"Now class... who can recite for me the seven vectors of Psycho-Social development?"
Ms. Wu's young teaching assistant visited her Cultural Enrichment class every Friday, and while Aang tried to take this woman seriously... he couldn't believe this "Miss Joo Dee" could actually speak in that sugary voice on a regular basis. She was lovely, which brought some twelve-year-olds her attention... but having the entire classroom sit on the oriental rug like a bunch of kindergartners certainly made students snicker under their breath.
Toph was one of them, and Ms. Wu quickly nominated her to answer Miss Joo Dee's question.
"Oh, crap. Um..." the little Earthbender flinched and looked up to Miss Joo Dee's direction. "I know one of them is Establishing Identity, or... or was it Integrity?"
Miss Joo Dee sighed almost too melodramatically. "No, dear. I'm sorry, I'm afraid that's not good enough for full credit. If you want to answer the question correctly, you should say the First Vector is so-and-so, the Second Vector is this-and-that. You understand?"
Toph raised a brow and just scoffed at the woman's delicate voice. "Yeah, lady. But I don't think the other four-year-olds in the room got it. Maybe you should repeat it again."
"Toph!" Ms. Wu summoned assertively, seeing the young teacher blush red. "You know better than addressing our guests improperly. As a Bei Fong, it is your duty to set a good example for your Year-of-the-Rat classmates."
The little Earthbender nodded, but groaned under her messy bangs and just kept picking the dirt between her toes. Aang smiled just small enough for On Ji to notice. He hoped the airbenders could learn from a headstrong little girl like that.
It had been almost two weeks since the Azula's major ceremony in the woods, and Aang had done all he could to try and regain the airbenders' trust. That he wasn't the terrible, dangerous-looking Avatar-in-Training. No matter which class he was in, On Ji seemed to be the only one remaining at his side, pretending that those looks of sympathy from the other students weren't happening. What kept him going throughout the day… as much as Toph or On Ji would tease him about it… was the musical laughter of a girl that Aang had the privilege of seeing twice a week for Waterbending practice.
His heart was beating rapidly, counting down the minutes before class ended. All he could think about was the lovely eyes of Katara meeting him near the water-tennis court for practice that afternoon.
"Would anyone else like to try?" Miss Joo Dee kept smiling her wide smile, as if she'd never seen a commotion in her life. None of the kids looked up this time, so she gestured over the young airbender with the bald head. "Aang... let's see if you remember!"
"What?" He'd been reminiscing about Katara's water-whip from their last practice, he couldn't even remember what the question was! Desperate, he turned over to On Ji, who gestured a 'seven' with her fingers at him. "Oh!... uh, the first one is being Competent, the second one is Managing... managing Stress, the third one is... being Independent?... the fourth one is Relationships, the fifth one is Establishing Identity. And... um, I can't remember the others..."
On Ji raised her hand promptly. "The sixth one is Developing Purpose, and the seventh one is Intelligence... right?"
Miss Joo Dee gave a half-hearted smile at both of them, but shook her head in dismay. A few of the students began to snicker again. "I'm sorry, dears, but you were so close. The second one is actually Being Interdependent, and the seventh one developing Integrity."
The young teaching assistant sighed, as if establishing these two kids were doomed to be failures for the rest of their lives.
"Dumb airbenders," snickered one of the kids from the back, and Toph furrowed her brows angrily, immediately pounding the ground to send a tremor over to the kid. An unexplainable 'ow!' then followed, and Miss Joo Dee flinched with discomfort.
"Did… did somebody just Earthbend in the classroom?" The young teaching assistant started playing with her hair nervously, glancing over to Ms. Wu for guidance.
"I got a better question," Toph retorted, flicking a piece of dirt from her toenail. "How about you tell us why we need to know this stuff?"
"B–because it's educational psychology!" Miss Joo Dee said defensively, still fumbling with her hair to keep from shaking nervously. "It will help you understand the mental and psychological phases you are going through as individuals."
