Response to Reviews:

Salik221: Thank you, that means a lot to me! I agree the story is different than most AUs and I promise it will stay in that lane.

UGudBroXD: I'm glad to hear you enjoyed that! My belief in the canon universe is that he always knew they liked each other, hence why he wasn't too surprised when they kissed.

Edinamabasi: Thank you! I love writing for Azula and she will have a bigger part, which I'm excited about.

A/N: This chapter is beginning of two major arcs for this story, so it's a little longer than the previous chapters. They are technically in junior year so we have about another 20 months left in the timeline. WARNING: Kataang fluff and LIME.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

The bell rang signifying the conclusion of another Thursday at Kyoshi High School. Students bursted from their classrooms, flooding the hallway with chatter. Azula was also very happy as she sauntered down the school hallway with a smirk on her face. She was expecting her usual large allowance from her father and couldn't wait to participate in retail therapy after school. As she approached the office of her father, the sound of whispering froze her. Two hushed voices talking set off alarm bells in her mind. "Maybe this is information I could use for blackmail later," she thought. Pressing her ear gently against the door, her mouth opened at what she was hearing.

"How are the plans coming along with the Avatar, Principal Hitori?", an unidentified deep voice asked. "Well, unfortunately, he wasn't in the car at the time of the accident so that threw a wrench in our plans for a few months. But, his guardian's insistence on moving here has been a success since I have found out the boy is an emotional mess. I heard from my little birds that he had a panic attack at my son's party over some dumb comment. Even with all of that power, he's still weak," Ozai chuckled. The stranger responded, "That's excellent news. The revolution continues." Azula heard shuffling from inside of the room and instinctively jumped back several feet to pretend like she was just walking up to the door now. The two men walked out of the office and Azula recognized the stranger immediately. This was one of the United Forces' admirals...or commanders..she couldn't remember which. She thought back to seeing him at the school last year trying to recruit poor students and kids with no academic future into the military. "What is he plotting with my father?", she wondered.

"Ah, enjoy the rest of your day, Admiral Zhao. Oh, and this is my pride and joy, Azula. The best firebender I have ever seen," Ozai said turning towards his daughter, "Say 'hello' to Admiral Zhao." At that moment, Azula's face became paler than normal. Her hands trembled lightly as she bowed to Admiral Zhao. She steadied herself and forced a friendly smile. While he bowed in kind, she couldn't help but notice a sinking feeling in her gut. She was unsure of what exactly her father was doing, but she knew he had a part in killing the Avatar's parents. Azula couldn't place what emotion was swirling around inside her. Was she angry? Sad? She didn't know, but she sensed she wasn't happy to find out this information and that is what scared her the most.

Down the hall from the Principal's office, Sokka was at Toph's locker cackling at a meme Suki texted him. His smile faltered at realizing his friend's disability, "Oh, sorry, Toph. I can read it to you if you like?" The earthbender frowned and answered, "Wow, Snoozles, you really are behind the times! I get image descriptions on my phone, but uh, thanks for the, apology." He flinched at the immediate punch from his short friend. "You're welcome," he stated, rubbing his arm with a smile at his understanding of her "affection". Zuko had his arm around Mai's waist as they walked over to Sokka and Toph. "So, Sokka, how are you feeling about saturday night? If I had a normal sister I cared about, I'd be going a little crazy right now," Zuko asked. "Man, I didn't understand any of that. What's saturday?", Sokka questioned with a raised eyebrow. Toph, Zuko, and Mai all exchanged looks of worry. Knowing the emo couple most likely didn't have the guts, Toph made it her priority to rip the proverbial band aid off.

"Only that it's Katara and Aang's first date! Wow, Snoozles you are two for zero right now. Ouch," she winced mockingly. Suddenly Sokka's face turned red as his eyes furrowed. Mai and Zuko quietly took a step away from the explosion about to happen. "I can't believe they didn't tell me! That goofy asshole is dead!" he yelled. Mai finally chimed in with a flat tone in her voice, "Come on, Sokka. Anyone around the two of them for more than a minute can see they like each other. I think it's kind of...cute." Sokka turned to Mai, not losing the anger in his voice, "I don't care that they're dating! I honestly expected it. But, for Aang to not tell me is pretty messed up." Toph scoffed, "Seriously, Sokka? You think this was Twinkle Toe's doing? He would've told you in a minute. Sweetness on the other hand, this feels like one of her deals."

Sokka's normal color returned to his face as his anger subsided. "Toph, you're right. That monk is brutally honest in an annoying way. So, then, why wouldn't Katara tell me?", he asked the group. After a few moments of silence, Zuko responded. "I don't know, Sokka. That's something you need to ask her." Sokka nodded, "Thanks, Zuko, I think I should." He pulled out his phone to text his sister.

