AN: Chapter 13! I know you're all going to hate me a little after this…

Ah well, I'll see you at the bottom!

ATLA ATLA ATLA

Cold Autumn winds blew Katara's chocolate curls around her shocked face as she came to an abrupt stop. The crispy golden leaves danced around her feet, as if to remind her that she needed to move.

"Jet?" She muttered under her breath, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Her eyes widened in recognition the moment that he got up from his spot on a bench and started walking away.

Then she was moving.

She ran across the campus like a wild woman, weaving between crowds of students and even pushing a few people out of her way.

"Jet!" She yelled once she was only a few yards behind him. He stopped for a moment and turned around, surprise clear on his handsome features.

His pause was long enough for Katara to catch up to him. She stood in front of him, panting and brushing her mused hair out of her face. Once she had recovered a bit she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck in a warm hug.

"Where have you been! I missed you." She kissed him on the cheek and smiled sweetly.

He winced and put his hands on her shoulders, gently peeling her off of him. "Look Katara, we really need to-"

"We're having a camp-out at our house today! You should come. We're going to roast marshmallows and everything." Her eyes suddenly flashed with mischief. "And it's going to be cold so I'll need somebody to keep me warm…" She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Katara." He quickly cut in.

She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side in confusion. For the first time she noticed how tense he was and heard the strain in his voice. "What's wrong?" She asked, backing away from a little bit.

He sighed tiredly and tugged on his perfectly untidy brown hair. "I've been meaning to tell you… I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Do what?" She felt dread pour into her stomach like a tidal wave.

"This. Have a relationship with er… You."

Katara gasped. She felt like her heart was being ripped into two. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, trying to control the pain.

Jet looked away and cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's just not going to work. I'm really sorry Katara."

Don't cry Katara. You can't let him see you hurt.

"Just go away Jet. Please." She manage to choke out.

He leaned in to kiss her forehead but she pushed him away roughly. "GO!" She yelled in his face, earning herself a few curious looks from passing students.

Jet gave her one last look before turning and leaving, not even looking back and the girl he left broken behind him.

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Katara needed somebody to talk to. Her first instinct was to call Toph, but she wasn't in the mood to listen to the small girl graphically describe how she would torture and kill him. She didn't want to call Suki either. Suki had enough problems to deal with and dumping her own on the poor girl wouldn't help her at all.

Sokka? Nah.

Zuko wasn't even an option.

A brief smile played on her features when she realized exactly who she needed to call.

She speed-dialled him and waited impatiently for him to pick up, rubbing her cold arms and wishing that she'd thought to wear a coat.

"Hey Katara what's up?" He greeted cheerfully.

"Hi Aang." She sighed, resting her head against the window of the city-train. "Can you talk right now?"

"Of course. I'm always here if you need somebody to talk to."

Another small smile wormed it's way onto her features. Katara knew that she could always count on Aang. He was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful people she knew.

"So what's wrong?" He asked her.

Katara hesitated for a few moments, trying desperately to hold back the hurt so the tears wouldn't come spilling out. She wouldn't allow herself to cry until night came, when she was curled up under the covers and safe from curious eyes. Nobody was allowed to see her cry.

"Jet broke up with me." She finally answered. She struggled to control her voice.

For a few moments, all was silent. Katara was starting to wonder if one of them had accidentally hung up when Aang finally replied.

"I'm so sorry Katara. He was an idiot. He has no idea what he's just lost."

"I just don't understand!" Katara exclaimed. "I don't get it. What did I do wrong? What about me wasn't good enough for him?"

"Exactly, you don't get it Katara!" Aang said passionately. "He wasn't good enough for you. You did nothing wrong! You are the most caring, beautiful and smart girl I know! He didn't deserve you at all."

Katara was blown away by the intensity of his words.

"Do you really mean that?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yeah. Of course I do."

Katara gripped her phone hard, choking on words stuck in the back of her throat. What did Aang mean by that?

Did he think of her as more than a friend?

"I should go Aang," She muttered.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you at home."

"Kay. Bye."

She hung up and placed her phone in her lap robotically, wondering what was happening to her once-perfect world.

