar defeat the Firelord, but her father had insisted she have a formal education before he left for war again. The only kind of education you could get in the water tribes were cultural customs, traditions, and waterbending, so it was understandable. She had started late though, so even though she was 19, she was still more than a year from completing high school. Still, she couldn't help but not care about whatever her teacher was droning on about at the moment. Katara sighed as she continued to think about the note.

She had collapsed in Aang's studio, falling in and out of consciousness through fits of sobs, until she had finally pulled herself together enough to make the walk home. Sokka had almost yelled at her for getting home at 4 in the morning and not telling him where she was, but when he saw her he'd just held her as she broke down again. The last thing she remembered before waking up in her bed was crying in his arms. Katara had thought about not going to school the next day, but she knew that the disappearance of the Avatar (Even in his misery, Aang was more than happy to act like a normal kid, and had joined her high school since he returned) and his waterbending master in one weekend would create a storm of rumors. Besides, she would see Jet at school...

The bell rang, just as she thought she couldn't take anymore. Katara grabbed her books and began weaving her way through the hallways to her locker. She finally reached it, and clumsily shoved her books into her usually immaculate locker. As she made her way outside, she spotted Jet's gang. They were hanging around the shade of the tree they usually hung out by, and it was clear that all of them gravitated around the one figure leaning against the tree's trunk.

As Katara approached them, Jet stood up and several of his "thugs" (as Aang had so lovingly called them...) moved to the side to let her through. Katara just opened up her arms, waiting for Jet to come to her. He gave a look to his friends, and as they began to walk away, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "What's wrong, baby?" he said as he rested his nose on her forehead, breathing in her scent. She just hugged him back, allowing herself a moment of comfort.

Jet kissed her forehead, and pulled his head back, looking at her with concern. Katara rested her head on his chest, taking in a deep breath. "It's Aang." she said. She felt Jet stiffen as she said the airbender's name. Jet didn't like Aang much either. "What'd that stupid kid do this time?" he asked her, an angry expression on his face. "Jet... please, I don't need more fighting right now," she moaned into his chest, "I just need someone to listen." When he didn't say anything else, she began talking again.

"We...had a fight two nights ago." She didn't need to tell Jet what about. "I said some things I shouldn't have, and now he's gone, and I don't know where he is, or how to apologize, and he left this awful note, and I feel like such an awful person, and..." the words just kept pouring out of her until her sobs and halting breaths made her stop. Jet just held her and let her cry, trying to comfort her. Katara didn't know what she'd do without Jet. He was always there when she needed someone to just hold her.

"Don't worry, babe, I'm sure he just went to visit the old air temples. Didn't you say he left Appa with that Guru guy when he left? He's probably just going to visit." Jet said, hoping to cheer her up. Katara just shook her head against his chest. "Yeah, he left Appa there, but he didn't take his glider. There's no way he could get up to the temple without it." She didn't mean to shoot him down like that, but it was true. Still, it was nice that Jet was trying. "Well, what did the note say? Anything significant stand out, like a clue? I mean, I know it's all significant, but anything in particular, you know?" he said, trying another approach. He was curious too now.

Katara shook her head against his chest again. Not because he was wrong, but because it was something only she would recognize. She resolved to figure out what the last line of the note meant on her own time. Maybe Jet was right, and there was a clue.

"Well, I'm sure he won't be gone long, babe. He'll be back before you know it. He has to come home eventually, doesn't he?" He said with his usual charm. Whenever he spoke with that much confidence, Katara couldn't help but feel like he was right. The bell rang again, and she finally let go of him, waving bye as they headed back to their lockers. Katara grabbed her books feeling much better than she had when she'd put them there. Jet was right after all, Aang had to come home eventually.

Katara forgot that Aang was a nomad.


Ok, I know I said i'd write a long one next, but like i said, i added a chapter. This was also in response to several people asking for some Jet, and it did make sense to have the relationship finally appear instead of be referenced so many times. Anyways, not kidding, no changes are coming up, the next chapter will be longer than this. Sorry!

P.S I just remembered I have a couple friends who have scanners, so I'll use theirs for the drawing/drawings i'm going to do for this. They won't be direct illustrations, but i hope you like 'em once they're done. REVIEW! (and yes, i know they've been short, but would you rather no have anything or a lot of crappy watered down stuff? still, i understand where you're coming from. )