Sokka: Where are you? We need to talk now.

Outside of the school, Katara was laughing at one of Aang's jokes as they sat closely together on the front steps. She heard her text notification and pulled out her phone to look. Her heart sank into her chest as she looked at the text. Aang became worried and asked, "Katara, is something wrong?" She read the text aloud to Aang. They both swallowed hard. His eyes looked away from the waterbender glumly, "Shit." Taking a deep breath, she quickly texted her brother without making eye contact with her friend.

Katara: Okay, I'm out front with Aang. See ya soon.

No less than a minute after the text was sent did Sokka materialize several feet away from his sister and his best friend. "Katara…," his eyes filled with hurt, "why didn't you tell me." Aang pushed himself up from the steps with his arms but was stopped by Katara's hand on his thigh. She whispered, "No, Aang, I want you to stay. Please." He nodded and sat back down, cursing himself for not airbending away as soon as Sokka came out. "Sokka, I just want you to know that Aang had nothing to do with this. He wanted to tell you and I stopped him." Sokka laughed bitterly, "No duh, Katara! Look at him, he's the poster boy for peace and honesty and crap. I want to know why you thought this wouldn't be cool with me." Aang gave a nervous smile that neither of them looked at. Katara's eyes were focused on the parking lot, trying not to face her brother.

"Well, you have always been so protective of me. Every time you found out a guy had a crush on me, you would say 'I'm gonna kick his ass' or 'Absolutely not!' It's like you didn't trust me to make my own decisions, not to mention super sexist since I've never said anything about you dating Suki." She finally looked at her brother, whose eyes had softened to a calm expression. "Oh..I guess I didn't notice I really did that to you. After mom died, Dad told me it was my responsibility to protect you since he's gone a lot. And then Yue died and," he swallowed back tears, "I just couldn't take losing anyone else. I know it's not fair to you and I've seen you stand up for yourself. You don't need my protection, but I need my sister. I don't know what I'd do without you."

The twins smiled at each other, unaware of Aang's pained expression of being privy to this vulnerable family conversation. "Wow, Sokka, I didn't know that was going on. I thought you were just a sexist jerk. The jury's still out on the sexist part, but I can tell Suki's helping in that department. Anyway, I appreciate you trying to look out for me but like I said, I got this." She smiled and asked, "So, not like it'll change my decision or anything, but, do you approve?" Sokka launched a big hug onto her, "Yes, of course. I'm sorry about acting like that to you, I just worry a lot." He broke away from the hug. Sokka's face became serious as he turned towards Aang, "Look man, I'm not gonna say anything about you dating my sister if you keep being you. I know you're wimpy and nice and all that, so keep that up," he turned to look at both of them, "but if I hear about anything more than a kiss I can't be responsible for my actions." Katara and Aang laughed, relieved about Sokka's maturity.

As to be expected every saturday, the sound of kids laughing outside woke Katara from her slumber. She fluttered her eyes open and immediately slammed them shut at the bright sunlight peeking through her window. She usually sleeps later than most people because of being a waterbender. Turning over to look at her phone, she saw a text from Aang time stamped at 6:06am.

Aang: Good morning, beautiful! We still on for tonight?

She smiled as she rolled her eyes at him being a cheerful, morning person. "Of course he is," she thought. Katara reminisced about the day he arrived early to school with Starbucks in hand for her. In the memory, he told her mornings were easy for him since he is a firebender and rises with the sun. She glanced at the time which read 10:30am and yawned as she texted Aang back.

Katara: Sorry! I just woke up now. Of course we're still on, I'll be ready at 6.

She only put the phone down briefly before another text came in. She looked at it and smiled.

Aang: Great! I'll be there with bells on xD

Katara couldn't help but laugh at his corniess. She sighed deeply as she threw her head on her pillow. It almost started to feel too good to be true. While it was true that Aang was a goofball, he was also the nicest and sexiest guy she has ever met. She has never dated anyone, not because she didn't have any admirers, but because most of the guys at her school that liked her were pigs. She became close one time when she had a better than expected time on a team project with Jet last year. Katara regretfully thought about when she gave him her number. His first text to her was "Sup?" Before she got a chance to respond, he had the audacity to text her a few minutes later, "nudes?" He never heard from her again. She shuddered at the interaction but could only smile knowing she dodged a bullet with that jerk.