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"You might as well just go home while you still can. It's going to be disastrous." Toph said dryly.

"No way! I'm not leaving you."

"You sure?" Toph looked up at Teo, a small layer of anxiety for her friend (or was it boyfriend?) shining in her eyes. Behind him, the setting sun was lighting the world on fire, pulling strings of scarlet and violet across the sky. It made it hard to see his face properly and even though she couldn't quite see his eyes, she could feel the intensity of the stare he was giving her. She couldn't look away. She was trapped in his gaze, forever locked in a place that made her feel uncomfortable and vulnerable.

"Yeah." He said, breaking the spell. He slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

She quickly looked away and focused on the grand upper-ring houses that they walked by.

She hurried to start the conversation again. "I mean, first Snoozles had to go and invite his psychotic girlfriend! Poor Suki will have to watch the happy couple all night long. And the tension between Sweetness and Sparky is almost painful… ugh. I just want to get this night over with."

Teo rubbed her shoulder supportively. "I'll be with you the entire time, remember? Maybe it won't be so bad."

Toph could only manage a nonchalant shrug.

They arrived at the house just as the sun went down. They navigated their way to the living room, Toph in the lead. When she was about to open the glass doors she stopped and turned around, looking at Teo with a confused look. "Aren't you coming Four-Eyes?"

He ignored her question and came to a stop beside her.

"I just.. I just want to say something to you before we join everyone else."

"Okay." Toph said, feeling a little nervous.

He grabbed one of her hands and with his other hand he cupped the left side of her face.

"I don't know if I've ever told you this but, I think you're really beautiful." his voice was just barely a whisper and Toph had to strain to hear it.

Her cheeks flared and she bit her lip to stop herself from making fun of how cheesy he sounded.

"Er, uhm, thanks?" She winced at how awkward she sounded.

Teo grinned at rubbed circles on her cheekbone with his thumb.

"There's just one more thing I have to do before we go…"

Toph's whole body froze as he leaned down towards her, the distance between them closing. She wanted to run away or punch him but she could do neither. All she could hear was her heart drumming in her ears and the soft, somewhat comforting sound of Teo's breathing.

When his lips finally met hers her eyes fluttered closed.

The kiss was drawn out and gentle and like nothing she could have ever managed. Unlike the time when Teo was drunk, it was actually pleasant.

She placed a wary hand on his shoulder and leaned up on her tip-toes so he wouldn't have to bend over so much. Teo faltered for a moment, surprised that she was actually responding. This gave him enough courage to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her closer.

She wasn't sure how long it lasted but eventually they pulled away, gasping and leaning against each other.

"That was even better than I thought it would be." Teo muttered to her, glee clear in his voice.

Toph managed a small grin. She punched his shoulder lightly and reached for his hand.

"Come on lover boy, let's join the others."

It seemed like nobody had seen what passed between the two, but little did they know that a pair of confused grey eyes watched the entire thing.

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It took a lot of internal struggle and a long mental list of pros and cons, but eventually Zuko decided it was time to talk to Katara.

She sat alone on the porch, her long legs dangling over the edge. She refused to sit around the camp fire with everyone else. Instead, she watched the scene with tortured ocean eyes, the orbs beautiful but sombre.

Zuko made two smores then made his way to the porch. He sat down beside her and offered her one of the smores.

She stared at it apprehensively for a few moments but eventually she gave in and grabbed it from him, stuffing the entire gooey mess into her mouth.

"Okay," Zuko started once he finished his own treat. "What happened?"

He watched Katara run her hands through her unruly mane of brunette hair. She tilted her head in his direction the slightest bit, briefly catching his eye before looking away.

"Jet broke up with me." She muttered, her voice just loud enough for him to hear without strain.

Zuko wasn't expecting that. From what he'd observed, Jet was fascinated with Katara. Zuko thought back to that night at Sozin, where he glumly watched Katara dance with Jet. He had seen the lust and awe swirling in Jet's eyes and it had disgusted him. How could those feelings fade so quickly? Had that scum already moved on to some other girl.

"I-I.. uh, I'm sorry." Zuko stumbled awkwardly. "Did you like him a lot?"

