1. Four Hour Bus Ride

_***-Hey you guys.!! it's me again,starting another story as always.!! quick thing, its sort of like TDI (total drama island) so thats all i'm saying!! i don't avatar. seriously, if i did, i wouldn't be on here writing stuff. know why.? because it would be on tv.!!!! duh!! lol. anyways, have you guys heard about the cast for the live action movie.? er..seriously.? anyways, go ahead and read before i start babbling about it randomly and talk your ear off........... =P**_

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CAMP AVATAR!!

_**1. The Four Hour Bus Ride**_

_And I believe this may call for a proper introduction and well, don't you see? I'm the narrator and this is just the prologue....._

"Come on, Katara! The bus is about to leave!!" Sokka yelled to his younger sister, Katara. His luggage was already packed and placed by the door, where he stood impatiently waiting for Katara to finish gathering all her stuff. He looked at his watch for a brief second, then back outside where a dark brown bus was parked in front of their house, beeping its horn loudly.

"Just a minute, Sokka!" Katara yelled from her room, placing her blue and black mesh bookbag on her back and her larger suitcase bag on her shoulder. Katara rushed from her room, walking hurridly toward the living room where her brother waited for her, pacing around dramatically.

"Finally!" he breathed as he pulled the glass front door open, rolling his luggage behind him. She rolled her eyes at her brother, and walked toward the camp bus, turning around slightly to take one last look at their house. Sokka was still standing on their porch locking the door before he followed Katara to the bus.

Katara walked to the opening of the bus, looking at the middle-aged woman driver at the front. Katara stepped onto to the bus, looking at the other teenagers sitting on the bus seats before her. The bus wasn't completely full, so their house was obviously not the last stop left. Both Sokka and Katara headed to the back of the bus, where there were plenty of empty seats left. They put there things ontop of the white-poled shelf above the seats, where other bookbags and suitcases lie.

Sitting on the side of the bus, Sokka sitting next to her facing the aisle, Katara looked outside as houses and trees went by as the bus drove down the street, riding over small bumps. Sokka pulled out his PSP from his pocket and turned it on, placing his earphones inside of his ears as he sat back and began playing the game on his screen. Katara rolled her eyes at her brother, he always seemed to be doing something.

The bus stopped again, this time in front of a three story house, two dark green cars parked in the driveway. The bus honked its horn once, and out came a girl, running to the bus with her over-sized luggage. katara couldn't see her that well from inside the bus, and waited for her to step onto the camp bus. At the front, the girl, who looked a couple of years younger than Katara, stood, eyes covered by long, black bangs, and the rest of her hair pulled into a large bun behind her green and yellow striped headband. She threw her things up top the shelf._ Wow_, Katara thought, surprised at how the girl could lift all her stuff, which looked heavy, without little effort. _Guess looks are deceiving_.The girl walked to the back, sitting right behind Sokka and Katara.

"Dude, you so totally suck at this game," the girl said, leaned over on their seat, looking down at Sokka's PSP. Sokka turned around slightly, to half-way see the girl who was insulting his combat skills.

"No, I 'so totally' do not. Did you see that? 100 point combo! Who can do better than that?" Sokka said, pressing button after button simutaneously, smiling.

"Oh please!" the girl said, snatching Sokka's PSP from his hands and moving her thumbs quicker than he ever could. he moved from his seat next to his sister and onto the seat with the young girl, watching in awe as she broke his highest score. "Ha! Told you so," the girl said, smirking.

"You have to teach me that!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know I rock. oh, and by the way, the name's Toph," she said.

"Sokka. The girl in front of us is my sister, Katara. Now you have to teach me what you just did!" he exclaimed before Toph started him the buttons she pressed to beat his score. Katara listened only slightly as the two behind her chattered away about video games and their controls. She pressed her head on the window, and was about to fall asleep until someone yelled out, "Twinkletoes!! Back here!"

Her eyes fluttered open to see yet another person boarding the bus, but she didn't even notice the bus stop at this small, ranch-style house. The boy, who looked atound Toph's age, came walking down to where they were settled. His curly, brown hair swished around a little as he walked. He glanced over at Katara, and his grayish brown eyes sparkled slightly, sitting next to her. She looked to her side, where the younger boy was perched, a large smile beaming from his face. She falshed her own smile back at the boy, trying to be polite.

"Hey Twinkletoes, Gyatso's going out of town again?" Toph asked. The boy-eh "Twinkletoes"-turned around to face Toph, nodding his head.

"Oh yeah, Twinkletoes, this dude right here is Sokka. Sokka, Twinkletoes, well his real name is Aang, but that's what I call him," Toph said. The two boys exchanged nods from each other, and went back to their business. Aang turned around and smiled at Katara, trying to make little conversations with her.

"So......." he began, realizing he didn't know her name.

"Oh, Katara," she answered sweetly.

"So, Katara, first year going to Camp Avatar?"

"Yup. Yours?"

"Uh, no. I came last year, that's how I met Toph. It's a cool camp, I bet you'll like it," he said. Katara grinned, then looked back out the window, watching as trees disappered quicker than they came into sight.

The bus stopped a couple more times, more kids filling up the bus, until it was riding on the highway, headed for their final destination. Katara talked to Aang a little bit more, getting to know him better, and starting the beginning of a new friendship. Sokka and Toph were still talking about video games, that is, until Sokka fell asleep, snoring loudly. Toph later joined Katara and Aang's conversation.

"How long is this ride?" Katara groaned, yawning for the fifth time in a row.

"About four hours," Toph answered without hesitation, making Katara groan and lay her head on the seat. She wanted to fall asleep just like many of the others on the bus, but she couldn't For one, the constant bumps on the ride prevented her from ever getting comfortable, and two, she couldn't even_ try _to sleep with the loud grunts and sleep-talking Sokka behind her.

"Ugh, how much longer?" Katara grumbled, rubbing her head, her legs feeling cramped and restricted. The bus driver up front looked at them from the mirror over her head, her gaze strong and creepy, making Aang shudder.

"Hmm, I'm thinking about an hour and half, maybe a little more." Katara wasn't actually looking for an answer, it was sort of a rhetorical question, any answer would pretty much drag out her boredom. Kids on the bus were a little quieter, since half of them were sleeping, and the other half were newbies, as Toph called them (including Katara and Sokka). _An hour and a half, that doesn't seem so bad. Right?_ Katara thought, trying to convince herself that riding in a small bus with probaly forty other people for hours wasn't as bad as it sounded. Even though she knew for a fact it was.

"Lighten up, Katara. So what this hunk of metal is really just a load of crap in disguise with smelly people on board and that we have to sit here forever just to get to the camp and.........oh wait, I'm not making you feel better at all, am I?" Toph rambled, signaling a nod in agreement to her question from Katara. "Yeah, I don't do great in cheering people up, thats all Twinkletoes," she continued, patting Aang on his back. Aang, slightly surprised by her, jumped a little.

"Aw, he's so cute," Katara randomly said, causing Aang to shush her quickly. She looked at the small-ish dog's head peeking out of Aang's orange bookbag. His dog had white, fluffy fur, with a long, cocoa brown arrow pointing forward from his head.

"His name's Appa, I wasn't supposed to bring him, but I can't leave him home all alone," he whispered, keeping Appa in his bag and brushing his head with his palm. "I've had him longer than I can remember, he's like my brother.

"Yeah, once Twinkletoes over here tried to take Appa to school. They practically threw him out," Toph said, flicking Aang lightly on his shoulder, smirking the entire time. Katara giggled, patting Appa softly on his head.

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"Wake up, Snoozles, we're here," Toph said, punching Sokka on his shoulder until his eyes opened. He stretched his arms out, a yawn escaping his mouth, then a confused expression came across his face. "When did I become 'Snoozles'?" he asked Toph.

"Since I noticed how loud you snore when you sleep," she replied, as the bus driver up front arose from her seat. Sokka gave her a half-smile, then leaned over to look outside the window. In bold, green upper-case letters said the words 'CAMP AVATAR' across a wooden gate. Standing beside the gate were four people, dressed in green shirts and baggy cargo jean shorts.

"Alright, get up and get out," the bus driver said loudly, her voice loud enough to wake sleeping passengers. _So rude_, Katara thought in her head as she, along with the rest of the people on the bus, rose to her bus cleared quickly, the kids standing beside each in front of the much older people before them as they got all got off the bus.

Once the bus was cleared, a tall, well-built man, walked up toward them, his long, black hair breezing in the humid wind. "Hello, children," he began, his voice oddly cold, and his golden eyes scanning the crowd. "I am Ozai, the head supervisor of this camp site. The people surrounding me will be your camp leaders, eh, supervisors, which means they're associates to me. Which means, anything goes wrong, they will report it to me, and I will assure you it will be handled properly," he continued, glaring evily at someone behind Sokka, as a devious grin spread across his face. "With that, I hope you all have a wonderful time here," he stated, then turned to leave.

"Stay in your spots, I need to get everyone's names," the supervisor with long dark-sih brown hair said, as everyone slowly said their name, going down the row. "Okay."

"Alrighty people, I know this may seem a little early and all, but it needs to be done," one of the female supervisors said, her hair held in a somewhat high ponytail on her head, swishing its black locks back and forth.

"You," she continued, pointing her finger at Aang," you're a team leader. Pick the first member to join you."

Aang looked four times nervous than before, then shouted out, "Um.......Toph!" Toph came toward the camp supervisor and Aang, standing on his side.

"Okay. So this is how it goes; once the team leader picks the first member of the team, the chosen person picks the next person, and so on and so forth. once the first team is chosen, the rest is the other team, 'kay? Got it?" she said, sighing as she scribbled something onto her clipboard. The group of teens nodded in agreement, and the process of elimination began.

Toph's turn, "Snoozles."

Sokka's turn, "Katara."

Katara's turn, "Um...the girl with the short brown hair."

The girl with the short brown hair's turn, "Jin."

Jin's turn, "The boy wearing green."

The boy in the wheel chair's turn, "The girl with the the white hair?"

The girl with the white hair's turn, "Uh....gold eyes over there, the boy."

"Alright. Everyone left are in a team together. This group, come with me," the supervisor said, turning to walk, not even looking at the group of adolescents behind her.

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In the front of the camp.....

"So.....you guys are a team, therefore, you all need to decide, as a group, who your leader will be," the superzisor told them. smiling brightly.

"Oh, that's easy. It's me," the girl with the golden eyes said, before anyone had a chance to object.

"Okay....Azula, right?"

"But, of course," she snickered, smirking coldy, her eyes twinkling as the camp supervisor scribble some more on her paper.

"No objections? Questions or concerns?" the supervisor asked the entire team. Azula turned for a quick second, glaring at anyone who dared to even think about objecting her as their leader.

"Alright, good. now if you all would follow me to your cabins," the supervisor said, smiling again before she turned around and led them through the woods,

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After leading the first group to their cabins, the supervisor disappeared, only leaving them a short note piled on the ground. "Hey, you guys, come over here, there's a little note on the ground," Aang shouted, as all his team members surrounded him.

Katara lightly took the note from Aang's hands, reading it aloud to her peers.

"_Hello, young grasshoppers._

_You all have a very intense adventure ahead of you, several obstacles, challenges, and personal problems to overcome._

_Before the real game begins, you all have two days to prepare, in which you can get to know one another a little better, maybe figure out one another's strengths and weaknesses._

_Whatever you decide to do in this spare time is up to you, but make sure to decide wisely. After all, if you fail, your team fails, and that means one of you may be going home. All this starts when your first challenge comes up, so be prepared._

_-Kianu_"

"Wow, didn't expect this," Katara said softly to herself as she re-folded the note in her hands.

"Twist from last year, wows, what a shocker. This camp just got fun," Toph said, smirking deviously.

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*-That's the first chapter! Hope yah liked it! Reviews will be appreciated!! Something I have to add, the two seperate camp teams live relatively close to each other, so not alot of distance away from them. There's soo much drama coming up, but for now, these are the two teams at Camp Avatar! =] Oh, and the quote up top is from

_Panic At The Disco - The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide is Press Coverage __**[which I do not own, no sue-ing!!] =]**_

_**Team One**_

_Katara, __Toph, __Suki, __Jin, __Yue, __Zuko, __Aang, __Sokka, & __Haru_

_**Team Two**_

_Jet,__Smellerbee, __Longshot, __Azula, __Ty Lee, __Mai, __The Duke, __Pipsqueak, & __Chan_

_**REVIEW PLEEZ!!**_


	2. Too Early, Way Too Early

_***-Hey you guys!! Sorry for the extremely long delays, life's been pretty hectic for me, soo...yeah! Oh, and something I must add, in the last chapter, when the camp counselor made everybody pick their team members, I said the boy with the wheelchair (which was meant for teo) but, I later changed my mind and forgot. So disregard that, because I decided to replace Teo with Haru. I'd like to thank zutarababe for helping my notice that, so thank you!!**_

_**Of course, I don't own Avatar or the quote below (thats from Di-Rect's Don't Kill Me Tonight). So stop asking!! haha.**_

**_Oh yeah, this chapter focuses on Sokka and Yue's relationship...so yeah.! Anyways, go ahead and read now!! =D_**

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**_Early, Way Too Early_**

_I would die if you left me/_

_Drowning in sorrow/_

_Baby, don't kill me tonight._

Sokka and two others, which he knew now by the names of Haru and Aang, were unpacking things from their bags, setting it aside their newly proclaimed bunk beds. Of course, three of them were in the room at the time, which means there was still a spare bed that wasn't claimed yet. But, they pretty much new who's it was, anyways. It was the creepy, anti-social boy sitting on the steps of their cabin. After Sokka finished unpacking, he saw some things stacked in the far side of their cabin. He walked over to it, pulled it out, and noticed that there were four white bandanas and blue shirts, all with the bubble-like uppercase letters that spelled "TEAM KURUK" around the upper torso area. Sokka looked for the one that was about his size, and half-smiled, mumbling, "Coooooool."

Aang and Haru, curious as to what Sokka was talking about, got off their beds and walked over to Sokka. "Hmm, what's this?" Haru said as he picked up one of the shirts and a bandana, eyeing it closely. Aang, on the other hand, was beaming, and slipped the white bandana on his forehead, some of his short, curly, brown hair falling across it.

"These must be our team clothes," Haru answered himself, throwing the set of things on his bed. The anti-social boy walked inside the cabin, and for some unknown reason, all conversation fell silent, and all eyes wandered to him.

The boy felt everyone's pupils burning through him, and looked up at them. "What?" he demanded, sounding irritated and annoyed. The others in the cabin didn't answer, and he just shook it off. His gaze caught the blue and white pile of things on the other side of the room, and he instantly walked over to them. Sokka moved slightly, as Zuko gather the leftover shirt and bandana in his hand, growling under his breath, 'Damnit, why the hell are these shirts blue? Uh."

Zuko plopped onto his bottom bunkbed, and just lay there for awhile, not even trying to unpack his things. Sokka, Aang, and Haru just looked at each other, not sure of what to do. The room was pretty silent for awhile, at least until Aang broke the ice. "So......um......well......what's your name?" he said, and looked over at the anti-social kid.

He didn't say anything, until he suddenly felt their eyes on him again, and then he looked over at the smaller boy and said, "You were talking to me?"

Aang nodded his head slightly, and waited for him to answer. "Zuko," he said simply. Aang opened his mouth again to say something else, but a bell went off loudly, interrupting him before he got a chance to speak.

"Guess it's time to eat!" Sokka said, hurridly getting off his bed and leaving the cabin. He followed all the other kids going to the cafeteria-like cabin. There were alot of people outside, which made Sokka wonder. _How are there, like, fifty kids out here but just a minute ago, none of them were even around? _he thought, bumping into some people as he made his way to the doors. Katara and one of her friends were behind him, but he hadn't yet noticed them, he was too focused on getting some food; all that time in the bus really made him hungry.

Sokka ran up to the shortest line for food and grabbed a tray sitting beside a stack of others. His stomach grumbled hungrily at him as Sokka stood waiting for the line to move, for what seemed like an eternity to him. Leaning on the wall, he suddenly felt someone from behind him tap him on the shoulder, surprising him slightly. He turned around to see his sister, Katara, and a girl with long, flowing white hair standing next to her, a broad smile spread across her face.

"Yeah?" he replied to his sister, all the while staring at the smiling girl beside her. Katara grinned at the love connection already made, and said to her older brother, "So how is camp so far, for the one hour we've been here?"

Sokka caught bits and pieces of what his sister was saying, since his eyes were focused on the mysterious girl before him, and his stomach set on getting some grub. Katara poked her brother again, waiting for a response, as Sokka breathlessly replied, "Huh? Oh, yeah...um, it's great...yeah, great." He rambled on, as he turned around to walk a little further.

Katara rolled her eyes at her brother, and introduced her friend to him, "Anyways, just in case you might ask, _my_ stay's been great. I've already met a couple of friends. Sokka, this is Yue, I just met her and she's really fun to hang out with. Yue, this is Sokka, my crazy older brother."

_Yue..._Sokka thought over in his head, as he smiled at the girl before him. He moved closer to where the food was sprawled out, and said to Yue, "Why hello, Yue, did I mention you look mighty fine this evening?" Yue giggled at Sokka's talking, and gazed up at his blue eyes. Sokka was glad someone liked his corny jokes, and stood over by Yue, as the line moved further. He looked at Yue, who had blue eyes just like his, and found himself practically staring at her. _She's so.......beautiful, _he thought to himself. Katara sighed at Sokka, she was obviously used to his random acts of humor.

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After going through the line for lunch, Sokka, along with his new female friend, Yue, sat at the wooden table by the door. Katara already left them and walked over to another table, where she sat with some people Sokka hadn't yet gotten a chance to meet. Sokka basically stuffed the grilled-cheese sandwich in his mouth, leaving a baffled Yue to stare at him. He looked at her and tried to smile, but he was still chewing on the load of food he just shoved into his mouth. Yue giggled at Sokka, who managed to finally swallow the sandwich, and looked at her.

"What?" he said, half-smiling at the platinum-blond girl before him. She giggled some more before answering him.

"Do you always eat like that?" she asked, still laughing at him, yet surprised how someone could fit almost a_ whole _sandwich in their mouth and swallow it without a problem.

"Well......only when I'm hungry," he answered, taking a drink from the pint-sized vanilla milk carton. "But, that's pretty much everyday so-" Sokka began, before one of the camp councilors came rushing to their table.

"Yue? You have a call. It's urgent," the councilor said, before taking Yue's hand and dragging her away from the wooden bench. Sokka was left sitting at the table alone, watching as the councilor lead her out of the large room. Yue turned around slightly to wave at Sokka, but she didn't catch him waving back at her, since the camp councilor had her half-way out the door.

A breif moment later and Aang ran up to Sokka, beaming a bright, wide smile. "Haru is planning a campfire party tonight, you coming?" Sokka looked at the younger boy, and nodded his head, before stopping suddenly, "Wait. Will there be s'mores?"

Aang laughed and nodded his head, shouting out as he left the table, "Yes, Sokka, there will be s'mores. Tonight at nightfall! Bring anybody you want!"

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Dusk began to approach slowly, the twinkling stars of the night glowing brightly above. Sokka paced back and forth in front of Yue's cabin, thinking over and over again how and if he should ask her to come with him to the campfire. Five minutes passed and still he racked his brain of ways to ask her to join him. He groaned loudly, obviously annoyed that he couldn't think of a single thing to say to her, and sat on the steps leading to her cabin. He layed his head on his palm, his elbow resting on his knee.

A light turned on from inside the cabin, and Sokka heard the creaking sounds of its door being opened. He turned toward the door and out came Yue, wearing a aqua t-shirt with the words 'CAMP AVATAR' sprawled across it in bold white letters, cargo capris pants, and white Nike tennis shoes. Her long, platinum blonde hair was in a high ponytail with two elaborate braids that flowed down to her waist and two portions of her hair hung beside her face, acting as her bang. Sokka practically gawked at the girl, she looked so incredibly _stunning_.

"Sokka? What are you doing sitting here?" Yue asked, beaming a smile as she flashed Sokka back into reality.

"Uh.....well.....um.....you was like tonight come with Haru's wondering I if me party campfire would to me," he spluttered, confusing Yue. She looked at him, not understanding a word he'd just said.

"I meant....I was wondering if you would like to come with me to Haru's campfire party tonight," he said, slapping his hand on his forehead. Yue giggled a little, then turned to Sokka, still beaming her bright smile.

"Of course I would, Sokka," she said. Sokka looked at her, shocked that she actually said yes, and got up from the wooden step. He put out his hand, and Yue happily rested her hand in his. Sokka was smiling goofily as he felt the warmness of Yue's soft, caramel-tanned hand radiate into his own.

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"Wow, you're lucky you don't have any siblings. You're probably spoiled, huh?" Sokka teased, as Yue looked down at the mushy, wet ground below her.

"I wouldn't say that, maybe just a_ little_," Yue said, letting a soft laugh escape her throat. "But not much." Silence filled the air momentarily.

Sokka and Yue walked to the campfire, hand-in-hand, under the lights of the stars. They were wrapped in their own conversation, walking a moderately slow pace, obviously trying to get to spend more time together alone.

"You are so amazing," Yue laughed, changing the subject.

"Eh, not really. Unless you count eating twenty-five ribs and drinking two gallons of lemonade in eight minutes, then heck yeah, I'm amazing," Sokka said, making Yue double over in laughter at Sokka's eating habits.

Sokka watched Yue as she giggled at his jokes, watching as her deep, azure sparkled in the moonlight. He opened his mouth to tell her how much he'd grown to like her, how she made him feel, how he felt like he'd known her for his entire life, but once sound traveled out his mouth, all he could say was her name, since everything else he'd wanted to say floated quickly out of his mind.

"Sokka! We've been looking for you for like, forever!" A voice shouted at him. He looked around until he founc the source of the voice. Toph. She was running toward him, Aang apparently trailing behind her.

"Hey, Toph?" Sokka said, wondering just _why_ she was looking for him.

"The campfire? _Hel-looo_? Remember?" Toph said, punching him when she came close enough to him.

"Oh!" Sokka thought, smacking his head as he took Yue's hand once again and half-ran half-walked behind Toph and Aang, who took off after snapping Sokka back into reality.

Three minutes passed before Yue and Sokka made it to the area where the campfire party was taking place. A small, blazing fire was burning in the center of the area, a couple of kids surrounding it, either talking or holding out their marshmallows from a stick into it. Some kids weren't even by the fire, they were leaning on trees, chasing one another around, meeting new people. Katara, along with a group of others, where leaning on logs, stuffing their mouths with s'more, gooey marshmallow oozing out the sandwich, while the chocolate melted ontop of it.

"S'mores!" Sokka exclaimed, leading Yue to a log where stacks of huge Hershey's bars, bags of marshmallows, and boxes of graham crackers were spread out.

"_More_ food, Sokka?" Yue teased, as she reached out and got s'more ingredients for herself. Sokka smiled, chocolate spilling out of his mouth from the s'more he'd just stuffed in his mouth.

"Yue! Yue!" a voice screamed out. Both Sokka and Yue turned their heads to look for where that voice was coming from, but they didn't see anyone calling her name. "Yue!!" it screamed again, this time the source coming out in the open. A camp counselor. Calling Yue's name _again. _

Yue jumped up, confused as to why the counselor came running up to her. The counselor spoke softly to Yue, who's face, once happy and joyful, transitioned to disappointment and gloom. Sokka quickly got up from his log, wondering what was happening. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking at the counselor, then turning to Yue.

"I have to go home," Yue's soft voice whispered, a tone barely audible.

Sokka's face fell. "_What? _But you just got here."

"I'm sorry, Sokka," Yue said, as she walked away from him, leaving a sad Sokka standing behind her. Watching her as she walked away and his heart shattered into millions of pieces.

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Yue walked out of her cabin rolling a large, blue suitcase. Her cabin-mates were standing outside looking at her as she left the cabin. She looked at the people before her, hugging each and every one of them, telling them how much she'd miss them. She looked around for Sokka, her eyes darting all over the vast camp area. But, he was nowhere in sight. Katara came out of nowhere running toward Yue.

"Yue! You never told me you were leaving!" she exclaimed, looking at Yue with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry," was all Yue could say to keep her from bursting into tears.

"Gosh, I'm going to miss you soo much!" Katara said as she ran up to her and squeezed her tightly. Yue hugged back, still looking around for Sokka. And still to no avail.

After Katara let go, Yue glanced behind her to see a boy sitting on the steps of one of the other cabins. Yue furrowed her eyebrows before leaving Katara and her roomates, telling them she had to talk to someone important before she left.

She ran across the dirt, leaving her blue suitcase standing by her old cabin. Yue stopped after she reached the boy who was sitting on the steps. Sokka. She walked over and sat by him, looking at him. She instantly regretted of doing so, because right at that moment tears streamed from her eyes. He wasn't looking at her, only at the steps under him. He didn't know what to say. He was lost for words.

"I'm really going to miss you," she said, wiping tears as they continued to fall down her cheeks. Sokka was sttill silent, playing with his fingers.

"Sokka, speak to me, please!"

"Why are you leaving?" he asked, dropping his hands to his knees. Yue fell silent a minute before she told him her answer.

"Sokka...I.....I...really don't want to talk about that," she said softly, her voice barely audible, her words coming out as choked up sputters. He turned his head slowly to see Yue now staring at the grass before them. He took her face gently in the palm of his hand, and with the other he wiped off the tears streaming down her cheeks with his thumb. She looked at him, her crystal blue eyes glassy from the tears she'd been crying.

"I really don't want you to leave," he whispered to her, still holding her cheek with his palm.

"I don't want to leave either," she said before Sokka leaned toward her, his lips pressing softly to hers. She was slightly surprised, but melted into the kiss, laying her arms on his shoulders and leaning into him. At that moment, everything else was irrelevent. They were wrapped in their own perfect world, kissing each other so passionately, trying to enjoy the last moment they would have together.

"Yue! Your ride is here!!" one of the camp counselor shouted, forcing her and Sokka to pull away from each other. Sokka got up, took her hand, and helped her get up from the steps. She let go of his hand slowly, looking back at him as she went to get her suitcase. She followed the camp counselor, waving at all her friends, and smiling at Sokka as she disappeared from sight.

Sokka stood alone, whispering, "I love you," before he walked away, and a silent tear fell down his cheek.

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**_So thats that chapter!! Hope yah liked, and thanxx to all of you who reviewed the last chapter!! Reviews pleez people!! The avatar challenges start next chapter, the first one, at least.! And, if you have any suggestions on their competition or challenge for the next chapter pleez PM me or write in your reviews!! Thanxx you guys!! =D_**

**_So now click the little review button!! Haha, thanxx again! =D_**


	3. The First Challenge

_***-Hey you guys!! The first Camp Avatar challenge is up! Dun dun DUNN!! Haha. I'm not going to babble your head off just yet so go ahead and read read read! **_

**_No owning avatar (c'mon if i did Zutara would've been canon, hello? =D)_**

**_No owning the quote at the top, or below this, that's all, if you haven't heard Lady Gaga's Poker Face._**

**_=D_**

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First Challenge

_Can't read my, _

_Can't read my,_

_No he can't read my_

_Poker face._

"Come on, you guys! The first challenge is tomorrow, and unless the rules have changed, we have to work as a team! So, it'd be better to at least know something about one another, right?" Jin's hyper voice shouted, smiling at her cabin-mates. Suki jumped off her bunk, looking at the overly-hyper girl before her.

"I guess you're right. What's the point of being called 'Team Kuruk' if we're not working like a team?" Katara said, laying her head on her pillow, staring at the wood building the bunk above her.

"What are you guys getting at?" Suki said, clueless as to what they were thinking.

"I'm with Warrior Girl. Get to the point," Toph said, half her body hanging off her top bunk bed.

"What I'm saying is, why don't we all get together, you know? And like, get to know one another better, like as a team," Jin said, still smiling as she leaned her head on wooden pole holding the bunk beds together.

"So how do you suppose we do that?" Toph asked, backflipping from her bed, landing straight on her toes.

"Get _together_. As a_ team_. _Talk_," Jin said, saying it like it was the most obvious thing. Toph rolled her eyes and walked out the door, the humid air greeting her pale face. Suki looked at Katara, signaling for her to get up. Katara sighed and followed the others out the door as they walked to the boys' cabin. Jin pressed her knuckles on the door, knocking lightly. Toph didn't have the patience to wait for them to answer, and bacsically decided to kick the door open.

The door to the boys' cabin swung open, revealing a very peaceful Aang laying on his bed, stroking Appa's fur; a clueless Sokka playing with his fingers; a smiling Haru picking through his clothes; and a creepy Zuko sitting on his bed glaring right at the girls.

"Hey!" Jin boomed, spreading her arms out asif hugging someone made out of air. She stood at the frame of the door, looking at her male team-mates. Girls weren't allowed in boys' cabins, and vise-versa.

Aang looked panic-struck, and jumped up, sliding Appa behind his back. "Don't worry, Twinkle Toes. We're not 'The Man'. Plus, I already know about little Appa, and that's not why we're here," Toph said, stepping closer to the door.

