DISCLAIMER: All recognizable characters, themes, and dialogue are the property of Nickelodeon, or whoever owns this epic awesomeness.

Note from me: I am so sorry the last chapter was so . . . talky! But this one will be more detailed, PROMISE! (Maybe even some kissing action!) And hint, hint, Katara will have a little surprise at the end.

But before I begin I would like to thank ALL of the readers who've subscribed and reviewed! This story has been my most successful one yet, and it makes me VERY happy!

Previously on Running:

"Ha! I was right! You do still love him!"

"No! I . . ."

"Admit it."

"No."

"Katara, admit it."

"Toph, stop it!" But the young earthbender was relentless in her attempt for a heartfelt confession of love.

"Katara, Katara!" she sang, dancing around her, until the Waterbender finally screamed out.

"FINE I LOVE AANG! DID YOU HEAR THAT TOPH? I STILL LOVE AANG, THE AVATAR, THE LAST AIRBENDER!"

"I knew it."

The next day was spent packing up to head back to the Fire Nation.

Chapter Five - Memories

Katara and Toph reached the Fire Nation in no time at all, and reached the palace faster. But what Katara didn't expect was what Zuko had prepared for her when she got back.

He took her to a small pond, with turtle-ducks swimming about. An aura of peace an serenity seemed to swirl about the place, and, surprisingly, around him. A faint smile was fixed on his lips as his slender fingers traced the clear water, and Katara felt almost mesmerized as the turtle-ducks swam away, looking almost as if they were dancing.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" Zuko asked. Katara shook her head. "Do you remember, back before the Fall of Ba-Sing-Se, when we were trapped together in the Crytal Caverns?"

Katara nodded. She wished she was shopping with Toph.

"I told you that I lost my mother, and later, I told you how."

"Yes," she whispered.

"I spent many years here, with my mother, in my childhood. Playing with Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai, but mostly just sitting, with my mom and feeding turtle-duck families." His eyes shut, and his brow furrowed. "The pain of returning here was great, it reminded me of what I had lost, of what my failure had lost for me."

"Oh Zuko . . ."

"But coming here, it turned out to be good for me, it made me see. Memories aren't made to haunt us, they're made to strengthen us."

"I see," Katara murmured, wringing her palms. Zuko opened his eyes.

"I had to struggle to get where I am now, and it made victory that much sweeter. Sometimes, confronting your past can help your future." Zuko turned to face her. "So now, you will tell me all you remember about Aang. What it was about him you loved, some of your dearest memories of him-"

"Zuko, I cannot do that!" Katara yelled, "That is private!"

"Do you trust me?" Zuko asked simply. Katara lowered her head and nodded.

"Tell me when you first realized you loved him."

"After he kissed me on Ember Island."

"And what did you do?" Zuko asked calmly. Katara remembered clearly.

"Katara, did you really mean what you said in there?" he asked turning towards her. Katara frowned.

"In where? What are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"On stage. When you said I was just like a brother to you and you didn't have feelings for me," he explained. Katara's stomach started to flutter. What was he getting at?

"I didn't say that. An actor said that."

"But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the invasion and I thought we were going to be together but were not."

Katara froze, and the words came out so fast, she had no time to regret them.

"Aang, I don't know."

"Why don't you know?"

"Because, we're in the middle of a war and we have other thing to worry about. This isn't the right time."

"Well, when is the right time?" he asked impatiently.

"Aang, I'm sorry but right now, I'm just a little confused," she said, closing her eyes Her mind was in a turmoil..

He kissed her.

Why she had pulled away was a mystery to her.

"I just said I was confused!" she said, frustrated.

Aang blinked.

"I'm going inside," she said and walked away. She didn't want Aang to see her crying.

"I told him I was confused, and I ran off." Katara wiped away a stray tear that had escaped, releasing herself from the reverie. Zuko nodded.

"Now tell me about the most romantic thing he ever did for you."

"Zuko!"

"I know how it sounds, but trust me, I know what I'm doing." Katara sighed.

"It was a few nights before he left," Katara murmured quietly, her fingers plucking some grass from the ground, still damp from the morning dew. The wetness comforted her as the memories came back, spilling out to Zuko's curious ears.