"Well what the hell does that have to do with Cultural Enrichment?" Toph challenged her, not even lifting her head to acknowledge the woman's authority. Ms. Wu seemed utterly insulted by such a comment, feeling like the question was aimed at her. "This class is a joke... where's the Culture? All we do is talk about stuff that normal people wouldn't say out loud: 'I'm a Year-of-the-Rat, and it's raining. Therefore, I should write to my grandmother and bake dumplings.'"
Ms. Wu shook her head furiously, which somehow made the young teacher take a new breath of confidence before she spoke.
"Cultural Enrichment means that you learn to appreciate parts of everyday culture... what it means to be a human being." Miss Joo Dee was trying so hard to sound professional, in a begging sort of way. "I believe you're confusing yourself with Geographical Culture, dear."
"Wait, I know," Toph wasn't going to give up her argument, and Aang wasn't sure if he should be supportive or nervous now. Her voice was becoming more and more sarcastic to the poor young teaching assistant. "How about we learn stuff about the damn nobles of the Earth Kingdom? I have tons of Bei Fong artifacts at home. Maybe I can bring one for Show n' Tell!"
"That is enough from you, Toph," came Ms. Wu's utterly disappointed and stern voice. "You know it is against Praying Mantis's classroom mission to bring up cultural heritage in a personal context; all students in this school are considered equals, and we don't judge them based on their Nation or background. Please go visit Mr. Iroh's office."
Aang raised an eyebrow at Ms. Wu, and then looked over to his friend Toph - who looked surprisingly indifferent about it.
"My pleasure," she muttered under her breath.
On Ji and Aang exchanged glances with each other for just a moment, realizing they felt the same way. Something about this school's philosophy needed to change. What the hell was Principal Roku doing?
Things seemed to go from bad to worse along the corridors of the school, as Loung did all he could to get from one class to the next without every other student asking him if he was alright. Sokka felt bad for the kid, watching Loung's eyes shift in all directions like a radar... hoping to find Brei An or Suganya or anyone from their group to prevent dealing with this madness alone.
Sokka sighed harshly as he made it to his locker, and at the corner of his eye, he saw Suki approaching him in her Kyoshi makeup.
He managed to say "Hey, Suki" as he opened the locker.
She didn't say anything back to him, but her green eyes stared at him blandly, pursing her lips as if to keep from saying something obscene. Sokka arched an eyebrow at the way she was breathing, but he just kept talking, gathering some books out of his locker.
"I'm sorry I couldn't see you at lunch yesterday – I told you it was gonna get crazy. Azula's bashing on the Water Tribes now... and I gotta keep an eye on Katara in case she tries to do something stupid. This presidential campaign is getting way too out of--"
Sokka couldn't even finish his sentence. Her hand spiked across his cheek too quickly.
Everyone around them turned heads, watching Suki's delicate Kyoshi makeup suddenly stream artistically with tears. It took a few seconds for Sokka to regain composure, caressing his cheek and turning his widened blue eyes towards Suki and her unexplained breaking point.
His whole world had slowed down, then. Sokka'd never seen her so distraught, and the thought of approaching Suki seemed terrifying.
"W... What was that for??" Sokka attempted nervously, trying to tune out the whispering students that surrounded them in that locker-room.
Before he even noticed it in her hand, Suki crumpled a piece of paper and tossed it violently to his face. The paper hadn't even touched the ground before Suki turned on her heel to scamper off... the small sobs in her voice trailing along with her.
Students turned their heads like dominoes watching Suki's form disappear along the hallway, but Sokka's eyes remained on the crumpled paper. Carefully, feeling like his entire body had just been bruised, he un-crumpled the piece of paper... and read the small kanji content within.
Dear Sukz,
This campaign is getting really out of hand, and I wish it could be the only excuse for my attitude lately, but... I just don't think it's working out between us.
