His Dark Desire
Chapter 10 Boyfriends

"Zuko, you can't be serious," I started, grabbing onto his arm. "You know how manipulative Ozai is. He'll twist you into a bloodthirsty creature, no morals, just evil!"

Zuko looked down and swallowed, "I know, that why I"m bringing you along to watch me."

"No,"

"Katara, please," he picked up my hand, begging me. "I need to know if my mother is still alive."

I closed my eyes, thinking over the very few pro's and the many con's. "Okay, after the Ball, though."

Zuko smiled and we walked back inside the ballroom. As soon as we crossed the threshold, I wiped my worries from my mind and put on a happy smile. I saw Aang and he waved at me from across the room, and I smiled wider. The one thing that I give him that he can keep. Then I was reminded that I need to break up with Aang. All my worries came flooding back.

I excused myself from Zuko, and wove through all the talking, laughing, and flirting courtiers. "Oh, Agni, what have I gotten myself into?" I wondered aloud. I stepped wearily up the stairs to the second floor, stopped at the refreshment table for a quick drink.

"Katara, how are you? I don't think we have spoken during your entire stay here," I looked up and saw Mai staring me down.

"I'm lovely. I have been enjoying my vacation from my duties as an ambassador." I said automatically.

"Wonderful," Mai drawled. "I thought that with all the time you've been spending with the Firelord, you were talking to him about politics, but now you saw you are on a vacation from your duties? How interesting," Her voice began to drip with acid and I could almost smell the sick odor.
"What have you been talking about?"

"Oh, this and that. Earlier we talked about how tiring our responsibilities can be, and we have been talking about our friends."

"Ah, gossip. What a coincidence, I heard a very interesting bit of gossip just this morning."

"Oh, what was it?"

"That you and Zuko are having an affair behind the Avatar's back. The poor boy doesn't have even an inkling of an idea." I narrowed my eyes, and my fist tightened, I felt the water in the cup I was holding turn to ice. "I wonder what the Avatar would do to his girlfriend if he found out, maybe I should advise him."

I had never liked the tall girl, but now something akin to loathing froze my heart. "Mai, why are you doing this? I was planning on breaking up with Aang tonight anyway."

"Don't you want to be a lady, and let your ex feel better by dumping you?" She smiled innocently, and started walking backwards, "Ta!"

I snapped, the ice in my cup turned back into a liquid and flew out, hitting Mai in the face. She screamed and I saw a glint in her palm, I ducked just in time.

"Mai, I have both the Water tribes and the Firelord to back me up, I wouldn't try to kill me just now."

"Well," she snickered. "I'll have the Avatar."

I could still hear the music out in the gardens, although it was nearly dawn. I was sitting by the pond again, letting the turtle ducks nibble on my fingers and toes.

"Hey Sugar-Queen, why are you out here all by your lonesome?" Toph's loud footsteps pounded next to me, and the earth bender plopped down beside me.

"No reason, I guess I couldn't hear myself think, so I came out here where it's quieter."

"Katara, I felt you walk out here over four hours ago. What is going on?"

"I haven't broken up with Aang yet."

Her mouth fell open, "You're going to dump him? Why?"

"I find it very hard to believe that you don't know the reason."

"Ok fine, so what, just because your heart does a jig every time Zuko walks in the room, you're going to break up with Aang?"
"Yes, don't you agree that that's the best idea?"

"Don't get me wrong, you know that I'm all for the idea of you breaking up with Aang, but really, you want to hook up with Sparky? Girl, you need perspective." She shook her head and punched my arm.

"Ouch, I didn't do anything to receive one of your 'affectionate punches!'"

"That one wasn't affectionate." Toph stood up and stomped, the ground hit my rear and I shot up into the air, landing in the pond. "Have fun,"

I squelched out and pulled the water out of my dress, making sure not one part of my dress, hair, and body was wet. "Toph, I hate you sometimes."

