A/N: I totally forgot to post on here oops... I moved over to AO3, and I love it! Sadly, on this platform most of the comments are bots/sales which is really lame and sucky.

Another difficult chapter to write... I have two versions of this one lol. I had to split it up, it was originally like 7,500 words. But we are almost done with what I consider "ACT I" before we get into more drama and action.

Yes, you read right this is a zutara... but you have to be enemies first in an enemies to lovers, so bear with me! It will ramp up dramatically very soon.


Chapter 4: The Spar

I made my way to Suki's dojo. I was probably late, but in my defense, Suki said 'morning' and not an exact time. Plus, I was Watertribe, and valued my sleep; we didn't deal with the whole 'rise with the sun' nonsense that the firebenders did. I didn't know where the Earth Kingdom stood when it came to sleep, but probably in the middle of both extremes.

Already knowing where the training area was due to my late night adventure, I made it there without any problems. There was a hustle and bustle to the village now that it was midday. Vendors strolled along wheelbarrows full of produce, children walked in packs on their way to school. It was lively.

When I got there, I walked up to the entrance awkwardly, and lingered in the doorway. The room was an open space where Suki and the other girls were already doing stretches on the floor. For this, they were all in their undershirts and pants, not their full gear. I'd imagine the long skirts and black armor I had seen them wear when our ship first ported would get in the way of stretching.

I lightly tapped on the side of the door to draw Suki's attention. Honestly, I couldn't yet tell which girl was Suki yet since all of them had their traditional red and white makeup. I saw a head turn towards me, and then I was able to recognize Suki's short, auburn hair.

"Katara!" She said brightly. She was sitting up on a raised level at the front of the dojo, leading the stretching. She got up and pulled me inside. "Girls, this is Katara. She'llbe training with us for the next few days. She wanted to learn a little about Kyoshi customs."

All the girls warmly greeted me with a unison, "Hi Katara!" and smiles. I felt a little shy as I gave a small wave back at their bright and intrigued expressions. "Katara, just find a spot somewhere and join us for stretching."

I found a spot somewhere in the middle, feeling like a school girl again, tasked with the difficult decision of strategically picking a spot in a classroom. I deliberately avoided the exposure of sitting up front, but I avoided the back so I could see and participate more.

Suki lead us through her stretches, instructing us how to breathe with each stretch and movement. I was strangely giddy. I never had the luxury of participating in a class setting when it came to bending or any combat for that matter. Learning in secret with Pakku was always one-on-one. I never got to have peers to talk or relate to.

Once stretching was finished, Suki led us into basic forms. It was an easy start; moving into a squatted position, moving a fist forward and another arm up in an imaginary block. She was probably moving at a slow pace for my benefit, and I was grateful for it. The class in unison would give a shout when they moved into an offensive stance like a punch or kick. I didn't join in the shouting yet. I didn't want to the the only idiot not timing their shouts right with the punches.

"Good." Suki praised. "Lets break off into teams of two, and work on some light hand to hand. No uniform, no fans. Keep it basic. Katara, come up here with me."

Doing as told, I walked up to the raised area Suki was standing at. The other girls broke off into pairs, and the dojo was filled with noise; sounds of laughter, of grunts from fighting, talking. I felt a pant of sadness I never got to have this experience while learning bending. I probably would have had more than two friends my whole life (one of them being my brother if that even counted) if I got to go to classes like these.

"Okay, Katara," Suki said, one hand on her hip, the other tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Before we begin, I want you to know that us Kyoshi utilize a unique fighting style. As girls, we can face opponents twice our size. We're usually at a physical disadvantage. To combat this, our fighting style focuses on using our opponents momentum against them, letting them do the fighting work for us. We have to be opportunistic fighters, rely on defense, and only go on the offensive if an opening arises." I nodded in understanding, listening closely. "Now, a demonstration." I didn't like the way Suki suddenly smirked. "Go ahead, hit me."

I never actually... hit anyone on demand. Pakku yes, but that felt different. Pakku made me angry so it was easier towantto fight him. Suki was still essentially a stranger. I awkwardly raised up my arms, and swung a fist at Suki, not wanting to hurt her. It was an awkward motion, my hesitance obvious. But she taught me my first lesson once I swung my fist: I would never have to worry about hurting Suki. Suki grabbed the hand that I had swung out, and pulled it further towards her so that my whole body staggered forward. She crouched low, and pulled my arm up and over her shoulder which came in contact with my belly from her low squat, moving as one with me. It caused me to topple over her back and land on the mat, flattened. She had effortlessly made me do a flip over her.

