Chapter 6

"No!", Suki gasped. "Oh how terrible! You ended up paired up with the hot fire nation's prince".

I scowled at her, throwing a piece of crumbled up paper at her, "Stop making fun of me! I'm telling you, it was weird".

Suki chuckled, "Of course it was weird!". She rested her head on her hand, "I don't think you had many options at the south pole did you?".

"We should talk about this later, Suki. I'm scared someone will hear", I tugged on my arm bandages.

Suki sighed, but said nothing more about the subject. We were almost at the Jasmine Dragon anyway. We would only be there for a few minutes, have a cup of tea, and head back to my room to study. Once we got there, Suki quickly spotted an empty booth and dragged me by the arm.

"Man, I can't wait for a cup of tea", she sighed, sinking into the seat. "Those warrior poses sure are hard to get right".

I giggled, "Tell me about it. One wrong move and you'll chop my head off with that fan".

She sat up quickly, pointing a finger at me, "Do I have to remind you that it took you nearly 20 minutes to unfreeze my foot because you started panicking?".

I burst into laughter, remembering Suki's whining. "Maybe I wasn't panicking", I countered, raising a mischievous eyebrow at her.

Suki's gasped, clearly offended, "You wouldn't dare".

I was about to remind her of the fact that there was now a giant slit on my wall because one of her fans had missed its mark when a familiar voice interrupted us, "What can I get you ladies tonight?".

My eyes went wide as Suki confirmed my suspicions, "Oh, well if it isn't the fire prince".

Zuko just shrugged, unbothered by Suki's comment, "I usually work here whenever I can to help uncle. I don't see what the big deal is".

Even though he was talking to Suki, I could feel him staring at me. As if he was waiting for me to acknowledge him.

I gulped, finally facing him and giving him a tight lipped smile, "Hello, Zuko".

He smiled back, "So, what can I get you?". He pulled a notepad out, grabbing the pen that he had placed behind his ear.

It was then that I noticed the thick white bandages wrapped around his forehead. Before I had thought things through I snapped up from my seat, covering my mouth in surprise.

"Oh my god, Zuko, your head!"

He blinked at me, a little confused, "I'm fine. The nurse gave me the green light to work here tonight".

I smacked my face, feeling like a complete idiot, "I should have stayed behind to hear about the injury". I looked at him, feeling guilty, "It was my fault you fell after all".

Zuko shrugged, "I'm fine. Really." He put the notepad back in his pocket, "I'll just get you tonight's special tea, does that sound okay?".

Suki nodded excitedly, "That sounds very okay".

Zuko gave her an awkward look, "Uh, right. Okay". Turning around, and leaving me standing there like an idiot.

I sat back down, covering my face with my hands, fighting the heat that was rising to my cheeks. I expected Suki's mocking laugh to come at any second. But to my surprise, it didn't.

"Katara". Suki said, her voice completely serious.

I looked up, only to find her frowning at someone. My stomach plummeted. Suki only stared at one group of people like that. Someone from Azula's little gang was standing behind me. Once I had turned around, I wished for nothing more than to go back to my room. Coming here was a mistake.

Mai stared at me, eyes hostile and serious, "I heard you were the reason Zuko got hurt". She wasn't asking, she was stating. She suddenly pulled a knife from a secret compartment on her clothes, cleaning her long nails with it, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't go around damaging what's mine, waterbender".

"I didn't"-, I started, but Mai cut me off.

She slammed a hand on the table, "I get that this whole project thing you guys got paired up in is important to both of your grades. But do not for a second think that you can spend any more than necessary time with him".

Suki frowned, "She'll spend as much time as she needs with him. Or do you have a problem with them getting their school work done?".

Mai turned towards Suki, her eyes squinted in a frown, "All I'm saying is, he's taken. And I'm not one to give him up easily".

I sighed, "Listen, Mai. I'm not after Zuko, so you have nothing to worry about".

Something like sadness and heartbreak clouded Mai's expression. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it a second later, opting to keep her mouth shut. Then, without another word, she walked away and out of the tea shop.

Suki and I looked at each other, a questioning glance on Suki's face, and a confused one on mine. I had no idea what that whole thing had been about, or why Mai had decided to tell me this. Zuko and I were project partners. Nothing more.

"Two caramel rooibos teas", Zuko suddenly announced, startling both Suki and I, "and a piece of warm spiced cinnamon cake". He put a cup of tea in front each of us, leaving the cake in the center.

"We didn't order the cinnamon cake", Suki told him.

"I know", Zuko answered, "It's on the house".

Suki glanced back and forth between Zuko and I, a troubled frown taking over her face.

"So, Katara, I thought we could meet up at the library tomorrow to start working on your bending", Zuko then quickly added, "If that's okay with you".

"Tomorrow sounds fine", I said.

"Great!", he cleared his throat, "enjoy the cake".

I smiled at Zuko, thanking him for the cake and then continued to try it. He mumbled something, not giving me a chance to speak before he left to take other orders. The cake made a nice pairing with the tea Zuko had served us, making the spices in the tea stand out more and leaving the sweet caramel aftertaste behind.

Suki didn't touch her tea, tapping her fingers on the table impatiently. Never once, did her eyes leave my face. This is how she always got when her head started overthinking things, when she started making up theories and trying to play detective for things that didn't need solving.

"What is it, Suki?", I finally asked, putting my tea cup down.

She leaned back on her seat, crossing her arms over her chest, "I think I know what Mai meant".

