A Lost Love Found

Chapter XIII

A few days had passed since Suki arrived at their secret hideout. She grew accustomed to having Zuko around but was still on guard when he came around. Whenever Zuko and Katara would make a slight gesture toward each other or say something that contained a meaning behind it that they only knew, Suki would raise a suspicious eyebrow. She was bluffing when she told them she knew Zuko's secret the first night she arrived. She knew he was hiding something, but running into him in the hallway on his way to Katara's room was all the proof she needed to come to her conclusions. She didn't like it but also knew to keep to herself, understanding that it was not her place to tell Aang or Sokka. She currently sat beside Sokka outside on the steps leading to the garden, observing Aang and Zuko's training session. She leaned back, placed her elbows on the higher steps behind her for support, and extended her legs in front of her. She took notice of Zuko's aggressive teaching style, and her mind began to drift to the thought that he might be aggressive toward Katara.

"Don't you agree, Suki?" Her thoughts were interrupted by Sokka, who was obviously talking to her. About what- she had no clue.

"What?"

"I said don't you agree that Zuko is a good teacher? Aang is learning really fast," Sokka repeated, his eyes never leaving Aang.

"Oh," Suki began, "I guess so." She shrugged, not particularly keen on complimenting Zuko. It was true; she had to admit that Aang was quickly learning the skills he needed. Whether that was due to Zuko's teachings or Aang just being a brilliant kid, she didn't know.

Sokka noticed her impartial response and turned to raise a curious eyebrow at her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," She stated.

"You aren't still bothered by the fact that Zuko is here with us, right?"

"What?" She met his eyes but couldn't lie to his face. She sighed and sat straight, "I don't know, okay? I never liked the guy, and the last time I checked, neither did you guys. I guess I'm just still processing him committing to the good side. "

Sokka nodded, "I get it. It took me a bit to get used to him, but he really has been a big help. Plus, he would've done so if he wanted to give us away when Azula ambushed us." He placed a hand on her knee, "Promise you'll give him a chance?"

Suki couldn't help but smile at her boyfriend, "Of course, Sokka."

Sokka grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing them both back to lean against the stairs as they watched the master and student train in front of them.

Aang was breathing heavily as he dodged Zuko's next attack. Despite feeling like his legs would give out at any moment, he pushed through and continued dodging and attacking. Unfortunately for him, he made the mistake of trying to catch a breath, and Zuko came striking down, pinning him on the ground. He let out a rough grunt and shut his eyes from the pain of being slammed against the ground. "I need a break. I can barely feel my legs," Aang begged.

Zuko nodded and stood up from him, holding out his hand to help Aang get to his feet. "We've been working for hours. We can call it a day."

Aang heaved a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his forehead, "Ugh. Please." He took a moment to lean forward, his hands on his knees for support to catch his breath.

Katara entered the garden with a tray full of hollowed-out watermelons and straws sticking out of them, "Who wants watermelon juice!"

Aang shot straight up, "Oh me, me!" Somehow his energy returned to him, and he ran over to grab a watermelon from Katara. He sipped on his drink, taking as many gulps through the straw as he could to satisfy his thirst.