She laughed from the doorway. I followed her and quickly found Aang, who was begging Toph to dance with him. She was blushing and ducking her head, but she willingly followed him to the floor. I glanced around the room, searching for Zuko. He was nowhere to be seen.

As the song was ending, I walked the perimeter of the room, looking for my tall, dark, and handsome almost-boyfriend. Just as I thought I saw him, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me to the middle of the dance floor.

Aang wrapped his arms around me and we started dancing.

"Toph says you have something you want to tell me,"

"I - I - Er," My eyes flew around the room, and I stared at Toph, who was smirking up a sandwich. I swallowed, mustering up my courage. "I'll tell you in a minute."

"Ok." My boyfriend looked at me, questioningly, but I paid no attention to him. The silence grew until it was unbearable, the air was so thick with it.

Finally, the droning song came to a close, and I stepped out of Aang's hands.

"Will you tell me now?" He smiled, but then his smile faltered when he saw my expression.

"I want to break up." Aang looked at me like I was joking, but slowly, he realized I was serious. His eyes turned to flat stone, and the voice of a distant Avatar answered me.

"As you wish, Katara. I bid you a good night." And then he was the little boy I found in the iceberg, so many years ago, scared and vulnerable to the world. "Why?"

"Because, I don't love you like that anymore. I won't say we can still be friends unless you want to still be my friend." I looked into his grey eyes.

Those eyes had always been windows to his soul. When Appa had been stolen, Aang's eyes never lit up, if he smiled, it never reached his eyes. Any time he was happy, you could practically see his eyes grinning and laughing. Now, they just looked young and wounded.

"Of course we will still be friends, but I can't say the same thing about your next boyfriend." He tried to smile, and I gave him an extremely quick hug.

I turned around and stepped up the grand stairs, left through the double doors, and walked back to my rooms. I quickly undressed and took a long, hot bath. I twisted the water around me, stood up in the bath-tub and let the water fall down on me like rain. The pattering against my skin soothed my mind and weary body. I stopped the shower of water and dried off, slowly, so I wouldn't jar myself back to worrying. I put on my night robes and collapsed on my bed, falling into an exhausted sleep. I didn't wake up until the afternoon.

I probably only woke up because I was so hungry. I managed to pull myself off my gargantuan bed, make myself presentable, and stumble to the Dinner Hall, where food was almost always being set out for the late or early eaters. Today there were lots of people yawning over their soup or salad. I picked up the first plate I saw, which happened to be a too-spicy salad. Stupid Fire Nuts.

"So how long ago did you wake up?" Sokka plopped down in the seat across from me, purple bags under his eyes.

"About ten minutes, you?"

I never fell asleep, I just came down here to haunt any of my friends that might have managed to sleep." He chuckled weakly, and propped his head up with a fist.

"Why didn't you go to sleep?" I asked surprised. If there were two things that Sokka was the champion of, it was sleeping and eating.

"I was dancing and having too much fun. When the ball finally ended, I didn't think to go to sleep, and by the time I did, they were starting to serve lunch."

"Oh my, Sokka, what are we going to do with you? Aren't you leaving today?" I reminded him.

"Oh, crap. I forgot about that." He squinched up his eyes and pouted. "Mommy, why didn't you tell me it was past my bedtime?"

I rolled my eyes and hit him upside the head. "You are a lunatic." I gulped down my food and set the dirty plate on the counter where a servant picked it up and washed it.

"That I may be, but at least I know not to get tangled in too many love triangles."

"Sokka, go away," I said, shooing him.

He paid no attention, but continued on, "Lets see, Toph likes Aang, but Aang likes Kisana, but is still going out with you, who is head-over-heals for Zuko, who returns the favor, but has to deal with Mai. I think that's . . ." He started to count on his fingers, "Seven triangles!" He shouted, "Take a break sister!"

People at the tables around us, looked at him strangely, shaking their heads when they recognized him as the psycho-Water Tribe boy. I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the corridor.

"Go. AWAY! I really don't need this at the moment. Oh, and by the way, you forgot that I dumped Aang." I turned around and stormed off.