Lord Kain: Oh, sorry. I'm such a dork! Yes you have an awesome point. I hadn't thought of that. No, you didn't miss anything. I just haven't posted it. I will have a flashback where I'll explain the reason Katara said that.

Sironblood1: Ha!Ha! I totally forgot that Azula had said that! How can you not love Azula she is a total nutter but with style. Wait til the women folk find out about the spying and Aang will not be pleased. I never did get the Zuko appeal.

WTF:Zuko is a kinda of a spaz(thank you Air-Nomad). But I do love Maiko although Maang has taken over this fic for the moment.

CyclonePsycho: Hello! Come in, come in. Beverage? Zuko will mess up alot. He is definitely worse than Katara. Thanks for the spell check. I swear I did it with word but obviously one of us is stupid.

Amira Elizabeth: Welcome! (I'm like the walmart greeter but for Fanfiction) Thank you, what an exceptionally nice compliment. Anyway you're right, most of the pain has been Aang's. He hasn't been comletely miserable though. He was Aang when he was at his home. But being around his friend and former lover is bound to bring down anybody's mood. I will show a bit of what I'm talking about. One of the reasons Mai and him are so close to each other.

Wow! Your responses give me such cool ideas. My muses are my readers. (No Pressure!)

Enjoy...

Mai brushed past him but he spun her around angrily. "You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to humiliate her." He had lowered his voice in an attempt to keep her from hearing their furious argument.

"How many times do you suppose she humiliated us by laying with him. How many times did you wake up crying in my arms because of her."

Katara closed her eyes, 'I never wanted to make you cry, Aang'

Mai twisted out of his grasp. "You weren't there when I caught them. You don't know what I saw. Their image will forever be imprinted in my mind Aang."

Mai's voice was louder as if making up for his volume. Her face hardened, "No amount of her tears will ever wash that away."

Aang released her. He stayed in the same spot. Mai took off unrepentant of leaving her pinned to the ground. She didn't blame the girl. Had it been reversed, Katara had no doubt she would have killed Mai.

Katara pressed her face to her wrists and yanked one of the knives with her teeth. Mai had put two in each sleeve. Each one more difficult to pull than the last. Exhausted and sweaty she fruitlessly wiggled her sleeve to dislodge herself.

She could have just ripped the material but some compulsion kept her trying to drag the knife out. She realized it was a metaphor for the one she had plunged into Mai and Aang. Aang looked so unsure of where he should be. He kept looking behind him but just as rapidly would glance at her.

"Go to her." It was the first true unselfish act of her life since she'd been with Zuko. "Don't be angry at her. She was right. She told me exactly what I had to hear." He didn't say anything just stared at her with those shimmering gray pools.

"I really hurt you didn't I? All this time I thought that it would be like before. You could never stay mad at me and…" she picked up her broken piece of hair. "It won't ever be the same will it? You can never completely trust me. How can I ask you to enter into that kind of relationship? I'd be a monster if I did that."

He breached the distance. "I love your laugh, I missed it." It was random but she hadn't told him some many things. His expression was beautiful in its confusion.

She regarded him, "the night before I left Zuko, I told him very confidently that you would take me back. You know what he did?" Aang shook his head. "He laughed. He told me that if it were him that he would never want to see my faithless face again. I told him you were different. He said you were a guy. He was right."

Aang's lips tightened and Katara was curious whether it was the statement or the fact that Zuko had been right. He didn't say a word. Aang had never been this quiet and it unnerved her. She had a lot to answer for, Mai had been kind in light of all she'd done. 'I have to apologize to her.'

"Would you let me borrow Appa?" she asked.

"Borrow Appa? How long before you bring him back?" his voice was deeper than last she remembered. It was funny how many little details she had missed. A black stubble was beginning to spread over his head. She liked his hair and the sorrow of not being able to see it in its full glory hit her full on.

There was a lot of things she wouldn't be seeing. His children. What could have been hers had she been true to him. "I want to ask Sokka first. I don't want to assume anything anymore. If he is up to it and it's ok with you and Mai, to borrow Appa so I can get home."

