She had never seen Zuko in such a postivie light; actually, she had never seen him in any sort of light at all. Ever since that day he came to her quiet little island home and wreaked havoc, she had tried not to think of him at all, but when she saw hime thereat Boiling Rock, he was different, somehow, and not just his hair. He was kinder, more sincere, and self-assure. It was, dare she think it, attractive. Not that she found him more attractive than her boyfriend, Sokka, of course. Sokka was the sweetest, most noble boy she ha ever met, even though he could be a total knucklehead at times. She loved him; she knew she did. So why i images of that sparring session with Zuko keep coming back to her mind? And why did she blush every time she thought of it?

It was a few days ago when she, Sokka, and Zuko had been standing in a wide grassy field just behind the firelord's abandoned beachhouse. Everyone else was either on the beach or inside napping. It had been Sokka's idea to do some hand to hand combat practice, just in case they had a run in with some fire nation soldiers. The Water Tribe boy had gone up against Zuko, and even though his skills had improved with sword training, he still wasn't an even match for Zuko. He had been bested 3 out of 3.

"I want a rematch! Come on, best 4 out of 6!"

Zuko just shook his head. "We should let Suki have a try. She is a Kyoshi Warrior after all; I'm sure we both can learn a lot from her." The brunette had started not to but she thought, why not? Practice was practice, right? The two faced each other, then the warrior girl struck first. She got a few good jabs in and then, it happened; she misstepped. Suki had aimed a blow for the firebender's right shoulder, but she missed, and lost the opportunity to counter with her left foot. The girl began to fall backwards, her arms flailing wildly, when all of a sudden, she felt a firm hand on her back, steadying her. The brown haired warrior breathed a sigh of relief, looking up to thank the boy. But to her surprise, it wasn't the shiny blue eyes of Sokka that she was staring up into, but warm amber eyes, that appeared to be crinkled up in amusement at her. 

"I got you," came the velvety voice, as he helped her to stand upright, "your attack stance was a little too open, which made it easier for me to dodge, and harder for you to counter. Next time, you might want to pretend to fix your aim, then strike somewhere else. That way, your opponent will be off guard. Wanna try again?"

"Ughhhh." For a moment, Suki could hardly find her words. She had never been that close to a firebender, without wanting to punch him in the face that is. She was so close to Zuko that she could see beads of sweat breaking out across his forehead. One drop, glistening in the afternoon rays, fell to his sharp jawline. And his eyes, even the one that had been scarred, were so dazzling. How had she not noticed them before? Suddenly Sokka's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Suki? Did you hear me?"

"Huh?' She turned to her boyfriend.

"I asked if you were okay. You seem a little dazed," he said, concern rising in his voice. "We can go over some battle strategies instead if you don't feel like sparring."

"Actually Sokka, I think I'm going to go inside and help Katara with lunch, but you guys can go on with sparring practice; I'll be fine." Suki exclaimed, turning away quickly, her face suddenly bright red.