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Embers

Summary:

Four years after the war, Zuko is in desperate need of a vacation and organises a reunion on Ember Island, with Suki, Sokka and Toph in tow. Fresh from her break-up with Aang, Katara decides to join. Shenanigans ensue. (I suck at summaries)

Notes:

Disclaimer: Shockingly, as a fanfic author, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Although now I think about it, if I was on that creative team and was denied Zutara, maybe I would be doing this anyway...

This is my first Zutara fic! I am also working on another one (with a very different tone) so updates may be sporadic, although I have a few chapters in the bank already. This fic is canon-compliant, up to and including the 'North and South' comic. I have tried my best to keep the characters true to their show-selves, but any feedback and constructive criticism is welcome as long as you're happy to be added to my Enemies List - Gravity is looking pretty lonely on there so the company would be appreciated, I'm sure.

This is fairly fluffy but you shouldn't need to book an emergency dentist appointment (unless you feel like it - you do you). This is intended to be part of a series but I can't for the life of me think of a name for the series yet - any suggestions are welcome

Terrible jokes aside, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

Chapter 1: Old Friends

Chapter Text

“Aang…what are you saying?”

“I’m sorry, Katara. I  have to meditate on this.” He paused. “It might take a couple of days.”

“Aang…please don’t go. Aang…AANG!”

With a resounding rush of air, Aang hastily sped away on his glider, leaving Katara sobbing on the steps of the Royal Palace.

****

It was an unseasonably hot afternoon, and the sun was beating down heavily on the streets of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. The shade, where it could be found, offered little respite and so the citizens had deserted the streets and taken to the Upper Ring’s parks and gardens to find refuge in the many fountains and pools that dotted their landscapes. The streets were not entirely devoid of life, but Katara felt utterly alone. More alone than she ever had been in her life. Wearing a light, loose-fitting dress in her Water Tribe colours, Katara slowly meandered through the stifling city. Her feet were carrying her to the train station that lay in the outer reaches of the Upper Ring, though she paid no attention to her surroundings. Her mind was entirely far too preoccupied with painful memories of the last few days.

It hadn’t been supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be up in the air on Appa, watching the world go by, sharing happy memories and exchanging stories with her travel companions, and plotting their next move. She was supposed to be cuddling up to Aang, her boyfriend and her… She couldn’t bear to let that last thought finish. But she missed it. She missed all of it. Sokka with his trademark boomerang, ponytail (because it was a ponytail no matter how fervently he denied it) and goofy grin; scruffy Toph with her hard-as-nails attitude and her awesome ability; Suki with her wit and bravery. Watching the calm yet fun-loving Kyoshi Warrior put Sokka in his place time and again had caused no end of amusement for the rest of the group. And of course there was the last addition to their group, the brooding firebender, Zuko. It had taken Katara a long time to warm up to him when he had first joined, but he had been able to give her something no-one else ever had – closure over her mother’s death. For all his hard exterior, he had also helped lift some of the weight of looking after the group’s needs from her shoulders.

Of course, it hadn’t been like that  for a long time. Since the war had ended four years ago, slowly but surely the group had begun to splinter and go their separate ways. Zuko, of course, was Fire Lord, Toph had her metalbending school and Sokka spent most of his time between the South Pole and Kyoshi Island, desperately trying to balance the needs of his tribe with the needs of his relationship. They all remained friends, of course, but each had their own lives to lead, their own goals to accomplish. As fun as it had been, they couldn’t all have realistically spent the rest of their lives following the Avatar from one crazy adventure to the next. But not Katara. She was the exception…had been the exception.

Katara sighed loudly. She really didn’t want to do this, go home to the Southern Water Tribe. After all she had seen and done, life in the South Pole held no appeal for her, especially when everything had changed so much. Even if it meant getting to see Sokka, her father and Gran-Gran more than once a year. She knew without a shadow of doubt that her family would be delighted to see her whenever she turned up but that didn’t take away their responsibilities. Gran-Gran had reunited with her former betrothed, Grand Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe, Hakoda was Head Chieftain of the united Southern Water Tribe, with his new wife Malina to boot, and Sokka was busy helping their father quell the fears the Southern Water Tribe felt at opening back up to the world. They all had so much on their plates already. The last thing they needed was to comfort a heartbroken Katara. But she had nowhere else to go… Everyone was busy and at least if Katara went to the South Pole, she wouldn’t be intruding as much as she would if she had decided to pay Toph or Zuko a visit instead. Of course no matter where she went, she would have to field all the awkward questions as to what had happened between her and Aang. Sokka would make idle threats about hunting the Avatar down for hurting his sister, and Suki would quickly quash any half-serious notions he might have. Toph, to her credit, wouldn’t outwardly pry but that girl could see much more than just the physical world with her feet. Toph would know what had happened before Katara could even say hello. Zuko…she didn’t know what Zuko would do. There was a decent chance he might stare at her awkwardly before muttering something about urgent Fire Nation business and making an escape…but perhaps that was unfair. Zuko had proved himself to be very caring and loyal but the truth was Katara just didn’t know him all that well, compared to the others. She had seen him only a handful of times since the war had ended, and not at all in the last eighteen months.

As she hadn’t been paying any attention to the world around her, Katara didn’t notice the loose cobblestone jutting roughly out of the street until it was too late. Her ankle gave way and she shot her palms out protectively before clattering to the ground in a dishevelled heap. Her palms and knees grazed the rough surface and she felt a painful burning sensation begin to creep up her ankle. She had obviously twisted it in her carelessness. She tried rotating it and gasped in pain. Tears began stinging her eyes, but she knew it wasn’t her ankle that was really bothering her. That  was an easy fix. She reached for her waterskin and grasped the contents within. The water bent neatly onto her hand like a glove, glowing brightly, and she placed it against her swollen limb, unable to stop the tears from coming. Once the swelling had gone down and the pain had dulled to nothing, she tested her ankle again. Fine.

“Katara!” a loud voice bellowed at her from across the street. She hurriedly wiped her eyes on the back of her hands and stood up to greet whoever it was. By now the sun was hanging low and it took her a moment to recognise the figure through the glare even as they approached.

“I thought for sure my eyes must be deceiving me, but that lovely trick of yours gave you away!” Iroh beamed at her.

“Iroh!” she exclaimed, smiling, and immediately embraced him. He happily returned the hug, folding his arms around the much smaller waterbender. “It’s so good to see you.” It really was, she found. “I was just…taking a walk and-”

“And you happened to find yourself outside of my little tea shop,” Iroh grinned in response. He noticed the flush of her cheeks, and the red rims around her eyes, but he said nothing. “I am flattered, truly. You must come in for a cup!”

“Oh!” Katara started. She blushed – had that been rude? “Thank you so much, sir, but I really should get going. I don’t know if I have time…” She wasn’t sure when the last train to the outer walls of Ba Sing Se left. And then she would have to find a way of crossing the vast Earth Kingdom and that was before even trying to find a ship that could give her passage to the South Pole.

Iroh’s face fell and he tutted at her disapprovingly. “Katara, I think you and I need to have a little talk." Katara froze. Did he know? How could he possibly know? Had Aang-? “I have told you before, call me Uncle!” Katara’s nerves flooded with relief. “And of course you have time! There is always time for tea,” Iroh insisted cheerfully. Katara thought about it briefly, then nodded eagerly. She had weeks and weeks of tiring travel ahead of her, whether she left right now or afterwards. No South Pole-bound ships would likely be found at the harbour just outside the sprawling city, that much she knew. There was no getting around it, she would have to cross the Earth Kingdom mostly by foot. What was the harm in stopping for a refreshing drink with an old friend on the way? Iroh took her pack from her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, guiding her into his shop. It had been a long time since Katara had visited it. Another remnant of days gone by. It looked much the same as Katara had remembered it. She felt strangely glad. It was nice to see that not everything had changed unrecognisably.

****

Upon entering the Throne Room, the thoroughly confused herald softly cleared his throat. Zuko looked up from the report he had been reading and smiled kindly at the man, gesturing that he had Zuko’s attention.

“Uh…Fire Lord, there’s a…uh…” the herald stuttered. Zuko frowned quizzically. He hadn’t been expecting to hold further court today but that was no matter, he was happy to receive anyone who petitioned him. It was hardly a strange occurrence. But the herald, Jing, was acting very strangely indeed, scratching the back of his neck and mumbling under his breath, unsure of how to say it. “The, uh…Melon Lord  is here to see you…”

“Melon Lord?” Zuko asked, now also thoroughly confused, his expression matching Jing’s. What – or who – in the world was Jing talking about? “Who?”

“I – I’m afraid the Melon Lord did not give me any more information, Fire Lord Zuko.” Jing shifted his weight from leg to leg nervously. Jing had had the misfortune to serve under Ozai for a good fifteen years before Zuko had ascended to the throne. Even though it had been four years, it was very clearly ingrained into him not to upset the Fire Lord. And presenting a visitor in such a manner, even though Jing recognised the self-proclaimed Melon Lord as a personal friend of Zuko’s, was definitely something that would have upset the old Fire Lord, if he was in the wrong mood.

“Tell him it’s urgent!” a voice hissed at him from just outside the door, out of Zuko’s hearing.

“The Melon Lord says it’s urgent,” Jing relayed. There was a pause as the mysterious visitor rapidly whispered some more instructions. “And there is some unfinished business between you two.” Jing thought about what he had just said and his eyes widened in panic. A small smile played on Zuko’s lips as he fought to suppress a very un-Fire Lord-like laugh. How silly of him. He knew exactly who the Melon Lord was – one of his fiercest opponents outside of the battlefield.

“Well,” Zuko said finally. “I would hate to inconvenience the Melon Lord. Send her in!”

Toph appeared in the doorway, looking halfway between dejected and annoyed that Zuko had seen through her clever ruse. “I really thought I had you going there!”

“It’s great to see you, Toph!” Zuko grinned at her, opening his arms as the little earthbender approached for a hug. Jing bowed and exited, closing the door behind him to give them their privacy.

“How you doing, Hotman?” Toph beamed up at him. Zuko grimaced. He had forgotten that little nickname.

“Very busy,” he admitted tiredly. “But it always cheers me up to see an old friend,” he added kindly. “It’s been months since I’ve seen any of you.”

“It’s been forever since I’ve seen any of you,” Toph retorted.

“Really? I thought Aang and Katara stopped by your school a few weeks ago.”

“Blind, remember? I’ve never seen any of you,” Toph snorted, hands on her hips. Zuko immediately felt embarrassed, but Toph put him at ease by cackling. It had been a set-up. Of course it had. It was Toph.

Zuko suggested that he take a tea-break to catch up, an invitation that Toph keenly accepted. Once they had exchanged the usual pleasantries and reminisced of the time they had all travelled together, Zuko began to feel more at peace than he had for months. There were times that Zuko really longed for those days. Although they had been in the middle of a war waged by his own father, once he had been accepted to the group everything had still managed to feel so carefree for those few precious weeks. Everything that had happened, good or bad, they had faced together. He missed the easy camaraderie they had all had. Zuko halted that train of thought. He was getting too nostalgic. He didn’t often do that, but seeing anyone from the gang had that effect on him.

“So what brings you to the Fire Nation?” he asked, pouring her a second cup of tea.

“Well,” Toph began. “I don’t know if you remember, Hotman, but you still owe me that life-changing field trip. I’ve come to collect.” Zuko started. Was she being serious? Her face looked serious. His eyes started shifting around the room nervously, searching for he didn’t even know what.

“Toph, I-”

“Kidding!” Toph smirked. “Man you are so easy sometimes.” Zuko couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “There is actually something I’ll need to discuss with you though, at some point, maybe.” She took a long slurp of tea and continued: “One of your refineries is interested in making a business deal with my school. I’m here with some of the lily-livers – sorry, students – to hammer out the details.” Zuko nodded.

“I’m glad to hear that it’s going so well.” He was at a loss for what else to say. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he offered.

Toph shrugged. “It’s just business. I may need your help in the future, but for now this is just a social visit."

“Well I am honoured that the Melon Lord could take the time out of her busy schedule,” Zuko smiled. “Where are the lily-livers now?” Toph grinned at him. She loved it whenever someone else called them that.

“That’s not very Fire Lord-like,” she joked. “We have rooms in Harbour City. I guess they’re off exploring, I don’t know.”

“You should have written to me,” Zuko said. “You could have all stayed here.”

“Where would be the fun in that? Hard to drop in unannounced if you already know about it.”

“You’re right as always, Melon Lord,” Zuko conceded happily. He knew that couldn’t be the real reason. But then again it was  Toph. The entertainment she got from confusing the embers out of Zuko and Jing was definitely a good enough reason for Toph. “But anytime, I mean it.”

“Weeelll...I was thinking of taking a vacation soon. And I just happen to know that Sokka is coming here in a couple of months with Suki…” Yes of course, thought Zuko, Suki’s rotation was coming up. Placing the Kyoshi Warriors as the Palace Guard had originally been Mai’s idea as she knew Zuko had been having fitful, sleepless nights for fear of assassins in every shadow. Zuko had found he felt much more comfortable having this elite force around him and had broached the subject of a long-term arrangement with Suki, who had been more than happy to oblige. Ten Kyoshi Warriors were posted at the Royal Palace at any given time, and so as to make it fair the women took three-month stints with the rest of the year spent in their home village on Kyoshi Island. There was no end-date for this arrangement, and indeed it had helped to foster good ties with the Earth Kingdom. Which was why, he supposed, one of the refineries was headhunting Toph’s metalbenders. That would have been unthinkable before. The former Fire Nation colony of Yu Dao had been the first of its kind, Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation citizens living in harmony for generations, and it had opened the door to many possibilities. Zuko had promised himself, and Suki, that if it got too much for any of the women or if the arrangement stopped working, it could be honourably broken. Zuko trusted Suki not to lie to him, and so far everyone seemed happy. In fact, some of the Kyoshi Warriors relished the opportunity to travel and still remain loyal to their Order.

Zuko suddenly realised something. “What was that about Sokka?”

“Suki let it slip that you were going to be taking a break to Ember Island while she was here,” Toph explained. That much was true, thought Zuko, but how could Toph possibly know that? “I guess Sokka thought he would try and crash the…oh right, I was supposed to give you this.” Toph produced a roll of parchment from a pocket in her yellow tunic. Zuko unfurled it and quickly took in the contents. His face broke out into a genuine smile.

“That sounds like a great idea,” he said, a pleasant warm sensation building up in his chest. He frowned. “But how did you know about this?”

“Kyoshi Island is far,” Toph said matter-of-factly. “No hawks can make the journey. Since I was coming out this way, I thought I’d bring it to you myself. Sure sounds like the three of you will have a lovely time…”

“Toph, do you have time to join us?” Zuko asked, picking up the very unsubtle hint.

“I’m sure I could clear some space in my schedule,” Toph beamed at him. Zuko was glad. This was shaping up to be quite the reunion. His mother, Noren and Kiyi were also going to be joining, as had always been the plan, and even Uncle Iroh would be making the journey from Ba Sing Se for a few weeks. Iroh had been the one to suggest recreating the old Ember Island family vacations. Zuko would still need to tend to any urgent business that his council couldn’t handle in his stead, but taking a few weeks off in the summer had been the norm for many years in Zuko’s childhood. It had been one of the few family traditions that had been enjoyed by everyone, seemingly even Ozai.

