Dun Dun Dun!

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA or any of its original characters!

Chapter 5: Kuro

It had been a day and Katara was struggling to find a teacher for Aang. They took a small deserted hut with a tiny storage room for hay on the outskirts of the village as free lodgings and were running low on food. Katara announced that she was taking a bit of money and going to town.

"Alone? A girl walking around in a fire bender village?" Her brother retorted. Katara gave him a confused look, "You mean you don't notice how guys look at you? Remember Haru? Jet? What about in Omashu? And in the North Pole? Come on!" He looked at the two oblivious people in front of him. "No one noticed? You guys must be BLIND! Look, I'm coming, okay?"

Katara, not looking for an argument agreed. Normally, she would've made some sort of sarcastic remark, but she was in a hurry.

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"Dad, I hate the marketplace!" said Kuro impatiently, "I want to go to war! Besides, all the girls always follow me around!"

" You're too young to go to war, you're only 15," Said his tired father, "Be content with your admirers. Besides, I need your help finding that meat your mother wanted for our dinner tonight. I don't know why they follow you around so much though, it's a lot more attention than what I got when I was your age..."

"I'm rich, handsome, a talented fire bender, and an amazing warrior! Of course the girls love me, I--" he looked up and saw Katara walking around looking amazed... but she with an older boy, I can fix that, she's beautiful, and look at all the guys looking at her... he thought to himself, "I think I'll go look around." His father looked surprised and then saw the new girl walking towards the fruit stand, his son walking in their direction. He thought to himself I suppose we'll be having a guest for dinner tonight.

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"Katara, just pick some fruit and hurry u--" Sokka was pushed out of the way by Kuro, "Hey what was that for?" He said angrily, but Kuro was already talking to Katara.

"Your name's Katara, huh? So, what's a pretty girl doing with the likes of him?"

"He's my brother," she said flatly, "and I don't like it when people push him around."

Shoot... bad move. "Oh, I see, and I'm sure he's a great warrior," he said to a smirking Sokka, who was eyeing him suspiciously. "How would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" She turned around and looked at him with her soft blue eyes, she raised her eyebrows. Hmm... blue eyes are uncommon in the fire nation... he thought admiring them. "You have pretty eyes." He guessed that got to her.

"Sure, I'll come over for dinner, but I'll have to leave shortly afetr sundown," Katara said, reading it in her brother's eyes, "My brother is over protective... as I'm sure you noticed." she rolled her eyes and pointed at Sokka, who was examining Kuro suspiciously.

"I'm sure he has every right to be," Kuro said, going for the flattery approach, "see how the boys here look at you?"

"Including you..." Sokka muttered, barely audible. Katara asked him his address indifferently, and Kuro, hoping to impress her said, "Oh it's over there," He said, pointing to the biggest house in the village., "ya can't miss it!"

Katara looked up, nodded, and to Kuro's dismay and surprise, didn't look as if she cared too much about the big and pretty mansion. She walked off after saying good bye and went to the meat stand where she stood in line behind Kuro's smirking father I hope this girl teaches him to stop bragging.

Apparently not because as soon as she walked off Kuro said smoothly, "She so wants me..." Sokka couldn't help hearing this and cracking up.

"You?" he said, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye, "I've seen Katara pay more attention to a TWIG!" Sokka walked off laughing with an angry Kuro glaring at him. In any other case he would've attacked the boy, but he was the brother of the new girl. He didn't want her angry.

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Dinner was uneventful. Katara was obliged though, to accept from an offer she received from Kuro to ask his fire bending teacher to teach "Taang", her "half-brother". The food was better than what she had had in a long time, but other than the offer from Kuro, he bragged all night about his fire bending and money. Katara looking extremely disinterested and Kuro's were parents sending each other amused looks at their son's failed attempts. Finally, Sokka showed up outside the house to pick her up. He looked a bit angry and she soon found out why.

When they got back to the hut, lying by Katara's sleeping bag were about 12 different types of flowers, each with a card in red or purple ink, each from some sort of secret admirer or some such.

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Zuko struggled to find shelter in the woods near the village, he finally found a clearing and set up camp under a canopy of trees and some barely visible stars. He slowly nodded off to sleep, his last thought was what he had seen in the mirror He smiled at the thought and then slapped himself again. He then dozed off.

R&R!

--Vanilla Swirls Of Doom