Katara's hands jumped to her hair in a fit of frustration. Zuko watched her with curiosity as she gathered the curls in her hands before releasing them with a dejected sigh. Her hair bounced around her slim shoulders. Zuko had to fight the urge to reach out and touch them.

"I did." She admitted. "When I first met him I was completely amazed… he was handsome, charming and so… intoxicating. He had me from hello." As she continued to speak, she started to face Zuko. He could visibly see her letting him back in, see her dropping down the gates to her heart.

"It was unbelievable that he could be attracted to me too. It made me feel beautiful and wonderful, you know?" Her pretty eyes were wide as they searched his for confirmation that he was understanding.

He nodded.

"So I'm not exactly sad because I miss him because honestly, I don't know that my feelings for him were anything more than a crush."

She stopped talking for a few moments. He watched her swallow hard and froze when he realized that she was barely restraining tears. He risked scooting closer to her and placing his hand near where hers was resting on the wooden boards of the porch, just close enough to feel the heat radiating off of her skin.

A knife cut into his heart when her teary ocean-coloured eyes caught his without warning. The emotion in them shot ice through his veins.

"Now I feel like I'm nothing." Her voice wavered and she had to duck her head. "How could he let me go so easily?"

Zuko reached for her chin and lifted her head to his, exposing the fresh tears on her face.

He cleared his throat. "You don't need Jet to be beautiful or wonderful, 'Tara. You just are." He made sure that his voice was as soft and gentle as possible. He had already made so much progress and it would break him to lose it all.

Katara smiled hesitantly. "Thank you Zuko. That means more than you think."

Zuko couldn't look away. His hand refused to move from her chin as he stared into the depths of her azure orbs, completely mesmerized. The world seemed to blur around him until the only think he could clearly make out was Katara's face.

He wanted to do nothing more than kiss her. Her full lips teased him relentlessly, daring him to close the distance and taste them. A small voice in the back of his head reminded him that they weren't alone.

It took all of his strength, but he managed to pull back.

"I think I'm going to get another smore." He mumbled. He let go of her chin and scrambled to his feet, all but running off the patio and onto the lawn, hoping that she hadn't caught him blushing like a pathetic little boy.

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Aang had no idea of what was going on. He furrowed his dark eyebrows at the scene before him, trying to decipher the foreign actions of his friends and what exactly they were thinking.

Firstly, there was Sokka. His loud-mouth friend was currently attached at the mouth with Azula, no less. If the pair thought they were being clever by hiding behind a tree, they wrong. What they were doing wasn't a secret to anyone.

Aang was confused because this was the last thing that he had expected from his friend. Zuko had taught them to avoid Azula at all costs years ago. The trio had agreed that she was sketchy, evil and not to be trusted. How could Sokka pick their best friend's enemy (and sister, but that was usually overlooked) to be his girlfriend? And what exactly happened to Suki? For as long as he could remember, Suki had been the keeper of Sokka's heart.

That lead him to the next source of his confusion. There was Suki, tucked securely under the arm of Zuko. Aang could see that though she was trying hard to laugh and smile, her eyes would occasionally slip to where Sokka and Azula were making out and fill with melancholy. That was when Zuko would hug her a little tighter and murmur mysterious words into her ear. A little bit of the sadness in her eyes melted away each time he did that.

Since when did Zuko become her comforter? Zuko never used to pay any attention to the auburn-haired girl.

Then there was his last puzzle. It came in the form of a small, witty girl with a fondness for nick-names. She was stretched out across a bench across from Aang, her head resting on Teo's lap. Teo was absentmindedly stroking her silky hair with one hand while he roasted a marshmallow over the fire with his other hand.

For some reason, this sight caused a feeling of discomfort to flare up in Aang's heart. He just could not figure out why the idea of Toph and Teo together bothered him. It wasn't that he didn't like Teo- he was great. They'd become pretty good friends over the past few weeks.

But his throat seemed to tighten when the two caught eyes and shared a smile. It got worse when Teo brushed the hair air and placed a kiss on her forehead. Toph tried to snarl and shove him away but her smile was unmistakeable.

