Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This story is for amusement purposes only—so I hope you're amused!

Chapter 13

There was a distinct lump in Katara's throat as she stumbled aimlessly towards campus. She was literally walking around in a daze, barely noticing that she had made her way to the pond located on the far side of the sprawling grounds. When she reached the grass surrounding the water, she fell to her knees out of emotional exhaustion. For a few silent minutes, she kneeled there, pulling out small clumps of grass and observing the movement of the turtle-ducks as they lazily swam across the water's glassy surface. Her eyes glazed over as she re-examined what had just transpired between her and Zuko.

He was lying to me all this time. How could I be so stupid? I wonder if anything he said—in person or online—was true…What a mess! Yet another screw-up with the opposite sex.

As she cycled through another set of self-deprecating thoughts, she simply hugged her knees to her chest as she giggled nervously from time to time, wondering how she could be so idiotic as to trust men—the wrong men, again. She barely registered the fact that someone was enjoying the pond, too, and she certainly didn't notice the individual slowly approaching her until he called her name.

"Katara, is that you?" a hesitant male voice asked, one she hadn't heard since that fateful day when she met Zuko at the bookstore.

Quickly wiping away any lingering wetness from her cheeks before turning towards him, she smiled weakly in return, "Oh, hey Haru…How's it going?" She knew the fake smile would be fairly obvious, but she was hoping to avoid an even more awkward situation.

"I'm okay—just studying for midterms. Are…are you okay? You don't look…well," the long-haired young man asked with sincere concern.

The Water Tribe girl chuckled in response, surprised to find how easy it was to lie about her present state, "Oh, just got a little stressed out from classes, you know?" Glancing at her watch, she feigned checking the time, "Oh wow, guess I should be heading back to my dorm—it's almost dinnertime. Guess I'll see you around, Haru." With another nervous smile, she realized that Haru always seemed to show up when things were at their worst with the men in her life.

"Uh, yeah, guess I'll see you around, Katara. Hope your exams go well!" he called after her, waving at the young woman's retreating figure.

While the short conversation served as a much-needed respite from her confused thoughts regarding her classmate, Katara couldn't stop her mind from returning to her twisted train of thought as she walked home. She mentally reamed herself for thinking she could trust another man—belatedly realizing that it wasn't as easy as that. The guy had to actually be trustworthy, and it was fairly obvious to her that Zuko was not that guy.

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As Zuko raised his forehead from the desk's cool surface, he growled and banged his fists on the desktop in frustration. I fucked up bad—I should've told her sooner…SHIT! He quickly rose from his space behind the workstation and paced across what little floor space the cozy office provided. However, he soon realized how ridiculous it was to be pacing in such a manner and he quickly slumped into the small chair facing the desk.

It was in this same position that Iroh found Zuko in nearly a quarter of an hour later. Tentatively popping his head into the doorway, the old man addressed his nephew carefully, "Zuko, do you plan on returning to work sometime today?"

"Uncle, I…I'll be there in ten minutes. I'm just…thinking."

Iroh couldn't help but recognize the obvious pain in his nephew's voice and unobtrusively asked, "Do you mind if I do some paperwork in here, then?"

"Yeah, fine, whatever," Zuko responded without care, his head in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees.

Taking the seat at the desk, Iroh quietly pulled out a pencil and proceeded to formalize the next week's schedule. As he finished, he put down the pencil, leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers, the heels of his hands resting on his rotund belly. Addressing the depressed young man across from him, he simply asked, "So, what are you going to do, Zuko?"

"What do you mean 'what am I going to do'? There's nothing I can do—I royally screwed up."

"Do you like her, Zuko?" Zuko refused to answer, knowing his uncle was quite aware of his feelings for the girl from the South Pole. "Do you care about her?"

Hesitantly, Zuko replied, "Yes, I do…but it doesn't mean anything now." Seeing his uncle's pleading look, Zuko quickly growled in frustration, "Why…why are you asking, Uncle?"

"Well, if you do care for her, you'll find a way to make it up to her."

"And how am I supposed to do that? I don't think Hallmark makes a card that says 'sorry I lied to you for weeks about my online alter ego…'"

Examining his fingernails closely as he spoke, Iroh asked point-blank, "Are you a Sozin, Nephew?"

Rolling his eyes at his uncle's flair for the dramatic, Zuko replied dully, "Yes, Uncle, I am a Sozin."

"Well, then start acting like one!" Softening his response, he continued, "Because Sozins do not give up this easily—especially in matters of the heart. We're passionate people! All you need is a plan."

"And, how exactly, am I to come up with a plan?"

"I will help you woo back the heart of the Water Tribe maiden," the old man simply replied, watching his nephew's face for what he was sure would be an amusing reaction—and he was not be disappointed. Of course, Iroh was quite pleased with himself and wore a beaming grin, excited at the prospect of helping his nephew out with something he considered one of his two areas of expertise—women. Of course, his other area of expertise concerned tea.

Smacking his palm to his forehead, Zuko's hand rubbed down his face in disbelief—disbelief that not only was he taking advice from his uncle, but he was taking advice on women from his uncle. Considering his options, though, Zuko half-heartedly realized that he didn't have anything left to lose and quickly turned his ear to his uncle's ramblings about the 'fairer sex.'