"Yeah, Aang. Jin came up with this idea about us getting to know one another as a team, so we decided to come get you guys and socialize. As a team," Katara explained, speaking to Aang, but generally talking to the entire group of guys before her.

"Hey, I like that idea, too," Haru said, getting up from the floor to come great his fellow team-mates.

"Eh, I guess it'll give me something to do," Sokka said, glumly. He was still feeling a little depressed about Yue's abrupt leave. He looked up from his fingers and sighed as he walked over to the group. Aang was smiling, forming an area from his clothes where Appa could lay on until he returned. The only person not standing with the rest of the team was, Zuko.

"Who's that?" Katara whispered to Jin, who, in reply, shook her head dumbly.

"That's Zuko," Haru whispered to her, overhearing her question to Jin. "He doesn't talk much. Sort of creepy."

"Um, Zuko? You're apart of the team too, so um," Katara began, looking at the boy before her. Zuko glared at her before getting up from his bed to join his so-called "team-mates."

They walked together in a large clod, some small conversations starting up as they walked toward the cluster of trees. Katara was talking to Suki, something about what the first challenge might be. But Katara stopped listening, taken breathless when she took notice of a brown-haired tanned boy across the camp area.

------------------

"Mai! Azula! I'm so happy to see you guys again! It's been so long!" Ty Lee exclaimed, hugging her two old friends. She was beaming a bright Ty Lee smile as she cartwheeled across the dirt ground.

"Oh please, Ty Lee. It's not like you're_ just _seeing us. We all saw each other again two days ago," Azula said, rolling her eyes.

"I know! I know! But it's all still just sinking in!" Ty Lee shouted.

"No wonder we haven't spoken in so long. You're overly hyper," Mai said in her usual, monotone voice. Her comment still didn't bring Ty Lee down, who was still so happy.

"Don't pick on her Mai. I'd thought you'd be overcome with joy too when you saw ZuZu again," Azula snickered, laughing as a blush crept on Mai's face.

"_Ohmigosh! _You still have a crush on Zuko? I don't blame you. He's hot."

"Disgusting. Have you forgotten Zuko's my brother?" Azula snarled as they walked over to where most of their other team members were located. Two boys---one tall and buff, the other also tall and buff, but not as buff as the first guy---were play fighting with each other, four other people surrounding them, cheering it on. The girls joined the semi-circle, watching the two, Azula with an interest.

"Ha! I pinned you, I win!" the not-so-buff boy shouted, getting off of the buffer-than-the-second boy. The not-so-buff boy laughed, high-fiving a couple of the people in the semi-circle. The buffer-than-the-second boy got up from the ground, wiping some of the dirt off his clothes.

"That's okay, Jet! I've got you next time!" he said to the not-so-buff boy, who's name appeared to be Jet.

"Yeah right, Chan. You said that the last three rounds!" Jet laughed, sitting on a boulder. Chan huffed at Jet, peeved to lose to someone who obviously didn't look as buff as him.

Azula sauntered into the middle of the circle, grinning evilly as she saw a female member of the other team She turned toward Jet, "I see you like winning, am I right?"

Jet, leaned his weight on the side of the boulder, raising an eyebrow, "Yeah, and?"

"So, how about we gurantee our win on whatever challenge they throw at us tomorrow, huh?"

"And how are we going to do that?" a large. bulky boy said, walking behind the boulder Jet was leaning on. Azula looked over at the girl, who was still gazing deeply on their side of the camp area.

"Well, Jet's your name, right? I'm willing to bet there's a girl on the other team who really has a crush on you. I say we use that to our advantage. Talk to her, get her to focus on you instead of the challenge. She'll probably suck at the challenge because all she will be thinking about is you," Azula proposed. Jet was smirking at her, as he looked to his other team mates.

"Good plan. That'll definitely work," he said, nodding at Azula. She laughed coldly, and twisted her neck back over to the girl once again. The girl was walking off with what looked like her other team members---since they all wore the blue shirts with 'TEAM KURUK' outlined in white---but still turned back every once in a while to sneek a glance at Jet.

"I like the way you think," Chan said, walking over to stand by Azula.

"I know you do."

-------------

"I knew you two were related," Suki laughed, referring to Katara and Sokka. "Wait, but, who's older?"

"You can't tell, can you?" Katara giggled, glancing at Sokka who was snickering. "Sokka's older than me. By two years. Can't tell by the way he acts."

"I object!" Sokka yelled out.

"Hehe," the group laughed.

"So what about any of you? Have any siblings?" Suki asked, everyone in general.

"Nope," Toph said, "Just a spoiled rotten only child."

"Not me," Haru sighed.

"I don't either," Aang sighed also, looking at the ground.

"I have two sisters," Jin said, "But they're both already in college, don't speak to them much anymore." Just like when most of the group answered the question, Zuko was still the only one not to say anything.

"What about you, Zuko?" Aang said, still trying to the break the tension that always formed when it was Zuko's turn to answer questions. Zuko looked up, his golden eyes cold and emotionless.

"One sister," he answered simply. The groups eyes were still locked on him, so elaborated his answer. "She's a year younger than me."

"Did she come to camp?" Jin asked, dropping the twigs she was playing with.

"Unfortunately."

"So, you didn't want her to be here?"

Zuko jumped up, "I don't want to talk about it," he said, before he walked away from the group. Everyone looked after him, staring at each other, dumbfounded.

"Okay...well.....that was awkward," Suki sighed.

"Yeah," Katara said softly, turning her head once again to look at the boy across the area. Unlike the past times she glanced at him, he was looking at her. He caught her gaze dead on, and Katara could've mistaken, but she could've swore he was winking at her.

-----------

Katara was sitting on the steps of her cabin, enjoying the light drzzle that fell from the sky as twilight approached. She couldn't explain it, but she liked the feel of the rain on her skin. It made her feel..at ease. Calm. Like she was in a world of her own. She exhaled, smiling as she took in the smell the rain brought.

"Like the rain?" someone said, joining her on the steps of her cabin. She looked to her right to see that same boy who she was gazing at so intently sitting right beside her.

"Um, yeah," she said, caught off guard. She couldn't stop from smiling, she had to turn away from him. Why was she feeling this way? She didn't even know his_ name._

"Hmm, so what's your name?" he asked, smirking at her.

"Katara."

"That's a pretty name. I'm Jet."

_He called my name pretty!!_ she thought happily.

"So, why'd you decide to come here?'

"I don't know, really. Just looking for something different, that's all."

"Ooh. I'm different," he smirked, instantly making Katara blush furiously."Hey Katara, I was wondering. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Uh..." she started.

"Oh, yeah. I get it. You don't know me that well. Yet. So let's get to know each other. It's not that late, and you like the rain, right? That's something I learned about you. How about we just, get to know one another a little better, huh?"

"Okay," Katara smiled.

Jet and Katara talked a little bit more, for about forty-five minutes, becoming more acquainted with each other. Jet always kept Katara smiling---it wasn't that hard, since just looking at his handsome face tugged a smile on her face. A loud blare went off, signaling curfew for the campers. Katara got up, getting ready to go back to her cabin.

Jet took her wrist and swung her around to him, wearing that same cute smirk.

"I really liked talking to you," he said, and to her surprise, Jet leaned down and kissed her. The kiss was only a peck, but enough to make Katara swoon.

"I'll see you later," Jet said as he walked away from her and toward his cabin. Katara beamed a bright smile as she walked into her cabin.

-----------------

"You guys, we have a note!" Aang yelled out as he took the crumpled, yellow piece of paper in his hands. His team came running up behind him, Zuko lagging far behind.

Toph snatched the paper from Aang's hands, reading it first to herself, then outloud to the rest of her team.

_"TEAM KURUK,_

_Hello._

_Today is your much anticipated challenge._

_Follow the directions from the map below._

_(Hint: Bring your bathing suits!!)_

_-Kianu'"_

"Well that's really brief," Haru commented, as the girls went off into the their cabin to put their bathing suits on under their team shirts and cargo shorts. The boys didn't go back into the cabin, only took their team shirts off and waited outside the girls' cabin.

-----------------

"You remember the plan, right?" Azula questioned Jet as they all followed the map's directions.

"Heh, of course," he smirked, high-fiving Smellerbee.

Azula nodded to Mai and Ty Lee, grinning her signature devious smile. "Let's get this game started."

------------------

Both teams walked onto the platforms risers, located next to each other.

"Hello Team Kuruk and Team Sozin. I am, of course, Kianu. Are you kids ready for your first challenge?" the tall, twenty-something year old man asked, smiling.

"'Kids?'" Toph chuckled soft enough so that Kianu couldn't hear her. A couple of yells erupted from both teams.

"Great! So, since this is your first challenge, we'll start off light, eh? Okay, so, everyone see those rocking climbing walls over there, right? Your job is to get every member of your team up to the top before the other team does. Sound easy enough? Good. Let's get started," Kianu explained motioning for the teams to follow him, merging together as they walked over to the rock climbing wall

"Hey," Jet said, as he got closer to Katara. She looked up, her heart beat increasing rapidly, as she managed to force out, "Hi," from her throat.

"I just wanted to wish you luck," he said, smiling at her. She felt like putty, like her knees were going to fail and she would fall straight on her butt. He gently patted her on her shoulder, his hand warm against her skin.

"Yeah thanks," Sokka said, pulling Katara away from him, glaring evilly at the boy.

The teams seperated as they all hooked onto the cords they were going to be using to climb up the wall. Once everyone was hooked onto their cord, Kianu shouted out from his horn, "Oh, Team Sozin, one member must sit out from this challenge, so that the team sizes will be equal."

"I'll sit out," Pipsqueak annouced, walking over to stand by Kianu.

"Alright, one member goes up from each team at a time. The next member of the team cannot climb until the person before them hits the buzzer. Okay? Alright. Teams, ready, set.........GO!!!"

Toph was climbing first for Team Kuruk, The Duke for Team Sozin. Toph made it up in record time, hitting the red buzzer at the top of the wall and sitting on the platform on top of the rock climbing wall. Next up was Haru, who, like Toph, also made it up quickly. The Duke was just hitting the buzzer when Haru hit his team's buzzer and sat with Toph.

Ty Lee was up for Team Sozin, using her gymnastics skills to her advantage. Suki and Ty Lee were neck and neck, until Ty Lee reached out and slapped the buzzer joining The Duke. Suki hit the buzzer two seconds after her and joined Haru and Toph on the platform.

"Team Kuruk is in the lead, three to Team Sozin's two!" Kianu yelled out from his bullhorn.

Katara and Smellerbee were climbing the wall, but unlike most of the people before her, Katara lagged in the rockclimbing, she was too busy thinking about her encounter with Jet. And especially the kiss he gave her only yesterday.

"Yes," Azula whispered to herself as she watched Katara struggled up to the top. Smellerbee hit the buzzer, Katara still behind.

"Come on, Katara!" Sokka yelled out to his sister as Mai climbed up for Team Sozin. Mai made it up to the buzzer five seconds before Katara finally did.

"Finally," Zuko mumbled, as he climbed up the wall, against his sister, Azula._ This'll be fun_, Azula thought, as she glanced over at her brother. The siblings both the buzzers at the same time. He huffed, hoping he could make it there quicker than his younger sister.

"We're tied!" Kianu shouted out as the next members of each team hoisted themselves on the wall, shifting their weight to each of the rocks.

Aang was up against Chan, who made it up quicker than him. Aang was struggling with the rocks, like Katara was.

"Hurry, Twinkle Toes!" Toph shouted from atop the platform above the rock climbing wall.

The next member went up for Team Sozin, Longshot, while Aang just reached the buzzer for his team. There was only one person left to climb the wall for each team, Sokka for Kuruk, and Jet for Sozin.

Sokka had the head start, but Jet was quick up the wall after Longshot, catching up with Sokka. Shouts and yells roared out from each team, the teams were tied neck and neck.

"Go Sokka! Hurry!" people from Team Kuruk shouted as people from Team Sozin shouted, "Come on, Jet! Go, Jet!" Jet and Sokka were in arms reach of their teams' buzzers, but since Jet's arm was longer than Sokka's, Jet hit the buzzer before Sokka did. The members of Team Sozin burst out yelling, all happy that they won the challenge. Team Kuruk's members just watched them, sighing.

"Alright teams. Looks like Team Sozin came out victorious this time. Sorry Kuruk-ers. I forgot to tell you guys, the losing team has to elimate a person from their group, but since a member of Team Kuruk's team already left the camp, no one will be elimated this challenge. Next challenge, it won't matter. Whoever loses will lose a member," Kianu said as everyone reached the planked-ground."Until next time, teams," he said and walked off.

The teams were left speechless, surprised that people will be elimated each challenge. What happened to the sheer joy of friendly competition? Now, they'd have to fight to survive.

---------------

Katara walked out from the woods with Suki, who, after fifteen minutes of searching, finally found her team bandana. "Is that the boy-"

"Shh," Katara said to Suki, as she listenened to what Jet and the girl were saying.

"Good work, Jet. I was beginning to doubt you," the girl said to Jet, who was leaning on a tree outside the camp area.

"Thanks. Katara was so_ naive_, she really made it too easy. We could just keep using her, then we'd have a sure win every challenge."

"Hmm...you're smart," the girl said, smirking.

Jet smirked, the same smirk he gave Katara only a couple of days ago, and walked off with the girl back to where the rest of their team members where located.

_That__** jerk**__. He was using me the whole time. I should've known. Heh, he wants to play games? I'll __**show **__him a game_, Katara thought, enraged that what Jet was saying to her, his kiss, all of it was a lie. A lie to win the challenge. She was agitated, not only with him, but with herself for falling for him so easily. She was determined in getting him back, beat him at his own game. _He'll never see it coming_.

After the two members of the other team were out of ear-shot, Suki said, "That's the boy who kissed you, right? Wow, he is cute," Suki said, leaning on her hip.

"Yeah. But he's a total creep," Katara said, as they walked off.

"Gosh, Katara. What changed? A minute ago he was all you could talk about. Now he's a creep." Suki teased.

-------------

"Sokka! Would you stop it? I already know he's bad, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Sokka asked, his brotherly insticts coming up.

"Yes, Sokka. I'm sure. I learned that the hard way."

"Good," Sokka said,"Come on, sis." He said, reaching out and hugging his sister. She was caught off guard, but still squeezed her brother back warmly.

"Aw! Group hug!" Jin shouted out, outstretching her arms, swooping up Toph and Aang on one arm, and Haru and Suki on the other, all surrounding Katara and Sokka. They all smooshed together, hugging each other.

"Oooh!" she smiled, letting go of her team members. All except one, who wasn't in the group hug. Zuko.

-------------

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**_*-That's one win for Team Sozin. Zero for Team Kuruk. And just what is Katara going to do for her revenge? Hmm, Jet better watch out! Jin, in this story Jin will be overly hyper, somewhat like Ty Lee. I mean, who knows how exactly Jin was, anyway. She was only on the show like once, and that was on a date with Zuko (i prefer zutara). I'm babbling now, right, probably. I always start babbling. Babble babble babble. Okay now I'm just being goofy. The next chapter will be up soon, since right its SPRING BREAK! Yay. =D_**

**_Clickity Click Click the review button below pleez_**

**_I love you guys who read this!_**

**_But I'll love you even more if you review!_**

**_=D_**


	4. The Ballad of the Creepy Boy

_**Chapter four is up! Wooh, finally, right? ha. basic overview, this chapter kinda deals with zuko more than anyone else, so yeah!**_

**_I don't avatar, c'mon, you all know that!! haha. _**

_**I don't own the quote or lyrics below either. That's that super old song by Green Day,** **Boulevard of Broken Dreams!!**_

_**Read on peoples!!!**_

**_=D_**_**

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Ballad of the Creepy Boy

_I walk a lonely road._

_The only one that I have ever known, _

_Don't know where it goes, _

_But it's only me and I walk alone._

Why did he have to be here? He definitely didn't want to be here, that's for sure. Only against his will, because his uncle, Iroh, believed he wasn't socializing with enough people his age. So, he decided to send Zuko off to this camp. Of course, against Zuko's own will. And at the time, Zuko didn't have a clue that his obnoxious, prodigy sister would be attending it with him. Not to mention the sight of his father after getting off of the bus his first day. With him being the head supervisor of the camps (which he didn't know how), he'd probably have to see more of him. Which only made matters worse.

He really hated this so-called "Camp Avatar". He hated all the people in it. Especially the familiar ones from his past that seemed to creep up with him. Like Mai and Jin. Jin was his past recent girlfriend, who's relationship was only a fling that lasted for a week after he left the city she was in to move in with his uncle.

And Mai. They grew up together. Her and Zuko were together for at least a year. But, their relationship was also cut. Zuko broke up with her, not only because he was moving yet again but, also for the fact that he believed (as corny as it may sound) he was falling in love with her. And he was scared. Scared of being in love. He did every once awhile still think of her. Sometimes imagined her face when he announced (over her voice-mail) that he was breaking up with her. He felt bad for breaking her heart, he had to admit that.

But, he was feeling worse. He'd thought that he would be able to forget her somehow when he moved away, and to his better judgement, when he came to this camp. That wasn't going to happen. Because all this camp brought him were memories. And past people. Mai and Jin, only to name a few. His sister, Ty Lee.

But also Jet. Jet and his large group of friends. He wanted to forget him. He wanted to forget all the time he spent with him and his gang. Skipping classes, watching him flirt with girl after girl successfully, stealing from stores. He wanted to forget it all. Yes, this camp brought plenty of memories. Good. Bad. And bittersweet. Like his team-mates.

They were annoying, very much so. Zuko just basically wanted to avoid them. Based on the constant questions from his team members, going on silent the entire camp experience wasn't going to work. He'd have to start socializing with them sooner or later. Or they'll just keep asking him questions. Over _and over _again. And he hated questions, especially when they ran non-stop from his past girlfriend who acted like they were just meeting. As if they never kissed that moment outside his uncle's first tea shop. Fine by him. He could care less.

He looked over at his team-mates, who were all embraced together in a group hug. His eyes floated over to the other team, which seemed to be Team People-Of-Zuko's-Past instead of Team Sozin. He could pretty much tell that Mai was staring at him, he knew that much, even though there was a wide distance separating them. She looked away when his head turned toward her, and a smirk appeared on Zuko's face.

His team members were running up to where he was sitting, joining him on the steps of the boys' cabin. He held on to the one bit of happiness he had since he came to this camp, but, like a grain of dust, it blew away as the annoying let's-ask-Zuko-20-questions-again team sat next to him. The smirk that was on his face fell back to the scowl that once graced his face, the stare of his cold amber eyes falling back to its ever familiar evil glare.

"Hey, what happened to that cute smile that was on your face not too long ago?" Jin asked, sitting on the railing of the steps. Zuko cocked one eyebrow at her, before turning away from her, failing to answer her question. _Oh,__** now **__she wants to talk to me. And still with all those damn questions._

"...can't believe that jerk of a man....oooh, I'm going to get him..." he heard the girl next to him mumble. He remembered hearing her name, what was it? Something with a K---Karen, Kya, Katara, Kalana, Katana. Katara, that was her name! But what was she mumbling about? Better yet,_ who _was she mumbling about? And why did he care?

"C'mon Katara, tell me what he did!" the brown-haired girl, Suki, yelled.

"What who did? Jet? Are you talking about that Jet boy? What did he do Katara?" Katara's brother questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Nothing, nothing, Sokka. Chill, I'm talking to Katara," Suki said, shushing Sokka away. A silent tear slid down Katara's face, and she went up a step to sit by Suki, away from Sokka. Zuko couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Jet used me. He faked that whole thing---everything he said to me, all those smiles he gave me, that kiss---it was all a fake. A lie. He just did it so he could get my focus off the game so that his team could win. And that girl with the gold eyes, she was in on it, too. But, I'm going to get Jet. You believe that," she whispered, her voice sounding strangled and angry from behind Zuko. The girl with the gold eyes, Azula. And Jet. They were using her. Seems like something they would do. He shouldn't care. But, maybe he did. Because, if Katara was more focused on the game instead of Jet, then he could've defeated his sister with justice. Not tie with her.

Zuko jumped up, walking away from his team like he so often did when they came together as a team. He'd grown tired of them. Most of them were younger than him. And he didn't like hanging out with youngins. They were sometimes too immature, and too annoying.

Which is basically what his entire team was. Immature and annoying. He'd remembered hearing that Sokka was his age, too. But, based on his behavior, Zuko thought he was probably twelve or thirteen instead of sixteen like himself. Haru was second oldest, being that he was fifteen, a year younger than Zuko. Haru talked, but even he acted older than Sokka when in reality, he wasn't.

Zuko walked off, he didn't know exactly where he was going, or if he was ever going to stop. He hadn't figured that out yet. Guess he wouldn't have to, since his unwanted sister stopped him dead in his tracks. "Hello, brother," she said, wearing that same smirk he'd grown used to. The same cold eyes he was used to looking at. Zuko huffed.

"What? Is that the kind of greeting you give your sister after two years apart? It's a wonder Mai still likes you," Azula snickered, watching the way Zuko's face flushed. She laughed a humorless laugh.

"What do you want, Azula?" Zuko said, hoping to get to the point of why his sister was standing in front of him.

"What do I want? Oh, there's so much I want, brother. And I intend to get it._ All _of it. But, now. What I want from you is this. I've heard that Father is giving a prize for the person that's left standing in his so-called camp. That's what I've_ heard_. Now, what I'm offering to you is a sure-spot ahead in this game. And do you know what that means? Father's respect. His honor. And we _both_know how much you've yearned for that; we both know you don't hate him like you pretend you do. You want this Zuko, I know it. You know it. So what do you say?"

Zuko clenched his jaw. He didn't know if he could really trust his sister. But, he also didn't know if what she was saying was true. What if it was all a lie? What if it wasn't? What if his father was watching what happened on the camp from secret cameras? What if he was judging him right now, on every move that he makes? What if he made it through all the challenges, and_ he _was the last one standing? Would he _then_ earn his respect? His honor? The one thing he's wanted for so long?

"Think about it, ZuZu," she said, walking off to her other team-members across the camp area. And that's what he just did. Think about it. Debate about it. Over and over again. He wanted this so bad. No one knew how bad he'd wanted this. But to what extent would Azula go to win? And, could he_ ever _defeat his sister?

------------------------

"Look, will you actually do something about it instead of mumbling about it every two damn seconds?" Zuko demanded, turning around to Katara, who was shocked at his outburst. This was the fifth time today he had to hear her complain about him. Her constant muttering about what Jet did was really starting to piss him off.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard exactly what I said," he stated. The group all stopped in their tracks, watching the scene unfold.

"I don't know what your problem is, because for one I wasn't even talking to you to begin with. Maybe if you're agitated about what I'm saying then stop listening to my conversations!!" Katara screamed at him, walking up to him, raising her head so that she could glare into his eyes.

"Well _maybe_if you weren't such a damn crybaby about your damn wreck of a relationship with Jet I wouldn't have to be agitated!" he yelled down at her. Katara's eyes began to feel with water, she turned her head and blinked them away.

"What's_ your _problem? Just because_ you _want to be pissed every damn second of every damnned day that your here doesn't mean you even have the right to take your frustrations out on me!!! If you really didn't want to be here why the hell are you even here?!!" she shouted back at him. Suki was standing right behind Katara, a couple feet away, frozen to her place.

"Don't fucking worry about me," Zuko said, lowering his voice so that she could only hear him. "Just shut the hell up."

"Ugh! You son of a_ bitch_!!!!!!" Katara growled at him lowly, beginning to stomp away from him. Zuko grabbed her wrist, and spun her back toward him.

"What did you say?"

"You heard exactly what I said," Katara mocked, glaring at him with her ocean blue eyes.

"Well you better take that shit back. You don't know anything about me. And you definitely had no right to call my mom a bitch. You got that?" he growled back at her, half-whispering in her ear.

"Whatever," she said, yanking her arm away from his strong grip and stomping to her cabin, slamming the door behind her.

A couple of kids were still standing around, staring at him."WHAT?!!" he boomed, hating the stares of everyone on him. They all rushed away, pretending to be doing something beside looking at Zuko. Even though some still let their eyes wander back to him.

---------------

Zuko leaned on the rail on the side of the stairs leading up to his cabin. The camp's outside night lights flickered on above him, illuminating his face. It was humid outside, just like he was used to back home. He couldn't sleep. Too many things were swirling around in his mind. The proposal Azula offered to him. What that Katara girl said. He was restless, looked up at the sky, covered with bright stars.

He instantly remembered the time he and his mother spent together. He hadn't seen her since he was thirteen. He missed her, so very much. Deeply. It seemed like she was the only person who actually understood him. Understood that he was someone special. Maybe not as confident as Azula. Or as strong as she is. But he could be. His mother always gave him hope. Like he could do or be anyone. Nothing was stopping him.

Only the sheer fact that his father was ashamed in him. Only the fact that he disowned him, that he stripped him of his love. If he ever had that at all. Only the constant reminder of his past, the scar on his face, something he'd have to wake up to every day of his life.

"I'm sorry," he heard, but had no idea where he heard it from. Maybe he was just imagining things. Then, a figure was illuminated by the lights overhead. It was Katara. He groaned, and turned his head away from her.

"I really am. I should've never said that. You know, that whole thing about you being a son of a bitch," she said, looking up at him from her spot on the lowest step. Zuko tensed, then relaxed.

"I don't know anything about your mom. Or you. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings."

Zuko didn't know what to say, he should probably apologize too. But how would he do that? He'd never actually apologized to anyone before, he didn't know how. He could just say what Katara said to him, that would be apologizing. So instead of actually apologizing, he just said, "Damn right." Bad move. Katara's face tensed.

"I knew this was stupid. Here I am apologizing to you. And all you had to say was that you were sorry, too. But, you couldn't even do that. So answer me this, since you can't apologize. You hardly even talk, and the one day you do you snap on me. So here's my question. Why'd you keep eavesdrop on me talking about Jet? And why do you even care?"

Zuko was silent. Katara huffed, and began to walk away. Zuko rolled his eyes, and went down the few steps. "Wait." Katara turned around, half-way.

"What?" she asked.

"You asked two questions," Zuko said, still avoiding her questioning. He caught up to where she was, staring at her.

Katara raised her eyebrow, exhaled, then spoke. "Fine. Answer the second."

"I can't."

Katara rolled her eyes and walked away, this time quick enough so that Zuko wouldn't catch up to her (even though he could if he tried). Why couldn't he answer her question?

----------------------

The next challenge would be coming up in two days. And Zuko had to make some choices. He walked over to the other side of the camp area.

"What's your plan?"

Azula smirked, getting up from the small log she was sitting on. "I knew you'd come to your senses."

* * *

**_*-That's chapter 4! Katara was being really mean when she called zuko's mom a bee, and i know thats weird for her to say, but i need her to say that for what i was planning, so yeah. anyways, i should probably have the next chapter up here round next week so look out for it! Please review peoples!! =D_**


	5. Revenge and Sudden Feelings

_***- Hey peoples!! I am such a horrible person, I already had this typed in stuff, I just..didn't put it on here. But it's up now! Yay! Okay, so there's a challenge AND an elimination! Drama unloaded! So who lost and who's going home? READ!!**_

_**Yeah, and still no owning Avatar. Or the lyrics below. The first set is from Frankie J.'s Obsession (No es Amor) and the second is from Ciara's Like A Boy.**_

_**Okay....scrolly down and read!! =D **_

* * *

**_5. Revenge And Sudden Feelings_**

_Amor,_

_No es amor._

_Then what am I feeling?_

_What am I doing wrong?_

_&&&&&_

_If I, _

_Played you like a toy? _

_Sometimes I wish I could act like a boy._

Jet paced the muddy, dirt ground. He had to admit, he didn't really _want _to hurt Katara's feelings. She was a pretty girl, but based on what Kianu told them, this camp had just become a game. A game between the survival of the fittest. People's feelings had to get hurt, Jet was damn sure it wasn't going to be his feelings on the edge. He wanted to win, and he would do whatever it took to be the last one standing. No matter what.

"You've got this under control, right?" Azula suddenly said, stopping him in his tracks. He knew what she was referring to. The Katara situation.

"Don't worry, Azula. I've got it all under control."

"You better. We just barely won the last challenge. I'm not taking any chan-" she began, until Katara was headed their way, close enough to be in ear-shot distance of their conversation. Jet smirked at Katara, then winked at her. Katara blushed, hard, as she ran up to Jet.

Jet leaned into her, meeting her lips with his. She was smiling, but later leaned up and kissed Jet back. Passionately. Jet leaned away, holding her chin in the palm of his hand. She slowly opened her azure eyes, meeting his own dark hazel ones. He smiled, "Hey."

She giggled, "Hey, Jet."

"Oh, I'm sorry your team loss yesterday."

"That's okay. Nice your team won though, right?" she smiled. _Man, she is soo naive_.

"Yeah," he said. "You're cute, you know that?" Katara blushed again.

