Dedicate this to the guys out there who love Kataang fluff. Sorry to the Zutara fans. It is the continuation of the series so Kataang must be implied. Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: (sigh) How many times do I have to type this; I don't own Avatar and never will…

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Chapter 4: Horribly Worried

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Katara's POV

"Has anyone you guys seen Aang? Dinner's ready," I said.

"He's probably of talking with that guru- guy," Toph waved her hand lazily. "He's going to come back here when he's hungry. Just be patient."

"Yeah. No need to worry about him, Katara," Sokka inquired. "He can take care of himself. Now stop chattering and feed us. We're hungry."

"Okay," I replied unconvincingly. I placed the plates in front of them and laid down the food.

Sokka and Toph were busy scampering on their meatballs. But no matter how much I tried, my thoughts always come back to Aang. This isn't the first time he skipped dinner. He's always wandering around, and I don't actually have the navigation skills to find him. Not only that, but he's extremely shy when both of us are alone, especially during Waterbending practices. When I try to be near him, he always moves a feet away from me. It seems that he's trying to avoid me somehow. But it only makes me more determined to get closer to him and ask a few questions. If only there's a way for me to read his mind…

He definitely crossed the line this time. I've been waiting for 2 hours and he's still not back. He's meal's getting cold and Sokka and Toph are sleeping snugly right now. Where the heck is he? I should ask Guru Pathik. He probably knows where Aang is.

I got out of my sleeping bag and went straight to the guru. He was meditating at the balcony. It's a very nice spot. It has great views.

"Guru Pathik?" I called to him. "Am I bothering you?"

He turned around and faced me. "No. Not at all. I am very pleased to have the Avatar's friend's acquaintance."

"About that, I was wondering if you know where Aang is. It's almost midnight and he's not back yet."

"He's just around the temple. I'm sure his fine," he assured me.

I crossed my arms and tried to contain myself.

He smiled at me. "It's not the only thing that's troubling you, isn't it Katara? Perhaps, it's about him too?"

Man! He's good.

"I don't know. He's acting strangely, especially when we're alone together. We usually talk about everything, but now, it's like we're divided. He's avoiding me, as if I have a contagious sickness."

"Give him some time to work it out on his own," he advised. "Remember, he's growing up. Strange things happen when people mature." He beamed at me, his smile I can't interpret.

He's right. Aang is 13. And he is turning 14 in a few weeks from now. But, what does maturing has something to do with Aang's refusal to share a conversation with me? It's not like hormones have something to do with it…Does it? Okay. Maybe a sudden rush of hormones can make a guy act weird when he's with a girl, but Aang's different from any guy. He's not like Sokka who's a sexist…No matter, I think the best way to find out is to ask him myself.

"I think I know where Aang is," Guru Pathik exclaimed.

My heart skipped a beat. "Where?"

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Aang was taking a bath in a small pond he made himself. He submerged his entire face in the water, closing his eyes and let himself drift away. He wondered what if he wasn't the Avatar. He wouldn't have been like this. He would be living a normal life. He would be….

"Aang?" Katara called out, looking around for him.

Aang's eyes opened abruptly. He surfaced, pulled his wet hair out of the way and rubbed his eyes. His whole face turned red at what he saw. "KATARA!"

"I- I'm so sorry, Aang," Katara apologized, trying to look away at Aang's submerged body. "I didn't know you wher-" She didn't finish because he made an earth wall dividing her from the pond.

"Smooth move, Katara," she mentally scolded herself. "Now Aang's going to think you wanted to see him naked! He's going to think you're a pervert. Smooth move. Really smooth."

Aang quickly withdrew from the water, his heart beating 20 times faster. He paced to the wall. "Oh man! How did she found out about this place? Good thing I'm still wearing my boxer shorts or she's going to see my… uh… 'something'…," he thought. "Uh, Katara?" his head appeared while the rest of his body remained covered by the wall.

"Yes?" she replied while covering her eyes.

"Wait here." He motioned to the other side of the pond and took his clothes. He used his airbending to get dry and slipped on his pants. "Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man!" he mumbled nervously.

Still covering her eyes even if there's a large wall separating them, Katara was blushing furiously. She couldn't help but think about seeing Aang bathing. "There was something different. I saw some... well, muscles where I've never seen in his body before. All right, I admit it. He looks hot. Eh. No wonder the girls back at Ba Sing Se couldn't get enough of him."