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Zuko sat in his chair, his pencil and foot impatiently tapping the adjacent surfaces. As the clock slowly ticked towards the class's start, he anxiously looked to the door, wondering if Katara would show up.

Soon enough, the tanned girl walked into class, chin held up proudly as she listened to her iPod. Without making eye contact with Zuko, she easily slid into her seat, pulling out her notebook and resolutely ignored her neighbor. When Professor Wu entered, Katara turned off her music player, pulling the headphones off as she turned her full attention to the lecturer at the head of the room. Katara took fastidious notes and managed to avoid pulling her eyes away from anything that didn't resemble the old, gray-haired woman or the lined pages of her notebook. And so passed the duration of the interpersonal communications class, inches from her project partner—deliberately rejecting any form of contact. Zuko would sneak in furtive glances at Katara, hoping to meet her eye, and Katara simply continued to ignore him.

When class ended, Katara popped her headphones back on and walked purposefully out of the door. Zuko followed closely on her heels, trying his best not to shout out to her, out of fear of causing a scene—not to mention, he wasn't sure how Katara would react.

"Katara, wait," he asked, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"Get your hand off of me," she hissed through clenched teeth. "And wait for what, Zuko? Wait for you to lie to me again? I've got better things to do," she more calmly responded as she forcefully removed his hand and attempted to exit the building.

"Just give me a second—"

"A second for what—for you to pretend to care about me? All I was to you was some kind of social experiment," she said venomously, turning to him as she pulled off her headphones.

Subconsciously clenching his jaw as he placed a check on his latent frustration with his classmate and the anger he directed at himself, Zuko continued, "It wasn't like that at all, Katara. Just let me explain—"

"I don't want an explanation, Zuko. I just want to forget anything between us and get our project over with. We're just classmates, Zuko, and that's it." Looking pointedly at her watch, she finished, "I've got to go."

She turned to leave, summoning all the willpower she had to not look back at him. Just forget about whatever happened between you two, it's better this way. She left him standing there in the hall and pretended she didn't give a damn what he did for the rest of his day while she continued to the building of her next tutorial. However, instead of going to class, Katara felt her eyes glaze over with unshed tears and she automatically walked over to the pond. It was there she sat, spacing out until her next lecture. The sound of the water running over the rocks slowly soothed her frayed nerves. As she walked to her 11 a.m. class later that morning, she desperately prayed that things would get easier between herself and her partner, or that the feelings she still harbored for him would slowly disappear.

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The next two weeks passed by without incident—no matter how hard Zuko tried to talk to Katara. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing to discuss. While Katara tried her best to put aside her lingering feelings for Zuko, it was harder to literally ignore the young man sitting beside her in class twice a week, especially during their required in-class activities. During their assigned exercises, Katara would do her best to use monosyllabic replies and refused to make eye contact with him. To the casual observer, it would have seemed to be immature behavior, but Katara wasn't interested in pleasant conversation; she only hoped for class to end quickly, so she could make her escape from Zuko's ever-watchful presence. It was almost like he was watching and waiting for something to change and it annoyed the crap out of Katara.

Of course, she also ignored his phone calls, banned him from her IM list, and only gave cursory glances to his e-mails, trying to determine if they were school-related. If the messages were of a more personal nature, she simply deleted them as quickly as possible, not wanting to read anything about what could have been.

It also didn't help that he'd sent her flowers—an impressive array composed of moonflowers, which happened to be her favorite. When Katara first saw the bouquet, sitting at her residence hall's front counter with Joo Dee, she had admired them greatly, wondering who the lucky girl in the dorm could be.

With a wide grin, Joo Dee had stopped Katara before she'd made it to the elevators, "Katara, I think these are for you…"

Katara easily guessed the sender, curving her mouth into a fake smile as she waved off the flowers, "But they look so nice up there with you, Joo Dee. Why don't you keep them? I'd just forget to change the water anyways…" With that, she stepped onto the elevator, her smile disappearing the moment the doors shut.

Shrugging her shoulders while giving a quick "okay," Joo Dee glanced at the note that came with the flowers before tossing it in the trash can. Furrowing her brow, she was surprised to see "I'm sorry. –Z" on the note. Thankfully, Joo Dee knew well enough not to ask Katara about the flowers and, instead, appreciated their decorative appearance and pleasant fragrance. Unfortunately for Katara, the flowers only served as a reminder of Zuko each time she passed by them.

Trying her best to keep her mind off of her latest failed relationship, Katara threw herself into school and her extracurricular activities, frequenting the gym or pool everyday, volunteering her weekend mornings away, and holing up in the library to study. While she still looked physically healthy—she did remember to eat and sleep regularly this time around—there was still an air of emotional exhaustion that surrounded the Water Tribe girl at all times.