Zuko could never have imagined it would turn out like this. That just left Katara and Aang. He wondered if there would be any way of contacting them. The Avatar and Katara liked to stay on the move, and could be very hard to pin down at any given time. As if she had read his mind, Toph interjected: “I don’t know about Twinkletoes and Sugar Queen. They said their next stop was Ba Sing Se to see the Earth King but that was weeks ago.” They probably would have moved on by now. Zuko resolved to get a message to his Uncle Iroh, on the off-chance they were still there. It would be really wonderful to have everyone together again.

****

The night had well and truly fallen over Ba Sing Se. Katara hadn’t seemed to notice. It had been a couple of hours since Iroh had closed for business for the evening, but he didn’t mind at all. He sat opposite the unusually quiet waterbender at a table in the back of the shop, away from any prying eyes and ears, patiently waiting for Katara to finish her story. It had taken some gentle coaxing from Iroh, but Katara had eventually confided in him about everything that had happened over the last few days. It hadn’t taken her long at all, in truth, to lose the fragile grip she had over her emotions once Iroh had asked for news and stories of her and Aang’s latest adventure. She had been on the verge of tears, but fortunately Iroh had noticed and ushered her to the back of the shop to give her some privacy.

“Then, he said he had to meditate on it and he would be back in a couple of days,” Katara finished, looking sadly at her tea. Iroh nodded thoughtfully. This was a tricky one, he had to admit, and not at all what he had been expecting when he invited her inside. But he was grateful he had spotted his friend when he did. Katara was grateful too. Although her heart still felt very heavy, she had to admit that telling her story to Iroh had lifted a small weight from her stomach.

“And did he come back?” Iroh asked kindly. Katara shook her head.

“No,” she said, a fresh wave of tears threatening to fall. “I mean…I don’t know. I left before he came back. I just…couldn’t do it anymore, I couldn’t just wait around for him, I…” She faltered. She took a deep breath before continuing: “I feel like I deserved it, and Aang deserves better. I thought it would be best not to be there when he came back.” Iroh looked startled at this.

“Katara,” he said gently, scooping up one of her hands in his. “Of course you don’t deserve it. What Aang did was rash, but I’m sure he understands you did what you had to do.”

“You really believe that?”

“Of course. He loves you. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you when he gets back.”

“No, I mean…you really believe I did what I had to?” Iroh nodded. “You don’t think I’m a bad person?”

“By the heavens, no!” Iroh exclaimed. “How could you even think that?” Katara couldn’t help herself and the tears spilled down her cheeks. Iroh stood up and pulled her into a comforting hug. She sobbed into his shoulder as he rubbed her back soothingly.

When she had quietened down, Iroh returned to his seat, watching her wrestle with her thoughts. The expression on her face reminded him of Zuko, during their three years travelling together after Zuko was banished.

“So, Katara, if you don’t mind me asking, what will you do now?”

“Go home to the Southern Water Tribe, I guess,” Katara said, finishing what must have been her twelfth cup of tea by now. Iroh didn’t need to be studying her closely to know that going home was not what Katara wanted. She looked so…lost and trapped. Iroh leaned back in his seat, pondering. It was clear Katara needed some space to clear her head. No doubt the arduous journey to the South Pole would do that, but it was also clear that this was the last thing she wanted. He could understand that. He couldn’t imagine returning to the Fire Nation permanently now. He had found his calling in Ba Sing Se. As much as he missed his nephew, he was happy where he was. A quiet life was what he had dreamed of, now he was in his golden years. But Katara was young, vibrant, and full of energy and passion. Even if she forced herself to settle back into the day-to-day routines of where she called home, she wouldn’t be truly happy. Especially not when she had seen all the world had to offer. Especially not after she had spent the last few years with the Avatar, putting out fires one at a time. He completely understood that need for excitement and adventure. It had been admirable, really, that Zuko had seemed so content to stay and rule over what could often be petty squabbles rather than remaining out there and exploring. But as Zuko had always maintained, being the Fire Lord was his destiny, his  calling. He somehow didn’t believe that going to live in the South Pole again was Katara’s destiny.

Resolved, he sat up. “Katara?” Sniffing, Katara looked up and their gazes met. As Iroh opened his mouth to speak, Katara gasped, eyes wide. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s night! Iroh, I am so sorry! I feel awful for having kept you-!”

“Nonsense, Katara,” Iroh chuckled, waving her apology away. “No apologies necessary. I always have time for an old friend, no matter the hour.” He smiled at her. “Besides, you won’t find a train to the Outer Ring now, I can promise you that. I have a spare room in my apartment above. I insist you join me for dinner and spend the night.” Before Katara could protest, Iroh shook his head. “Please,” he said. “That apartment can get lonely of an evening. I would be delighted to have a guest.” Katara smiled shakily at him. Iroh would have to hunt down a bedroll for her – the room had been vacant for some time and Iroh had turned it into an artist studio of sorts. He told that to Katara, and she let out a small giggle herself. “And if you’re not too tired, I could teach you Pai Sho. I should warn you however, I can get very competitive!”

Katara smiled again. “I don’t believe that for a second,” she said. “But…I have always been curious about the game. If you have time to teach me…” Iroh beamed at her once more.

“It’s settled, then. The stairway is just through that door.” He pointed behind Katara. “Let me just lock up and I will join you soon.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” she whispered gratefully.

After they had had a simple dinner of noodle soup, prepared by Katara, and a few rounds of Pai Sho, Katara looked significantly more relaxed. He couldn’t say Katara had a natural talent for the game, but she had seemed to enjoy herself and learned quickly. Now it seemed as good a time as any to try broaching the subject again, Iroh decided.

“Forgive me for intruding, Katara, but I don’t think going back to the South Pole is what you want,” he began, putting yet another cup of tea in front of her.

“It’s not,” Katara admitted. “But I don’t really know where else to go. Besides, it will be nice to see Sokka and dad and Gran-Gran again.” Iroh had no doubt that it would. He would have let it be had Katara not otherwise seemed so forlorn about the whole thing.

“I don’t think it’s what you need, either,” Iroh continued. “If you’re anything like me, what you need is time. Time to clear your head and time to heal. Do you have any responsibilities at home?” Katara shrugged.

“They’re not expecting me if that’s what you mean.”

 “Well, good. Not that they wouldn’t be incredibly lucky to have you!” Iroh added quickly. “I hope I’m not being too forward, but…why don’t you stay in Ba Sing Se? I would love to have the company, and truth be told, I could really use some help around the shop. I’m not as spry as I once was!” He patted his belly for emphasis, chuckling. “You could stay here with me, if you’re comfortable with that. Or, I’m sure together we could find you some rooms so you have your own space.” Something had changed in Katara as he spoke. She sat up a bit straighter, and Iroh recognised a small glimmer of hope in her deep blue eyes as she considered the prospect. But she quickly deflated again.

“Iroh, I…I couldn’t. I don’t want to impose!” Katara said desperately.

“How would you be imposing? You’ll be far too busy helping me keep my customers in line!” Iroh grinned at her. Katara somehow doubted the calibre of customer Iroh got in his shop needed ‘keeping in line’ but she appreciated what Iroh was trying to say. Iroh leaned in conspiratorially and whispered: “Between you and me, some of those people are crazy! How can you not like bubble tea?!” It took a moment to figure out what Iroh meant, but then she remembered about Iroh’s invention – cold tea with pearls of tapioca lining the bottom. Supposedly they added flavour and texture. She hadn’t tried it herself, but Aang and Zuko hadn’t seemed too keen. The thought of the Avatar caused a painful pang in her heart, but she quickly suppressed it. If Sokka was here, he would call it a Paang, knowing him. She could feel another small giggle rising at the thought of Sokka’s expression, but it didn’t quite make it to the surface. She had a decision to make, and it wasn’t a hard one.

“Uncle,” she began tentatively. Iroh didn’t need her to finish. He already knew what she was going to say. “I would be honoured. Thank you so, so much. I promise I will be the best assistant you’ve ever had!”

“I don’t doubt it,” Iroh chuckled heartily. “Zuko was terrible.” And for the first time all night, Iroh heard the waterbender laugh.

 

Chapter 2: Ba Sing Se

Summary:

Zuko reflects on everything that has happened since the war; Katara settles into her new life in Ba Sing Se at Iroh's side.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Thank you so much to everyone who read, left comments and kudos on the last chapter. I will admit, this one is a bit of a filler chapter but my girl needs to heal and figure out who she is. We also have a guest appearance of someone from Zuko's past. If you're intrigued or just bored with nothing better to do than read Zutara fluff (i.e. like me), read on.

Chapter Text

It had been another long and tiring day for Zuko, and he was glad to finally be able to escape to his chambers. His councilmen weren’t bad people in the least, but they all seemed to find it extremely difficult to agree on anything. Zuko had had to replace most of the royal advisors when he had taken the throne. Some had simply refused to pledge their loyalty to the new Fire Lord, others he suspected had dark intentions. Those who weren’t involved in the war trials had simply been allowed to leave, on the condition that they were to just return to their families and go about their lives. Anyone who attempted an insurgency would be thrown into the cells. It had been one of Zuko’s first major acts as Fire Lord, and although he knew showing the men mercy had been the right thing to do, it was just yet another matter his current councilmen had enjoyed squabbling over. Zuko had made it clear from the beginning he was not going to be like his father. He didn’t expect or want a panel of obedient yes-men, and he took pains to ensure he heard the point of view of each and every one before making a decision. Pains because such a tactic often resulted in Zuko losing his will to live and not being able to get away until the sun had long since set. The councilmen had quickly learned that when Zuko put his head in his hands and sighed, it was time to try and find a resolution. Zuko didn’t inspire fear the way Ozai had but they also didn’t want to disrespect their Fire Lord.

It had been harder in the beginning, when the Fire Nation had all but crumbled from the weight of rebuilding after the war. The Fire Nation hadn’t suffered anywhere near the great losses the other nations had, but a collective guilt rested on their consciences. None of them, even Zuko, really knew where to start with regaining the world’s trust and fixing the wrongs from the past one hundred years. The war trials had been held at Zuko’s insistence. Some of his more sympathetic advisors had tried to argue that it was unnecessary and they should all be left to rot like Ozai, if not executed for their crimes. Zuko had vehemently disagreed, and it had been one of the few times he had had to shout them down. He wouldn’t  just execute them, and he wouldn’t just imprison them. How was Zuko supposed to try and usher in a new age of peace and kindness if that didn’t start with his own people? Even war criminals deserved the right to a fair trial.

The war trials were presided over by a special council made up of one representative from each of the three remaining nations. Aang had been approached to stand for the Air Nomads, but he had declined which Zuko could understand. Zuko of course had stood for the Fire Nation; the Earth King had sent over one of his most trusted advisors for the job; and Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe had acted as their representative. He had spent time in both tribes now, and had the blessings of the Southern chieftains to speak for them as well. Everyone knew that except for the Air Nomads, the Southern Water Tribe had suffered the most at the Fire Nation’s hands. It was therefore unsurprising that Master Pakku was almost always in favour of a guilty verdict with the harshest punishment. Both Zuko and Master Pakku had found themselves nearly coming to blows on some occasions, and the poor Earth Kingdom advisor was always the one who had to break the tie. But any verdict had to be unanimous and was final. As Fire Nation citizens, their ultimate punishment was left to Zuko, but as with his councilmen he made sure to hear their opinions before rendering the sentence.

That had been a gruelling two years, and Zuko had felt immensely relieved when it was over. At his insistence, no-one had been sentenced to death for their crimes, but many languished in prisons around the country. The worst had been given life sentences, and these were the ones sent to the Boiling Rock. This was something Zuko couldn’t shout them all down about. It had been a very difficult decision for him to make, given how only a few years ago he was in their position, relentlessly chasing the Avatar in the blind belief of the glory of the Fire Nation, and not caring who got caught in the crossfire. He had seen the conditions of Boiling Rock with his own eyes, had even been briefly imprisoned there, but in a dark pit of his soul, he agreed that was where they belonged. The ones given those sentences were the ones who had shown no remorse, and seemed almost proud that they had been the worst of the worst. But Zuko still made sure to visit once a year, the date kept secret from the wardens, to ensure there was no cruelty or inhuman punishment taking place.

Zuko collapsed onto his bed, exhausted. He didn’t know how late it was but he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He sighed, reminding himself it was only a few short weeks before he would get a break. The first break he had had since becoming Fire Lord. He had already been looking forward to seeing Iroh and his family again, but Toph’s message had really sealed it. It had been planned whilst Suki had last been on rotation, and he had already asked if she would accompany them. Not as a bodyguard, per se, more for his peace of mind that he could better keep everyone safe with her help. Suki would technically be on duty, but that just meant keeping his family safe if it was needed. He wanted Suki to enjoy some time off as well. Thankfully, since the dissolution of the New Ozai Society the threats to his life and the peace of his country had reduced significantly. But there was still the odd lone wolf with the capacity for causing a lot of trouble, and he trusted the Kyoshi Warriors completely. It had actually been Zuko’s idea originally that if Suki wanted to bring Sokka, he would be more than welcome, but as the months had passed he had forgotten about it until Toph had visited.

He had felt uncertain about inviting the others out of the blue. They were his friends, he knew that, and they all cared about each other. In times of need, they would be there. They had been before. But as time had gone on, Zuko could feel the yawning chasm between them growing deeper. Being largely confined to the Fire Nation, he could only watch from the sidelines or hear through the grapevine as they moved on with their lives. Toph was very unpredictable and he honestly couldn’t have said whether she would have even been interested in a social visit, metalbending academy or no metalbending academy. Katara and Aang almost certainly wouldn’t have had the time, and he didn’t want to pressure them into feeling they had to abandon their commitments just to placate Zuko. It was as if a part of him hadn’t wanted to give in to that hope that they might actually want  to…  His mind had conjured images of awkward silences, boredom and squirming to get away. Sometimes he felt like the memory of what could have been was better. A memory of them all having a great time and being just as eager to see him as he was them…reality marred perfection every time. At least that had been his rationalisation. Then Toph had very unsubtly mentioned she wanted to join the party, and Zuko mentally slapped himself.

Why  had he allowed his anxiety to get the better of him? He should have just asked  them. The worst that would have happened is they may have declined. It would have been disappointing, of course. But how could they possibly do otherwise if he didn’t give them the chance? After Toph had left and gone to find her lily-livers, Zuko scribbled an urgent message to Iroh, on the off-chance he might at least know where Katara and Aang could be found. He knew it would still take two weeks for the message to reach Ba Sing Se, but he had to try. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, because the more he thought about it, the more he longed to see them. Iroh’s response when it had come nearly a month later had been brief, stating he would keep an eye out for them. It was very unlike Iroh to be so brief and to the point. Zuko wanted to know what his uncle was hiding but didn’t press the issue just then. There would be plenty of time to talk when they reached Ember Island.

