A/N:(re-write 6/30/07) Hey everyone! Thank you for reading and/or reviewing, I feel happy…and sorry if the story is a little confusing so far. Trust me, it'll get better. So anyway, here's Chapter Twelve for yah

Book One – The Journey Begins

Chapter Twelve - Confusion

Katara quickly paced the small area around her. Aang sat Sokka sat watching her saying things to herself. Sokka stifled little laughs as he pet Kaimah, who was sitting next to him. Aang sighed impatiently and rearranged himself on the uncomfortable dirt floor for the seventh time.

"Oh! I get it!…No, that can't be…it…um," Katara pondered aloud.

"Katara, what are you doing? Pacing and yelling random things won't get us out of here," Sokka said loudly, his voice reverberating off the walls. Katara stopped pacing for the first time in twenty minutes and fingered her lip in concentration.

"I'm just trying to figure out this whole thing…what on earth is a Vyntresser, and why are they saying that I'm it?" Katara said half to herself and half to the two boys staring at her. Aang slowly averted his gaze from Katara to Sokka. Sokka shook his head and shrugged slightly, also getting confused. Katara's pacing soon turned into wandering around the room. She continued to talk to herself.

"The guard said something about six other animals…a-and something else…" Katara rambled on. Sokka turned to Aang.

"She's lost it," Sokka mumbled with a slight chuckle. Aang frowned and stared as Katara, still strolling around the prison hold. She then slowly walked over to Aang and Sokka as she continued to argue with herself.

"Katara, I-" Sokka started, but was cut off.

"Uh! I don't get it! What is this all about?" Katara suddenly yelled, getting angry. Aang quickly reached up and grabbed Katara's hand, bringing her down into a sitting position on the ground.

"Just calm down, Katara," Aang soothed as he held her hands in his. "Just go back to the beginning and rethink this all out."

Katara stared at him before slowly nodding.

" Um…oh, do you remember that one morning, Aang?"

"What?"

"When I kept asking you if you heard those voices in the forest? You kept telling me 'no'…no one heard them but me…" Katara said softly. "They were birds…talking to each other…" Katara started to drift back into her thoughts.

But how could I hear the birds' conversations? It's inhuman, it's…it's something no one can do, Katara thought.

"Katara, come back to me. Keep going," Aang giggled slightly as he waved his hand in front of her face.

"I uh…are-are you positive that you didn't hear those voices? Do you remember me asking you if you did or not?" Katara asked Aang.

"Katara, I didn't hear any voices, I don't know what you heard, but there were no voices," Aang said firmly.

"Yes, there were, I heard them… and then I heard Jada and Shiloh, they were…they were talking like…like humans, are you two sure?" Katara asked, getting frustrated.

"Yes," Aang and Sokka said at the same time. Katara sighed and slowly averted her gaze to Kaimah.

"Maybe I'm coming down with some sort of strange sickness," Katara mumbled, feeling somewhat annoyed.

Kaimah stood, stretched, and yawned. Katara stared at her attentively. The whole place fell silent before Kaimah lay down.

"I'm tired," Kaimah suddenly said in her mind. Katara's heart skipped a beat as she quickly got excited.

"See! Did you hear that?" Katara yelled excitedly as she broke the silence.

"Hear what? Calm down, Katara," Sokka frowned.

"Kaimah just said, 'I'm tired.' Did you not just hear that!" Katara asked, once again getting frustrated.

"No," Sokka said. "You know, this isn't funny, Katara. Just stop playing and get back to reality!"

"I'm not playing, Sokka, I wouldn't just tell you guys this if it wasn't true. You HAVE to believe me," Katara frowned as she stared at Sokka.

The three were silent. Sokka stared as her, not believing that could hear the animals talking.

"…I can't," he said softly. "I mean, no one can talk to animals. I mean, unless you were one," Sokka said loudly.

"Oh what. Now you think I'm an ANIMAL?" Katara argued as she stood, fists clenching into as unforgivable grip on her dress.

"Maybe," Sokka snapped rudely as he crossed his arms.

"Uhg! That's it!" Katara yelled, storming over to the door and pounded on it. "LET ME OUT!" she yelled. Aang stood and ran to her, pulling her away from the door.

"Katara, stop this," he said firmly as he placed his hands on her shoulders. She glared at Aang for a moment before her shoulders slowly slumped in defeat. She heaved a long sigh.

"You believe me…Don't you, Aang?" Katara asked softly. Aang stared at her. It was hard to believe, but he felt that Katara was telling the full truth. Why would she lie about something like this? She wouldn't. She wasn't. Aang sighed shakily and frowned.

"…You don't believe me, do you …its okay, I under-" Katara was cut off.

"No, no, I believe you," Aang said quickly. Katara smiled big.

"Really?" she asked him as he released his grip from her shoulders. He nodded slowly and bested a smile.

"…Yeah, but I'm still a little iffy about it, though," Aang said softly. "I mean, talking to animals isn't just a power you got last night," Aang pondered. "I don't even think it's a power you can get in the first place."