While Suki had noticed her roommate's intense behavior, she didn't question it or mention anything about Zuko, assuming that Katara had refused her advice a couple of weeks ago. The Kyoshi girl had tried asking her roommate about what was going on in her life, but Katara always changed the subject or brushed off her concerns, too ashamed to share what had happened. And even though she recalled the advice Suki had given her previously, Katara didn't think there was any advice her teammate could give her anyway. As far as Katara knew, the only thing that could mend a broken heart was time.

So instead, Suki busied herself with her own studies and spent as much of her free time with Sokka, as he was often out of town for away games. It was on one such occasion that Sokka asked Suki about his sister.

"So, Suki, I haven't seen Katara in a couple of weeks…She keeps telling me she's busy with school, practice and volunteering. But something tells me that she's keeping something from me…" the elder Kuruk trailed off as he heaped another spoonful of food in his mouth.

Of course, they were once again eating lunch at Bato's following one of Sokka's morning practices. He had recently showered and had his long hair pulled out of his eyes while she sat across from him at the table. Suki picked at the food on her plate momentarily before she responded to her boyfriend's concerns.

"I dunno, she's hardly been at home when I am," Suki said, not wanting to betray her roommate's confidence—that is, if her roommate had taken the time to confide in her. I don't know what happened, but it's not like it used to be…I wish she would say something, good, bad, whatever…I just want her to tell me what's going on. "I think she's just focused on school and water polo right now," she continued, hoping to allay any fears her boyfriend might have had about his younger sister.

Sitting there thoughtfully for a moment before responding, "I guess she's just taking her big brother's wise advice for once." As he spoke, Sokka wore a wide grin on his face, proud of the fact that his sister had finally listened to him and decided to concentrate on her studies as opposed to the opposite sex.

In an attempt to break his overconfidence, Suki snapped her chopsticks in his face with a giggle, "Wow, did you hear that noise? It's your ego calling!" she smirked at him before snapping up one of his vegetables right before his eyes. "Now, don't let your head get too big, Mr. All-Star!"

Your sis may need you if things don't improve and your ego would only get in the way, she thought wistfully before laughing at his protests and jokes.

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Once mid-terms passed, the campus was abuzz with activity as people hurried from class to class, avoiding the cool nip in the air. The leaves had almost disappeared from the trees, the campus already showing the impending signs of winter. Katara was doing well enough in her plan to avoid unnecessary interaction and conversation with Zuko. However, it was getting closer to their project's submission date, as Professor Wu reminded the class, and Katara knew she'd have to face him sometime.

"As you all know, the end of the semester will be here sooner than you think," reminded the matronly professor. "Not only will your 10-page paper be due, but you also have to make your presentation to the class, explaining your topic and providing support for it. Now, your topic has been approved and, hopefully, you've begun, if not completed, your research. I hope you also take time to practice your presentation, as well. If there are any questions, I'll take them now." After answering a few basic queries, Professor Wu soon dismissed the class.

Turning to her partner, Katara said point-blank, "Let's split the paper up into sections, with each of us writing half the paper. Once we write up our sections, we'll just e-mail them back and forth. From what I recall, you have my e-mail address already," she said with mild scorn in her voice and eyes averted. She'd found looking at his collar or ear were easiest to focus on when she absolutely had to address him. His collar took the prize today.

"Uh, yeah, I have your e-mail address. But what about the presentation?"

"We'll just split it up the same as the paper for both the speaking parts and PowerPoint slides."

"And what about practicing?" Zuko queried quietly, unsure of the response he'd receive, but still relishing the extended moment of conversation with Katara, however terse.

Sighing as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "We'll deal with that soon enough, I guess. But I've got to go. See you next Monday," she finished before exiting the classroom.

"Bye," he replied in turn, gripping his backpack straps with intensity as his inner monologue, once again, berated him and recalled his stupid actions towards the Water Tribe girl that he still cared for.

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When Zuko got to his karate class on Thursday, the room was dark and cool. He spent a moment turning on the lights and kicking off his shoes before doing some light stretches and going through a kata as he waited for his students to show up. He grunted and shouted through the series of movements, releasing all of his pent-up frustrations regarding his current situation with Katara. She doesn't want to talk to me and the flowers aren't helping either. Some help Uncle is!

Unable to shake the agitation from his limbs, he renewed his focus and went through a more challenging kata. His brows gleaned with sweat as he narrowed his eyes, concentrating on his form and posture. Zuko's attention was so focused that he didn't notice the small group of students standing in awe at the doorway to the room, watching him in admiration. When he realized his charges were standing there, he finished the last motion of the kata before relaxing his posture and turning to them. It was Lee that spoke up first.

"Zuko-sensei, that was amazing!" the young teenager said with a toothy grin. "You looked really intense and those moves—wow! Do you think you can teach us that kata sometime soon?"

As soon as Zuko saw Lee's genuine smile, his mind briefly flashed back to Katara as he was reminded of the first time she looked at him in admiration. And I'll never get to see that smile again, he thought resignedly.

Wiping his brow with his shirt sleeve, Zuko dully responded, "Yeah, Lee, I think we can learn that one soon." While he ran them through a simpler series, Zuko couldn't tear his mind away from the smile that still haunted him—even in his dreams.

The first smile Katara had given him wasn't something he would easily forget.