I'm in love with Princess Yue. The truth is... I've been in love with her for two years, and you've no idea how painful it's been for me to put you in the middle of all of this.
We both know that I'm a proud Water Tribesman, and now that Azula's threatening our Nation, I have to protect the people I love most. Katara needs my help, and Princess Yue means everything to me, so please don't take this the wrong way... it's a cultural thing. For once, I need to know if she feels the same way about me.
Don't hate me, Suki. I hope we can still be friends after this whole campaign thing is over.
See you at rehearsal,
Sokka
The boy almost forgot he had blood running through his legs, trying to keep himself from falling to the floor as he stared at the handwriting in the letter. It wasn't his -- that was certain – but the generic Chinese kanji made it impossible to decipher who'd done such a horrible thing.
But two things were painfully clear to Sokka:
Azula was dangerously clever. She may have not written the letter itself, but she had a source - someone who knew anything and everything about the students in the school. It was almost sickening, the way she was trying to make Suki (and perhaps others) hate the Water Tribes... believing that his sister's mission for Unity would ultimately separate the cultures more.
And the other?
Sokka crumpled the paper violently to get the heaviness out of his stomach. This letter wasn't fair... it wasn't going to make things any easier... and the boy launched the ridiculous, twisted letter towards the wall.
He should've brought Princess Yue up much earlier in the game.
"How's the wrist holding up, Sharpy?"
Jet could notice her even from a small distance as he and the Oak Tree clan were taking a break from their dance routine. Mai was briefly massaging her painter's muscles, with the same cloth bandaged around it from that unexpected "crashing" of Azula's airbending ceremony. They hadn't said a word to each other after Katara's campaign meeting… but Jet remembered the warmth of Mai's arms so well. And it surprised him, the way she was so stern, looking at him as if that episode of tears had not happened at all.
"It's alright." Mai spoke up indifferently, but felt her heartbeats quicken. She was upset that she couldn't hold a paintbrush so gracefully as usual. Not for another week, at least. Still... she sat in front of her canvas near the forest like a habit, wondering what her next subject would be. "Her highness hasn't put up a fight with me since then."
"That's good to hear," Jet smiled, stretching his calve muscles. "But she gave me a hell of a glare in Geometry today. She do that to you, too?"
"No," Mai said simply, keeping her form steady as she sat in front of her easel, looking over at her paintbrushes. "Your squats are too slow in transition, just so you know."
Mai said this out of her critical eye... and Smellerbee blinked through her thick eyeshadow while wiping her face with a towel. The scrawny girl was just about to retort, but Jet turned to his friend in an assuring look, silently saying that he could handle this alone.
"Thanks," Jet replied to her meekly. "And how long were you watching us, exactly?"
Mai sighed, shaking her head at the boy's teasing attempt. "About ten minutes."
"And did you enjoy it?" Jet couldn't help but smirk and keep going. "You should've said something, and not make me look like an idiot. How about you show me what it is I'm doing wrong?"
Smellerbee scoffed, crossing her arms silently, while Longshot couldn't help but chuckle. By the way this conversation was going, the young archer thought it was best to leave them alone... and he slowly placed a hand on Smellerbee's shoulder, gesturing for them to take a water break inside the school. Pipsqueak soon got the hint as well, and got up from the ground to follow suit.
"I'm not a dancer; I just notice things in detail." Mai lashed at Jet in her husky voice, but the boy just laughed, already sensing his friends leave the Oak Tree behind him.
"You're impossible, you know that?" Jet placed his hands on his hips in a mockingly disappointed gesture. "I'll bet you've never even tried to hold a rhythmic foot in your life."
"I've been to enough dances to know I don't like them."
Mai began to pack her art supplies up, half-heartedly, in order to give herself something to do.
"School dances?" Jet wondered out loud, as he couldn't remember seeing Mai face in any school social function from last year. Not even at the Year-End ceremony.
"More like royal banquets," the girl replied flatly "in the Fire Nation palace."
