Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or anything associated with it except my fanfiction

Lol.

I swear I haven't given up... yet. But it's been so long since I last posted. I don't remember much of ATLA, or much of the specifics of the story, but I do still have the plot I wrote up. I'll be rusty, and very inconsistent, but I'll be trying.

I've been looking back on some of my past work.

I don't think I'm proud of the execution... or that I ever will be, but I think I'm pretty happy with the ideas I came up with.

Now to hopefully come full circle and finish them.

"Oh. My. Spiriiiiiits!"

Ty did not hold back in her enthusiasm. Squealing loud enough to make Aang flinch, she crush both the Avatar and Katara in a massive hug. Aang, as always, wondered how being a master airbender did not prevent Ty from squeezing the last sighs of air from his lungs. Katara, too, possessed a look of mild discomfort, but masked it with a smile that proclaimed a warm welcome for Ty Lee.

"It's been soooooo long. How are you two lovebirds doing?"

Aang blushed and glanced at Katara, just as Sokka coughed in the background. "Err..."

"We're fine," Katara said demurely. "Everything has been going great! Just... you know, a few things here and there, but life isn't usually perfect." Her face darkened. "...and of course, some recent developments as well."

Aang felt an icy spike to his gut.

"I see, I see..." Ty said with a smile. But as she turned to Aang, her eyes that mirrored the color of his also betrayed a wariness he had only witnessed during the Hundred Years' War.

Ty had seen something. Something awry.

Her stormy eyes drilled into Aang's with an uncharacteristic intensity, almost as though she were interrogating him. Aang hastily looked away, and although the pressure relented, the air did not.

Sokka cleared his throat. "So uh... I briefed Ty."

"He sure did!" Ty Lee chirped. But her smile wilted. "It's so crazy... but that's what Azula is. Crazy. Brilliant, still. Calculated and cold. But she didn't seem alright last I saw her, and I never bothered visiting... especially after the reports..." A shadow flitted across her face.

"Whatever her state, it proved enough to fell the Earth King," Aang concluded flatly. "Despite our best efforts, now the Earth Kingdom is back under Azula's thumb." It suddenly struck Aang as odd how a teenager had taken over the largest nation in the world... twice.

But then again, he had been Avatar just as young. And his peers as well had not budded into the age of adulthood.

What a twist to "child's play," surmised Aang. But when the world needed us so soon... there wasn't much else to do.

"I heard!" Ty Lee responded, snapping Aang out of the reverie. "So like... your plan is to go to the Southern Water Tribe?" Aang, Katara, and Sokka nodded in assent.

"Not sure why she didn't try and attack Zuko from the get-go, but... maybe there's prejudice still for the Fire Nation, even one led by her brother. Or maybe the Earth Kingdom poses the most formidable threat in her mind. Or maybe it's something else. Still, as we've noted, Azula is efficient. And now that her best window of surprise and opportunity has elapsed, she'll likely look to strike at less secure influences to establish more footholds before toppling the world," Sokka said.

"I see..." Ty Lee said slowly, but Aang noticed an almost absent look in her eyes, as if she wasn't paying attention to the conversation. At first, that was what he thought, but upon further inspection he saw that it wasn't a lack of attention, it was an excess of it. Ty's eyes - difficult to read through their shifting grey - had taken on an odd hue that Aang had mistaken for dreaming, as Katara had often said about his own eyes when he was silent. But grey had not relented from its dark storm. It was then that he realized that Ty Lee was staring intently at Katara, and that the whole party had become uncomfortably silent. He decided to take matters into his own hands.

Aang clapped his hands together. "Well then!" The others started at the sudden noise. "What say we to preparing dinner?"

Ty Lee perked up. "Actually, now that you mention it, the Kyoshi Warriors do have some supply reserves nearby!. I've been helping myself to it for a bit while I've been out here, but I think this would be putting it to much better use!"

"Sounds great!" exclaimed Sokka. "You're right - that'll be a huge help to us, since we left Ba Sing Se with very few supplies, and every bit helps!"

Ty Lee smiled, but it had a tinge of sadness to it. "I'm just... sorry that I used it before this..."

The group quickly reassured Ty Lee that no, there was no way she could have foreseen such a predicament, and yes, as a Kyoshi Warrior she was entitled to their stores, and bubbly Ty Lee was quickly restored.