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Katara watched the world go by from her seat on the train. She was still going over her conversation with Aang from earlier that morning and was, if possible, more confused about how to handle her situation than she had been in the past few weeks.

She was just sitting there filing some paperwork for Gyatso in the office when the bald young man appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, Aang," she said with a weak smile, not looking up from the task at hand in hopes of avoiding his examining gaze. She had noticed that the young Air Nomad had been watching her with concern lately.

"Hey, Katara," Aang replied with a cheery tone. "Mind if I join you?"

Pointing at some papers on the desk, she replied, "Sure, Aang, that stack over there needs to be filed in the cabinet behind you."

"Oh, okay. So, uh, how's school going?"

"Alright, it's getting closer and closer to finals, so things are getting a little crazy. Nothing too nuts, just busier and a little bit more stressed."

"So, you're doing okay in school?"

"Yeah, Aang, of course."


"And how's water polo?"

"Fine, we're still training since the season doesn't start until next semester. Aang, what's with all the questions today?" Katara had asked as she looked up at her friend. Her eyes quickly shot down when she noticed the intense look on the young man's face. She was afraid he knew somehow—knew that her heart had been broken again and that he was simply caught up in damage control. She had refused to let it outwardly affect her and had tried her best to not burden her friends with her troubles. Though it looked like she hadn't hidden it well enough.

"Katara, I know something's wrong. You…you don't seem the same lately. I know something happened—you've been quieter and you sure have been volunteering an awful lot lately. I'm…I'm just worried about you. If something was wrong, you'd tell me, right?"

"Yeah, I would Aang, but nothing's wrong. I'm just…busy with my life right now," she replied with what she hoped was a reassuring grin.

"Are you sure, Katara?" Recognizing her false facade, he continued, "If something was wrong, though, you'd tell me wouldn't you? You don't have to deal with everything all by yourself, Katara…"

Staring at the desktop, she took a deep breath as she truly considered Aang's words. She hadn't told anyone about what had really happened between her and Zuko—not even Suki. She briefly wondered if she should keep it bottled up inside or take the opportunity Aang was giving her and share the burden of her tumultuous emotions. She momentarily closed her eyes and after a couple of calming breaths, she began, "Well, it's about a guy…"

Nodding in understanding, Aang took a seat and thoughtfully smiled at her as she spoke. She didn't think he could really help her, but Katara knew that she needed to talk to someone. And she trusted him enough to give her his full attention.

When she finished, Katara asked Aang if he had any advice for her. In return, Aang asked after a reflective pause, "Are you sure you want my advice?"

"Of course, Aang—you took the time to listen to me ramble. And well, maybe I'm too upset to see things straight, you know? You're a good friend and I'd really like to know what you think."

"Well, to tell you the truth, Katara…I-I think you should give him a chance to explain. 'Cause it doesn't sound like you even gave him that. And from what you've told me, he seems like a good guy outside of this lie to you," seeing the look on her face, he added somewhat unsurely, "And, it's fairly obvious that you still…uh, care about him."

Katara reacted with surprise—she certainly hadn't expected that. If anything, she'd hoped that Aang would reinforce her decision to avoid Zuko, and hope that she would just ignore things and get on with her life. Reconsidering her friend and his advice, though, she realized that Aang was all about second chances—hell, he worked in a center for disadvantaged youth, it was practically the family business!

Watching the emotions slide across her face, Aang simply smiled at her before rising from his seat and exiting the room, "Just give him a chance to explain, Katara…I'm sure he won't disappoint you."

As she sat there on the train bench on her way back to campus, Katara remembered Aang's understanding face and how his eyes had softened as she realized how much she had cared—and still cared—for Zuko. She honestly appreciated what a good friend she had in him. He's such an old soul, sometimes, she realized. How did he get so wise?

Walking to her residence hall, she truly smiled for the first time in what felt like days, and even when she saw the newest bouquet of flowers from Zuko, the smile didn't fade. Maybe I should give him a chance…

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Zuko read through the introduction of the paper he was working on—he had to make sure it was well thought out and would not only appear to be well-written to Professor Wu, but also to Katara. He knew that she wouldn't appreciate, nor be able to afford, a bad grade in the course. Admittedly, he wanted to do well in the class, too. It worked to both their advantages to put forth the strongest possible effort, as their project was a hefty percentage of their grade. Unfortunately, he was repeatedly interrupted by recurring thoughts about her. Even though she hadn't really spoken to him in weeks, outside of class-related conversations—and those could barely be labeled 'conversations'—he still thought about her more than one would have expected at this point, and he kept dreaming of her at night. It seemed that his nocturnal habit was too far ingrained in his subconscious mind, even though he knew he had to relinquish any feelings he still held for her—especially since she no longer returned them.

What is it about Katara that won't let me stop thinking about her? It's been weeks for Agni's sake…and she still hates me.

As he continued his attempt at focusing on his paper, his mind couldn't help but return to thoughts of her. He still hadn't figured out why he had lied to her for so long, only that he should have told her that it had been him all along. But he had figured out that there was no easy way—if any way at all—to regain her trust. He'd just have to keep up with his portion of the project, proving to her he could at least do that right, and keep hoping that she would change her mind about him.