"Hey Jet, I'll catch up with you later," Azula said, walking away from the two, winking at Jet, who secretly winked back. Azula was smirking to herself as she walked off.

Jet leaned in once again, and kissed her. But, unlike the kiss before, this one was cut short. "Katara!"

"What?" she yelled at the boy holding her wrist. Jet looked at the two, seeing resemblance with their eyes and hair and skin color. He had to be her brother. The boy pulled her a distance away from Jet, who looked at the two once more, then walked over to sit on the steps of his cabin.

------------------

"I thought you said you were done with him!" Sokka said, anger spilling from his voice. Katara looked at him, seeing his brows furrowed together.

"I am, Sokka."

"That's not what it looked like."

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"And just what is that?"

"Getting _revenge_," she said, slitting her eyes, directing her glare to the ground.

"Katara," Sokka whined.

"What? He deserves it. I'm just doing to him what he _thinks_ he's doing to me."

"I don't know about this...."

"It'll be okay, Sokka. I'm not doing anything illegal. What are you doing out here, anyway? I thought they were serving pizza in the mess hall."

"Yeah, they are. But, I've already eaten thirteen slices and they won't let me in to get anymore."

Katara was shocked at how big of an appetite Sokka had, laughing. Sokka smiled, spoke to say something, but was cut off by Toph's yell, "Hey, Snoozles!! Come over here!!"

Sokka glared at Jet, who didn't seem to notice, before he ran over to Toph and Aang. Katara rolled her eyes playfully as a smile graced her face. She exhaled before turning to walk back toward Jet._ Alright, Katara. Continue your mission._

She held the smile on her face as she walked over to sit next to Jet on the steps. He let his arm wrap around her shoulder, puling her closer to him. She layed her head on his shoulder, smiling._ Hehehe, look who's naive now. _

---------------------

Jet looked at the girl resting on his shoulder, a smirk gracing his face. _Like putty in my hands. _He was supposed to be feeling like he was on top of everything. Like he knew he would make it far in the game. But why was he feeling guilty? He shouldn't, right? It wasn't his feelings that were going to get hurt. This wasn't supposed to happen, no he wasn't supposed to start_ liking _this girl. That couldn't be the case. He didn't like her. Maybe it was just him feeling sorry that he'd have to break her heart sooner or later. That's what it was. _That's all it was_, his brain kept telling him, over and over and _over_ again. But, there was another part of him that was telling him otherwise.

---------------------

Aang was leaning on the side of his cabin, looking up at the bright blue sky. He liked to spend time to himself. It gave him time to think, to relax, come at a peace. He loved his team-mates, there's no doubting that. He just, liked to be alone sometimes. After all, he was used to being alone. Since Gyatso was always out in Asia on business, leaving Aang home most of the time with his dog, Appa, which he brung with him, and his cat, MoMo, who Gyatso took with him on his trip.

"Now what are _you_doing, Twinkle Toes?" Toph said, walking up to Aang.

"Nothing, just thinking."

"Oh, c'mon. It's too early for this. We've only been here_ four _days and already everybody's gotten way too serious. Snoozle's mourning about losing his first love, Katara's hiding her hurt feelings about that whole Jet thing, and Sparky's already got an enemy," Toph said, waving her hands in the air for emphasis.

"Who's Sparky?" Aang asked, completely clueless.

"The anti-social boy, Zuko. He's got some temper. So what's you problem Aang? 'Cause it seems like everyone's got a problem."

Aang laughed, "I don't have a problem, Toph."

"Hey," Katara sighed, looking at Toph and Aang, then smiling, "Oh, never mind."

"There goes her, taking things out of context," Toph said, rolling her eyes as Katara walked away and joined Haru, Jin, and Suki by the light pole.

"....yeah," Aang hesitated. His stomach flipped when Katara came around, and just as quickly as it came, it left. He was beginning to develop a crush on her, and he didn't know if that was just the harmless puppy dog crush or something way deeper.

But he also didn't know his feelings exactly for Toph. He'd been debating his feelings for her since his first time at Camp Avatar, only a year ago. And since then, he hadn't decided if what he was feeling was just a crush or something totally different. After he left camp last year, he'd found himself waiting to come back this year, hoping to see her again. He was thinking about her sometimes when he went to sleep. Found himself missing her after so much time apart. Happy when she was around. And he didn't know if exactly what he was feeling could be called love. He didn't even know what love was.

-----------------

Aang lie on his bunk bed, restless, couldn't get a wink of sleep. He tried going to bed earlier than his room-mates, and found himself laying awake. "Sokka?"

"Yeah?" he answered from the top bunk across from his bottom one.

"You've been in love, right?"

Sokka leaned up, "Huh?"

"You've been in love, right? With Yue?"

Sokka sighed, looking at the pictures of the comic book in front of him. "Yeah. I still love her."

"You know from experience, so....what's love exactly?"

"Where is this coming from, Aang?"

"Nowhere, just answer the question."

Sokka sighed again, leaning his weight on the wall beside his bed. "Love is when all you can think about is her. It's when you can't imagine a day without her and you wondered how you survived before you met her. That she---as corny as it may sound---completes you. Love's what you call that feeling inside you when she's around. When you can except her faults, and she accepts yours. That feeling that makes you feel happy inside. Find yourself smiling out of nowhere when she pops into your mind. Love can be defined many ways, Aang. But_ true _love is undefined."

"That _was_corny," Zuko mumbled, loud enough so that Sokka and Aang could hear him. They basically ignored him, both off in a world of their own. Zuko had to admit, though, Sokka was right. He'd felt most of everything he said with Mai. But that shattered to pieces when he broke her heart.

"Have you ever been in love, Zuko?" Aang suddenly asked, catching Zuko off guard.

"No," he lied. He did _not_ want to talk about his feelings in front of them.

"If you're worried we might tease you, we won't," Aang said.

"Yeah," Sokka agreed.

"Unless you've fallen for Katara," Haru joked, joining the conversation. That was enough to get Zuko talking.

"I definitely don't like her."

"What's wrong with my sister?" Sokka questioned, feeling offended.

"Nothing's wrong with her. She's cute and--" _Woah, where did that come from?_

"You think my sister's cute? You like my sister?" he interjected, feeling those brotherly instincts kicking back up.

"No, Sokka! I don't."

"Good," Sokka said, laying back on his pillow.

"Ignore him, he gets like that every time one of us say something about his sister," Haru said.

"Since when do you guys talk about my sister?" he questioned, getting back off of his pillow.

"Since we noticed she was hot," Haru mumbled low enough so that it wouldn't trigger an argument with Sokka.

"What was it like, Zuko?" Aang asked, still trying to get a grasp on what love was.

Zuko sighed, "Incredible. It was so......I can't explain it. We just had this, this vibe. I don't know."

"Are you two still together?"

"Um...no."

"What happened?"

"I broke up with her."

"You broke up with her? But I thought you loved her?"

"It's complicated."

--------------------

Katara wandered around the camp ground, her mind a mess. Jet had no limits, he was still stringing her along for his own selfish good. Good thing he had no idea she was doing the same thing with him. But, wasn't what she doing the same thing Jet was doing to her? So wouldn't that make her just as bad as Jet?_ No, what Jet was--is--doing is awful. He should get a taste of his own medicine. It'll be great to see his face when we win that challenge tomorrow. Hilarious. Then let's see what him and the gold-eyed girl plan to do next._

As she battled the conflicting views of her mind, she neglected seeing where she was going, resulting in a clash against someone else's firm torso. The clash shocked her back into reality, as she lost her balance and began her fall to the ground below her. The fall was stopped by two large, solid hands gripping her waist. Time stopped, everything froze when she noticed it was the creep who snapped at her two days ago. Her eyes locked to his amber ones in sudden shock of the situation they were in.

He pulled her up gently, slowly bringing her back to reality. She kept her hold on his gold eyes. With all their yelling at each other the day before she never noticed how beautiful he really was, his eyes warm and comforting, his shaggy black hair hanging neatly over his face, hiding some of the pinkish-red skin surrounding his left eye. He let go of her waist, his hands trembling as he pulled away. They stood like that, staring at each other so intensely. Until Zuko glanced away, directing his gaze toward the ground. "You should watch where you're going," he mumbled. Just like every other situation he's been through involving his team-members, he walked away.

Katara stood in her place, wondering_ what _just happened.

--------------------

Zuko walked away from her, confused about everything. Wasn't she the same girl who'd piss the crap out of him only a day ago? Yet, if she did this, why did he save her from falling onto the ground? Why didn't he yell at her like he would've done to any other person when she bumped into him?

_--------------------_

_"_Hello Camp Avatar campers!! Are you ready for your next challenge?" Kianu boomed from his blare-horn, smiling at the two groups of teams before him. There were a couple of nods and grunts from the teens, some excited, others just wanting it over.

"Alrighty kids. Your challenge is this; under the platforms floating above the water are three weights. One member of your team has to dive under the water and bring the weights back up to the platform, one weight at a time. Another member will stand on the marked line of the platform and throw the weight into the net. If your weight does not land in the net, someone must swim to get it back to your platform. The weight has to be in the net before your swimmer dives down to get another. But, your whole team will not be competing. As a group, you must decide who will compete in this challenge. Only two people from each team are competing; one the thrower, the other, the swimmer. You have one minute to decide who is competing. Starting------now," Kianu explained as he pressed a button on the stopwatch hanging from his neck.

Team Kuruk huddled together. "Okay, so who's strong enough to throw weights?" Sokka asked, searching the faces staring at him.

"I am," Toph said, smirking. Sokka looked at her curiously.

"No offense, Toph, but your awfully small. I don't see you throwing weights."

"Size doesn't matter. I'm the thrower. End of discussion," Toph said, waving her hands.

"Okay....who wants to swim?" Sokka said.

"I'll do it," Katara called eagerly.

"Alright. Any objections? Questions or concerns?" Sokka questioned, smirking.

"Cool."

Azula stood in front of her group. "Jet, you' throw. Ty Lee, you swim. Any questions? Thought not," she said, not even waiting to here a reply from her team.

"Time," Kianu called, pushing the button again. "Team Kuruk, who's the two competing?"

Katara and Toph stepped away from their team. "That'll be us," Toph said._ Oh this'll work out perfectly_, Azula thought to herself, snickering.

"Team Sozin, your two?"

"Me!" Ty Lee exclaimed, smiling as her and Jet stepped forward. _You're going down. This is my element. _A smile crossed Katara's face as she saw her competition. Jet. .

"Okay, Katara and Toph for Team Kuruk, Ty Lee and Jet for Team Sozin. Would you four please go to the platform?" Kianu said, walking a little closer to the challenge course.

"Remember, the losing team faces elimation tonight. No pressure."

Toph and Jet stood on the marked line on the platform. Both Ty Lee and Katara stood at the edge, reading to dive in. "Your challenge starts------NOW!" Kianu yelled.

Katara plunged into the warm water, slitting her eyes enough to see the three weights roped together, hanging from the bottom of the platform. She swam down to the last weight hanging from the rope. She worked on the knots securing the weight, untying the weight from the rope. On the other side of the water, Ty Lee was having a hard time seeing her team's weights, considering the fact she wouldn't open her eyes.

Katara's head plopped up on the water's surface, as she scrambled on top of the platform, handing Toph the first weight as she took in all the air she could. Toph looked at the net a ways away from her. She angled herself before she sent the weight flying across the sky, landing at the bottom of her team's net. She smirked to herself as Katara plunged back down into the water.

"Wow," Sokka said, surprised that the weight landed in the net the first time Toph threw it.

Ty Lee finally decided to open her eyes, noticing the weights hanging in front of her. She dived back up for a couple of seconds, taking in a breath of air before she went back down in the water and began working on the knots surrounding her team's first weight.

Katara seemed to untie the second knot faster than the first, snatching the weight as she pushed the weight on top of the platform as she climbed up. Toph took the weight, angling herself once again. Unlike her first throw, this toss didn't send the weight straight into the water. Toph groaned. Katara dived down, swimming under the surface to get the weight before it sunk too low.

Ty Lee finally got her team's weight up to Jet, who was watching Katara's body swim toward the sunken weight. Damn, what is she, part fish? Jet thought to himself, pissed that he was losing but was still admiring how beautiful she looked with her hair hanging down in wet, chocolate brown clots. "Jet? C'mon, we have a competition to win!" Ty Lee said, shaking Jet as she stood behind him.

Jet flashed back, taking the weight and placing it in his palm, throwing the weight toward the net. It fell right into the water, not even close enough to the net. Ty Lee took in a breath, swimming toward the weight.

Katara was feeling confident as Toph got the weight in the net the second time. She was happy her team was in the lead, but she knew it could change any moment, like the first challenge. The team was winning until she slowed it down, resulting in a close competition that ended with Team Sozin screaming in joy. She pulled the weight from the ropes, throwing it into Toph's cupped hands. She laid on the platform, breathing hard as she looked at the competition, who had yet to score. The girl for the other team---Ty Lee---was just making it back to Jet, who was staring at her. Katara smiled for him, knowing she had this competition wrapped up.

Jet threw the weight once again, the same time as Toph threw her team's last weight. _Swoosh. _Toph and Katara jumped up, screaming loudly as they made their way back to their team-mates, who were all smiles too.

Azula glared at Jet from the behind, wondering just what the hell was wrong with him. Now somebody was leaving. But, who?

"Congratulations, Team Kuruk, you have won the challenge. Team Sozin, looks like your team will be one short by the end of the night. You have one hour to decide who you want to go home," Kianu said, walking off yet again to who knows where.

"Yay! We won! We won! You two are incredible!" Jin shrieked as everyone was closed together in a tight squeeze. Zuko stood like the outcaster he always thought he was, staring at his team.

----------

"What the hell is wrong with you, Jet?" Azula yelled when they got back to the cabin area.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play with me, Jet. This was supposed to be in the bag for us. And you go and mess it up! What happened to you using the girl?"

"Nothing happened."

"Obviously. Because instead of _her _messing up _he_r team by your influence, she's got_ you _sprung and messing up _ours_!"

"Hey! It's not more of my fault than it is Ty Lee's! Why don't you go yell at her?!"

"Because Ty Lee wasn't the one telling me how easy it would be to trick the girl. I thought you had her wrapped all over your finger. Not exploring the areas of your mouth."

"Look, Azula--"

"No, _you _look. Someone's gotta go home. It's not me. But, I'm going to do everything to make sure it's you."

"Wow, Azula."

"If it makes you feel any better, you weren't going to make it far anyways," Azula said, before turning on her heel and walking away from him.

---------------

"Team Sozin. Sorry to say this, but its time to eliminate one of your team members," Kianu said, sitting on a tree stump. The faces before him were contorted with confusion. All of them had no idea who was going home, and all of them wanted to be safe. But, that couldn't be the case.

"This is the first elimination so....each of you have to write your vote down on the sheet of paper provided in the booth put it in the container, one at a time. After everyone's done, I'll read the votes. The person with the most votes is eliminated. Everybody got it?"----heads nod in understandment---"Great. Let's get started, Mai your up."

Each person went to the booth one by one, putting their slips of paper in the container on the side of the table. The last person, Smellerbee, went up to cast her vote. As Smellerbee walked from the booth to sit on her tree stump, Kianu walked inside the booth to retrieve the container.

Kianu sighed as he pulled out a sheet of paper from the container. He unfolded the paper, "Jet." Jet winced as he looked at his name scralled on the paper.

Second vote, "Azula."

Third vote, "Azula." Her eyes bugged, her stare turning cold.

Fourth vote, "Azula."

Fifth vote, "Jet."

Sixth vote, "Jet."

Seventh vote, "Azula." Jet snickered.

Eighth vote, "Jet."

"So far, we're tied. Four for Azula; Four for Jet. This is the deciding vote," Kianu said, as he pulled the last paper out of the container.

"Pack up your things, Azu---Jet," Kianu said, as he flipped the paper so that the entire team could see it. Jet clenched his jaw, rising from his spot. He was so sure he wouldn't be going, that Azula would be heading out. Someone turned on him, there were supposed to be five votes for Azula to leave from: himself, Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak, and The Duke. So, which of his friends stabbed him in the back?

Azula watched with satisfactory as Jet glared at her before exciting from the area. _One step closer._

* * *

**_Jet's going home, aww. Katara didn't get to do the second part of her revenge. Aww. And as for the challenge, I just made that up from the top of my head, but the next challenges will be better, (thanxx to ell25 for her suggestions, 'cause I couldn' t think of crap!!)!! There's alot of stuff going on in this chapter. _**

**_Update should be coming in about a month, basically because I have important things coming up...and I can't afford not to pay full attention. I'm working on the sixth chapter, but I can only work on it days I'm not testing, which is today and the two days after that. Then I'm going to stop momentarily. No worries, though. I am definitely finishing this story, it'll just be on a short break. Very short break._**

_**I like you guys that review! If you read, I'd really like you'd to review, because reviews make me happier!! I love you guys who've reviewed so far:**ell25, zero percent, zutarababe, ViolotQ, Ninapopemogirl, NEPatriot97, Mikee David **& anonymous peoples:** Erin & scooter**!!!**_

**_THANK YOU! More reviews will be appreciated!! =D_**


	6. Pain, Pranks, and Peers

_**6. Pain, Pranks, & Peers**_

_Forgetting,_

_All the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well._

_Pretending,_

_Someone else can come and save me from myself._

_I can't be who you are._

"This is camp is boring," Mai said aloud as she poked around with her food. She took a whiff of the pork n' beans and pushed her bowl away.

"You think everything is boring, Mai," Ty Lee said as she stuffed a piece of her apple pie into her mouth. Mai looked at her, before slightly shrugging her shoulders and glancing away from their table. Zuko was sitting at the table next to them. She stared at him, wondering why she still anticipated his touch now that they weren't together anymore.

"Do you always have to stare at him? I don't see what's so fascinating about ZuZu." Azula said, rolling her eyes as a smirk crept up her face. It was so much fun to mess with Mai. Although it was mind-boggling to her why Mai seemed to like him. From what she knew about her older brother, he wasn't much of a social person nor was he anywhere near being somebody someone actually would consider talking to.

"We should get you two back together," Ty Lee smiled. Mai blushed, suprisingly.

"It's better than having Mai gazing at him all the time," Ty .

"I am still sitting at the table," Mai said in her usual dry, emotionless voice.

"We know," Ty Lee said in her hyper voice.

---------------------

"You going to eat that?" Sokka said in between mouthfuls of pie, pointing to the untouched plate sitting in front of Zuko. Zuko pushed it toward Sokka, who greedily stuck his fork in to the dessert.

"Why are you always so oddly quiet, Zuko?" Zuko's head snapped up at the sound of his name. Haru was looking at him, smacking on his food. Zuko halfway glared at him, before he turned away without a word.

"I guess he's not a social person," Aang added, his eyes bright and happy.

"Well he must be if he's been in love with a girl before," Haru smirked.

Zuko scoffed, turning his head away from his curious team-mate to look over at Mai, who he suprisingly saw staring at him too. Her head jerked back toward the table, where his sister and Ty Lee were sitting across from her, talking about something, he figured, since he saw Ty Lee's mouth moving.

"Is that her?" Haru asked, trying to see what Zuko was looking at.

"Why do you care? Were you staring at me the entire time?" Zuko snapped.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I was. So is that her?"

"Does it matter?" he asked, getting annoyed with the brown-haired boy before him.

"That must be her. You're ignoring my question. What's her name?" Haru questioned once again, igniting a fury in Zuko so strong he had to bolt away from the table. Some conversations in the mess hall shushed as they saw the tall, muscular boy slammed his body into the double doors.

Zuko rushed away from the building, speed walking to the opening of the woods. He walked a far distance before he stopped in front of a tree. Zuko punched the bark of the tree as hard as he could, letting his fist linger there before he pulled his clenched hand away from it. He started to punch it again, this time with both of hands curled up into rough, pale fists. Zuko punched and punched as hard as his fists would let him go, damaging the tree's bark slightly. His hands were beginning to burn, thick red blood burst from his knuckles. He could care less. He felt the pain, but he welcomed it. His punches grew slower, more blood pulsing from deep cuts.

He stopped. His chest was heaving, and he collapsed against the tree, glancing at his cuts._ Better than our memories_, Zuko thought, but instantly regretted doing so, feeling the sudden urge to punch something. And he did, once again. Hard enough to split a long cut across four of his knuckles, gashing out blood mixed with shreds of the tree's bark.

The pain was strong, numbing his fist. He hoped the pain was strong enough to make him forget everything. To make him forget falling in love with Mai, losing his mother, being burned _intentionally_ by his father, being kicked out of their house, seeing all of the people from his past appear in front of him in a fast, blurred vision. He needed to forget it _all. _But all the pain in the _world _could not make that happen.

-----------------------------------

Katara stuffed her food into the trash can, looking around the mess hall. In that moment, she realized something. She hadn't seen Jet. _Where was he? _she asked herself glancing around the large area trying to find a tall, lean, shaggy brown-haired boy sitting around wearing his ever so famous devious smirk. She looked around, darting her eyes from face to face. No Jet.

"Who are you looking for?" Jin asked, slicing through Katara's hectic search.

"N-no one," she sputtered, not making eye-contact with her. _Where is he? _she asked herself again, then froze. Just why the _hell_ was she even looking for him? Didn't she _want _him gone? She realized this, and a smile played at her lips._ He's gone. He got elimated last night._ She breathed a sigh of relief, glad she wouldn't have to act like she liked him. Even though he was still that cute boy she crushed on the instance her eyes found his body.

"Yeah yeah, sure. I'm going to pretend to believe that while you still look for whoever it is your looking for," Jin smiled.

"No, no. I'm not looking for anyone. C'mon, let's go," Katara said, grabbing Jin's wrist lightly and pushing the double doors open.

"Hey Chatterbox. What's up Sugar Queen?" Toph asked, walking up to the two older teens.

"Chatterbox?" Jin asked.

"Sugar Queen?" Katara asked in the same puzzled tone Jin did.

Toph groaned. "Sugar Queen because of _your_"---points to Katara---" way of sugar-coating stuff and Chatterbox because _you_"---points to Jin---"never shut up," she explained.

"I still don't like it," Katara mumbled loud enough for Jin to agree with her.

"I don't care. Those are your names for now on. Deal with it."

"Whatever. Hey, did you guys see Zuko just burst out of the mess hall? Wonder what _his_ problem was," Jin said.

"That boy's always got a problem," Katara scoffed, rolling her eyes at the thought of the anti-social moronic camp member.

"Hmm. I sense an anger problem with you and Sparky," Toph said. "_Don't_ ask," she added, looking at the puzzled faces of Jin and Katara.

"I don't have a problem with him. It's _him _who has the problem," Katara said.

"We have_ not _been here that long for all of this drama. It's time for some fun," Toph said, a devious smirk curving at her lips.

"And just what is your definition of fun?" Jin asked.

"You'll see," was all she said before she grabbed both Katara's and Jin's wrists and dragged them with her to who knows where.

----------------------------

"ZuZu, come here," Azula yelled out to her brother, who was just walking out from the forest of receding trees. Zuko half-sulked over to her, eyes more intense then normal.

"Uhh, what's wrong with you?" she said, then waved her hand in dismissal, "Never mind that. I really do not want to do this, but I'm sick of Mai just staring at you every second. Do you still like her?"

Zuko looked at her, trying his best to stay neutral and not let her see any emotions on his face._ Emotions are weaknesses only created to take advantage of_, his father's voice echoed through his head.

When Zuko failed to answer her, she rolled her eyes and said again, "C'mon_ on _ZuZu. You can't sit here and deny the obvious. I _have _seen the way you look at her, and her you. You know you want her back. She's not holding a grudge against you because of your horrible technique of breaking up with someone. Seriously, ZuZu. _Voicemail_?" Azula laughed with out humor at her last comment.

_Why did everyone suddenly care about my love life? _he asked himself, referring to the previous questions by Haru, and now his sister. "When did you suddenly care?"

Azula laughed another humorless laugh. "Oh brother, you are so naive. I _don't_ care. _Mai_ does. And Mai can't concentrate on the game when she's staring at you. You _do _want Father's respect back, right?"

_She knows I do_, Zuko thought annoyingly. He failed to answer her yet again, just look away from her briefly.

"Well this is the first step. Look at it this way, you'd be getting Father's love _and_ Mai. Double win," Azula said as if he answered her question.

"I'm not going to wait for an answer. So....." Azula said, before she turned her head and shouted, "Mai!!!"

-------------------------------

Mai walked toward the two siblings. Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast as she neared him. _Zuko._ "Alright, there you go. Make up, catch up. Bye_ brother_," Azula drawled out _brother_ before she walked off and left the former love birds to stand staring into each other's eyes, speechless.

---------------------

Zuko took all Mai's features in once again. Her eyes were long and slanted, the same golden eyes as his own. Her face stayed in its emotionless expression. Mai's lengthy jet-black hair hung down her back, aside from the two buns on either side of her head. She hadn't changed at all, he noticed. She stayed just the way he remembered. Stayed just the way he remembered when he fell in love with her.

They stood in a comfortable silence for several minutes. Just looking at each other, breathing each other in. Nothing else. He was cool with that. Just having her this close to him again after months of mutual isolation from each other was good enough.

"Hey," he said. Couldn't figure out what else to say to her.

"Hey," she repeated. not taking her eyes away from his own.

"Mai," he said, reaching out to hold her arm.

"Why'd you break up with me?" Mai asked suddenly, the abruptness of her voice shocking him. He wasn't expecting her to say that. He didn't even know how to respond to that.

"Why did you, Zuko?" she asked, keeping her face expressionless and her tone dry.

"Because.........because I was scared of falling in love with you."

-------------------------------

"Where'd you get slingshots from? Who even carries that many slingshots?" Jin asked as she watched Toph pull out three slingshots from a compartment in her suitcase.

"And you wonder why I call you Chatterbox," Toph said, handing both Jin and Katara a slingshot.

"What do you plan on making us do?" Katara asked. They walked out of the cabin--Jin and Katara walking behind Toph's lead.

"We'll just be having fun, all we have to do is rob the kitchen of their eggs. I'm sure they have at least a dozen laying aroun din their fridge somewhere-" Toph answered.

"Are you crazy? We can't do that!" Katara half-shouted. Toph shrugged away her tantrum.

"Loosen up, Sugar Queen. No one will see us. We'll do it right after they finish cleaning up mess hall. We'll just have to sneak in and get them."

"What are we going to do with the eggs?" Katara asked again, sounding a little like someone's mother.

"Just sling 'em at the boys. Good laughs," Toph chuckled.

"Wait. If we plan on doing this at night, why do we have slingshots now?" Jin asked.

"Alas, one question I'm happy to answer. I'm going to teach you girly girls how to aim," Toph said, grabbing a pebble from the ground and pulling it in her sling-shot.

"Call it," she said.

Jin glanced at Katara, who shook her head, then back at Toph. "Um, the door of that cabin," she said, pointing at the cabin.

Toph aimed it, pulled it a little farther back, then released it. The pebble's collision with the door was small, but could still be heard.

"Envy that," Toph smiled. She pulled it back, and placed another pebble on it. "Between those two over there, two hits to the ground."

She released, and the pebble went flying between what Katara knew was a member from the other team and...Zuko. He'd just reached and held her arm in his hand. She didn't know why her eyes couldn't look away from the scene. The girl said something, and Zuko flinched back. She had no idea what they were talking about. She saw Zuko's mouth move, and then saw the pebble fly in between the two, hitting the ground twice just as Toph called.

"Sugar Queen! Are you paying attention?" Toph snapped, flashing Katara back to their conversation.

"Uh...yeah," she answered. Toph rolled her eyes, then turned her toward the cabin opposite Zuko and the Sozin team girl.

"Shoot," Toph said.

"Huh?"

"Shoot. You said you were paying attention, so shoot," Toph smirked at Katara's clueless face.

"Did you call it?"

"Yeah, Sugar Queen. I did. Weren't you listening?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Katara sighed.

"If you knew I wasn't paying attention, why'd you ask me to shoot?"

Toph shrugged, then made an I-don't-know noise, before smirking again. "Clueless, clueless. You know, sometimes love is hate in disguise."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know."

--------------------------

"Come _on, _Zuko."

"I meant it," he said. Mai rolled her eyes and looked around the camp, catching the blue-eyed girl's stare for a split second. She turned back to Zuko.

"That's a load of crap, even I know that."

"So you don't believe me?" Zuko asked, anger ready to spill over.

"No. I don't. Would you just tell me the truth, for once, Zuko?" she asked, her voice still strangely monotone.

"I am telling you the truth!!" he shouted at her.

"Whatever, Zuko."

"You're just too busy hating the world to notice it," he scoffed.

"And what is that supposed to mean? You're no better yourself. You take out all your anger on everybody else just because of your own problems! It's not any of our faults that you were kicked out of your---" Mai caught herself, realizing she was going too far. Zuko seemed to wince, already knowing what she was about to say, and at that moment, all eyes were on them.

