Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything associated with it. This is for personal amusement only—so I hope you're amused!

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Chapter 8

Zuko made his way across campus, taking in the warm breeze and long shadows of the afternoon. It is almost too bad we were done so quickly. Well, I guess we're technically not done yet, anyways. There's still the actual project to do…

Losing himself in thought regarding his various homework assignments, he quickly made his way back home. As he entered, he could smell the beginnings of dinner as he heard Iroh humming a tune to himself. Ah, real food…it smells SO good. Thank you, Uncle!

He placed his backpack on the floor near the front door as he made his way to the kitchen. Iroh was standing and chopping vegetables at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Behind him, a large, cast iron wok was sizzling and beginning to smoke. Zuko hungrily watched his uncle's every move.

"Ah, Zuko, I see you're finally home," Iroh remarked happily as his favorite nephew walked in. With a warm smile on his face, he continued, "I hope you've brought your appetite—I'm making chicken stir-fry for dinner with steamed rice. I was lucky enough to have some time to stop by the store and pick up some mochi ice cream for dessert. Mango is your favorite, no?"

Zuko's mouth almost immediately began to salivate at the thought, "Yes, Uncle it is. We'll be eating soon?"

Iroh chuckled at his nephew's eagerness, "Yes, within a half hour. How has your Sunday been? I cannot imagine it went easily, especially after seeing the look on your face this morning…"

Zuko's face quickly contorted into scowl as he grabbed a small handful of julienned carrots from the cutting board and quickly popped them into his mouth, "Ghashiun called in sick—it sounded like food poisoning. Then, I had to practically run to the library to meet with Katara for our project." Recalling the afternoon's events, Zuko's face softened slightly. Thankfully, she wasn't upset that I was running late!

Noticing the change of Zuko's expression out of the corner of his eye, Iroh raised his eyebrows and carefully queried, "And how are things going with your project? Just as difficult?"

Pausing for a moment, Zuko mumbled, "Things seem to be…easier." With that, he turned around, leaving the kitchen and walked towards the hallway. "Let me know when dinner's ready, Uncle. I'll be in my room."

Watching the young man exit from the kitchen, Iroh mused to himself, a wise man once said that "a kind word can warm three months of winter," Nephew. I hope you keep it in mind. Turning back to the task at hand, the old man began dropping the chopped chicken into the wok before letting the carefully cut vegetables join it. As he did so, the wok began to hiss and steam. Humming again to himself, Iroh began to tentatively stir the vegetables, smiling and thinking to himself, she is quite a nice young lady…I'll have to make sure I speak with her next time she stops by the tea shop.

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It was a bright clear morning, with the sun streaking across a pale blue sky. Walking to class with a bright smile, Katara realized, it wasn't so bad, working with him yesterday. This project is nailed down, so now all we have to do is make it happen. The 10-page report and 10-minute presentation will whiz by between the two of us over the course of the semester…

She quietly entered the near-empty classroom, sat down and pulled out the single-sheet assignment she and Zuko had put together the previous afternoon. Moments later, Zuko entered and sat next to her. "How's it going?" he asked casually as he got his notebook out from his backpack.

"Good, thanks," she said revealing a small grin in memory of his impromptu nap in the library. "How about you? Did you finally get some rest last night?" I wonder what he sleeps in…pajamas, boxers, nothing…Cut it out, Katara—do NOT let your mind wander in that direction or you'll regret it. Ugh, you're a sick little tiger seal, aren't you?!? Before her mind could continue, Zuko responded.

"Yeah, I slept pretty well last night—I practically fell into bed after dinner," Zuko admitted while averting his eyes. A small smirk graced his face; you wouldn't believe the dream I had…

Soon enough, Professor Wu entered the room, automatically ending the conversation among the students with her dignified demeanor. Pausing to place her notes on the lectern, she turned and smiled at the students before her, "Good morning, class. I trust you all had fabulous weekends coming up with your final projects. Please pass your one-sheets forward."

As she patiently waited for everyone to pass their papers forward, Professor Wu turned to Katara and Zuko. "I hope you two were able to work through your differences. You seem to have at least 'warmed up' to each other, if you will." Not knowing what to say, the young couple simply exchanged glances and nodded at their professor dumbly.

As Katara handed over their one-sheet, she momentarily held her breath, waiting for Professor Wu's approval. Please say something nice, it's not like we have anything else to work with…

"This looks…promising," Professor Wu praised with a thoughtful look after quickly examining their proposal. At this, Katara let out the breath she had been holding. Thank you, Gods! The matronly professor moved along the front row, collecting the project outlines as she passed. After she passed them by, Katara glanced at Zuko and beamed a hopeful smile. Well done, Zuko—looks like she went for your idea!