Parties weren't Katara's favorite thing. Too much noise. And not to mention too many guys asked her to dance.

"May I have this dance?"

"Sorry, I'm not dancing tonight."

"Miss, will you honor me with this dance?"

"No thank you, I have a date . . ."

"Katara, you want to . . . um . . . dance?"

Katara jumped at the familiar voice. She looked up into the face of her beloved Airbending boyfriend.

"Why of course," she replied, taking his small hand. He led her past the dancers. "Um, Aang . . .?"

He kept on walking, until the two reached a small stream. Fireflies lit up the small area, blinking and twinkling in an endless dance.

"Oh, Aang . . ." Katara was breathless. Aang smiled and pulled her to him, and the two swayed back and forth.

"I love you, Katara," he whispered, "No matter what happens, remember that, okay?" His eyes flashed for a moment, before becoming tender.

"I will," Katara reassured him, smiling. The two danced around, staring into each other's eyes dreamily.

"Of course," Katara replied, pulling him closer. Aang gently took her arms from his waist and wound them around his neck, before putting his hands on her hips. Katara's breath disappeared as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, warm and soft. Katara sighed, and when she thought Aang would pull away with another confession of love, he deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue against hers, pulling her closer. The two remained that way for a while before pulling away, gasping for breath.

"Katara, I would do anything for you."

"I know."

" . . . and then we went back to the party," Katara finished, slightly embarrassed at having told all of that to Zuko.

"Wow, Katara, you're a dumbass, you know," Zuko chuckled.

"Excuse me?" Katara gasped. Zuko was shaking his head.

"If I remember right, he said, 'I love you Katara, no matter what happens, remember that.' And then he said that he would do anything for you." He stared at her as if she was missing something very obvious.

"So?" Katara asked, still clueless.

"I think he left you to protect you."

For a moment, Katara sat down, not taking anything in, staring blankly at Zuko as if he had said nothing.

"No," she whispered, "He wouldn't lie to me . . ."

"Who said he knew exactly what to tell you to make you feel better?" Zuko asked, "He was only twelve."

"I-I-I-"

For once, Katara was at a loss for words. Zuko wasn't smiling in triumph, but his eyes shone with victory. Well, his un-scarred eye.

"Told you. I think he wants to redeem himself in your eyes."

"No."

"Why don't you believe me?" Zuko challenged. Katara sighed and turned her accusing glare to him.

"You told Aang where my room was," she said flatly, masking her anger. Zuko pursed his lips and nodded, though his eyes didn't look embarrassed at all. His smugness only fueled Katara's fury.

"I only wanted you two to talk," Zuko said, crossing his arms, "If you think about it, Katara, I did nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" Katara yelled. "You knew very well that I had no intentions of seeing him!"

"Well, you two needed to talk! He was really hurt that you ran away from him."

"Right," Katara hissed through her teeth. Her menacing tone scared away some of the turtle-ducks. Zuko glanced from them to her.

"I know why you're afraid of seeing him again," he said softly.

"Oh yeah?" Katara challenged.

"You're afraid of him still wanting you." Katara jumped up.

"What? That makes absolutely no sense at all!"

"You're afraid of what happens after the perfect moment. You're afraid of tomorrow. You don't know what to do, so you're running away."

"That's just . . ." Katara expressed her annoyance by waving her arms around.

"You know I'm right."

"No. You. Are. Not."

"Katara . . ."

"Okay, that's it, I'm going to my room," Katara snapped, ignoring Zuko's withheld laugh, too annoyed and frustrated to care.

As she walked to her room in a heated rush, Katara angrily fumbled over what Zuko had told her.

"I think he left you to protect you."

Could that be true? Could Aang possibly, maybe still love her? It seemed too good to be true, too fairy-tale-like. Happy endings like the one Zuko had planted into her head didn't happen.

Not to her.

When she reached her door, she was confused to find it unlocked. She could've sworn she had locked it.

She opened her door.

"Oh!"

Haha I give you another cliffeh! XD sorry it took me so long to update all of my other stories and this one, but some chapters take time to piece together. Thanks to all of the users who took the time to review my stories, I am very pleased to say that this one almost reached 2000 words! Victory for me! So thanks again and keep reviewing!

-Gab