Zuko didn't blink for a long while. He just stood there, staring at the ground while Mai tried apologizing over and over. He closed his eyes, slowly, his hands were balling up into fists. He realized then people were still staring at them, so he did what he does best. He walked away.

---------------------------

Zuko stormed into the cabin. Today must have not been his day, seemed like the whole world was after him. All of his bad memories, things he tried to push at the farthest corner of his mind, came rushing back to him. It wasn't fair; a human his age shouldn't have to deal with everything he had to, shouldn't have to always be angry. Like he seemed to be.

Zuko searched through his things, throwing clothes every which a way, until he found what he was looking for. A knife. He longed for some more pain, for a hope to block out all his problems.

_What's your problem? Just because you want to be pissed every damn second of every damnned day that your here doesn't mean you even have the right to take your frustrations out on me!!! _Katara's voice echoed in his head. _You're no better yourself. You take out all your anger on everybody else just because of your own problems! _Mai's voice racked next in his head. Maybe they were both right. He was always angry, and at least wanted someone else to feel just as miserable as he did.

He grabbed the small, box-cutter knife in his large hands. He held out his left arm, the knife shaking in his right. He pressed the silver exterior of it onto his skin, and dug it into his skin. He pushed it through his skin, leading it down his arm horizontally. He took the knife, dripping thick red droplets of blood, and dropped it back into his suitcase. He looked at the gashing cut on his arm, and winced, only slightly. And a secret tear fell from his cold, amber eye.

He shut his eyes, and the moment he did so, the door to the cabin flew open.

-------------------------

Aang opened the door to his cabin, a smile on his face, happy that he'd get to be with Appa. But, his bright, beaming smile dropped the moment he took the sight in. Zuko was glaring at the door, eyes watery. Aang froze, noticing the gash on his arm, pulsing blood and falling off of Zuko's arm.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked, walking over to where Zuko was knelt.

"I'm fine._ Go away_," Zuko tried to growl, but the words came out low and carefully.

"No, you're not. What happened?" Aang asked, his big brown eyes filled with worry and concern.

"Nothing," he answered flatly. Aang's eyes fell to the knife, stained with blood, lying on a pile of some of Zuko's clothes.

"Oh no..." Aang whispered to himself, before looking at Zuko. "You_ cut _yourself?"

Zuko didn't answer, just watched the blood pour out from the opened skin.

"Why?"

Still no answer.

"Zuko....I don't know what's going on with you, but you can't do that. It's dangerous."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes," Aang said, looking at his arm, and noticing that, aside from the freshly cut on his arm, there were a couple of other horizontal lines---_bruises_---pink red, already on his arm. "it is. You have to stop, seriously, Zuko."

"You're wasting your breath, kid. I'm not stopping anytime soon."

"What makes you turn to pain?"

"Damn it, you sound like my old therapist."

"I'm serious. Who are you having problems with? The camp, the people here, homesickness, family,---"

"Just leave me _alone_."

"I want to help you," Aang said to the older boy.

"I don't _need_ your help, nor have I_ asked _for it. Go away."

"I won't go away. Not until you tell me what's bothering you. Keeping all that anger bottled up isn't good. You have to tell _someone." _

"Whatever. When I decide to tell someone, it won't be you. Now leave," he ordered, looking at his now blood-stained, pale white arm. Aang huffed, shrugged, then walked away from Zuko. He couldn't force him to tell him. He'd have to do it on his own. Aang just hoped he'd say something. Even though Zuko hardly ever talked, and had an ill-temper, somewhere, deep down, he was still a good person. His anger just overshadowed all of it. Aang didn't want to lose anyone again, not ever again. He was fond of everyone at camp and he'd never want any of them to leave ahead of their time. And if Zuko doesn't get help, that might be what'll happen.

-----------------------

"C'mon, Katara, seriously. Focus," Toph grilled, watching as Katara pulled her slingshot back and tried to position her aim.

"I am, Toph," Katara replied, squinting her eyes.

"Aang?" Jin said, surprised at the younger teen running up to them, his face unreadible.

"Twinkle Toes? What are you doing over here?" Toph asked, turning to face him.

"We have to do something. Zuko cuts," he said. Katara's aim was lost, and the pebble she held with the slingshot shot straight across the camp ground and hit an unsupsected camper making their way out of their cabin. Katara covered her mouth, shocked, before screaming out, "Oops! Sorry!!"

"Gosh Sugar Queen," Toph said, "I told you to pay attention."

"How do you know? You know, that Zuko cuts," Jin asked, redirecting the conversation back to Zuko.

"I saw him. We have to do something," he said seriously.

"Like what?" Toph asked. Katara listened, not speaking a word.

"I...don't know. We could plan an intervention?" Aang said.

"That should work," Jin said. "But, what are we going to say to him. I mean, no one really speaks to him. He's kind of a loner."

"Yeah, thats true. But it has to happen soon. He's already cut up most of his arm."

"Why plan? Let's do it now," Toph said, calling over the rest of the team.

-------------------------------

The blood on Zuko's arm was beginning to dry, leaving crusting blood trails all over his pale white skin. The pain was also beginning to wash over, and some part of Zuko was glad. The other part wanted more pain, and was begging for Zuko to pick up the knife again. He wanted to, but he stopped himself. No need in Aang coming back and telling him what he was doing was wrong and that he should stop. But Zuko already knows this. He already knows it's not safe. But, cutting to him is like a drug. The instance you try it, you're hooked.

He got up from the wooden floor and put the crusted blood knife at the bottom of his suitcase. he gathered up some of his clothes he scattered all over the floor.

The cabin's door opened. Again. "Shit," Zuko whispered under his breath, knowing that Aang was back to preach to him about the wrongness of what he's doing.

"Zuko, we need to talk," someone said. Probably Aang. He couldn't tell; his back was turned from the door.

"Go away," Zuko growled.

"No, Zuko. We're not leaving," another voice said. What? he thought. Footsteps occured behind him, more than one person's footsteps hitting the floor. Zuko turned, and seven faces stared back at him. All seven faces of his team.

"You have a problem, Zuko. Seriously," Jin said, looking at Zuko.

"Yeah, what Chatterbox said. And, c'mon, Sparky, I don't know you that well or anything. But still, you need to stop cutting," Toph said from atop one of the bunk beds. "Not good. I used to cut, real deep too. But then I met Twinkle Toes over there, who kept nagging me about it until I finally stop. You have to stop too, Sparky."

"Or what? Are you going to tell my father? I don't think so," Zuko snapped. "Not like he'd give a shit anyway," he mumbled under his breath.

"We all don't know you well, maybe because you don't want to get to know us..I don't know...but none of us want to see you hurt," Suki said.

"Yeah, Zuko. Quit, you know, doing what your doing. It's bad, dude. Really bad," Haru said, leaning on the door.

"Whatever. Why don't you all get out of here, it's not like any of you would really give a damn unless that Aang boy over there hadn't told you about it."

"Aang wanted to help you. He said you wouldn't talk to him. So maybe, you'd talk to one of us," Sokka said.

"Pfft. Yeah right. All this shit you're telling me, all a lie. I don't wanna hear it. I've already heard it all," he said, getting up and walking toward the door. The door was blocked by Haru, Sokka, and Toph.

"No way, Sparky. You're not walking out of here anytime soon," Toph said, folding her arms. Zuko balled up his fists, let out a huge huff, before backing away, into the center of the cabin.

"Isn't it your turn?" Zuko said, directing the question at Katara, who was leaning on one of the poles that held up the bunk beds.

Katara sighed. "Yeah, cutting's wrong and yes, you should stop. Even though your a jackass, I still don't want you to get hurt or anything like that. And you think cutting yourself now is like an easy way to escape the pain your feeling now from whatever. But it's not, because if you keep cutting, your gonna cut yourself too deep. And..you might die. None of us want that to happen though."

Zuko stared at her. "Everyone out. I need to talk to you," he said, somewhat surprising himself. "Don't worry. It'll be about 'my problem.'"

Sokka stared at the two, before they all shuffled out of the cabin, in Aang's lead. A small smile was on his face, knowing that even though Zuko didn't want to talk to him, at least he wanted to talk to someone.

-----------------------------

_Why does he want to talk to me alone? _Katara thought to herself. "How do you know?" Zuko said, cutting off the silence that was among them.

"Know what?"

"What cutting makes you feel like. You never cut." He looked at her unmarked arms, free from any scars.

"No. I haven't. I thought about it once. The year I turned twelve, two days after my birthday. I was just entering middle school, and I heard a couple of older teens talking about it. And what drove them to do it. I was just getting into middle school, I hardly had any idea what they were talking about.

But then that day came. The day my mother was........the day my mother was found.......she was found dead...outside of her workplace. I never knew what happened exactly, just that she had...the police said it could've been just some....random act of violence, they said they weren't sure. But why my_ mother_?" Katara was crying, tears were spilling out of her eyes so quick. Zuko had no idea what to do, how to comfort her to make her feel better. Before he could think of anything to do, Katara began talking again.

"It happened years before, but I always think about it when the day of her death comes around every year. Two days after my birthday. And I never had a good birthday after it happened. I'd always be.....crying because I know that that day's coming.

Um, but anyways, I decided I was going to cut myself that year. I pulled out a knife from the kitchen, a nice sharp one. I didn't know how to cut myself, just that it had to bleed. I practically half way stabbed into my arm, and then Sokka came into the kitchen.

He was shocked, he nearly threw up his chips. He told me to put it down, and asked me why I was doing it. I told him. He hugged me, and I burst into tears. I guess I was happy, but sometimes I really wanted to dig that knife in my arm so deep. I thought the pain would just disappear. But it didn't. It never did. Even when I did cut myself, the pain from her death only went away slightly. It always comes back.

The point though, is that cutting is really useless because the pain comes back regardless," Katara said, some tears were still rolling from her cheeks but she just wiped them off. She could hardly believe she told Zuko all of that. He was silent for a moment, didn't know how to respond to something like that.

"I only cut because it makes me feel better. The pain seems to make everything else irrelevent. Like my mother didn't really die. Like my father didn't really kick me out of our home. Like he didn't give me this," he said, pointing to the wrinkly, pinkish-red scar on his face.

"So_ that's _why you cut," Katara said awkwardly. She looked at him; she never knew how messed up his life really was. "And why you don't want to talk to anyone," she mumbled. For a split second, she almost thought she saw a smile flicker across his face, a small smirk.

"Yeah, you could say that," Zuko said.

"You're going to have to eventually talk to someone. You can't live here without speaking to anyone," she said.

"I'll try."

"You already failed. Because you're talking to me," Katara smirked. Was she, was she_ flirting _with Zuko?_ I have to admit, he _is _kind of cute_, she thought_. I did _not_ just think that. That's crazy. Right?_

"Yeah, you're right," he replied.

"You're not going to cut again, are you?" she asked, directing the conversation back to the real reason they were alone in the cabin.

Zuko was silent. "....no, I'll try not to."

Katara looked at him, then walked over to where his suitcase was on the floor. She dug through the clothes stacked on top of each other, and found the knife.

Zuko jumped up, "How'd you know-"

"Instincts," she said, taking the knife and putting it in her back pocket, "Just to make sure," she explained when she looked up at Zuko. He opened his mouth to talk, but stopped, when he heard a loud noise.

The door creaked open, and six bodies fell to the floor. Suki, Haru, Sokka, Toph, Aang, and Jin were all on the floor, some on top of others in a jumbled mess.

They both looked at the shocked faces of their team. Sokka was the first one off the floor, "Oh, hey you guys. What's up?"

-----------------------------------

"Okay, since_ Chatterbox _over there blabbed about our plan to Haru, I guess we'll have to prank someone else," Toph said.

"I didn't mean to; it just came out," Jin defended herself.

"Well maybe if you didn't talk so much, that wouldn't of have happened," Toph mumbled. "Anyways, we're going to prank those Sozin people instead."

"Are you sure? I mean, the Team Sozin people look really mean, and from the way that gold-eyed girl was yelling at the last challenge, I don't think she's someone to play around with," Jin said.

Toph laughed. "Pfft. I'm not scared of the Really Mean Sozin Girl. Are you in or what Jin?"

"Ugh. Fine, fine. I'm in. But if she has a fit, I warned you."

Toph shrugged. The boys from Team Kuruk, excluding Zuko, all came over to where the girls were huddled, now including Suki. They were carrying eggs in their hands.

"Toph, are you sure about this? We could get in alot of trouble if we get caught," Aang said.

"You know, you guys didn't have to come. This was only supposed to be _us_ girls pranking _you _guys, but _somebody_ ratted out so I'm not letting a whole bunch of rules and crap mess up my stay here. This is a_ camp_, _not _a soap opera and I'm sick of everyone's drama. So_ I'm _having fun. Y'all can join me if you want," Toph said stubbornly. She snatched an egg from Sokka's hands and placed it in the slingshot, she was pulling back, aiming it at the other team's windows.

The rest of her team groaned from behind her, and she heard some of them starting to aim their's also. As for the boys, they weren't carrying a slingshot, so they'd just started throwing the eggs at the two cabins with their bare hands.

_Splat! Splat! Splat! _The eggs went, several of them, clouding up the windows. They were laughing once their hands were empty. The door to one of the cabins started creaking open. All of them panicked and ran every direction, some of the girls screaming.

---------------------------------

Azula stood on the porch of her cabin, she was decked out in her red pajama suit, sleeping quite peacefully until she heard noises from outside. She glanced around in the dimly lit camp grounds. Her eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the outside lights of the camp and she could hardly see who was making the noise. The noise, however, was disappering, as she figured the people probably ran away when she opened the door. Then she realized something. Her feet were standing in something wet, slippery, and somewhat sticky. She jumped up from the spot and backed up onto the door. Something cold fell against her neck. She wiped it off and went back into the cabin, deciding she would kill somebody in the morning.


	7. The Tomboy's Encore

_***-Hey you guys, I haven't updated in a minute, man!! But, I promise there won't be such bad delays now. Why.? BECAUSE SCHOOL iS FiNALLY OUT!! Whew, I'm so happy. but I'm going to miss my frens...**_

**_Wait, I'm supposed to be talking about the story,there I go babbling about something irrelevent to it. I don't know what happen to my A/N stuff last chapter, I guess it got cut off. But last chapter was like the longest and best chapter I ever wrote! In my opinion. But anyways, this is mainly a filler chapter and it's centered around Toph, so yeah..._**

**_Read now before I start talking again!!_**

**_=D No owning avatar, la-duh!!_**

_**

* * *

**_

7. The Tomboy's Encore

_You wanna know more, more, more about me._

_Gotta know reverse psychology._

Toph laid on the ground. Her head was resting on a small rock. She was quite peaceful, looking over where the trees stood tall. Their branches swayed high, hunched over like the exterior of a cave. The breeze was okay, she just liked the movement of the trees. Her bare toes were feeling around the dirt, tiny grains of soil getting caught in between her toes. Toph loved coming out in the forest, it helped her think without hearing everyone else's problems and _pretending_ to act like she actually cared.

She didn't come to camp to be encircled in a mass of problems. That was the exact_ opposite _of her reason to come back. She needed to get away from her parents. From their problems. They were aggravating her. They thought they could just buy her a whole bunch of things, acting like that'll fix it. It didn't. It only made matters worse. Any other teenage girl would probably_ love _to have rich parents who bought them anything they desired in the world. But she wasn't any other teenage girl. She was _Toph_.

But her parents neglected to see that. They just thought they could drown her with all of these materials. It seemed to her like they knew nothing at all about her. They were always out somewhere, making money. Like a thousand dollars could replace the time that was wasted sitting at home alone with her parents always gone. Yeah, she_ liked _some of the stuff they gave her. But it would it be_ that _hard for her parents to actually show that they cared about her? That they actually held_ some _type of love for her?

She heard a thump interrupt her train of thought. She rose her head from the rock and saw a figure, probably a boy, approaching her. She got up from the dirt.

"Twinkle Toes? What are you doing out here?" she asked him.

"I was sitting on the tree branches. I like the wind up there," he answered. "How'd you know it was me? You hardly turned around."

"C'mon Twinkle Toes, I know your footsteps. They're light. Almost like a girl's," Toph teased. Aang smiled. "Hehe, I'm just kidding with you Twinkles," she said, punching him hard on his arm.

"Ow, Toph. Why do you always do that?" he asked, rubbing his arm.

"Because I can. We should probably get back to camp now," she said. She couldn't enjoy the natural earth with Aang, who'd probably want to sit around and talk while she lay on the dirt. And she did _not _want that. She wanted peace to herself with the earth surrounding her.

"Yeah," he said simply. Toph thought she saw his eyes flicker, like the twinkle in them faded away. He turned to walk, and Toph followed his steps. The camp was only a few feet away, they weren't allowed to wander off into the woods. Toph could care the less. _Why follow the rules when you can make your own?_

"Hey Toph, we've been looking everywhere for you! We wanted you to see the look on Team Sozin's face after the egg splats!!" Sokka said, running up to the two younger teens, Haru standing beside him, smiling.

"Really?" Toph said, a devious smirk twitching at her lips. "That would've been hilarious."

"Oh man," Sokka and Haru were dying with laughter, "it was."

"Are we in trouble?" Aang asked nervously.

"Of course not. But the camp counselors are calling an assembly during lunch," Haru answered.

"Ugh," Sokka groaned, "Who told you that? And why'd it have to be during lunch?"

"No worries, Snoozles. They'll still serve your grub," she said, patting him on the back.

"Ohmigawsh!! You guys!!" Jin yelled as she ran up to the four. "They're postponing the challenge until next week because of the mess! "

"Crap. And I was hoping to kick some Sozin butt today," Toph said.

----------------------------------------

_What's up with Twinkle Toes? He's creeping me out, _Toph thought when she turned around slightly after feeling the burn of someone's stare on her back. Aang looked away from her quickly, like he hadn't been staring at her since they sat down for the assembly; an assembly Toph paid no attention to. She pretended to turn around, but still looking at Aang from the corners of her eyes. And just like it had a minute ago, Aang's eyes were glued to her. She knew she wasn't imagining things. Something was definitely up with Aang.

He'd been acting stranger than usual nowadays. Like when she'd talk to him, he'd always take almost an hour to respond to what she was saying. Because he was too busy staring at her, like she looked different everyday. Which wasn't the case. The only reason to back up his strange behavior was that Aang was developing a crush on her.

She didn't want to think that, though, even though every obvious characteristic of his behavior pointed that out. But it's Twinkle Toes, she thought, not quite believing her instincts. So, what if Aang liked her? Could she actually see herself with him?

There was nothing wrong with Aang. He wasn't strange, or anything like that. He looked like a normal person, not ugly, but not super hawt either. It's just the thought of him liking her...it just creeped her out. They've been friends since they first met, last year at Camp Avatar. And it was a little strange knowing that Aang wanted to be more than friends.

And maybe it was a little strange that Toph herself, could actually like Aang.

"It is unreasonable behavior and such things we will not tolerate here at camp. So if taking away priveleges like team challenges must show you respect, then so be it. The next time behavior like this erupts from such adolescent minds, I will punish you all. Understood?" the man shouted. He was pacing back and forth on a platform set up for the assembly. The man owned the camp, the same man who spoke to them on their arrival. He still looked the same; cold amber eyes, long sleek jet-black hair hanging from his ponytail, tall, and muscular. Except one thing. He looked angry. No, furious. Almost evil. _He reminds me of somebody_, Toph thought, studying the man more intently.

"Yes sir," the people around her answered. The man nodded, casting a deathly glare at the crowd watching him.

"Good. You are all dismissed," he said, before walking off the stage. People rushed around, some heading toward the mess hall, and others just away from the stage. Toph escaped the madness of the crowd and found Katara walking with Jin and Suki.

"I told you, Toph. Do you know how much of trouble we could've gotten in?" Katara argued.

"Chillax, Sugar Queen. Geez, you worry wayy too much. Did they find out who did it?" Toph asked, "No, they didn't," she answered, before they had a moment to say anything. "So stop worrying. I'm going to go eat."

Toph walked off, heading toward the mess hall where lunch awaited, leaving Katara.

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"C'mon Sparky, now that you're actually sitting with us, it would do some good if you'd actually talk," Toph said as she stuffed her mouth with macoroni and cheese. Zuko sat two spots across from her, moving his fork back and forth in the bowl.

"Yeah, you can't just sit here and be all anti-social," Jin added.

"Why not? He's been doing ever since he got here," Haru mumbled lowly.

"That man on the stage..." he started, looking back at the contents in the bowl.

'Yeah? What about 'em?" Toph pushed, scraping the bowl to get more food on her fork.

"He's my father," he said in a voice cold and emotionless.

Katara's fork dropped from her hand. She was sitting straight across from him, and brought her eyes up to his face. "Wooow," she said slowly, like she knew something the rest of the team didn't.

"Okay...hmm, well that was unexpected," Jin said, playing with her fork.

"How? You've seen him before," Zuko half-growled.

"You have?" Suki asked. Jin looked shy, sheepish actually.

"Oh, um..yeah, I have. I forgot," she said.

"When'd you see him? I thought this was your first time here," Katara asked, shocked, and a little interested.

"Seem kind of interested, Katara. Care to explain?" Toph teased. Katara sucked her teeth.

"I'm not...I'm just....curious, that's all," she explained.

"It is..um..well..me and Zuko sort of went out a couple of times awhile ago," Jin revealed, answering Katara's question while still playing with her food.

"Really?" Toph smirked. "Well why didn't either of you say anything?"

"It wasn't long. I had to move," Zuko spoke flatly.

"Yeah..." Jin agreed.

"Interesting," Haru smiled.

"Sure is, right Katara?" Toph teased. She could sense Katara was starting to crush on the anti-social boy.

"Y-yeah.." she replied, moving her fork around in her food.

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Toph left the girls' cabin, heading toward the woods to lay around in the dirt to get away from her soap-opera like camp-mates. As she neared the opening to the woods, she noticed one deformed figure. When she got closer, she recognized the figure to be two people, one boy and one girl. She decided to ignore it, figuring it was some PDA. It was then that the boy turned around, the girl's arm over his shoulder. She recognized that face. Twinkle Toes. Aang.

She almost froze, feeling something inside her drop. But why would she feel anything at all?

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**_*-Well that was short. The ending part..yeah, I couldn't think of how to put it the way I wanted it so I just left at that. So now you know Toph likes Aang, and you pretty much know already that Aang thinks he's in love with Toph from past chapters...you should be able to guess who's arm was around Aang's shoulder, so no need to explain that. NExt chapter will be up soon. =D_**

**_Review peoples!!_**


	8. The Blue Eyed Girl's Melody

_***-Hey!! I told you guys it'll be up soon so here it is! I'm working on the next chapter so that'll be up soon! **_

**_So basically, this is Katara's chapter. I don't have much to say, so you go ahead and read now!_**

**_Oh last chapter I forgot to tell you guys I don't own the song lyrics, that was from Skye Sweetnam's song Tangled Up in Me._**

**_This chapter's song lyrics are from Superchick's song Stand in the Rain! I don't own that either._**

**_Or avatar. *boo-hoo.*_**

**_Alright, read! This chapter is definitely rated T for cursing, so...yeah. =D_**

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8. The Blue-Eyed Girl's Melody

_Stand in the rain._

_Stand your ground._

_Stand up when it's all crashing down._

_Stand through the pain._

_You won't drown._

_And one day what's loss may be found._

Katara sat on a log positioned in the middle of the camp area. She leaned over and picked up a twig, playing around with it in the breaks of her fingers. She was wondering why she was doing it, settling for the reason to be her boredum. Katara pressed both of her hands on the sides of the twig and split it, just as the sunlight in front of her was dimmed. She looked up and there stood Zuko. Surprisingly.

"Hey," he said awkwardly. The twig in her hand fell to the ground with the sudden twitch of her fingers.

"Hi," she replied just as awkwardly as he had. Then he'd done what she didn't at the least expect. He sat next to her. That_ one _simple move, that _one_ simple action, had her heart rate increase five times it's regular pace.

"Why are you playing with twigs?"

"I don't really know, guess I have nothing else better to do. Why'd you come sit on the log?" she asked, looking away from the mystery hidden in his flaming golden eyes.

"Guess I have nothing else better to do," he teased. A tiny smirk was tugging at his lips. She smiled at his reply, and couldn't think of anything else to continue the conversation. Considering the possibility that this was as much as Zuko usually said to anyone.

So with her lack of a better reply, a silence occurred.

"Um..I saw the egg incident," he said.

"Oh..yeah, that was fun. Why didn't you help us?" she asked, remembering splatting Team Sozin's cabins with eggs, everyone on Team Kuruk playing their part, all except--you guessed it--Zuko.

"No one asked."

"Oooh...I guess they were all afraid to, considering the_ other _incident that happened earlier. You know, the whole thing with the..um, cutting."

Zuko allowed a small laugh to escape his throat. Katara's never heard him laugh, it was almost kind of cute--the way his velvety smooth voice rumbled. _Cute? Zuko, cute? _she thought to herself.

"Yeah," he said, waking her from her thoughts. Just then, a girl walked up toward them. She recognized her--one of the Team Sozin girls who always hung around the gold-eyed captain. Her long, pin-straight, jet-black hair waved behind her in the breeze of the wind.

The girl's eyes were set on Zuko, they never looked away, and it seemed their eyes were locked, considering Zuko's eyes stayed on her as well. "Zuko, I need to talk to you," the girl said in a strange, emotionless voice.

"Go ahead," he answered.

"Alone," the girl said, flicking her eyes at Katara, then setting them back on Zuko's.

"Uhmm..I'll see you later, Zuko," Katara said, catching the drift that her presence by the Team Sozin girl was unwanted. She got up off the log, just as Zuko called out 'bye'.

_What could they be talking about? _Katara wondered to herself, as she saw Suki leaning on the cabin's stair railing and decided to approach her.

"Hey Kat," Suki sighed.

"Suki, please don't call me that. Brings back bad memories," she said.

Suki looked over at Katara, realization striking her. "Oh yeah..Jet. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. What's up?" Katara said.

Suki looked back over to where her eyes were locked and sighed yet again. "Oh nothing."

"What are you looking at?" Katara asked. She walked over to where Suki was standing, trying to catch sight of whatever had Suki's eyes on lock. Suki looked away quickly, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"N-n-nothing. I-i'm looking at nothing," Suki stuttered nervously. Katara continued looking for what fascinated Suki, and she found it, rather she found _who _Suki was gazing at.

"You're staring at Sokka?" Katara asked, shocked.

"Hehe...n-n-no. C'mon Katara, why'd I be staring at him?" Suki answered, the blush deepening furiously.

"Ohmigosh, Suki!! You like my brother!!" Katara half-shreiked.

"Katara!"

Katara laughed, waving off Suki's attempt to shush her.

"Please don't tell him. Please, please don't," Suki begged. She grabbed hold of Katara's arm.

"Alright alright, I won't say a word," Katara said as she caught her breath.

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"What's up with Sparky over there?" Toph asked. It was lunch-time, 1:30, and the two teams plus a couple of extra campers were eating the grilled-cheese sandwiches and applesauce that was served for today.

Toph waved her spoon toward Zuko, who, for a change, was actually laughing with the rest of the male members of the Kuruk team.

"What do you mean 'what's up with him'?" Jin asked.

"I mean what happened to the anti-social kid we met some time ago? Look at him; he's just too happy. That is way too strange for me," Toph answered. Katara shifted her gaze to Zuko. Toph was right, Zuko did look much happier than he usually did. But that wasn't a bad thing. At least not to her.

"Well at least he's not suicidal anymore," Katara added, watching a smile appear on Zuko's face. _He is so cute_, she thought to herself, much to the other part of her mind, which was thinking something totally different.

A couple of agreements were heard from the table full of Kuruk girls along with the clacks and scrapings of eating utensils hitting bowls. "What's got you so fascinated, Katara?" Suki asked. She looked up from her applesauce bowl.

"Huh?" Katara responded dumbly.

"I guess the 'new and improved' Sparky's got a rise out of her," Toph teased. Katara slitted her eyes at Toph.

"Ha ha," Katara said sarcastically.

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As if camp was bad enough, since they had to wait to have another challenge, it was also raining. Don't get it wrong, Katara loved the rain. It was just that after the rain, the camp would look all dirty and ugly from the mud puddles on the ground. Like a dummy, Katara stood in the rain, her head up facing the sky. Her chocolate brown hair was matted down in wet clots on her back. Most of the people residing in Camp Avatar were already in their cabins, sheltering themselves from the rain. The others were running around or standing in the cafeteria, caught in the rain and not really wanting to run and get wet.

Katara never understood why people always shielded themselves from the rain. It was water, not acid. People bath everyday in water. Why should water falling from the sky be any different?

"What are you doing?" someone shouted out. Katara turned toward the direction of the voice. Under the ledging stood a tall, broad teenager. A familiar male teenager. Katara squinted her eyes and walked over to the boy, who's face identity was partly hidden from the shadow casting over him. He stepped off of the building's exterior wall he was leaning on and walked a step closer as Katara walked over to him. Then she saw the scar. Zuko.

"I'm having fun," she replied with a large grin on her face.