She is beautiful when she smiles…I've got to figure out how to do that with more regularity, Zuko thought momentarily before it slipped back into his subconscious and he returned his attention to Professor Wu.

After placing the papers on the large oak desk in the front of the room, the gray-haired professor turned to the class. She had a serious look on her face, as she usually did, but it changed into a look of good-natured understanding, as she spoke. "Again, none of your projects are set in stone; you can change them anytime during the course of the semester, if needed. I will be reviewing your proposals and will provide feedback next week."

Pausing a moment to see if there were any questions, she slowly continued, "Now, on with our lecture on non-verbal behaviors."

Professor Wu's voice droned throughout the lecture, pointing out the behaviors that pertained to non-verbal communication. Katara tried her best to concentrate, but found herself sneaking furtive glances at her partner as she wrote her notes. Mentally cutting Zuko's appearance apart piece by piece, look at his hair—does he even comb it? And why does he always have that angsty look on his face? Then again, he is pretty handsome and can obviously pull it off anyway…STOP THAT, she internally groaned. Pay attention to the lecture and not your partner!

Focusing her attention entirely on Professor Wu's explanation of the use of humor in storytelling, Katara found herself taking meticulous notes—not only on paper relating to the lecture, but also taking mental notes on the cute distraction at her side. Hm, I wonder what he'd look like with a hair cut—what if it was shaved, like Aang's? That would look weird…What about with Sokka's 'warrior's wolf tail'? Ha—I can't believe that's what Sokka officially named his hair cut, going so far as to use the word 'warrior!' What a geek! Shaking off the thought of her brother's broad proclamation that he and his hair were warriors, she turned her attention back to the elegant older woman's discussion.

Eventually, Professor Wu finished her lecture and announced a brief assignment. "Now, I'd like you all to see these behaviors and cues in action. As your in-class activity, pair-up and have one person tell a humorous story about a friend or family member. The other person will take notes on non-verbal cues you use while speaking. Don't forget about eye contact, hand gestures, speaking rate, facial expressions and body positioning! Now, please get started and note that we'll continue the exercise on Wednesday." As if to emphasize her orders, the grandmotherly woman clapped her hands and then quickly turned to watch the class from her desk at the front.

Turning to Zuko, Katara nodded at him, "I'll go first. Hmm…a humorous story about a friend or family member." Her eyes quickly lit up, remembering a fond memory of her older brother. "I've got it!"

Smirking at her enthusiasm, he turned his desk to face her. Watching her every move, he observed her demeanor and the little habits she used when speaking, jotting down portions of his thoughts. She uses a lot of direct eye contact—big blue eyes watching you…Gesturing to explain her story—small brown hands frantically flying… Using facial expressions—wide smile beaming at you…

"Okay, so we were in high school and Sokka got into our dad's cactus juice when Gran-gran, our grandmother, was out of town visiting friends." Recognizing the curious look on Zuko's face, she added, "my dad's in the South Pole Navy and was away at sea at the time."

Before he could stop himself, Zuko blurted out, "What about your mom? Where was she?" Why'd you interrupt her? She'll just get annoyed at you again! Or worse…

Her happy momentum interrupted, the brunette quietly answered with her eyes downcast, her voice barely heard over the hum of conversation in the classroom, "My mom died when I was really young." Stop there, Katara, no need to share anything else with him…Just relax and get on with it!

Surprised that he'd hit a nerve with his partner, Zuko paused his note taking and nodded in understanding. I guess we have something in common after all—my mom isn't around anymore either…

Acknowledging that Zuko seemed to understand, Katara took a deep breath and returned to her original train of thought. "Anyways, so Sokka got into our dad's cactus juice." Wildly gesticulating with her hands, she carried on. "It was a warm Friday afternoon—well, warm for the South Pole anyways— and I was out at practice at the time. I guess Sokka must've thought he'd have just a sip. The problem was that Sokka didn't stop at a taste. By the time I got home from practice, you would not believe what I found—Sokka was in the living room, TV blaring and he was inching across the carpet, doing the worm!" she ended with a giggle.

Raising his eyebrows as he took notes on her non-verbal behaviors, Zuko asked, "What's 'the worm?'"

"You don't know 'the worm?'" How does he not know the worm? Has he been living under a rock where pop culture has no meaning?!? "Well, it's this dance move where you kind of lay on the floor and make like a wave with your body, you know, so you look like a worm on the pavement or something after the rain?" she responded while imitating the movement with her hand on her desk.