Zuko admitted his heart had sunk a bit at Iroh’s reply, and he discarded any hope he may have had. He missed them all very much. As much as he had grumbled about it at the time, he missed Sokka’s awful sense of humour and wacky ideas that were sure to get them killed. That young man was a lot smarter than anyone really gave him credit for, but it was difficult to give credit to him when that same young man could also be a big idiot. He missed Aang’s relentless playfulness and positivity, which could at times be inappropriate and bordering on infuriating, but Aang was such a wholesome character you couldn’t begrudge him for it. He missed the delightful and almost brutish little spark that was Toph, and he imagined the earthbender would get on very well with Kiyi. They had quite similar personalities after all. And he missed Katara. He thought that the group had too often seen her as the mother more than anything else (especially Aang and Sokka) and inadvertently took advantage of her helpful nature. But the Katara he knew, the Katara he observed, was so much more than that. He had seen it every time they had fought as enemies, and later side-by-side. She could be incredibly stubborn, and hurtful when she wanted to be, and her rage could be a very scary thing to see. Zuko knew from experience how it felt to have it directed at him. But she was also in her heart very sweet, and sunny. Katara had been the most difficult one in the group to win over, but she had been worth it. The day she had finally forgiven him was a memory he would always cherish. Truthfully, there were times when he had been in complete awe of her…

As he drifted off into sleep, a pleasant thought came to him. This wasn’t going to be the only time they could all get together again, now that the world was in a time of peace. He could always try again, at another time.

****

It had been two months since Katara had accepted Iroh’s offer and decided to stay in Ba Sing Se, at least for the time being. He knew it wasn’t the most exciting life, and it certainly wasn’t solving the world’s problems, but Iroh in his usual wisdom had been right. It was what Katara needed. The first few days had been very difficult and Iroh sometimes heard her sobbing herself to sleep through the walls. His heart reached out to her, but he also knew well enough to let her be. That studio-turned-second-bedroom was now Katara’s. Even if it was still partially filled with some of his works. To Iroh’s joy however, unlike his then very sullen nephew, Katara seemed to find genuine delight in sampling Iroh’s paintings, and they passed many a lazy evening together in the lounge, Iroh painting and Katara working on whatever she was working on.

It had taken this very sudden shift in her lifestyle for Katara to realise that she didn’t really know what she liked doing  in her downtime. She had had so little of it before. She tried her hand at a few hobbies, each passing fancy eagerly egged on by Iroh – she had tried knitting, but once she had a grasp on it and could do it without really having to concentrate, she found herself fixating. She had tried cooking new and exotic meals to share with Iroh, but it turned out her culinary skills were actually quite limited. She had even tried painting but her heart just wasn’t in it. The only thing that seemed to make her come alive was practicing waterbending, but it didn’t feel right to do that in someone else’s apartment.

The closest she had ever come was using her power to clean up the odd spill. She had once caught Iroh bending down to mop up the mess on his hands and knees. Pulling her best Iroh impression, she had crossed her arms and tutted: “Iroh, do we need to have a talk?” Iroh shot her a puzzled look, rag in hand. Attempting and failing to keep her face straight, Katara continued: “You’re living with a waterbender now! You don’t have to do that.” After gently chastising him, she neatly bent the water out of the wood and back into the pot, before both began chuckling comfortably together. It was good to her hear laugh, her eyes sparkling.

That had been two weeks in.

****

Katara could honestly say never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined living Ba Sing Se with the Dragon of the West (even the fortune-teller Aunt Wu may have struggled with that one) but it suited her just fine. With Iroh’s encouragement, she settled comfortably into her new role as his shop assistant as well as life in the big city. It had been a bit of a culture shock for her, accustomed as she was to Aang’s nomadic lifestyle. Some mornings she still woke up wondering where she would be laying her head that night, before the fog of sleep left her and she remembered. She would be here. No Aang trying to grab her attention, no Sokka telling stupid jokes. It was just her…and Iroh of course. She probably never would know exactly what had spurred the kindly man to take her in, but she knew she would always be thankful. Early on, she had begun unconsciously slipping back into the familiar role of ‘mother’ of the group, cleaning up after Iroh and automatically taking care of all of the chores. Grateful as he was, Iroh didn’t want her to because it seemed to mean to Katara that she had to stay in and clean every night after having worked hard all day. When he tried to lift a finger to help, Katara simply wouldn’t hear of it.

“I don’t mind,” Katara would insist. “You’ve been on your feet all day.”

“So have you,” he pointed out. He hadn’t invited her to stay to become his maid. He had invited her to stay because she had needed a friend, and the thought of not helping and watching her traipse sadly off to an uncertain future in that state just didn’t sit right with him. And, of course, if it hadn’t been for Katara, his nephew would not be alive today. Whether she acknowledged it or not, both of them were in her debt. That wasn’t the reason he had taken her under his wing, but it wasn’t something he would ever forget even if the waterbender had seemed to.

“Katara,” he began. At this, Katara put down the plate she had been holding and turned to him. “I don’t want you to stay up cleaning each night because you think it’s what I want,” he explained. Katara began to protest, but Iroh shook his head. “Go out and enjoy the city!” he encouraged. “It’s beautiful at night. The parks are full of fireflies and the fountains are lit up. Ba Sing Se is a magical place to go for a stroll at night.” He thought for a moment. His own words had tempted him. “In fact, I think I’ll join you!” And so they set off into the evening together, leaving the dishes unclean and exactly where they had left them, Iroh once again ignoring Katara’s protests to just let her do them quickly before they headed out.

As they walked, Katara grew pensive. When she allowed her mind to roam freely, her thoughts always turned back to Aang. At first she had thought of him with longing. She missed their adventures. She missed the way he would always call her ‘sweetie’, and the way his face lit up when he was proud of her. But lately, something didn’t feel quite right and it was nagging at her. And then the realisation dawned on her in horror. Her face fell, and Iroh rounded on her with concern. “What’s wrong?”

Katara’s cheeks heated up with embarrassment. She really had to get better at masking her emotions, she told herself. “It’s stupid,” she muttered. By this point, she didn’t even need to look at Iroh to know he disagreed with her. Nothing was stupid to Iroh. Except people who didn’t appreciate bubble tea, but that was just poor taste on their part. Katara had now tried the infamous beverage for herself, and she wholeheartedly agreed with Iroh – it was the summer tea of the future. And the tapioca really did add texture, especially when they popped unexpectedly mid-drink. “I was thinking about Aang…and the dishes,” she sighed, groaning inwardly. Iroh raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that all I was to Aang? The ‘mother’ who cooked and cleaned?”

Iroh opened his mouth to try and reassure Katara, but she wasn’t finished. “I…always had to be the buzzkill. It didn’t matter if I was asking them to do chores around camp or stop them from getting themselves locked up or killed! Sometimes it felt like they were thinking ‘oh crap Katara’s coming. Let’s go and do something stupid so she won’t notice we didn’t do the laundry!’”

“I was a lot more than that!” she spat out, not realising that her fists had clenched and her voice had risen indignantly. “I was a fighter. I had everyone’s backs, through everything. I supported Aang in every way possible for years! How could he just toss me aside so easily? Over a mistake?!” As she became aware of Iroh’s eyes on her, she suddenly sank back into herself. The moment of rage had passed, and now she just felt embarrassed and guilty for dragging Iroh into this. She turned to him to apologise, but paused when she saw he was smiling at her sadly.

“It’s good to talk,” he told her kindly. “Let it out.” Katara blushed.

“I’m sorry, Uncle,” she muttered guiltily. As she looked back, she knew she had been rambling nonsense. Of course they saw her as more than just the mother. And even if they didn’t, part of that had been her own fault. She had this compulsion to help in any way she could, and when she was with the group that had meant looking after the camp and keeping it running. Was it any wonder if the others didn’t see her in any other way? Thinking about it like that left a sour taste in her mouth. Aang had been the worst of all. He had been a child when she and Sokka had found him in the iceberg. By that point, she had grown so used to mothering Sokka it had only seemed natural to include Aang in that circle, given they were with each other day in, day out. She had tried to avoid doing that with Toph, at first, but when the fierce earthbender had pushed and bitten back, Katara simply gave in. By the time Zuko completed their pack, it was so ingrained into her she didn’t even think about it, despite her initial hostility towards the firebender. “I don’t know where that came from.”

“Anger,” Iroh replied simply. “It’s not always rational. But even the most stunning white jade flower needs the ugliest root.” He smiled at her knowingly, which Katara returned. She had lived with Iroh long enough to be able to decipher some of his proverbs (proverbs which she was sure were unique to Iroh). He was telling her that it was okay to be angry, to have an ugly side, as long as she didn’t let it spoil her. The roots were essential to the flower’s survival, and without the flower the roots would just wither and die having left no mark on the world. It was about not keeping her anger bottled up and letting it fester. She needed to find a healthy way to release that energy. It was about yin and yang…balance. She relayed her theory to Iroh, and he chuckled in his usual, affable manner. It hadn’t been exactly what he meant, but he found her interpretation interesting. “I can see I’m going to be a bad influence on you,” he grinned. They continued walking through the streets of Ba Sing Se, chatting idly, until Iroh’s ears perked up as he heard music coming from one of the parks. Curiosity piqued, Iroh and Katara wandered in.

A small group of women were clustered around one of the fountains, lit up by colourful lanterns floating in the water. Beside the group were a trio of musicians, beating out a slow, melodic tune that had drawn the two in. The women were dancing, arms raised and making sweeping motions and swaying serenely to the music. Some of the women carried fans, which reminded her of the Kyoshi Warriors, and all were dressed in long, colourful skirts that flowed behind them gracefully as they moved. Katara was mesmerised. They had arranged themselves so that each woman stood opposite a partner. She could almost feel the push and pull as she watched their routine. As one leapt forward, the other fell back mirroring her partner, and on it went.  She felt a flutter in her chest. “They’re like waterbenders!” she gasped excitedly. She had only seen such a display once in the Northern Water Tribe, but that was certainly what it looked like to her. This wasn’t about simple combat, though, it was so much more. The dance told a tale, one full of emotion and passion. It stirred something in Katara, and she suddenly longed to be like them. It had been a long time since she had practiced her forms.

Katara eagerly approached the group after they finished their routine.

“That was incredible!” she gushed. “It was so moving.”

“Well…thank you. That’s really sweet of you,” one of the women, who introduced herself as Jin, blushed. Her brown hair was done up in a messy braid hanging down her back, and her large brown eyes sparkled at the compliment.

“It really reminded me of waterbending,” Katara continued. “I’m a waterbender myself, so I hope that’s not a weird thing to say…”

“Not at all,” Jin smiled at her. “Actually, I think a lot of the moves were inspired by waterbending. You should meet our dancemaster – she’s from the North Pole, like you!” Katara didn’t bother to correct her as Jin led her over to a smaller, elderly woman who still had all her wits and reflexes about her. Katara thought this was how she could imagine Toph being when she was at that age. It turned out that the display was a welcome, nightly sight for the citizens of the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se who, like Katara and Iroh, had taken to the dusky streets for an evening stroll.

That was the first time Katara had realised just how far she and Iroh had walked. Katara had only recently just learned it was possible to cross the divide like that. It certainly hadn’t been the first time she had stayed there. Iroh explained that Ba Sing Se had changed for the better since the war. The cost of living still kept the Rings separated in practice, but the citizens were free to roam wherever they liked, although a Lower Ring citizen was still an incredibly rare sight in the Upper Ring. Once the war was over, many of the refugees from the Lower Ring had trickled back out to their former homes and begun rebuilding their lives. Katara quietly hoped that didn’t have anything to do with this relaxation of the rules. Maybe it was time she paid a visit to the Lower Ring. Maybe there was something she could do to help.

The next day, Iroh excused her from her duties in the tea shop and she took the train to the Lower Ring. As it turned out, there was plenty she could do to help. The river bank coursing through that part of the city had been dangerously neglected, and being ‘only’ Lower Ring citizens they had largely been left to their own devices to try and solve the problem. What they wanted to do was divert the river further away from people’s homes, because if the bank burst it would be a disaster. Everyone would lose everything if there was a flood. It had happened before, and the City had only stepped in to offer humanitarian relief but did nothing to try and stop it from happening again. But the people didn’t have the requisite tools or know-how, how could they? Much like when the Earth King had been a mere figurehead, they were getting no assistance whatsoever.

As a waterbender, Katara had a little expertise with this matter and offered her help which was gratefully received. This was when Katara really began to enjoy her new life. It gave her something to focus on, and new forms to practice because she had never done anything like this before. She was much more powerful now than when the so-called Freedom Fighters had burst a dam and destroyed the innocent Earth Kingdom village in the name of getting back at the Fire Nation.

She rushed home to talk to Iroh about it. Katara was still more than happy to help out in the shop, but would he mind excusing her in the afternoons so she could assist the people of the Lower Ring? Iroh just beamed at her and nodded. He had begun to earnestly think of Katara as his adopted niece, and he honestly couldn’t have been happier for her when she excitedly told him of their plans.

There were some earthbenders among the Lower Ring population, and together the small team got to work. It took them several weeks, such was the complexity of their project and the limited amount of time they all had to spare. The earthbenders had jobs of their own and families to support, and Katara had promised Iroh she wouldn’t let her responsibilities as his assistant fall to the wayside, albeit she could now only help out in the mornings. The afternoons and early evenings were spent down by the river with the earthbenders. Ashamed as she was to admit it, she also found it was really nice being recognised by them as Katara the master waterbender and not just Katara the Avatar’s girl. Was that really shallow? Was that unfair? Luckily for Katara, she was so busy she didn’t really have time to dwell on it.

After a hard day’s work, as night fell over the city, Katara would take the train up to the Middle Ring. It had been Iroh’s suggestion that she go for more strolls and explore the city to wind down before heading back to the apartment. Katata eagerly followed his advice. She continually found herself back in the park where she had seen the dancers, and settled down to watch, completely enthralled. Jin seemed to have taken a shine to her, and always waved her over once their routine had finished. Katara liked Jin. She was open, friendly and incredibly easy to talk to. As much as Katara adored Iroh, it was also nice having a friend her own age. When Jin invited Katara to join them for drinks one evening, Katara eagerly accepted.

“So what brings you to Ba Sing Se?” Jin asked. The dancers had spread themselves out around the tavern, a bright and lively place on the border between the Upper and Middle Rings. Katara and Jin had decided to stay sat at the bar and get to know each other while the rest of Jin’s troupe milled around socialising.

“Uh, it’s kind of a long story…” Katara told her uncertainly.

“I have plenty of time,” Jin assured her. “But you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” Katara shook her head. She felt fine to talk about it. Jin didn’t seem like the sort to be judgemental, and it wasn’t as if Katara had to go into any great detail. It wasn’t lost on her how messed up it was that Katara felt comfortable sharing with a relative stranger when she felt she couldn’t confide in any of her friends or Sokka.

“Well, I guess I’m here now because I just broke up with someone,” Katara admitted.

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry!” Jin replied.

“It’s okay, I think it was for the best.”

“Heh, you were probably way too good for him,” Jin smiled, taking a sip of her beer. Katara followed suit. She found she didn’t really like beer. But she had had so little liquor in her life, she had just ordered what Jin had, not knowing what else was even available and not wanting to show herself up as a clueless little girl who had no business being there. “So do you have family here or something?”

“Uh, not exactly…well, we were in Ba Sing Se when we broke up and I ran into an old friend.” Katara thought for a moment. “He’s actually the uncle of one of my other old friends. He…he took me in.”

“Oh was that the guy you were with when you first saw us?” Katara nodded. “I thought for sure you guys were related!”

“He’s kind of like my adopted uncle,” Katara smiled.

“That is so cute!” Jin gushed. “Seriously. I can’t think of anyone who would do that for me. Outside of my own family, I mean.”

“I knew him in the war,” Katara explained. She didn’t want to elaborate too much. Much like in the Lower Ring, Katara was enjoying the anonymity that not hanging off Aang’s arm gave her. The people she met and befriended just saw her as Katara, and liked her for her.