Why did he suddenly feel sick?

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They were alone.

Everyone one else was asleep in the huge tent, wrapped up warmly with sleeping bags and duvets.

"So, that didn't go as badly as I thought it would be." Suki said, poking the dieing fire with a long stick.

"Yeah, it was sort of fun. Soon it will be too cold for this sort of thing."

"It's already cold." Suki shivered, scooting close to Zuko.

Suki smiled in contentment when Zuko tightened the blanket around them and moved a little closer too. "You're right." He agreed. "Do you want to got to sleep now?" He asked, nodding his head towards the tent.

"Not quite yet." Suki said. "I still want talk to you about some stuff yet."

She looked up in time to catch the unease creeping into his face.

"Hey," she said sweetly. "I'm don't bite." She wrapped her hand around his and gave him a reassuring smile.

A tiny smile lifted his lips. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

Suki let her head fall to his shoulder. "I saw you talking with Katara earlier. How did it go?"

She felt the rise and fall as he sighed.

"Well, good, I guess. She was… nice. She let me in."

She could hear the relief in his voice. It was as if he hadn't realized how well it had gone until then.

"I'm happy for you," she said honestly, squeezing his hand.

"Thanks." He breathed.

Technically, it was her turn to speak next but she just couldn't find the words. They were heavy in her heart, dangling just out of reach. Her vocal chords tried to pull them out from down below but they just couldn't. Instead, she waited for Zuko to speak again.

She didn't have to wait long.

Zuko looked at her meaningfully, his amber eyes demanding that she look back. So she did, not even trying to look away.

"I have to tell you something." He said in a low, spine-tingling voice. It caused bubbles to travel from her stomach to her heart.

"Okay." She said hoarsely.

He said, "It's really weird but even though I want so badly to be with Katara, I feel like maybe I should be with you." He blushed and so did she.

She still couldn't speak.

"My feelings for Katara are wild and uncontrollable, but I feel comfortable around you. Being with you makes sense. I totally see if you don't feel the same way but I thought you should know."

"I get it." She blurted out, finally finding the words.

Zuko's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I feel the same way. Sokka makes me feel frazzled and unorganized. You make me feel like… myself. Like me. Like it's good enough to just be Suki."

A ghost of a smile showed up on his handsome face. "I know exactly what you're talking about."

"Plus," she continued. "When we kissed- for real- it felt nice. Just like everything else between us, it felt right. I liked it."

She just couldn't hold his gaze after that. In a fit of panic, she yanked the blanket over her head.

She could hear Zuko's muffled laugh and after awhile he invited himself to come under the blanket with her. It was dark down there and she couldn't make out his face.

"Do you think it would still be that way?" He asked her, whispering now.

Her heart picked up speed. She wondered if that was supposed to be an invitation. Did she kiss him? Or was he going to kiss her first?

Just in case, she raised her head and tilted her face towards his. If he wanted to kiss her, he could do so now.

And he did.

He leaned forward and let his lips barely brush hers. Suki was not impressed by his timidity so once again, she took matters into her own hands.

Without letting go of his hand, she took her other hand and grabbed the front of his T-shirt with it. She yanked him closer and pressed her lips firmly to his.

Zuko froze for a moment, but quickly recovered.

The kiss was drawn-out and perfectly paced. They didn't rush, choosing to explore and get to know each other's lips instead, memorizing the shapes and textures.

They only pulled away when their lungs began to scream for air.

"See," Suki panted. "That was nice."

"Very nice." Zuko agreed, breathing heavily.

Suki dropped her head onto his chest. "I hope you know that I can't let go of Sokka. Even after this. But I will try, if you're willing to try as well."

Zuko held her close and rested his chin on her head. His eyes drooped closed with weariness.

"I'm willing. But let's try later and sleep now."

Suki smiled into his shirt and let her eyes slide shut. "Sounds good."

And with those last words, they drifted to sleep.

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AN: EEP DON'T KILL ME!

Yeah I know there is all of this Zuki, Sokkla and Teoph and stuff but the story will end in ZUTARA, SUKKA AND TAANG.

Hope you guys liked it. ^_^

-Tk.