She didn't want to be suspicious of him. But now that suspicion made itself known, it wasn't so easily dismissed. It wasn't for a lack of trying, that's for sure. Katara's unwanted suspicion was putting her in a state of denial that she wasn't soon to address.

The two appeared to be growing closer. It was a friendship that neither of them had intended it to be. Romantic feelings had always been involved. It started out as study groups, while she lingered just a bit after everyone else left. They were partnered together on group projects. Soon they were going on dates. Sorry, they called them "friendly social outings".

They continued their individual missions, ignorant of the other's involvement. The sad truth was that they were working against each other. She was a top secret government spy in the governments youth division while he was working for the highly organized secret rebellion. Still, both still managed to hide their double lives while finding a way to be around each other more and more.

Though they did appear to be closer, they both still had their secrets. Neither of them wanted to acknowledge that something was coming between them. Of course, how could they address it without revealing crucial information that could jeopardize either of their missions? The answer: they couldn't. Soon the closeness that they had wasn't enough. Both longed for a deeper intimacy that neither of them were capable of providing without being compromised. After all, how could you talk about a future that you weren't sure you were allowed to have?

Two months into the semester, Katara cracked. Her denial wouldn't hold back the suspicion any longer. She started following him. She bugged his house, his car, and his phone. The risk was too high for her to be using government resources so she stuck with her own devices. She was a reconnaissance expert after all and hacker extraordinaire. She just hoped that she was paranoid.

Unfortunately, she wasn't. He would be gone for unexplained periods of time during the night when he wasn't at home being a normal teenager. Following him hadn't worked. Somehow he lost her every time, as if he knew he was being followed.

Little did she know he was following her too. It became a rift. Everything unsaid between them only caused the rift to grow wider. When they got into a confrontation, it led to a messy argument. That ended in a broken friendship. And broken hearts.

Now they put up with each other. What choice do they have?

Zuko started hanging around more with his little sister and her friends. A bitter jealousy sparked in Katara and so she started hanging around with one of her brother's friends, who she knew he had a rivalry with.

And this is where our story begins.