Episode 1: Not So Cute Meeting

disclaimer: I do not own ATLA.

Zuko should have noticed it the second he walked in the door and everyone was already seated in the classroom. He should have realized it when the teacher started with a lesson right away rather than going over the syllabus like all his other teachers had done the past three years as a business student attending White Lotus University. But it wasn't until they were assigned a weekly quiz and a paper due in two days that he knew something was terribly wrong.

As soon as he got home, Zuko plopped face down on his bed and grumbled into his pillow.

His roommate swirled around at his desk. "Bad day?"

"I thought you said this class was going to be easy," Zuko grumbled.

"It was!" Sokka insisted.

"We have a quiz and a paper due this Friday," Zuko countered.

Sokka shrugged. "Maybe it's the teacher you signed up for."

"Yeah, maybe."

Sokka held up his old schedule and looked it over, then grabbed a second schedule that was on his desk and held it up to compare the two.

"Uhh, what was the class code again?"

"BIO 113."

Sokka's face puckered. "I may have discovered the problem."

Zuko groaned. Past 'discoveries' with Sokka had taught him to expect the worst. "What?"

"You picked up the schedule off my desk?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah?"

"And signed up for the Intro to Biology class listed?" he continued.

Zuko's voice had more frustration in it this time. "Yes."

"It wasn't my old transcript you were looking at. Katara gave me a copy of her schedule this year...the code you used was for my sister's class."

Zuko blinked. "Your sister who is studying to be a doctor?"

Sokka nodded slowly with a grimace.

"I'm in a Pre-Med biology class?!"

"Yeah..." Sokka trailed off. "That's rough, buddy."

"This is your fault! You and your 'senior year can be fun' and all that. This was supposed to be my easy semester."

"Hey!" Sokka dropped the schedules back on his cluttered desk. "Don't blame me, you could have double checked at sign-ups." He paused and took a deep breath. "But no worries. My sister will help you out."

"I didn't even know your sister went here, wasn't she at the North Tribe campus?"

"Yeah…" Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "But she transferred to West Nation this year so she could help out with the bakery."

"And you're just telling me this now?" Zuko demanded.

"I didn't realize it was important!" Sokka replied. "She's coming over on Friday, by the way."

Zuko turned back to his pillow to muffle his exasperated scream.

The two boys had been roommates since sophomore year when they'd moved into this small apartment off campus. It was about a fifteen minute walk to class each day rather than the two it would be if they lived on campus, but the money saved was well worth it.

Despite being roommates and friends for the past three years, Zuko had yet to meet Sokka's younger sister. As far as he knew she'd been studying abroad for her last years in high school and then started her freshman year of pre-med at the South Tribes Campus an hour away.

Zuko had been hearing about the ambitious Katara since he'd first visited the family owned bakery four years ago. Sokka and his father, Hakoda, were very proud of their doctor in training. It didn't matter what you were talking about, the conversation somehow had a way of always making it back to her.

"Could you pass the boiled potatoes?"

"Of course. That reminds me of the time Katara thought mashed potatoes had to be specially grown."

"Right..but, the potatoes?"

"She did the same thing with popcorn, remember?"

"Pota-?"

"Of course! And raisins! Can you believe they're letting her study to be a doctor?"

"POTATOES PLEASE?"

Zuko decided to head down to the tea shop early. The Jasmine Dragon made up the bottom floor of their apartment building and its owner, Iroh, commonly referred to as 'Uncle' by the boys, always knew just what to say.

"Good afternoon, Nephew," Iroh greeted him as he entered. "Where is your brother?"

"Upstairs. Just me tonight, Uncle." Zuko sighed as he slipped into a stool across from the counter. "And I have a dilemma for you."

"Of course, what's on your mind?"

"Do you think the universe laughs at us?"

Iroh chuckled. He moved to the back of the counter and removed a newly boiled kettle. "What particular kind of unpleasantness has befallen you that you've taken ill with destiny?"