"Aang," Katara complained, "I thought you believed me."

"I do," Aang said quickly, but he stopped himself from saying more. He sighed and looked down, a little frown etched across his face.

"…No you don't," Katara said softly as she started to walk away.

"Katara," Aang said softly before quickly grabbing her hands and pulling her closer to him.

"…What," Katara said sadly, her hands still gripped in his.

"I believe you, Katara. I just don't see how it happened…you know, how you got that power," Aang said softly. Katara pondered.

"How did it happen? One night I was fine and then the next day, I…" Katara stopped her ramblings and pondered. She thought back to the night before she started hearing the voices.

What if…Aang caused this, Katara thought. Her curiosity growing into a huge train of thoughts.

"You okay?" Aang asked. Katara ignored him.

That kiss…maybe, maybe Aang…Katara pondered. Nah…he doesn't have the power to talk to animals, and you can't transfer powers from a simple kiss, can you?

"Katara," Aang said softly.

Can you? Katara thought before staring at Aang. There's only one way to find out, Katara stated in her mind.

"Katara, are you alright?" Aang said, pushing Katara from her thoughts.

"Uh-um…" Katara stuttered, blushing slightly from her sudden idea.

The only way to find out if Aang is doing this to me is to…kiss him again, Katara thought, liking the idea. Her face grew different shades of pink.

"What's wrong?" Aang asked.

Though, I can't kiss him in front of Sokka…OH, who am I kidding, Aang isn't causing any of this, is he? Katara thought.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked loudly as he shook her hands slightly, them still being held in his hands. Katara snapped back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Katara said softly. "Uh, just forget it; I'm probably just getting sick or something."

Aang felt her forehead and slowly shook his head.

"Nope, you're fine," he said with a smile.

"Oh well…maybe it's just a phase I'm going through," she said softly as she looked over to Sokka.

"Are you alright?" Aang asked, just to make sure.

"I'm fine…but," Katara stopped herself.

"But…what?" Aang urged her to continue.

"…I'll-" Katara started before looking at Sokka. "-I'll tell you later…" Katara said, eyeing her brother. Aang caught on.

"Oh… ok," he said softly before the two slowly plopped down on the ground next to each other, sitting on the uncomfortable dirt.

Sokka and Katara argued some more before Sokka got bored and mentioned that he was going to sleep. Once Katara was convinced that he was asleep, she slowly turned to Aang.

"Ok, I have a theory," she told him softly as to not awake Sokka.

"To what?"

"To this whole talking to animals thing," Katara said in a whisper.

"Oh," Aang smiled. "Okay, tell me."

Katara sighed softly before looking at Aang square in the eyes. "Do…do you remember the night before I started hearing the voices?" she asked Aang. Aang smiled and blushed slightly.

"Y-yeah," he said softly.

"W-well, I think that…us k-kissing triggered this whole thing," Katara said softly.

"How?" Aang asked.

"I have no clue," Katara frowned, "but we won't know for sure unless…" Katara stopped nervously, suddenly feeling her heart rate accelerate.

Aang stared at her before finishing the sentence for her.

"…Unless we kiss again?" Aang whispered softly.

"Well…y-yeah," Katara blushed. "I-I mean, we don't have to," Katara said quickly and nervously, "if you don't want to…"

"No, it's ok…w-we can…to help you out," Aang blushed and smiled, liking where this was going. Katara leaned forward slowly, hoping it would work. She got close enough to him to feel his hot breath wearily wisp past her cheeks and nose. She smiled and gently pressed her lips against Aang's. He, loving this moment, returned the kiss gladly, but, before he got a chance to deepen the kiss, she pulled away. Aang opened his eyes, dazed somewhat, and slowly began to lean forward again.

He stopped himself, knowing that that kiss was supposed to be an experiment. He sighed softly and stared into her brilliant eyes.

"D-do you feel any different?" he whispered as he could feel his face heat up, his heart literally pounding out of his chest.

"N-no…" Katara frowned, but it soon turned into a small smile as her blush deepened. "Should…should we try it again?"

"…Sure," Aang whispered with a smile. The two slowly leaned closer to each other, neither ever feeling this much love towards each other before. Their little experiment was totally forgotten once their lips touched. Katara slowly pushed herself closer to Aang, her soft lips gently planted onto his in a loving way. Katara ever so gently slipped her soft hands into his and gave them a delicate, affectionate squeeze. They kissed for a few moments until the worst thing that could've possibly interrupted the two happened…Sokka woke up.

"Eh-Ahem."

Aang and Katara quickly pulled away and peered across the prison hold. Sokka sat, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, an angry look on his face.

Ohh shoot… Aang thought as he could feel his stomach clench and gather in his throat. His face immediately reddened with utter embarrassment and the fact that the two love birds were now discovered… He slowly prepared himself for the 'fireworks'…And a lot of 'em.

A/N: HA, Sokka's mad…lol, but he's always mad…at something. Huh, anyways…Please R&R! No flames

Mohalo ;)