“I guess I wouldn’t really know about that,” Jin sighed. “We were all kept in the dark about what was going on the other side of the walls. Other than the refugees, we had no idea anything was even wrong.”

“And just how did they explain away the refugees?” Katara asked curiously.

“Well, at first they blamed it on natural disasters,” Jin explained. Katara raised her eyebrows. “Honestly it seemed like the whole country was collapsing into the earth, with how many of them came in every single day. I was sixteen when the war ended. I probably should have known better. I knew something was going on, but…not what.”

“It’s not your fault you were lied to,” Katara reasoned.

“I guess not,” Jin sighed, not convinced. “Anyway, I’m sorry, I didn’t invite you here tonight to talk about the war. I have a small confession to make…I love learning about other cultures. So when you said you were a waterbender, I really wanted to get to know you. I hope that’s not creepy.”

“Not for me,” Katara shrugged, taking another long sip of her beer. She had figured out that if she drank it in bigger gulps, she wouldn’t have to taste so much of it. It tasted just as bitter no matter how much or little she took at a time. “Honestly, it makes a nice change. Usually everyone is obsessed with airbending. Which is fair, I guess, but-”

“Hold up, hold up,” Jin cut her off. “Airbending? You know the Avatar?!” Her mouth gaped in surprise, and Katara stiffened. ‘Crap! I didn’t mean to let that slip,’ Katara thought. Jin’s expression suddenly changed again. “I am so sorry! We were talking about you.”

“It’s okay,” Katara smiled.

“I just got a little carried away,” Jin giggled. “Tell me all about the North Pole. What was it like growing up there?”

“I’m actually from the South Pole,” Katara clarified.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I just assumed. You said you were a waterbender, and…wait…you’re that Katara?” Katara sighed and reluctantly nodded her head. “It is such an honour to meet you!” Jin gushed. “Wait till I tell the others!”

“Jin…would it be okay if we kept this between us?” Katara asked quietly. Jin looked at her in surprise. “Aang…the Avatar…he’s the one I just broke up with. Or, he broke up with me. And I just…I don’t know, it sounds stupid, but…”

“You want people to get to know Katara, not the Avatar’s ex-girlfriend,” Jin said, nodding in understanding. “Say no more. I completely get it.”

“Really?” Katara breathed in relief. She could feel the effects of the beer now. Her head felt like it was beginning to spin, and she longed to pull Jin into a deep hug of gratefulness. Whatever that was. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“Trust me, I get it,” Jin promised. Katara raised her eyebrows questioningly. Jin giggled. “I, uh, haven’t told many people this, but I feel like I owe you a secret.” Katara didn’t think she did, but she was intrigued so remained silent. “I…sort of dated the Fire Lord…before he was the Fire Lord, I mean.” Katara almost spat her beer back out, and started coughing with laughter.

“What?!” she gasped.

“He told me his name was Lee,” Jin giggled sheepishly. “We only went out on one date. I thought he was an Earth Kingdom refugee. He seemed so…unsure, but really, really sweet! Imagine my surprise when I found out who he was.” It had been pure chance, really. When the newly crowned Fire Lord had come to visit Ba Sing Se, Jin had caught a glimpse of him and recognised him instantly.

“Okay, I am going to need all of those details,” Katara implored her. “But do you want to know something really weird?”

“What?”

“His uncle…is the one I’m staying with.” Both in their cups, the two women found this series of bizarre coincidences hilarious, and burst out laughing.

“Honey, I think you and I are going to be really good friends,” Jin beamed at her. Katara couldn’t agree more. They clinked their glasses together. The topic found itself back at their childhoods, and Katara explained that she was the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, and she couldn’t blame Jin for assuming she was from the North. Jin in turn told her that she had spent almost all of her life behind the walls of Ba Sing Se. Her mother had been offered a prestigious position within the Earth King’s court once he had assumed control from the Dai Li, and that had boosted Jin’s family from the Lower Ring to the Upper Ring. It also meant they had more money to spend on travel, but Jin had still never left the Earth Kingdom, and was genuinely fascinated by some of Katara’s stories. Katara, for her part, found Jin’s own upbringing fascinating. They had both led such incredibly different lives, and yet in its own twisted way, destiny had seen fit to subtly intertwine their paths.

As they spent more nights out together, Katara also slowly got to know the other women in Jin’s troupe, but Jin was the only one she would call her friend. The others were acquaintances, at best. In a strange way, though, this was almost better for Katara. She felt she could let loose around them as they didn’t have any expectations of her. She knew that wasn’t fair to her friends, at all, and she didn’t know why she felt that way. Perhaps she had just been apart from them for so long, she assumed they would all behave the way Aang had.

All that said, she was very glad that her friends weren’t there to witness when she met Larnak, a non-bender from the Northern Water Tribe. He had been exceptionally charming…and Katara, in a moment of loneliness and weakness, had let herself fall for his charms, if only for one night. When she woke up in his arms the next morning, she couldn’t help but feel she had made a massive mistake. But she also didn’t feel guilty. At all. She was her own woman now. Even if her Tribe did follow the same strict customs as the North (which, she noted bitterly, didn’t seem to apply to the men, of course), she was in Ba Sing Se. The city of secrets. Apart from Jin, she told no-one of the encounter, and reasoned this was just another secret the city could keep.

On Katara’s days off, she spirited herself away to practice waterbending. She had found that many of the dancers’ forms could be translated to waterbending. She’d never win a fight using just these moves, of course, but it evoked in Katara a newfound appreciation for her element and just what she could do with it. She practiced her waterbending on her own either at fountains in quiet corners of the parks or the canal outside of the hustle and bustle of the Upper Ring, switching between styles. She didn’t know how it looked to outsiders, but manipulating the water using these new forms made her feel…feminine and powerful. It had been the longest time since she could remember feeling like that, even before everything had happened with Aang. The confidence that had been shattered by Aang’s sudden departure slowly built back up and Katara knew it was those moments helping out and practicing that had done the real healing.

As for Iroh, Katara really owed him for giving her this. When she went shopping, she kept an eye out for trinkets, curios and the occasional exotic tea she could bring back to add to his collection. The latter was Iroh’s favourite. He kept insisting she didn’t need to get him gifts, and she kept insisting it was what friends did. It hadn’t occurred to her that a large part of Iroh’s joy for these items was in their discovery. The darker and more abandoned the corner it came from, the better. He had never admitted this to Katara, but she had noticed how he lit up whenever he spotted something she would have picked for him when they went on outings together. She resolved from then on to just invite Iroh instead as he enjoyed it a lot more that way.

It sometimes felt strange to think of Iroh as a friend and not her actual uncle, but it was what they had become as the weeks went by. They shared a lot of laughter, tea and games of Pai Sho when Katara came back for the night. It reminded her of the best of her travelling days, when they had all been gathered at the end of a hard day joking, exchanging stories and just enjoying each other’s company. When Zuko joined, tea had also become part of their shared ritual and for once Katara had never been expected to do all the work. When teased about this, Zuko had sullenly mumbled something about his uncle being a ‘bad influence’ on him. She had to stifle a giggle when she thought of the dynamic Iroh must have had with the prickly firebender during their own time together. Iroh let out a loud, roaring laugh when Katara mentioned that to him. He told her of one of the worst things Zuko had ever said, when he had loudly stated that all  tea was just hot leaf juice. Katara couldn’t help but giggle again.

“Well…technically he is right,” Katara teased. Iroh simply looked at the floor and shook his head, before disappearing into the kitchen muttering about ‘bad influences’ and ‘what was wrong with the youth of today’ while Katara continued giggling. She could really see the resemblance between uncle and nephew sometimes.

****

Iroh wandered around the empty apartment, yawning and stretching. The sun was high in the sky and he marvelled at how he had slept so long. He found a note from Katara on the dining table, saying she had gone down early to help open up the tea shop and she hadn’t wanted to disturb him. He mentally chastised her for running around looking after him again, but smiled. At least this time he knew it wasn’t that she was just trying to stay on his good side. He had never wanted her to feel like she had to ‘earn her keep’, he would have been happy to help anyway, but Katara’s pride wouldn’t have let her if she didn’t do something. That was why he had suggested she help him with the shop. Like Iroh, the waterbender was like a butterfly-moth to a flame when it came to helping people. It hadn’t surprised him in the least when Katara had asked if he could spare her to help with the river in the Lower Ring. That was all finished now and Katara was back to working full-time in the tea shop, but it was obvious how much brighter she was compared to two months ago.

He had gone out last night for an evening of music, drinks and some rather heated rounds of Pai Sho and it must have been later than he realised when he got back. Or rather, stumbled back. Iroh couldn’t hold his liquor as well as he had been able to. He hoped his snoring hadn’t disturbed her – those walls were thin.

As he got dressed and prepared to venture down, a loud tapping sound caught his attention. There was a messenger hawk pecking insistently at the window. Messenger hawks had increasingly become more commonplace within Ba Sing Se, but this was clearly a Fire Nation hawk. It must be from Zuko. He let the bird in, stroking it tenderly as he freed the message from the hawk’s pouch. It was emblazoned with the royal seal, confirming his theory. He hadn’t heard from his nephew at all since he had hastily written back that he would ‘keep an eye out’ for Katara and Aang and invite them to Ember Island. Zuko’s invitation had arrived a mere few days after Katara had moved in. As she was still heartbroken, Iroh hadn’t felt it was the right time to announce that Zuko was trying to plan a reunion. Then as the weeks went on, Iroh had simply forgotten to bring it up. Zuko’s new message quickly jolted him to that reality, and he slapped his forehead, sighing at his forgetfulness.

Zuko just wanted to confirm when the airship to transport Iroh to Ember Island would be arriving in Ba Sing Se. Other than some pleasantries about how Zuko hoped the shop was doing well, that was it. His nephew was always a man of few words and to the point. Iroh hoped vainly he had been able to talk that out him, but some things never changed. Maybe he really just didn’t have any other news.

Iroh decided he had better hurry downstairs and talk to Katara before it slipped his mind again. The invitation had been a standing one, and in any event Iroh was certain Zuko would be thrilled if Katara could join them.

He found her hard at work in the shop as usual. She was currently washing up the platters from previous patrons. He called her into the backroom, and heard a small squeak of surprise. He had noticed that when she thought no-one was looking, she would speed up the rinsing process with her waterbending. He suspected he had been about to ‘catch her in the act’. He didn’t know why she kept it hidden. A quizzical expression visible on her face, Katara followed, still holding a soap-studded tray.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Iroh began sheepishly, gesturing for her to put her tray down. “I’m sorry I didn’t mention it sooner, it completely slipped my mind. I’ve just had a message from Zuko.”

“Oh, how is he?”

“He’s fine…I presume. He didn’t really say much.” Katara grinned. Yes, that sounded like Zuko. “I’m going to Ember Island next month, with Zuko and Ursa and her family.”

“Iroh, that sounds great!” Katara beamed at him. He deserved a break, and she knew he sometimes found it difficult to be so far away from his family. “Did you want me to watch the shop for you while you’re gone?”

“No, no,” Iroh chuckled. “I have all the help I need.” Katara’s heart sank slightly. She thought she knew what was coming next. This was Iroh’s nice way of hinting it was time for her to move on. It had already been two months. Maybe it was time to go home. Katara wasn’t worried about having to explain what had happened anymore, she had made her peace with that. But it still wasn’t ideal. The fact of the matter was, she just didn’t feel there was anything in the South Pole for her anymore. It felt like taking a huge step back when everybody else had moved on. But, she supposed, Sokka had managed it. Maybe she could find a way to be at peace with that too. And there was no telling what might happen on the journey. Fate had thrown her to Iroh, after all. Literally. She knew she would miss this life though. And Jin. Perhaps they could write, even visit each other? Jin was always talking about how she wanted to see more of the world. The South Pole was about as far from Ba Sing Se as one could travel.

“Zuko asked me to invite you to join us. He told me that your brother and Suki will be there,” Iroh continued, snapping Katara out of her mental ramble. Sokka? “And Toph, too.”

“Toph?!” Katara exclaimed. Wow. She hadn’t seen Toph in a long, long time. They had had their petty squabbles, but she adored the girl.

“Of course,” Iroh smiled. “What do you think? Can you spare the time?”

Katara didn’t need to think twice. “I would love to!” she beamed, running across the room to give Iroh a hug. He stumbled slightly at the force, but gladly wrapped his arms around her. She pulled away, babbling: “And you know what, I’ve realised something. I’m…I’m ready to face them, well not face them but I’m ready to tell them what happened between me and Aang. I am. It’s time they knew the truth. Not that either of us really did anything wrong but you know I was just always so worried about it, I mean he’s the Avatar  and…” She trailed off, aware of just how much  she had been babbling.

“You should give your friends more credit, Katara,” Iroh advised. “I think they would understand.”

Katara agreed. “Well, now I can. Thanks to you.” She began pondering aloud about what to pack, and did she have time to make some new dresses. The Fire Nation had a very different climate to what she was used to, and she had really loved the clothes. Maybe she could make something in Fire Nation style but with Water Tribe colours?

Iroh sighed. He hated to burst her bubble, but there was one possibility she hadn’t considered. He had to say it now, though. It wouldn’t be fair on her if he didn’t and she was met with an unpleasant surprise on arrival.

“And…if Aang is there as well?” he asked, watching Katara’s face fall with a quiet “oh…” So he had been right. She really hadn’t considered that.

“Do you think he will be?” Katara asked nervously.

“I doubt it,” Iroh admitted. “I’m sure Zuko would have said something if he was. He did ask me to invite both of you, but we don’t know where he is.” That much was true, Katara thought. Part of her felt bad for Aang in a way. He was the only one who wasn’t going to be there, and he would have loved to have been part of it. He was probably busy anyway. It also occurred to her that if things hadn’t happened the way they did, there was a decent chance that if Aang hadn’t gone, Katara would have missed out as well. She would have chosen to stay with him, like a good girlfriend. It had been Aang’s decision to throw that away by flying off and just leaving her instead of staying and talking like an adult. He was seventeen now, old enough that him running away wasn’t just a cute, childlike quirk of his, as well as expecting Katara to be there to pick up the pieces like his mother. He hadn’t come back for three days. By the fourth day, Katara had made a decision of her own.

She couldn’t feel guilty about this, she wouldn’t. Zuko had invited them both. Aang wasn’t being left out, he just wasn’t around. And if he was there…well. She was going to have to face him eventually too. She had no idea what the future held, but Aang being the Avatar meant their paths were sure to cross again. At least this way they would be surrounded by mutual friends. It wouldn’t be like the last time they had spoken. The only other time she had seen Aang get so mad was when Appa had been kidnapped. She had hoped to never have to see that side of him again.

Resolved, Katara spoke: “You know what, it’s okay if he is. I guess I have to talk to Aang eventually too, huh?” She sounded confident, but her stomach was doing somersaults at the thought. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to let that fear override her excitement at seeing her friends again. Not this time. “Please tell Zuko I’ll be there!” she smiled, cheerily dancing off back to work with a new skip in her step.

Iroh returned to the apartment to draft his reply, deep in thought. It wasn’t quite true, what he had said about not knowing where Aang was. Iroh could only venture a guess, but he supposed it likely that the Avatar was somewhere near the South Pole.

About a month before, Aang had stopped by the tea shop. Katara had been out shopping at the time. Aang had seemed his usual self, regaling Iroh with tales of his latest adventure and updating him about the air acolytes. He then confessed the real reason for his visit. He didn’t go into detail the way Katara had, but he had admitted to Iroh that they had had a bad fight and he needed to talk to her. Had Iroh seen her?