"Sure, I'll ask her tonight…um…later." he rephrased but she just smiled softly.

"I would like to say…I wish you every happiness, Aang."

With that wish she dismissed him. His eyes were still on her as he disappeard through the foliage.

She twirled the blade and put it side by side with its brothers. She then began her self appointed task of reuniting every last one. It was past midday by the time she'd found them all. Each set of twenty was tightly wound into a strip torn from her sleeves. All three sets were carried with the greatest respect.

She approached the bridge shocked by the extent of damage on it. Crisscrossed marks adorned it and the intricately carved posts were battle weary. Her biggest regret was Aang's mountain home. Chunks of debris were scattered all over the courtyard. She had seen how far reaching the consequences of their fight had been.

Reparations would have to made. Another thing she had destroyed. The interior had been protected by the various columns. The columns were as badly hit as the bridge posts had been. Ignoring the carnage Katara trekked through the mazelike corridors.

The stone monks from last night stared her down. They disapproved of the disharmony she had brought. Shame welled up inside her and she bowed to them.

All the doors were closed but Katara had learned her lesson.

Cautiously she knocked on the door she had carelessly opened last night. Not getting a reply she knocked a little harder. She could hear voices and moving around inside but she refused to actively distinguish the words. 'I made them fight. The sooner I leave the better.' she thought.

Seeing no other recourse Katara laid the pack of knives in front of the doorway. Before she could even blink a pair of black boots blocked her view. "What are you doing?" Mai's teary voice asked.

"I collected your knives and I brought them here. I didn't know if they were valuable." Katara bit her lip. Mai came down to her level and picked up the packs. She raised an amused eyebrow at their delicate wrapping.

"Thank You." Mai replied sincerely. Abandoning the doorway for a moment, she slotted them into their pockets and tucked them next to Aang's belongings.

Katara tried desperately not to look into the room. But without Mai obstructing the view, the homey fire in the center pit drew her eyes. Aang lay on his back twirling an air ball. Katara saw that there was only one pallet and though Aang was on it he did not take up all the space. In fact he was occupying only the left side leaving the right obviously empty.

"I didn't mean to interrupt." she blushed scarlet.

Wanting to bite her tongue for bringing that concept to the forefront of her mind, she backed away from the door to head to her own room. "Katara….Aang said you requested to leave tomorrow and borrow Appa." Mai closed the door behind her and guided Katara back to the entrance of the hallway.

Their unmoving audience directly behind Mai. "Yes. I asked Aang but I figured he should ask you since you…" she cleared her throat. "So can I borrow him? I just need to ask Sokka if he'll come with me so he can bring Appa back."

Mai studied her for so long that Katara began tugging at her hair nervously. "I'm sorry you can't borrow Appa." Katara had been so sure she would agree that her jaw dropped open. She had to stop assuming.

"I'm sure you noticed that after our little spat the temple was heavily damaged. We need everybody's help to clean the mess. I thought maybe you could stay a little longer and help. Aang would appreciate it." Mai said diplomatically.

"What about you? Do you want me here? The way I treated you was horrible and I should have never insulted you." Katara remarked. "The truth is you looked beautiful in those robes. I was so jealous and I had no right to be. I could see why Aang made them for you."

"You said they weren't mine."

Katara shifted uncomfortably. "I was just angry. Toph made him buy the material but he said only when the moment was right would he have them tailored. So they are all yours." It hurt more than she could admit to say that out loud.

Mai motioned to stop her but Katara wanted to finish. "Mai, I know the bond we had was broken by me but I would like to at least be able to talk to you. Can you bring yourself to talk to me again?"

The older girl very quietly answered. "On one condition. You have to help with the temple as a gift to Aang." Mai said, "His birthday is next week."

"He'll be sixteen." they both said at the same time. Mai's lip twitched a little and bid her goodnight with Katara's response still lodged in her throat. She looked at the monks.

Tomorrow they would be clean and shiny for Aang but more importantly for Mai, whom Aang now loved.

She could accept that. Mai made him happy. That was enough.