"Ah, the formal stuff, huh?" Jet made a rather exaggerated bow at the waist, keeping his heel rather professionally balanced. It made the girl's face suddenly fill with a slight pink color. "Can't say I would know much of that."
"Yeah, I know," came her reply, keen and honest and indifferent.
"Oh, I see how it is..." Jet found his opportunity to tease. "You're judging me now."
"What?" It was unbelievable, how a simple tease of words took Mai so aback with guilt. Her nerves were practically going haywire beneath her skin. "I was just agreeing with the fact that, that you... don't see much of..."
Jet could only watch, amused, fighting hard not to snicker. If only you knew, Sharpy... he thought... what power you have over me.
Her fidgeting for words were nearly driving him insane, and Jet decided to save her humiliation with another disappointed shake of his head. "Listen, can I ask you a favor?"
Mai looked back at him with an intake of breath, those chocolate brown eyes suddenly glimmering to her by the sun. The fact that she didn't say anything else, how she waited for him to speak further... was enough proof to Jet that her feelings were at a crossroads. He smiled gracefully, and extended a hand to the distant girl.
"Show me how to dance like the rich kids."
And she raised a brow of absolute disbelief at him, for what seemed forever. Then, a sound came from her. A glorious sound. It was like her husky voice had thought about chuckling or laughing, and Mai wasn't able to choose. She closed her eyes briefly, covering her mouth for the habit of good manners... and as she brought herself back at the boy again, her laughing stopped.
"Alright. Enough."
Mai slowly lifted herself up from her easel, taking a breath as she approached the obtrusive boy near the Oak Tree to give him a piece of her mind. Or show him, rather. Her face was almost expressionless, except for the small grin that formed at the moment she met his eyes, and Jet couldn't help but cross his arms with anticipation.
Without asking him, she took both of his hands away from his frame professionally... her gentle fingers taking Jet by surprise. The way she extended their arms initiated the stance of a formal dance, and Mai nervously looked away, wondering how close she should make them be.
"I don't remember all the steps of the Kyrad, but it's a ballroom dance of the Fire Nation."
Jet smiled, and Mai tried to ignore those tiny moths suddenly fluttering into existence in her stomach. Her gaze briefly went back to her painting easel, wondering why the hell she decided to put up with this humiliation instead. This is stupid, she thought. He's... he's just a boy.
The boy kept his eyes locked in her lovely face, as she turned back to look at him sternly and made the first prominent step to the Kyrad waltz. Jet followed like a mirror, without any hesitation.
It was all strange for Mai... as if reliving a childhood dream in the ballrooms of the Fire Nation royal palace, watching her own parents dance among the many lovely couples. She had been a spectator at that age, sitting quietly next to Zuko as she watched their mothers' enchanting gowns take heed of the marble ground like a silk napkin floating in thin air. But the nervous moths overtaking Mai's system were keeping her eyes to her footsteps, and the girl did not feel like a floating napkin at all. Her grip to Jet's hands was almost cutting the boy's circulation.
She refused to let her eyes leave the ground. Their steps were very basic and slow, but Jet managed to pick up the rhythm a little faster.
He shook Mai's tightened grip to get her attention away from the ground.
"Mai... look at me."
The way he said her name sent a chill down her spine, and she closed her eyes. He wasn't going to have that power over her. "I'm concentrating."
"Please?"
He sounded so encouraging, so sure of himself, Mai was almost losing the rhythm to her steps. And Jet decided to make an impromptu turn on her with an arm, and it took the girl by immediate surprise... letting go of the boy's grasp.
That was when she met his eyes, squarely. With bite.
"What is this, Jet?"
She was sick of playing this little game, and the boy just looked at her, stunned by the harsh simplicity of her voice.
"Is this some sort of twisted experiment? Trying to help the mysterious pity case out of her shell?" Mai bit her lip to restrain the anger brewing in her voice. "Or is this a self-fulfilling prophecy for you... proving that you can get any... any girl you want...?"