It would have been so easy to tell Aang that Katara was staying with him, and was out shopping. It would have been so easy to have invited him to wait. But something in his gut told him that this wouldn’t be the right thing to do. He took in the bright and beaming Avatar before him, and remembered that this was the same Avatar who had broken Katara’s heart. The same Avatar who had got so angry with her, he had almost gone into the Avatar State right there in the royal palace. Had Aang threatened her? Iroh really didn’t want to believe it, but he imagined seeing that and not knowing if he would lose control must have been terrifying for her.

And he thought about Katara, who had only just accepted what had happened, who had spent years of her life chasing after him and looking after him and cleaning up his messes, who had been deeply hurt by him. It hadn’t sounded like a particularly happy relationship for her at the end, and every instinct told him not to let the two come together again, not then. Why had it taken Aang so many weeks to come looking for her if he cared that much? Why hadn’t he seemed the least bit sad or guilty about the fact they had broken up? Something about the whole situation just didn’t smell right to Iroh. He had simply told Aang that, yes, he had seen Katara on her way to the South Pole. It was the truth.

And then off Aang went, presumably to begin the long journey to the Southern Water Tribe. He hadn’t heard from him since, and he had never told Katara about his visit.

Iroh could live with the consequences if that was the wrong decision. He still felt it hadn’t been. He had only been trying to protect Katara. Because he knew what would happen. Katara wouldn’t be able to help herself. If the Avatar summoned her, back then she would have gone running, no matter how unhappy it might have made her. Had Katara been around, he would have left the decision to her, and he did feel some remorse for not even giving her the choice. She seemed better for it, in Iroh’s opinion. He didn’t think he had ever seen Katara quite like this, even during the many times they had met after the war. She seemed so…free. Besides if it was Aang and Katara’s destiny to be together, nothing Iroh did would be able to keep them apart for long. He had only wanted to do his bit to ensure that when it happened, Katara would rule with her head and not with her grief.

He glanced back down at the parchment, only just realising how lost in his thoughts he had been. He wouldn’t tell Zuko of the circumstances, that wasn’t his story to tell, he would just let him know that he would be bringing Katara with him and that Aang couldn’t make it. That would have to do.

It was a pity about Momo, though.

Chapter 3: Confessions

Summary:

The reunion has finally arrived but questions abound as to Aang's whereabouts, and Katara finds comfort from an unexpected source.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender (do I need to do this for every chapter? I've been out of the fanfiction circuit for a while...)

Thanks so much again for the comments, kudos and bookmarks! I probably won't be able to regularly update twice a week. I won't lie, I've stalled a little bit with this fic down the line because I decided that writing two stories at the same time was a great idea, and the second story is kind of taking over at the moment. But I'll keep at it because I do have lots of plans for 'Embers' and the series it will eventually be a part of.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As the airship began descending towards Ember Island, Katara’s face was glued to the window, her hands pressed against the glass. Iroh was enjoying his last cup of “airship tea” before they landed. The island stretched out before them. From this altitude, the enticing deep jade sea sparkled like emeralds as the sun’s rays danced across the surface. It looked so inviting and she couldn’t wait to jump in later. The island itself was dotted with ivory stretches of sand, and she could just about make out the people milling around far below on the beaches and in the towns. Houses and small settlements clung to the lush, forested hills that made up the greater part of Ember Island, and Katara breathed a sigh of contentment. They were finally here, the day had finally arrived! She could imagine the looks on the others’ faces when she climbed out of the airship, and she longed to hug her stupid older brother more than anything.

Since there wasn’t a large enough area to land at the house itself, they would be making use of the private dock at the bottom of the cliff, which itself was large enough to accommodate the airship. She could see a small crowd gathered on the pier. It was them. She turned back to Iroh who was looking pretty content himself. “Iroh, I can never thank you enough for bringing me here!” Katara gushed. Iroh beamed at her and raised his teacup in salute.

“It was Zuko’s idea,” he reminded her, taking his last sip.

The landing seemed to take forever, and Katara supposed it was much trickier manoeuvring a large hulk of steel and glass than it was guiding Appa. She was impatient to see everyone. It was also a much bumpier landing than she had ever experienced on the sky bison, but she was too excited to care. The two stood at the door together. Katara could her hear heart thumping in her ears. This was it. She was so close.

She hoped they would understand…

Iroh squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “Ready?” he smiled down at her.

“Ready,” she replied with determination.

The light was blinding when the doors first opened. Iroh stepped out first, and Katara heard Zuko shout: “Uncle!” as he pulled the older man in for a hug. Everyone else in the welcome party crowded around the pair, and more greetings and hugs were exchanged. Katara caught Zuko’s eye as she stepped down the ramp and he smiled at her. He noticed that her hair was still done up in Fire Nation style, her long tresses loose save for a small knot at the back of her head. She hadn’t really changed it since their time travelling in the Fire Nation. It suited her.

Katara spotted her brother instantly, who was completely oblivious to the fact that his sister was standing right there. “Sokka!” she cried out, running towards him and he yelped in surprise as she embraced him.

Katara?!  What are you  doing here?” Sokka practically squealed, holding her tight. Suddenly all of the attention turned to her as Suki and Toph joined in for a group hug.

“You never said you were coming!”

“You kept that  quiet, Sugar Queen!”

When Katara managed to disentangle herself, she approached Zuko and pulled him in for a hug as well. “Thanks for doing this, Zuko! It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” he replied, unable to quash a small smile. Behind them, Sokka was scanning the pier, twisting his neck dramatically from side to side.

“Hey, where’s Aang?” he exclaimed. Katara’s eyes widened and she felt a rush of nervous butterflies gathering in her stomach. Zuko felt her stiffen and let her go, curious. She stuttered, desperately trying to think of an excuse, when Iroh jumped in.

“Unfortunately, the Avatar couldn’t make it,” he told the group. “So I told Katara she could travel with me.” Sokka frowned and turned to Katara, eyeing her up suspiciously. She gulped nervously, trying to meet his hard stare. Then Sokka shrugged.

“Ah well, that’s too bad,” he said. Toph, unremarked by everyone, was still frowning. Iroh was lying about something, she could feel it.

“Hey, wait a minute…” Sokka rounded on a startled Zuko, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Did you know she would be here?” Zuko rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Uh…maybe?”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Suki, Sokka and Toph had arrived in the Fire Nation yesterday and they had all travelled together with Zuko by boat from the Fire Nation capital. He had toyed with telling them Katara would be meeting them on the island. Truthfully, he had wanted it to be a surprise, especially for Sokka, but suddenly he felt very silly admitting that.

“I think it’s what we on Kyoshi Island call a surprise, Sokka,” Suki quipped helpfully, kissing him on the cheek. Sokka wilted as Suki threw Zuko a meaningful look. He nodded gratefully at her.

Katara finally turned to greet Ursa and Noren, exchanging pleasantries. They didn’t really know each other well enough to hug yet, but Ursa clasped Katara’s hands in hers with a warm smile. Below them, there was the small sound of someone clearing their throat.

“Kiyi!” Katara stooped down to hug the little girl, who returned it eagerly. “Don’t worry,” Katara whispered to Kiyi conspiratorially. “I saved my favourite for last.”

“I should hope so!” Kiyi retorted, grabbing Katara’s hand. The little girl stretched her other palm out towards Iroh and then positively marched  them back up the path to the house, chattering excitedly the whole way.

The Fire Lord’s summer residence looked very different compared to the last time any of them had been there. From the outside, it was clear that some basic repair work had taken place, and inside the palatial home was practically gleaming. Everything had been polished and cleaned, new furniture adorned the rooms, and the whole place was bright and airy. On the lounge wall, a new family portrait hung depicting Iroh, Zuko, Ursa, Noren and Kiyi. Unlike the solemn old family portrait, they were smiling. The whole atmosphere was a far cry from the dust, dark and musk that decorated the house just before Sozin’s Comet. Zuko had obviously put a lot of work into rejuvenating it. Or at least, he had arranged for a lot of work to be put into rejuvenating it.

Once Katara and Iroh had been given a tour and shown to their respective rooms, it was almost time for dinner. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm orange glow over the whole island. Katara didn’t realise how late it had gotten. Frolicking in the sea would have to wait until tomorrow. 

Katara, for once, wasn’t expected to cook as Zuko had hired a local chef to take care of their meals during their stay. They took their dinner outside on the veranda where a large dining table had been set up. They enjoyed typical Fire Nation fare, talking and laughing. The spices were a bit much for Katara and Toph, but Sokka seemed to regard it as a personal challenge to be able to eat anything Zuko ate. He practically had steam coming out of his ears after accidentally ingesting a particularly hot chilli, which caused everyone to laugh again. Zuko pointed out that you weren’t actually supposed to eat those chillies, and even he wouldn’t eat them. Sokka took this as a victory and promptly declared himself the Mouth-Fire Lord, to much groaning from everyone, but Zuko and Suki in particular. His smugness was quickly broken up by gasping and panting from the inferno on his tongue, which took away his triumph somewhat.

As night fell, they all retired into the lounge. When Iroh brought the liquor out for a toast, Ursa and Noren quickly decided that it was Kiyi’s bedtime, despite the girl’s ardent protests. They headed to bed not long afterwards themselves, having had a tiring day of travelling from Hira’a.

As well as the brandy Iroh had brought, the drinks cabinet in the house was decently stocked with rice wine, firewine, firewhiskey and various others. Sokka and Suki were reclining on one of the sofas, giggling to themselves about something or other, while the others crowded around the small table enjoying an animated game of cards which Katara had picked up in Ba Sing Se. Zuko had been reluctant to play but was badgered into it by Iroh. Katara and Iroh hadn’t had many chances to play games meant for more than two players, and Zuko had to admit it was an improvement on the endless Pai Sho games that usually plagued him when his uncle was around. Toph ‘watched’ them play with quiet amusement, pondering over what Iroh had lied about earlier. It had to be to do with Aang ‘not being able to make it’. It was strange that Aang was busy and yet Katara had been able to find the time and leave him to it, which was most unlike her. Something bad must have happened between them and Iroh, for whatever reason, had felt the need to protect Katara from having to spill the truth. Iroh must be in the know or he wouldn’t have lied. As much as Toph enjoyed putting people on the spot and making them nervous, she decided to save her interrogation until later, in private.

As it turned out, Toph didn’t have to wait that long. After Katara, Iroh and Zuko had finished playing their game, Sokka piped up: “So where is Aang anyway? How come he couldn’t make it?” Toph listened intently, and she could feel Katara’s pulse quicken.

“Uh…” Katara stammered, acutely aware that all eyes were on her. She could almost feel Toph’s piercing gaze boring into her, just daring her to lie. Katara unconsciously looked to Iroh, who nodded encouragingly at her. Katara took a deep breath. She had to come clean eventually. She supposed that this was it. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know,” she said finally, looking at the floor to avoid their stares. “Aang and I…we’ve gone our separate ways. We broke up.” Someone audibly gasped, but Katara couldn’t tell who. She wished at this moment that she could just sink into the floor and escape.

The stunned silence that fell over the room at Katara’s announcement was broken when Sokka loudly burst out: “What?!”  with his mouth agape. Suki quickly shushed him and prodded him in the ribs, turning to Katara with a concerned expression on her face.

“What happened?” Suki asked gently.

“We…had a fight,” Katara shrugged, not wanting to elaborate. By now, Sokka had recovered himself.

“When did this happen?” he asked. Oh…Katara hadn’t thought of that. She had been so worried about telling Sokka what  had happened, the when – and why she had stayed quiet about it for so long – hadn’t even crossed her mind.

She looked up at him guiltily, and replied with a small tremor in her voice: “Three months ago.”

“Three months?!” Now it was Toph’s turn to express her shock. “Wow…you really did  keep that quiet, Sugar Queen.”

“Oh, Katara, I’m so sorry!” Suki gasped. She disentangled herself from Sokka and threw her arms around Katara. “Are you okay?” Katara nodded into Suki’s shoulder. She was okay…now.

“But what happened?” Sokka asked. Suki pulled away and threw a warning look at Sokka, but he didn’t notice.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Katara said pleadingly.

“But why didn’t you say anything? Where have you been all this time?” Sokka pressed.

“Well…we were in Ba Sing Se when it happened. I was going to come home but I ran into Iroh, and…he said I could stay with him. So I did.” Zuko glanced questioningly at Iroh, but his uncle just put up a hand and shook his head. They would need to talk about it later. Toph and Sokka joined the two women on the floor and they all embraced Katara. Zuko watched them, feeling awkward.

“Get over here, Grumble Lord!” Toph chided. Assuming she meant him, Zuko did as he was told, bemused by his nickname. That was a new one. He hoped that, like the various others he had been christened with, this one didn’t stick.

Iroh took this as his cue to leave. “I’ll give you kid some time to talk,” he announced cheerily. “I fancied a night-time stroll anyway.” The group wished him good night as he left the room. They pulled out of the group hug, and Katara felt all eyes on her again. Toph could tell how nervous she was, and decided to rescue her.

“Give the woman some space,” she said, and they drew away, gathering around the table. Sokka, however, was not prepared to let it drop so easily. Toph would have been proud of his interrogation skills if she couldn’t feel the waterbender next to her squirming. Making people squirm was her thing, and right now Toph just felt sorry for her.

Why didn’t you come home, Katara?”

“Come on, Sokka, you know what it’s like there now. It’s not home anymore.” Sokka looked crestfallen as she said this, which only made Katara feel worse. She hadn’t meant to let that slip. Sokka had always taken the development of the South Pole better than her. He appreciated the progress they had made and felt little need to cling to the old ways for the sake of it. “Obviously I really miss you and dad and Gran-Gran!” Katara added hurriedly. “But when Iroh invited me to stay in Ba Sing Se, it just…felt like the right thing for me.”

“But you didn’t even write! You didn’t say anything. I haven’t heard from you in months.”

“What was I supposed to write?” Katara argued, feeling her emotions bubble to the surface. “Hi Sokka, so me and Aang broke up and I’m heartbroken, but Ba Sing Se sure is lovely this time of year, hope things are cool with you?” Sokka gaped at her incredulously.

“Yes!” Sokka burst out exasperated. “That’s exactly  what you could have said!” Put like that, Katara realised he had a point.

“You’re right,” she admitted. “I could have done that. I’m sorry, Sokka. I guess I just thought…” She paused, and looked around at her friends. “I was worried that…you might not understand. And I didn’t want to burden any of you, and when Iroh offered it just…seemed easier for me. I’m sorry if that was selfish.”

“It wasn’t selfish,” Suki said. “You did what was right for you. Right, Sokka?” Sokka nodded in agreement.

“It’s not like we were expecting you,” he reasoned. “You didn’t let anyone down. I just wish you’d talked to me.”

“I know.”

“Don’t feel like you have to keep it bottled up,” Suki added. “We’re your friends, we’ll understand.” Katara still wasn’t sure that they would, once they knew the whole truth. She wanted more than anything to keep that secret. But her wish wasn’t going to be granted that night, as Sokka kept on.

“But what happened?” he asked.

“We had a fight, I told you.”

“But how? Why? You two always seemed so strong.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Katara begged. It was all getting too much now. Her head pounded in time with her heartbeat and she could feel her face heat up as tears threatened to spill over.