Around 5 o'clock, Katara started to put her plan into place to entice all of Aang's senses. She used her lavender body wash and shampoo before drying and curling long waves in her hair. A flowy, turquoise dress with a slit going up to her thigh hugged her body in all the right places. Yesterday she researched the restaurant Aang picked out. They specialized in vegetarian and Air Nomad cuisine, which brought a smile to her face. Once during waterbending class, she told him she had always wanted to travel to an Air Temple because she was curious about the culture. She took this his choice in the restaurant as a sign he was listening to her. The restaurant seemed a little fancy so she put on heels and light makeup. After primping in the mirror for a few minutes, she reached for her phone at the sound of the text notification.

Aang: Be there in 5 minutes!

She walked down to the living room to see Sokka and their Dad watching tv. "Alright, Aang's gonna be here soon. Don't wait up!" Her Dad cleared his throat, "Uh, no, I definitely will be waiting up. 11 o'clock sharp is the curfew, I don't care if he is the Avatar." Sokka laughed as Katara slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Fine! Fine, I guess that's fair. Please don't scare him too much, he's no good to me if he dies from fright." Their Dad nodded while Sokka grinned just as a knock startled the young waterbender. Katara opened the door and felt warmth spread from her neck to her cheeks. He was wearing a fitted, orange button up and khakis. He looked and smelled incredible. She guessed the scent was cedarwood. She noted the muscles and silhouette of his broad shoulders. A small groan started to form but she cleared her throat to mask the sound.

"So, how do I look?" she asked him as he entered the home. He rubbed his neck and answered with a nervous laugh, "Wow...you look beautiful". His eyes widened and as he stared at Katara for a few moments. He couldn't help noticing how the dress looked like it was made for her. His eyes slowly drank in her curves and her left leg peeking out of the dress. He observed himself blushing and forced himself to focus on her face. The twins' Dad cut through his awkwardness with a cough. "Oh, hi, sir, you must be Mr. Nauyak. I've heard so much about you, sir," Aang said with a bow. "You can just call me Hakoda, Aang. I know that you're the Avatar, but you're still a teenage boy, so I must stress that Katara is back by 11pm. I'm in the United Forces and skilled in combat, I know hundred of ways to inflict pain" he said with a serious tone. Sokka giggled as his friend gulped loudly. "Yes, sir, I mean, Hakoda, sir. Avatar's Promise," he said with a weak smile. "Ok, Dad, that's enough" she said, pulling Aang towards the door, "We'll be back at 11 no worries, bye!"

The awkwardness dissipated as soon as Aang put on Katara's favorite song and they sang together. Although he didn't have a great singing voice, he felt so comfortable singing with her. A caring, warmth radiated from her in the passenger seat. He relaxed for the first time since picking her up. A bolt of electricity shot through his body as he held her hand to help her out of the car. She felt a bolt of energy flow from her hands to her feet. Her knees had become weak from the shock but she quickly regained strength in her legs. As the couple walked into the restaurant, Katara's breath caught in her throat at the plethora of candles and marigolds strewn throughout the dining room. Aang took advantage of Katara being distracted and winked at the waiter preparing their reserved table.

They were led to their table and Aang pulled out the chair for Katara to sit down. "Thank you, gentleman caller," she said with a smile. He laughed at this and promptly sat down across the table from her big, blue eyes. He wished he could stare at her eyes for eternity. As they picked up their menus, a waiter came over to hand Katara a panda lily. She gasped and thanked the waiter. She smiled as she smelled the flower, and looked at Aang with eyes that he could not exactly read. Her eyes looked sad but with a touch of happiness. "Is that okay? I asked Sokka if you had any allergies and he said 'only to goofy airbenders' so I took that as a 'no.'" She tried to find words to explain without completing sobbing and ruining their evening. She let out a shaky breath and looked deeply into his gray eyes, "Panda lilies were my mom's favorite flowers. Every birthday, my dad woke her up with breakfast in bed and a panda lily. My mom would always say how they 'symbolize love' so it felt like my dad was showing his love to her every birthday. They are super rare, I can't believe you got one."

Aang blushed before asking,"Wow, that's what they really mean?" He thought, "Damnit, I should've googled this. Now she's gonna think I'm some lovesick creep." "Yeah, but you probably didn't know that. Most people don't know about them unless they work in horticulture or are a healer, which my mom was," she answered. "Whew, thank you Spirits!" he thought. "Oh, that's cool your mom was a healer, she sounds wonderful. I found out about them by talking to a healer, actually. They told me panda lilies usually grow around volcanoes, but being an airbender, I was able to find one easily. Thank you for telling me that story about your parents, Katara, it was beautiful. So, does this mean you like it?"