I shouldn't have been worried about hurting her; I should have been worried about her hurtingme.

Suki stuck out a hand and helped me up. "I barely had to use any energy to do that." She said, but not arrogantly. "I guided you away with your own movement. Next time, try and escape my grasp first, or break my stance. Don't give me the opportunity to take control of the fight."

With a better idea of what to expect, I threw another punch at Suki, who predictably grabbed my arm, but this time I pulled down so my momentum wouldn't go forward. She then let go and I tried to throw another punch forward, but Suki used an open-faced palm to redirect my punch upwards, leaving me totally exposed, and she palmed my chest with her free hands. I stumbled backwards.

"Keep an arm up always." She instructed, pulling up my arm into a better defensive position. "Don't worry, Katara. You'll learn. But you only have three days, so I'm not going easy on you!"

Good. Nothing has been, or was going to be easy for me anyways. I reasserted myself back into a fighting stance, and tried again.

After training, I waddled straight back to the hotel. Suki was a great fighter and an incredible teacher, but true to her word she did not go easy on me, and training was a solid four hours. Four hours of getting my ass kicked, four hours of straight cardio and movement. I considered myself a fairly fit girl, but after a few days of sitting in my room on the ship, it really gave me a run for my money. I felt sore from using smaller muscles that I didn't really have to use for bending, and muscles I wasn't used to stretching. I didn't even stay for when they started using the fans.

I made it back to my room and settled my new bag on the mattress; Suki had given me a few things, like a special lotion that helped sore muscles heal faster and an extra pair of the loose clothing they wore for stretching. I was grateful she gave me some training clothes, for my only two options previously were training in my underwear or my entire northern winter ensemble. Stretching in a parka would have been horrible.

I made it to my room, and started a shower to wash away my sweat. I gently took out the beads from the two front pieces of my hair I looped to frame my face, and pulled out my braid. The shower was nice and didn't take long to get warm; another pleasant difference from here and home.

Part of me found the traveling exciting, but I would feel guilty right after feeling so. This wasn't supposed a vacation for enjoyment. It was a mission. I couldn't help but feel though that if I had not feel in that crevasse, would I ever know who the Suki or the Kyoshi warriors were? Would I have ever felt humidity or seen turquoise ocean?

After my shower, I rebeaded my hair, but kept the rest flowy. I put on my black leggings and blue tunic, and left the parka off. I was more than ready to buy new clothes soon, but tonight was a dinner hosted by the village to welcome Zuko's crew. It was strange to me that the Kyoshi were choosing to be so hospitable, but I guessed it was just the politics of hosting the prince of the Fire Nation at their war-aversed island. It wasn't like the Fire Nation burned down their villages, or raided their people; yet. Just another group of people who had the luxury of keeping out of the harsh spotlight of war.

I left my room to join dinner. It would be the first meal I would be sharing with the crew. I joined solely because I knew that Suki would be there with the other Kyoshi warriors, so I didn't want to be impolite to them. I would also need to eat well to fuel my body for my trainings.

The dining area was apart of the inn on the first floor. There was a long table at the center of the room with plates of different types of fruits, pastries, and meats.

Zuko's crew were not in uniform, and were in red loose-fitting attire. The villagers were in their blue robes save for the Kyoshi warriors who were still in their traditional gear and makeup. I didn't know who to sit with. I liked the Kyoshi warriors, but I wasn't technically one of them and didn't want to be intrusive. I chose to find Jee, who was easy to find without his helmet.

"Katara!" He greeted warmly. "Glad to see you join us for once." He teased. I sat next to him and offered him a small smile. I glanced at his plate and found it amusing that he had somewhere around four pastries stockpiled and hardly much else. It made me think of Sokka.

Before I could make my own plate, Village chief, or whatever the leader of a village was called on Kyoshi, tapped her glass and drew everyone's attention.

"Thank you, Prince Zuko, for letting us host you and your crew at our humble village." She said. I turned my head, not having seen Zuko yet. He was sat with his arms crossed, the only one still in uniform. His hair was pulled up into a neat topknot. I had not yet seen his hair pulled back before, and it was the first time I took in the magnitude of his scar. I remember what Pakku had said, that it was given to him by his father.

She continued, "We hope your stay here is pleasant, and we are grateful for your business."

Zuko did not respond with a nearly as long or warm announcement of his own, and merely said, "Thank you for your hospitality," which was still a lot more than I expected from him. With that, everyone resumed eating and chit-chatting.

