A/N: So my girlfriend and I went to go see the Avatar movie. I thought it was okay, the special effects were pretty awesome, but the story dragged on too slow for my liking. My girlfriend on the other hand...ahhahahahah! She was like, "OH MY GOD. Alex. Alex...ZUKO WASN'T EVEN HOT! Alex! What was up with that? In the beginning I was like, 'okay...so where's Zuko? ...THAT'S ZUKO?'"

Oh, and apparently they mispronounced 'aang,' avatar,' and 'sokka.' I didn't even notice that until it was pointed out to me.

Mike's scanner is up and running, btw. ( http : / fav . me / d2v65xd ) He's a novice artist, just a quick fyi. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 4: Masaru

Zuko found it hard to keep himself concentrated on staying mad at the young man. He watched as Masaru's face lit up with animation, fell down in dejection, quirked eyebrows as he retold the latest gossip about well-known nobles, and spoke affectionately about his hometown. Zuko wondered how the other man could conjure up so many different topics to talk about within seconds when it took him hours to even think of an interesting subject to talk about! Zuko conjured that Masaru was an extrovert by nature, and wondered whether or not the man's amazing ability to converse was also reflected in his combat skills.

The man looked up to the ceiling, raising a clenched fist in excitement, "…and I can't wait to spar with Kat later today! She promised me earlier this morning," he scratched the back of his head nervously, "oh, that's right. I nearly forgot to ask—are you new? Cuz I've never seen you around. Well, I'll tell you something—I may not be from around these parts, but I've heard lots regarding Kat's fighting skills! She's praised not only by fellow soldiers just like us, but by the young prince of the Fire Nation as well!"

Zuko leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, wary to keep his scar concealed from view. Ahh…so Masaru truly didn't know who he was. Interesting, this recruit really was new. Zuko smirked and nodded to assure the other man that he was listening. Unfortunately, keeping up with Masaru's topics wasn't all he was concentrated on. No, he was irked that this oblivious twat had seen his best friend barely dressed. So he decided to feign ignorance and play along.

In truth, he had to admit that it was nice being able to talk freely with someone who didn't regard him with formalities. Straight faced and honest, that's how Masaru was talking to him. No lies, just pure genuinity. And he'd repay the favor. After all, the young prince did have manners.

"Do you want to have a go at the prince too?" He rubbed his chin in thought, "I'm sure he'd want to keep his skills well polished for the upcoming battle. A spar or two a day ought to help keep him on his toes." Everything he had said was true; Zuko hadn't been out at sea in a while, and he was feeling restless—he had so much energy he felt the need to exert it all in order to pacify his anxiousness. He needed to move around, feel his body warm with exercise, and feel heat run through his limbs once more.

Masaru jumped up and down, his eyes sparkled with excitement. "You could really do that? Dude, you're so awesome!" He slapped Zuko on the shoulder, an action he wasn't prepared for.

Zuko staggered back, baffled at the man's audacity. He continued to gape as Masaru reached for his hand and shook it violently, grinning widely, "by the way, you still haven't told me your name…?"

Before Zuko had a chance to open his mouth to speak, a loud shriek was heard thundering through the hallways. "ZUKO! MASARU!" cried out an angry Katara. She marched her way over to them, slamming the door shut behind her so roughly Zuko felt the wall behind him shake as a shock wave passed. Both men looked at each other and gulped in fear. A pissed off woman was definitely not a good sign.

She stopped in front of Zuko and stabbed a finger into his chest, pushing him further into the wall, "the hell was with you opening my door without knocking!"

Then she turned to Masaru, making him bump into the opposite wall, shrinking back in fear, "and you! Masaru! Didn't I say I was going to change? You could have at least—" Masaru opened his mouth to speak, but immediately shut it when Katara glared at him, "—told him not to come in!"

Katara covered her face with her hands, still mortified at the situation. She could cry.

"You're dressed now, so let's go get breakfast," came Zuko's voice.

She turned her head and glared at him, "how can I eat breakfast after…after that?"

He snorted, "it wasn't that bad. There wasn't much to see anyway."

Katara gasped, nostrils flaring in anger. "Not much?"

"Mm. Nothing at all."

His reply came swift and monotone. He needed to sound calm in order to help make her calm, right? Zuko decided to use the ol' reverse psychology trick on her. Jet had said it worked wonders on women. He was a natural lady's man, so he was definitely someone to trust in a situation like this, right? If she thought that the situation was embarrassing, he'd just convince her otherwise. Telling a girl that there was nothing to see would help calm her down, right?

Fuck no, she just got angrier.

Katara's fists balled beside her legs, she was seething in vexation. How dare he say that there was nothing to see? She was at her peak—17! She was a fully-grown, mature woman! "There was nothing to see? Nothing at all?" She gritted her teeth and felt her right eye twitch.

