A/N: I think I updated pretty quickly this time! Thanks for the reviews! Hopefully thins chapter is more eventful than the last, it sure is longer. :)

Previously...

"You know what? You're right." I said suddenly. "I have to do this, for Toph's sake as well as mine."

"Wise choice young waterbender." Iroh commented approvingly.

"By the way...What did you burn down when you tried to contain your element?" I asked Lee knowingly, a smirk on my face.

"My sister's room." He said sheepishly, his own smirk appearing on his face.

"Is that how you got your sca-" Sokka started asking before I slapped a hand over his mouth.

I glared at Sokka inwardly screaming at him to shut up. Lee probably didn't want to tell a bunch of strangers about how he was scarred for life.

"Well I better get started." I muttered awkwardly trying to fill the silence that Sokka cause with his question.

"You'll do fine dear." Iroh said comfortingly.

"Yeah Katara don't worry! Your a master!" Aang called smiling at me.

I glanced at Lee and when he nodded encouragingly I took a deep breath and prepared to venture into a new part of my element I had never known.

KATARA POV

"Is she going to be okay?" Suki asked entering the room.

After fleeing Kyoshi Island we had gone to the Western Air Temple. It had taken a couple of days but time flies when your running-or flying- for your life. We had just arrived at the Temple about half an hour ago so there was alot to do; unpacking, setting up camp, cooking dinner, gathering firewood, looking for a water source and food provisions...but right now I had to focus on Toph. A month ago I would have been worried about Aang losing his earth-bending teacher, but now...I was worried about losing my friend.

When I had attempted to heal Toph I had sensed scar tissue in her heart from when Zhao's flames had gotten to her. I used the water in her body, pushing it through her bloodstream to slowly dissipated all the block-up. So far there were no results but it was a long, slow process that would take days to complete.

"It's too soon to tell. If this works she should wake up in a few days time, but I can't tell if the healing sessions are working yet." I bit my lip concerned.

"Is there anything I could do to help?"

"...Could you bring a cold rag for her forehead, It feels like she had a slight fever."

"Of course." she said and left the room. I sighed and bended the used water out of the bowl and through the open window.

Spirits, I feel so-...so helpless. I don't know if what I'm doing is helping or just delaying the inevitable. No. I can't think like that. Aang needs a teacher. Sokka needs someone to argue with...although Lee does seem like he is playing that role. The whole trip here they were having 'heated discussions' as Sokka put it. I really don't understand why Sokka doesn't have a little faith in our new allies. So far they have done nothing to cause us to doubt them.

I heard the door open and thanked Suki without moving my eyes from Toph.

"How is she?"

I turned around and saw Lee, not Suki, with a rag in his hand. I stared at him confused, raising my eyebrow questioningly.

''Sokka stole her." He answered my unspoken question.

I rolled my eyes. "At least Suki didn't forget to get the rag to me somehow." I muttered.

He didn't respond, and just offered the rag to me wordlessly. Undeterred in the least by his lack of response, I took it from him and cooled it with my breath for a second before placing it gingerly on her forehead.

"Why did Suki get you to help?" I asked wondering why she didn't get Aang to do it, we would have been more than willing. And the last time I checked Suki didn't exactly like that the fire-benders were with us.

He shrugged and then hesitated. "Is she going to wake up soon?"

"If this is working correctly she should in a few days time."

"If it's working?" He questioned skeptically. "You don't even know If this is helping?"

"Well...no." I said feeling slightly ashamed. "I've never tried to heal something like this."

"Oh."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him.

"Nothing! What did I say?!?"

"It's not what you said but it's the way you said it." I said keeping my eyes locked on his gold one's. They looked so familiar...They looked like his. I wonder what he's doing now? He couldn't be supporting this horrible war. I just know he isn't. I know him. But I don't know anything about Lee.

"Do you support the war?" I asked suddenly looking at Lee intently.

He paused before answering.

"Would I be here If I did?" He asked wryly.

I nodded a small smile on my face, pleased with his positive answer and stood up. "Well, we're all done here."

Looking at him as he stood up I noticed that he had a burn on his arm. Had he had it since the fight with Zhao? That was days ago, why didn't he say something? I had spent time on Appa healing everyone else's wounds and taking care of Toph but I never thought about checking if he had any, just assuming that he would say something if he did.

With a sigh I pulled some water out of the bowl and reached for his arm.

"What are you doing?" He asked warily jumping back away from me.

"Your hurt. I want to heal it." I explained patiently.

"I'm not going to die from a burn...obviously." He trailed off darkly at the end, his hand brushing the scar on his face.

Shoving my curiosity away at the moment I took another step towards him. "Well yeah, but I can-"

"Thanks, but no thanks." He interrupted starting for the door.

"What are you afraid of a little water?" I asked teasingly to provoke him, knowing that he would react.

He glared at me before going to sit on the floor.

"Close your eyes." I commanded suddenly uncomfortable being alone with him when he was so close. It would be a lot easier without his piercing gold eyes watching my every move.

Scowling he complied reluctantly. Smiling to myself I took his pale arm in my hand and covered my hand in the water, bringing it to his burn. When my hand made contact with his arm he tensed for a second before relaxing.

