Zutara- Fire, Water, Steam ✔

Remember

Katara's POV

I was lying in bed when I felt something poke me in the back. It continued, but I was too tired to make it stop.

"Ka-tar-a." Someone said slowly and softly. "It's time to wake up."

"No, it's not. Go away." I protested. It felt as though I just fell asleep. The paint on my face came off quickly, but I was too tired to look for pajamas, so I was sleeping in my underwear. I turned my head and saw Suki smiling at me. "How did you get into my room? I locked the door."

"For a high-class academy, you would think they'd have better locks." Suki said as she held up a bobby pin.

"Thanks for enforcing my feeling of safety." I laughed.

"You're welcome. Now, it's time to get dressed. We need to train." Suki said as she pulled off my blanket. "Why did you sleep in your underwear? A sexy, matching, pair of underwear?"

"I was too exhausted last night to bother looking for pajamas. Also, I need to do laundry, and these were my last clean pair of underwear. I don't need any reason for wearing sexy underwear."

"True, so I have a new question. What did you think when you bought that sexy underwear?" Suki asked. I blushed as I remembered standing in Aunt Wu's shop. She had a fortune-telling room, but I think she used it to draw in sales. "Are you blushing? You are! Why?"

"Calm down! Don't we need to train?" I said, trying to divert the conversation. I grabbed a sports bra, matching yoga pants, and a shirt that showed my sports bra. We couldn't walk out in work-out gear because it would give away the plan, but the students were finding sneaky ways to hide them.

"You're wearing cute work-out clothes? This doesn't have anything to do with a certain firebender, does it?" Suki asked, suggestively. "What is the deal with you two?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest." I answered as I thought back the past week. "What you don't know is Zuko told me about his father's plan the night before I met you and Toph in the pizza parlor."

"What?! Why did you act as though you figured it out?" Suki asked.

"It almost broke me. Not the plan for the school, but that Zuko used our relationship to gather information. He said he had no clue what was happening, but it made me question everything. Every moment we had together . . . every kiss." I explained as I sat back on my bed.

Suki nodded in understanding before I continued, "Even though I lost my trust in him, I still cared about him. It's the reason why I didn't tell you and Toph. I was afraid you would hate him. Even though I was mad, I couldn't bear that because I still cared about him. Then he found us a place to train and even brought in the Masters to teach us. He is fighting his father's orders, and you have no idea how huge that is for him."

I thought back to the night in the common room. The two of us sitting in front of the fire as he told me how he got his scar. The moment he decided to hide his emotions and follow orders.

"If that's the case, why haven't you forgiven him? He is trying to fix his mistakes." Suki tried to reason with me. "I think finding a secret arena for a majority of the school deserves forgiveness."

"I forgave him for the plan against the school, but it's harder to forgive betrayal." I answered, but the events of last night came back. When I ended up on Zuko's lap, he thought the plan was crazy, it was easy to tell, but he followed me every step of the way. We had a deal to focus on saving the school, but it didn't stop my feelings. "The hardest part is that I think I love him."

~~~*~~~

The moment Suki and I stepped into the common room, I knew my plan had worked. The room was filled with students, and the firebenders were pissed while the other students had smug looks on their faces.

"Did you hear what happened?" Aang asked. Toph was by his side with a smile and standing closer to him than usual. Suki looked at me and smiled.

"I think it's obvious. You guys started dating." Suki said, bluntly. Aang bushed while Toph nodded.

"Well, yeah, we are, but that's not what I meant." Aang said. "I meant the damage to the fire arena. The pipes burst, causing every bathroom to flood, which just as disgusting as it sounds. Plus, a gas leak and you don't fire in the same building. None of the firebenders can enter."

"They deserve it." Sokka said as he joined us. He leaned in closer and whispered, "Zuko texted me, saying that he needs to stay and act pissed. He'll have to meet us later."

I turned slightly to see Zuko looking pissed, talking to another firebender. He appeared mad and had his Prince persona back. It had been so long since I saw that face that it almost hurt.

"I was hoping we would never see that face on him again." Sokka said, and the others nodded. "We need to act just as smug as the others. It shouldn't be that hard."

They laughed while I snuck another look at Zuko. Azula had joined him, and the other firebender walked away. She was angry while Zuko nodded along as she ranted to him. When she finished, Zuko and Azula got a text message on their phones. They became more alert and stood up straight before exiting the common room. There is only one person who commands that reaction, and I sent up a prayer to the spirits.

Please keep him safe.

~~~*~~~

"Katara, focus!" Master Paku yelled as he knocked me the ground once again. The day was almost over, and Zuko still hadn't come to the arena. Which meant I was distracted the entire day and will have plenty of bruises tomorrow.

"I'm sorry, Master." I replied and returned to the fighting stance. We continued to fire shots back, repeatedly until we the last ones in the waterbending area.

"That is enough for today." He said. I bowed and walked towards the showers. I may have been working with water, but I think the majority is sweat at the moment.

"May I speak to you for a moment." Iroh said as he and Aang left the firebending area. "Aang, do you mind if we spoke privately."

"No, Master." He replied before bowing and walking away. Toph was waiting for him and reached out for his hand. Aang excitedly held on, and they walked together. I watched, happy for my friends, but a bit of sadness in the back of my head.

"You will have that once more." Iroh said. I turned back, and he was smiling at me. "I have watched my brother twist the kind boy I once knew into an arrogant soldier. The only things that mattered were perfection and power. That began to change when he met you. He choose happiness and love."

I blushed at Iroh's words before asking, "Thank you, sir, but may I ask, why are you telling me this?"

"Because Ozai is becoming suspicious and Zuko will need to remain by his side in the coming days to keep his cover. I noticed you distracted and realized it was because Zuko had not returned. You need to remember, in the days to come, that is not the real Zuko. You and your friends have ignited the fire that was dimming inside of him. He is no longer a Prince hidden in the darkness because he found you."

I beamed at his words and hugged him before I remembered I was sweaty. "Thank you. You have helped answer so many questions I was wrestling with, and I know what to do now."

"No, thank you. For bringing my nephew back."

Now, thank you for waiting. We have finals coming up, but what does Ozai have planned for the rest of the school? Will Azula figure out what Zuko is up to? Next time on Fire, Water, Steam!

Let me know what you think by hitting that star or leaving a comment.

Don't forget to smile at least once a day :)