Zuko continued his calm charade and frowned, "yes. Why are you so angry?" He really didn't understand.

"NOTHING?"

Masaru looked between Katara and the man he'd been talking to. His brain froze at Zuko. The man's name was Zuko? As in prince Zuko? Haha, no way! As if… Right?

"Kat, is this guy the famed prince Zuko? The Fire Nation's prince Zuko? The Fire Lord's son?"

Katara and Zuko stopped their argument to glare at Masaru. Obviously he hadn't kept up with the conversation.

"Uhh yeah. The one and only."

Masaru dropped to the floor and bowed, "it's a pleasure to meet you, prince Zuko!" A second later he stood back up, "wait, Kat, how do you know the prince? And why did he come to our cabin?" He noticed a faint blush on the prince's face, but before he could rub his eyes for confirmation, Zuko had turned around.

"Get breakfast on your own then. We'll talk later." He walked up the stairs, muttering something along the lines of, 'over-reacting, dramatic, stupid, crazy woman.'

Masaru waited until Zuko's silhouette disappeared. Honestly, he didn't know what had transpired between the two, but he was glad that it seemed as if they came to a mutual consensus. He turned to face her and grinned, "wow Kat! You've got some powerful connections, girl!"

Katara sulked and frowned. "I'm not really hungry…after all that. Still up for that spar? I need to relieve myself of some…stress."

Masaru grinned in reply and pretty much flew up the stairs. Katara shook her head. Masaru was hard to stay mad at. Zuko, on the other hand… She blushed in anger. What the hell did he mean by, 'nothing to see?' There was so much to see!

Zuko returned to his room right after that encounter. He sat on the edge of his bed, burring his face in his hands. For the second time, he had felt that burning sensation—heat flooded his face, his palms had gotten sweaty, and his heart still hadn't stopped beating erratically. Just what the fuck was wrong with him? His body, reactions, everything just fluctuated.

It was exciting though, in a way, and he had to admit that this new sensation wasn't at all half bad. …Even if he felt like he was going to die any second. Was it weird to admit that it was feeling was thrilling? Maybe he had a strange fetish, he mused.

With a heavy sigh, he collapsed on the bed. When did this start? He covered his eyes with his arm. The cool ocean breeze felt relaxing. Breathing in deeply, he let the sounds of the ocean lull his to sleep once more.

"Okay Kat, here I go!" Masaru cried with a goofy grin on his face as he lunged towards her. Katara said nothing, but grabbed his arm once he was close enough and flipped him over. The poor boy landed on his back with a painful thud.

"Ouch, guess this time the rumors didn't lie, haha!" He got back up and scratched his nose nervously. "Say, how old are you Kat? You look like you're around my age!"

Katara blinked at the sudden question and laughed, "why are you so curious?" She got into a battle position and stretched her arms out before her, "how about…if you hand a successful hit this round, I'll tell you."

Masaru grinned, "sure thing, Kat! Be prepared to loose!"

Katara lunged forward first, throwing a barrage of fists at him. He dodged a couple dodges, but one of her fists connected and grazed his cheek. He winced and recoiled in pain. Big mistake. He felt another sharp pain in his leg as she kicked him, making him kneel down on his good knee. Just as another one of her limbs connected with his body, Masaru rolled on the ground and stood back up.

"Time to get serious, huh?"

"Of course! Come at me with your all!"

She ran at him again, fists up and ready. She jabbed, he dodged. She flipped and kicked; he dodged and returned her blows. She attacked with a roundhouse kick here and there, and he sent her dropkicks in return. Katara dropped to the ground and swung an outstretched leg, sweeping it across the floor in hopes to trip him...but missed again. She looked around desperately trying to locate Masaru. Shit, how had she lost sight of him? Katara noticed the mistake a second too late, and within the blink of an eye, Masaru had her pinned beneath him.

"How?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I didn't even see that, Masaru!"

He grinned triumphantly above her, "I may not know much about your fire nation ways, but I'll have you know that back at my hometown I was known as 'Lighting MasuMasu!"

Katara nodded in acknowledgment. She had to admit that he was indeed fast. The name was fitting, and the nick was certainly cute—MasuMasu. It had a cute ring to it.

"So? How old are you? You promised~!"

"17."

His eyes widened, "haha! Really? I just knew that you were about my age, but I never thought we'd be the same age! What about Zuko? It'd be nice if I knew something more about him since he also promised to spar with me later today." He scrunched up his nose, as if holding in a sneeze. "Speaking of which, you guys must be good friends if he would travel to our cabin just to talk to you."

