3. Green is for Jealousy: ds pt III

"Sifu Hotman." Katara stared seriously at herself in the mirror before she burst out laughing. After her laughter died, she clutched at her hair in frustration. "ARGH! Why can't I think of anything?" She stomped around for a while.

Looking out of the window, she realized it was time for her to go make dinner. As she flung the door open, Zuko fell into the room. He turned bright red and began to stammer, "I didn't hear anything!" Katara's face matched his and she was about to rage at him before she realized she was meant to be nice to him. Anyway, it didn't matter. She hadn't said anything incriminating. She smiled at him instead, and was gratified by a flabbergasted look on his face.

When he said he hadn't heard anything, he wasn't being fully honest. He heard her laughing and then raging at herself, but had no idea what she was talking about. Still, he wished he had some idea what she was plotting.

He wandered around, deep in his thoughts, and entered one of the deserted rooms in the temple.

"Wha...?" His pupil and his pupil's earthbending teacher were locking lips. This couldn't be Aang and Toph. Aliens must have invaded their bodies. Fortunately his reaction was not as extreme as Sokka's. He didn't fall to the floor in a faint, instead choosing to ask them (politely) what was going on.

"WHAT IN THE DRAGONS' NAMES ARE YOU DOING?" They leapt apart, not having previously noted his presence. Aang gave him a horrified glance and grabbed Toph, airbending them out of the room, with her yelling, "I'll pay you baaaaaack!" as she left.


Aang wasn't sure what he felt at the sight of Katara openly flirting with Zuko. Sure, he liked Toph now (she was an amazing kisser, and they were both learning fast) but it was hard to let go of Katara just like that after being fixated on her for so long.

He could tell what Sokka felt - he was still in a state of shock about Aang and Toph, and somehow failed to notice Katara entirely. Everyone else was as confused as he was. However, Aang decided it had reached a head when Zuko got up at the end of the meal and Katara followed him instead of staying to clean up as usual. The others would manage that job, but he wasn't sure how he felt about her going in there. However, he swallowed a sigh and reached for Toph's hand, and knew it would be fine once he touched her hand.


"Hey, Zook-ster," Katara mumbled to herself outside Zuko's door before following him inside. Once she entered the room, he realized she had been behind him, and spun around in confusion (a familiar emotion for him recently. She braced herself and dipped into the well of courage she didn't know she had.

"Zuko, you're such a wench," she said. "Remember when you tied me to that tree?" trying a softer, sultrier voice. "You know, I've been noticing the way you look so good lately. Extremely good. Like so good that your goodness is so clear. It's just good! You look very good," she elaborated. "You know, I read this story once where a really good guy suddenly met this rainbow-bender and fell in love with her, but I know you're not that shallow!"

Zuko, now firmly convinced that she had gone crazy, thought to himself, "You just had to be good, didn't you? Oh, why don't I join the Avatar and the person who's hated you and been trying to KILL you!" He sat heavily on the bed, more perplexed than ever, staring down at the floor. He again failed to notice that Katara had not yet left.

Looking up, he realized she was talking about naming their daughter Karena and flushed deeply. Children? She must be really far gone. He feels a surge of pity for her, and then further embarrassment when he realizes that the prospect of having children with her would not be that bad. Damn his teenage hormones!

Desperately trying to distract himself from his thoughts, Zuko rose abruptly from the bed and began talking to Katara, interrupting her right in the middle of her story where a Waterbender named Latara met an attractive Firebender name Kuko and they shared a forbidden love. She was annoyed, it had taken her time to think of that story and it was having a very pleasing effect on him. He had turned an attractive tomato red, and even as he tried to speak clearly was stuttering and stammering.

"Latara-I mean Katara. Katara! I think you should, um, heal yourself. Don't get me wrong," he rushed. "There's nothing wrong with you, it's just that you seem-you seem a bit...under the weather lately?" It turned into a question.

"Weather?" Katara asked. "Oh, Zuko! Are you suggesting we go for a moonlit walk together? That would be wonderful!" She had no idea where this gibberish was sprouting from - probably the terribly written romance scrolls which she had found in Wan Shi Tong's library by accident. She seemed to have somehow squashed the part of her which felt shame. She was enjoying this greatly.

Quickly grabbing Zuko's muscular (but not too much so) arm before he could protest, she dragged him out of the room. Just as they made their way into the (now deserted) area near the fountain, Katara's instincts spiked up and she flung her whip out.

Too late. They were both well and truly trapped in earthen gloves similar to those used by the Dai Li. Zuko groaned. How could he have not predicted this? It was probably Katara's weight on his arm, and trying not to think about the fact that Sokka would kill him if he saw them like this.

Toph's revenge had begun.


Enjoy! Review!