The young Earthdweller held his breath, his eyes glimmering slightly from the unexpected memories that distilled his mind. Her tone was hurtful, and Jet did not know whether to be more frightened or fascinated by that change. The boy let his hands drop to his sides, surrendering his pursuit for the time being, and just let soft brown eyes lock with the copper ones he adored.
"What else do you want from me?" she declared, her voice shaking. "What do I owe you?"
"Mai, you don't owe me a thing." Jet said assertively, making the girl's mouth close tightly. In a soft voice, the boy continued to speak his mind. "Look, I understand why you would think I'd do something to hurt you, but... but it's not like that anymore."
"Really?" she questioned. Mai didn't blink once, and in her mind, she must've looked like such an idiot to him. As if she didn't know a thing about this boy's past.
"Earth Kingdom's honor," and the boy placed a fist over his heart as a respectful salute, which to Mai looked incredibly familiar. Jet took another small breath, as if trying to rid himself of a small rock that was lodged in his throat, and he spoke once again.
"Can I ask you to do just two things for me? I swear I won't bother you anymore."
Mai's eyes rose, almost mesmerized by the fact that Jet had brought up more favors at this point. She just stared at him, silently telling him to continue. It was something about the way her eyes just fixed themselves onto him... glimmering from the sun... that gave Jet a rush of confidence, and a grin.
"One. Please don't go all judgmental and leave with the second thing I ask."
Her lips pursed, almost immediately regretting this stupid little game.
"And two... you ready for this one?"
She blinked. "Yes."
"Because it's good... I'm just warning you."
"Yes!"
"I'm serious. It's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long--"
"Oh, will you PLEASE just say it!"
Jet widened his grin.
"Will you join me at the White Lotus for some chicken and dumplings this Friday night?"
Her head just feel slightly back, amazed at the overwhelming sum of those words and taking a long second to respond. "White Lotus? You mean the orphanage?"
"Hey, don't be judgmental," Jet reminded her wryly, but Mai narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "And you won't have to see me again after this. Hell, I'll even switch schools if that makes you happy... but just give me Friday night."
She looked elsewhere, her nerves shaking from the young boy staring hopefully at her. This didn't sound as awful or intense as going through a foggy swamp with adventure-prone children, or leaping along branches of tall Redwood trees in the forest. And the boy did say, he wasn't going to bother her anymore afterwards.
"Okay."
And Jet smiled instantly, like a ton of weight had just fallen from his shoulders. "Okay! So just meet me at the White Lotus on Friday after school, and we'll head on over to the marketplace."
"Marketplace?"
"Well, yeah... we're cooking for almost forty kids. We'll need a ton of chicken and dumplings."
He smiled again, and Mai just glared at him, dumbfounded, having absolutely no idea what she'd just agreed upon. Didn't he realize that she'd never picked up a wooden spoon or a raw vegetable in her life?
"I know the Duke'll be happy to see you." Jet dared to speak again to the patronized, pale girl in front of him. "It'll be fun. Trust me."
There wasn't anything else to be said in that moment, but Jet just watched Mai stare at him condescendingly, as if wondering what the hell Friday night would have in store for her. Or maybe, Jet thought... she was debating if this outing -- a cooking night for an entire orphanage full of kids -- qualified as a date? Just the idea of that in her head was enough to make Jet chuckle.
He was so nervous, too.
The way her copper eyes thinned into a skeptical, yet amused form gave Jet such a desire to approach and embrace her right there... but he didn't. He knew it would make things much more awkward than they needed to be. So he just smiled, as if assuring to Mai that she wouldn't regret this decision, and he said "see you in Geometry!" like their recent talk had already faded into the past.
And Mai couldn't understand... even as the boy turned on his way to go... why her heart was suddenly beating so fast.