The wall descended, revealing Aang who's now fully dressed and blushing. He made his way towards her. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Um, sorry you have to uh… see that."

More heat rose to Katara's cheeks. "I should be the one who's apologizing. I didn't know you where doing something here. I just wanna tell you that you missed dinner." "Again," she added in her thoughts.

"It's okay. I already ate."

"Oh. Okay."

--------Moment of Silence-------

"So, is this your hiding place?"

"Yeah, if that's what you call it. I kinda spend a lot of time here."

"Do you, I don't know, ever get lonesome?"

"Well, sometimes I do. But at least now I'll no longer be lonesome," he grinned.

Katara twirled a strand of her chestnut hair. "He's flashing me that dreamy smile of his again. Probably one of his charms or his way to get a lot of girls to fawn at him. Whatever it is, it did work. Right now, I'm turning as red as a tomato. Sokka should try this on Suki.

"Katara? You okay?" Aang queried.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah! I'm fine. Great hiding place by the way!" she complimented, changing the subject. She went towards the pond and splashed the cool water on her hands and face. Aang sat next to her but keeping a little distance.

"So, wanna try it?" Aang asked with a dopey grin.

"Well, I…" Katara's cheeks were showing a tinge of pink. She clumped her robe.

"Oh…." Aang blushed, getting the message. "You really don't have to take of your robe if you don't want to. I can dry you off. Just take a dip. It'll be fun."

Katara shrugged. "If you say so." She took off her shoes and dipped it on the water. Her whole body followed and she sighed with relief. "This is refreshing."

Aang smiled. "Glad you like it."

"You know, there's still room for one more," she implied.

He knew she was referring to him. "B-but I already bathe."

"I'm sure this is going to be more fun with you," she insisted. Aang stood up and backed a few steps. He removed his wristbands, his outer vest and his inner shirt. Katara couldn't help blushing at the sight of Aang removing his upper clothing. He kept his pants on. He jumped really high (using his airbending) and dived at the pond, splashing the water all over Katara. They both laughed.

"A little bit shaky on the landing. I'd rate that as 6.5," Katara joked.

He chuckled. "I'd better practice on that." He swam towards the edge. Katara did the same but swam on the opposite direction.

Kata closed her eyes. "Ahhhh….. This feels good."

Aang jerked. "Speaking about good, check this out. You'll feel much more relaxed," he dived towards the center of the pond.

Curious, Katara went to the middle, watching Aang doing something underwater. She could feel the water heating up and steam swelling. Suddenly, Aang surfaced, their faces (especially their lips) were dangerously near each other. Both of them were flushing wildly. Aang moved away quickly. He chuckled nervously.

"So, do you like it?" he said, not looking straight at Katara.

"Yeah," Katara didn't want any eye contact either. "The water's great."

"Thanks," Aang said, still embarrassed.

-----------Moment of Silence-------

"So, how did you and the guru go?"

"Fine."

"Feeling any better?"

"Yeah."

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"Um, Katara? Are you awake?" Aang asked.

"Hmm... What?" Katara responded.

"Maybe we should go back. It's almost morning. You kinda slept," Aang remarked.

"What?!?!" Katara looked down and she was still on the pond. I can't believe I slept while I was bathing. Wow. Aang's 'heat-the-water' trick really worked. She stepped out of the water. What if Sokka and Toph saw us here? They'd laugh at us! "Shoot! I'm soaking wet."

Aang stepped out of the water and dried himself. He put on his clothes. He went to Katara and made her dry.

"Come on. Let's go before Toph and Sokka wakes up."

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They went back to grounds, feeling relieved that Sokka and Toph we're still sleeping soundly.

"Phew. Good thing they're not awake. Maybe we should do the same," Katara suggested.

Aang nodded. He went towards Appa and slept. "Goodnight."

Katara laid next to Toph. "Goodnight." She peered at Aang, who was now closing his eyes and began to dream. If only he knew…

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Hehehe… The whole world has turned upside down. Now Katara's the one who's chasing after Aang. I gotta say, this chapter's suggesting that Aang seems to have lost interest in her. If he stills like her, he could've just kissed her when their faces were so close or he shouldn't have moved away. Haha! I do have a weird imagination. But don't worry. I won't let a powerful relationship vanish into the thin air. Well, hope you'll stay for the next chapter!