"But it's_ raining_. How can you have fun in the rain?" he asked, looking at her awkwardly.

"How can you _not _have fun in the rain?"

Zuko grunted at her comment, while Katara just smiled. "What are you doing out here anyways? Don't tell me you're scared of the rain," Katara teased.

He scoffed. "I'm not scared of the rain, Katara. I just, don't like getting wet."

"So you don't wash?" she teased again.

"Of course I wash."

"So what's the problem?"

"I don't like the rain, that's the problem."

"Rain's no different from water. You know that, right?" Katara said, "Here. I'll show you," she grabbed his arm and dragged him from under the ledging into the rain.

"Hey!" he yelled at her, but Katara wasn't going to stop. She held a firm grip on his arm, and although Zuko kept struggling to get away from her grip, he didn't try hard enough. Because both Katara and himself both know he is way stronger than Katara and could get away from her grip anytime he wanted to. But he didn't.

Katara was giggling, surrounded by her favorite element. She turned toward Zuko, who was frowning and squinting his good eye at the rain. His shaggy black hair pressed down in damp clumps on his forehead and the sides of his face. "You can't tell me you do not love this."

'I hate it," he said. She was staring up at him laughing at his expression. But then his expression changed, like he was just noticing something. His smoldering golden eyes were staring into her own with such an intesity she was almost nervous. The stare from his eyes seemed to be hot, cause she was burning up, even though rain was still falling down on them.

Rain drops were dripping from the strands of his hair, falling down across his pale, lurid face. She was watching the path it traveled down his face, falling down his cheek, and trailing right around the corner of his lips. She redirected her gaze quickly, trying hard not to stare.

Then the most unexpected thing happened. He_ kissed _her. Full on the lips. And she kissed him _back_. Katara's hand let loose of his arm as it slid down on her waist, pulling her so close to him that her bosom was touching his own muscle-hard chest. Their kissed intensed, and her tongue played around with his until Zuko backed away from her, gazing at her one more time, before he let go of her and backed away. And did what he does best. He walked--more like ran--away, the rain dripping down his back.

-------------------------------------

_He kissed me, _Katara thought, as she laid on her bunk bed. _**I kissed him. **_

_But he kissed me. _

_**I kissed him back. With tongue.**_

_Oh my gosh. Zuko kissed me. And I liked it. Does that mean I like him?_

_**Of course it does. After all, I did kiss him. With tongue. **_

_How many times am I going to think that? He kissed __me__ back, with tongue. But does that mean he likes me?_

_**It has to mean that. **_

_But he backed away. So he doesn't like me. _

_**But he did kiss me. **_

_Aaah. This is confusing._

She stared at the ceiling, even though it was pitch-black and all she could see was the outline of the ceiling. The conflicting battle of her thoughts and feelings kept her awake, along with the snoring of Toph and the occasional sleep-talking from Jin. So all she could do was stay up and sort out the views of her mind.

_**I like him, right? I wouldn't kiss him back if I didn't like him.**_

_True._

_**I mean, I have to like him. There's nothing wrong with liking him, right? He is cute, maybe even beyond that. **_

_Maybe? He is._

_**Yeah. So I like him.**_

_I like Zuko._

-------------------------------------------------------

"Well sis', you don't have to talk to me anymore that your with your friends nowadays," Sokka said sarcastically, walking up to his sister.

"I'm sorry, Sokka. How have you been doing?" she asked him. He was right; it felt like an eternity since she last actually talked to her brother.

"Pretty pleasant, I guess you could say that. So how's my baby sis' doing? You know, without Jet and everything?" Sokka asked bluntly.

"Gosh, Sokka. I was doing just fine until you brung that up, thanks alot," she scoffed, pushing her brother's shoulder playfully.

"You are so very welcome. After all, that's what big brothers are for, right?" he said, a large grin spread across his tanned face. She looked up at her brother---seems like he was growing a little taller. She laughed, and pushed him again.

"You're so lucky I'm in a good mood," she laughed.

"And why so?"

"I don't know...I just am. Is that so bad, Sokka?" she teased.

"Nope, just wondering," he answered.

"Hey Sokka! Go long!" Haru shouted from a couple of yards away, holding a football in his hand. Sokka patted Katara on the back, saying to her, "See yah later, sis'," as he ran down the camp's ground with the football soaring toward him. It came closer, and Sokka's hands were outstretched to catch it, and then----

Toph intersepted and caught it, falling ontop of a confused and disoriented Sokka. "Toph! Why'd you do that? I almost had it!"

"I know. I got bored. Sorry, Snoozles," she said, jumping off of him and extending her hand for Sokka to stand up with.

Katara laughed at the two before walking off toward the mess hall. She couldn't help but think about Zuko; that was the only thing floating around in her mind. She'd think something, and then his picture would pop up or she'd look at something and hear his voice echoing in her ears. And it got worse when he was around, it was like she couldn't even look him in the eyes without blushing and embarrassing herself.

Haru jogged past her as she continued her walk, probably jogging toward Sokka and Toph, she didn't know for got to the steps of the mess hall and something caught her eye. She turned slightly and instantly wished she hadn't. Because by the corner of the back of the mess hall building stood the Sozin-Team girl and Zuko. Kissing.

Her head was throbbing. She had to take a double look jsut to make sure her mind was not playing tricks on her. No, this wasn't a trick. It was real. She wanted to storm over there and just slap him silly. But her conscience held her back. Katara couldn't even take her eyes off of them, it was like she enjoyed the pain welling up inside of her. Then Zuko broke away from the girl. She saw his mouth moving, so obviously he was saying something to the girl_. That's not what he did yesterday, he didn't say anything to me after he kissed me. He just walked away_. She couldn't care what it was he was telling her, because she was already furious with him for kissing her only _yesterday_ and then all of a sudden kissing another girl_ the next day_.

The girl spoke, then Zuko said something before he started walking off. At that, Katara entered the mess hall, where mixed aromas filled her nostrils and the constant chatter of voices reverberated in her ears. She hoped if she sat behind alot of people that no one would see her. No one would come up to her and ask her what's wrong. and why she was crying.

Katara walked to the back of the mess hall, where everyone's backs were turned against her. She layed her forehead in the palms of her hands and right then the tears started falling down her face. Like a waterfall.

_Why does this always happen to me? _she thought. _This isn't fair at all. I'm just too gullible, too soft. Stupid. I'm stupid, that's what I am. How could let myself believe I could like someone like him? I just happened to forget that attitude and temper of his. I was falling for him. Seriously falling for him, something stronger than I was with Jet. It's wrong. I knew he couldn't be trusted. I knew I didn't like him the moment he ever spoke to me--no, yelled at me. And then I let myself get lost in the fire of his golden brown eyes. And I ignored everything inside of such a cute person. I'm so stupid. Ugh. First it was Jet, and now this. This is even worse than what Jet did. Jet didn't cheat. He used me, but didn't cheat. At least not what I know of, anyway. But Jet was just as wrong as Zuko is. I can't stand them. Neither one of them._

"Katara?" someone said. That voice, that smooth, velvet voice. She knew it. It was the voice of Zuko. The Cheater. She raised her head up enough so that he could see her eyes, bloodshot-red and wet from the tears she'd been crying. "Are you okay?"

"You asshole. Go away," she spat at him. Zuko, baffled by her reply, was almost speechless.

"What's wrong?" he said awkwardly.

"You, you fucking shithead. Can't you understand English? Leave me the fuck alone," Katara said in voice so utterly agitated and dripping with venom.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Zuko replied, letting his anger spill out from his voice.

"You!" she shouted, loud enough to have everyone in the cafeteria turn their heads around at them. Zuko grabbed holt of her wrist and pulled her out of the mess hall, dragging her down toward the opening of the forest, far away from any nosy earshot.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" she yelled, squirming away, but Zuko was way too strong.

"What's up with you? Did something change since yesterday?"

"Oh you should know. Why'd you even kiss me?"

"You liked it. You kissed me back."

"It was a mistake," Katara said. She slitted her eyes at him.

"Yeah right."

"Why don't you and your bitch-ass ego let me go already?!" she yelled. He grabbed her other wrist and pushed her back onto the bark of a tree.

"Why do you keep cursing at me? Why can't you just tell me what I did wrong?"

"Leave me alone, shithead."

"Okay, I'm trying to deal with your stank fucked-up attitude but you're really pushing me, you know that, Katara? So I suggest you stop before I say something I might regret," Zuko threatened.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be? No one. So go give your little directions to someone else who'd give a cat shit about 'em," she spat at him, before kneeing him in the groin and running away, leaving Zuko squirming on the forest floor.

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**_*-Alright Ima go ahead and explain stuff before anyone says this. yes, Katara was OOC at the end, where she started cursing up a storm and stuff. I had to have her angry and saying something beside 'monster' and 'jerk' like in the series. And there will be more Zutara, so brace yourself, but this entire story will not be centered around them. This is for all the characters. And, yes they are still competing, they are having another challenge and an elimation in the next chapter._**

**_Now that everything has been cleared up, please review the story. Peoples, I know how many of you are reading, and if you read this, I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed! Thanx, and the next chap will be up soon!!_**

**_=D_**


	9. Surprises, Mistakes, and Endurance

_***-Heyyy!! The nexx chapter is finally up, not a long wait or anything, but yay, it's finally up!! Like I promised, there is a challenge and an elimination, because, well there hasn't been either in a while so, there needs to be one now! **_

**_I'd like to say that I owned the show A:tla, but then I'd be lying, because I don't own the show. Last time I checked, Bryke owned it, not me. Just another really hyper and crazy fan. That's my disclaimer._**

_**I don't own the lyrics, that's from the old classic by** New Edition**. Called** Can You Stand the Rain**.**_

**_But go ahead and read now...it's waiting for you! haha. =D_**

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**_9. Surprises, Mistakes, & Endurance_**

_Sunny days, everybody loves them_

_Tell me, can you stand the rain?_

"There's a challenge tomorrow," Smellerbee said, laying on the dirt-covered ground.

"Finally. Camp is boring without it," The Duke replied, jumping on the step railing.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Pipsqueak's deep voice rumbled, as he fiddled with Longshot's bow and arrow.

"Even worse now that Jet's gone," Smellerbee said, missing the guidance of their leader and friend.

"I hate this team," The Duke said, throwing a rock across the camp area.

"Well, we hate you, too," Azula's voice rung out as she, along with Mai and Ty Lee, walked over to where the gang of friends were huddled.

"What do you want?" Smellerbee snarled at the older teen. At first, she thought Azula was a good role model of authority, like Jet was, but only Azula was a girl. Now, she was utterly disgusted by her presence because it was her who was responsible for Jet's elimination.

"Fiesty little thing, aren't we---Smellerbee, right?" Azula laughed humorlessly. "So what are we talking about over here?"

"Nothing that interests you."

"Aw. You don't like me because of Jet, right? Well guess what? I couldn't care. I really don't. But you all are apart of this--my--team and tomorrow I want to win. Hold a grudge all you want against me; you just make sure we don't lose. Or you'll regret it," Azula threatened. She glared at every last one of them, holding her glare at Smellerbee before her and her friends walked away from them.

"Can you believe her? If we lose tomorrow, I'm voting her out," Smellerbee declared.

"Me too," Pipsqueak agreed.

"Me three," The Duke said.

Longshot raised his hand in agreement also.

"You know, Jet would still be here if he had this much votes for Azula. And there's five of us, including Jet, and four of them, assuming that Chan votes with Azula and her followers. So, which one of you guys voted Jet out?" Smellerbee asked, remembering the exact way the elimination votes were cast the night Jet left.

Pipsqueak and The Duke spoke at the same time with two different replies, "I didn't," and "Not me."

"I voted Azula out," Smellerbee said. She turned toward Longshot, who was sitting on a tree stump. "Did you vote out Jet?"

He shook his head no. Smellerbee knew she didn't and would never betray Jet; she just wanted to know who did. But if all them claimed none of them has, one of them has to be lying. But who?

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"What's wrong with you, ZuZu?" Azula teased. She stared at her brother with a look of distaste on her flawless, pale face.

"Nothing, Azula. Get to the point," he replied. Zuko turned his attention toward his younger sister.

"So you do know there's a challenge tomorrow, right? Whatever the crap is, I'm pretty sure your team will choose you to help play for them. This is what you do; you do the challenge and make it seem like your genuinely trying. Then you slow down once our team catches up, and you, very discreetly let us win after your team comes so close to winning. Okay?" Azula fired off.

Zuko slitted his eyes----er, eye----at her. "How does this help me?"

Azula chuckled. "ZuZu, c'mon. Pay attention. If I'm still here, I can help you get Father's love back. And you do want that, right?"

"How do you know my team won't vote me out?"

"Because you're the strength. Without you, they probably won't win."

"What if that's the exact reason they vote me out? Because I'm a threat?"

Azula sighed. ZuZu smarter than I thought. "They won't. Alright, ZuZu? So you are going to do it, right?"

"Fine. Stop calling me that."

"Whatever, brother," she said. "Good luck on the challenge tomorrow," she added sarcastically with a big smirk on her face as she walked away from her brother.

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"Oh come on. Are you seriously going to just sit there and gaze at him all day? It's really repulsive," Toph said to Suki, who was staring at Sokka, for the sixth time today.

"Yeah, Suki. Do something about it," Katara said, nudging her friend's shoulder.

"Would you guys leave me alone?" Suki said, blushing furiously.

"If you won't do anything, I will," Toph threatened. Suki raised an eyebrow at the younger teen.

"You wouldn't."

Toph smirked, "Hey Snoozles!! Come over here a minute!" she shouted out. Suki looked at Toph, completely mortified.

"Toph!! Why did you do that?" Suki half-screamed half-whispered at her.

"Because you doubted me," Toph answered. Sokka jogged over to the group of girls. Sweat was dripping down his face and stray strands of hair were poking out around his ponytail.

"Yeah?" he said, tiredly as he raised his hand to wipe off some of the sweat droplets on his face.

"Suki wants to talk to you," she said. Suki made a noise unrecognizable before Toph grabbed Katara up from the steps and left the two alone.

Suki looked after them, her mouth wide open before returning her eyes back to Sokka, who was now leaning on the step's railing.

"Hey," Suki said awkwardly.

"Hi. Suki, right?" Sokka said.

"Yeah."

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Sokka asked uncomfortably.

"Um...no--"

"You two are pitiful. Listen Snoozles, Suki has been gazing at you with those stupid googly eyes for the past couple of days. I suggest you ask her out already or do something to stop her from doing that," Toph butted in. Suki looked at Toph, her face beet red from humiliation.

"Really?" Sokka asked with a dumb grin on his face.

"Really. So do something now before I have to butt in again to give you two some sense," Toph said walking off.

Suki refused to look Sokka in the eyes after Toph completely embarrassed her.

"You know, it's not that bad. It could've been worse," Sokka said.

"Like how?" Suki replied.

"Well she could've mortified you to the point where you peed your pants."

Suki looked up slightly, letting a small laugh escape her throat.

"Hey! You laughed! Almost no one ever laughs at my jokes!" Sokka exclaimed happily. Suki giggled again at his goofiness.

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_Last week..._

_**(re-cap)**_

_The girl's eyes were set on Zuko, they never looked away, and it seemed their eyes were locked, considering Zuko's eyes stayed on her as well. "Zuko, I need to talk to you," the girl said in a strange, emotionless voice._

_"Go ahead," he answered. _

_"Alone," the girl said, flicking her eyes at Katara, then setting them back on Zuko's. _

_"Uhmm..I'll see you later, Zuko," Katara said, catching the drift that her presence by the Team Sozin girl was unwanted. She got up off the log, just as Zuko called out 'bye'. __**(end re-cap)**_

_(conversation between Zuko and Mai)_

_"What is it, Mai?" Zuko asked once Katara was out of ear-shot._

_"What was the point?" she growled._

_"The point of what?" Zuko asked confusedly._

_"'The point of what?'" Mai mocked. "THE POINT OF YOU BREAKING UP WITH ME!"_

_"Come on, Mai. Do we really have to talk about this here?"_

_"Yes. We do, Zuko. Because obviously I can't talk to you anywhere else, since you moved. Remember? You told me right after you dumped me."_

_"I already told you why I broke up with you."_

_"No. You didn't. You know what I heard on my voice-mail message, you know, your way of dumping me? You told me you were moving and that us just wasn't going to work out. Do you know how bad that felt? We went on a date that very day, Zuko! And I come home and hear the message you left on my voice-mail. The message where you BROKE UP WITH ME! How wrong is that? And then, not to mention, you LEFT THE STATE THE DAY AFTER YOU BROKE UP WITH ME!"_

_"I had to!" Zuko screamed in reply._

_"You could've said it to my face. And you didn't even give a good reason. Why, Zuko?"_

_"I was scared of falling in love with you."_

_"Bull crap, Zuko! If you were so scared, why didn't you tell me you were in love with me?"_

_"I was scared, Mai! Is that so hard to believe?"_

_"Yes, Zuko. It is. Because from what I know, you're not afraid of anything. I don't understand why you'd be afraid of something as silly as falling in love."_

_"See? You don't understand anything, Mai. You want to sulk around and bathe in your own misery. You brush off things that don't interest you because you seem to think everyone in the world hates you. I LOVED YOU MAI! You didn't see it. You were too busy being emo."_

_"Oh, you're one to talk. You're the prince of emos. 'Oh look I'm Zuko and I have so many things wrong in my life that I can't help but not care about you and yours because my problems are worse. Because I've been living in hell and I'm so intimidating I'd hurt you right now because you can't imagine how hard my life is.' NEWSFLASH, Zuko. EVERYONE has problems. Not just you. So get over yourself."_

_"We've already been through this, Mai. You ask me why I broke up with you. I tell you. You blow up because you don't believe me. And then we start arguing. Like we are now."_

_"Ugh. Zuko. I just wanted to know why you broke up with me."_

_"I told you."_

_"The truth,Zuko."_

_"Alright, Mai? You want to know the truth? I was scared of being in love with you, whether you believe it or not, that's the truth. Okay?" Zuko replied stubbornly. Without a second glance at his ex-girlfriend, he stomped away from her. _

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_This is still last week...(up to where Katara catches Zuko and Mai kiss)_

_"Come on Zuko, can we please talk?"_

_"We already did that," Zuko replied, walking like he didn't see Mai at his side._

_"Zuko. One more time?" Mai asked. Zuko stopped walking and turned toward her, looking at her strangely. It was rare for Mai to beg. She never begs for anything._

_'"Fine," Zuko stopped walking toward the doors at the back of mess hall so that he and Mai could talk again. "What now?"_

_"I thought about what you said."_

_"So..?"_

_"I'm sorry, okay?" Mai said. Zuko looked down at the girl. He didn't know how it happened, but not even a second later he was kissing Mai. It took him a second to register what was happening, and why he seemed to like it. He started to kiss her back, but held himself back. He pulled away from her._

_"I can't do this."_

_Mai looked at him, slit her eyes slightly before replying, "Why?"_

_"It's....it's complicated," he answered, not looking her directly in the eyes. He walked away from her. His mind was swirling around with thoughts of Katara and the kiss that they shared only yesterday. And how their kiss seemed to be more passionate, more intriguing than the one he'd just shared with his ex. The girl that he'd dated for almost a year. The girl that he thought he was in love with. _

_It was wrong to even kiss Mai back, he thought. Only yesterday he was kissing Katara, and now, even though he hardly knew much about her, it was like he was cheating on her. He had to pull away from Mai before it got too far._

_Zuko headed inside the mess hall, joining the other hungry campers in line. He looked around the mess hall to see if there was anyone he could sit with when he got his food. His eyes darted around, looking at unfamiliar faces until they locked on the back of someone's head. A girl's head, for sure. There were long chocolate curls flowing down her back. The girl was wearing a blue shirt, from what Zuko could see around her hair. He instantly knew it was Katara. But why was she sitting alone?_

_Zuko left the lunch line and went over to the table Katara was at. He criss-crossed between all the other tables filled with campers that blocked his way until he finally reached her. _

_He stood in front of the table, looking at Katara's head. Her hands were tangled in her hair and her body was heaving back and forth._

_"Katara?" he asked. She raised her head, and he instantly wished she hadn't. Her eyes were red and strained, streaks of tears were dried out on her moca brown skin, and snot was sliding out of her nostrils. _

_(...and this leads on to the last scene of the previous chapter)_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Helloooo campers!" Kianu boomed from his blare horn. The two Camp Avatar teams stood in crowded groups a few yards across from each other.

"How long has it been since we've seen each other? Long time, huh?" Kianu smiled. He looked back and forth between the two teams.

"I say we have some fun! So, without further a do, I'll tell you the rules of your challenge." Kianu walked over to the dock, where there were sixteen sets of bars held up by two poles each above the water.

"Here are the rules: You are to hold on to the bar for as long as you can. Neither of your hands may leave the bar and in the case that it does, you are disqualified. This challenge is called Endurance. Time will start once everyone is situated on their bar."

Each team member was placed on a bar straight across from a member of the opposing team's bar. Katara was across from Mai; Toph was across from The Duke; Suki was across from Ty Lee; Jin was across from Smellerbee; Zuko, ironically, was across from Azula; Aang was across from Pipsqeak; Sokka was across from Longshot; Haru was across from Chan.

"Alright. Time begins...now," Kianu announced. He sat on a pull out chair positioned on the dock, watching over all the campers.

_**Time Elapsed: 10 minutes**_

"You all have been hanging on the poles for ten minutes now," Kianu announced.

"Ugh," Pipsqueak groaned, before letting go of his bar and dropping into the water with a big splash. He swam up to the dock and sat on the edge of the water.

"And Pipsqueak is out; endurance is not his strength. That means there's only fifteen competitors left."

_**Time Elapsed: 1 hour**_

"Doing great so far, campers. It's been an hour and no one has dropped out."

_**Time Elapsed: 7 hours and 30 minutes**_

"Alright Team Kuruk and Team Sozin, you've been hanging like a monkey for seven and a half hours. It's time to up the competition, eh?" Kianu broadcasted. Behind two non-competing campers rolled a cart covered by a blue sheet. Kianu walked over to the cart, took the sheet, and pulled it off the cart, revealing platters of food stretched across the surface.

Sokka made an unrecognizable noise and almost drooled over the food in front of him.

"So, holding on to that bar for so long, must be exhausting right? I'd assume you all are hungry, am I right? The next two people to let go of their bar can join Pipsqueak and me in this wonderful buffet," Kianu teased.

"I'm out!" Sokka exclaimed, dropping into the water and hurridly swimming toward the dock. Sokka ran over to the platters of food, grabbing the chicken drumstick first.

"That's one person out. Fourteen people left. Who else wants to join the feast?"

Sokka and his low will power, Katara thought, watching her brother stuff his mouth with food from every platter.

Another splash was made. The Duke's head popped up over the water's surface as he swam up on the dock's wooden planks.

"And The Duke is out! Thirteen people left," Kianu declares.

Smellerbee looked at Pipsqueak then at The Duke. She winked._ Good. It's time to lose today. _Smellerbee was going to be the next to drop out, but she didn't want the rest of her team to think that her and her fellow Freedom Fighters planned to throw the challenge, so she waited for awhile.

_**Time Elapsed: 10 hours**_

Sokka was laying on the dock, limbs outstretched and snoring loudly, while The Duke's snoozing head was laying on Pipsqueak's shoulder, who was leaning on one of the dock's poles, resting it on the topo end and sleeping.

Kianu yawned, "Campers, it's been....ten hours....and I'm pretty sure you all are tired...other campers!"

Two other campers wheeled around yet another covered item. The item was wider, and longer than the cart of food, which was now only a handful of leftovers, thanks to the hunger of Sokka and the rest of the disqualified campers.

"Under the sheet is"--yawn--"a bed for the next contestant to drop out."

"Ooh, I'm sleepy, too," Jin thought aloud.

"Pfft. Who wants to sleep on some soft mattress when you have the earth to lay on?" Toph said.

"I prefer beds," Jin said. Both of her hands went to her nose as she fell into the water. Once on the dock, she shook off some of the water and wringed out most of it that was weighing her long brown hair down.

"And Jin is out," Kianu announces, "There's your bed, Jin."

"Ugh. Finally," Jin yawns, collapsing on the bed.

_**Time Elapsed: 10 hours and 30 minutes**_

"This is boring," Mai says, letting go of the bar. She fell into the water, and came out shivering and angry. "I hate lakes."

_**Time Elapsed: 13 hours**_

"Thirteen hours, campers!" Kianu happily announced. He was completely energized now that he chugged an energy booster drink.

"Not worth it," Smellerbee says, dropping out. She sat by her two friends and laid on the floor of the dock, closing her eyes for a quick nap.

Longshot fell into the water ten minutes after her, sitting right next to Smellerbee.

"Ten competitors left. Six for Team Kuruk. Four holding strong for Team Sozin."

_**Time Elapsed: 16 hours**_

After Kianu collapsed on the dock, one of Camp Avatar's counselor's took his place---Jun.

Jun had long, flowing dark brown hair, wearing calf-high black boots with four inch heels, a black short-sleeved v-neck top, and black jeans tucked into her boots, which Katara thought was odd since it was summer and way too hot for that kind of outfit.

The sky was already dark; the moon was casting it's silver glow upon everything beneath it. The competitors still in the competion were exhausted and straining to stay up, ignoring the hunger pangs in their stomachs.

"Competitors you've been on those bars for sixteen hours. It's two in the morning, and I'm not even going to try to be nearly as perky as Kianu was or beat around the subject. Alright campers are bringing out something else, and four of you can drop out to get it. I'm not supposed to reveal the crap because it's supposed to be a mystery, so if you're dropping out, you don't know what you're in for," Jun said, cocking her hip to the side as she watched the teens holding on to the bars.

"I can't do this any longer," Katara said, falling into the water. She pulled herself out once she was close enough to the dock. _Plus, if we lose I can vote that cheater, Zuko, out._

Katara walked over to a table where there were four covered dishes. She uncovered the first, and under the lid was a towel. Katara shrugged, grabbed the towel, and sat by her brother, who was sitting up and awake.

Suki splashed into the water and walked over to the table. She uncovered the next dish, which was a bar of chocolate. Suki clutched the bar and hurridly unwrapped it, stuffing it in her hungry and begging mouth.

Toph swung off her bar. Once on the dock she uncovered the next dish. There was a cell phone and a card. She took the card and read it, You have been given an opportunity to call home to your family with this phone.

Toph groaned, "Heh, yeah right. Why would I want to talk to them?" She grabbed the phone and threw it in the water, crushing the card in her hand.

"Toph!" Katara yelled.

"What?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I don't want to talk to my parents, that's why, Sugar Queen."

_**Time Elapsed: 16 hours and 30 minutes**_

"Okay, there's only six people left competing and there's still an uncovered dish on this table," Jun reported.

_**Time Elapsed: 17 hours and 20 minutes**_

"Forget it. I'll just get the mystery up there," he said while descending into the lake.

He reached for the lid that covered the last mystery. "Heh," he said when he saw another towel.

_**Time Elapsed: 19 hours**_

"Hey, I have to give to you guys. I can't believe you stayed up there for this long. It's been 19 hours, and you've done it all without food. Or sleep. Or even resting your arms," Jun instigated.

Aang fell a minute before Haru plummeted into the water. They both headed toward Sokka and Katara.

"Man, I can't believe you guys held up there for so long," Sokka said.

"Yeah," Katara agreed. Aang laid on Katara's towel and instantly fell asleep. Haru just leaned most of his weight on Katara's shoulder, falling asleep ten minutes after Aang.

_**Time Elapsed: 21 hours**_

"Yeah, sorry Azula, but I'm tired. And yeah, I've been in the circus and I'm sort of used to this, but, gosh I am tired. And hungry," Ty Lee rambled as she dropped into the water, leaving the last two competitors hanging on the bars.

"Finally. Alright, two competitors left. What are you two, siblings or something, right? Right, you're siblings. So it's sister against brother," Jun announced.

"Wait. They're siblings?" Katara asked, baffled. No wonder he's so evil._ Because he has an evil sister. _Then she had a flashback from the camp fire Team Kuruk had when they first came to Camp Avatar.

_"So what about any of you? Have any siblings?" Suki asked, everyone in general._

_"Nope," Toph said, "Just a spoiled rotten only child."_

_"Not me," Haru sighed._

_"I don't either," Aang sighed also, looking at the ground._

_"I have two sisters," Jin said, "But they're both already in college, don't speak to them much anymore." Just like when most of the group answered the question, Zuko was still the only one not to say anything._

_"What about you, Zuko?" Aang said, still trying to the break the tension that always formed when it was Zuko's turn to answer questions. Zuko looked up, his golden eyes cold and emotionless._

_"One sister," he answered simply. The groups eyes were still locked on him, so he elaborated his answer. "She's a year younger than me."_

_"Did she come to camp?" Jin asked, dropping the twigs she was playing with._

_"Unfortunately."_

His sister happened to be the same person who helped Jet use her.