With a noticeable chuckle as she reflected on the memory, "Anyways, all he kept talking about was how cactus juice was the 'quenchiest.' Of course, I had to help nurse my big brother back to health—er, sobriety," she explained with a laugh. "Eventually, he fell asleep, but by the time he woke up, he had a wicked headache. It was actually kind of fun to bang around the house a little more than usual, since every little noise echoed in his head while he was hung over."

I haven't thought about that in such a long time…I have to remember to share that memory with Suki one of these days, especially if she continues to find him so—how did she put it? Oh yeah, 'interesting…'

With a self-satisfied grin on her face, she quickly looked at the clock in the front of the room. "Oops, looks like it's time to go. My next class starts in fifteen." Shoving her notebook into her bag as she stood up, she called "See you Wednesday, Zuko!" She left with a small wave as Zuko slowly finished his last notes on their conversation.

"Uh, bye Katara," he said as she walked out. Her brother got into the cactus juice…That's pretty funny, actually. I remember the first time Uncle let me drink at a family party years ago. I'm glad I wasn't so drunk I ended up doing 'the worm.' He shrugged to himself as he packed his things.

"I see your attitude regarding your partner is changing, Mr. Sozin," Professor Wu remarked simply, not looking up from the small stack of papers she was reviewing at her desk.

Startled and not immediately noticing that he was the last student left in the room, "Yeah, I guess it's not so bad." Hurrying to leave, his eyebrows furrowed in recognition, I didn't notice I was the last person in there…I'm surprised Professor Wu knows my name, too— she doesn't seem like the type to remember students so specifically. Before he left the class, he turned to her with a small bow, "G'bye Professor Wu."

Smiling to herself, Professor Wu gathered the papers on her desk and placed them in a folder from her briefcase. Gesturing to the empty expanse of the room, she continued, "Goodbye, Mr. Sozin." I knew they would find a way to work it out…

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By 11 a.m., Katara felt herself growing hungry. Time to eat! But I can't possibly stuff my face like a little cow-pig again in the dining hall…Maybe I'll head over to the tea shop for an early lunch.

She quickly reached for her phone and called her roommate, "Hey Suki?... Yeah, you hungry for lunch, yet? Wanna meet up at DragonsTea in 15?... Yeah, okay see you there!"

Ending the call, she hoped for a split-second that Zuko was there. He's definitely not THAT bad a guy…And seeing him outside of school isn't entirely horrible…Shaking her head, she realized that her mind was "wandering" again. Get it together, Katara—he's your classmate, not a potential boyfriend! But I wonder what kind of boyfriend he would make…

As Katara considered the idea with a bit more enthusiasm than originally intended, she was snapped out of her stupor when she heard her name called. Recognizing the voice, she stopped mid-step and internally groaned. Great, you just jinxed yourself! No more thinking about boys—next thing you know, Haru will pop out of a hole in the ground!

"Hey Katara! How's it going?" Jet said in his trademark smooth voice as he rolled up alongside her on his skateboard. "Looking good as always, I see," he continued with a sly grin on his face.

Trying not to roll her eyes, she responded, "Good, thanks. I just finished my classes and am heading out for lunch with my roommate. How're you?" Don't you have a sidewalk to defile with that board? Or maybe you could fall head-first into an empty pool? Realizing she was smiling at the morbid thought, she quickly changed her expression. You don't want him thinking you're happy to see him!

"I just finished classes for the day, too. Mind if I join you for lunch?" he asked, chewing absent-mindedly on the ever-present toothpick in his mouth. "We haven't really had a chance to catch up…"

"Well…um," she paused while trying to dig up a good excuse to avoid having lunch with him. Finding herself without a polite reason to ditch him, she acquiesced, "Sure, I guess." Her eyes momentarily paused on his mouth, disgustedly she thought, Ugh, what is up with that stupid toothpick? I can't remember how many times he accidentally poked me with that damn thing!

"Cool, so where we heading?" Jet asked with a self-satisfied smirk as he jumped off his board and snapped it up with a quick kick. It's a shame we didn't patch things up last semester…maybe now's my chance, the lead singer hoped to himself.

"DragonsTea—that little tea shop just off campus. They have lots of stuff to choose from and a nice patio," the brunette replied in a lame attempt to make small talk. Why couldn't you come up with a reason to avoid him? This is not how I planned on spending my afternoon. Okay, Katara just don't get emotional or weird and it'll be over with soon enough…

As they made their way to the tea shop, they tried their best to keep the conversation neutral, chatting about vanilla subjects like classes and the weather, pausing every minute or so waiting for the other to reply. So, you've talked about school and how hot it's been—you're quite the conversationalist! But it could be worse—at least we're not talking about 'us,' Katara considered seriously for a moment.

Soon enough, they arrived and Katara prayed for a swift meal. Thank Gods we're here! I just hope Suki's already inside—who knew speaking with him again would be this uncomfortable!