I looked over at the end of the long table where Suki sat laughing with her fellow warriors, and regretted choosing to sit on the Fire Nation side. I sighed to my plate. I sat and kept to myself, until the woman who made the speech, made her way to me.

"Prince Zuko," she said, causing Zuko to look up at her from a few spots over and in front of me. "Would you mind introducing me to your guest? It is always quite exciting to have Watertribe!"

I looked at Zuko, and smirked to myself. It had only just now occurred to me that he didn't even know my name yet. The jerk hadn't even bothered to ask after traveling with him to over a week. I wasn't going to speak on his behalf. I would just make him sit there and look stupid.

He looked over and made eye contact with me, coming to the same realization that he couldn't introduce me. His expression faltered. "This is... she's here for..." his eyes narrowed. I could see it; he was waiting for me to come to the rescue. I just narrowed my eyes back stubbornly.

"This is Katara." Jee spoke up, saving Zuko from a more prolonged ! "She's traveling with us to educate us on Watertribe customs. It's important for our Prince to be well-educated, of course!"

"Well, its great to meet you Katara. I am Yukari, the leader of the village. Please let me know should there be anything I can help with."

"Thank you for having me." I said politely.

The rest of the dinner went by painfully slow. There was a lot of small talk I overheard like, "What's the weather like right now in the Fire Nation?" "What part of the Fire Nation are you from?" and "Do you really have an Unagi?" (whatever that meant). The longer I listened, the angrier I got.

How could these people be so casual and unbothered, hosting the son of the Fire Lord? How could they be so complacent when the rest of the world seemed to burn at the hand of their guest's own father? Did they even know why Zuko was here? There had to be some awareness that there shouldn't be any southern waterbenders, Suki had made that clear.

Their complacency was fear. The fear of being pulled into a fight they would lose. It made me bitter. It would make anyone bitter; to see the rest of the world to keep moving while all I've done is suffer. To eat at the same table as the same people made me who I am.

Motherless, away from my family, alone.

"Whyare you looking at me like that?" A voice snapped. I was pulled out of my thoughts, and realized the whole time I was glaring openly at Zuko, who was glaring back with golden eyes.

I stood up and ignored him. "I'm going to bed." I announced to no one in particular. I turned to Yukari and gave her a small bow. "Thank you for this dinner."

I made my way back up to my room, confused as to why I was the only one so deeply upset.


For my second lesson, I showed up on time. Wearing my new uniform, and hair pulled up into a ponytail instead of a braid, I strangely felt like a whole different version of myself. I was still angry from dinner, and was looking forward to channeling it for today's lesson.

We started off with stretches again, and it was even harder than yesterday now that I was sore. I kept up with the forms, and felt more on-balance than before though. I knew that the better I got at fighting, the higher my chances would be that I would be able to escape.

One of the girls next to me gave me some encouragement. "You're so flexible!" She complimented positively. She wiggled her fingers which were still a few inches away from her toes. "Not me." I beamed at her compliment.

We were just finished with stretching and taking a quick intermission for water, when I noticed all of the chattering stopped. I looked around to see what the source of everyone's attention was, when I saw Zuko stood in the entrance of the dojo. All of the girls quickly exited their fighting stances, and took no shame in openly glaring at Zuko.

Although the Kyoshi village was neutral, I was picking up that the Kyoshi Warriors specifically were not exactly fans of Prince Zuko. I had the hypothesis that since the warriors were so devoted to the Avatar, they probably didn't appreciate anyone of the family who destroyed the Avatar cycle.

Zuko glared right back, crossing his arms. He was out of uniform, and his hair was loose. He just wore the same casual red shirt and pants the crew did when they were out of uniform.

"We're in lesson." Suki said cooly to him. "You're interrupting."

"I'm looking for the Watertribe girl." He responded back.

"My name is Katara." I snapped at him. He gave me a flat expression that vaguely translated to 'whatever.'

"I thought you needed be to take you to get supplies." He said. "What are you doing here?"

"Learning." I responded simply, choosing not to elaborate further.

"I can take Katara to the shops after our lesson." Sumi interjected. I sent her a grateful look.

"Fine." Zuko said with crossed arms. He continued to stand in the same spot in the doorway.

"So... Do you need something?" The Kyoshi leader asked.

Zuko shrugged. "My men are getting the ship ready to depart soon. I have nothing better to do. I'll just observe." It was strange how he said it. The way he did not ask to observe, but simply allowed it on his own behalf. Very princely.

Suki rolled her eyes. "We know how patronizing men can be when they hear the Kyoshi are a collective of woman warriors. You here to see for your own eyes if we're actually all that?"

Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Hardly the case. My sister is one of the most talented benders of my generation. The only two people in the world she thinks comparable in skill are other girls, and they're non-bending martial artists." Suki's hard resolve slowly slipped as she stared at him with surprise.

Suki was silent for a second, and looked at her class. She seemed for a moment to debate whether or not to allow him to observe. Sure, he had probably flattered her by not being sexist, but that was the bare minimum.

I was sure she was going to shoo him away, but after a moment longer, she pointed a fan towards the back corner of the dojo and said, "You can sit back there. Don't be distracting." Zuko stiffened. I didn't know him all that well, but I figured anyone with a title as prestigious as Prince wouldn't appreciate being bossed around. I was surprised again when he made his way to the back corner obediently, and sat with arms crossed.

Suki continued the lesson.

I had my own pair of fans she let me use that were extras, although they were wooden and not the golden metal the rest of the class used. Maybe it was intentional, since I was inexperienced and less likely to hurt myself with wood. We began by practicing the same forms I did yesterday, just now using the fans as an extension of my arms. It was my first time learning with a weapon. Definitely a weapon I never would have envisioned myself using (probably a sword or spear- not afan) but as the lesson continued, it made perfect sense why this was the chosen weapon for the Kyoshi. Other than being the weapon of Avatar Kyoshi for whom the warriors were created, it embodied their style of shifting momentum and fluidity. Like waterbending.

Suki had some girls spar and two at a time went to the center of the dojo so we could observe and provide feedback- not me of course, I was hardly qualified to provide any criticisms. I was the odd one out. There was an even number of pairs except for me. Suki looked at me, probably trying to figure out how to pair me up.

"We could spar together again." Suki shrugged. "I just thought it might do you some good to learn to fight with someone new."

"I'll spar you." Rasped a voice from the back. Everyone turned to the source of the voice. I had almost forgotten Zuko was there.

I looked at him. "That's not a fair fight. You're a bender."

He stood up. "I won't use bending." He said simply.

I didn't want to fight him. I knew he would win, and he probably knew it too, so I wasn't sure what he was trying to get out of it. But it wasn't in my nature to back down. I didn't want to seen as scared.

"Katara?" Suki asked with a raised brow.

I nodded. Zuko walked up to the middle of the dojo and faced me.

I reluctantly gave Zuko a bow, since that's how all spars started. He did not bow back, and this gave me the annoyance and anger I needed for this fight. We both settled into a stance. His was strange; one arm outstretched with an open palm, and the other elbow up with a fist close to the side of his head.

I threw the first strike but after went on the defensive and waited for opportunity. There wasn't much, except sometimes I would deflect a hit and I would push his hands to the side. When I deflected, I would attempt a hit to the chest, but he never let me get close. Just like Suki taught me, I was quick. She taught me how girls can be at an advantage with speed and precision, so when I punched, by arms darted quickly. Zuko evaded, using his forearms to deflect my punched. He was shockingly agile.

I grabbed one of his forearms when he punched forward, and pulled it over my shoulder. With his arm raised up, his side was exposed and I landed a hard hit there. He grunted, but used his leg in a sweeping motion to knock me off balance. As I feel I kept hold of his arm, and pulled his body up and over as I hit the ground.

I had just flipped over a full grown man. It was the first time that move worked.

"Nicely done Katara!" Suki encouraged.

My advantage was short lived. From his spot on the floor, Zuko swung out his legs again tripping me up. I stayed upright this time, but as I threw another hit to his ribs, he grabbed my wrist with both hands, pulled me towards himself, and he swung his hip in to me. Using his hip as a pivot point, he flipped me to the floor with my wrist twisted in his grasp.

That bastard. He wasn't observing. He waslearning.

My wrist was locked. If I moved I would twist it further.

"Yield." Zuko said.

I was panting, tired. "I yield." I said through grit teeth. He released his grip on me, and I flopped onto my back.

Once I caught my breath, I looked up to see Zuko outstretched a hand. He was offering to help me up. I stubbornly laid there for a second, kind of embarrassed about my defeat, but then I took his hand which helped me upright.

"You need better stance. You let me trip you almost three times." He said. I was pleased to see he was a little winded. I knew he would win, but at least I lasted more than a few minutes.

"How bout a more fair match?" Said Suki. Zuko looked at her with surprise. Suki squatted into an wide stance, and gripped a fan in each hand. I cleared off of the front, out of the way. Zuko was still a little taken aback by his expression, but he still settled into the same open palm and closed-fist stance.