_Katara walked out from the woods with Suki, who, after fifteen minutes of searching, finally found her team bandana. "Is that the boy-"_

_"Shh," Katara said to Suki, as she listenened to what Jet and the girl were saying._

_"Good work, Jet. I was beginning to doubt you," the girl said to Jet, who was leaning on a tree outside the camp area._

_"Thanks. Katara was so naive; she really made it too easy. We could just keep using her, then we'd have a sure win every challenge."_

_"Hmm...you're smart," the girl said, smirking._

_Jet smirked, the same smirk he gave Katara only a couple of days ago, and walked off with the girl back to where the rest of their team members were located._

_**Time Elapsed: 23 hours**_

"I'm surprised, ZuZu. You've made it this far. Guess you're really dedicated to winning Father back, huh?" Azula said. She didn't expect Zuko to answer back, so she kept on talking.

"It's good that you made it this far. This way you're team won't think you threw the challenge. Because looking at your team, you're their only strength besides that green bandanna boy. now they know your real strength and they won't vote you out because they need you to win. You're still sticking to the plan, right?"

Zuko didn't give her a verbal answer, only let his hands fall so that he would descend into the lake.

"TEAM SOZIN WINS!" Jun yells unexcitedly. Azula lets go of her bar and follows Zuko onto the dock.

"Tough luck kid," Jun said to Zuko. His eyes were drooping lazily.

"Wake up Katara. Competition's over, we have elimination tomorrow, or later today," Sokka said, remembering that it was now 9:00 and the sun was already up in the sky.

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Most of the rest of the day, everyone spent in bed or stuffing their stomach's in mess hall. So, no one really talked about who they'd be voting out today. Team Kuruk was pretty much exhausted from the challenge earlier that day, so when it was time for them to vote some one out of their team out, it was like a wake up call of what they should have been talking about.

"Team Kuruk, I'm afraid one of you is leaving Camp Avatar tonight," Kianu said, returned from his recent absence earlier in the day for passing out during the Endurance challenge.

"So, since this is your first elimination ceremony, I'll list of the directions. Each member will go over to that booth over there"---points to booth behind him---"and cast their vote. I will read the votes, and then the person with the majority of the votes will leave. Okay?"

The faces staring at him all nodded, as to show they understood what he was saying.

"Great. Jin, you're up."

Jin arose from her tree stump and headed toward the booth. Each member of the team went in and cast their vote and came back to sit on their stump. Aang was the last person to cast his vote, so right when he sat down Kianu went to get the vase that contained their votes.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. Person voted out will be asked to leave immediately. I'll read the votes," Kianu said as he pulled the first folded vote.

"Zuko." Zuko looked shocked to hear his name; Katara smirked silently to herself.

Second vote, "Jin."

Third vote, "Sokka." Sokka looked around, surprised just like Zuko was.

Fourth vote, "Sokka."

Fifth vote, "Jin."

Sixth vote, "Zuko."

Seventh vote, "Katara."

Kianu reached for the last vote, "Seems like we have a three-way tie between Zuko, Jin, and Sokka. The last vote will be the tie breaker, or will tie Katara with the other three nominees. The last vote is....."

Kianu unfolded the note, then turned it toward the team. "Jin. I'm sorry, but it's time for you to go."

Jin got up without a word or a second glance at her team. She left the elimination ceremony, a surprised look on her face the entire time she walked away.

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Kianu called the two teams back for an emergency meeting, against everyone else's better judgement, the next day.

"What is wrong with him? Doesn't he know we're tired?" Katara groaned as she sulked toward the dock along with the rest of her team-mates who were also complaining the entire journey there. She kept her eyes away from Zuko, since she was still angered about the whole situation between them last week.

"He's a delusional man," Suki yawned.

Once they reached the dock, Team Sozin was already there along with Kianu, who was sitting on his little director chair.

"Team Kuruk finally makes their entrance! Well now that you guys have arrived I can go ahead and announce the news," Kianu starts, smiling widely, "Of course Team Sozin, you know that Team Kuruk had to lose a member yesterday at their first elimination ceremony. But, the game must go on. I called this emergency meeting to tell you that we are having another challenge tomorrow."

Both teams grumbled and complained at the news, but Kianu held his hand up to silence them because he was not finished talking.

"Unlike the other challenges, there is more at stake with this one. Why? Because the losing team will have to eliminate two members of their team."

A couple of kids let out a surprised "what?" while most of the others were too shocked to say anything. Most of them were too astonished to register what he was saying. No one was prepared for that load of information.

"With that, I will be leaving," Kianu said, walking off into the distance leaving the two teams wondering.

Azula didn't care how many people were being eliminated tonight. She already knew she wouldn't be going home. She was sure of that.

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* * *

**_*-I'm sorry peoples, I had to send Jin home. She wasn't as important as some of the others. Sorry. I mean, rather her than Sokka or Zuko, right.? Of course. Oh yeah, and that thing with Kianu saying 'Once the votes are read, the decision is finally. Person voted out will be asked to leave [the tribal counsel] immediately. I'll read the votes.' yeah, I don't own that either. That's from the reality show 'Survivor', you know that thing that Jeff always says before he reaches in the thing and calls out the votes.? Yeah, no owning. _**

**_I'm working on the nexx chapter, so that'll be up by the end of this week. Should be. With, a double elimation! Yay.! But it'll probably be a two part chapter, with the challenge, and then the elimations._**

_**Thanxx for you all for reviewing. And all those people that favorites and alert it, I love you all too. But, c'mon. If you're going to favorite, puh-leez review it too. But thanxx anyways to the people who reviewed the last chapter:** Miss Katara x, Waterbender Nina, zuko-1 fan, and zutarababe. _

**_Reviews appreciated.! 3_**

**_=]_**


	10. The Memory Challenge

_***-It is time. It's the challenge that decides who is safe from the special double elimination. Oooh. So much pressure. =P**_

**_The lyrics under the title of this chapter are from Remember the Name by Fort Minor feat. Styles of Beyond & M. Shinoda. I don't own that or the characters or anything related to avatar._**

**_With that techie stuff said, read on!! =D_**

_**

* * *

**_

**10. The Memory Challenge**

_This is ten percent luck._

_Twenty percent skill._

_Fifteen percent concentrated power of will._

_Five percent pleasure._

_Fifty percent pain._

_And a hundred percent reason to_

_Remember the name._

"Why would he give us another challenge after we stayed up for nearly an entire day the last challenge?" Suki asked while standing with her team.

"I hope it's something easy. Because I'm beat," Aang said. There were dark circles under his big gray eyes.

"Yeah, I'm with you," Sokka agreed.

"Sokka, you let go seven hours into the competition because you saw food."

"Seven hours is a long time to be hanging on to a bar, thank you!" argued Sokka.

"Not as long as 16 hours," Katara interjected.

"You got that right, Sugar Queen!" Toph agreed, punching her arm.

"Yep," Suki joined in.

"Or 19 hours," Aang added.

"Yeah," Haru agreed.

Sokka scoffed, "Seven hours is still long. Besides none of you lasted as long as Zuko anyways."

"Yeah, that's right. Sparky was hanging on that thing for like almost an entire day. For 20-something hours," Toph said. She punched Zuko on the arm, who looked at the short girl oddly before rubbing his arm.

"How long did you stay on that bar?" Haru asked.

"23 hours," Zuko answered. Haru ruffled with Zuko's hair, patting him on the back while smiling and yelling to him "You the man!"

Katara glanced at Zuko and rolled her eyes.

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"Okay, I didn't expect this," Smellerbee said as she plopped down on the dirt.

"None of us did," The Duke spoke out.

"So whatever it is, it has to be easy. So we can't make it that obvious when we throw the challenge. It has to be real discreet, because I want that witch gone," Smellerbee planned, the witch in question being Azula.

"I thought we threw the last challenge," Pipsqueak said.

"Yeah, I thought that, too."

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"I can't believe I even agreed to come here. I hate these challenges," Mai complained in her usual dead voice.

"I liked the last challenge," Ty Lee smiled, braiding her long ponytail.

"Of course, you did, Ty Lee. Holding on to things is natural to you. That's your strength. Endurance and flexibility," Azula said.

"Yeah, since you were one of the people on the little swing bar things---"

"Trapeze, Mai," Ty Lee corrected.

"Whatever. You're used to things like that and flexing your body in these weird positions. And you were in gymnastics since age seven."

"I think everybody can do what I can. You just have to practice alot."

"Ty Lee, how cliche was that?" Azula asked rolling her eyes.

"What?"

"What you just said. That type of crap they used to feed us at the academy. 'Practice makes perfect.'" Mai pinned up one of her side buns.

"Yeah. I say if you practice wrong, you're never going to get it perfect. Common sense," Azula reasoned.

"Ugh. You guys are _soo_ stiff," Ty Lee said.

"I hope everyone doesn't have to compete in that challenge tomorrow," Mai said, redirecting the conversation elsewhere.

"I don't care. As long as we win. It's a double elimination, and I'm not leaving this camp," Azula said.

"What makes you think you'll leave? We're not voting you out," Ty Lee said.

"I know that. It's that tomboy freak and her friends. What's her name---er---Smellerbee. She's holding a grudge because I got her precious leader, Jet, out."

Ty Lee and Mai looked at their friend. "But she can hold a grudge all she wants to. She may have more votes in her favor, but she will be leaving if we lose. Which we won't, but in such case we should."

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Zuko ate lunch with his team, wondering the entire time if he should play to win the challenge or throw it secretly tomorrow. Azula never came up to him with a plan, and he never approached her, so he was pretty much on his own this time. He wasn't sure what to do.

"Zuko?" Haru asked. Zuko snapped back to reality.

"You know, every time you sit with us you either don't talk or you're spaced out. Sparky, if you're going to sit with us, pay attention," Toph said.

"Yeah, so join the conversation," Suki added.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Nothing! That's the point; you just randomly throw something in the conversation and we talk about that until that eventually gets boring or someone says something," Haru says.

"Oh."

"So anyways...if winter comes in summer, does that make summer winter or winter summer? Or was it never winter anyways if summer came during winter?" Suki says.

"That's confusing. But I'd say that it was never winter. So summer would come during winter, right?" Aang reasons.

"Wait; this whole topic is confusing. I didn't even understand the question!" Sokka exclaimed.

"And that's someone cue to change it. Zuko? Your turn," Toph says.

Zuko looked around at all the faces around him, which were all staring back at him. Except for one. Katara's. He stared at her side before actually trying to think of a topic to discuss.

"How hot does something have to be to burn you," Zuko randomly says, all the while avoiding everyone's eyes.

It was a moment before anyone responded to his..topic. Sokka was the first to comment.

"Really hot, I guess."

"It'd have to be..red and steaming?" Suki responded cluelessly.

"Horrible topic, Sparky. Someone else's turn."

"Kat?" Suki says while Katara lifts her head up.

"Suki.." Katara says lowly, looking at Suki directly in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. I forgot that's what Jet used to call you," she apologizes.

"Whatever. Your turn to change the topic, Sugar Queen."

"Why are all boys such lying, deceiving, idiotic, moronic, jer---" she starts. Her eyes never left Zuko's. That was the first time in days she'd ever made eye-contact with him.

"Hey! I object!" Sokka interjects.

"Well..I agree with the idiotic. Can't understand why boys are idiotic. Hmm...let's ask Sokka. Sokka, why are you so idiotic?" Toph teases.

"I'm not idiotic."

"Yeah, you are."

Zuko didn't pay attention to much of the rest of the conversation. The only thing on his mind at that moment was what Katara had said. What did she mean by it? He obviously knew she was talking about him; she stared at him with such an intense look on her face the entire time she stated her topic. But why would she be talking about him?

_She can't be talking about me. Not after that kiss last week_, Zuko thought to himself. But then he started to doubt. Right after that kiss she would not look at him at all. Right after that kiss she wouldn't even speak to him (besides the fact that she cursed him out and kicked him in a very tender place). Heck, she wouldn't even be anywhere _near _him. Zuko knew he hadn't done anything wrong. Not that he knew of, anyways. So why was she so angry? He didn't know, but he was sure he'd find out.

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"It's me again! Are you all ready for your next challenge?" Kianu happily shouted from his bull horn.

Scattered responses were heard from the two teams of teens.

"Well you better be. There's a double elimination tomorrow! So I guess all of you unenthusiastic people want to go home, right?" Kianu teased as he paced back and forth.

There were more objections from the crowd.

Kianu smiled. "Good. So over here is your challenge--" Kianu points to the right. There are fifteen booths laid vertically across the deck. At the front is Kianu's 'director' chair that he sits in regularly when the teens are competing.

"Here is your directions. Alright Kuruks and Sozins, this is more of a mental competition. Testing your memory and others, if you will. So you have to stand at the booth with your name across the back, and I will ask everyone a question. With the dry erase board and the marker, you will answer the question. Don't worry, I will give you two choices. But, as the game progresses, I will add more choices. Of course if you answer a question incorrectly, you are eliminated. Ready to begin?" Kianu explained. The teens nodded their heads as they proceeded to their individual booths. Only Kianu could see their answers because their booths blocked their view of seeing anyone else's.

Once everyone was situated, Kianu strided toward his chair, pulling out a small stack of index cards from his jacket pocket. "Alright teams, I hoped you paid attention to your camp and fellow campers," he smirked. "So now let's begin the Memory challenge. Who was the first person to be _officially _eliminated from the competition? Was it Yue or Jet?"

The entire group that made up Team Sozin already knew their answer. They didn't hesitate to scrawl it on their board. As for Team Kuruk, a couple members knew who left right off the back---like Katara, Suki, Zuko, and Sokka---and the rest were slow to write their answer down.

"Hold up your boards, please," Kuruk said. He glanced at each person board before giving out the correct answer.

"The answer is was not eliminated; she left for personal matters. Haru, please step down; your answer is incorrect." Haru did as he was instructed, and exited his booth. Kianu directed him toward a bench on the end of the last booth. Haru sat down and watched Kianu move on to the next index card.

"Next question. On the day that you arrived to Camp Avatar, what was the main meal served in the mess hall? Was it pork'n beans, grilled cheese sandwiches , or pepperoni pizza?"

Sokka was the first person to scribble something on his board; the rest were deep in thought.

"Reveal your answers, please," Kianu said after a brief moment of time.

The adolescents flipped over their boards. "I need an answer," Kianu said, noticing that one person was still writing down their answer. The person hurridly flipped it over so that Kianu could review everyone's answers.

"The correct answer is grilled cheese sandwiches. Chan, please step down; you are not correct."

Chan stepped down and headed toward the bench Haru was perched at. His face revealed that he was visibly pissed, his mind steady thinking, _How the hell was I supposed to know what lunch was that day? Dumb question._The remaining teens wiped off their boards and waited for Kianu to ask the next question.

"The bus that brought you here, what color was it? Was it yellow, orange, brown, or none of the mentioned?" Kianu asked.

A couple of minutes passed before Kianu asked the remaining competitors to reveal their answer. His eyes darted at everyone's board.

"The correct answer is brown. Everyone got it right, so no one is eliminated," Kianu announced as he flipped to the next index card.

"Who were the last three camp members remaining in the last challenge, Endurance? Was it Katara, Zuko, and Aang; Smellerbee, Ty Lee, and Azula; Haru, Zuko, and Aang; Katara, Zuko, and Azula; or Zuko, Ty Lee, and Azula?"

Of course the last people remaining on that challenge knew the answer. The rest of the people knew who won and who the last people hanging were, but they could not remember the third, solely on the fact that most of them were too exhausted to even care.

It took the teens longer to answer this specific question, and it didn't help them much when Kianu ordered them to hurry up. So most scribbled something down to say at least they answered the question.

"The correct answer is Zuko, Ty Lee, and Azula. Sokka, Suki, Pipsqueak, The Duke, and Aang step down because your answer is incorrect."

Katara was shocked that many people were being eliminated off of that one question. She would have been one of them too, but she knew the answer only because she found out Zuko was related to that Team Sozin girl---Azula. And there were only two choices; one she knew was incorrect because it featured her name and she knew she was not one of the last three people remaining. So that left only one answer.

"Okay, this goes to the seven remaining competitors: Katara, Toph, Zuko, Azula, Smellerbee, Mai, and Longshot. Once you stepped off the Camp Avatar bus, you were greeted by camp supervisors. How many supervisors greeted you, excluding Ozai? Was it one, two, three, none, four, or ten?"

Mai sighed heavilly thinking to herself, Damnit, I don't remember. None of the remaining teens knew the exact answer so they all guessed.

"Hold up your boards, please."

They did as they were told and Kianu's eyes grazed each marker written answer.

"Wow," Kianu began, "The correct answer is two. Everyone besides Katara and Azula are incorrect. Please step down."

The eliminated team members stepped away from their booth and headed towards the bench. Only a couple of seats remained so some people had to stand behind it.

"This is it. Team Kuruk's Katara versus Team Sozin's Azula. This is the final question. Since your arrival to this camp, right when you first stepped on this camp site, how many hours have you been residing here? I will not give any choices. Write down your mathematical answer and the person closest to the exact amount will win for their team. You have a minute and a half to figure this out," Kianu explained.

Katara hurridly began trying to figure out how many days she spent at Camp Avatar, while Azula pretty much knew the amount, she just needed to figure out the hours.

Time was ticking by quicker than neither of the girls expected as Kianu called out there were only ten seconds left for them to figure out their answer.

"Alright, hold up your boards," Kianu announced. The girls flipped their boards toward him; Katara's board read 554 hours; Azula's read 552.

"And the exact amount is 567 hours, so Katara wins with 554 hours for Team Kuruk!"

"YEAAHH!!" Team Kuruk members shouted in unison, jumping up and down as Katara came out of her booth. They ran up to her smiling and hugging her. Sokka half way picked up his sister out of pure joy. Zuko was happy, but he didn't express it as much as the rest of his team. Haru wrapped Katara in a bear hug, lifting her all the way off the ground, chuckling and yelling out all at the same time. Zuko stood in the midst of his team, and for some reason he felt a tiny bit jealous of the way Haru was holding Katara. He looked away quickly.

Katara was giggling and punching Haru playfully to put her back down on the earth's ground. Haru eventually pulled her back down, still hugging as he rocked her back and forth.

"Alright. Alright. Calm down." Kianu quieted the winning team down so that he could make an announcement. Katara turned her head from off of Haru's chest so that she could see Kianu.

"As you know, there will be a double elimination tomorrow night. I'm sorry to tell you this, but Team Sozin, it will be very unfortunate for you as you have to eliminate two of your members. I'll see you tomorrow," Kianu said, and exited away from the two teams.

Team Kuruk went back to celebrating their win as they walked off; loud talking and laughing among the group. "Gosh, Sugar Queen, I thought for a minute we were going to elimination."

"I always knew my baby sis' was smart. Of course not as smart as me, but still smart," Sokka said, causing a couple of teasing snickers and chuckles from the group.

"Hey, what about we have another campfire? To celebrate escaping double elimination?" Suki proposed.

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Aang voiced.

"Wait. We are having s'mores again, right?" Sokka asked. The group laughed at him as they walked on.

"I'm serious. S'mores, right?"

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"Calm down, Azula."

"Why should I, Ty Lee? I bet those Jet lovers threw the challenge on purpose just to get me out," Azula spat as she paced around their cabin.

"Well maybe so, but if that was the case, wouldn't they already have voted you out? They almost had enough votes to eliminate you the day Jet left," Mai added boringly from her position on her bed.

"Oh they had enough votes that night," Azula smirked devilishly.

Ty Lee jumped up curiously. "What are you talking about? You're still here."

"Ugh. Way to point out the obvious, Ty Lee," Mai snickered.

"I'm just saying. If they had enough votes the night Jet left, why isn't Jet still here instead of you?"

"Loop hole," Azula added.

"What kind of loop hole?"

Azula failed to answer the question, but instead changed the conversation's topic. "Is that Kianu guy going to eliminate the two people with the most amounts of votes?"

"How should we know? This is our first double elimination," Mai said.

"Then I guess I have to add another loop hole," Azula said.

"Wait, Azula, what are you--" Ty Lee began. She never finished the question because Azula left the cabin without even a second glance.

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"Mmm, s'mores," Sokka said between mouthfuls of warm, crunchy bites of two s'mores (yes, two whole s'mores).

"Just how did you guys even get this stuff?" Katara asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Oh that's easy. Me, Twinkle Toes, and Bandanna Boy just hid out in the mess hall's bathroom until it closed. Then we snuck in the kitchen and got the goods. Sparky was on look out," Toph explained as she wiggled her toes further into the dirt.

"And why was I not invited on this special ninja mission?" Sokka asked after he managed to swallow his two s'mores.

"Because you were too busy snoring in the mess hall when we planned it, Snoozles," Toph laughed.

Sokka opened his mouth to object, but closed it.

A couple of minutes passed where Team Kuruk just sat by the fire and talked and joked with each other until Suki proposed, "Ugh. I am stuffed. How about we play a game?"

"Niiice idea, Warrior Girl. How about Truth or Dare?" Toph said.

Her team members mumbled some agreements and some groans escaped their throats. "Truth or Dare it is."

"Who first?" Sokka asked.

"I'll go," Haru volunteered.

"Okay, Haru. Truth or dare?" Suki asked.

"Truth."

"Way to go, Mr. Unadventurous," Toph interjected.

"Okay, so...is there anyone on this team you see yourself talking to out of camp?" Suki asked, trying to start with easy questions so as the game progressed, it would get more challenging and personal.

"Yep," he answered with a huge grin on his face.

"Alright. That's my question."

"Sokka! Truth or dare?" Haru asked.

"Ughh....truth."

"Have you ever gone a day without eating dinner?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed. The teens around him burst out in laughter.

"Aang, truth or dare?" Sokka continued.

"Truth."

"Is everyone going to pick truth?" Toph sighed.

"Aang.....have you ever been in a fight?"

"Nope."

"These are the most boring questions ever," Toph interjected.

"Toph. Truth or dare?" Aang asked.

"Dare."

"I dare you to...um....shove a s'more in Sokka's face."

"Hey! Why me?"

Aang made an I-don't-know noise as Toph jumped up from the log and started fidgeting through the food supplies to create a s'more. She stuck the marshmallow on a stick and held it into the fire. "Don't worry, Snoozles. Soon this treat will be all over you face. But in the meanwhile, Katara! Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Do you like Sparky? I mean, Zuko?"

Her team-mates were all looking at her intently. She glanced at Zuko, who was also looking at her, but she turned away. "No."

Zuko looked away from her that moment as all attention went to him. "Alright...well that was my question." Toph said.

"Suki? Truth or dare?"

"Let's see....truth."

"Katara."

Katara looked away from Suki and at Zuko. She didn't respond verbally just raised her eyebrow as to say _What?_

"Come here. I have to talk to you."

"I'm asking Suki her truth question."

"Oh don't worry, Sugar Queen. I'll handle that. Go ahead and chat with Sparky," Toph said. Katara whipped her head back and caught Toph's eyes. She was smirking. Katara hesitantly got up from her place on the dirt and followed Zuko a couple of yards away from where the rest of the team was located.

From where they were, their team member couldn't see them, and vise versa.

"What do you want?" Katara spat angrily.

"I'd like to know what your problem is."

"My problem is you. There. Are we done now?" Katara said impatiently as she turned away from him and started to walk away. Of course, Zuko wasn't going to let that happen. He grabbed her wrist and swung her back to where he stood.

"What did I do to you? We were getting along just fine a week ago. Then ever since we kissed you started ignoring me. Why?"

Katara was looking at Zuko straight in the eyes while he was talking. When it was her turn to speak, she quickly darted her eyes away from his. She sighed. "This would have never happened if you never kissed me. I wish you wouldn't have."

" Oh come on. That's not what you thought when you were kissing me back," Zuko smirked.

"Yeah that was before I knew you already had a girlfriend," she said quietly. Zuko caught everything she said despite her quiet tone.

"Where did you here that?"

"I didn't. I saw you kiss her; that's proof enough."

"Katara, no---I can explain."

She looked into his flaming golden eyes, which were filled with what looked to her like sincere. "Go ahead."

"My ex-girlfriend wanted to know why I dumped her. I told her over and over again why but she wouldn't believe me. So I got frustrated and dropped it. She came up to me and told me she forgave me and then she kissed me. I told her I couldn't...I couldn't do that and walked away."

Katara had been staring at him the entire time. She wasn't sure if she should trust him, or if she shouldn't. After all, she'd been through enough crap with dudes as it is. But Zuko wanted to apologize, so she was willing to at least forgive him.

"Okay, I believe you."

"So that was the reason why you were crying in the mess hall? And why you were swaring at me so much. And....why you kneed me," Zuko said. Katara giggled at the memory.

"Yeah. I'd tell you I'm sorry, but then I'd be lying," she smiled. Zuko looked at her.

"So we're friends again, right?" he asked, just making sure they were both on the same page.

"Friends," she smiled, hugging him from where she stood. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. _For now_, he thought.

"We should probably get back now. Sokka's probably sitting on nails wondering what's happening," she said as she pulled away.

"Yeah," Zuko said as him and Katara made their way back to the campfire.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aww look, Sparky and Sugar Queen made up," Toph teased. Sokka glared at Zuko.

"Just _what _happened back there?"

"Nothing, Sokka. Chill out," Katara said, taking her place on the log.

"It better have been nothing. For_ your _sake," he says, looking at Zuko.

"Oh and Snoozles, before I forget," Toph says as she takes the s'more and shoves it on Sokka's face. His fellow team members were laughing hysterically at him as the chocolate started dripping down his face. Of course, Sokka loves s'mores, so he wiped some of it off of his face and stuffed it into his mouth.

His team-mates were doubled over in laughter at the sight of him.

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Azula pretty much already knew what she planned to do to keep from going home elimination night. Quite frankly, she knew all along. There was no way on earth she'd be leaving tomorrow night. But she knew one freakish girl that will. She smirked deviously.

* * *

**_*-Okay you guys. There is still a double elimination. It's in the next chapter. And just what is Azula doing to keep herself safe.? Hmm...I wonder...Zuko and Katara are friends again despite their silence. The next chapter should be up shortly. And again, to all you guys who read this story thanx! And for you who also review, thanxx!! And to all of you who fave, thanxx! And if you do all of that, I love you!!! lol._**

**_Alright..I'm out so press the review button. =D_**


	11. Double Elimination

_***-It's me again! Which means its another Camp Avatar chapter! Yay! So unfortunately for you guys I just wrote my entire author's note but guess what.? When I clicked that save button with that little green check, it took it all away! Woo! So that means I have to say stuff all over again, and hmm, I try to remember what I said before. Okay so this is double elimination. It is a short chapter, basically a continuation from last chapter. So anyways thats all I'm repeating because I feel sick right now. Agh.-***_

**_These are my disclaimers._**

**_No owning Avatar peoples, you know this already!!_**

_**No owning what's under the chapter title, those lyrics are from this song by** Thirteen Senses **called** Into the Fire._

**_Okay thats all, so go ahead and read!!_**

**_=D_**

_**

* * *

**_

**_11. Double Elimination_**

_Come on,_

_Come on,_

_Put your hands into the fire._

"I can't wait 'till the elimination ceremony tonight," Smellerbee smiled. She glanced at the faces staring back her.

"Why?" The Duke asked.

"Because Azula's gonna be one of the people going home tonight. If I'm voting her out, you're voting her out, Longshot's voting her out, and Pipsqeak's voting her out, then she'll definitely be going home," Smellerbee explained.

"Well what if it's tied? There's four against her, and four for her, assuming that Chan's voting with Azula and her friends. So then it'll be Azula and one of us going home," Pipsqueak reasoned.

Smellerbee looked at him with shock. She hadn't even considered that. She always thought they had enough votes to get her out with out a problem. But since Jet left, it was an even amount of Sozin members. So tying could be a possibility. And she could be going home, too.

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"So the ceremony's tonight," Mai said emotionlessly as they walked into the mess hall.

"Yeah it is," Ty Lee added. "Do you know how you're not going home?" she asked Azula.

"Of course I do. I'm_ always _prepared," she smirked deviously. Her cold amber eyes scanned the mess hall tables, and of course, she hadn't seen Smellerbee and her fellow freaks. This only made her smirk transition to a wide devilish grin.

"Are you going to tell us how you know this?" Ty Lee asked once she picked up a lunch tray from the stack by the door.

"In time. Just not now."

Ty Lee and Mai both glanced back at their friend. Both curious as to what she wouldn't tell them.

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"Since we're all guys in here, Zuko, why don't you tell me what happened between you and my sister the other day?" Sokka inquired, leaning up from his bunk bed.

Haru groaned and mumbled softly, "Not _this_ again."

"I told you already, Sokka. Nothing happened," Zuko tried explaining to Katara's over-protective older brother.

"Sure. Sure. That's what you _want _me to think," Sokka said, slitting his eyes in Zuko's direction.

"Can't you just drop it already, Sokka? You've been asking him that since we left the campfire last night," Haru groaned again.

"No, I can't just drop it. That's my sister, you know. And Zuko, I don't know what you're relationship is with her, but if you do anything to hurt her in_ any _way, I will kill you," Sokka threatened.