Spying her roomie on the patio, Katara practically ran up to the girl. "Suki!" she cried, latching onto her like a desperately needed life preserver. "Hey! How's it going? Guess who I ran into on my way here—Jet, you know, the lead singer of The Freedom Fighters?" the blue-eyed girl said hastily.

Whoa—what is up with her? Hmm, it's the lead singer that Sokka was all weird about—something about how all he wanted was 'one thing.' Then again, Sokka kind of bends the truth…Looks like Katara knows how to pick 'em, though.

"Hi Suki, nice to meet you. Were you at the show on Saturday?" Jet asked coolly while he extended his hand.

Shaking it softly, Suki replied eying Katara with a curious look, "Yeah, you guys were great. I just transferred to BSSU, so it was the first time I'd been to The Underground. That place is huge!"

"Yeah, it's a cool place to play a gig at. 'Scuse me ladies—gotta hit the head." As Jet went inside, Katara relaxed and stood there enjoying a moment of relief.

Turning to her incredulously, Suki asked with a slightly irritated look, "What's going on and why are you acting so weird?"

Whispering almost conspiratorially, Katara told Suki about Jet. "Look, he's my ex from last year. It's complicated, but to make a long story short, he's attracted to anything with boobs and a pulse. After I caught him with some other girl, I broke up with him and we haven't spoken since." Realizing Jet was returning, she quickly finished, "We'll talk about it later okay? And PLEASE don't mention this to Sokka!"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Suki replied with a quick "okay."

"So you ladies want to go order some lunch or what?" Jet asked, arching his eyebrows and smirking at the two young women.

"Good idea, Jet. Let's head inside, shall we?" Katara offered while shooting a glance at Suki that practically pleaded for her understanding of the difficult situation.

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As Iroh strolled through the kitchen of DragonsTea, his ears perked up as he heard a familiar voice. Ah, is that Katara's voice I hear? Maybe this is a good opportunity to catch up with my young nephew's classmate…

Walking up to the counter, Iroh saw the young woman with her roommate alongside a tall young man. "Ah, Katara, Suki, how are you ladies today? I hope your classes are going well!"

Upon seeing the old man, Katara's face brightened, "Hi Iroh! Classes are going great. How have things been here?" Hooray, someone else to talk to besides Jet—maybe Iroh can distract him while I run away, Katara joked to herself.

"Oh, it's been busy since the start of the new school year. But it keeps me young and, Gods know, I need all the help I can get," the older man replied with a chuckle as he patted his rotund belly.

Noticing that the tall young man seemed to be accompanying the two girls, he asked "And who is this with you?" Offering his hand to him, the old man introduced himself, "I'm Iroh Sozin and welcome to DragonsTea."

Eyeing the man warily, Jet shook his hand, "I'm Jet, a friend of Katara's."

"He's the one with the band I told you about," Katara quickly replied, then turned to Suki in conversation and quietly thankful for the diversion of Jet's attention.

"Ah, the musician!" Iroh responded in recognition. "I heard you put on quite the show this weekend…My nephew had a hard time getting up on Sunday morning!"

At Iroh's compliment, Jet straightened up a little and nonchalantly acknowledged, "I see my reputation proceeds me. Glad to hear he had a good time…We had a really good time that night, too," he added gesturing his thumb and leering in Katara's direction. Thankfully, the girl was still talking to Suki at the time and thus ignoring the conversation being had at the counter.

Turning her attention away from her roommate, Katara chimed in, "Sorry to interrupt, guys, but we're gonna go grab some seats outside. See you outside, Jet." As she headed for the door, she was concerned. This is getting a little weird, but who doesn't get along with Iroh, I suppose?

Watching her as she exited, Jet turned to Iroh and said with a wink. "I hate to leave, but I'm not one to keep a pretty young thing like her waiting. Nice meeting you." Before he turned around to exit, he nodded at the old man.

As Jet walked outside, Iroh's eyebrows lifted hesitantly at the boy's comment. Looks like Katara has caught more than just my nephew's attention…But I think Jet's intentions are a little less 'honorable' than Zuko's might be…

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After an hour of politely chatting and eating lunch, Suki began to get a little agitated at the stressful lunch date. Talk about tension—you could cut through whatever's between those two with a knife! Looking to change the subject as she picked at the remaining food on her plate, she interjected, "Katara how'd your weekend go? I barely saw you Sunday…"

"Oh, I had to work on that project for my comm class. I spent most of Sunday at the library. What did you do?" Although, I don't feel entirely comfortable mentioning it was at the library—Jet and I have some 'history' there, I guess, she thought to herself with a small blush and slightly annoyed at where her roommate was taking the conversation.

