Katara,

Two years is a long time. I already can't wait to see you again.

Wow. The Earth Kingdom has been . . . interesting, so far. The walls are brown and large and just . . . I want to explain it but I don't have your way with words! I miss your stories. I'll have to take you here, one day. It's very hot here, but the weather is drier than the Fire Nation, more like the South Pole. I think that's because it's a desert and not tropical. The King lives in a large palace, sort of like mine. He's fine . . . and all, but he has a pet bear, Katara. A pet bear. It doesn't sound that strange on paper but trust me . . . it's weird.

Feel free to call Azula stupid, honestly. I was starting to not mind her again but then she used her bending at my mom when she was angry! That was terrible, and I didn't stay for the fallout but I know Uncle was very mad at her. I guess he isn't the worst person to be.

But the weirdest thing happened yesterday! Lu Ten wanted to wander the . . . poorer side of Ba Sing Se, the Lower Ring. So we went in disguise — I would think that the scar would be really distinctive, but I wore a straw hat and nobody seemed to realize it. We sat down in a tea shop (Lu Ten is definitely Uncle Iroh's son) and there was this girl serving us. Her name was Jin and she sort of kept talking to me. She asked me for my name and I couldn't exactly say Zuko so Lu Ten interrupted and said Lee. Lee. The most basic name in existence.

I sort of just ignored her but then Lu Ten said that she kept coming around because she thought I was cute. Can you imagine it? Me, cute. It was really awkward and I just wanted to leave but Lu Ten wanted to finish his dumb tea. And then she asked me if I wanted to get dinner with her and I was going to say no because it was really awkward but Lu Ten said I wanted to. And he's still my cousin and technically ranks above me so I listened to him.

Yeah. So. Lu Ten took me to this random house and paid the people in it to use their bathroom and he messed with my hair and then we went back at sundown and she was there. It was so awkward, Katara. Like, really really awkward. But Lu Ten left me alone and sent a few guards after me in the shadows and I had dinner with her.

She was relatively nice, but it was just . . . nothing great, you know. Our conversation didn't really flow but she kept trying so we sort of got into it. I swore one of my guards was laughing in the shadows. I really need new ones. I'm fifteen! It was just a strange . . . date, I guess. I ended up telling her I was from the circus.

The circus. Just so you can understand how awkward it was. After that she wanted to go to this fountain, except she wanted the lights to be on, so I lit them up for her because I forgot I was a firebender and that I was supposed to be undercover. She didn't really mind, though.

Okay, whatever, but she kissed me, Katara. It was really really weird and my first kiss and just . . . weird. It didn't feel that right for whatever reason, even though it should have — she knew me as this random Lee guy and not Prince Zuko so she couldn't have been hatching a conspiracy or anything. She was just a nice girl. Kissing is weird and gross, by the way. Don't recommend it.

I ran away after that and Lu Ten just laughed at me and told me that kissing would probably be better when I found the right girl. Sometimes I hate him. No, not really, I like him a lot. But ugh. That was so weird. He said I'm a man now, though I find it weird that an awkward lip smush is an indicator of me being a man.

I hope you could feel my awkwardness through that story. Tell Sokka I miss him too! I can't wait to see you guys. Please tell me a stupid story too, I wish I was with you.

— Zuko

A/N: Remember when you were thirteen and you figured out that your older crush was into someone else and didn't see you that way? Poor Katara.