"Did you say any of this to Jet?" Zuko bluntly asked. He glanced over at Sokka who was still forming his reply.

"I didn't get a chance to. Before I knew she was already dating the goof and then the next day she's upset but I catch her making out with him. And then he's gone."

"Hmph," Zuko added as he lay back on his bed.

"Have you ever noticed that anytime you and Zuko talk, it's always about Katara?" Aang reasoned.

"Ha, you're right," Haru smiled.

Zuko and Sokka looked at each other. Neither one of them had noticed that.

"That's only because Zuko has a profound interest in my sister."

"What profound interest?"

"Yeah other than that he mentioned she was cute?" Haru interjected.

"I didn't say that," Zuko defended himself right as Sokka was blurting, "When did he say that?"

"You almost did. Back when Haru teased you about falling in love with Katara. You said you definitely weren't and then Sokka asked you what was wrong with Katara. You told him nothing and started saying that she was cute but then Sokka cut you off," Aang said, rubbing his hand across Appa's furry white head. Appa was Aang's dog; he was laying underneath the covers with Aang.

"So you think my sister cute, huh, Zuko?" Sokka started questioning again.

"Ugh. We_ all _think that your sister's cute. She's freakin' _hawt_; are you going to question all of us, now?" Haru asked. Sokka's continuous questioning was beginning to irritate him.

"When did any of you start talking about Katara?"

"Just stop talking, Sokka," Haru said, leaning back in his bed.

"No, I want to know when you all were talking about her."

Zuko groaned this time and got off of his bed. He switched the lamp off, immediately swallowing up the room in pitch black darkness. Zuko hesitantly made his way back to his bed.

"I still want to know," Sokka said stubbornly.

"Agh, go to bed," Haru said, shifting his position underneath his covers.

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"We meet again, Team Sozin," Kianu says from his tree stump. Eight emotionless faces stared back at him. "Well, I must say it's not a great night to see you guys. But, we all know why you're here, so let's get to it, okay? Tonight is a double elimination, so I have to explain something to you all. You will vote as you normally would, and the two people with the most amount of votes is going home. Everyone understand?"

He paused to look at the nodding heads before him. "Good. So let's start, Smellerbee you're up."

Smellerbee headed to the booth to cast her vote. The members continued to head to the booth one at a time until Azula was the last person to scrawl down her vote. The entire time she was in the booth, she wore a devious smirk on her face. It took her awhile to join the rest of her team while she stood in the booth and did exactly what she did the night Jet left.

Finally, Azula came out of the booth and sat on her tree stump. "What were you doing in there that took so long?" Kianu asked her.

She faked a smile and answered, "Oh I just couldn't decide who to vote for. I've grown so fond of the people on my team."

Her team? Smellerbee thought as she snickered in reply to Azula's statement. Kianu arose from his place and headed towards the booth to retrieve the container that held Team Sozin's votes.

"Alright. You all know the drill; I'll read the votes and the two people with the most amount of votes will be leaving us tonight. The first vote is for"---he pauses to unfold the paper---"Smellerbee."

Second vote, "Pipsqeak." He was obviously shocked that his name appeared on the paper.

Third vote, "Pipsqeak."

Fourth vote, "Pipsqueak."

Fifth vote, "Smellerbee."

Sixth vote, "Smellerbee."

Seventh vote, "Pipsqeak." He knew he was one of the people who was leaving tonight, and he looked down.

Last vote, "This is the final vote. The two people leaving Camp Avatar tonight is Pipsqeak and"--- unfolds the paper---"Smellerbee. I'm sorry you two but this was you're last night here."

Smellerbee expected to be voted out, but she was surprised that Pipsqueak had to join her. But what shocked her the most was that none of the votes in the container had Azula's name on it. And she was very sure there should have been one vote for Azula. Smellerbee voted her out; but her vote was never revealed.

Smellerbee and Pipsqueak left the campsite together. As always, Azula was satisfied with the way the votes turned out.

* * *

**_*-Smellerbee and Pipsqeak have left this fic. Sorry for any of you who were their fan, but hey, rather them then anyone else. And just what did Azula do to the votes.? Because 'conviently' none of them had her name and we all know Smellerbee despises her for Jet's exit. Something fishyy is going on...hmmm. What do you think Azula's doing.?_**

**_You won't find out next chapter though because it's going to be all about our favorite monk friend Aang!! Yay!!_**

**_As always please review and thanxx for taking time to read this!! _**

**_=D_**


	12. A Symphony for the Peacemaker

_***-Hello world!! I have finished the chapter so I just had to post it. It's late, and all, and I don't have much to say, so I'll do my disclaimers.**_

**_I don't own anything that involves Avatar or its characters._**

**_I don't own the lyrics because it is not my song. It's Guilty by Blue. (you sohuld check that out, it's a really great song)_**

**_Alright , read on!!!_**

**_=D_**

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**_13. A Symphony for the Peacemaker_**

_If it's wrong to tell the truth,_

_What am I supposed to do?_

_When all I wanna do is speak my mind?_

Aang grabbed a bowl of pork'n beans from the lunch table along with a bowl of applesauce, a plate of mashed potatoes, and a slice of chocolate cake. As he headed toward the table occupied by his friends, he looked at the sliced franks swimming around in his bowl strangely.

Ever since his parents died in the house fire three years ago, he became a vegetarian. That wasn't the only reason for him to give up meat, though. Aang had to live with his grandfather, Gyatso, after his parents passed away. Gyatso was an old man who believed that all life was sacred. Even when Aang or himself would find a spider or a roach around in the house, Gyatso didn't allow Aang to kill it. Instead he'd grab a container and shoo the insect in, then dump it outside.

He didn't even buy eat, and didn't allow Aang to eat it, either. So his vegetarian way of life was sort of forced. When he became a vegetarian, he began to realize that it was wrong to eat meat. Aang started to appreciate life as a gift. He understood that eating meat was wrong because it killed animals before it was their time to go.

Aang owed being faithful to his vegetarian ways to his parents' deaths. He felt that the fire represented non-vegetarian humans and his parents represented the living beings that the humans killed to eat and that the fire had swallowed them up and took away their lives before it was time for them to originally leave the earth.

The death of his parents was very traumatic to Aang. He sometimes blamed himself for their unexpected deaths because of the way he behaved. Like the spirits above wanted to treat him a lesson. The only reason he kept thinking that it was his fault was because Aang thought he left the candles in his room lit (he always lights candles when he meditates; a habit he picked up from Gyatso) before he left the house to walk Appa around the block. Aang kept contemplating the thought that MoMo, his cat, could've knocked one of the candles He kept thinking that if it wasn't for his mistake, that his parents would still be living.

"Hey Aang," a female voice says, flashing Aang back into his reality. When he fully focused, he noticed it was On Ji who greeted him.

On Ji was a non-competitor at Camp Avatar he met a week ago during mess hall.

"Hey," he smiled as he sat with his friends.

"I want to thank you again for helping me with my whole 'situation'," she said.

Aang smiled again, "No problem. I'm just glad I could help."

On Ji left the table and headed towards the lunch line with her friends.

Haru's eyebrow was raised at Aang after the girl was out of site. "So who was that?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"That's Aang's girlfriend," Katara teased from across the table.

"She is not," Aang defended himself.

"Oh really? She sure seemed glad to see you for someone who's_ not _your girlfriend," Sokka pitched in.

"You guys, c'mon. She's not my girlfriend."

"So then, who is she?" Haru repeated.

"Her name's On Ji. She's my friend."

"Girlfriend," Suki said while she pretended to cough. She laughed along with Katara.

"She isn't," Aang protested once again.

"What was she talking about? With you helping her with her"----makes air quotations---"'_situation'_?" Sokka asked.

"She was having trouble dealing with something, so I just gave her some advice. That's it. Okay?" Aang explained to his friends.

"Okay," Zuko said in a questioning tone.

"Guys."

"Alright alright. Gee, Aang we're just kidding with you," Haru said.

"Yeah. We're just teasing," Katara said.

Toph was sitting next to Haru, right across from Aang, but she didn't even add her two cents in the conversation like she usually does. Anytime someone in the group was making fun of someone else, she'd always be happy to jump in. But she hadn't said a word. Aang didn't even think she looked up from her bowl. _Odd_, Aang thought.

"Uh-huh. So Aang, you're not going to eat those franks, right?" Sokka asked, pointing toward his bowl of pork n'beans.

"You already know I'm not, Sokka."

"So can I have them?"

"I haven't even finished the beans yet. When I do, you can have them, but I don't see why'd you want to. How would you feel if someone fattened _you_ up and ate _you_ for dinner?" Aang lectured.

Sokka made an "I don't know" noise and continued eating his dinner.

_**-----------/~*~\----------**_

"Aang, is On Ji the reason why you asked about what love is?" Sokka asked from his top bunk.

Aang rubbed Appa's head and looked up at Sokka. "No, she isn't. How many times do I have to tell you guys she's not my girlfriend and I don't even think of her that way?"

"I was just asking. I remember you asking me what love is, and I was thinking maybe she was the one you loved," Sokka explained, toying around with his boomeraang.

"She's not," Aang said, laying flat on his back and staring at the bunk bed frame above him.

"Well if she isn't, then who is?" Zuko asked.

Aang was silent for a long time._ Should I tell them? _he thought to himself, questioning if they would run and tell.

"We're all guys in here, Aang. We won't tell," Haru prodded once Aang didn't reply.

He sighed and blinked for a minute. "I think I'm in love with Toph," Aang confessed.

The three older teenage guys were quiet, all faces staring at Aang. "I'd never thought you'd like the rough type," Haru spoke up.

"Yeah. Does she know how you feel?" Sokka asked Aang. He opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by Zuko's outburst.

"That was dumb. Of course she doesn't know. _Why would Aang be asking us_?" Zuko interjected, throwing one of his stress balls at Sokka who yelled, "Ow! What was that for?" and started rubbing his head.

"Your stupidity," Zuko answered.

"Do you hint that you like her as more than a friend?" Haru asked, ignoring the two other boys.

"Um...no," Aang replied.

"Have you had a girlfriend before, Aang?" Zuko asked him.

"No, actually I haven't," he answered shyly, rustling his short brown curls.

"Well we've got plenty of work to do then," Sokka said.

"What do _you_ know about girls, Sokka?" Zuko raised an eyebrow at the fellow teen.

"I know plenty, thank you. What about _you,_ emo boy? What do _you _know?"

"More than you do, probably."

"How do you figure that, creep?"

"He's been with your sister, you know," Haru butted in.

"I haven't!"

"_Hello?? _Aren't we supposed to be helping _me_ here?" Aang yelled over the argument the older guys were having. They all turned towards his bunk, as if they were just noticing he was there.

"Sorry."

"Alright, the best thing for you to do is tell her. She'll never how you feel if you don't tell her. She can't read minds; she doesn't know what you're thinking. Or feeling," Haru adviced.

Zuko scoffed at Haru's comment, "Are you serious? That's what girls do. You should just play it cool. Start hinting that you like her, or love her whatever you feel for her."

"No, that's not what you do. Those douche bags don't know what they're talking about. Here's what you do Aang. Nothing. Don't do anything until you know for sure that she returns the feelings," Sokka said.

Both Haru and Zuko groaned. "Don't listen to him," they both said in unison.

Aang didn't know who to listen to. Every single one of them all gave him different advice. How was he supposed to choose who was right?

_**-----------/~*~\----------**_

Aang was sitting on the steps of the boys' cabin waiting for Toph to walk across the Camp Avatar lot. He hadn't seen her come out of the girls' cabin yet, and he was really anxious. He kept running his fingers through his short hair; he was still trying to figure out what he should do about the entire ordeal. Should he tell Toph how he really feels? Should he just keep quiet and wait 'till she hints that she feels something for him, too? Should he hint that he likes her?

Everything was just a blur. Aang was tired of just watching Toph from the sidelines. He knew someday, if he wanted to be with Toph, he had to tell her. Like Haru had said last night, she can't read minds. But he was so nervous about the entire thing. How should he go about telling her?

"Aang? What are you doing sitting here?" Katara asked him as she walked over to the boys' cabin. She sat next to Aang on the steps.

"Nothing much, really," he tried to smile, despite the nervousness upsetting his stomach.

"Really, Aang? With all that's been happening this short time we've been here, I can pretty much tell you're hiding something. But..you don't have to tell me," Katara said, looking out at all the people passing by.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Aang caved in. Katara smiled, and turned towards the younger teen.

"I'm having some girl problems and I don't know what to do about it. I've asked the guys, but they don't agree, and I have absolutely no experience with this type of stuff..it's confusing," Aang sighed.

"Ugh. Guys have no idea what they are talking about half the time. From a girl's point of view, I think you should tell her. It'd make everything alot easier. The best approach is always the direct one. Girls hate when guys play mind games. It just makes everything weird and confusing."

"But what if she doesn't like me?" Aang asked worriedly.

"It's okay if she doesn't. Rejection happens to all of us. But I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about that with Toph," Katara smiled to herself.

"How'd you know it was Toph?"

"Well, I know it's not me or Suki because we're too old for you. And you don't know us as well as you know Toph, so I just assumed. Opposites always attract, you know."

"Like you and Zuko?" Aang asked innocently.

Katara went quiet for a minute. She looked forward and then replied, "We're not attracted to each other."

"Oh, I just figured you two were together."

"No, we're not. We're just friends, that's all," Katara replied.

"Oh," Aang said, running his hand through his hair once again.

The two teens sat in silence for awhile until Katara broke it by saying, "There's your girl. I'll see you later, Aang."

"Hey Katara," Aang called out as she got up from the steps with him.

"Yeah?" she said, turning around.

"Thanks."

She smiled, "Hey, that's what friends are for."

She walked off as Aang strided towards Toph.

"Toph!" he called before he finally caught up with her.

"What's up Twinkle Toes?" she asked.

"I've got to talk to you. Do you think you could come here a minute?" he asked.

"O-kay..." Toph said skeptically as she followed Aang towards the spot Aang had just left.

"So what's it?" Toph asked.

Aang took a long and deep breath.

"I've known you for a long time, and we're great friends and everything and I don't really know how to tell you this exactly, so um..this is really important and I don't know if you feel the---"

"Spit it out, Twinkle Toes," Toph interjected.

"I'm in love with you, Toph."

* * *

**_*-Haha, cliffhanger. I just had to put that in there, it was begging to be put in there. But, you'll see what happens in the next chapter, whcih I'll start on soon, but for right now please press the button and leave me some reviews.!! Thanks everyone!!_**

**_=D_**


	13. Another Challenge Part I

_***-It's me again with another chapter, I don't have much to say only that I don't own avatar or the lyrics (from the Gwen Stefani song, "Hollaback Girl"). Anyways, read on!! =D**_

_**

* * *

**_

13. Another Challenge---Part 1

_This (shh..) is bananas._

_B-A-N-A-N-A-S_

"How does this keep happening?" The Duke asks Longshot, who's sitting at the lunch table watching his friend rant about the entire situation.

The Duke doesn't wait for a response to the question, but continues to ramble on, "I'll tell you how it happens. That evil princess, Azula, is up to something. Have you seen the way she smiles after every person is eliminated from the team?"

The Duke pauses and looks at Longshot. He doesn't expect him to answer, just feels it's appropriate to look at the person he's talking to before he continues on.

"She's after us, Longshot. She's eliminated every single Freedom Fighter one by one. We're next. Unless--"

He swallows a bite from his sandwich and starts again, waving his finger in the air. "Unless we figure out what she's doing and get her before she gets us. But how do we do that? That girl is sneaky. We don't even know what she's doing to get everyone out. And, nobody else but us will vote for her to go. So all we can do is just win the challenge today, right?"

The Duke looks back at Longshot, half expecting a response that will never come.

"Right," Longshot says simply. That was one word more than what he ever heard come out of his mouth. Which meant that Longshot was just as determined as he was. The Duke smiled and high-fived his fellow Freedom Fighter.

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

"Hey Toph, we saw what happened last week, you know," Suki smiled, combing her reddish brown hair into a short, high ponytail.

Toph raised an eyebrow at the older teen as she rapped her blue Team Kuruk bandana around her biceps. "Ha, really? And what was that, Warrior Girl?"

"That kiss Aang gave you in the middle of the campus," Suki said.

"It's not just Aang now. It's now Toph's new _boyfriend_, Aang," Katara teased, braiding her ponytail in preparation for the challenge later today.

"Oh shut up," Toph said.

"You're not denying it," Suki smirks, admiring herself in the mirror after she finished combing her ponytail. "Hey, Aang's a cute guy and you're a cute girl. You two make a great couple. He's this really calm and sweet dude, and you're this outspoken, rebellious girl. Opposites always attract. Like that Zuko guy and Katara."

"That's not true. Why does everyone seem to think that?" Katara defended herself, turning towards Suki.

"Please, Katara. Do I really have to explain it?"

"Ughh. What about you and Sokka? You aren't opposites, much, technically."

Suki blushed at the mention of Katara's brother's name. She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "But me and Sokka aren't together."'

"Neither are me and Zuko!"

"You want to be," Suki threw out. Katara stared at her, and then looked away, not even defending the statement.

"Anyways," Katara redirects, "does that kiss mean that you and Aang are together?"

Toph looked at the older teen, jumping off her place on her top bunk bed. "If I answer will you two stop hounding me about it?"

Katara and Suki smiled at each other, both answering, "Yeah sure," in unison.

"Yes."

The two older teens started giggling and smiling at Toph as they walked out of their cabin. Toph held her head down low; not wanting either girls to see the pinkish blush creeping up on her pale face.

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

"So who's advice did you take, Aang?" Sokka asked his fellow team member. The guys of Team Kuruk were all together in the lunch line basically talking about Aang's love life.

"You already know he took my advice," Haru says, picking up a lunch tray from the stack toward his right.

"Why would he take either of you two's when he has mine?" Zuko arrogantly asks.

"No one wants to take advice from a person who's never had a date," Sokka teases, glancing at the hot dogs and hamburgers placed ontop of the serving table.

"I've had plenty more than a date. I've had a girlfriend," Zuko defends himself.

"Yeah_, a_ girlfriend. Singular," Sokka points out.

"From what _I_ know, you haven't even---"

"Do we have to go over the same conversations over and_ over _again?" Haru interupts. The two guys glare at each other, then stare back at the lunch entrees.

"Plus, both of you are wrong. I saw Aang kiss Toph, so that must've meant he took my advice," Haru adds.

"Wait. So now our little young guy has a girlfriend, now?" Sokka asks, patting the guy in question's back.

"Could you guys just drop it? It doesn't really matter who's advice I took," Aang says, hoping to get the guys' minds off of his relationships and on to a topic more meaningless.

"We'll drop it after you tell us that you took my advice," Sokka smiles, grabbing his dessert and waiting for his other friends to get through the line. Sokka's comment contributed to the sighs and groans coming from the other guys.

"Actually, I didn't take any of you guys advice. I got advice from your sister, Katara, so I used that," Aang confessed once all of the guys were at the table. The girls of their team weren't sitting with them today; Aang figured it had to do with Toph's room-mates' questioning her about what happened between them.

"Katara?" Sokka asked, stunned that Aang took his_ younger siblings' _advice rather than his own.

"Yeah. She had some great things to say, you know, from a girls' point of view."

"But how would she know?"

"She is a girl, Sokka. I'm pretty sure she's had a couple of incounters with boys," Haru said with a mouthful of his hot dog still apparant in his mouth.

"No, she hasn't. She's my sister."

"Just because she's your sister doesn't mean guys aren't attracted to her. Take Zuko, for instance."

"Why am I always dragged into the conversation when we talk about Katara? Can't you say Jet, or something? That's the dude she was actually with," he asked, furrowing his eyebrow.

"But Jet's not here. And the expression on your face everytime I do drag you into the conversation is amusing," Haru smirked.

"If so, how come I haven't seen any of these boys?" Sokka asks, redirecting the conversation to the initial topic.

"Katara probably doesn't introduce you to them, considering you go berserk everytime someone mentions her being with a guy."

"I don't."

"Yeah right. You try believing that, after all that mess you caused me when I told you we kissed," Zuko says, swallowing his last bite of his hamburger.

Sokka's eyes were frozen on Zuko. "You _kissed _my sister?"

"Wow. I didn't know that. I guess you _do_ know some things about girls," Haru laughs.

"I hope you know I'm going to kill you," Sokka threatens.

"Don't act like this is my first time telling you," Zuko says.

"But it is. All we knew was that you thought she was beautiful," Aang says lowly to Zuko. Then he realizes it. No one knew about that moment. It slipped out of his mouth without even a warning.

"I'll deal with you after the challenge. Right now I'm going to ask my sister what she was thinking," Sokka says, jumping up from his position and heading towards the table full of girls.

After Sokka's a distance away, Aang says, "For the record, Katara_ is _really pretty."

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

"Do you two ever wonder how those guys get those obstacle things set up for our challenges?" Ty Lee asks her two friends sitting in front of her.

"No," Mai says, her voice deadpanned.

"I don't care how they get it set up. As long as I win them," Azula says.

"Are you really going to eat that?" Mai flatly asks Ty Lee, pointing towards the hamburger on Ty Lee's tray.

"Of course, Mai. Why wouldn't I?" Ty Lee smiles, drinking some of the Vitamin Water she packed in her bag before she left to come to Camp Avatar.

"Look at it," Mai says.

Ty Lee laughs one of her cheerful laughs and just takes a bite of the burger. "See? It's perfectly edible."

"Whatever."

"How come you never speak to Zuko, Azula? I mean, he_ is _your brother, and I don't even think you two have spoken since we came to the camp," Ty Lee asks.

Azula has a cold grin on her face, she flicks her eyes at her brother, then back at Ty Lee, "I've spoken to ZuZu. I don't make a continuous effort to speak to him."

"Well why not?"

"Do you make an effort everyday to speak to all of your sisters?"

"Not really. I mean, but thats only because we all live together. You two don't even live _near _each other," Ty Lee said.

Azula just rolled her eyes. "It's just ZuZu. He's nobody special."

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

"KATARA!!!" Sokka yelled at his sister, approaching the all-girl table she was posted at. She stared at her older brother with a confused look on her face.

"What?" she asked, oblivious as to what Sokka was so wrapped up about.

"_HOW COULD YOU KISS ZUKO?!"_ he practically screeched at her, making heads in the mess hall turn their way. Katara's face instantly went red; she was completely mortified.

Her eyes were bugged out at her overly-dramatic brother. "Who told you that?"

"ZUKO! JUST NOW!!"

Katara slapped her hand on her forehead and jumped from the table, grabbing her brother's wrist as she made a dash out the mess hall. She dragged him to the side of the mess hall before she began talking to him.

"Was it that serious?"

"YEAH, IT WAS!" Sokka yelled at her, even though she was hardly a foot away from him.

"Would you calm down and stop yelling at me?" she asked pleadingly.

"Fine. How could you kiss Zuko?" he asked her again.

"It was only once, Sokka."

"But why?"

"It was just..something we did in the spur of the moment. It won't happen again, okay?" she said to him.

"When was this, anyway?"

"A while ago..wait...why are we even discussing my love life anyway?"

"Because I care about you, Katara. I know what guys are thinking, and I just don't want them to take advantage of you," he confessed.

"Well thanks, Sokka, really. I know that you're only trying to protect me and I appreciate that. But you don't have to over-react everytime you hear about me and a boy. I'll be fine, Sokka; I can defend myself."

"I know you can. I just feel like it's my duty; being your older brother and all."

"It's natural, I don't mind your 'brotherly insticts' sometimes, just don't kick them into overdrive, okay?" Katara reasoned.

Sokka smiled at his younger sister. "Alright. I'll try not to."

"Great," she beamed, hugging her brother with a large smile on her face. "I love you, Sokka."

"Love you, too. Now, could you let me go?" he asked her.

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

"Mai, I thought you and Zuko patched things up," Ty Lee said, walking out of the mess hall with Mai and Azula on either side of her.

"What are you talking about?" Mai asked, flat-toned,walking the steady pace her friends were.

"Didn't you hear what that cute boy with the wolf-tail was screaming at that girl?" Ty Lee asked her.

"No," Mai stated.

"Well, he said that Zuko and that girl with the blue eyes on Team Kuruk had kissed."

"Really," Mai said in her dead-zombie like voice, more of a statement than a question.

"Yup," Ty Lee replied.

"Don't you want to crush that Kuruk girl?" Azula asked Mai.

"Why?"

"Please, Mai. Don't pretend like ZuZu kissing some girl doesn't burn you up inside. We all know you still have a crush on him, for what reason I don't understand."

"It's normal if you do, Mai. You know, want to do something mean to the girl Zuko's dating," Ty Lee said.

"You don't have to answer; we already know you do. That's why we'll defeat them horribly at the challenge," Azula grinned, mentally laughing at the disappointed looks of the Kuruk team once they've won the challenge.

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

The Kuruk team, all except Toph and Aang, who were off together somewhere, were sitting on the steps of the boys' cabin, talking and goofing together while they waited for Kianu to call them for the challenge in a couple of minutes.

"Wait. How could we all be going to the same school, and not a single one of us knew each other until now?" Sokka asked.

"Maybe we all run in different crowds," Suki proposed.

"Yeah, maybe. Did any of you guys do anything extra-curricular or any sports or something?" Sokka questioned.

"I was on the football team my sophmore year," Haru answered.

"I did swimming," Katara added.

"What about you, Zuko?" Suki asked.

"I wasn't in any clubs, and I didn't do sports, either," he answered simply.

"I was in the technology club, but no sports," Sokka added.

"Weird. All of us go to the same school. You and Zuko are in the same grade, and so are me and Katara. And Haru was on the football team. Yet we hadn't even_ heard _of one another," Suki reasoned. There were a couple of agreements from the small team.

"Ironic how now we're on the same team," Haru said after a moment of silence passed.

"Yeah. What about Toph and Aang? Where do they go to school?" Katara asked.

"I don't know; but neither of them go to high school, so they don't attend where we're at," Sokka said.

"They will come September," Zuko added.

"Yeah. When school comes back around, we have to keep in touch, you know," Haru said.

"Definitely," Katara agreed, along with a couple of nods and agreements.

"_It is time for the Camp Avatar competitors to head to the docks for their next challenge_," Kianu's voice sounded from the intercom system.

"I guess that's our cue," Suki said, getting up from the steps.

Her fellow members also got up from their positions to head towards the docks.

"Shouldn't we find Toph and Aang and tell them it's time for the challenge?" Suki asked no one in particular as the group walked to the challenge.

"I'm pretty sure they heard Kianu over whatever they were doing," Zuko answered.

"Right. Now let's go kick some butt," Sokka said.

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

Both teams arrived to the docks wondering where their challenge was set up. All they saw was Kianu sitting on his usual director's chair and a large silver trash can right next to his chair. A couple of chairs were set up in one big circle around Kianu and the trash can. Each chair was either red or blue, set up in a red-blue pattern around the was a bag full of markers and a couple of sheets of paper in both of his large, tan hands.

"Hello guys and girls. I guess you're probably wondering where your challenge is, am I correct? Yes, well, we'll get to that soon. But first, I'm going to need every member of Team Kuruk to take their position in a blue chair, and all the Team Sozin members to take a seat in the red chairs," Kianu directed. The competitors had looks of confusion and skepticism etched across their faces, but followed Kianu's orders and took their positions.

Once everyone was situated, Kianu followed with more instructions, "Still wondering, right? Well, this challenge, is basically written, and it'll be over quickly, alright? So why have I gotten you all to sit in between members of the opposite team? So there won't be any influences from your fellow team members, that's why. Okay, so here are the directions for this challenge. I will pass out four sheets of paper for each of you and a marker. I'm going to ask four questions about what you think of your team members, and you will write down one of your team members' names that you think best matches what I've asked, alright? I'm going to go around with the trash can thirty seconds after I've asked the question, and you will put your answer into the can. There aren't any right or wrong answers, and your only choices are you're team members, everyone but yourself. This challenge is called Test of the Polls. Does everyone understand?"

There weren't any protests to his questions, so Kianu smiled and began to pass out the materials required for the challenge. After everyone had everything they needed, Kianu sat back on his chair and began to ask the questions, "Okay campers, first question; who do you think is least likely to win in an underwater challenge?"

The teenagers all began scrawling a name on their sheet after a while. Kianu grabbed the trash can and started walking around the circle; each person passing in their answer.

Kianu grabbed the sheets of paper and began reading the answers to himself, putting the papers in stacks. "So it looks like the majority of Team Kuruk believe Toph can't survive an underwater challenge; while the majority of Team Sozin think that The Duke is least likely."

"Anyways, on to the next question. Who do you think is least likely to win a solo challenge?"

Kianu timed his stopwatch and got up after exactly thirty seconds had passed. Again, the campers threw their answers in the bin. He sat back down in his chair and mentally counted the votes for each team. "The majority for Kuruk answered Aang. For Sozin, it is Longshot. Here is the next question; who do you believe is the weakest person, physically on your team?"