Zuko waited until he had finished pouring the tea to steep before answering. "A course at the university. I've waited three years for this! I'm so close to finishing with honors, but if I don't get an A in this class…I won't make it. Sokka says I should let his sister help me but...I've never had to rely on anyone before."

"There is nothing wrong with letting people help you."

Zuko took the tea and held it against his palms, breathing in the soothing steam. The heat of the cup flowed through his body and his shoulders immediately relaxed

"Destiny is a funny thing." Uncle got one of those smiles that seemed to imply he knew more than anyone should. "You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday."

Zuko continued his silent inhalation of his tea. The drink itself was not his favorite but he enjoyed the aromas and heat of the shop. It didn't hurt that the owner always seemed to calm him down adding to the atmosphere of peace.

"I have you working with Jin tonight."

And just like that the atmosphere was shattered. "Uncle, please. You need to move on from that."

"I just think you may be overlooking an opportunity. We were just talking about destiny, were we not?"

"It's my destiny! I'm the avatar! Master of all four elements."

"That's nice, Roku." Katara mused, measuring out the correct amount of sedatives.

"The bridge between man and spirits." The old man continued to declare.

"Is that so? And how are the spirits lately?" she asked with a gentle smile, powdering his final pills into his drink.

"They think the cafeteria needs to serve ice cream. Only then can I bring balance to the world."

"I couldn't agree more." She passed him the medicated water to drink.

Most people hated the psych ward, it was the shift assigned if your mentor doctor thought you needed to cool off or learn a lesson. But, to Dr. Pakku's chagrin, Katara often visited the old souls of the ward and listened to their stories. (They responded well to the calming tones of her voice) and they were better listeners than most of the nurses or other resident student doctors.

A prodigy they called her, born for the occupation. Healing hands, a gentle and calm spirit, a quick mind for fast decisions. She was supposed to do great things, but they wouldn't fast-track her studies, wouldn't allow her to observe in the surgical ward like she wanted.

And why? Because she was a woman.

She'd left the North because of it, instead opting for the more open-minded western campus that had allowed her access to the pre-med program. And she was still noticed for her skills and allowed to progress, but now everyone hated her. Everyone except Ty Lee, a nurse who regularly worked the psych ward when she wasn't doubling as a physical therapist. The girl exclusively wore pink scrubs and her excitable spirit had Katara craving bubblegum whenever she was around.

"What about the Blue Spirit, Roku?" her friend asked the old man they were treating. "Do you talk with him?"

Roku downed his water in one go before grinning up at the nurse. "Of course! That's my great grandson, he visits me often. Lot of turmoil resting in that one."

Katara and Ty Lee caught eyes over the patient's bed for a moment, both acutely aware of the fact that Roku had not had a visitor in either of his two years as a resident of the hospital.

He suddenly grabbed Katara's wrist. Ty Lee moved to help her but Katara only waved her down.

"He would burn, but the moon doesn't always face the sun."

"And the Blue Spirit...he's the sun?"

He let go of her just as fast as he'd latched on. "Yes, my great grandson, he visits often."

"I heard he's responsible for stealing the Tui and La pendants form the museum. They still can't figure out how he did it!" Ty Lee exclaimed. Katara was new to the city, but she still couldn't understand her friend's infatuation with the renown criminal. Apparently he stole priceless artifacts but there had been no record of a call for ransom or of the items being sold on the black market. They assumed he kept them as trophies.

"There's a golden sunstone scheduled to come in tonight for the RanShaw wing and they've added extra security just for him."

"Why do you think he does it?" Katara asked.

"Because he loves the moon!"

She smiled at Roku who grinned widely back at her. "Alright, grandpa, let's get you in bed."

The two ladies helped him into bed, even tucking his long silver beard beneath the covers before starting to put away their equipment. They were so busy with their own thoughts that they didn't notice the shadowy figure leaping across rooftops out the window, just barely visible gilded in the moonlight.

"The moon only shines because the sun burns," Roku muttered.