Katara rolled her eyes. MasuMasu clearly couldn't read body language or understand the situation. "We're childhood friends. He's 19, two years older than us. And…do you mind?" She smiled at him, "you're kind of, uh, in the way."

Masaru looked down and blushed, embarrassed for not realizing their awkward body placement. One of his legs was in between her and his hands rested on both sides of her head. They were old enough to realize that this was a rather…suggestive position for a man and a woman to be in. "I'm so sorry Kat!" He moved his body off of hers as fast as his muscles could move.

She stood up and brushed herself clean of dirt. It was at that moment when Masaru looked up that he blushed hard. Real hard. Sure, there were plenty of pretty girls where he had come from, but he had never met a woman who could fight, have such smooth skin despite being a born fighter (he had brushed her arm a couple times), a beautiful sun-kissed face, strikingly unique sapphire eyes, and long wavy raven hair. The sun rose behind them, casting a brilliant, summer gold glow on her. The side of his mouth curved into a crooked smile. His roommate was certainly very pretty, and just as strong. Just as his eyes began to focus, he opened her mouth.

"Come on, I'm somewhat hungry now. Let's get some breakfast and we can start again." She held her arm out to him and smiled gently to reassure him. "I won't bite, Masaru."

He nodded, still somewhat entranced, and reached for her hand. Ahh…yes…that soft, smooth and silky skin. Just as he was off the ground, Katara let go of his hand and watched as he staggered and fell back down. She cringed a bit as she heard him land with a loud thump. He stared up at Katara with his emerald eyes wide, completely flabbergasted.

She stuck her tongue out at him and guffawed at his shocked expression, "don't be so gullible next time!" She turned around, humming as she headed to the mess hall. Masaru's confused, puppy eyes followed her until she was ought of sight. Immediately he clenched his shirt in his hands.

"Oh dear spirits! I can't be in love, can I?" He felt his thumping heart and cupped his face, his eyes looked up to the sky as he rocked himself back and forth. "THIS IS WAR, MASARU! Get a grip on yourself, man!" He slapped himself until he felt level headed. He shook himself free of any lingering thoughts, trying to focus his mind on something else. He followed the same route Katara had taken to the mess hall, "must've been that weird burrito from that rare trading lady at the dock…god I feel gassy or something…how embarrassing…"

Zuko hadn't been hungry, he had been too busy reassuring himself that he wasn't sick—that he didn't need help to calm his thumping heart. He tossed and turned on his bed, closing his eyes, repeating deep breathing exercises. Hell, he even lied face down in his pillows in an attempt to drown out the annoying thumping of his heart.

Iroh walked into the room and raised a brow. "You weren't at breakfast, Zuko."

"Wasn't hungry, uncle."

Zuko heard the shifting of footsteps and the sound of Iroh's bed squeak.

"You know, I think Katy made a friend. They were at breakfast, happily chatting away. It'd be good if you all became friends. I think his name was Masuri…Masaro…Mas…something like that."

"Met him already. He's a new recruit. And his name is Masaru, uncle."

"Ahh! That's great then! You've already been acquainted!"

"Mm, yes. Great. What do you need, uncle?"

Iroh gasped, "why I'm hurt, dear nephew! Can't your uncle come in just to have a little chat?"

Zuko sat up straight and glared at Iroh. Something was up.

"Zuko, all I want is for you to relax and make some new friends."

"I have all the friends I need, uncle. Don't worry."

Iroh clicked his tongue in disappointment. "When had my nephew become so cold? The only people you really talk to are me and Katara, you know."

Zuko rolled his eyes and collapsed back into the comforts of his bed. "And Jet, and Mai."

"They aren't here right now, though, are they?"

"No, but I've got you and Katara."

Iroh sighed and shook his head, as if he had anticipated Zuko's swift answer. "Sure I'm still hip and awesome, but Zuko, you should hang with youngsters your age. You know, 'keepin' it real,' 'keepin' it fresh,' and 'awesome sauce.'"

What was Iroh trying to get at? At least this conversation was helping him take his mind off of the morning's previous events. He felt his heart return back to it's normal, steady beat. Zuko sighed in relief, he was going to live.

"Oi, oi! What are you going to do if it isn't you Katara hangs out with all the time?"

Zuko chuckled at Iroh's ludicrous comment. As if that would ever happen. "Uncle, Katara and I have known each other since we were young enough to crawl! There's no way a bond like that could be broken!" No amount of days she spent with that new recruit could replace the years he had spent with her, right?

"You never know, Zuko. All it takes is a little time for friendship to deepen and grow like a wildfire."

"You've grown senile, uncle. You think too much," Zuko turned his back to Iroh and faced the wall, "There's nothing to worry about."

Nothing to worry about...

A/N: Next chapter will continue with their childhood. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)