It didn't take a long time for the campers to write down their answers, so Kianu got up quicker than expected to retrieve the votes. He tallyed them once again and called out the results. "Well the Team Kuruk members believe that Suki fits this category. Team Sozin's members believe Mai is the weakest. Last question, who's the strongest on your team?"

Once everyone finished with their answers, Kianu read the last set of results out, "Okay...Team Kuruk has a tie between Zuko and Haru. Most of the entire Sozin team have voted Chan as their strongest member."

"Alright campers, that ends the first part of this challenge. Remember the category you were voted in if your name was mentioned. I'll see some of you tomorrow. Throw your markers in the bin before you leave."

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

"What did he mean by that?" Suki asked her team-members while heading away from the docks.

"By what?" Sokka pressed for more information.

"That whole 'I'll see_ some _of you tomorrow' thing."

"I have no idea. But I have a feeling whatever is tomorrow is going to be a doozy," Katara added.

"Why do you think that?" Aang asked.

"Come on. That challenge today was way too simple and easy. And he said it was only part one. He's planning something serious for tomorrow."

"What do you think will be the second part of the challenge?" Zuko asked.

"Who knows? Kianu is a questionable dude. Unpredictable," Toph reasoned.

"Yeah he is," Haru agreed.

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

"What the hell was that? Was that seriously supposed to be our challenge?" Azula asked angrilly to her two other friends after Kianu dismissed them.

"Well, I guess," Ty Lee said.

"It wasn't even a challenge. How could he consider that a challenge? It wasn't even a competition. Just some majority vote crap. I can't believe this."

"There's another part to the challenge, Azula. It's tomorrow," Ty Lee informed.

"It better not be as stupid as today's so-called 'challenge.'"

"Why are you so angry about the challenge, Azula?" Mai asked boringly.

"Because, Mai, I prefer to either win, or to send someone home. Not to take polls and cast votes like we're back in school."

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

"Man, Longshot. Why would Kianu do this to us? Kianu knows we need to get revenge on those girls for eliminating our Freedom Fighters. Well, maybe he doesn't know that exactly, but still," The Duke said to Longshot in their cabin. Chan wasn't present; he was outside doing his exercises.

"How do we get revenge if the challenges aren't competitions? It ruins our entire plans!" The Duke vented to the naturally silent Longshot.

"I hope the challenge tomorrow is something we can compete for. I guess we should probably try to win the challenge, since we don't have enough votes to send Azula out."

"But-" The Duke suddenly burst out, "if we convince Chan to vote on our side, we might have enough to tie. What happens when the votes tie at an elimination ceremony? Do they send both people home? Agh, this is confusing!"

_**~*/---*---\*~**_

* * *

*-This was basically a filler, I had to cover a lot of different people to continue on, so anyways please review if you're reading the fic. I don't know when I'll update again, but I'll try after I finish the Zutara fic that I haven't updated in forever! But yeah please review you guys!! Thanks!! =D


	14. Part II Challenges

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Guess who's back?? Me!! Haha, well it's been forever since I posted a chapter for this, right?? I know!! So now here's a new chapter for Camp Avatar, before I start my rambling!!

_**Disclaimer: You know, it really sucks that it has to keep being rubbed in my face that I don't own Avatar, or any of its characters. Quite frankly, if I did own it, the story wouldn't have ended and it'd be on tv with new episodes right now!!**_

_**Another disclaimer: I don't own the lyrics below either. Thats all from the awesome minds of Paramore (Ignorance).**_

_**=)**_

* * *

**14. Part II -- Challenges**

_I guess you can't accept that the change is good._

_It's good._

_It's goood._

_How come Azula hadn't come to me?_Zuko thought. He and his younger sister had made a deal earlier in the competition, and it seemed that Azula hadn't come to him with any requests for quite a long time. Was the deal off? He had no clue; no one ever knew what went on in his devious sister's head.

He needed his sister's help to make it through the camp. Sure, he finally made friends of his team---the people he once thought were annoying brats. But this competition wasn't about them. It was about earning the love and respect from his father. If he had to spare his team-mates to do so, then that's what he had to do. Zuko needed to make it to the end no matter what. Him and Azula might not be as close as siblings should be, but he knew that she could take him to the end. That was all that counted.

Not all the friends he'd made, or the feelings he'd developed for some girl. No, none of that should matter. He shouldn't care about hurting the people he'd learn to relate to. He had to; he just had to win. If he didn't, he could just forget about earning his father's respect, or his honor. But at what _cost_ was he willing to fight to earn all of that?

* * *

"We need the selected Camp Avatar contestants to report to the docks immediately," a voice sounded from the camp's outside speakers.

Haru tied his team's bandana across his head, heaved a deep sigh, and began walking towards the docks. He didn't know what to expect for the challenge---not like he ever did._ It had to be something serious, right? _thought Haru, exploring all the different possibilities.

After Haru arrived at the docks, he noticed that there were four different challenges set up over the water. Each challenge was separated by a black wall, disabling anyone from one challenge to look at some one on the other challenge. The sight puzzled Haru, why would there be four separate challenges?

"Hello again, campers," Kianu greeted, wearing a casual grin on his face while he paced back and forth across the dock. His eyes scanned all of the younger faces standing in a straight, horizontal line, all faces staring right back at him.

"I guess you're probably wondering why there are four different challenges over here today, right.? Well, if you remember, yesterday I had your team members vote on different questions, correct? You guys are going to compete to see who is better at that category. Simple as that, but there's one more thing. You aren't competing as a team right now. If you lose, you lose solely. Everybody got it?" Kianu briefly explained. His hands were in mid-air for emphasis.

Haru hesitated before he nodded in understandment. Just_ what _was Kianu up to? Why was he vetoing the use of his team? Before Haru had a moment to contemplate the swirling questions flying around in his head, three camp counselors appeared from almost out of nowhere and stood next to Kianu.

"Alright. One of us will be your host and instructor for each of the challenges. Which means these people beside me will just be doing my job, just all at the same time. Now that we all understand each other, let's get started, shall we?" Kianu smirked, clapping his hands before he started to speak again.

"Longshot and Aang head to the first challenge with Jun; The Duke and Toph head to the next challenge with Joo Dee; Suki and Mai go to the one beside Toph and The Duke's challenge with Bumi; and the three that's left, Chan, Haru, and Zuko, head to the challenge on the end with yours truly," Kianu started calling out.

Haru did as he was instructed, following Zuko and Chan to the last challenge. He sighed deeply, wondering just _what_ exactly was in store for him.

* * *

"Are the challenges over?" Sokka asked, his voice a faint sound between Kianu and the two teams. The winners of the competition stood behind Kinau---their chests heaving up and down, soaked in their own sweat. Kianu, who stood holding a secret smirk on his face, watched the blank stares that came from each of the teen's eyes surrounding him.

"What happened to Haru?" Katara asked, noticing that, among the row of teens behind Kianu, not a single face belonged to Haru. Her team-mates realized this, too, then being darting their eyes around in a desperate attempt to find their lost member.

"Where's Suki?" Sokka asked aloud, noticing also that the girl was no where to be found.

"So teams, I guess you're probably wondering why I have called you out here and why some of your team members are not standing behind me," Kianu started. "Well, it's definitely a big shocker, so brace yourself cause here it comes. If anyone from your team isn't behind me, they aren't coming back. The ones you do not see are eliminated."

This confession earned a load of sighs and "What?"s from the crowd. Kianu held his palms out to the teens, gesturing for them to calm down. "But this isn't it. The two teams---Sozin & Kuruk---are no more from this point on. You will all be playing as individuals. That means former Team Sozin and Kuruk member better get acquainted with each other, unless you're begging to be eliminated."

"Kianu! Are you serious, man?" Toph yelled out in response, while the people behind her were still in total shock---the only words coming out their mouths being, "no way", "wow" or "what".

"Definitely serious, Kianu answered, rubbing his hands together.

"Oh...this should be fun," Azula smirked, her eyes cold, her mind clouded with nothing but conniving, deceiving schemes.

"Still, there is one more thing I must add," Kianu continued on, "Come out, now."

Bodies and heads swiveled around in curiosity, heads snapping back and forth until a silhouette formed in the shadows of the forest. A leg became visible. Then another, and before anyone knew it --------

"What the HELL??" Katara screamed out, placing her hands at the side of her waist. Her eyes bugged.

Azula's face showed no emotion, except pure astonishment. Her thoughts were stunned to silence. Zuko's eyes widened at the sight of the old Team Sozin member. Jet.

Jet stood tall and confident, wearing that same lop-sided grin that had Katara crushing on him the moment she laid her eyes on him.

"And this is how I leave you," Kianu said, backing up as he walked off the docks and faded into the shadows.

People were scattered all around the docks, wondering either who Jet was, or just why had he come back. "Of_ all _the people to bring back, you bring that _shallow, pathetic, egocentric son of a _-----"

"Hey Sugar Queen, that guy's your boyfriend, right?" Toph smirked, cutting off the rest of Katara's statement.

Katara's eyes were locked on the tall, brown-haired boy. "No," came her reply, short and simple. She sighed, and took her eyes away slowly, from the so-called ex-boyfriend.

"Toph, if anyone needs me, tell them I'll be back at the cabin," Katara said after awhile. Toph nodded to show that she'd heard the older teen. Katara then walked off, into the empty forest.

* * *

_What the hell is wrong with Kianu bringing that jerk back here like that? I can't stand him. He needs to go back home. Ugh, I HATE him. I hate Jet and his stupid manipulating ways of making me like him. The jerk. He only used me, and stupid me, I fell for it. Now he's back. Life SUCKS_, Katara thought to herself as she strided through the forest.

Her mind was a jumbled mess, enabling her to think straight because of all the thoughts swirling through her head in simultaneous directions. Yet each thought circled around one person. And that person was Jet. The jerk who had played her only for his advantage. The loser who never actually thought she was attractive, or was in any way possible interested in how pretty her name was. Everything he'd said to her was a lie. A lie. All of it. But a ridiculously beautiful lie it was.

_Why did he have to do that, play with emotions the way he did?_

"Damn it, Jet. I hate you for this. I hate you!" She cried out to no one in particular. She collapsed to her knees, tears flowing hurridly from her intense blue eyes.

* * *

"What's wrong, Azula? Didn't you miss me?" Jet asked her sarcastically. He walked over to her, his body towering over her like a New York skyscraper. His height did not make much of a difference for Azula, however. She wasn't at all intimidate by him. Her eyes still casted a malicious glare at him, to match the maleficent snarl etched on her face, just like she would to anyone else who was of eye-level to her.

"Don't blow your head up. If you ask me, bringing you back was nothing but a waste of time," she replied nonchalantly.

"Really? How so?" Jet threw another sarcastic look of interest at Azula.

"Well, for starters, haven't you looked around? You're precious little Freedom Fighter members are all gone. I annihilated right them after I sent their leader packing," Azula replied with an evil smirk gracing her lips.

Jet's sarcasm died down once his expression transitioned to one full of seriousness. He cocked his down at the pride princess before him. "Alright, Azula, you wanna talk game? Here ti is," Jet leaned down to Azula's ear so that she could hear every single word coming out of his mouth clearly.

"I _know_ what you've been doing. You've stuffed the box every elimination night in your favor. That's the_ only _way I was eliminated. You blocked everyone else's vote but your own. So don't _tell_me that you annihilated them. Because, Azula, you are nothing but----A. _Cheater_," Jet whispered harshly into her ear. Much to her surprise, she caught herself shiver at his words.

But before she had a chance to reply, the wolf-tailed guy from the once Team-Kuruk popped over and joined in the conversation. "Hey, you're that idiot guy who made out with my sister, aren't you? We need to talk."

Azula broke her death glare from Jet as he was grabbed by the boy off onto a farther area of the docks. She then grabbed her two sidekicks as she stomped away from the rest of the people.

"What's wrong Azula?" Ty Lee asked her friend in her usual perky tone.

"Nothing," Azula spat quickly. She rolled her eyes, then said to herself, "He has to go home again. Soon."

Mai and Ty Lee stared at her dumbly.

"What are you talking about?" Mai asked in her dull, boring voice.

"Don't worry about it. It'll be over before you even realize it started." Azula threw another glare at Jet.

* * *

"Do I even know you?" Jet asked the angry guy standing almost at eye-level in front of him.

"Oh you _bette_r know me. Remember the girl you made out with before you left? Yeah, that's my _sister_," Sokka lashed, his thick brown eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh....._Katara's_your sister? Hmm, that reminds me, where_ is _the beauty?" Jet asked, tapping at his chin as he twisted his head back and forth to look for the girl.

"Don't come anywhere near her, you hear me----"

"Come here, Snoozles," Toph said, dragging Sokka away from the returned Camp Avatar member.

"What'd you do that for? I was in the middle of telling that guy something really important," Sokka said.

"Yeah, I heard. Do you do that to every guy you see Katara with?"

"No....." Sokka answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sugar Queen can handle it on her own, Snoozles, so let her," Toph advised.

"Why are you lecturing me?" Sokka asked the younger teen.

"Because I can, and you should listen," Toph smirked, then punched Sokka on his arm randomly.

"Uh,_ OW!! _What was that for??" he yelled, rubbing at the spot Toph's fist just left.

"I don't know," she answered, "Just, felt like it."

* * *

Zuko shook his head, sweat swinging out from it. His ink-black shag of hair was matted down in messy wet clots across his forehead. He stood at the side of the docks, wondering why everyone was making such a big deal out of Jet's return. Jet was no one special. So what he knew the boy before the game had even started, but that didn't mean that just because he was suddenly back he was supposed to act like they were best friends. That was never going to happen.

* * *

"Katara."

She stopped her sobs for a moment, lifted her head slowly to address the person who'd just spoken her name.

"What do you want, Jet?" she snarled, glaring at him through bloodshot eyes.

"C'mon Katara, don't be like that. What's wrong?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Are you serious? Are you really serious? You don't know what's wrong?" Katara asked him.

Jet looked down at her with a dumbfounded look etched across his face. "If I knew I wouldn't have asked. What's your problem, Kat'?"

"You, Jet. You're my problem. Why the hell are you here?" she spat coldly.

Jet was at a loss of words. He didn't expect such a hostile statement from her. He thought she'd be ecstatic to see him, but obviously, that wasn't the reaction he was receiving. "You don't want me here?" he asked her.

Katara arose from her crouched knee position on the ground, uncaring to the dirt stains on her faded-blue jeans. Her brown eyebrows were furrowed as she walked up to the taller---and older---teen. "You just figuring that out? C'mon Jet, you didn't seriously expect me to welcome you back with open arms did you? Not after what you did to me."

"What do you mean, 'after what I did to you'?"

"Why are you playing dumb? I'm not stupid, Jet. I know you only went out with me to win a challenge."

Jet stared at her. Stupefied.

"Oh, yeah. You didn't know I knew did you?" she asked in a whispered voice, "I heard you telling that gold-eyed girl about how it would be 'too easy' to use me because I was oh so 'naive'. Guess I'm not as naive as you thought, huh, Jet?"

She smirked, taking in the blank expression across Jet's face. He was still silent. Crap, he thought. Now what? The girl hated him for what he thought he was doing secretly. And to make matters even worse, he sort of held feelings for her. It was way too obvious that Katara in no way reciprocated the same feelings for him. He should've known this. But how would he convince her that his motives have changed?"

"Katara, I'm sorry. I was stupid then," he tried apologizing.

"You were stupid then? You're still stupid---and you aren't sorry at all. You're just sorry you got caught. But, you know what? I don't even care anymore. Go play with someone else's emotions," Katara said, waving her hands in mid-air for emphasis.

"Kat', don't act like that, please," Jet said, trying to reconcile the broken relationship he had with her.

Katara shivered. That nickname had gotten to her, he saw her reaction when he'd uttered it.

"Don't...don't Jet," she whispered, avoiding contact with his eyes.

"Don't what?"

"Don't...don't call me that anymore. Just don't, please," Katara begged silently.

"You liked it when I gave it to you," he said, weaving his fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, well when you gave it to me I hadn't known you were playing me from the very beginning, did I?" she answered, snatching his arm and pushing it away from her.

"I'm trying to tell you I've changed! I'm not like that anymore. I'm sorry for what I've done."

"No," Katara answered, with her back turned towards Jet, "You haven't changed at all."

She left him standing in the middle of the woods. Alone.

* * *

_***-Ha!! Didn't expect that I'd bring Jet back did you!! Well I have!! Aren't I just peachy? Haha, weirdness. Okay, so I think I feel rambling coming up so I'ma stop here. Review if your reading because they are really appreciated!! Hey, if you review I'll give you an imaginary present (and like imaginary Halloween candy, you know they're always the best ones!!) LOL. **_

_**Happy Holidays you guys. =)**_


	15. Whirlwind of Confusion

_**Me again!!! Wooh, yeah, it's been awhile for this story, right? I know, cause I've been working on my other ff story after I had complete writer's block for this one. But hey! It must go on, right? Yeah! Lol, okay, I think I'm babbling like I always do, so I'm going to stop and give the important information: I DON'T OWN A:TLA!! And in case you guys were wondering, the lyrics are from a Hey Monday song..."How You Love Me Now" Which I don't own either. boo. **_

**_Reads please!! =)_**__

* * *

15. Whirlwind of Confusion

_Can't understand?_

_I'll slow it down for you._

"So...I guess you're our new room-mate now," Aang said, watching as Jet unpacked his luggage on Haru's empty bed.

"I guess I am," Jet replied, unaware to the stares from the rest of the guys in the cabin. Jet stripped off his shirt, grabbing his tank top from his suitcase. He pulled the top over his body, then closed his suitcase and dropped it to the floor next to his bed.

"What's your name again?" Aang asked, as he stroked his hand through Appa's fluffy fur.

"It's Jet," he answered, laying down.

"Oh," Aang said, looking around the room somberly. A silence had occurred, since Aang couldn't think of a better reply, and Sokka didn't even want to talk to the boy, because of his relationship with his sister. And then there was Zuko, who wanted no part of the conversation, judging by the expression on his face.

"Your name is?" Jet asked after a long pause, looking over to Aang on his bunk.

"Oh, I'm Aang," he answered, "And this here is Appa," he introduced his fluffy dog.

"I didn't know we could bring pets here," Jet replied.

"We can't. I just couldn't leave him home alone," Aang said, "By the way, don't tell anyone he's here."

" I won't."

Aang let out a sigh of relief, leaning back on the frame of his bunk bed, holding Appa in his arms.

There was another awkward silence that filled the room. Aang figured it was because of their loss of fellow team member Haru. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Sokka and Zuko wouldn't talk to Jet. It was alot to deal with; Team Kuruk had lost two of its members. But, to top that, there weren't any teams anymore.

It was just...them as individuals.

* * *

"You two should stay in their cabin."

"Why us?" Mai asked in her boring voice, once the three girls were secluded in their cabin.

"Yeah, Azula. Why can't we just stay in our regular cabin with you?" Ty Lee added, braiding her ponytail, with her back facing her two friends as she stared into the wall mirror.

"Because, there are only two empty beds in their cabin, and I've got a great idea," Azula said.

"Why does your great idea have to involve us sleeping in the same cabin as that blue-eyed slut and the tomboy?" Mai asked, a little venom in her voice actually making her sound human.

"C'mon, Mai. You only think she's a slut because she stole your boyfriend," Ty Lee snickered from the corner of the room. Azula chuckled.

Mai groaned, rolling her eyes at the two as she tried to change the subject. "So, Azula, what exactly is your plan?"

"Well, it's quite simple, really. All you two have to do is befriend those two Kuruk girls for a little while, get into their heads a little bit. Then, get the information we want, and stab them in the back," Azula smirked.

"What's the info we want?" Ty Lee asked, now half turned towards her friends.

"Do I have to explain everything to you?" Azula started, a scoff apparent on her face, "The information we want, is the information we don't have."

* * *

"Are we going back to our soap opera days again, Sugar Queen?"

"Huh?" Katara asked cluelessly, looking up from her place on her bed.

Toph groaned, rolling her eyes as she untied the blue bandanna from across her arm. "Now that that pretty boy ex-boyfriend of yours came back, all you've been doing is sulking around. I thought you moved on to Emo Kid already."

"I don't like Zuko! How many times do I have to repeat that?" Katara snapped, letting go of her grip on her knee-caps .

There was a smirk plastered on Toph's face that Katara couldn't see when she turned to lean on the bed post, "Whatever you say, Sugar Queen. Still, the point is that I'm sick of seeing you lie around lifeless like a lazy bum."

"I'm not," Katara ignorantly protested, "I just...don't want that guy to be back."

The younger teen in the room groaned once again. "GET OVER IT ALREADY!! This is a _camp_, we're only here for a couple of weeks. Stop taking it so serious. _Geesh_."

"Ow, _Toph_!" Katara cried out, when the rock that Toph had launched at her hit the side of her ear. "What...why do you carry rocks around in your pockets?"

"Why not?" Toph countered with a smirk. She jumped up, "You can stay here and be emo if you want, but I'm going to join Twinkle Toes and the rest of the guys outside."

Katara huffed as she watched the cabin door shut behind the younger teen.

* * *

"What's up with you?"

"What? What do you mean? I'm...I'm fine," Katara answered rather quickly, stealing glances of Jet across the mess hall, leaning on the wall smirking at the two girls before him.

"You don't have to hide it," Zuko replied, twisting the plastic fork around in between the nooks of his fingers.

Katara avoided looking him straight in his eyes; she was too busy fidgeting around anxiously in her seat.

"I can tell," Zuko added. Katara purposely dropped her spoon on the table.

"Why are we talking about this? I mean, do you really care about me and Jet?" Katara suddenly asked, her mind racing back to the first time he spoke to her---well, the first time he'd yelled at her.

Even though Katara's eyes kept darting around the room, Zuko looked up at her, a sly smirk plastered across his face.

"Hey, we're friends, right? I'm just trying to make you feel better."

There was a moment of silence in between the two. "Alright. Okay, I'm sorry, for snapping on you just now. It's just, he's a jerk! I mean, who does he even think he is? Coming back here and thinking we can just pick up where we left off? What an_ idiot_! And then, he was using me the entire time! I'm not_ that _stupid. Ugh, stupid jerk. I hate him," Katara went off ranting, waving her hands around in the air for emphasis.

"Ignore him," Zuko spoke, then mumbled, "That's what I've been doing."

* * *

_Why is she so hung up on him? _Zuko thought to himself.

Jet is really nothing special; he should know after so long hanging out with the guy. Katara probably doesn't even know that Jet doesn't really have feelings for any girl he's been out with. And Jet's dated alot of girls, even in the time Zuko knew him. Jet strings girls along with no care about how the girl he's dating feels about him. He does that with every attractive girl his eyes meet. Sadly, Zuko knew in his head that to Jet, Katara wasn't any different.

And if he even dared to tell Jet to lay off of her because he holds feelings for her, Jet would only pursue her further and date her right in front of his eyes.

Katara smiled, quirking her eyebrow as she swiftly changed the subject. "What's got you in such a happy mood? You're smiling."

Zuko chuckled, shrugging at his shoulders while he failed to answer her question. All the while the answer to her question floated in his head. _You._

"It's kind of weird, seeing you be normal, rather than your regular emo self." Katara spoke, nudging his shoulder with a grin on her face. At least she was smiling, unlike how she looked when she first sat down at the table.

"I thought I was normal before," Zuko hesitantly replied.

"You were-----I mean you are. It's just usually you have a scowl on your face."

Zuko quirked his eyebrow at her.

"You know sis, you're really giving me a headache. One week you're dating that guy over there; the next you're angry at him; and then you've moved on to Zuko here; the next week you're angry at that cocky guy; and now you've seemed to move on to Zuko again. I'm confused as to which one of those boys' asses I should kick," Katara's brother said, his palms laid on the table as he came up to the two teens. Sokka was talking to Katara, but it was Zuko and Jet that his eyes kept glaring at.

"Sokka! Really? This is starting to get annoying---- _I'm not dating anyone! _I thought we went over this already; you don't have to be so protective!" Katara replied.

"Yeah, _I do_. I _understan_d you're older now and_ blah blah _and I agreed to back off_ just a little_, but I'm still you're brother and it is my duty to closely examine the boys you take interest in," Sokka said in his regular, overly exaggerated voice.

Katara sighed, "Well you don't have to worry because I hate Jet, and me and Zuko are just friends."

Sokka looked at Zuko, with a _I-still-don't-trust you-because there-is-no-way-that-a-boy-and-girl-can-be-just-friends-in-a-guy's-mind-after-they-kiss_look on his face. In this case, though, Sokka was right. Zuko had more than friendly thoughts about Sokka's sister, and if it was up to him, they would be more than just two friends.

* * *

"What's up with that ponytail guy?"

"Oh, you mean Sokka?" Aang answered, dumping his trash in the bin as he followed Jet outside. "I guess he's given you the 'Stay Away from My Sister' talk, huh?" He chuckled.

Jet heaved a sigh, nodding his head. "It's pretty annoying, and he keeps staring at me with some weird look on his face everytime he sees me."

Aang laughed, "Well you're not the only one he does that too."

"Really?" Jet asked with an eyebrow quirked up.

"Yeah. He's done that to about everything male member of the Kuruk team, including me. But after you left, he focused on Zuko." he replied.

"Zuko?" Jet repeated. _Why Zuko?_ he thought.

"Well Zuko----the boy with the um, scar---- is the other guy who kissed Katara."

_Katara kissed Zuko...what the hell?_Jet thought. Zuko---the emo dude he used to hang out with---is he the reason why Katara won't speak to him? How could Katara have kissed him? Jet kissed her, and yet Katara can't even _look _at him. But she still speaks to Zuko. Why is that?

* * *

"They're actually gone. I can't believe it."

"Oh quit your grieving, Twinkle Toes. It's not like they _died_!" Toph exclaimed, punching Aang on his arm as the two walked to the middle of the camp ground together to join the huddled group around the lamp post.

"I know, but still. It feels so empty without them," Aang replied, bending down to retrieve a rock in his hand.

"You'll get over it," Toph said, grabbing the rock from his hand and throwing it out into the forest. Aang stared at her with a blank face, then bent a few inches and gave her a surprise kiss. Toph---_yes, Toph_----found herself silently blushing after he'd pulled away.

"Ahh,_ young love_. So cute," Sokka sighed dramatically, sitting on the boulder a couple feet away from the lamp post. Most of the people in the group were watching the two teens----but neither one had noticed until Sokka had made his statement. Toph walked over to the older teen and smacked him on the back of the head. "Oh, shut up."

"You've_ got _to stop doing that!" Sokka yelled, rubbing at his brown wolf-tail.

"Yeah, I should. But I won't, so deal with it," Toph answered.

"Wait, Toph, are those _Sozin_girls moving their things into our cabin?" Katara asks, abruptly changing the topic as she walked over to her room-mate and pointed out the two female figures rolling suitcases into their cabin. Both girls furrowed their eyebrows at the sight. Toph blew her bangs up as she heaved a breath.

"Oh crap," she replied.

"Well, see _technically_, they aren't Sozin girls anymore, since Kianu told us there's no more teams," Sokka interjected. The two girls decided to ignore Sokka's interruption all together while they continued to watch the other two girls bringing all their belongings into their cabin.

"They're up to something..." Toph concluded.

"Like what?"

"I don't know...it's just not right."

* * *

"Ugh, I don't see why we have to do this...why does she get to have her own cabin, and we're stuck living with that slut and her friend?"

"Oh Mai...you're still jealous she stole your boyfriend. I'll admit Zuko_ is _pretty hot, but you're gonna _have_ to get over him sometime. What about that tall cutie who just came back? Jet--I think. He's the only free man, since the curly-haired boy's taken by that short girl, and the guy with the ponytail is all mine," Ty Lee spoke, unpacking her things on one of the beds that looked the least occupied. Mai groaned.

"So, how are we supposed to do this? We can't just start talking to them," she changed the topic, just like she always did when the conversation started to revolve around her relationship with her ex-boyfriend.

"Of course we can!" Ty Lee exclaimed, plopping on her newly claimed bed.

"Wouldn't they suspect something? We're already moving into their cabin suspiciously."

Ty Lee waved her hand, dismissing Mai's comment, "They'll get over that----once we befriend them like Azula said."

Mai groaned again, "I don't want to speak to them."

Ty Lee was already leaning off her bed---of course she claimed a top bunk----her long braid hanging off the edge with her legs wrapped around the bed posts to make sure she wouldn't fall off. "You hardly want to speak at all. Just think, though, it's not for long...just 'till they slip up and tell us whatever Azula thinks is impor-----"

Her statement was cut short when the girls heard the door creak open. She flipped off her bed to stand in front of the two former Kuruk girls. Ty Lee wore an overly cheery expression on her face as she greeted them.

"Hi! We're you're new room-mates."

* * *

_**sooo, peoples, a little cliffhanger, huh? Lol, okay, so tell me what you think and click that little review button, please. And you know, all you peoples who fave it, but don't say anything, I wanna hear from you guys too!! **_

**_=)_**


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