I'm really proud of this next chapter. I didn't write it, but, my lovely boyfriend, who is an awesome writter in my personal opinion, wrote this. His style of writting is short, purposeful and concise, and we both think it fits Zuko perfectly.

"Did Jet just... die?" I asked, curiosity getting to my tongue quicker than rational thought. Waiting, I expected a morose response from one of the confused expressions surrounding me.

"You know, it was really unclear." I heard Sokka say nonchalantly. I looked at him to make sure his inflection matched his face, and sure enough, he had a mixed look of confusion and uncaring. At least I hadn't struck a nerve with anyone...yet.

I turned back to face the stage. This whole play had been a total disaster, and it seemed never ending. All my errors, all of the wrong decisions I've made in my life were being put on stage in front of an audience. Every word from the actors' mouth mocked me, and the only thing that could have ever made it worse would be to hear Azula reading the lines. With every passing moment I could feel myself sinking deeper into my misery...I wanted to be angry, to hate the playwrights for doing this to me...but the truth of the matter was that I had done it to myself. And being spoon-fed my mistakes certainly wasn't making forgiving myself any easier. It definitely wasn't making it any better that the very people I tried to wrong with those mistakes now sat around me and watched truly how deep I was in the delirium of trying to regain my honor. Something, I could only bring back to myself, by making the decisions opposite of those being performed on stage at that very moment.

Plus...his scar was on the wrong side...

"I have to admit, Prince Zuko. I really find you attractive."

Was the line that snapped me from my brooding thoughts.

I looked up and stared at the stage in a panic. What?!

"You don't have to make fun of me!" My actor snapped. Well, at least he had my temperament down pat. I saw the woman playing Katara cringe. It would appear that the woman had Katara's vulnerability down pat as well.

"But I mean it," the woman began, sitting down next to my character, "I had eyes for you from the day you first captured me."

Eyes for me? That was crazy, and almost sounded like a pun. Katara would never even consider letting herself have feelings for me. She probably had a list of reasons why she could never feel anything for me. I turned to look at her sheepishly, she had had the same thought as we quickly glanced at each other and slid in opposite directions. I doubt oceans could have separated the amount of awkward tension between the two of us at this point. Especially because I found myself smack in the middle between her, and whom she really belonged with. Besides, being a prince of the Fire Nation, it would have never worked between us, even if there could have been something. She was a water tribe peasant. Not a daughter of a Fire Nation noble. And I'm with Mai, I told myself. She would be a much better Fire Lady than Katara ever could.

I let my eyes wander back to the stage, watching the disaster happen almost in slow motion.

"Wait," my character stood, probably for more emphasis than was necessary, "I thought you were the Avatar's girl." Out of the corner of my scarred eye, I thought I saw Aang nod his head a little. Good, the kid wasn't letting this get to him. Besides, it would be harder to teach him anymore bending if he thought that his Sifu was secretly trying to steal his girlfriend. Then again, I wasn't exactly sure how involved the two of them were...Just then, the woman on stage laughed a light-hearted laugh.

"The Avatar? Why, he's like a little brother to me. I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way."

This time I definitely caught the motion of Aang's head sweeping in the direction of Katara. I shrank back in my seat as much as humanly possible. And spiritually possible for that matter, if I could have meditated hard enough to turn into wood and become part of the bench, I certainly would have given it a shot in that moment.

"Besides," she continued...I really wish she hadn't continued..."How could he ever find out about this?"

Dear Agni, I'm going to kiss Katara in front of Aang! My body went rigid. In the last moment though, the two characters on stage embraced. I fought the urge to let out and audible sigh. In that moment I also noticed that the last time I hugged Katara it had been a hug of friendship...they just made it look like an awkward lover's embrace. I thought about what the motivation had been for Katara's actress in that moment...Now everyone is going to guess that you are in love with the Avatar, but here's the twist, you have a passion for Zuko's character instead! The audience will never see it coming! I had barely seen it coming.

It was the combination of Aang's movement and what sounded like a huff that snapped me out of my thoughts this time. But as soon as he left I fell right back into them. I heard Sokka whisper something too him, but I didn't take the time to listen. If I had thought the play had been going slow before, it had just lost a wheel on the wagon. I was going to have to endure this...scandal, along with the rest of my mistakes until the play was over...Suddenly everyone seeing me in a delirium of trying anything and everything to regain my honor wasn't half as bad as what they could be thinking at the moment. These playwrights, I needed to know who they were, and how they got their information, and why it was so...

Accurate.

How had they known?

We're thinking of writting a few more pieces together, so tell us what you think!

RoseSauvage