Zuko stared out of his bedroom window for a moment, his eyes unfocused on the scenery as he replayed in his mind random parts of conversations he'd had with her. He chuckled as he remembered when she virtually asked about his choice of undergarments with her point-blank query of 'boxers or briefs.' Of course, as soon as he thought about that, his mind raced to his run-in with her at the beach…which led to recalling the fantasies that immediately followed that experience.

Shaking the erotic thoughts from his head, he finally turned his attention back to editing his paper.

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"Thank you, enjoy a successful day."

Professor Wu ended the class with a flippant wave of her hand, gathering her things before exiting the room ahead of her students. As Katara picked up her backpack, she clearly stated, "Nice job on the first half of the paper, Zuko. I'll try sending you the rest this weekend."

Surprised at her compliment, Zuko smiled despite her lack of eye contact with him. Appreciating why she was still uncomfortable with him, he uttered a quick "thanks" as he continued to pack up his things.

Walking out of the room, though, Katara looked over her shoulder, locked eyes with him, and quickly mumbled, "Have a nice weekend, Zuko."

"You, too," he answered back with a small smile, and she turned back quickly and left without another word. Zuko wondered if something had changed between them in that simple gesture; wondered if she had perhaps re-thought things since their last meeting...

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Sitting there staring at her laptop screen, Katara fondly remembered the smile Zuko had worn when she said goodbye to him earlier that day. She'd forgotten how his smile lit up his face and silently conceded that she was the reason he hadn't smiled much, if at all, lately. Shaking her head to physically will herself to stop thinking about him, she continued on with her work. She read through what they'd put together and she grudgingly admitted that they would have to practice their presentation—together—if she wanted to get the 'A' she'd worked so hard for all semester. But, of course, that meant spending time alone with him and, no doubt, spending it with him in the library.

Tui and La knew there was no way she'd ever allow him in her room again to study—nothing good ever came out of that. Except for the surprising kiss he gave you after you had to evacuate the building…oh yeah, and that whole waking up next to him business, she thought with a knowing blush. She remembered the feeling of his arms around her and a familiar warmth flooded her as her heart thumped excitedly in her chest. Hoping to wipe away the romantic feelings she still harbored for him, Katara rubbed her tired face with her hands and tried to return her attention to her classwork.

With a grunt of frustration, she decided enough is enough and shut down her computer. She hoped that she would be able to focus in the morning after she got some decent sleep, especially since it had been eluding her lately.

Katara muttered darkly about 'stupid guys and their stupid soft lips and stupid comforting hands' as she pulled on her pajamas. She'd had trouble sleeping ever since 'the incident,' her dreams revolving around Zuko in one way or another: whether as the faceless Blue Spirit she'd dreamed of weeks ago, or in more compromising situations involving partial nudity, the library and, for some reason, a whip. Nights ago, when she woke up from a particularly sordid fantasy—if one could call it that—she immediately searched for the dream's possible meanings online. Of course, all she could come up with was latent sexual frustration and the desire to punish Zuko…which, really, was no surprise considering their relationship lately, or rather, the lack thereof.

Curling into her comforter and staring at the blank wall across from her, Katara waited in silence for slumber to claim her. And she silently hoped for a dream that would actually help her in deciding whether or not she should give Zuko another chance, as the whole 'ignoring him' thing didn't seem to be working—or at least her subconscious mind certainly didn't think so.

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Another interpersonal communications class session ended and Katara put her things away slowly—she wasn't exactly looking forward to speaking with Zuko after class, so she took her time and took some deep cleansing breaths before awkwardly turning to him.

"We need to practice our presentation. This weekend. In the library," she rushed in one breath. Her cheeks tinted themselves in embarrassment when she realized how odd her statement had come out.

"Okay. What time?" Zuko replied nonchalantly as he inwardly cheered like a rowdy soccer hooligan. He didn't want to read too much into the situation, but he had to admit he was somewhat pleased with the turn of events.

"Does Sunday afternoon work for you?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah, I only have work in the morning."

"Okay, then 2 p.m. in the library. See you then," she mumbled before practically running from the room, nervous as hell at the prospect of being alone with him again.

Why am I so damn anxious? It's probably just because of my weird dreams. She stared purposefully ahead and turned the corner to the stairwell. She didn't want to admit that the fluttering feeling in her stomach meant she was possibly excited about her study session. And she didn't even want to think about how she had slowly come to accept that maybe, just maybe, she should hear him out—her pride was still holding her back.

The verdict on whether or not to talk to Zuko about their relationship would have to come later, she decided, if it happens at all. Instead of dwelling on her wavering resolve, she dutifully walked to class and ignored the desire to sit by the pond and think things through.

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Sunday morning was upon her. As she swam stroke by stroke through her laps at the pool, Katara's mind would temporarily lose focus as she still debated whether or not she should let Zuko explain. And things hadn't gotten any easier after she finally admitted to Suki what was going on. After relaying every last detail, Katara had turned to her roommate, fully expecting Suki to rail at her. However, the Kyoshi girl just looked at Katara with a look combining sadness and regret.

