I must confess that I used Mako. The Fire Ferrets had never caught my attention until their newest member joined the team. I didn't watch their first match, but I was listening to the radio when the announcers learned that the Avatar was taking part in pro-bending. That was so unexpected and interesting that I made sure to get front row seats for their next match. The Avatar has been such a mystery I didn't know what to expect. Some wild woman raised in complete isolation? Some fighter who only lived for the thrill of combat?

I was enthralled. Even though she was so new to the city, the sport, the rules, I've never seen a person move with such confidence. I was on the edge of my seat the whole match, and as long as she was on the field my eyes were only on her. She moved with such elegance bending the water, I wanted to see how she looked bending the other elements. I blushed when I found myself wishing that the pro-bending uniforms were less covering, that I could watch her muscles flex and shift as she moved through the arena.

Mako was my key to her. When I realized who I'd hit on the road, I wanted to make it up to him, but I also had my own goals. I could support his team, but it was more important to me that I'd be supporting her team. When I met her for the first time at the gala, she took my breath away. She was shorter than me, but stood and moved with such poise that I couldn't look away. Her dress was different from any clothing she'd worn up to that point, and the way her hair spilled over her shoulders was simply beautiful.

I don't know where to take things from here. Longing like this to just catch someone's eye is something completely new to me. I've never wanted so badly for a person to look at me with admiration, to give a smile that's for me and nobody else. I want to hold her close and run my fingers through her hair, down her arms, to feel her press herself against me. Wanting so badly to succeed and being so afraid of failing is paralyzing. She's so confident herself that I don't know what it will take to catch her eye and impress her. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll fight until the end to win her over. I've never felt such a painful need for another person, and I know that I want her to need me just as badly.