Katara crept past the snoring forms to practice waterbending. (Wait... Ty Lee snored? ... that was just Sokka snoring loud enough for the two of them. Nevermind)

Ty Lee had been... an addition. Welcome, perhaps, to Aang and Sokka. Perhaps welcome to herself as well. Energetic and bubbly, Ty Lee added an element of baubles and festivity that brightened the somber mood of the party. Jabbering to Aang over posture adjustments in acrobatic maneuvers, flirting shamelessly with Sokka (even though he was still dating Suki, although when Sokka no-so-gently pointed to this, Ty Lee only giggled and redoubled her efforts), and bombarding Katara with questions about cooking. And of course, all the meanwhile helping out with moving and packing supplies and food preparation.

It was just... a bit much.

And also so little.

Katara simply did not want the energy Ty Lee brought to the group. Or rather, Katara wished she possessed that energy. Every wakeup was a struggle, every movement a cry of ghostly aching. She was incredibly grateful that Ty Lee had come in to save her from doing all of her chores alone, but at the same time... she envied her. Maybe too much so.

And on the other hand, Ty Lee seemed held back by something. Every act of Ty Lee seemed driven by an ulterior force, in the same way a puppet was driven by its strings. When Ty Lee flirted with Sokka, there was almost a hollow aspect to it that Katara never noticed before. When Ty Lee talked with Aang, it was almost forced, as though it was done to take her mind off of something else. And it was the same when Ty Lee had tried to ask Katara questions. Perhaps more so around her.

Something was there.

Not that Katara was this keenly wary of Ty Lee and her motives. She just... noticed things. Noticed too much. Like how Sokka pestered her more. Like how Aang always shot worried glances her way. She was concerned that if she spent time with Appa, she would have had to endure concerned licks from him.

All these little things, but they added up to something larger. Something that loomed ever so closely, but that Katara couldn't put her finger on.

Katara sighed, glancing wistfully at Aang. She cared for him, truly. Despite everything looming on his shoulders, he still found reason - or perhaps not even reason, something - to keep his shoulders squared, his chin up, and that infuriatingly goofy smile on his face. He was a shining, infectious beacon of happiness that Katara couldn't help but be drawn to, an unwitting moth to flame.

So why was it that every time she looked at him, a sudden tendril of unease and revulsion seized her?

She looked away, furtively, guiltily. She was unsure of what possessed her. The recent few days had been a blurred memory, helped in no part by her sudden bouts of insomnia. She felt confused, lost, helpless. And though at times she craved company and confidentiality, not even Aang with all of his positivity could save her here.

Before her treacherous thoughts could drift towards her mother, she waded into the river, and with quick strides, found herself waist-deep in the water in the span of a few breaths.

She let the sensations flood her. The coolness. The ebb and flow. Let her own element wash away her concerns. Those would be dealt with. They always had to be in the end, but in this moment, she needed a respite. Her arms began to flow, shifting gracefully as an orb of water came to her call and danced to her beckoning. Closing her eyes, she smiled, at peace. Thank you, old friend.

But then she felt it again. A sliming, slivery thing, worming its way into her emotions. A sense of unease pervaded the ease, marred it, corrupted it. She felt as though she were unclean, even in the pristine waters. The serenity had become undone. Suddenly feeling disgusted, she dropped the water with great dismay, causing a startling splash in the stillness of the night, and hurried her way to shore, hastily rending the water off her clothes.

Back on land, she shivered. She found tears in her eyes. Why was it, that everything she enjoyed, was now so marred? Why couldn't she even enjoy the water, the one thing that had been constant throughout her entire life? Shuddering, she shakily sat down and drew in her knees, hugging them tightly.

"Is everything alright?"

She jumped. Almost hissing in fright, involuntarily conjuring an ice spike to the offender of the darkness while she opened her mouth to sound an alarm. A yelp of surprise was all that stayed her hand, and the deadly weapon froze just at the tip of Ty Lee's nose.

At first, Katara felt a small flash of irritation. Then curiosity. Then guilt.

"Ty?" She whispered, guiltily. "You just caught me... off guard -"

Ty Lee shook her head in forgiveness, yet she was also unmistakably shook, as though she was afraid of Katara.

Good, the worm simpered sadistically - then Katara shook off the feeling with great horror and... satisfaction?

"I-it's okay! I did intrude on you in a private moment, didn't I?" Ty Lee asked anxiously. "I haven't been able to sleep, so I thought I could keep you company on your watch. I didn't feel tired anyways, and Sokka snores so loudly, too. I heard you go to the river. Were you waterbending?"

Katara scowled. "I was trying to."