"Katara, how could you not tell me what was going on? I'm your roommate and your teammate—and you're pretty much my best friend…I mean, I know dating Sokka can't be easy for you—hell, it's not easy for me either, sometimes, I mean with his TOTAL lack of table manners sometimes and his goofy comments…" she trailed off before returning to her original train of thought. "Anyway, if I knew this was going on, I could have helped, or at least given you a shoulder to cry on."

Hearing Suki's heartfelt words made Katara once again realize how good her friends were. Smiling at her, Katara spoke thoughtfully, "Well, you've been dating my brother for a couple of months now—so you've obviously got plenty of experience in dealing with idiots—I mean guys," she said, barely concealing her sarcasm. "But I'm sorry I shut you out Suki—I should have told you sooner. Forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you! Enough of this whole sad blah, blah, blah…S,o tell me what's going on now!" Suki had exclaimed in anticipation of some juicy storytelling, only to be let down when Katara admitted that there was nothing to tell at this point.

Katara thought on the rest of their conversation and realized that it would be SO simple to just go through their paper and practice their presentation, and leave it simply at that. That is, until she remembered what Zuko looked like in his swim trunks, his taut muscles glistening with a combination of sweat and lake water. But of course, addressing their relationship could be uncomfortable, not to mention painful, if she decided to let it be more than school-related.

If she broached the subject with him, she'd be leaving herself vulnerable to him and let him know that she cared enough to look past what he'd done. Aside from allowing him another opportunity to break her heart, asking him to tell her why he did what he did meant admitting that she was wrong for shutting him out. And she wasn't entirely comfortable with doing that, either, since she hated admitting when she was wrong, especially when, logically, she wasn't entirely wrong to begin with. Damn pride, she thought to herself, kick-pushing herself angrily off the wall as she somersaulted in the water at the end of her lap. And talking about what happened also meant that she would have to consider forgiving him, which was something she wasn't entirely ready to do.

And if she did forgive him, what then? Her head surfaced briefly and she automatically took a breath before submerging again and blowing it out in rhythm with the next stroke. Would things go back to the way they were, or would it be something else entirely? Or was he already over her and couldn't care less about what had happened, or if she forgave him? Would she be able to handle his rejection, or would it just be another sad chapter in her miserable love life? She bobbed her head above water and took another breath. Grunting at all her wayward thoughts, Katara just decided to shut it all out—the questions, the doubts, the possibilities…and swam.

It was easier than pondering her prospects with him; it was easier than letting her emotions of anger, disappointment and sadness resurface. Things were so much easier when I was younger…then again, Mom was around then, too. Steeling herself for her roundabout at the end of the pool, she looked up at the sky before right-siding herself and wondered, what should I do, Mom?

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Zuko sat there wordlessly on the bench outside the library, soaking in some sunshine before the sun disappeared behind the clouds again. Sneaking another glance at his watch, he realized that, yet again, he'd shown up at the library much earlier than he needed to. He inwardly cringed at the small ball of anticipation that danced in his head, which had seemed to push him along more quickly in his walk from work to the library.

Just because she agreed to work on the project in person doesn't mean anything—she hasn't talked to you about it, let alone forgiven you. Uncle and his stupid advice—nothing he told me to do has worked…

Grimacing in frustration at his uncle's "plan" to woo back Katara, Zuko's hands clenched the straps of his backpack as he stared off into space. It was this somewhat pained look that Katara came upon.

"Hey, you ready?" she asked with as little nervousness as possible, and what she hoped would pass for seriousness.

Hearing her voice and focusing on her features, Zuko mumbled out a "hello" before following the tanned girl inside the building. Katara made quick work of finding a study room, with no odd looks from Mr. Zei, as he wasn't working that day.

She quickly led Zuko to their small study room and slid into a chair; for the time being, at least, she was determined to keep things strictly business. Once her computer was set up, she bent down into her bag and pulled out a couple of juice boxes and some snacks. Laying the items on the table, she quickly muttered, "Eat something if you're hungry," before turning back to the computer before her.

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Zuko thanked her quietly as he got out his textbook and notebook. He opened a juice box and turned his attention to the girl across from him. Katara immediately felt his gaze and Zuko could have sworn she flushed for a moment before turning her focus back to her computer screen.

Was that?... He temporarily squashed the runaway hope that flooded him. He rubbed his eyes, figuring he must've just been tired from waking up so early to open the tea shop.

Katara turned the notebook computer around on the table and scooted her chair closer to Zuko's to get a better view of the screen as she pulled up their paper on the screen.

"You can see here, in the introduction…" she started, and he focused his eyes on her mouth. She quickly went through the changes she'd made to his portion and relayed what she'd written for the second half. After her brief explanation, she then pulled open the PowerPoint presentation she had started. He had to admit, she'd done a fantastic job.

For her part, for a moment, Katara forgot about the bad blood between them and proudly smiled at what she'd already designed for their presentation. She expertly demonstrated the animation she'd used to introduce different sections and showed Zuko some of the video she'd imbedded, explaining how interpersonal communication changed in positive and negative ways via the use of technology. Of course, Zuko briefly wondered how much of the latter she'd pulled from her own recent experiences, but wisely held silent. With a few more concrete examples and suggestions on how else to incorporate technology-related tools and barriers into their project's main points and conclusions, she sat back and let the automated slideshow come to an end.