He punched the air in front of him eagerly, gritting his teeth like a habit as he set the fresh fireball off into a straight line. As he brought himself back to gym floor, he crouched like a graceful tiger-monkey… putting all of his strength into his knuckles as they held the rest of his body above ground. He gazed at the only source of light, however, watching the fireball trail off into opposite wall of the martial arts arena, until it faded and the darkness consumed the place.
This was his sanctuary… where his conscience did not feel questioned or threatened by others, and the voices of judgment seemed miles and miles away. Sometimes, Zuko wondered why he enjoyed practicing Shaolin in that vast arena with the lights out. Perhaps it was due to the intensity of the darkness… how it motivated him to Firebend even stronger for the anticipation of light, and the intricate beauty that its patterns made in the air.
He leapt off the ground, making a full-body turn in the air and releasing a spiral of fire from his two feet before landing again. Watching the twisted ladder of light go off into the distance, Zuko smiled… and mentally calculated how long it would take for Aang to master the movement.
But then, the lights flickered on.
"Quite the pathetic big brother you've turned out to be, going out on a limb to help that waterbending trash..."
Zuko grimaced, blinking in the new source of light, and the figure that waltzed in along with it.
"Get out of here, Azula," his raspy voice demanded, straining to stay focused on his Shaolin.
"She's going to break your heart, you know," Azula kept approaching him, and he just frowned at her defensively.
"It's not like that."
Azula laughed, sweetly and dangerously. "She inspires you so much, doesn't she? With all of her courage and good wisdom. That whore."
Zuko narrowed his eyes to his sister, with steam practically exhaling through his nostrils, now.
"Azula, I swear... if you do anything to her, I'll..."
The princess smiled warmly, sinisterly. She had him just where she wanted him.
"What, tell mom about it?" She shook her head, almost entertained by the enraged look her brother was slowly building up to. "You know... by helping her, you're turning your back on your own family. Your culture."
"You're wasting your time." Zuko finally got up to be at level with the sister who faced him just yards away. "That's not gonna work on me anymore."
"Look at yourself, brother, breathing like a worn little animal. The Shaolin competition is in a month, and your moves are not what they used to be." Azula smiled that same, degrading little smile. "You're losing grip, dear Zuzu. You're turning into one of them."
"SHUT UP!" Zuko punched a fireball at her, and Azula dodged it gracefully.
Two more figures came in from the north entrance, firing their own attacks on the young prince under the dark clothing that covered their bodies and mouths. As Azula tried to regain herself, her henchmen went towards her brother from both sides, sprinting in their movements. One of them even managed to punch Zuko in the stomach with his feet, and the prince caved in.
His mind went blank for a second as he shut his eyes in pain… feeling his arms get restrained by others, and being forced to kneel to the ground. When his eyes opened, he found his sister facing him just a few feet away. A familiar blue flame had suddenly taken life in her hand.
"Maybe I should scar the other side. You know... for good measure?" She suggested to Zuko in her velvety voice as she approached him, and his mouth gaped. "At least this time it'll look like an accident."
But Zuko launched a fiery attack on his sister with his leg, taking her aback. In an acrobatic maneuver he pushed himself out of the two henchmen's restraint by his endurant arms, summoning two fireballs at them with his fists.
"Chan... Rion Jon... you're making a big mistake helping her."
"Zuko, I think the only mistake is you not voting for your own sister," Rion Jon replied.
Promptly, the two of them lit small flames at the palm of their hands, but Azula's flames got larger and larger as she approached her brother again. From what the young Prince noticed, it was like the flames were crawling up her arms without harming her... all the way to her elbows.
His eyes widened in fear. Not for himself, but for the girl who was suddenly training her body be more resistant to flames. This wasn't part of the Shaolin philosophy at all. It was madness.
"Azula...?" he said nervously.
"No one can be a stronger leader than me, Zuzu. Even you should accept that."
"Azula, I..." Zuko held a hand shakingly up to her, as if pleading for a truce.
