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Thank you for the reviews everyone! I appreciate your input. This chapter still focuses around Katara, however, my next chapter will probably center more on Aang. Expect a Sokka short within a week. I hope you enjoy!

The window filtered moonlight into the dark bedroom. A soft summer breeze chilled Katara's face as she stared at the red drapery hanging from her canopy. She was lost in her thoughts, unable to sleep. A lot had happened over the past twenty-four hours. They had won, Ozai and Azula were brought down, the war was over, and the newly-appointed Firelord Zuko pledged that he, along with Aang, would help restore balance to the world.

But joy was not what was keeping her from sleeping tonight. She rolled on her right side to face the door to the hall. The feeling of guilt had seeped into her mind after Aang's fight with Ozai, slowly growing louder as it tore through her thoughts earlier that day. By now, though, she was nearing her breaking point.

She realized how selfish she had been; how selfish she was being. She had tried to protect herself by blocking her feelings so she could not lose another loved one in her life, have another void in her heart where her mother once was. But now she saw what her reclusiveness had done to Aang. She had hurt him. He came to her and confessed that he had deep feelings for her, but she pushed him aside; told him that she was 'confused', when she knew in her heart she was not.

She stroked her hands through her hair and murmured to herself despondently, "He could have died without knowing the truth."

A whole new pain now stung at her conscious. Twice she had nearly lost him, and yet she still did not give him the truth. What if something like the incident a Ba Sing Se were to happen again? Could she live with herself if he were to die without knowledge of her love for him?

"I need to take a walk," Katara said out loud, hoping to clear her mind of such thoughts. She rose from her bed, her white night robe trailing behind her on the hard floor as she left the room. Darkness hid the ceiling of the hall as she walked aimlessly through the palace. She had no destination; she was simply trying to pull her focus away from the terrible thoughts that haunted her conscious mind. She passed by many doors before coming to a halt. The hallway passed through a large archway before veering off to the left. As she rounded the corner, Katara was taken aback by the beautiful sight before her. Openings on the right wall revealed that the hallway straddled one of the many courtyards of the palace. Moonlight illuminated the landscape below her—a stone walkway leading to a large cherry tree hanging over a small pond. Peace seemed to feel Katara as she strode forward to gaze at the site.

It was then that she noticed a doorway leading to a large balcony outside. Cool air swept over her tan skin as she stepped through the opening. She closed her eyes and inhaled; the sweet scent of cherry blossoms filled her senses and calmed her nerves. She surveyed the scene in front of her for a few minutes before noticing a figure seated to her left on a raised patio. It was Aang.

Katara felt her heart skip a beat as she climbed up to sit beside him. He was meditating in his standard cross-legged position and seemed to have not noticed her presence. She stopped to observe him in silence. He was breathing at a steady pace with his eyes lightly closed. He seemed to be a peace of mind, his body relaxed and loose. He was wearing his worker pants that the group had stolen months earlier when they first entered the Fire Nation. His hands were placed in his lap, running parallel in position with his thighs. Katara always loved to watch him like this. His tranquil expression always calmed her nerves if she were upset. She smiled as she seated herself beside him and lightly touched his hand.

"Aang?"

He opened his eyes and smiled at his new companion.

"Hi Katara, what are you doing up at this hour?" he asked softly.

"I couldn't sleep," she sighed, then turned to fully face him.

"Neither could I, that's why I'm out here meditating," he grinned.

She couldn't help but smile whenever he would flash his large grin at her. To Katara, he seemed to radiate joy. Aang could always cheer anyone up with a smile or a few encouraging words. He was the most wonderful person she had ever met.

They sat there, watching each other for a few moments, before they both laid back on the patio to admiring the night sky above. After a few minutes of stargazing, Aang turned on his side, silently taking in the girl beside him. The moonlight seemed to enhance her beauty. He noticed her dark hair blanketing her shoulders, hiding her ears and neck beneath its thickness. He reminisced on the few times he got to run his hands through it and smelled the sweet scent of summer flowers when he buried his face in it. He felt his heartbeat jump as he gazed at her large crystal blue eyes turned upwards towards the sky. He was captivated by how they twinkled in the moonlight. It was than that he realized she was now returning his stare with her own and a deep blush formed on his cheeks. Embarrassed by the situation, he shifted to sit up.

She smiled as he rose, revealing his bare back to her. Her smile faded from her lips as the horrible scar came into her view. The red scar disrupted the flow of his arrow tattoo up his back. It resembled to her a dam that prevented the blue ink from continuing to its destination. The thought reminded Katara of herself. She had built a mental dam to hold her feelings at bay so she could protect Aang, but it had really harmed him instead of helped him. She realized that he depended on her being with him and the painful thoughts from earlier that night began to return to the forefront of her mind. She couldn't stand the thought of torturing him any longer. Her hand shot out to grasp his shoulder as she sat up and readjusted herself to look him dead on.

"Aang…" she began. "I… I…" she faltered as she stared into his warm storm-grey eyes, before recovering. "I have a confession to make."

He sat silently waiting as she prepared her words. "Back at the theatre, you asked me my thoughts on… where we stood. I told you that I was confused." His heart pumped even wilder in the silence that followed. He felt her warm, smooth hands slide into his as she averted his gaze for a few moments, before meeting it again. "I lied."

Aang's mouth fell slightly ajar in shock. He couldn't even form a coherent thought. Katara's face flushed a deep crimson as she continued.

"Aang, when you… fell at Ba Sing Se, I was crushed. After Azula struck you with lightning, I felt like the world, my world, just stopped. When I held your lifeless body on Appa… and when, at first, you didn't respond to the spirit water from the North Pole… I felt like my heart was going to cave in. Nothing else mattered to me, but you."

Large tears streamed down her face and Aang realized that he too was crying. He felt her built-up pain from that night flow into him as she spoke, which crippled him. Aang's greatest weakness was seeing the person he cared about the most suffering. She saw his reaction to her words and leaned in closer to him, touching his teary cheek with her hand. His breath caught in his throat. He looked down, unable to look into her eyes. He felt remorseful for putting her through that.

He raised his eyes to meet her gaze again and choked-up. "K-Katara, I'm so s-sorry-" But she silenced him with her index finger pressed against his lips and continued speaking.

"It was then when I realized…" she paused, staring into his watery eyes. "That I love you, Aang."

Sorry for stopping here- (dodges tomato). The next chapter is already in-progress and will hopefully be posted in about a week. Thank you for reading. Please review and tell me your thoughts!

By the way, sorry for temporarily posting Chapter 1 twice... this was my first time using the "Add Chapter" feature, so I appologize for my ignorance.