"So, what do you think?"

When she finally raised her gaze from her computer screen, she realized that Zuko only sat inches from her. Upon the recognition of his closeness, she was surprised to find that she still felt that same unnamable something reacting inside her at his nearness. Some might call it electricity, some might call it heat, but to Katara it was all of those and none of them because it was an entirely different feeling than what she had shared with anyone else, even when she'd been with Jet. She hadn't been this close to Zuko in weeks and while she wasn't shocked to find that she was still physically attracted to him, she didn't appreciate how her mind brought up all the mental images of her past fantasies. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt her cheeks heat up, all physical reactions that she had hoped would stay under control. Abruptly pushing herself away from the table, she sprung up and tensely uttered "gottagototheladiesroom," before quickly exiting. Zuko just furrowed his brow and shrugged his shoulders, simply believing that she really had to go.

When Katara finally made it to the restroom, she slumped herself in front of the sink, hands braced on the countertop as she closely examined herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were still a little red and she found herself taking deep breaths to calm herself. As she stared at the sink's drain, she mentally pep-talked herself, you cannot let things digress right now—just concentrate on the project. She looked back at her face in the mirror and realized that she had to talk to him. She heard Aang's words echo in her mind and knew, right then, that she had to do it.

There was no way these feelings were disappearing any time soon; she had to just let it out—just talk to him like she had with Aang and let happen what may. It's not like you have anything to lose—he could be over you, or there could be something else… or someone else. She immediately felt her insides tighten and her core temperature plummet at the realization. That's true…But he wouldn't still be sending me flowers. And calling. And e-mailing. And I'm sure he tidied his hair up to meet me today. Her internal pendulum swung back again, confusing her further. Finally, she shook her head. But there's no way you're going to be able to concentrate on the rest of your life until this is laid to rest. As she made her decision, she stood a little taller in front of the mirror, already feeling the burden of her emotions lifting from her shoulders. Smiling at her confident reflection, she took her time to fix her hair and wash her hands. She'd talk to him soon enough…she just hoped that there was something salvageable.

Back in the study room, Zuko waited for Katara to return and found himself smirking at the laptop screen. He couldn't help but be pleased with her work thus far—in fact, he was impressed. Zuko knew she had an impacted schedule, what with her team's practices, her classes, and her volunteering, and wondered how she could have found the time to do such a great job on their project.

However, he frowned when he realized that she had done most of the work. What had he done? So far, he'd only written up half of the paper. Was it because she didn't trust him to do a good job? Or something else? Before he came up with a satisfactory answer, his blue-eyed classmate re-entered the room, her face graced with a much calmer look. As she moved towards her chair, Zuko scooted his back, figuring she probably didn't want to sit too close to him, considering what I did, anyway.

But Katara surprised him when her hand grabbed his forearm and she looked into his eyes, confessing, "We need to talk."

Dense as ever, Zuko assumed she meant the project, and started offering other ideas he had for embellishing the presentation. Shaking her head, Katara interrupted him, "About us, Zuko."

The color drained from Zuko's face at her words. He didn't know what to do or where he should start. Did she want an explanation, or did she want to simply tell him that he was a jerk for not doing more of the project; or, worse yet, tell him she didn't want to talk, see, or hear from him again once the semester was over? Sensing the questions flashing through his mind, Katara smiled at him. And it wasn't that small smile that she had shown him earlier, it was a deep, wide grin, one that showed she knew how confused he was.

In that moment, when he recognized the intention of reconciliation behind her beautiful eyes, he knew everything was possible. She had only treated him with complete disinterest the past few weeks, but now, now he had her full attention and he was wasting it on being nervous about what she wanted from him. Zuko briefly wondered if Iroh's plan had worked and momentarily regretted having to his uncle that it possibly had.

So, taking a deep breath, Katara started the conversation, belatedly realizing that it was going to be harder than she thought to get the right words out. "Well, I…I talked to a friend—Aang, at the teen center."

At the mention of another man's name, Zuko scowled momentarily, thinking that this Aang character, whoever the hell he is, probably told her that he was no good and that she should just run away from him as quickly as her little snow-loving feet could carry her.

Seeing the look on his face, she chuckled in response. Looking down at her hands, she continued, "No, really, he's just a friend. Anyway, he told me I should give you a chance to explain…because I never listened your side of the story. And, well, he really believes in giving people second chances…" She took another deep breath and spoke her next words slowly, hoping to have those words settle in not only Zuko's mind, but also her own, "Shit, I mean, we work with kids from the 'wrong side of the tracks' every day and it's all about giving them second chances…second chances to prove themselves… to start anew."

Looking back up at Zuko, her sapphire eyes instantly locked with his amber ones. Unfortunately, Zuko's face was blank—there was no telling what was going on 'behind the scenes' in his mind. Afraid of his response, Katara bit her lip nervously.