A flickering lamppost alighted gently on a lone figure crouched in the darkness waiting. He wore a blue mask that marred his vision but sufficiently shrouded his identity for missions such as this. The target was scheduled to finish work at the club any minute.

More people knew about the Blue Spirit's nightly activities as a thief. He enjoyed the challenge of averting higher levels of security but he had no need for the riches. The spirit licked his lips thinking of the golden sunstone that was on its way to the island this very minute. It would be too difficult to capture in transit, they would be expecting him. It was better to case out the mansion later in the week and return in the night for the treasure.

The slam of a door brought him back to the present and spurred the spirit into motion. He leapt across the nearest rooftop for a better view.

As a figure was striding down the side alley, he pulled his leather coat tighter around himself against the evening chill.

"Gotcha."

The spirit slid down the drainpipe of his building to reach the alley floor, then slid along the rain spattered wall after the target. It was easy work creeping behind him on silent feet, the moonlight glinting on the silver flash of a needle.

It was over in an instant. A quick pinch, a muffled gasp, and he was down.

The spirit easily lifted him onto his shoulder and carried the target to his nearby motorcycle. He dropped the man into the back seat, propping him up against the rear backrest before taking a quick snapshot of his face.

The spirit started driving even before the target's identity could be confirmed. He always got his mark. Phoenix industries paid well for getting criminals off the street and he didn't mind the challenge. It was a nice relief from his daytime musings of failure.

Each night he would receive a target and a point of intercept with a sedative dart. And each night he would bring the unconscious target to the prison gates to be processed.

At first he'd done it simply to pay the bills, but since he'd risen to the top rank in the Agni Kai bounty hunter collective, it had become a point of pride.

He hadn't failed yet, and he didn't plan to.

Katara was just pulling out her notebook for Biology when a low, soft voice spoke over her shoulder.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

She looked up to see a man probably a couple years older than her, a senior perhaps. He had black hair that just fell over his eyes and pale skin. She diagnosed the reddened skin across his left eye as a burn scar. It didn't take anything away from his looks. His brown eyes were so light they were gold, like honey. There was a flicker behind them as if they burned with the barest of flames. Whenever he shifted she got a whiff of some kind of cologne like cedar and spice.

"Not at all," she said, motioning to the seat beside her. "I hear it's a rather small class so I'd be glad for the company."

"Right…" he seemed to hesitate as he sat down. "Because this class is for doctors."

"Exactly," she nodded. "Isn't it exciting?"

He gave a halfhearted nod with a grimace.

"So what made you want to become a doctor?" she asked.

He seemed to flush slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, uh, see...I'm not actually...I don't want to be a doctor."

Katara blinked at him in confusion.

"I'm a business major, a senior actually, and I'm taking this class by mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" Her tone had fallen from friendly to hostile.

"Well, it's actually quite funny, I was told about an easy biology class and I just need to graduate at this point so-"

"A business major looking for an easy class," she hummed drily, her eyes narrowed to slits by this point.

"It's not what you think!" he said.

"Oh?" She countered. "You're not the son of a CEO getting a degree so that you can suck on a golden spoon for the rest of your days? You weren't looking for a blow off class to sleep through so you could spend the night doing better things like getting drunk and painting the town?"

"I don't do that," he insisted.

"Really?" Her eyebrows shot up, her tone sneering. "Then by all means, convince me that you're not talking to me in the hopes that I'll help you get a passing grade this term."

The boy's face burned with embarrassment even as he scowled at her. "You're impossible."

Katara laughed mercilessly. "And you're transparent. Just stay out of my way."

The boy seemed to squirm in his seat next to her as the lesson proceeded. She recognized all the signs of restlessness and anxiety in his shaking leg, tapping fingers, and pale, sweaty complexion. He seemed to try and be taking notes but he kept pausing as if his brain had short-circuited. Any time Katara caught herself feeling sorry for him she looked at the brand label on his bag.

Phoenix Industries.

Her hand clenched on her pen and her teeth grit. Then Master Pakku's words registered in her mind.

