Zutara- Fire, Water, Steam ✔

Why Even Bother?

Zuko's POV

I think that went well.

It was the next day, and I kept thinking about my date with Katara. I loved the way her smile lit up her face when she saw the sunset. The only weird thing was that noise in the bushes. When we got back, I noticed her eyes flick to the same spot, so it was on her mind too. Then I decided to do something to take her mind out off it.

I walked into the dining hall and noticed Katara wasn't here yet. The only people at the table were Sokka and Aang. Well, Katara wanted me to hang out with Sokka. Plus, he saw me, so I couldn't walk out and pretend this never happened.

"Um, hey, guys." I awkwardly said as I sat across from them. Aang nodded, and Sokka scratched his neck, obviously a little uncomfortable too.

"Hey there, Zuko," Sokka said. I sat, and it seemed we were trying to look anywhere but at each other.

"So, I'm assuming; because of that huge yawn you were trying to hide, you didn't enjoy that last dinner event either?" I asked Sokka, trying to get a conversation going. He seemed grateful to have something to talk about. Complaining about the same thing always seems to help.

"I couldn't believe how long it took. What were they even talking about? It seemed as if they were trying to raise money for something, but I'm not even sure what?"

"Have no idea. At least they didn't hire the same band as last time. The music was pretty decent." I replied. "It must of help that you had Yue. I was stuck in the front with all the adults."

"Well, you sit next to your sister, right? Don't you guys get along?" Sokka asked. At this, Aang seemed interested. He hardly talked or looked at me, so this was rare. The girls hadn't shown up yet, so talking to two guys lessened the possibility of being asked a million questions.

"We get along in public to keep up the image. My father wouldn't 'appreciate' if we were to act as we usually do in front of his associates." As I spoke, I could feel myself straightening up instead of slouching. They both appeared confused but nodded and left it at that.

"Hey, you guys," Katara said as she sat next to me. She looked between me, Sokka, and Aang with her face looking hopeful. I'm guessing she's thinking that we just shared a beautiful moment and are on our way to becoming best friends. I saw Sokka rolling his eyes and knew he was thinking the same thing. Before anyone could say anything, Yue came running up with Suki behind her.

"Have you guys seen the bulletin board?" They said at the same time.

"No." We all answered.

"No one pays attention to the bulletin board. Why?" Katara asked.

"Well, they are paying attention now," Suki said. She pulled out a picture and handed it to Katara. The image seemed to send her into shock because she froze without saying a single word. I couldn't take it and grabbed the photo out of her hands. Sokka and Aang leaned forward to see, and we said nothing. It had two pictures of Katara and me from last night. I was holding open the door to my car, and she was smiling at me. The other half was from when we got back. It was darker, but the image was unmistakable. To take her mind off the noise, I decided to kiss her. Since we were by ourselves, it had lasted a while, so whoever took the picture had plenty of opportunities.

"Who the hell took these pictures? And why would they even bother?" Sokka exclaimed. He was trying hard to keep his voice steady even when Yue went over and put her hand on his shoulder. She was always able to calm him down, but it wasn't working this time. She and Suki looked at each other, and I could tell this wasn't the end of the story.

"What is it? There's something else isn't there?" When they didn't answer, Sokka jumped up and ran probably towards the common room to the bulletin board. Aang soon followed him, and I turned back to Katara.

"Katara? Are you still in there?" I poked her, and she finally snapped out of it. Suddenly, a huge smile was on her face, which was extremely confusing. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and just kissed me, right there in the dining hall. The dining hall seemed to go silent, and I could've sworn I saw someone pull out their phone and take a picture.

"They all know, anyway. Yeah, I wish it was on our terms but might as well enjoy ourselves." She said her smile so beautiful that I couldn't help but smile back.

~~~*~~~

"Who would do this? Why would they do this?" I said as we walked into the common room. There was no way anyone was going to miss the bulletin board today. Pictures of Katara and me were not only on the board but also covering the surrounding wall. "What is the point?"

"This person must have something against one or both of us," Katara spoke slowly, a thoughtful look on her face.

"You seemed to have forgotten that I'm the headmaster's son that not many people like, and when I say not many people, I mean you guys. Well, maybe my sister." Everyone laughed but nodded as well. It didn't even hurt my feelings because I know it's true. Hopefully, I can change that.

"Sure, people don't know you, but not many would have to guts to act against the headmaster's son," Sokka spoke up. "They would have to be really brave or really stupid." It took a total of two seconds before we turned to the corner of the common room. There sat Jet and his idiotic group of friends. Before I realized it, I was walking over to them. The closer I got, the more eyes I felt on me. The others followed behind and didn't try to stop me.

"Who did you get to take the picture?" I spoke, trying to keep my voice level, but with the whole student population completely silent, I could have been screaming at him. "Do you just have no life of your own that you choose to follow us around with a camera." Jet simply sat there and smirked at my forced sense of calm.

"Your almost right," Katara said, grabbing my hand, sending a cooling sensation throughout my body, successfully calming me down. "Jet probably took the first picture but almost got caught when we heard him in the bushes. At least he was smart enough to get Longshot to take the second picture. I'm right, aren't I?" She spoke directly to a guy on the edge of the group. He didn't say anything but looked her right in the eyes. Katara nodded as if his silence was confirmation.

"That is just sad," Toph said to the room. Other students were nodding in agreement, and others laughed. Jet's face began turning red, and the guy I'm assuming is Longshot, stood up, and led Jet to the dorms. Most of his group stayed except for one other person. I wasn't 100% sure, but I think it was a girl; her hair was just cut short. "This was very entertaining, but I'm going to get some sleep. Later, guys." Toph yawned and walked away, like any other day. Except when she reached the bulletin board, she stomped, and all the pictures fell to the ground.

"She is something," Aang said. The rest of us nodded, but Katara's seemed to hold something more.

Hm, I worry about it another day.

Oh my frickin God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As if the 3.6 k reads weren't enough to make me almost drop my phone on my face, but ranking #4 in Zutara is beyond me!! Thank you, everyone, including @bueno888, for joining and liking every chapter along the way.

Summer vacation has started! I'm hoping this means I will be able to focus on the story and get more chapters out for you. We can only hope the headmaster doesn't kill Zuko before I get the chance. Let me know what you want to see or what you think by voting or leaving a comment.

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