"Uh…I-I didn't expect that," he said, running his hand through his shaggy hair, before showing her a hopeful smile. "But, I guess I'll start at the beginning."

The smile she gifted him with next gave him all the confidence he needed, and slowly, he told her how it had all started. Sitting there, Zuko looked down at his hands as he spoke, only looking up at the Water Tribe girl occasionally to make sure she was following along. When he did look at her, she supplied nods and smiles, reassuring him that she was still listening. When he finished, he was a little surprised to see she was still smiling and hadn't run from the room screaming in anger.

"So, that's, uh, it, I guess," he concluded, searching her face for a reaction—one that he hoped would be at least somewhat positive.

"Well, it isn't entirely unbelievable—I mean, I didn't like you at all when we first met and just hoped that we would get along well enough to get a decent grade. So, I guess it makes some sense that you would try to talk to me without my prejudice in the way…" Zuko's face bore a large smile as he realized that she at least understood his situation and the predicament he faced. "But don't think that this makes everything better, Zuko. There's still the whole lying thing—I don't like being lied to, not by anyone, but especially not by my boyfriend."

When she said the word "boyfriend," Katara's hand instinctively went to cover her mouth, almost like young children do when they've said a bad word. Her cheeks flared red again and her eyes shot downwards in embarrassment.

She began to open her mouth in apology—that is, until Zuko grabbed her wrist, drawing her attention away from the increasingly fascinating carpeting.

"It's…okay," he said sheepishly. "I—I don't mind it. In fact, I've wanted to hear you say that for some time, Katara," he replied, pulling her closer to him and cheering internally as she let him close the distance between them to a mere hair's breadth.

Feeling his warmth encircling her, Katara looked down at the carpeting again, unsure of what she should say next, as all that was coming to mind was a distant, foggy "oh." Her mouth motioned to utter something, anything, to break the near-deafening silence, but she instead found her lips swiftly encased in his.

Zuko was still holding her wrist as he kissed her, but soon let it slide down her arm and encircle her back, pulling her into his lap. When he felt her other hand reach for his face, with one of his own hands he cupped the back of her head delicately and deepened the kiss, enthralled that she wasn't fighting him. His fingertips brushed the sides of her mouth and caressed her cheeks, memorizing her features in each motion.

As they continued to kiss, Zuko felt his confidence grow and his tongue cautiously slipped out of his mouth, making brief contact with the crease of her lips. Pleasantly surprised at his mute request, Katara's lips parted ever so slightly, allowing him access. He tasted her lips, his tongue exploring her, tasting her and the sweetness that she unknowingly exuded. It was in that moment that Zuko knew he could never get tired of kissing her.

After an indeterminate, though entirely too short period of time, Zuko broke away from Katara, allowing them to breath. Katara's eyes fluttered open slowly, like she had awoken from a satisfying nap, as she brought her fingertips to her lips in disbelief of what had just happened. Zuko looked on, more than pleased with himself and his apparent skill in making her look that way.

Once Katara came to her senses, however, her brows furrowed and she playfully smacked him on the shoulder, as her voice broke the silence, "So… I guess we're in agreement, then."

Zuko chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her as he smirked. "Uh huh."

She tried to frown at him, but failed miserably. "No more of, uh, this, until we're out of the library—don't forget we have a project to finish, okay?"

Feigning annoyance with her, Zuko replied with an agitated "fine" as she slowly withdrew herself from his lap. However, he quickly smiled and made a small announcement before returning his attention to their class work, noting, "Just don't forget that you owe me a first date."

"Duly noted, Mr. Sozin. Now let's just finish this presentation before any other distractions arise," Katara finished with a naughty wink as she turned back to her computer. She couldn't help but wear a stupid grin the entire time they sat in the library, even as they argued over inane subjects like what the best font to use was and how they should intersperse the video clips. Of course, Zuko couldn't help but smile, too.

As they finished their study time, Zuko created the perfect first date in his mind—hopefully without any interference or advice from his uncle, while Katara briefly wondered if there was a library at Zuko's house—and if he really did own a pair of Blue Spirit pajamas like he'd said online one time…She promised herself she would eventually find out, hopefully during a real sleepover—as opposed to the accidental one they'd had earlier that semester. With that, Katara turned her attention back to their project and her boyfriend, not caring to hide the blush on cheeks or her lascivious grin.

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Author's Note: It's the end, the final and glorious end! Well, except for that little epilogue I promised everyone—which I PROMISE will have some more smexy Zutara moments.

Anyway, speaking of continuations, I'd like to ask that if you review this story, please let me know if you'd like to read a sequel. And it doesn't have to be all Zutara—I could write something up about Suki/Sokka, or introduce Azula into the mix, or present a Jet comeback. Just let me know if you want a sequel and, if you do, what you'd like to see in it. Feel free to leave your suggestions either in your review or on LJ (see my profile for the link).

Hopefully, by the time I post the epilogue, I'll have enough responses as to let everyone know if there's anything more to look forward to!

And, of course, thanks again to Moor, who has been SO patient and fun to work with. A girl couldn't ask for a better beta reader (no matter what Moor says to the contrary)!