"Well, Sokka and I headed out to Lake Laogai. We played some volleyball—you should've seen the look on your brother's face when me and some girl beat him and some buff guy twice—I thought he was gonna lose it! The beach was pretty crowded, but it was really nice out. I just wish I had thought to bring my swimsuit; I could've gone for a dip." Sokka was pretty peeved when we beat him, but he didn't think we could do it…And I do love a challenge, especially against him!

Katara quietly thanked the Gods that Suki had interrupted the strained conversation. But did she have to change the subject to her and my brother? Although, it would've been hilarious to watch Sokka lose to a couple of girls…

I wonder if Katara's any good at volleyball…"You know what, we should think about going to the lake this weekend—I bet your brother would love that! What d'ya think, hm, maybe Saturday?" Suki exclaimed in excitement, completely forgetting the stranger at the table.

Shooting daggers at Suki, Katara replied saccharinely, "Great idea, Suki. How 'bout we discuss it later, hm?" Shut up, Suki—do not mention it around Jet, he'll just want to hang out too! How do you think I got caught up with him in the first place?!?

Fully realizing that the woman across from her was upset, oh crap—Sokka warned me about getting her angry, Suki answered quickly, "Yeah, okay, later." Looking at her watch, Suki frowned at her roommate, "Sorry, K, I gotta head out. I guess I'll see you later."

Great my only hope of getting out of this miserable encounter alive is leaving! I guess I should try escaping, too. Picking up her book bag and digging for her cell phone, she hoped to exit swiftly."No prob, Suki. I gotta head out, too. I guess I'll see you later, Jet…"

"You don't have to go right this second, do you Katara?" asked Jet, shifting in his seat and reaching for her arm. "I was hoping to chat with you alone for a sec," Jet responded with a slight tone of disappointment to his voice.

She paused as he gently squeezed her arm and let go. Oh no, he has that look on his face—don't fall for it again, Katara! But he does look sincere…She relented with a small sigh, "Just for a sec?" As he nodded in the affirmative, she sat back down and placed her cell phone on the small wooden table, "Okay, I guess I can stick around." Turning to her teammate, she gave a small wave, "See you at home later, Suki."

Confused, Suki took her leave, "See you." Walking away, she thought to herself, okay, now I definitely have to ask Sokka about Jet…if Katara even told him. He does get a little overbearing when it comes to her and guys, though…I wonder if maybe I shouldn't say anything at all, then…Suki continued the debate in her mind for a moment before deciding to just let it go.

Turning to Katara, Jet leaned forward a bit and spoke to her in honeyed tones, "So, how've you really been? You know I've missed you…" He reached for her hand, but Katara quickly pulled away, scooting her plastic chair back a couple of inches in the process.

I knew it—he was absolutely not sincere! He's just gonna flirt with you and smile at you until he finds someone else to hook up with—you're too smart to fall for this again!!! She screamed at herself mentally, putting up her guard. "I've really been fine, Jet—life's good," she said with as much sincerity as possible. I will not let him know how badly he got to me last semester. Just say goodbye and go back to your dorm!

As she thought this, Katara saw Zuko making his way across the street towards the tea shop. Locking eyes with him, she beamed a warm smile at him and waved, great—all this thinking about boys and relationships has jinxed you again! However, this could get interesting; maybe Zuko can inadvertently help me get out of this…

"Hey Zuko, how are you?" she said amiably as she stood up to greet the young man approaching the tea shop, surprising him with her enthusiasm. Why's she being so nice? Why does she look so happy to see me? Not that it's a bad thing she's happy to see me, but still…

Awkwardly, he replied, "Good, same as this morning. How are you doing?" he continued casually, finally noticing the man sitting across from Katara. Isn't that the lead singer from that band I saw this weekend? It was kind of dark in there…Maybe he's the reason she's being so nice to me?

"Oh, just finishing lunch." Turning to Jet and placing her hand on Zuko's shoulder in a familiar manner, she introduced them. "Jet, this is Zuko, my—uh—friend," Katara said slowly, not sure how best to introduce her classmate—saying he's my partner sounds a little odd…I guess he could be considered a friend—I've probably spent as much time with him this past week as my actual friends…That's weird, I hadn't thought about it that way…

Zuko, amazed by Katara's introduction of him as her friend—not to mention the fact that she's touching my shoulder—turned to Jet and tried to reply as enthusiastically as possible, "Nice to meet you. I saw you and your band on Saturday—you guys were great."