"Your partner will be the person sitting next to you. No excuses and no exceptions, as a doctor you must learn to work with others. Now-"

She raised her hand.

"Yes, Katara?"

"Master Pakku, may I please speak with you after class?"

"Of course, my dear. Now, as I was saying-"

"What are you doing?" her partner demanded.

She hissed under her breath. "Unlike you, some of us had to work hard to get here and I'm not going to let any business world scum weigh me down."

He slumped down in his chair after that, not even bothering to try and take notes. She could have sworn she saw him breathe steam when Pakku announced he was giving them some time to work with their partners and Katara immediately stood up.

She strode for the desk at the base of the Ampitheater and bowed to her mentor doctor.

"Master Pakku, I'd like to request a different partner."

The older man sighed. "I thought you listened better than that, Katara. No excuses and no exceptions."

"Well then..." Her hands opened and closed in a pleading gesture at her sides. "Can I work alone?"

"The purpose of this exercise is for you to work with people you may not get along with right away." His eyes strayed up to where her partner was undoubtedly watching them. "You may learn more than any of your classmates during this assignment which will only help you when you enter the field."

Katara's mouth was wide, her eyes dropping to the wooden grain of his desk. Here she was on the cusp of achieving what she'd been working towards her entire life and she was being forced to carry some business major affiliated with the very disease she was hoping to eradicate.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do, Katara." Pakku leaned down to catch her eyes. "You're a smart girl. With fierce determination, passion, and hard work you can accomplish anything."

He was right. She was capable. She would figure a way out of this. Her strides were stronger as she headed back to her seat, her partner sitting up as she got close.

"What did he say?" He asked. Katara was caught again by the embers smoldering in his honey-gold gaze.

"Here's what's going to happen," she said low, leaning over the desk to get in his face. "I am going to give you information to collect. You are going to collect it. I am going to create talking notes for you. You will memorize them and we will be fine. You do not ask questions, you do not try to add anything, and you definitely do not talk to me."

She expected him to shrink like most people did when she talked like this, but instead his brows knit together and he leaned towards her with nothing but aggression in the set of his shoulders.

"I am nobody's secretary. I can work-"

"I'm not convinced you even know what that means, trust fund." She cut him off. "You're only worried about your grade, right?"

He only glared at her.

"Well this is me offering my help. Do what I tell you, don't get in my way, and soon enough we'll all be moving on with our lives."

Zuko was just pulling his final tray of cookies out of the oven when Sokka got home.

"Uh oh," his roommate said, dumping his bag in the living room before coming into the kitchen. "You're baking."

"So?" Zuko placed the tray on the stove before closing the oven.

"Soooo..." Sokka's fingers danced over the cooling racks of chocolate chip cookies before selecting one and popping it into his mouth. "Something's wrong. You only bake when you're upset."

"I don't only bake when I'm upset!" Zuko insisted. Sokka gave him a withering look even as he shoved his third cookie into his mouth.

"Well..." Zuko took off his oven mitts and scratched his chin. "I think I met your sister today. She's a real ray of sunshine."

Sokka squinted at him. "Are you sure it was Katara?"

"Definitely," Zuko grumbled then crossed his arms leaning his back against the counter. "We were assigned as partners and she asked to work alone. She told the professor she didn't want some trust fund baby messing with her future."

"Woah, she actually said that?" Sokka spoke through his fourth cookie. "Although that does sound like Katara...Did she know who you were?"

"I don't think so." Zuko rubbed his temples. The baking hadn't done anything to dispel his headache. "Didn't you say she was coming over on Friday?"

Sokka nodded.

Zuko looked down, fiddling with his fingers. "Maybe it's best I'm not here for that..."

"No way, once she realizes who you are she'll change her mind."

"I don't know, Sokka, she seemed pretty adamant."

"Trust me. Just let me talk to her. I can be very persuasive." He fit his ninth and tenth cookie into his mouth at once.

Zuko sighed. "I'm doomed."