"Why are you staring at me?" she snapped.
He averted his eyes, he had no answer to give her. All too often for his comfort, he found himself studying her. The way she moved while bending, the efficent grace she used while cooking and caring for camp, her smooth interactions with the others. He frowned. She facinated him in a way no other had before. It was confusing and irritating, made all the harder because she treated him with such anger and disdain.
"Well?" she demanded, her shadow falling over him as she stalked to his side.
He glanced up at her, molten eyes meeting her icy blues. He shrugged. "You're... interesting," he said after some thought.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Whats so interesting about me?" she hissed.
Rolling his eyes, he stood, intent on leaving camp. "Nevermind," he growled. He shouldn't have said anything in the first place.
Undaunted, she fallowed him into the tree line. "Tell me," she demanded, "You're always staring- it's creepy!"
"So sorry, Princess," he drawled sarcasticly, "I wasn't aware I affected you so much." He leaned against a tree, facing her.
"Don't flatter yourself," she hissed, "Everytime I look at you, I catch you gawking at me. It happens all the time!"
"You look at me all the time?" he asked, cocking a brow.
She flushed. "No! I just... It's... You're creepy!"
He snorted. "So you watch me, watching you, because I creep you out?"
Katara scowled. "Someone has to keep an eye on you," she hissed.
"This is getting old, Water Tribe!" he growled.
"You may have fooled the others, but I'm not falling for your tricks again!"
"Seriously?! Are you still hung up on that whole Ba Sing Se thing?" he snapped.
"You could turn on us at any time- I wont forget how easy that is for you!"
"How many times do I have to appologize for that?" he asked angerilly, pushing away from the tree and coming toward her.
"Until I feel like you mean it!" she hissed, "You betreyed me!"
"Now it makes sense, this is all about you, huh?" he yelled, "I hurt your feelings so now I can't be trusted?"
"I should have never trusted you- you're Fire Nation!"
"Thats right," he snarled, "Did you think batting your eyes and touching my face would change that? I'll always be Fire Nation!"
The anger in her eyes wavered and for a brief moment, he saw how deeply he had hurt her. "That was different... You were different then," she said quietly, hugging her arms to herself and lowering her eyes.
Guilt washed over him. He hated that he had hurt her- all of them, really, but her most of all. "Katara-"
Her head snapped up at the way he said her name. He was reaching for her, that soft look in his eyes that made her stomach flutter. She longed to let her gaurd down, she wanted to give in, but she hadn't forgiven him for their past yet. She knocked his hands away. "Don't touch me!" she snapped, "Don't ever think you have the right to touch me! I hate you, Fire Nation scum!"
Balling his fists at his sides, he watched her stomp away. Zuko sighed, resigned to the fact that she would never forgive him. It didn't matter what he did, or who he became, he was never going to be good enough. If water was fires biggest weakness, the it made perfect sense that one Water Tribe girl could make him feel the lowest he had ever been.