“Sokka, maybe you should-” Zuko began, but was outspoken. Sokka’s voice had begun to echo in Katara’s head. He was like a polar-bear-dog with a bone – he just wouldn’t let it go.

“Why won’t you tell us?”

“Did Aang hurt you?”

“No!” she said desperately, feeling completely overwhelmed. She was on the edge, she really couldn’t take much more of this.

“So what’s the big secret? Why won’t you tell us? You must have told Iroh, right? Just  tell us-

“Damnit, Sokka, I said I don’t  want to talk about it!” Katara snapped. Hurt and confusion flashed across Sokka’s face, and her eyes started stinging. She had lost control. She stood up hurriedly, avoiding all of their stares. “I’m sorry, everyone, please excuse me,” she muttered thickly, and ran out of the room into the courtyard. Her tears were in free-flow now and she just had to get away. ‘I am the worst,’ she thought guiltily. She began to wander aimlessly through the grounds.

After a short walk, she found a koi pond that sat at the edge of the forest which enclosed the house, and she collapsed onto the grass, hugging her knees to her chest. That had gone about as well as a komodo-rhino running a tea shop. She thought of Sokka’s hurt and confused expression when she had shouted at him, a pang in her heart. He didn’t deserve that. Why had she let her temper get the better of her? Why was she so afraid of answering his questions?

‘You know why,’ she told herself. It had been for the same reason she had been too afraid to reach out to any of them after she and Aang had broken up. The truth was…not good, and even if she’d wanted to lie, that was impossible with Toph there. Coming here had been a mistake. She should have just stayed in Ba Sing Se and let them enjoy their vacation without her. It would have been better for all of them. They could have had a great time, just friends around the table together. They didn’t need her  to come in and lose it at them and spoil everyone’s good time.

Katara leant forward and looked into the water. She hoped it might calm her but there was nothing to be seen. If there were any koi in the pond right now, they were doing a good job of hiding. Her reflection just stared back at her miserably. She looked like an absolute mess. Her hair had waved and frizzed out of control from the humidity, and it was obvious she had been crying. Katara sighed and closed her eyes. She really didn’t care about her hair, but this was another of those moments where she wished she was better at pretending everything was okay. And it should have been okay. It had been three months. She had barely thought about Aang since Iroh had passed on the invitation. She had been so happy and excited at the thought of seeing them…before she went and ruined everything because Sokka had had the gall to act concerned for his sister. She would have to apologise as soon as she composed herself and went back indoors. She splashed some water onto her face in an attempt to steady and soothe her nerves, but it had little effect. At least it was refreshing.

****

After a few very awkward moments of silence, except for Suki and Sokka talking in hushed whispers to each other, Zuko volunteered to go and check on Katara. It shouldn’t be Sokka, not after what had just happened. Suki would have been the best placed to comfort their friend, but she was too preoccupied with trying to talk Sokka down. He lit a small fire in the palm of his hand as he crossed the courtyard, trying to spot Katara’s tell-tale blue dress.

He found her sitting next to the koi pond, which was illuminated by the moonlight. He approached her hesitantly, not sure if she wanted company. He had felt her stiffen earlier when Sokka had mentioned Aang’s whereabouts. ‘I guess now I know why,’ he thought.

“Hey,” he said quietly so as not to startle her. She jumped anyway. She turned her head and spotted him.

“Zuko?”

“Do you…mind if I join you?” he asked.

“Sure,” she nodded and turned away from him, staring back into the pond. She shook herself as he sat down beside her on her right, crossing his legs. His outstretched palm still cradled the small fire. He stared into the pond himself, but kept throwing side-glances at her as they sat in silence. The pleasant summer breeze rustled the leaves in the trees, and he could hear the ocean breaking onto the shore on the beach below them. Had it not been for the fact that Katara was upset, it would have been a very peaceful moment.

“This was always my favourite part of the garden,” he confessed, trying to break the tension. Katara nodded.

“It’s a nice spot,” she agreed. She sat up properly and turned to face him. His scar was still visible in the moonlight, although it was mostly covered by his hair. It was Fire Nation tradition to grow it long but Zuko had never felt compelled to do so since taking the throne. He still wore the top-knot when he was carrying out Fire Lord duties, but in private he liked to leave it loose. He wasn’t sure even within himself whether that was to do with the scar. Logically he could hardly afford to be really self-conscious about it, given his position after all. He just preferred it this way.

“I’m sorry, Zuko,” Katara began. He turned to look at her. “For my outburst in there. I’ve probably ruined everyone’s evening.”

“It’s okay,” Zuko said quietly, shrugging. “I think Sokka was pushing it too far.”

“No…he wasn’t. He was just worried. I shouldn’t have yelled at him.”

“We’re all worried about you,” he replied. “You have to admit, this was unexpected.” Katara couldn’t argue with that.

“Did Iroh never mention-?” she began but Zuko shook his head.

“I didn’t even know you were staying with him,” Zuko admitted. “He just said that Aang wasn’t coming, but you were and you would be flying in with him. Were you with him the whole time?”

“Yeah. He had me working in the teashop.” She smiled at the memory.

“I remember what that’s like. You poor thing,” he joked. Katara looked at him quizzically, and Zuko flushed. “Sorry,” he said quickly. “That was meant to be a joke. I guess it wasn’t funny.” Whether it was purely for his benefit or not, Zuko didn’t know, but Katara let out a small giggle.

“Maybe I’m just not used to you making jokes,” she teased. Zuko frowned. But he was glad it was making her laugh, even if it was at his expense. He wished he wasn’t so awkward around his friends sometimes. He thought it was likely to do with their history. He had spent a long time being a thorn in their sides, after all. When something needed doing, like helping Sokka break his dad and Suki out of prison or aiding the group with fighting off the Southern Water Tribe rebels, he was the man to go to. But when it came to the more social aspects of their relationships, he usually stayed quiet unless spoken to directly. At first it had been shame and guilt which kept him mostly silent, but also he enjoyed listening to them and watching their interactions play out. He was comfortable when he was quiet and they accepted that about him.

“Katara…” he began, feeling strangely nervous. “I know you said you don’t want to talk about it. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but if you do…” He trailed off.

Katara shook her head and let out a deep breath. “It’s…bad, Zuko.”

“Think about who you’re talking to,” he reminded her. “I did a lot of bad things before I joined your group. If there’s anyone who would understand making that kind of mistake…”

“It would be you,” Katara finished for him. She hadn’t meant it as an insult, and Zuko didn’t take it as one. It was just the truth.

“Look, I’ll cut you a deal, if you’re interested,” he continued. He turned his body to face her. “I’ll tell you something about me that I’ve never told anyone…and you tell me what happened with you and Aang.” He paused before adding: “If you want to, that is.”

Katara was hesitant. It felt very odd to be having this discussion with Zuko, of all her friends. “I don’t know, Zuko,” she sighed. “We don’t…really have that kind of friendship. I’m not even sure why you’re out here.” She said it without even thinking about it and regretted it instantly. She couldn’t see Zuko’s face properly, but she thought she could hear him deflate at her words.

“Fair enough,” he muttered. “I’ll…leave you to your thoughts.” He got up to leave.

“No wait!” Katara said quickly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it.” Zuko silently accepted her apology.

“I think you did,” he told her. “You’re right. We don’t have that kind of friendship.” The only time he and Katara had ever been anything remotely resembling ‘close’ had been when they were fighting together. Except for that one time… He sat back down. The fire danced across his hand but he kept it under control. “But…maybe it’s time we did. You were the first person I opened up to, other than my uncle, in Ba Sing Se.” She was the first person who had seemed willing to listen. She was the first person he had allowed to touch his scar. He remembered with a jolt when the Earth Kingdom villager, Song, had tried to do the same and he had pushed her hand away…right before stealing the family’s ostrich-horse. He had anonymously gifted them a new one when he became Fire Lord but he knew that didn’t make up for the trust that had been broken after they had been so kind to him. It was the same reason why Katara had been so hostile when he first came to the group – he had broken her trust and repaid her kindness with a betrayal that had almost resulted in Aang being murdered by Azula.

By the spirits, it was no wonder she didn’t feel close to him.

Katara still couldn’t quite believe that she was having this conversation with Zuko. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Zuko’s past meant that he probably would understand. And if he was anything like his uncle… She knew it would be better for her to let it out. Perhaps telling Zuko would give her the courage to come clean to the others. She needed to apologise to Sokka in any event, and although he may not push so hard again, he wouldn’t let it go. He was her brother. They would be spending the next weeks together, she would never get away with not telling him.

Resolved, Katara nodded. “Okay,” she said softly. “Deal. You first.” By unspoken agreement they turned to face each other, now both cross-legged. Zuko extinguished the flame in his hand. He didn’t want Katara to feel on show, and the darkness broken only by the moon gave them the illusion of more privacy.

“I don’t know if Aang ever told you,” Zuko began. “But a while ago, Azula came back to the Fire Nation capital. She set up this ring and they started taking children from their beds at night.” He shuddered as he thought of it. He couldn’t remember feeling so powerless since he had become Fire Lord. And when they came for Kiyi and he hadn’t been able to stop them… “Everyone was scared and…I couldn’t protect them. And then one night they took Kiyi.” Katara did know this, Aang had told her. “Azula was working with the New Ozai Society. Mai’s father was part of it. Azula even took his son.”

“They kept them all in a room underground. They were just trying to scare us, but we didn’t know that at the time. Mai and I, we tracked them down. And then we found Azula.” Katara said nothing, listening intently. Aang had given her only a quick summary. He hadn’t had the same emotional involvement in the saga. He hadn’t had the same pain in his voice. Zuko took a deep breath, and steeled himself against his nerves. He wouldn’t back out now. “Azula ran off but I followed her. She said some…nonsense about how it was her destiny to make me the best Fire Lord I could be. But to Azula, that meant being like our father and ruling with fear…this is where it gets bad.”

 The whole thing already sounded bad. ‘Zuko doesn’t deserve this,’ Katara thought.

“I…” Zuko groaned and put his head in his hands. “I…I could have killed her.” Katara gasped despite herself. “I was so mad, I could have ended her life. If Kiyi hadn’t called for me when she had, if I hadn’t known already that the children were safe and hadn’t been harmed…if she had hurt Kiyi, I wouldn’t have hesitated. And that would have been exactly what she wanted. Destiny fulfilled,” he concluded bitterly.

“Zuko…” Katara said slowly. “I can understand that. Kiyi is your sister.”

“So is Azula,” Zuko argued. “And it…it scared me to think that I would be capable of that. To think that I could kill my own sister.”

“But you didn’t,” Katara reasoned.

“Only because I happened to know they were safe! What if I hadn’t heard Kiyi first? It was like Azula wanted me to finish her. She would have done everything in her power to make me strike. And if things had been different, I might have done!”

It was clear how much this bothered Zuko…but Katara still wasn’t perturbed. She gave Zuko a moment to gather his thoughts and calm down before speaking.

“If someone did that to Sokka…I honestly don’t know what I would do, whether Sokka had actually been harmed or not.” Zuko nodded but didn’t seem convinced. She was probably just trying to make him feel better.

“And how does that make you feel?”

“It scares me,” she admitted. “But not as much as the thought of losing Sokka. This doesn’t make you a bad person, Zuko. And the fact that you’re so worried about what you might have done means…well, it means that…look, it means you’re doing good.” He looked back up at her, into her piercing blue eyes. There was no fear, no loathing in them. He was genuinely surprised. She didn’t seem to think he was a monster at all. He let out the breath he’d been holding, feeling relieved and strangely glad that he had shared it with Katara.

He fixed his gaze on her.

“Your turn.”

Katara wanted to back out, more than anything. She wanted to get up and run away into the forest and not look back. But she couldn’t do that. She wouldn’t do that, not after Zuko had been so honest with her. But that was part of the problem. Zuko’s past meant he would be the most likely to understand, but on the other hand if he didn’t – if he thought she was a monster – what did that suggest about how the others would react? She imagined Sokka looking at her in horror and despair. The same way Aang had. It had been hard enough coming from him. It had broken her heart. But that pain wouldn’t compare to what she would feel if Sokka gave her the same expression.

Zuko waited patiently as Katara wrestled with her thoughts. Panic rose through her body and she took in a deep breath to try and calm herself down. This was hard. A lot harder than it had been to talk to Iroh. But she had to try. She had promised him.

“Okay,” she began, looking at the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her friend whilst she recounted the tale. “My story…also involves the New Ozai Society. I know you cleared them out from the Fire Nation but they didn’t disappear. They regrouped. And started attacking villages in the Earth Kingdom.”

“I know,” Zuko said mournfully. “Mai is actually leading a squad to track them down and bring them to justice.” It sickened him, that some of his own people were still capable of doing that. There was no real goal to their terrorising this time. Other than further destroying the reputation of the Fire Nation in the eyes of the world. But mostly, he believed they were doing it just because they could. To show that they were still relevant and still able to cause grief. It was why he had sent an elite force to the Earth Kingdom, with Earth King Kuei's blessing of course. It was a show of solidarity, yes, but also Zuko held himself responsible. If he had done a better job of keeping them in check, they never would have made it there. The organisation spread much further and wider than anyone had first realised, and the bulk of those in the Earth Kingdom were probably men he hadn’t even known were part of it. Some of them were known members who had exiled themselves to escape justice. But the remainder had just left voluntarily to join their brothers in arms in their ignoble quest.

“I didn’t know that,” Katara piped up, breaking his train of thought. “About Mai, I mean.”

“Yeah. She volunteered and I couldn’t think of anyone better.”

“Yeah,” Katara agreed. She could see that. Even without the ability to firebend, Mai was a force to be reckoned with. But Katara was stalling now, and they both knew it.

She carried on: “Well…Aang and I were travelling and we made a stop at a village. There was some festival he wanted to go to. We camped out there for a few days. Aang thought of something else he wanted to do close by, but we were nearly out of supplies so I stayed in the village to stock up. And then…they attacked.” She could remember it as clear as day.

It began with a single blast of fire. A warning shot, it soared over the heads of the shoppers in the market. They all watched in horror as the blast collided with a shopfront, igniting it. It burned hotly as Katara unlatched her waterskin and bent the water out, sending it in a wave towards the burning building before it had a chance to spread.

She only had just enough to put the fire out, when another fireball exploded on a wooden market stall loaded with cabbages, setting it ablaze. She heard a distinct cry of “My cabbages! Man, dad’s gonna kill me!” and noticed a young man in Earth Kingdom attire cradling the few that had been spared from the blast. She bent the water from a nearby barrel onto the stand to douse the flames.

By now, full panic mode had set in in the villagers and everyone was screaming and running in no particular direction. The blasts just kept coming and there wasn’t enough water around to put them all out as they hit. They were indiscriminate and unforgiving and no longer solely flying above their heads. More than a few had landed on the ground and it was a miracle that no-one had been directly hit by one yet.

Katara ran in the direction of the blasts, bending as much water from any source she could find into her waterskin as possible. Ahead of her stood six men in dark cloaks. Only three of them appeared to be firebenders but the rest of them were armed to the teeth. It was only a matter of time before they charged, she realised. She built a wall of ice spanning the width of the street with as much thickness as she could muster but it wasn’t long before the firebenders burned through and resumed their senseless, merciless attack.

“There were only two earthbenders around,” Katara explained. “Everything happened so fast, they didn’t really have time to react.”

The three non-benders leapt into action and ran down the street, cutting and slicing wildly.

