The air felt still after the Avatar put a stop to the battle between Katara and Kano. Aang had seemingly come out of thin air. No one had seen him arriving. He gazed at the two water benders as they nervously glanced at one another.

"I'll ask one more time", Aang sighed, "What's this I'm hearing about a contest? A contest where supposedly I'm the prize."

Kano was the first to speak.

"I-i-it was nothing really…"

"Nothing?" Aang scoffed, "If it was nothing then you wouldn't be fighting it out here."

He glanced back at the front of the inn where Suki and Toph stood. "You two care to explain what's going on?"

"I'm…uhhh" Suki tried to speak.

"I'm super hungover so I'm not really aware of my surroundings. Honestly, a blind girl like me shouldn't drink so much. I don't have any good influences around me and—"

"On second thought just stop," Aang said and turned back to the water benders. "I hear mention of a contest where I'm the prize you two are fighting for. It must be a serious contest with how far you two will go to fighting each other."

"Aang we didn't mean anything malicious by it", Katara finally spoke up, "me and Kano…we got into an argument and it escalated more than it should have."

"That doesn't answer my question Katara. What is this supposed contest you two have going on that involves me?" Aang crossed his arms. Under his gray eyes formed dark circles so it was likely he had just woken up and didn't have enough sleep thanks to the noise of battle. He was angry and tired.

"It was my idea", Kano stood up, "It was an idea I brought up to Katara recently."

"How recent?" Aang narrowed his eyes.

"I suggested it at the earth king's party."

"The girl talk you two had was about that?"

Kano nodded. Aang's brows furrowed with frustration as he lifted his hands, palms together and pressing them firmly against his face. He let out a heavy sigh and dropped his hands.

"What is this contest about?"

"From the beginning…I could see how Katara felt about you…I said to her that if she truly loved you then she would have to fight me…for you."

"And I accepted", Katara continued, "Since the day before we left for here."

The air bender dropped his face down to his palms as his frustration boiled, "Spirits it hasn't even been a full week and I feel like these past few days have taken years off my life."

Neither girl had anything to say to that. What could they say?

"Katara I don't know what I'm supposed to do" Aang lifted his face and yelled, "I can't believe you would even agree to something so…screwed up and stupid like this!"

"Aang I wasn't doing this to hurt you I swear—"

"How am I supposed to believe you?! After everything we had going between us, and you go behind my back and do this? You agree to this ridiculous contest and don't even think about how this would hurt me? This is why I'm so hesitant with you! Somehow I keep getting hurt because of you!"

Aang turned to Kano.

"And YOU! HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK TO DO THIS TO ME IN THE FIRST PLACE?! Are my feelings a joke to you?!"

"Of course not!" Kano raised her hand in defense.

"I have to wonder if they are to you. I told you back in Lu Rane village why we couldn't be together. You only saw me as the Avatar and not someone with feelings. And it looks like that hasn't changed at all! I might be half spirit but I'm still human Kano! My feelings aren't a game or a bloody contest or a wager for either of you to win!"

The water bender shrank at his words. Her lips quivered as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Did you two know about this?" Aang demanded from Suki and Toph. The two girls nodded their heads. He turned back to Kano and Katara, "Who else knew?"

"Sato and Suna", Kano muttered.

Aang felt his anger rising. He wanted to scream at the ridiculousness of it all. What was he to do when he felt his emotions going from anger to hurt and back to anger again? He didn't know who he could trust anymore. He turned away from all of them and placed his hands over his head. He couldn't stand to look at anyone else before exploding. He had to go. He had to leave and find some space.

"Aang", Katara called out to him, "I—"

"NO! I don't want to hear any excuses… in fact I don't want to talk to any of you right now" Aang declared. Kneeling, he gathered the air around him and jumped high into the air. He soared out from the village and into the forest.

Toph and Suki walked up to Katara for support. Kano squatted down, taking in what Aang had said to her. Her eyes tearing up as she realized what she had done. Katara watched her. The air bender had yelled at both of them deservingly so, but she couldn't help but sympathize with Kano. She felt her own tears begin to form but wiped them off immediately.

'No…I can't stand here and feel sorry. What I did was stupid and I should know better by now but I still did it. I'm such an idiot! I have to fix this…' Katara glanced back to Kano, 'we have to fix this.'

She walked up to the other water bender and put her hand out to her.

Kano looked up to Katara with teary eyes and a bloody lip.

"For now, let's give Aang space. He's right to be upset with us. It's only right we come together and apologize to him", Katara stated, "we've both said terrible things to each other…but we can learn from this and be better. Aang deserves that much. Let's just put an end to this nonsense. So how about a truce?"

Kano contemplated for a moment, nodded and took Katara's hand.

"Truce."

Aang kept jumping through the forest until he felt the contents of his stomach begin to rise. He stumbled as he landed on the ground. Keeping his hand over his mouth, Aang dashed to the nearest bush and barfed. The nausea overwhelmed him, keeping him on his hands and knees as he continued to throw up what he had eaten the night before.

'What's the point of drinking that much if it leads to this?' He wondered.