I'm going to have to ask her about this guy…Maybe later tonight if she's online? Noticing something sticking out of the corner of Jet's mouth, he thought curiously, is he seriously chewing on a toothpick? Talk about unsanitary…not to mention he's trying WAY too hard to look rebellious…

"We do what we can—glad to hear you liked it," Jet responded as coolly as possible. Why does this guy show up every time I try talking to her…it's beginning to get a little annoying. "So you go to BSSU, too?" the lanky young man asked out of politeness.

"Yeah, I'm a junior, only three semesters left after this one," Zuko replied, cautious about how much he should be revealing about himself. "How 'bout you?"

"I'm in my third year, I think I have two more years left after this—it would probably be sooner if I hadn't changed my major," Jet replied nonchalantly. Doesn't this guy have someplace to go? How am I supposed to talk to her if I can't get a minute alone?

Sensing Jet's annoyance at his presence, Zuko shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, I hope you enjoyed your lunch—my uncle owns this place. Which reminds me," he said while pulling his cell phone from his pocket and checking the time on the device, "I've got to go inside and start my shift. Nice to meet you. Uh, see you later," he ended with an unsure smile. And I thought our first 'real' conversation was uncomfortable, Katara…

"Bye Zuko," she said amiably, thanking every god she could think of for Zuko's convenient interruption. Absolutely perfect timing, Zuko! Maybe now I can high-tail it out of here! Turning to the young man seated at the table, she spoke, "Sorry about that interruption, Jet."

"So, he's your 'friend' is he? How'd you two meet?" Jet asked indifferently, though he could tell that Katara left something unspoken about her relationship with Zuko. Who is that guy? She was talking to him at the club Saturday night…what was that all about? Chewing the toothpick in speculation, winning her back won't be easy, especially if there's something going on with 'what's-his-name.' I've got to prove to her that I've changed since last year…

"Oh, we have a class together—interpersonal comm," she replied calmly. Glancing down at her cell phone sitting on the table between them, she declared, "You know, it's getting pretty late in the afternoon, I should get going. It was nice catching up with you," she said before sliding away, wearing a triumphant smile. That felt kind of good, she remarked with pleasant surprise, I should have done that sooner—don't let him hold you hostage with that handsome smile. Besides, I think I actually got under his skin…Actually, that felt REALLY good…

Unable to show his unhappiness at her departure, Jet waved at her as she left, "See you next time, Kuruk…" And there will be a next time…I just have to make sure we don't get interrupted. He sat a few minutes more, watching her leave, his mind already forming a plan in order to see her again soon… something that he hoped would involve her at the beach in a bikini.

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Zuko sat in the manager's office quietly contemplating the odd encounter that had just happened. That was kind of…weird, he thought to himself. But it was kind of nice, too. At least she was smiling—I like that…especially in comparison to the alternative. Shaking his head, he renewed his concentration on the paperwork in front of him. Penciling in some numbers, his eyes rose as his uncle's stout body appeared in the doorway.

"Hello Nephew. Nice afternoon, isn't it?" the grizzled man asked.

"Yes it is, Uncle. Aren't you going home soon?" Zuko asked, his eyes returning to the task at hand.

Iroh nodded, smiling with pride at his young relative's work ethic. "Yes, soon. Oh, about this weekend; I think I'll be taking Saturday off—Ghashiun asked for the extra hours since he was out sick last weekend. And who am I not to oblige?" Iroh ended, seeing if his nephew would object. As Zuko sat there silently, still hunched over the inventory sheet, he continued. "I was thinking we should go to Lake Laogai this weekend, Nephew. It'll be fall soon enough and this might be our last opportunity to enjoy the beach—I hear it's supposed to be a beautiful weekend. What do you think?"

Concentrating on the paperwork, the scarred young man waved his hand dismissingly at his uncle. "Whatever you want, Uncle. We'll head to the beach this weekend, if you like. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to finish this up." Can't you see I'm a little busy, Uncle Iroh?

"Great, now don't forget Zuko! Have a good evening—I'll see you when you get home."

"Okay, Uncle. Bye," Zuko replied distractedly. "See you then."

As Iroh walked away, he whistled a tune to himself, I guess I'll have to go shopping for a new beach hat… not to mention new sandals and a new beach chair…Maybe I should head to the mall and get some necessities? With an excited grin, he hurried home and quickly drove off to the nearest shopping center.

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It was Tuesday night and Katara was bored…not just 'kind of bored,' but 'out of her mind, don't want to do homework and need a distraction NOW' bored. Suki was out on a dinner date with Sokka—I still don't understand what she sees in him… she seems like such a normal girl—and she was sitting idly in her room. Turning her eyes to her laptop, she groaned, I guess I'll do some Web crawling for a little while and update my profile on MySpace…

Powering up her computer, Katara quickly signed in to her IM account and, while no one was online, she went through her e-mail—another boring announcement from campus about testing the fire alarms—and checked some friends' blogs. Luckily, her computer 'dinged' and she checked to see who was online…bluspirit, eh? Haven't talked to him in a little while…

bluspirit: hey

h2opologurl: hi how's ur week been?

bluspirit: busy w/school + work, u?

h2opologurl: busy w/school

Soon enough, they made it through some basic pleasantries and Katara had an idea. It's been awhile since I played this, but it'll be interesting to see what he has to say. Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do…

Typing quickly, she proposed:

h2opologurl: i'm bored, wanna play 20 questions?