“For the Fire Nation!” she heard one of them cry. The man swung his sword high in the air above a family of three cowering behind their stand. Using the last of her water, Katara blasted a sheet of ice at him. It struck him hard in the face, stunning him.

“Quick! Get out of there!” she cried at the family, who didn’t need telling twice. They scrambled out from behind their stall and made off quickly down an alley. There wasn’t enough water for Katara to freeze him in place. She rearranged the little water she had left into a pair manacles made from ice, and clamped around his wrists. That would have to do for now. She had bigger, more dangerous enemies to worry about…

Despite having no ammunition, Katara ran back towards the firebenders, fuelled by rage. It consumed her whole body and she didn’t care what happened next. The grasslands just outside of the village withered and died as she passed by, drawing their water and sending blasts of ice at the firebenders with all her might. Behind her, she heard deafening cracking sounds, and spotted a large stone wall from where she had just come. Good. That should keep the firebenders out. She just hoped the earthbenders could tackle the violent non-benders, for all the villagers’ sakes.

She turned back around to face her foes determinedly. She was not letting them get away.

The firebenders suddenly punched the air in front of them in unison. A quick, successive volley of fireballs came tearing towards Katara. She coated her hands in ice and it was all she could do was to block them, casting them aside one by one. There wasn’t enough time between blasts to launch a counter-attack.

“But there were too many of them,” Katara continued. “I couldn’t keep it up forever.”

It was a stalemate, neither willing to give any ground to the other. All around her, she could sense the panic and hear the screams and frantic cries of the villagers who had become trapped outside the wall as she had. There was a lull in fireballs, giving her time to catch her breath.

Katara then realised with horror that the firebenders had stopped targeting her specifically and were now firing at anything that moved. She heard a blood-curdling shriek to her right. Someone had been hit with a blast and was on the ground, whimpering and clutching their arm in agony.

“No!” she heard a woman shout. The sky lit up as one of the firebenders sent another blast in their direction. Katara forcefully took more water from the grass and sent a ball of ice to intercept it. The two blasts clashed in mid-air, cancelling each other out, and the water fell harmlessly to the ground before the villagers were hit.

“By then, most of the grass had died. I had to take so much water to fight off the firebenders. But that just made it worse.”

Katara quickly took in the scene before her. The ground she was standing on was so dry it was only a matter of time before the firebenders figured out they could set one small patch alight and watch it spread. They wouldn’t need to do anything else. Darkness surrounded them, and although the moon hung high in the sky, she could barely make out the shadowy figures anymore. There was still water in the ground, but not enough for Katara to be able to freeze them in place. Not without adding more kindling if she failed. It was the height of summer and there was no moisture in the air. Her waterskin was empty and she didn’t dare draw anymore from the grasslands. She was powerless against them.

“It...it was a full moon,” Katara said, her voice quivering. “I just thought about all those poor people. They were going to lose their homes and I’d already seen at least one person get burned. I didn’t even know what was going on in the village. I didn’t know if anyone had been killed. And I…just…snapped.”

A cold clarity settled over Katara. She could sense the power from the moon coursing through her veins. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. There was only one thing she could do now. The firebenders had left her no choice.

Katara closed her eyes. Sight wouldn’t help her anymore. She stilled and listened, reaching out. She couldn’t see the firebenders…but she could feel them.

She raised her hands before her and folded them into spiderlike claws. As soon as she had one of the firebenders in her grasp, she twisted her wrist and raised her arms above her head. She heard an anguished shout come from one of the firebenders. Unable to control his own movements, he reached for his blade and pulled it out of its sheath. He swung wildly at his compatriots, ignoring their cries of protest.

“It’s not me! I’m not doing this!” the man shouted. Katara dropped to the ground and slammed her hand down. The firebender collapsed onto his knees, moaning and whimpering. Katara released him from her grip and he slumped to the ground. He had passed out from the pain. No sooner than the other firebenders turned to stare at her in horror, Katara rose and reached out again and took a second one under her thrall. Katara didn’t waste time with this one. He was on the ground in seconds. He was still conscious but unable to move, his muscles contracting in agony.

The third and final firebender spun on his heel and tried to run away. But he was too slow for Katara. He came crashing down before he could even take in what was happening to him. His muscles felt like they were on fire and he cried out helplessly. Katara kept him in her grasp as he thought about scampering away. This one was stronger. The others had offered no resistance. No matter. She could keep him pinned and knock him out with his own sword if she had to.

She walked up towards him, keeping him in her grip. Her eyes were wild and dangerous.

“Stay down!” she commanded harshly. Her voice dripped with venom. He took one fearful look at her and submitted, cowering and hoping against hope that she would take pity on him and make it stop. But even when she released him, the pain was overwhelming. He couldn’t have moved even if he dared.

“When I heard the wall come back down, I knew it was over,” Katara concluded. “The earthbenders must have been able to handle the others. I guess they broke down the wall to try and take on the firebenders themselves.”

“Once I calmed down, I knew I was in trouble. I knew that no-one would understand, not even Aang.” Especially Aang, as it had turned out. “But I had no choice, Zuko!” she told him desperately, pleadingly. “Nothing else would work! I just couldn’t take it anymore. And I got so scared that I would be found out, I…froze them. So it would look like that was all I’d done. The Earth Kingdom army came by not long after and arrested them. I guess Aang must have followed them because he wasn’t far behind.”

She brought her knees back up to her chest and sank her head into them. She was so ashamed she couldn’t even look at Zuko. She was too afraid of what she might see.

Zuko was at a complete loss for words. He had listened to her story with rapt attention, eyes wide. He wanted to tell her that he understood. That she had done the only thing she could in the circumstances. That he would have done the same in her shoes. His mouth opened and closed but he just couldn’t bring the words forth.

The silence was deafening. Katara tensed, certain Zuko was planning his escape and trying to avoid her wrath. “That’s my story,” she added lamely. “Don’t worry, it’s not a full moon tonight. You have my permission to run away.”

Zuko had no intention of doing any such thing. “When did this happen?” he asked simply.

“About a year ago,” Katara shrugged. What did that matter? She sighed. If that was really all he could think of to say… “You must think I’m a monster.” She hugged her knees closer, still not daring to look at him.

After what felt like an age, Zuko finally spoke. “No. No, I don’t, Katara. You did what you had to.”

Katara snorted disbelievingly. “Too bad Aang didn’t see it like that.” Zuko started.

“That’s why you broke up?”

“Yeah,” Katara nodded. “He found out. I don’t know how but, he confronted me and I couldn’t lie to him.” He had been so worried for her and affectionate when he’d come across the scene that Katara just couldn’t bring herself to tell him. But it had been eating her up, keeping that secret from Aang. So much so that it had almost felt like a relief when he found out. That relief hadn’t lasted long.

He had never admitted this to her before their fight, but he had been terrified when she had used it on Hama. He said the relief at not being skewered by Sokka’s sword had sent him into shock at the time. He said that he’d been able to rationalise it then because there was a war on, and war forced people into doing things they normally wouldn’t. He said that he had had to forgive her for using such evil then, too, and that it was his infatuation with her that had made it easier. She relayed this to Zuko. Zuko thought it sounded like crap.

“He said all that? After you told him what happened?!”

“I didn’t really know how to explain,” Katara told him. “He knew I was there, and he knew about the bloodbending. It was obviously me, and I didn’t deny it. I thought we could talk about it but he got so upset he almost went into the Avatar State!”

“Katara, are you…did he-?”

“He was just angry,” Katara added dismissively. “He managed to control it before it took over.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” Zuko said, his voice low.

“That’s what he said. He said that what I did was evil and that there had to have been another way. He said that rather than doing that, I should have waited until people who ‘knew what they were doing’ came along.” She paused, shaking her head. As fearful as she had been at the time, that particular memory was now only making her angry.

She continued: “He said he thought it made me evil, and he didn’t think I could be his girlfriend anymore, and that he had to meditate on it… I begged him not to go. I waited three days for him and he didn’t come back. And I just thought, well he’s the Avatar. He loved me, more than anything in the world. If he said it was evil, then he must be right and he would be better off without me. So, the next day…I left.”

There was a pregnant pause. Katara’s gaze fell back to the ground in defeat. She wondered how long it would be before Zuko made an excuse and walked away. Or just walked away. Perhaps fetch his guards to arrest her. It might have taken place on Earth Kingdom soil but they were Fire Nation citizens she had done that to… A fresh wave of guilt rolled over with that realisation. They were Zuko’s people. Not just New Ozai fanatics, not just cowards that no-one cared for intent on terrorising the innocent. Zuko would care.

All she had tried to do was protect them! Or was that just what she told herself to make herself feel better? Aang hadn’t understood, couldn’t understand. And Avatar or not, Aang always tried his hardest to see things from all sides…eventually. That said it all.

“It was wrong of Aang to make you feel like that, Katara,” Zuko finally told her, without hesitation.

“Oh yeah?” Katara looked back up at him. “You and I both know this isn’t the first time I’ve done this. What about Yon Rha? What about that innocent man I used bloodbending on?” Zuko frowned in confusion.

“You mean the captain of the Southern Raiders?” he asked. Katara nodded. “You were angry, and you had every right to be,” Zuko insisted. “And that captain may not have been the one to kill your mother, but he was not innocent. The Southern Raiders were put together to cause pain and suffering, nothing else. And in the end, even though he really didn’t deserve it, you spared Yon Rha’s life. You did the right thing.” He faltered, grappling with whether to say it. She watched him expectantly. He decided to take the plunge. It was the truth.

“Katara, I’ve never told you this, but I was in awe of you that day.” The admiration was clear in his voice. “You had such raw power, I couldn’t help but feel intimidated. I’d never seen you so cold and calculating before…or since. In a way, it felt like a privilege to see it.” He smiled at her with what he hoped was encouragement.

Aang had used those words too, cold and calculating. Except when Aang had said them, it had felt like one of those icy shards she had launched at Yon Rha had pierced her heart. The way Zuko said it made it sound almost like a compliment. But how could it possibly be a good thing? As if he read her mind, Zuko continued: “Think about it. I’ve only ever seen you like that once. I know you were angry, but I also know you’re capable of a lot more than you show. Everyone has a dark side, and you keep yours under control unless it’s really needed. And what happened in the Earth Kingdom was a time it was needed.” He shuffled a bit closer to her, as if to make his point. “You never even used it against me, after everything I put you through. You’re a good person, and don’t ever forget it.”

Katara’s eyes widened in surprise. She took in the firebender before her. She didn’t have Toph’s ability to tell when someone was lying, but he looked…so sincere. Like he meant every word and actually believed what he was saying. It was the same look Iroh had given her.

“Th-thank you, Zuko,” she stuttered in shock.

“It’s the truth,” he shrugged. “And the others will understand. I won’t say anything, but I think you should.”

“I think you’re right,” Katara conceded. “I have to go apologise to Sokka anyway…” They both looked back at the house, which was now dark. Everyone else must have gone to bed while Katara and Zuko had been talking. “I guess it’s late.” Zuko nodded.

Feeling immensely better, Katara stood up and extended a hand to Zuko, and pulled him to his feet. They regarded each other for a moment before she pulled him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms back around her. “You’re a really good friend, Zuko,” she said into his chest, making him pink slightly.

“I’m…glad I could help,” he said uncertainly. They pulled out of their embrace and exchanged shy smiles. Zuko then re-lit the fire in his hand, and they walked side-by-side back to the house.

Notes:

Just some extra notes. The subject of Zuko's confession was pulled directly from the comic 'Smoke and Shadow' - if you haven't read it, I would encourage you to do so, although I do lament Katara's lack of involvement in it.

I also just want to clarify about Katara and Zuko's friendship. Zuko is probably the friend that Katara has seen the least since the end of the war. Her uncertainty doesn't stem from lack of trust but just because she and Zuko haven't had a chance to really bond or become close in the time since. But as you'll see from the next couple of chapters, her perspective quickly changes...

Chapter 4: The Beach

Summary:

The royal party spend the day at the beach, Suki makes plans for the future and Zuko realises he might actually be funny

Notes:

Warning: There are minor references to past child abuse in this chapter.

Yeah, so this chapter is mostly (except for the above) just a bit of silly, light-hearted fun (Fluff without Plot, you might say) but I had a great time writing it!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Almost as soon as the sunlight flooded the horizon the next morning, Katara was stirred into consciousness. Her talk with Zuko had made her feel a lot more relaxed, about everything, and she had drifted off into a deep sleep almost as soon as her head had hit the pillow. But her mission wasn’t yet over. She still needed to find Sokka and ask for his forgiveness. He probably wouldn’t be awake yet, but that was no reason Katara couldn’t get her day started. She had heard Ursa mention something last night about needing her ‘morning coffee’ before she could get going. Having spent the last three months sampling all the types of tea known to man (and a few more, knowing Iroh), Katara’s curiosity was piqued.

Dressed in only pyjamas, she covered herself with a robe she had found hanging on her door when they arrived yesterday and wandered through the halls of the house. She heard some activity outside and peeked out of the window. Iroh and Zuko were in the courtyard running through firebending forms. It had been a long time since they had been able to do this together. Katara imagined it must be a great feeling for them. Kiyi, meanwhile, was dancing between them, trying to copy their stances. Zuko occasionally bent down and gently corrected her form, but it wasn’t long before Kiyi got restless and started running around again.

“Good morning,” a soft voice greeted behind Katara. She spun around and saw Ursa.

“Good morning, Lady Ursa,” Katara said warmly.

“Just Ursa, please,” Ursa said, not unkindly. She had left behind the title of ‘Lady’ a long time ago and she was much better off for it. “I was going to get myself a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunshine. Would you like to join me?” Katara wanted that very much. She followed Ursa into the kitchen, and mentioned that she had never tried coffee before.

“Don’t ever tell Iroh I said this, but I think I’ve had enough tea to last me a lifetime!” Katara smiled. Ursa snickered as she set about grinding the beans, refusing all offers of help from Katara.

“Coffee is unique to the Fire Nation,” Ursa remarked. “As far as I know, the crop can only grow here. I guess because of the war, it never made it out into the world.”

“I’m pretty sure they drink it in Ba Sing Se, but I think Iroh would have disowned me if I came back with some,” Katara joked.

“Yes, it was never to his liking,” Ursa agreed. “He always preferred his hot leaf juice.” Katara struggled not to let out a loud laugh at that, aware that her brother and friends were still sleeping.

The two women took their coffee to the seating area on the large veranda, where they had had dinner last night. Away from the dining table, there were two cosy armchairs perched around a small table, overlooking the ocean. They made polite small talk before Ursa asked to hear about Katara’s adventures. She had heard (parts of) Zuko’s side of the story, of course, but that left a lot of gaps to fill. Katara told her eagerly about how she and Sokka had been fishing on that fateful day when the iceberg Aang had sealed himself in had resurfaced. She tried to keep the story brief. She explained that, as the last waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe, she had been so excited when she thought the Avatar could teach her. Before the three of them had gone in search of waterbenders at the North Pole, Katara hadn’t been able to do much more than influence some waves and drop balls of water on her brother.

“And now you’re a master,” Ursa said, sounding proud. “If it’s not too much trouble, maybe you could give us a demonstration sometime? I’d love to see you in action.” Katara eagerly agreed. It warmed Katara’s heart more than Ursa could ever know, that statement.