He groggily rose to his feet and walked towards a nearby lake. He needed to splash his face. Aang wished he could take a bath but that would mean going back to Katara, Kano, and the others. Right now, he couldn't stand to see them now. He was too upset and too hungover.

He stood at the edge of the lake. His mind was heavy with the weight of everything that happened the past few days. With a focused gaze, Aang extended his hands over the lake, palms open. A good amount of water rose up from the lake. As the water hung in the air, he brought it closer. He allowed the water to cascade gently over his face, feeling its cool touch rejuvenate him.

Finally, he sat down at the edge and rested his head on his knees.

'I really shouldn't have drank that much…'

For a while, it was just him with the sound of Mother Nature keeping him company. Aang emptied his mind, refusing to ponder further on his dilemma with Katara and Kano. It didn't last long enough for his liking.

"Avatar Aang?"

Aang lifted his head and turned to the source of the voice. He found a tan girl wearing a green kimono. Her long dark hair flowed through the wind. He vaguely recognized the girl.

"Ino…right? You can just call me Aang."

The girl smiled, "I'm honored you remembered my name."

Shortly after surviving Aizo's lightning strike, Kano introduced Ino to Aang.

"What are you doing out here?" Aang inquired.

"I decided to gather some berries for my family", Ino answered showing him her small basket of berries.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to pick berries by yourself?"

"After you took care of those renegade fire benders, I'm sure I'll be just fine. Besides I've never been one to sit still after so long. I don't see any reason remaining cooped up home when I already was in that prison cell for so long", Ino assured and sat down next to him, "I hope you don't mind me asking but what are you doing here by yourself?"

"I…I needed some space."

"Is everything okay? Is Kano okay?" Ino wondered.

"I'm sure Kano is fine" Aang spat.

Ino raised an eyebrow at his remark, "So she's the reason you need space?"

"More like one-half of the reason I need space", Aang muttered.

"Ahhh I see. She tends to push a lot of buttons. I guess even you aren't immune", Ino giggled.

"Guess not…" Aang muttered.

Neither said anything for a moment and only gazed at the lake in front of him. The air was filled with a quiet serenity as they settled down, sitting side by side on the grassy bank. The gentle ripples of the water mirrored the clear blue sky, casting a calming spell over the landscape.

"D-do you have feelings for Kano?" Ino asked nervously. The question caught Aang off guard.

He thought to himself before answering. Remembering his date, reuniting with Kano, he thought back to how beautiful she was that night. How attracted he was to her. Neither of them was the same person since they had departed. He didn't know if he'd see her again but nonetheless, he was happy to when she showed up as his blind date that night. The date had gone so well that he even asked her to be his date at the earth king's celebration.

But there was a reason why he blocked her previous advances with him since their first kiss. He wasn't ready and he was sure that Kano only wanted to be with him because he was the avatar. Her feelings then were only that of admiration. Plus, she had reminded him too much of Katara.

However, she no longer reminded him of Katara. Yet the past few days had made him reconsider what his feelings were. Kano had come back into his life as Katara did in Ba Sing Se. With the revelation of Katara's drunken and then later sober confession, Aang's feelings were a jumbled mess.

After what he witnessed this morning, whatever feelings he could have had for Kano took a downturn.

"Can't really say I'm sure anymore", Aang finally answered.

"Why not?"

"Well this morning I found out she came up with a contest a few days ago with Katara and were fighting each other until I put a stop to it."

"Oh dear…"

"Yup. So you can imagine how I'm feeling about her and Katara right?"

"Oh Kano…" Ino murmured, "That girl really doesn't think before acting. I had hoped she would have grown out of it by now."

Aang glanced at her, "has she done this before?"

"Nothing like your situation particularly", Ino shook her head, "but she doesn't think much about what she does and how it could affect others. Plus, her competitive nature has put us in some unnecessary trouble before."

"Any examples?"

Ino sighed, "One of her biggest issues is her insecurity. One time she saw me talking to a childhood friend and assumed the worst. Accusing me of betraying her trust and saying I was going behind her back. We ended up arguing and it dampened our relationship."

"I see", Aang responded thoughtfully. This was the first he had ever heard of Kano having such issues, but he supposed that wasn't something she would be proud to admit. "Do you know if there is a reason for it? Why she would be so insecure or jealous?"

"Her father had an affair with another woman. She was a witness to her mother's reaction, and it wasn't pleasant from what she told me. It drove a massive rift in her family, and it's affected her since then. That is where her trust issues stem from mostly. Before the incident, she had assumed her father was very much in love with her mother so her trust was shattered when she found out the truth."

"I can't imagine how hard that is to go through.", Aang said, "So you and Kano used to be together?"

Ino nodded her head, "other than that Kano is amazing. She's strong, smart, funny, and so caring. I know she means well, but her impulsive nature sometimes causes harm. She jumps to conclusions without thinking things through, and it ends up making the situation worse for everyone involved. Even so…I still love her."

"Why did you two break up?" Aang wondered.