I closed my eyes picturing the nerves and damaged skin knitting back together. Healing small, fairly new wounds like this was pretty easy. The wound's severity and how old it was determined how easily- if possible- it was to heal. My thought immediately went to the scar on his face. Did it still hurt him? How did he get such a horrible scar on himself? Probably a training accident or something. It's unfortunate that there wasn't a waterbending healer there to help. I let my eyes trace his scar unable to look away. It covered most of the area on the right side of his face, the burn looking a darker color as it got closer to his eye. I wonder if he can even see out of it properly?

Unconsciously I found my hand reaching for the scarred side of his face. Realizing what I was doing I immediately pulled my hand back to my side, my face heating up as I thought about what I almost just did.

Clearing my throat uncomfortably, I stood up quickly and his eyes snapped open.

"Well there you go. It's healed now." I said nervously. "Do you have any more injuries that you want me to take care of?" Please say no.

"No."

"Okay well I'm going to go see about dinner." I said awkwardly turning and leaving the room.

What almost happened? Was I really about to touch his face? And how would he have reacted if I had? He would probably get angry and spit fire...literally.

"Look! Look Katara I got firewood! And Momo helped!" Aang called cheerily motioning to the lemur flying aside him.

"Thanks Aang. Any luck finding something we can cook over the firewood?" I asked hopefully.

"Well...no." He said pouting. "What about the food we brought with us from Kyoshi?

"Gone." I said dissapointed. We had finished it all on the way here.

"But on the bright side Iroh made tea!" Aang said brightly tossing the branches into the campfire.

"Tea?!?" Sokka spluttered joining the conversation. "Aang, a warrior cannot survive on tea alone!"

"Don't worry Sokka I'm sure I'll live with just tea." Suki teased him.

"Suki!" Sokka exclaimed narrowing his eyes at the Kyoshi Warrior before turning back to me. "Now seriously, what are we going to eat?"

I sighed. "Well since someone didn't feel the need to go hunt" I shot a look at Sokka "I guess I'll have to figure out something...again."

"There's a river about a half a mile away." Lee said entering the room.

"How do you know that?" Sokka demanded. "He could be just trying to lure one of us away from the group to...to kidnap them!"

"Or maybe if you were quiet for one second you would also hear the running water." Lee said dryly, smirking at my brother.

"Hey you wait just a darn minute! I do not-"

"Okay nephew why don't you show miss Katara where the river is." Iroh interrupted from where he sat by the fire brewing more tea.

"What?!?" The boys yelled simultaneously.

"He is not going anywhere alone with my baby sister!"

"I'm not a baby Sokka!" I screeched mortified.

"I assure you Sokka, my nephew would do nothing of the sort. And your sister is a master water-bender is she not? I'm sure she can handle herself just fine." Iroh said calmly, but his words were obeyed.

Sokka sighed and turned to walk away, but not before glaring at Lee and muttering something about evil jerk-benders and drowning.

"Well, where is this river?" I asked turning to my guide.

"Follow me." He answered simply turning and starting the trek into the woods.

We walked about five minuted before the river was in sight. My eyes widened and I smiled happily at finding an endless supply of my element. Completely forgetting that I wasn't alone I shed my outer robe, leaving me in my white bending clothes, and walked to the end of the river. Letting the water soak my feet I sighed contentedly before bending a stream of water and twirling it around me before I let some of it fall onto my face and hair to cool off. It was absurdly hot outside right now for being at an air-temple.

"What are you doing?" I heard Lee ask, his voice strangely rough. Was he getting sick or something?

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked cocking an eyebrow at him. Seriously had he never seen water being bent before?

He just turned his head the other way, but not before I saw the good side of his face turn slightly pink. Maybe he was getting sick.

"Are you okay?" I questioned stepping closer to the fire-bender.

"I'm fine." He said quickly walking around me to the waters edge. "Let's just start."

I watched as he picked up a medium-sized branch off the ground, and made a small flame appear in his hand. His eyes were focused completely on the wood as he burnt the edges of it until it was completely straight and sharp on one edge. Then he walked to the riverbed and stood on a rock staring, tensed into the water.

What in La's name was he doing?

My thought was answered when he dove into the water, his sharp stick thingy stabbing at something in the rushing water.

"Dammit." He cursed stepping out of the river empty-handed, water dripping from his hair and clothes.

I giggled at the expression on his face. He was like a cat that despised being wet. He glared at me.

"What are you laughing at?" He growled angrily.

"N-nothing." I said amidst my laughter.

My eyes widened suddenly and I summoned a shield of water just in time to block a fireball from hitting me.

"What was that?!?" I hissed turning to the maker of the flames.

"Nothing." He said smugly stealing my earlier excuse.

"Well this is going to be a lot more than nothing." I said glaring at him as I moved into my bending stance.

"If you fight the same way you did on Kyoshi, I doubt that." He said smirking at the furious look on my face, stepping into his own bending stance.

And then our two opposing elements met.

A/N: WHEW i hope you guys like this chapter! & i know i promised swimming but i decided not to put that in. Sorry! Reviews make me happy!!! Bad news guys! I'm going to a week long camp on the 17th. Well its bad news for you readers...lol I might be able to update one more time before then...but i doubt it. so sorry!! REVIEW PLEASE!

Next chapter...

A truce is made

People grow closer

Feelings are made known

And I might include some real swimming this time.