When Katara seeks comfort in the wrong places, she pushes away Aang, who is now disillusioned by the war. Modern AU.

I know this is a bit short, but it's going to span quite a few chapters. I've intentionally left some of the backstory out, part because i'm still deciding parts of it.

Either way, please Review. I really appreciate all constructive criticism, and if i get enough reviews i'll probably have the next chapter out sooner.

"I just don't see what you see in him…" he said.

Katara smiled, though she was a little annoyed. They'd had this conversation already. She sighed and turned to face him. "That's 'cause you aren't his girlfriend, Aang." Katara replied with a smirk. She could see the airbender's scowl, which was an unusual expression for the monk. He had changed so much since the war. They all had, of course, but Aang the most. Katara found it hard to believe that the person standing before her left for war a cheerful boy clad in monk robes. He was now a sullen, young man wearing the slim fitting jeans, converse, and hoodie someone would expect on anyone but the Avatar. Before he could begin again, Katara decided to try to change the subject.

"Can we just enjoy the walk?" she said as she turned her back to him and started walking down the beach again. "The stars are out, the moon is bright, and the war is over. Can't I just have my smiling monk back? I haven't seen you smile since you got back." Her only response was a scoff, though she heard Aang's feet shuffling on the ground, letting her know he was walking again. She knew that was all she was going to get from him, but it was better than nothing.

Katara had noticed that Aang had been rather gloomy since he got back two months ago, and it was hard for her to see her best friend like this. She was determined to cheer him up though, so she had brought them here. The young waterbender plopped to the ground, patting the sand next to her as she lay on her back, looking at the stars in the sky. She waited until Aang sat down beside her before she spoke.

"Doesn't this remind you of the old days?" she said with a nostalgic sigh. Neither of them were old, but they both knew what she was talking about. Katara looked over at Aang to see if he had heard her. He was sitting on his rear, legs bent up, his arms crossed and supported by his knees. Though his chin was rested in his arms, Katara could see he had a distant look in his eyes as he furrowed his eyebrows, so she was sure he had heard and was just thinking of what to say.

After what seemed like forever, Aang finally spoke. "Things were so much simpler back then.," he said, though his arms muffled his voice. "It used to be "master all four elements, then stop Ozai". We thought that'd be the end of it. I thought that'd be the end of it…" His voice trailed off as a shiver ran through him.

Katara didn't know what to say, so she just sat up and rubbed his back. She felt him stiffen, and then relax. "Aang…" she said, still at a loss for words, but hoping something would come to her. Before she could think of something though, Aang started speaking again.

"Kids shouldn't go to war, Katara. Never. Not even the Avatar." He said, a sorrowful tone to his voice. Katara shuddered at the sound of his voice. "Was it that bad?" was all she could think of to say. The look he gave her as he turned to face her made her immediately regret her words. "I mean… it's just that…. We did sneak around the world and fight for our lives for 6 months… how was this any different?" She said, hoping she wasn't digging her hole deeper.

Aang slumped his head back into his arms, but responded faster than he had before. "We weren't sneaking around Katara. I wasn't learning how to waterbend or earthbend or firebend. I was learning to field strip an army rifle, clean it, re assemble it, and have it loaded within 3 minutes. It wasn't like we could just knock them back anymore. We weren't trying to escape. We were trying to…stop them from hurting more people." The pause in his sentence didn't escape Katara. Again, before she could think of something comforting to say, he started again.

"You know, when we were just kids running around, trying to get me ready to face Ozai, I couldn't help but think it was exciting at times. I may not have wanted that much responsibility as a kid, but it was fun. You found me in that iceberg and we went around the world together having adventures." Even though he said everything with a melancholy tone, Katara realized this was the happiest he'd sounded since he'd come back. "It wasn't like that Katara," he continued, "it wasn't an adventure… Remember the siege at the north pole?" Katara nodded, remembering the battle. "Everything seemed hopeless. There were so many…" Aang interrupted her before she could continue.

"Do you remember what I said after the first day?" Katara nodded again, "You said that you were just one kid." She looked away, feeling her cheeks burn with shame as she slowly realized what Aang was getting at.

"It was like that, except not one day. It was 4 years, Katara. 4 years of being the one kid the battle was hinged on. They saw me as an asset on the battlefield." Katara felt there was more to it than that, but let him keep talking. This had been the most he'd said at all since he'd come back, let alone about the war.

Aang suddenly turned to face her, a sad look in his eyes. "And it wasn't just the battles Katara. It was being away from everybody. Away from you… and I'll never forgive myself for that. I should've been there for you. I know these last few months have been hard for you." It was Aang's turn to look away in shame, and he buried his chin in his arms again.

Katara just looked at the ground and started dragging her fingers through the sand. She had known that it must've been hard, but she'd never imagined… She had started out trying to find out what was bothering him. Ironic that what was bothering her was part of it. The young woman smiled up at her friend and tried to comfort him. "You shouldn't feel bad for that. You were in a different country in the middle of a war. I didn't expect you to drop everything and come running just to make me feel better. Besides, I've had help from…." She immediately regretted her words, and saw that another scowl was spreading across Aang's face. They were back where they'd started.

"From Jet", he said, completing her sentence. Katara almost winced at the venom in his voice. She wondered if part of his distaste for her boyfriend was because he had been here when Aang wasn't. Not that she thought of it like that, but she wouldn't be surprised if Aang did. "I know you don't like Jet…" She started, but Aang didn't let her finish. "Don't like him? Katara, he's a dirt bag. What do you see in him?" She could feel her temper rising, but before she could get it under control, Aang kept going. "He's shallow, close-minded, and he's so god damned arrogant!" Katara had never heard him speak that harshly, but she wasn't just going to let this slide.

"Look, Aang, I know you don't like Jet, but try and understand. I know he's rough around the edges, but to me, he's sweet, and kind, and gentle," She said in Jet's defense, "and it's not just that… he was there for me when I needed someone. Jet cares about me, Aang." Katara hoped he'd accept that as an answer, but she could tell that wasn't the end of it. "Do you really believe that Katara? Are you really that naïve?" he said, more and more frustration seeping into his voice. "I've seen him, Katara. He doesn't give a shit about you."

Katara jumped up from the sand and stood over the still seated airbender. "You know what Aang? I've had enough of you attacking Jet! I know you would've been there for me, but the fact of the matter is that Jet was there for me!" She yelled, jabbing her finger at him. Aang jumped up from the sand, an angry expression on his face. "Oh, he was there for you, was he?" He yelled back. Katara realized this had been the first time he'd ever yelled at her, but that didn't make her back down.

"You don't know what it was like! You don't know how I felt, how I feel!" She screamed at him. She spun on her heel to hide her tears, and she could already feel her voice falter before she spoke. "It was s-so hard… but Jet could understand. Jet knows what it's like to lose your parents. Something you'll never understand because monks raised you! You never met your parents! You don't know what it's like to lose someone you love!" She screamed, shaking with rage as the words left her mouth. She spun around to continue her assault, but stopped.

Aang was gone.