"She wanted to travel the world", Ino explained, "however, I couldn't just leave my family. My mother passed away when I was nine years old. My father does the best he can to support me and my siblings but sometimes it isn't enough. So I stayed to help him with my younger brother and sister. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving them behind and I didn't want Kano staying when I knew she wanted to see what was out there."

"Hmmm." Aang could understand Ino's predicament, "does Kano know how you feel?"

Ino shook her head, "I haven't. I wonder if I should even bother after what you've told me. It seems like she hasn't changed that impulsive behavior of hers."

"I think our situations differ", Aang shrugged, "but if you love Kano then you should tell her. Maybe talk to her about the way she acts. She could benefit from reflecting on the consequences of her actions before she acts."

"But what of you?"

"What about me?"

"It's obvious she has feelings for you. She wouldn't do what she did if she didn't see Katara as a threat to her relationship with you."

"Between her and Katara I don't know what to think. I'm still hurt that they went behind my back and treated me like some prize to win. My friends think I should be with Katara but I don't want to get hurt again."

"Do you love her?" Ino asked.

"Who?"

"Katara."

Aang stared back at the lake, his expression a mix of confusion and inner turmoil. Ino's question lingered in the air, and Aang took a moment to collect his thoughts before responding.

"I care about Katara deeply", he began, his voice reflective. "But everything that happened with us…her and Kano—it's left me feeling hurt and unsure. I never wanted to be in the middle of a situation like this. The fighting over me…I don't want to be treated like a prize."

Ino nodded, understanding the complexity of Aang's emotions, "It's not fair to be put in that position, Aang. Your feelings matter too. Have you talked to Katara about how you feel?"

Aang sighed, running a hand through his tattoos. "I tried, but it's hard. I don't want to hurt her, but I don't want to be hurt again either. And Kano…I know how they both feel about me. It's all so confusing."

Ino placed a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder. "it's okay to feel confused, Aang. Relationships can be messy, and it's important to prioritize your own feelings and well-being. Do you think you love Katara?"

Aang hesitated, his gaze turning inward as he thought of his time with Katara and the past few days. "I…I did. I think I still do. I'm scared to get hurt again, and I don't want to make the wrong choice."

Ino offered a sympathetic smile. "You should take your time. It's okay to be uncertain. Just make sure whatever decision you make, it's one that aligns with your own feelings and happiness. You deserve to be with someone who respects and values you."

Aang nodded, a mixture of gratitude and uncertainty in his eyes. The tangled emotions surrounding his relationships with Katara and Kano weighed heavily on him, and he knew that finding clarity in the matter would require time and introspection.

"I'll be sure to do that…and I hope you will do the same, Ino. Kano won't know how you feel unless you tell her", He smiled.

"Of course", Ino agreed.

"Maybe it's best if we put the matter to a side. Could you tell me more about your family?"

It would be a few hours later when Aang would return to the village. His hangover had lessened thanks to the berries Ino was happy to share with him. Ino departed when they reached the entrance and headed toward home. Aang made his way back through the familiar path to the inn. The air was filled with a sense of calm after his conversation with Ino, yet the weight of uncertainty still lingered on his shoulders.

In the distance, Aang spotted the figures of Katara and Kano rushing toward him from the building. Their expressions mirrored a mix of urgency and regret, their footsteps echoing the sincerity of their intentions.

"Aang!" Katara called out, her voice tinged with remorse. Kano, close behind, wore a similar expression, her features softened by a genuine desire to make amends.

Aang stopped, facing them as they approached. His eyes reflected a mixture of emotions, a blend of hurt and curiosity about what they had to say. Although he already knew what they would say.

"Look, Aang, we need to talk," Katara began, her eyes earnest. "We realized we screwed up going behind your back like this. It wasn't fair to you, and it certainly wasn't fair to each other. I should have been more honest about my feelings and intentions, and…I'm really sorry Aang."

Kano nodded in agreement; her gaze fixed on Aang. "I messed up too. I let emotions get the better of me and I hurt you in the process. I never made you want to feel like a prize to be won. I'm sorry for that."

Aang listened, a mixture of emotions playing across his face. The sincerity in their voices began to soften the edges of his uncertainty. He took a deep breath, considering their words carefully.

"I appreciate your apologies", Aang responded, his tone measured. "But relationships are about trust and honesty. I need time to figure out what I want and where I stand. I can't have this kind of confusion in my life right now."

Katara and Kano exchanged glances, acknowledging the weight of his words. The tension from their earlier began to dissipate, replaced by a shared commitment to rebuilding Aang's trust.

"I get it Aang," Katara said softly. "Take the time you need. We just want you to know that we care about you, and—WATCH OUT!"

Before Aang could fully process Katara's warning, a surge of urgency propelled her forward. With a swift movement, she pushed Aang. The air bender stumbled backward, the unexpected force of Katara's action registering in his mind.

Pushing himself onto his rear, Aang's eyes widened in shock as he saw Katara on the ground. There, on the dirt floor, Katara lay with an arrow lodged into her torso. Blood began to pour out from her wound, onto her clothes, and began to form a small puddle underneath her body.

"KATARA!"

Happy New Year everyone!