Staring at the screen with mild apprehension, Zuko thought about it. What is she going to ask, I wonder…Just got to make sure you don't give away who you are…She must be pretty bored…Shrugging his shoulders, he mused what's the worse that could happen? He typed back:

bluspirit: sure

h2opologurl: fav color?

See, Zuko, nothing to worry about. She just wants to get to know you…actually, she doesn't want to get to know you specifically, just bluspirit, Zuko thought, momentarily annoyed at his alter ego.

bluspirit: red

h2opologurl: fav band?

bluspirit: rough rhinos

h2opologurl: fav food?

bluspirit: anything spicy

h2opologurl: fav time of year?

bluspirit: summer

See, nothing but easy questions…

h2opologurl: boxers or briefs?

That was… unexpected…well, if she really wants to know…

bluspirit: boxers

Smiling to herself, Katara thought, boxers are nice…She then took a deep breath and steeled herself to ask another intimate question, hoping to learn more about the type of guy bluspirit was. Not to mention if he's seeing anyone, she thought with a sly grin before continuing her interview.

h2opologurl: girlfriend?

bluspirit: no

h2opologurl: then what do u look 4 in a gf?

Zuko's eyes widened as he looked incredulously at the screen, is she flirting with me? If anything, she's flirting with bluspirit, he corrected himself with a small huff.

Biting his lip thoughtfully, he answered cautiously before turning the tables on his classmate:

bluspirit: i dunno. what do u look 4 in a guy?

h2opologurl: some1 who knows how 2 have a good time, but doesn't mind staying in on a friday nite 2 watch a movie

h2opologurl: and hes gotta b honest + sincere

Slightly annoyed that he had dodged the question, Katara renewed her assault:

h2opologurl: u still havent answered the question

Taking a deep breath, he thought about it for a moment. What do I look for in a girlfriend? Then again, I don't have a ton of experience in that department. Not to mention that Jin asked me out, not the other way around…But there's gotta be something worth mentioning…Thinking on it for a couple of seconds, he chuckled to himself as he figured out what to say:

bluspirit: to the point arent u?

bluspirit: some1 that takes life seriously, but doesnt take themselves too seriously

bluspirit: and it doesnt hurt if shes cute ;)

bluspirit: know any1 that fits the bill?

Katara had a devilish grin on her face as she responded:

h2opologurl: maybe, but im the 1 asking questions here!

They continued to talk about relationships and eventually the discussion centered on exes. Her recent experience with Jet still fresh in her mind, Katara related the reason for her present support of singlehood:

h2opologurl: n college, guys r totally noncommittal—theyre not looking 4 ms right, theyre looking for ms right now

h2opologurl: and if a guy has the opportunity, he'll hook up w/any1

I wonder if how she feels has anything to do with that Jet guy…Besides, what she said isn't exactly true, but I've got to admit, I'm not necessarily looking for 'the one,' either, Zuko thought to himself. In defense of his gender, he typed:

bluspirit: i dunno what your exes did 2 u, but not every guys like that. im not like that. were not all jerks

Appreciating his comments, Katara simply typed "okay" back to him. Glancing at her alarm clock, she realized an hour had flown past and that it was getting late, especially considering you've procrastinated way too much regarding your homework. Time to sign off and concentrate on school!

Saying goodbye to her online friend, she quietly closed the laptop shut. Maybe bluspirit's right, maybe I should give guys a second chance, she thought to herself before getting started on her homework. This is going to be some semester…

When she abruptly signed off, Zuko figured he must have hit a nerve with his classmate. That sucks—looks like some guy really pulled a number on her…She did mention that she had a hard time with school last semester…I wonder if that had anything to do with it?

--------------------------------

I forgot how early 6 a.m. was, Katara thought tiredly as she headed towards the pool. Not to mention the fact that you avoided your homework for an hour last night in order to flirt online with some faceless guy!

By the time Katara had crawled out of bed that morning, Suki was already awake and ready for her first practice with the team. As the blue-eyed girl wiped the sleep out of her eyes, she spoke out, "Suki, seriously, what are you doing? Are you doing STRETCHES before practice?"