But the young woman launched an overwhelming amount of blue flames to her brother's side, and Zuko somersaulted himself away from it, terrified. By the time he rolled back to see his sister... a surprising whip of water appeared from the corner of the room, putting out one of Azula's arms.
She growled, and Roin Jon and Chan immediately ran to her side as Katara and Princess Yue ran out into the middle of the arena.
"You stupid girl..." Azula grimaced, looking only at Katara for the time being. "I could report you for this."
Katara frowned, still keeping her eyes on Azula as she slowly approached Zuko on the ground. "You're right, but the thing is... I didn't attack you."
Yue then crossed her arms in assurance, giving a daring smile over the Fire Nation princess.
Azula shut her lips tightly when she looked at Yue, letting the flames in her arms fade away. As she watched Katara help her brother to a standing position, the furiousness in her copper eyes also seemed to disappear. Her voice became sweet again, speaking to Katara.
"So I suppose you're training all the water-peasants to fight for you now? How noble of them."
Katara scoffed and looked at the princess sternly.
"I'd gladly take you down myself, Azula, but since that will probably get me expelled... I guess I'll bide my time here and piss you off."
Zuko couldn't help but smile at his friend's bold remark. Yue then walked up to speak for her own behalf.
"Scaring the innocent isn't going to help you win the election, Highness. And you can threaten the Water Tribes as much as you want. We will be ready."
Rion Jon and Chan grit their teeth as they stayed next to their princess, but Azula just let those words sink in... as if taking into the account the determination and hope of these peasants. She had to find ways to get rid of their pathetic sense of hope.
Slowly, she gestured her henchmen to start walking away, and with one final assuring glare towards Katara, and Zuko... the young Fire Nation princess made her exit in peace.
It was then that Katara exhaled in breath, as if she'd been holding it for minutes by the presence of Azula. She glanced over to Zuko again, immediately embracing him, and the prince returned her hug with one arm.
"Are you okay?" she asked, still hugging him tightly with comfort.
"I'm fine," Zuko rasped in assurance. "But she's getting stronger."
"What do you mean?" Yue's voice became its usual delicate tone.
The boy took a breath, doing what he could to explain thoroughly the power that his sister was trying to succumb to. It was the darkness of Firebending... when people believed they could control all the energy in their body, not realizing they were being consumed and weakened by it. Azula wasn't an idiot, though... and Zuko knew she'd go to extreme lengths to show the school how powerful of a leader she could be.
"I guess we'll need to watch out for her more, won't we? And Aang, too..." the young presidential candidate claimed, but with a hint of tiredness to her system. Zuko could see it her concerned blue gaze... she didn't know when she would be able to rest peacefully again.
Then he remembered something. "Weren't you supposed to be training Aang today?"
Katara's eyes immediately widened like saucers. "Shoot!"
Yue giggled as she watched her friend scamper out of the room, but as she turned back to acknowledge Zuko... her smile faded. All of a sudden she felt nervous goosebumps form onto her skin, being alone with this mysterious dark boy. With the scar on his face.
Zuko couldn't feel more uncomfortable, either.
"Oh, um... I should go talk to Coach Hama before she leaves for the day," she said quickly, waving a nervous goodbye and following Katara's paces from out the door.
After waving back, Zuko sighed, realizing that he was alone in that room once again. Carefully, he placed a hand to the burned skin on his face, closing his eyes... pretending that it wasn't so big as to not be noticed by others.
Some things would probably never change at this school.
A/N: So, here's a story; I liked this one guy for almost two years, and he was fully aware of that fact but didn't do anything about it. Instead, he used my affection to try and get to the girl he was really hoping to snatch... which he did... but that didn't turn out so well, either. I kinda saw Sokka having girl trouble to that extent, and I do believe he cares about Suki. He probably just doesn't know what love is. Yet. Anyway, more Kataang-ness in the next one. Please tell me any suggestions you have, too, like other characters you'd like to see in the spotlight! --MM
