A/N: MeganAMusicLover welcomes you to the third chapter of A Guide to Losing Love and to Winning It, fresh off the presses! In it, Zuko is shocked an appalled, and Aang reveals that he is experienced beyond his years.

Thank you for reading and I sincerely hope you enjoy it!


Toph, Sokka and Aang were all sitting in slightly astonished silence, wide eyes examining, or staring in the direction of, his face. Zuko hated it.

He knew he had screwed up; he knew he had been an asshole, the biggest asshat of all the asshats. The largest jerk to ever walk the planet.

What he had said to Katara… it had been an honest and true mistake; he didn't mean most if any of those words, yet every single one he uttered had broken her and separated her from him even more than they already were. He hated himself for that.

He hated himself for making her cry.

Most of all, he hated himself for being such a screw-up that he could make one of the most loving girls in the world dislike him so much.

He was lost in his own little world of self-hatred, which had only gotten bigger the older he grew, when he felt more than saw Sokka and Aang get up and walk toward him. He only truly noticed it when they both put a hand on either of his shoulders. Toph simply took her feet off the table and sat up straight for once.

"Zuko, we know you didn't mean any of that. So Katara probably does too. All you need to do is say you're sorry," Sokka murmured quietly, patting his shoulder.

Toph blinked a lot and muttered, "Dang, Zuko, I didn't know you had such a way with words. But Sokka is right, Sugar Queen will forgive you of all people in a heartbeat, especially if you apologize." It was too bad she was blind, because she couldn't see Zuko's look of dismay and warning, as well as the almost imperceptible and very quick shake of his head.

He could not believe she had just said that in front of Aang.

After the end of the war Aang and Katara had dated, quite seriously, for four years. It seemed as though they would get married and have children together, however something went wrong. It didn't happen in a grand, dramatic way, but more like a quiet and resolute way that left everyone wondering what had transpired to split up the dream-couple. To this day, no one, not even Sokka, knew the cause.

Aang had noticed Zuko's gaping mouth and wide eyes at Toph's comment, and sat down in the chair next to Zuko. Sokka sat down in the one on the other side of him.

"Zuko, why haven't you made a real effort to get Katara all these years?" Aang inquired.

Zuko was very perplexed. Should he answer with the real reason, or give an excuse? Why was Aang of all people asking him this? Was Aang over her? Had he been the one to break it off? Why had they broken it off?

Clearly Aang could see the millions of questions racing through Zuko's mind and knew exactly what they were centered on and why Zuko was having trouble answering Aang's question. "Zuko, Katara and I broke up mutually, and neither of us are hurting over it."

Zuko gasped and looked away from the gray eyes which were penetrating him so deeply that his soul felt naked. He finally answered Aang's question, "I haven't said anything to her about my feelings because I didn't want to betray your trust or hurt her if she was hurting because of you."

Aang shook his head and sighed. Then, looking at Zuko intensely he said, "I no longer love Katara and she no longer loves me. She loves you, Zuko, and has for quite some time, and all you have been doing by not pursuing her directly but just clinging indirectly is hurt wants to be with you so badly, and apparently you have been too blind and too cowardly to realize that."

Zuko gaped. "But… I thought… I was just trying not to…" He couldn't seem to get a full sentence out, and was muttering unintelligibly under his breath. He ran his hand through his raven hair quickly and repetitively.

Sokka and Toph were looking, or in Toph's case moving her eyes, back and forth between the other two in dismay; neither of them had ever known why Katara and Aang had ended it either, and they had no idea what to do in this situation.

Finally Aang cleared his throat and spoke up, "Toph, Sokka, I think I can handle it from here. Go make sure Katara is well, and Zuko will be there soon enough to fix this."

Sokka looked at Toph who shrugged, and both got up and quietly left. Aang and Zuko could hear their voices explode into questions though the gap in the swinging door as they walked through the so recently repaired Great Hall. As their voices faded and disappeared, Aang moved one seat closer to Zuko and put his hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "I know you're curious as to why we broke up. Everyone was."

Zuko stared at him penetratingly, trying to understand everything without asking Aang to say it. It was impossible, of course, but he tried in vain anyway.

Aang finally murmured softly, "Do you want to know?"

Zuko nodded hesitantly, eyes downcast with shame for feeling so exuberant that he might get to be with Katara, when clearly the break-up had hurt Aang at least a little.

"It was on our anniversary. We stayed in that night to have a quiet dinner, just the two of us, which is something that you know from experience I'm sure, doesn't happen often. It was raining outside…"


A/N: I wonder what happened to split up the dream team Kataang? And why is Aang so down about it, when he isn't in love with her anymore? We shall find out next chapter!

I'm really having fun writing this! I hope you're having just as much fun reading.

Thank you for reading, feel free to review if you liked, or even if you didn't! Have a lovely day!