"I'm sorry if I intruded-"

"I can try again later." Katara winced at the bluntness of her words. She hesitated. "I've been feeling... a little off. So I thought that... maybe it would help a bit... if I tried bending a bit."

"And did it help?"

Katara bit her lip. "It did," she declared.

Ty Lee frowned, and turned to face her. Katara felt obligated to do the same, although a twinge of annoyance sprung in her mind. "You know," Ty Lee began. "I'm a big believer in auras."

"You are?" Katara asked, almost sorry to hear the sarcasm laced in her voice.

"Yup! Sure am!" Ty Lee replied cheerfully. "Anyways. What that means is, you know, like how people just carry a certain color around them?"

"I'm - not sure what you mean," Katara said carefully.

"I - hm. How about this. I... assign people... colors! That fit them as people." Ty pondered. "Like Aang. His aura is very fun! It's funny, it's not like a specific shade. He's grey of sorts, but... it's like a sunny day clouds grey, with puddles to splash in, not a gloomy kind. And then Sokka's just... interesting. I keep trying to dissect whatever's in his palette, but it's always something new, even if he's a lot of the same old."

Katara silently wondered if there was any meaning to Ty's talk about auras.

"Erm - ahem! Anyways..." Ty blinked. "What were saying again? Mai always said I never stayed still for anything but people and auras..."

Katara breathed deeply, attempting to regain control of the situation. She briefly debated steering the conversation away, but decided against it. If there was something she was missing, it was better to find it out. "Yes, we were talking about how certain people have certain auras..."

"Oh, yes! But... it's a bit of a spectrum."

"How so?"

"Well, people aren't always going to be one color all the time, are they? Sad things happen. Scary things happen. Funny things happen. Auras change and shift." Katara suddenly found herself confronted by two luminous orbs, impossibly bright in the dark. "But no matter what, they always stay the same color. Always. Maybe a little further down the rainbow, or maybe a smidge darker, like shadows on a painting. But if someone's aura is meant to be a color, it will always stay that color. You know what I mean?"

Katara frowned. "Well... I can keep up with that..."

"And you - you're a blue. A calm blue. Light but deep, like the surface of the water. Like your nation!"

"That's interesting to know..." Katara said, wondering when the conversation would end. However, she didn't want to be rude, even as a mounting sense of alarm set her on edge.

"But people can change, too. The bigger the change, the more radical the color change. Zuko changed a lot, so his aura went from a dense red to a buttery orange - like a sunset. Or maybe sunrise would be a better word? Anyways, yes. That's what happens."

"So let me get this straight. Mood changes shift color. Character changes change color?" Katara asked neutrally.

"In a sense, yes. It also depends on what you see as a change in color - I just like dividing everything by the rainbow! You know, red, green, blue, and the like. It just seems more fun to me that way! But I guess what I'm saying is," Ty suddenly fixated on her, and the air shifted. "You're not blue."

"E-excuse me?"

"You're not blue. At least, not anymore. I haven't been able to make out your color yet - it's been muddled, and part of it could be the turmoil of the last few days - but if that were the case, you would be a dizzying cascade of colors. But they would be blue. You don't look blue. At all."

Katara was reeling. What was this all supposed to mean? But then she remembered the past few days, and all the little things along the way. The others were concerned - concerned about her, and that something had changed in her. Something not good. She was perfectly fine physically and mentally. Any concerns would be over her behavior and attitude, which weren't great, but they weren't a cause for concern. A color change! Was Ty Lee suggesting she had completely changed? It all seemed so preposterous to her. But more importantly, it was proof that the others were suspicious of her, for something she hadn't done.

Katara struggled to out the words, and then something clicked. "Sokka put you up to this."

This time, it was Ty Lee's turn to recoil. "What? No he -"

"He must have. He's been acting annoyingly authoritative lately. Wondering what I'm doing. Trying to monitor my every move. It's all very irritating and unnecessary if you ask me." Katara closed her eyes, then forced herself to breathe evenly. "I am fine, and you can go report that to him."

"No - I mean, yes - but actually -"

"Look, I get it. I really do. Family and everything. But that's not what I need. I do not need other people right now. I just want to focus on myself. I appreciate you coming along -" these last words Katara managed to say with some difficulty. "I really do. But I would really like to be alone right now."

"But this is the exact reason why the others are concerned for you. You've been keeping a lot to yourself - more than you usually do. People need their privacy sometimes, which is understandable. But you're doing it more than you normally do."