"Actually-" Suki smirked, and dropped her two fans on the floor. "I don't think I'll need these."

I swore I saw Zuko's brow twitch slightly, but he stayed wordless.

All of the girls and myself sat on the floor, watching intently. Zuko struck first, predictably. He struck out and Suki redirected his first few punches expertly, deflecting upwards or downwards. He was starting to get frustrated, I could sense it. Every time he tried to land a hit, Suki deflected. She didn't yet bother throwing any punches of her own.

Zuko's frustration was becoming evident as he moved more aggressively, grunting with each hit, and he started to predict Suki's movements better. When she grabbed his arm, he tried to use the same move that had taken me down. He let her hold onto his arm, and yanked her while sweeping out with his feet. But Suki rolled nimbly into the movement forcing Zuko to roll too or risk dislocating his shoulder.

"She's amazing." I said to myself in awe.

"She is." A girl next to me agreed.

Zuko went for a particularly high kick, and Suki grabbed his ankle with both hands in a diamond shape. She pulled and Zuko lost balance. So much for him critiquing my stance.

Quickly whine he was still in the floor, Suki pressed her elbow onto his the back of his neck, and held an arm behind his back.

"Yield." Suki said.

I was able to see Zuko's face although Suki couldn't. I saw it in the clench of his jaw that he wasn't done. With a grunt, he lifted his whole body in a one-handed push up, flung Suki over his back, and quickly put a knee on her sternum. He raised a fist in front of her narrowed eyes. She was pinned.

"Yield." It was his turn to demand.

There was a short stalemate, until Suki nodded. He removed his knee, and offered a hand which she took to stand up. She dusted off her skirt fairly nonchalantly.

"For a bender, you're not too bad." I was surprised Suki praised him, but maybe she was not as prideful or stubborn as Zuko and I. Maybe she recognized talent for the sake of talent. "Next time I'll use my fans and we'll see." She smirked.

Zuko gave her a nod of acknowledgement, and returned back to his spot in the back of the dojo. The lesson went on. Every now and then, I glanced back at Zuko.


The next day was my final opportunity to train with Suki and the warriors. I was surprised when in the morning, Zuko silently walked with me to the training area. When we arrived, he continued to sit silently in the back of the dojo, but he never participated again.

At the end of my last session with Suki, she made me come up to the front of the class.

"Katara," Suki started, putting a hand on my shoulder. "The Kyoshi wish you safety on your travels. Practice. If I ever see you again, you better be able to kick my ass."

I smiled at her, and, appropriate or not, pulled her into a big hug. "Thank you, Suki. For everything." I said softly into her ear. It meant so much to me to have made a friend along my journey.

I turned to the rest of the class, and gave them as deep a bow as I could, and they all returned it. "Thank you," I said.

After training, Suki showed me their marketplace. She accompanied me as I bought necessities like extra underwrappings and toiletries as well as an extra pair of plain, loose clothes. It was another pleasant experience on my unpleasant journey; I was on a shopping adventure with a girl friend. It gave me an illusion of normalcy. Suki and I spent a particularly long time at a soap vendor. I had never smelled lavender before as the North Pole didn't have such herbs. I had to have smelled up to twenty soaps with Suki, and I bought more than what was likely necessary. I bought one for Suki too, as a thank you. And because Zuko truthfully gave me a ridiculous amount of money.

That night, I dined with with everyone again for our farewell dinner. I sat next to the Kyoshi this time, which was a great decision. We chatted and I learned more about Suki outside of fighting.

She was witty, foul-mouthed, and everyone seemed drawn into her outgoing personality. It was no wonder she was their leader. She praised me in front of everyone for my progress, and the praise and attention made me bashful. Through the dinner they all exchanged stories, and even asked me about the North Pole, not knowing much about it. I avoided talking about how they only trained women; I was ashamed after meeting so many strong female warriors and I wanted to present my home with pride.

The rest of the day gave me a heavy heart. The crew were loading up the last of the supplies in crates, Lieutenant Jee was conversating jovially with Yukari. The Kyoshi warriors even fashioned me a little souvenir basket with goods native to their island.

I was the first to want to get off the ship and onto Kyoshi island, and now I lingered to be among the last to leave.

I trudged up the steps to the ship. I had heavily contemplated staying on Kyoshi island. Maybe jump ship not too far out and hope no one would notice. But I quickly recognized these as desperate, irrational thoughts. The pictures of dad and Sokka in my brain grounded me. Kyoshi was just a stepping stone for me to get home and I still had nearly halfway across the world to go.

I stayed on deck for a long was time to continue my journey.