Zutara- Fire, Water, Steam ✔

Insignificant

Zuko's POV

My legs were exhausted, but I pushed forward and kept running. I hadn't stopped since the sun rose and I'm not sure what time it was. I would switch from running to push-ups then mountain climbers back to running but throw in some burpees when it seemed like I was slowing down. My body drained, but it kept my mind busy. All night, I could only picture Katara's face as she realized what I did. As her eyes went wide before holding such disappointment. She had never looked at me with those eyes. I answered every question but what killed me the most was the last.

"Did you ever even care about me?"

I have never cared about anything or anyone as much as her. Even though I tried to explain that my feelings were sincere and genuine, she never heard a word. She thought it was a lie and it killed me. Finally, I just collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. I'm not sure how long I was there when I heard a noise in the bushes. I pushed my shoulders back, pulled up legs and jumped up onto my feet. Before I could realize how cool that was, I turned around into a fighting stance but relaxed as soon as I saw what it was.

"Foo Foo Cuddly Poops? You nearly gave me a heart attack, buddy." I asked, even though I knew he couldn't answer me. Instead, he ran up to me and circled until he snuggled against my leg. I bent down to pet him when I heard a crash. He must have known what it was because he gave a "squeak" of excitement and ran off. I let out a deep chuckle and decided to follow him. We turned a corner, and there were Sokka and Aang. Sokka held his sword, and Aang appeared to be practicing his earth bending.

"Zuko? What are you doing here?" Aang asked. They stopped when we walked into the clearing. Foo Foo Cuddly Poops ran right up to Sokka.

"I started running and didn't stop. Luckily you're here cause I'm not sure I would have found my way back." My tone was laid back, and I was genuinely happy until I remembered what I did. It must have shown on my face because a look of concern replaced Aang's smile. He had accepted me, started to care, and I ruined all of it.

"What's wrong? It looks like something is bothering you." He asked as Sokka walked over to us.

"I learned why everyone has been having trouble sparing." I was done with lying. It was time to come clean even if it meant losing the first real friends I've had. There would be no way to fix it if they didn't have the whole story. "It was my father. He wants the student to fail."

"Why? He is the headmaster; he should want his students to pass their exams." Aang asked.

"Not all of his students." Sokka appeared as if he was waiting for this information as confirmation to a theory. "Think about it. Everyone has been blocked from gyms and equipment except the fire benders. Azula was bragging and dropping hints the past couple of weeks. There had to be more than construction."

"So how does failing our exams help?" Aang asked, still confused.

"By showing that the fire element students are the only ones who take their studies seriously then he can push the school board to change the academy into a fire academy. He has been planning this for months now. I feel like an idiot. There were cryptic orders and meetings-"

"Wait, you helped him plan this?" Aang interrupted me.

"Not intentionally. My father-"

"What did YOU do?" Sokka asked. They were both still as they waited for my answer.

"After he learned Katara and I were dating, he congratulated me. He spoke of how I finally did something useful and asked me to get close to people of other elements and fighting styles. At the time, I didn't see the point. I didn't argue because I wanted you guys to like me anyway, so it didn't feel like an assignment. He asked questions that seemed to have no connection or even had a purpose. I answered and continued to answer. When my father wants something, it's hard to say no, so I followed orders."