"Look," Katara insinuated, with no small amount of vitriol. "It's the middle of the night. The only reason I was up was to settle my nerves. And along you come to disturb the peace and fray them more! I appreciate you concerned for a friend, Lee, but I would have hoped you possessed some tact."

Ty Lee flinched. Lee was a pointed reminder of her past. Both triumphant and regretful, Katara noticed with interest that Ty Lee seemed to be swallowing something rather nasty before she recovered enough to deliver her next response. "Then why did you not say anything about it?" Katara noted with small satisfaction that Ty's subdued tone did not disguise the nerve she had struck. "You should know me better. I've dealt with cloaks and shadows far too much to appreciate lies. Or hypocrisy. Or half-truths. Or omissions. You know this-"

"Listen," Katara growled, barely keeping her voice under rein. "I. Am. Fine. Whether Sokka can register that with his ignorance or not, might be a lost cause. Sure, things may have gotten out of hand, but we've been here before, on the run from some bad people - well, I've been here before." Ty Lee flinched. "I might be a little out of sorts. Fine! How many times does Azula go crazy assassin mode and lop off the head of the Earth Kingdom?"

"More than once..."

"Besides the point! And there were no dead monarchs the last time she did this. Of course we'll be frazzled. I'd be shocked if anyone wasn't - with the exception of Azula. But see - that's about where it ends. Bad things don't always come in the same form, but we always have to be ready for them in some way - especially with all the complications of there being an Avatar within hearing distance. If you're going so far as to say I can't handle myself or this situation -" Katara noticed a wisp of steam.

"Says the person who's been steadily freezing our surroundings as we speak," Ty Lee noted. To her credit, Ty Lee hadn't relented her position, though the sudden freshness had not left her unaffected.

"Sorry," Katara muttered, hoping Ty Lee couldn't discern flushing as an aura.

"I'm fine... I guess." Ty Lee cupped her hands and breathed on them to try and warm them. Her eyes, however, were devoid of any of her typical warmth. "I don't know if I can say the same for you."

"To be fair, provoking someone isn't a great way to make them unflappable," Katara said dryly. "You know me."

"I thought I did." Ty Lee scrutinized Katara carefully. "Well, I'm sorry for disturbing you."

Suddenly, the fight in Katara seemed to leave her. What had she been angry about? "I - probably shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

Ty hesitated, stared at Katara hard. "Maybe. But... we're concerned about you, okay? We care about you."

Katara sagged. What was going on with her? "I guess..."

The worm conjured an image of Ty Lee, swooping down, jabbing at Katara till she fell limp, completely helpless. Open your mouth, it said. Speak your mind, out to this traitor. But Katara was not angry at Ty Lee. She did not want to upset her. And the worm was illogical, deceiving, diabolical. A flash of inspiration struck her. Carefully, deliberately, she seized the worm as it squirmed and scrabbled for free purchase. Her grip a frosty vice, she closed on the monster, squeezing tighter and tighter, feeling the desperate pulse of the thing as it tried to escape.

But it did. Somehow, despite her grip, she had left a gap in her defenses, a chink in her mental armor. The worm slipped through. But the damage had been done. Unshackled, but not unscathed. The worm, wounded, hissed at her, then clumsily slithered away, retreating into the depths of her mind. She tried giving chase, but something prevented her from progressing - a barrier that refused to give way for her. It confused her. Why did her mind not allow her access to itself? Was the worm the issue?

Was it even a worm?

"I'm sorry." Katara blurted out suddenly. "For..." Katara stopped. She realized that she had not been planning her thoughts out as she usually did. Why had she become so angry at Ty? It was only natural for Ty Lee to be herself, and she was only checking in on a friend. Katara was not at her best, but even then, she thought she had tampered her temper enough to prevent outbursts from happening. Or at least her impulsiveness. Instead, as she struggled to remember what exactly had set her off, all that remained was an odd feeling of emptiness, as though her efforts against the worm had led to something she had not expected. And before, she had not struggled against what was in her mind, and instead let her lose her control. And she had nothing to say for it. She was fine - she really was, even if things were off about the world and even seemed so within her. But for all the irritation she had, in its wake she had nothing to say.

Thankfully, she didn't need to say anything. Ty Lee interrupted her with a hug. "It's okay."

Katara hesitated, then sank gratefully into the small girl's arms. It felt strangely reassuring, an unexpected light in the murk of Katara's being. A small suspicion still stirred, but Katara tamped it out.

