His arms try to slither themselves around me, encasing me, trapping me. I seize them and force them away from me. I step back and stand there, completely at loss, the dull pang that had hit my stomach still throbbing unpleasantly. I wanted to be sick.

"…I'm sorry." He tells me, looking as if he means it. But why should he feel remorse? It's over for him, the secrecy and the longing. I'm officially with him now, so it seems. That's what Aang will tell everyone when he reaches camp, his head hanging, and tears possibly cascading down his cheeks…

"I…I never wanted him to find out like this." I say simply, dully, tragically.

And those words, they seal the deal; they tell Zuko what he's been dying to hear. He has won. He has defeated the Avatar, in a way he probably never imagined. He tries to contain his happiness, tries to play along with the melancholy mood in which I have withdrawn into.

He takes my hand, to show that he's with me, he's by my side.

"What made you choose me?" He asks quietly, almost delicately.

What do I tell him? I know he makes my heart pound with every second he is with me, I know that I might just be in love with him.

But what about Aang…?

There's only one way to do this.

I shut him up with kisses, smothering him with pleasure until he will forget he ever asked this question, that Aang ever walked in on us betraying him, stabbing him in the back in a way that's even worse than Azula's snake of lightning.

I need Zuko; he's all I have left. I cling onto him, gripping his shoulders even tighter, kissing deeper and deeper until I realize that my cheeks are wet, my eyes are stinging and my throat is choked.

It's just guilt. When I come to terms with it, that I've broken Aang's heart, caused him to lose sight in all that's beautiful, then I'll begin to appreciate Zuko once more, I'll never want to let him go again. I would've probably chosen Zuko over Aang anyway.

Probably…

"Let's go back." I mumble when we finally part. He brushes away my tears. It's too much, as if he thinks I'm a child that needs that sort of care and attention. I'm fifteen now, I can take care of myself. But he doesn't notice my resentment. He can probably only think about his victory. I can only think of Aang...

We walk in silence, my feet dragging, his arms swinging. A few hours ago and I would be clutching his hand, laughing and tossing my hair, possibly pulling him after me under the shade of a tree, pushing him up against a trunk like he had done to me and kissing him there and then, not caring who was watching.

Then we would part, when we came near to camp, our hands slipping out of each other's clasp, separating for just a while. They would meet again soon.

But now, we emerge over the hill to a campfire of silence. Everyone was there, Teo, Toph, Sokka, The Duke…Aang. They are all hunched, cross legged, looking deep in thought. Sokka looks the broodiest, his head propped up on a fist, his brow furrowed, his expression dark But Aang is apart from them, far off on a cliff face, still clutching his glider and looking out over the horizon, Momo perched on his shoulder like the faithful friend he's always been.

When they see us they all look up and their eyes widen. They know, Aang has told them. He has spread the story of how I am a back-stabbing, two timing, and lusting monster. The story of how a boy showed me the attention I craved and I jumped for it, like a pathetic little girl.

Sokka scrambles up when he spots me. I don't know what to expect; he's my brother, what will he say? I'm the one he's known the longest, a mother to him as well as a sister, but obviously it means nothing to him as he approaches me.

"Katara, come on, we have to talk." He tells me, with surprising authority. He seizes my upper arm and starts to haul me along after him.

"Hey!" Zuko calls out and behind us everyone watches closely. Aang hasn't moved. I stare at him as Sokka stops in his tracks and turns to face Zuko. He looks murderous as he jabs Zuko in the chest. He doesn't move an inch, which makes Sokka even angrier.

"You stay out of this! If you didn't try the moves on my sister none of this would've happened!" Sokka accuses, his grip tightening on my arm.

"Calm down." Zuko tells him, holding up his hand. This only makes things worse: Sokka throws me away from him and his hand flies to the hilt of his sword that is hanging at his hip. This time I grab his arm.

"Sokka don't be stupid!" I hiss at him through clenched teeth. My brother turns on me.

"You're calling mestupid?! Come on!" he yells, pulling me along, forgetting Zuko, who doesn't protest this time.

I stumble down the hill after him, my feet not being able to move fast enough.

"Slow down!" I cry, tears springing to my eyes at my brother's harsh behavior. He only walks faster. Eventually, he pulls me under a tree. I don't tell him that this is the tree that Zuko first kissed me under, nor that I was imagining doing the same to him on the way back to camp. I think about it though.

"Katara, what the hell has gotten into you?" Sokka demands. He is red with fury as he points at me violently.

"What do you mean?" I ponder nonchalantly. Sokka only raises an eyebrow.

"Don't even try that act, Katara, it didn't work when you were seven, it won't work now." He snaps impatiently, "How could you have done this to Aang? You know how crazy he is about you, and we all thought you liked him as well!"

"I do…" I insist quietly, pulling some water out of the air and fiddling with it, making it twist and twirl in its small droplets through the air. Suddenly, Sokka grabs my wrists, making the water fall to the floor with a splatter. I stare at my once gentle brother, watching his expression harden, along with his iron-like grip. I can't believe he's being like this with me…

"Aang is like my brother, Katara," Sokka tells me firmly, spits at me like a mad Leopard-Bear, "The only thing that doesn't make us so is blood. I thought he was as important to you as well, maybe even more. I can't believe you would do this to him…is it really true?" He adds as an afterthought, as if searching for a gleam of hope that I hadn't done such an awful thing to him. But I nod my head mournfully, not bearing to look at him.

"I can't believe you, Katara…" He says, watching me sadly, "It's like you're a stranger to me now…"

And he leaves; he turns his back on me, my own brother.

It is then that I realize: who will be on my side? Who will stay by me, when I've joined with a fire nation prince, and disgraced the Avatar, Aang, the person everyone has given up their lives join up with?

It is then I realize that without Aang, I have no one but Zuko, a boy I've only known intimately for a few weeks…

And even though I care deeply for, and maybe even love Zuko…

I still love Aang as well.

This is why I collapse against the rough bark and sob, clutching my face in my hands as my body is ripped with sobs, racked with sorrow.

And no one comes to comfort me.