I tilted my head, "Meant about what?".

Suki shook her head, "Finish your tea, we'll talk about this once we are back in your room. Away from prying eyes and ears".

I raised an eyebrow at her, "You sound serious. Is everything okay?".

Suki frowned at me, "Just finish your tea, Katara".

I blinked at her. She only got like this when something was seriously bothering her. But what could have Mai meant to put Suki in this mood? Pushing my cup away and leaving more than enough change to pay for both of our drinks, I stood up form the booth.

"If it's so urgent then let's go", I said, completely serious.

Suki slid out of the booth, not even waiting for me as she practically rushed out of the shop.

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Suki slammed the door to my room shut, pulling and then pushing me to sit on the bed. I stared at her. I'd seen Suki strategize, come up with plans to take down her enemies, plans to get the boy she liked to notice her. But never once had I seen her look this serious.

"Katara", she started her voice all business, "I think I know exactly what Mai meant back there at the tea shop".

I stayed silent, knowing it was better to just let her ramble on than to interrupt.

She leaned against my desk, "Mai came to the tea shop just to threaten you. Or maybe she was already at the tea shop and had spotted you. Either way, it doesn't matter". She crossed her arms over her chest, "The point is, Mai felt threatened enough by you to actually come up to you and threaten you back".

"Yes, that part I got", I deadpanned.

Suki put a hand up, silencing me, "But one thing she said kept bothering me". 

She raised an eyebrow at me, challenging me to guess. But all I could do was shrug, for I had absolutely no idea what Suki was thinking about.

She sighed. "First", she said, putting her index finger up, "She kept calling Zuko hers, as if she was marking territory". She paused, "Second", she said, putting another finger up, "she said she was not one to give him up easily". Suki crossed her arms again, "She made it seem like it was a battle between both of you to see who got Zuko in the end, when we both know that is not the current situation".

I nodded at her, "Zuko and I are just pro-"

"Project partners, yeah I know", she interrupted. "But!", she exclaimed, "Let's go back a little for a second shall we?". She immediately got to work, taping a few blank papers onto my wall, drawing a straight horizontal line through all of them. She placed the first dot at the furthest left side of the line, "Our time line starts here, first day of school when you had your mock battle against Haru, right?". 

I nooded, and with my approval she continued, "Then, a few days later, we had the tea shop incident with both of our groups", she wrote gaang vs fire idiots  on the second dot. She skipped a few inches of the line, putting another dot, "Then a week later, the third years are suddenly in your battles class, with little gain from partnering up with you guys, or so you told me".

I nooded again, "Aang and I discussed it and we both found the pairing of the classrooms odd".

Suki smirked, "But it wasn't just any classroom. It was Zuko's". 

"Yes, it's Zuko's class".

Suki made another, smaller, time line that went from the first dot, to the third one, "We'll come back to this". She then placed another dot next to the third one, writting Injured fire prince above it. She added one after that too, that one reading: Mai threatens Katara.

"That's a very accurate time line Suki, but what does it have to do with what Mai said at the tea shop?", I asked, getting impatient.

She slammed the marker against the smaller time line, "Before that, I need to tell you what I am 99% sure happened during this span of time". 

 I raised an eyebrow at her, signaling for her to go on.

Suki poked her cheek with the marker, "Prince Zuko had unintentionally let slip the fact that he had watched your mock battle with Haru, and by what Azula said the first time we went to the tea shop, he was very impressed with you". 

I blushed a little, but let Suki continue without interruption. She turned around, marking another dot right below the first one that said Zuko watches Katara's match. Then right in the center of the smaller time line, before the tea shop incident and after the mock battle, she placed another dot, adding right under it: Zuko talks to firebending teacher.

I frowned at Suki, "What does that mean?".

Suki smirked at me, "It means that Zuko, being the next fire lord of his nation, pulled some strings to get both of your classes together so he could fight you. He may have wanted to test you abilities, see how good you actually were, something like that".

I shook my head in confusion, "By why would he go to such lengths to do that?".

Suki smiled mischievously, a shadow covering her eyes, "That's because Zuko is interested in you".

"WHAT?!", I stood up abruptly, "You're wayyy off base here, Suki".

Suki threw her hands up, "Think about it Katara! He watches you match, pairs the classes up, pairs you both together, and then Mai suddenly comes in declaring war over her boyfriend?". She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at me, "Are you going to tell me that all this was just a coincidence?".

I sat back down, taking in Suki's theory. It made sense. It made a lot of sense. Why would Mai feel threatened by me when I never made a move on Zuko? Why else would the unbalanced pairing of our classes happen? But I refused to believe it.

"Your theory is solid, Suki", I sighed, "But unless we can gather some hard evidence I'd like to keep thinking that Zuko sees me as a friend and a friend only". I ran a hand over my face. I had a wholeass project to do with Zuko. I couldn't let something like this get in the way of me getting a good grade. Especially if I was to work on it with him tomorrow.

Suki frowned at me, "You know it's a solid theory".

"I do. But until I get evidence that Zuko is even the tiniest bit interested in me, I'd like to keep thinking otherwise", I stated. Ending the discussion.

Suki shook her hands in the air, walking towards the door, "You are blind, Katara!". She pointed a finger at me, opening the door behind her, "Even Toph would have been able to see how true my theory was", and the she had closed the door. Leaving me to my thoughts.

It's safe to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

A/N: I recently started a haikyuu x reader fanfic too so if you're interested go check it out :D Thank you all so much for reading! (both books will be continued)