A/N: Happy (late) Halloween everyone! Sorry this is so late. I've been doing a fair amount of planning into my new story: OOAD and I had a small gathering with some friends on Halloween night so I didn't get time to write. Also have a new Tyzula oneshot coming out soon (something new I'm trying).

Chapter 25: Showdown

Last Time:

Sokka scoffed.

"That's it? No way they're actually together. He's playing her, just like he's played every other girl in the school."

"You didn't have a problem when he was playing all the other girls," Toph mused.

Sokka clenched his fist.

"He wasn't playing and inevitably hurting my sister all those other times."

Suki sighed.

"She's right though. Sokka, we lost any right to try and dictate her life when we abandoned her two years ago. Even if we never meant to hurt her. Even if we've been trying to protect her in what little ways we still can since then."

Sokka turned his gaze to the dreary sky, perfectly reflecting his mood.

"Believe me, I know."

As Aang and Katara walked into school Monday morning, his arm around her waist, it seemed like all eyes were on them.

Whispers flooded the halls, side-eyes and snarky comments commonplace as the crowd parted for them, no one daring to associate with the new outcasts of the school.

The two headed straight to first period, eyes averted towards the ground as the scrutiny enveloped them on all sides.

"So," Meng asked as they got seated for Psychology, "How much did you have to pay Aang to say you're his girlfriend you filthy floozy? Or did you just blackmail him with something?"

Aang narrowed his eyes, subtly using a gust of air to push Meng out of Katara's face as Iroh opened the door to the classroom.

"Screw off, Meng. In case you haven't noticed, you're the only one actually bothered in this situation," Katara telepathized to her, smirking as she did so.

Meng jumped back in surprise.

"Wait, what-"

"SEATS, CLASS!" Iroh boomed from the front of the room.

"Now, it is time to get started. Today," he started writing on the chalkboard, "we are discussing the benefits of tea, both mental and physical."

The whole class sighed, albeit Zuko a little more enthusiastically than the rest, as they got out their binders to take notes.

The morning few classes continued like the first- there would be a few snarky remarks by a few jealous girls (and the occasional boy as they realized in Art class), and then the teacher would tell everyone to settle down as class began. The real drama, as everyone knew in the back of their minds, would happen at lunch.

Lunch. Katara bit her lip nervously just thinking about it. If the whole school didn't already know, they certainly would after nearly a third of the school congregated for the daily gossip hour that the administration tried to classify as lunch.

At lunch, everyone would be there. All of the jealous fangirls, some of the most vicious gossip-mongers who thrived on drama such as theirs, and of course, the queen bee herself, Azula.

Everyone knew Azula had her eye on Aang. She was the favorite princess of a nation that had been subtly increasing their militia and tightening their controls on their people from the shadows. The Fire Nation was already setting up for something big, anyone with half a brain could sense the tension, and the Crown Princess and the Avatar ruling side-by-side would make them unstoppable.

Of course, Aang realized this and put an end to it rather quickly. He had no interest in being with someone who simply wanted him to manipulate him and broke up with her right before winter break. The rumors had circulated for weeks after that, even well into the New Year.

"I hope that doesn't happen to us," Katara thought. "I don't want to be the center of attention..."

"Although," she mused, "I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if Aang and I were in it together."

"Head up, buttercup. We're here," Aang quipped to her as he motioned for her to lead him to her table as they felt countless eyes following their every move. He couldn't exactly sit where he used to.

"So, Katara, my gorgeous girlfriend who is so obviously blackmailing me, how was your day so far?" Aang deadpanned loudly, both benders rolling their eyes when they heard someone whisper-shout "I knew it!"

Katara gave him a look.

"We're really doing this?"

"Hey- if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"Well then, my day was quite-"

"Well, well, well... look what we have here."

Katara and Aang froze as they heard the familiar eerily calm drawl enter the lunchroom.

"A poor choice on your part, honestly, Avatar. You could have had any girl at all, had the Fire Nation cowering at your feet and yet, you choose to waste your status on that peasant," Azula hissed.

"Honestly, I hope you don't expect to come back from this. You've gone and sacrificed all your connections, all your potential informants to save you from the treachery that you so naively can't see when it's right in front of you, and for what? This peasant who you will lose interest in within the week?"

Aang narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something but Zuko beat him to it.

"Back off, Azula."

Azula carelessly rolled her eyes, scoffing.

"And what are you going to do about it, Zuzu? You can't even get our own father to consider you for the throne. You constantly are shown up by your little baby sister- to be honest, it's getting quite pathetic."

Some quiet oohs emanated throughout the lunchroom.

Azula continued, walking towards him.

"You, just like that weak little Air Nomad over there, have done nothing to earn your position. You don't have talent- people love you for your position, not you. Until now you've always had mother to save you from tricky situations- well," she chuckled darkly, "Not today, brother."

"I was born lucky, you were lucky to be born!" she spat, their gazes locked.

Zuko looked away first, picking up his lunch tray.

"You're right, Azula. I haven't done anything to get where I am. But that's about to change I promise you."

He dumped his lunch tray on her, mashed potatoes and gravy seeping into her shirt.

"If I were you," he began, opening the door out of the cafeteria, creating a creak amongst the otherwise silent room, "I'd watch out."

And the door slammed shut behind him.

A/N: Gotta love that epic showdown huh? Review!