Katara gave a tearful laugh, "Yes! Yes, I love it. Thank you so much, Aang. I wish she could have met you, I think you two would have gotten along." She leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. He practically melted at the softness of her lips. She broke away after a few moments and sat back down in her seat. She was embarrassed at the impulsive decision she just made. Blushing, she took a chance to see if Aang was weirded out yet. She was relieved to see him in a dreamy state, staring off into space. Katara giggled at how out of it Aang looked in this moment. She didn't know if she was in love with him yet, but she knew she had never felt like this about anyone before. Her heart swelled when his eyes snapped back to meet hers. She noticed an energy surrounding him that drew her to him, wanting her to be close to him.

Changing the subject, Katara asked Aang for any recommendations. He suggested fried dough stuffed with veggies or a veggie noodle soup. After the waiter came over they ordered both of Aang's suggestions. The rest of the dinner was abundant with laughs and blushes. "Everything was so delicious! I'm impressed they can make dishes taste so good without meat." "It really did taste like home. Please tell Sokka that so he might finally understand one today," he said with a chuckle. Aang linked his arm with Katara's as they left the restaurant, both of them silently wishing the night didn't have to end.

Katara agreed to Aang's suggestion to go to Roku Memorial Park. The couple traded stories about their childhoods and early bending memories as they sat on a bench near the lake Every story he heard about her made him want to be with her more. He was still in shock that a gorgeous, smart, and brave person like her wanted to be with him. This thought gave him the courage to test the waters. "Hey, so, I was thinking, how about we do some waterbending? I'll even make it competitive." She laughed while trying to read his expression, "Wait, you're serious? Now? Look at how we're dressed, Aang." He smiled widely in reply, "So? We'll leave our nice, boring adult clothes off to the side. Unless...you're scared to face the Avatar." Katara smirked at the challenge, "I'm not scared of you, Avatar! Challenge accepted!"

They quickly undressed after making sure no one else was with them by the lake. The pair ran into the water quickly. Aang glimpsed Katara's lacy blue bra and matching underwear. He looked up to the moon instead, telling himself to keep his eyes averted the rest of the match. She saw his orange boxer briefs and became aware of the bulge inside. She blushed but decided to shake that thought and focus on what her first move would be instead. Without time to catch his breath, Katara motioned a water whip that grabbed Aang's arm. "Whoah! Oh, so it's on." The smirk on Katara's face soon fell when Aang water whipped her leg and pulled her off balance. Katara broke free and shot at least a dozen frozen daggers at Aang, who narrowly dodged all of them. Calling a timeout, a panting Aang walked over to Katara. "Wow, I don't know how to do that! Can you teach me sometime?" She pressed her body against his, "Anytime, pupil Aang." His smile grew wider from the closeness and the feeling of her breasts against his bare skin. He decided to make a move while the moonlight illuminated her beauty. Wrapping his arms around his waist, he leaned in to kiss her on the lips.

Her eyes widened before quickly relaxing and sinking into the kiss. She was taken aback by the deepening force of the kiss on his part. She did not know he could be so passionate. He ran his tongue around her bottom lip, entering her mouth graciously while pressing his tongue against hers. She felt a twinge in her lower abdomen and she wanted him now. He hugged her tighter, running his hand down her back to cup her butt. She was slightly embarrassed by the moan that escaped her throat, but was relieved that he either didn't seem to notice or care. Katara became aware of his erection pressed against her hip. Acting on impulse, she lowered her hand to run across the length of his bulge. She quickened her motion and he felt himself hardening. Aang made a low, guttural moan but sheepishly taking a step back, breaking the kiss. He interlaced his fingers with hers. "Is something wrong, Aang? Was I not doing it right?", she asked. "No! No, you were...amazing. But, uh, I don't know if I'm ready just yet for that. Not tonight anyway, but soon. Is that okay?" She smiled and gave his hands a squeeze, "Aang, we don't have to do anything if you're not ready. You should probably take me home now before my dad freaks out." Aang nodded and gave Katara a peck on the lips.

After they dressed and Aang drove Katara home in a car full of sexual tension, he walked her to her front door. He laughed as he looked up to Sokka's room to see him peering down out the window, "Hey, this is the part of the date I don't need to see!" "Ugh, you're so annoying, like we're gonna hook up right here. I don't do this when you have Suki over. And I KNOW what you are doing because you are not quiet about it!" With a red blush in his cheeks, Sokka quickly shut his window and turned off his light. Aang laughed while clasping her hands in his. "Yeah, even though he's okay with us dating, I'm sure it's gotta be weird to see his sister with her boyfriend." Panic began to set in at the foolish statement he just made. As he stuttered and tried to think of a cover, Katara leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I'd love to be your girlfriend." Aang beamed a wild smile as a buzzing energy coursed through his veins. He laughed and picked her up at her waist, lifting her off her feet and swung her around. He promptly apologized and put her down on the ground. The couple hugged, breathing almost in time with each other. So far, this birthday would prove to be better than the last. He had hope again.