Smiling at the drowsy girl, Suki sat and stretched over her legs, touching her toes, "Yeah, sleepyhead. It's my first practice and I want to be ready!"

"Oh, Suki, the first day is totally low-key. Don't worry about it—I'm sure you'll do fine!" she said lying in bed and stretching her arms and toes out in either direction, grudgingly starting to wake up.

"Well, hurry up—we don't want to be late, do we?" the grey-eyed girl asked earnestly. When Katara heard that, she realized how fun it really would be to see all of their teammates. Soon enough, she grabbed her gym bag and the women were trekking across campus.

Upon arriving at the pool, she went to the locker room and quickly changed into her practice suit. Heading out to the pool area, she tried desperately to tuck every last lock of her unruly hair under the swim cap. Come on hair—work with me here!

Eventually satisfied with her work, she paused at the poolside and took a seat alongside her teammates in the bleachers. The sky was beginning to change colors from what could be observed through the high windows in the building, while a small water aerobics class for seniors got started in the smaller therapy pool nearby. Staring around at her teammates' faces, Katara remarked at least I'm not the only one that looks like she could still be sleeping.

Coach Pakku, dressed in a navy blue windbreaker while his long white hair stuck out from the back of his BSSU baseball cap, was already going through his customary pacing before they began warm-ups. Peering at the girls from behind his sunglasses, he quietly signaled for their attention.

"Good morning ladies. I'm glad to see you all again—as well as a couple of new faces. I want to extend an especially warm welcome to your new teammate, a transfer from Kyoshi Island College, Suki Kyoshi."

Upon hearing her name, Suki quickly glanced around at everyone, waved and said "hello."

"Now that we've gone through the pleasantries, let's get started on warm-ups. Most of you know how it goes—I want you to swim laps for 30 minutes, then we'll get started on passing drills on the other side of the pool."

Soon enough, the girls jumped into separate lanes in the pool and started swimming freestyle to the other side. Try as she might, Katara lost focus on her swimming and felt her mind slowly wandering to other thoughts.

I can't believe it's already time to start training for the new season, she thought to herself in wonder. This time last year, I was living in the freshmen dorm with Smellerbee…which is how I met Jet and the rest is history. This year'll be different…I just know it…You're another year older and a heck of a lot smarter than you used to be, Katara! You won't fall for another guy's tricks this time around…

As if noticing her lack of concentration, Coach Pakku growled out, "Kuruk, get over here!"

Shaking herself out of her trance, Katara swam to the edge of the pool. "Yes, Coach Pakku, what is it?" she asked with concern.

"You're behind your teammates on laps—you're usually the one ahead of everyone else. Did you not keep up with your routine over the summer?" he snapped, getting her full attention.

"No, Coach, sorry," she admitted, eyes downcast. "I kept up with it as much as I could. I guess I'm just a little distracted with the start of the new school year…"

"Well, get your head on straight—we don't want a repeat performance of last semester do we?" he continued with a stern look in his eye. Softening his voice and speaking low enough so that Katara was the only one that heard, "I certainly don't want to see a repeat performance of last year…"

"Yes, Coach, I understand. I'll focus more."

Coach Pakku nodded in understanding and waved her back to her warm-up.

Returning to her laps, she gave herself a mental shake and vowed to buck up. She thought to herself, you may have been stressed out from mid-terms and practice last semester, but you know you were upset about what was going on with Jet, too. Don't let a guy do that to you again, Katara!

With renewed vigor, she darted across the pool for the remaining 20 minutes of laps. Just ignore boys…Does Zuko count, though, I mean he is my partner? He's a boy—and an attractive one at that—but he's your project partner, too…And what about bluspirit? I mean, he doesn't really count, you haven't even met him in person and have no idea what he looks like…Ugh—just ignore them all as much as possible! she thought to herself, willing her mind to end its distracting train of thought.

As she swam between the bulkheads, she quietly pushed any thoughts involving the opposite sex further from her mind with each reach of her arm and scissor kick of her legs. Reaching a sublime sense of peace as she glided along in the tepid water, Katara mentally went through her Tai Chi forms to help regain her focus. No longer thinking about anything, she let the sounds of her paddling through the water reverberate in her mind. Time to focus, Katara…

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Author's note: Thanks everyone for being patient about this chapter—you would not believe how crazy-busy I was at work this past week! Anyways, this chapter is a little slower, but you do find out what went down between Jet and Katara—not to mention how they met…Also, it was decided that the IM conversations need to stand out a little more from regular dialogue and the inner monologues, so I hope it wasn't too distracting to see it in bold text.

Hope you enjoyed this newest chapter and I'll try my best to update again sometime soon! And, as always, a HUGE "thank you" to Moor for her super-awesome beta skills!