The worm had relented. And she could fight it, if she couldn't scour it. Which wasn't ideal, but it was a start.

Katara woke to the sound of voices and the crackle of a small fire.

"So let me get this straight," Sokka said lowly. Or tried to. No matter how quietly he spoke, somehow his voice always carried over to Katara. Maybe it was because of how ubiquitously annoying it sounded. "When you interrupted her, she attacked you?"

Ty Lee said something that Katara couldn't quite make out, to which Sokka made a small choking sound. "What do you mean, 'only a knee-jerk reaction?'"

Ty Lee raised her voice enough for Katara to pick up what she's saying. "Sokka, be reasonable. There are things you can be worried about and then there is just plain paranoia. I agree Katara doesn't seem completely alright, but being startled while fearing over Azula? Sokka, I'd hope you'd know better."

"But - "

This time Katara couldn't make out Ty's words as well. Something about "aura" and "excuse."

"But you've noticed it."

Katara imagined Ty Lee said yes, and her mood soured. Had she not taken control of herself well enough? Not well, but well enough. No one was hurt, even if some voices became charged with affrontation.

"Okay, good. So -"

"Weren't you the one who taught me about... confirmation... bias?" Ty no longer took to hiding her voice. Perhaps she knew that the conversation would have all but roused Katara. The sourness washed away, but Katara still held on to every word with rapt attention. "When you only look at things that support your beliefs, or alter the facts to support your beliefs? I don't remember much about your educated prattle, but that was something that stuck to me, especially with... Azula's treatment of... others and all. See, you're doing the exact same -"

"It's different!" Sokka said loudly. Katara pursed her lips. "I know for a fact that something's - I know it's not her, but something's been going on that doesn't seem normal -"

"Like Azula, you mean?" Ty Lee mimicked a mockery of her usual innocent mien. Sokka spluttered. "I know Katara's your sister, but you really shouldn't cloud your judgement based on the fact that she's your sister. You might know more about her than any of us can dream of - except maybe Aang, depending on how much freedom you're giving them - " Katara was glad for being out of line of sight; nothing would have concealed the smirk that crept into her face.

Amidst the sputtering, Katara could hear the faint hints of a snort. *So Aang is up, too.* Katara wondered why he had nothing to say.

"But even with that, it doesn't matter if you're right or not. If you have the right idea but the wrong reasoning, you might as well be wrong!"

"But -"

"She's right, Sokka." Aang had finally chimed in. "I think... we can all say that maybe there are certain things that aren't the way they should be. Affected more than they should be, by the events that shouldn't have happened."

"Stop being vague," Sokka muttered.

"As I was saying." Aang's voice had changed. He still spoke in the same voice, but something in the manner made Sokka shut up and even made the morning birds silent. Katara marveled. "We aren't discrediting your insight. You caught up to things very quickly - quicker than anything me or Ty Lee could probably catch on to. And we agree that this insight is not ill-founded." Aang paused. "However. This does not give us the excuse to pounce on *every* strange thing that happens. For all we know, Katara needed the time to steam off. And she's not the kindest when she's interrupted. She might be frayed on the edges. But we all are. And the way you're displaying your frays, Sokka, is unreasonable. Now before you get upset," Aang added. Katara could only have imagined Sokka opened his mouth. "It's okay to make these mistakes. We always need someone to expect the worst-case scenario. But just... don't be rash. We don't need rashness. Rashness will lead to devastating consequences."

"Hesitance will lead to cracked ice," Sokka said, but he was clearly subdued.

"Agreed. But this is not hesitating. This is a step back to make sure we are on the right path before we charge ahead." Suddenly Aang cursed. "Shoot. Didn't mean to leave the fire unattended for that long."

"I'm just worried..." Sokka said apologetically.

"We all are. And keep a sharp eye. Goodness knows we need them now more than before. Just don't confuse your sight for your reasoning."

Katara took a deep breath. This was conflicting. On the one hand, they had calmed Sokka's frenetic behavior down, at least for the present. But on the other hand... they still suspected her of something.

Feigning as though she just woke up, she lazily stretched, and went to help the others cook. Pretending ignorance, she helped Aang and Ty Lee make breakfast while Sokka surveyed the surroundings and mapped out the next leg of their journey. It was a good thing he was away, too. Even if she wasn't in the best of straits with Aang and Ty Lee, she at least could bear them, for the present.

But throughout the exasperation and the chaotic mirth of meal-making, however, an unsettling thought nagged at her.

What if they were right?

No need to review, but I hope everyone is well