****

When Sokka and Suki finally rolled out of bed to get some breakfast, they were met by Katara standing at their door. They both looked startled and sheepishly stepped away from each other. It was force of habit more than anything at this stage. It was no secret they shared a bed. The days when Suki could pretend she had gone to the ‘wrong tent’ were far behind them.

“Sokka,” Katara began slowly. “Can we talk? And Suki too? And actually, we should probably get Toph.” The two of them nodded at her, and offered their room as a private space to talk. Katara left to get Toph, who was still sleeping, and after much thumping and cursing, the bedraggled earthbender reluctantly followed the more stubborn waterbender down the hallway, making a point of yawning loudly.

When the four of them were gathered in Suki and Sokka’s room, Katara began speaking almost immediately. “First of all, Sokka, I am so, so sorry about last night. I never should have snapped at you. It was wrong of me.” Sokka nodded and waved his hand, accepting her apology. He and Katara had butted heads a lot worse than this before. But Katara smiled in relief. This was going well so far.

“And…I’m finally ready to talk.”

She recounted the story of what had happened in the Earth Kingdom village, and how she had used bloodbending to force the attackers into submission. She didn’t go into quite as much detail as she had with Zuko last night, but she was certain from the looks on their faces that they got the gist. She told them that Aang had found out much later, what he’d said and that he’d been gone for three days before Katara herself had left and bumped into Iroh on her way to the train. When she finally finished, she looked at her friends’ faces. Their expressions were difficult to read, but they all carried the same one. Was it shock? Horror? Katara felt her nerves bunch up again. Had she just made a big mistake?

“Katara, that’s…awful,” Suki gasped.

“Horrifying,” Sokka breathed.

“Messed up,” Toph agreed.

Katara looked down dejectedly. She’d known this was coming, she’d known this would be their reaction. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise but it still hurt. The other three glanced at each other as if in silent conversation, and reached an unspoken decision. They all leaned forward and pulled the stunned waterbender into a tight group hug. It took her a moment to remember herself and she wrapped her arms around them.

“You never should have had to go through that alone,” Suki said as they all pulled away from each other.

“Well…Aang wasn’t there,” Katara pointed out. “I don’t blame him for that-”

“That’s not what I meant,” Suki replied. “Aang should have supported you, not run away.”

“I wasn’t completely alone,” Katara reasoned. “I had Iroh.”

“I still think you should have come home,” Sokka added unhelpfully. Katara only shook her head. What she had said about the South Pole not being home anymore hadn’t just been said in anger. It was the truth. “But, that aside, I’m glad you told us. We understand, don’t we, ladies?” Suki and Toph nodded in agreement. “Aang way overreacted.”

“I have to be honest, I’m really surprised by Aang’s reaction to this,” Suki remarked curiously.

“I’m not. Twinkletoes is kind of a…a…monk,” Toph reasoned. “Yeah, a monk. He’s kind of a monk when it comes to stuff like this.”

“But he’s the Avatar!” Suki argued.

“He’s also an Air Nomad. They’re all pacifists,” Toph pointed out. “Or are you forgetting this is the same Avatar who refused to kill Fire Lord Ozai? When the fate of the world was literally at stake? I get why he doesn’t like violence. He’s the last of his kind because of violence. That doesn’t mean he’s always right though.” She looked to Katara. “I’m with you on this one, Sugar Queen. You did what you had to do to end it as quickly as you could. Not all of us get to float off on a lion-turtle and learn energy-bending…”

“Oh…yeah, Aang could have done that,” Katara realised. By the spirits, she should have waited! She should have just tried to fend them off until Aang could get there! But Toph interrupted her thoughts.

“Sure, if he was around. But he wasn’t.” Toph shrugged. “Look, Twinkletoes messed up big time here, Sugar Queen. He made a mistake. He has to live with it. You don’t.” Toph suddenly flashed a wide grin at Katara. “So stop moping and come to the beach with us. You can help me find a nice, juicy flat rock so I can keep my feet on all of you.”

“Well who am I to argue with that?” Katara smiled.

“Damn right,” Toph smirked. “The Melon Lord has spoken!”

It felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from Katara’s shoulders. She had finally confessed her big, bad secret to her friends, a prospect which had terrified her and tormented her for months, and they had understood. All of them. They understood why she had done it, and they understood that she’d had no other choice. Maybe Aang really had been wrong. Maybe it wasn’t just Katara being stubborn or trying to justify her actions…Aang made a mistake. It was a mistake both of them had paid for dearly. But Katara was done paying. She was with her friends on vacation, all secrets out, and now she was going to enjoy it.

****

After the chef prepared them a picnic, everyone headed down the path to the beach together. One of the many perks of the Fire Lord’s summer residence was that at the bottom of the cliff sat a private cove that was off-limits to the island’s residents. Ostensibly this was for security purposes, but nothing less was expected for the royal party. The beach itself wasn’t huge compared to some of the stretches on Ember Island which seemed to go on endlessly, but it was more than enough for the group. There was even a large fire pit off to one side. It was only a matter of time before someone (Sokka. It would be Sokka) suggested a night beach party.

True to her word, Katara found Toph a large black slab sticking out of the sand, and bent some water over the rock to cool it so Toph could comfortably rest her feet on the surface. The earthbender leaned back and sighed happily, curling her arms behind her head. Suki and Sokka pitched their towels by Ursa, Noren and Kiyi, before Sokka quickly ran off to create his latest masterpiece of sand. Of course, even without Sokka’s poor sand-sculpting skills, Toph’s sandbending instantly put any other sculpture to shame as she bent a replica of Harbour City. She had had to spend a long time tracking down the lily-livers on her last visit there and had come to know the streets quite well.

Katara was impatient to get into the ocean and just dropped her bags unceremoniously near Toph’s rock and dove straight in. She was soon joined by Kiyi and Iroh, and a very undignified splash war broke out in the shallows, their shrieks of laughter carrying in the wind. Zuko, for his part, was unsure of what to do with himself. So far, his councillors had heeded his message not to disturb him unless it was urgent. But all this sudden free time left him at a bit of a loss, and he found himself just pacing up and down the cove, checking everyone was okay. Ursa and Noren had snuggled up in the shade of the cliffs, Sokka was working on his ‘masterpiece’ much to Suki’s amusement, Toph appeared to be napping (although she could just have been listening), and Zuko had absolutely no desire to enlist in the splash wars.

His desire was ignored however when Kiyi, aided by Katara, launched a ball of water at him and it caught him in the side, splattering over him. Startled, he rubbed his eyes and shook himself. He was absolutely drenched. He looked up and shot a glare at them. Katara and Kiyi looked innocently back at him, each pointing a finger at the other. The charade didn’t last long though, and it only took a moment for the two to dissolve into laughter. Zuko couldn’t help but smile.

“Join us, Zu-Zu!” Kiyi shouted, beckoning him over. Zuko sighed. He had never been able to refuse his spirited little sister, and reluctantly waded out to them. He folded his arms and tried to look crossly at them, but that just spurred the girls on. Before Zuko knew it, the splash war had restarted and, rather than fighting each other, Zuko became their primary target. Even Iroh got a few splashes in before Zuko finally had had enough.

“Oh, it is on,” he promised them. Kiyi burst out laughing and hid behind Katara’s leg as Zuko approached them. Katara tried very, very hard to fix a neutral expression on her face, but it was clear she, too, was suppressing laughter. Her body shook with it and she clamped a hand up to her mouth. The giggling little firebender at her side really wasn’t helping. Katara took Kiyi’s hand and they bolted off in the opposite direction. “Get back here so I can splash you!” Zuko shouted after them. He grimaced. That wasn’t a very Fire Lord thing to say.

“Come and get us then!” Katara retorted in the distance. He shook his head and pushed his embarrassment down. It was a game. Just a silly game. He ran after them.

After Zuko chased them for some time, they settled into two teams. At this, Suki and Sokka ran in to join them. It was decided that the fairest way to settle this was to have a match of boys versus girls. Each player would be out once they got knocked over, be it by wave, splash or a gentle ‘nudge’ in the right direction. The first team to knock all three opponents onto their buttocks, or out of the arena that Toph built for them with her sandbending, would be declared the Ultimate Champions. Ursa and Noren had even roused to cheer for their respective teams. From her vantage point on the rock, Toph acted as their referee to make sure no ‘funny stuff’ happened. “I’m looking at you, Sugar Queen!” Toph pointed an accusing finger at her. Katara gasped in mock outrage. “You heard me. No waterbending!”

Toph put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle, and the battle commenced.

Sokka was the first casualty. He had been exchanging splashes vigorously with Katara when Suki caught his eye. Her expression fierce, she softened and blew a kiss over at him. Sokka predictably wilted, which gave Kiyi enough time to speak up behind and give him a little push, just as a sizeable wave hit him. Sokka instantly lost his balance and tumbled into the water. He got up sulkily and stood by Noren to cheer for his team. Now that they were a man down, Zuko wasn’t taking any chances. It was payback time.

Iroh had Katara and Suki engaged already, so he waded carefully up to Kiyi while her back was turned as she shouted encouragement to her teammates. She had seemingly forgotten about her big brother. He reached out…and began tickling her under her armpits. The little firebender squealed and giggled helplessly and fell onto the sand. “No cheating, Zu-Zu!” she cried defiantly as he helped her up, grinning. “Melon Lord?!” she appealed to Toph. Clearly, Toph had wasted no time making her introductions to Kiyi.

“Sorry – not an illegal move,” Toph ruled. “But I’m watching you!” She pointed at Zuko.

“Don’t worry, Kiyi, we’ll make you proud!” Katara shouted at her as the little girl walked up to her mother. It was two against two. Fan and water versus fire. Neither of the women felt right about physically knocking Iroh over, so they tried a different approach. While Suki kept Zuko occupied, Katara shouted that she could see a crate of tea in need of rescue, just as a nice big wave was approaching. A wave which Katara definitely didn't have a hand in. That would be cheating. She hadn’t actually expected Iroh to believe her. But to everyone's surprise, Iroh immediately vaulted out of the arena and swam out, abandoning the field of battle.

“I cannot believe you fell for that!” Zuko called to his uncle as he waded back to shore.

“I was betrayed!” Iroh retorted dramatically, and glowered at Katara. “My apprentice exploited my one weakness!” He shook his head but was beaming widely. Next to his towel was a gleaming tray with a full tea set perched on it. It had been at least twenty minutes since his last cup and he began readying the beverage as Zuko turned to his opponents. Suki was out only moments later, though. A wave crashed into her mid-jump and she lost all ability to stick the landing.

“You got this, Katara!” she shouted at her from the beach. Katara smirked.

“You know, Zuko, if you want to save your dignity, I’m happy for you to just concede now,” she goaded him.

“Not a chance,” he replied. He braced himself for the onslaught. What he wasn’t prepared for was for Katara to spin on her heel and start running. He gave chase, blocking any splashes she aimed at him. She was laughing the whole while. Zuko had to admit this was fun…until his foot slipped and he fell ungracefully onto his backside. It seemed that Toph’s perch wasn’t the only rock that had broken the crust of sand and he could see it glinting through the waves. Katara stood beside him and offered him a hand. Her smirk told him that she had planned this. He glared at her.

“Did you know that rock was there?” he asked as she pulled him up.

“Kinda,” Katara admitted, unable to suppress a giggle. “Sorry, Zuko.” He chuckled at her. It had been a good tactic, using the environment to her advantage. All was fair in love and splash wars, he supposed, and he accepted his defeat with dignity.

“I declare the women the Ultimate Champions!” Toph boomed, much to their joy and amusement and to the chagrin of the men on the beach. All except Iroh, that was. He was still sipping his tea.

With the game over, Katara and Zuko re-joined the rest of their party to celebrate and commiserate simultaneously. Now also seemed like a good time to break out the picnic the chef had prepared for them. They dug into it hungrily, famished from their shenanigans in the water. Sokka also decided to proudly display his sand sculpture of Suki to the group. Most of them just nodded awkwardly, Suki included. Katara had to admit it did look slightly less like a manatee holding a fan this time – Sokka had improved.

****

Iroh, Toph, Ursa, Noren and Kiyi decided to venture into the town for the afternoon. As tempted as she was to join them, Katara wasn’t quite finished with the ocean today and elected to stay behind. They had weeks ahead of them still. There would be plenty of time to go shopping. The mention of ‘shopping’ was all it took for Sokka to leap up and proclaim he would in fact be joining them after all. He looked pleadingly at Suki. She laughed. “You don’t need my permission, Sokka! Go!” He planted a kiss on her cheek and ran back up to the house with the others.

This was actually a stroke of luck for Suki. She had been needing to speak to Zuko about something, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Katara had bent herself a surfboard of ice and was gleefully riding the waves. She wouldn’t notice if they went for a quick walk, Suki reasoned.

She walked up to where Zuko was sitting on the sand. He was absent-mindedly watching Katara as she surfed. The way her hair fanned out behind her with the wind, the way she twisted her body as she manipulated the waves to her will, the sheer joy in her smile…she looked stunning.

“Hey, Zuko,” Suki said, snapping him out of his reverie. “Would you…walk with me? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Sure.” He and Suki had spent a lot of time together over the past few years. Ever since Mai had invited the Kyoshi Warriors to be his elite guard, Suki had spent months at a time at the Royal Palace and they had become good friends. He trusted her completely, and not just because of her prowess. Although her fighting skills were superb and Suki was absolutely a force to be reckoned with, even though she had no bending abilities. She was like Mai in that sense, but that was where the similarities ended. Suki was someone he felt could actually talk to when he needed a friend, and he did miss her when her rotation ended. Even with all the councillors and the servants and the guards, the Palace sometimes felt like a very lonely place. When Suki was around, she would often join him on his frequent night walks around the Palace grounds, and they would trade stories and the occasional joke. Even more occasionally those jokes came from Zuko.

Suki led them around the cliff that rose steeply from the beach. She knew it was unlikely Katara would be able to hear them, but voices carried in the wind. Hushed ones seemingly doubly so.

“What’s up?” Zuko asked with concern. She looked unsure of herself and kept darting glances back to make sure Katara hadn’t spotted them. For someone with years of training in stealth, she seemed unnaturally nervous about being spotted.

“It’s about our arrangement,” Suki sighed. “The Kyoshi Warriors, we…we’re not going to be able to keep coming to the Fire Nation.”

“Oh.” That was disappointing, to say the least. He had his own guards, of course, but he liked having the Kyoshi Warriors around. “If it’s gotten too much for them-” he began but Suki shook her head.

“It’s not that,” she told him, sighing again. “I just found out before we travelled here. The New Ozai Society are getting worse, and we have to do our part for the Earth Kingdom. We need to keep more Warriors on Kyoshi Island in case we ever get attacked, and also so we’re closer to the Earth Kingdom if they need our help. We’ve actually started posting some of our girls in different towns. Kind of like what we’re doing here,” she elaborated. “But…that means that there won’t be enough of us to guard the Royal Palace anymore.” Zuko really wasn’t sure what to say to that. Everything Suki said made perfect sense. The Kyoshi Warriors were officially part of the Earth Kingdom, of course they had to prioritise them. And, Zuko suspected, it was more his paranoia than any actual threat that meant he’d kept them around. There had only been the odd occasion in the last couple of years where he had really needed them. Zuko wasn’t unpopular as Fire Lord, but there were still those who felt he didn’t belong on the throne and were willing to risk everything for that belief…

But Suki wasn’t finished. “But…that’s not the real reason I wanted to talk to you. Well, it is. They’re connected,” Suki assured him. She smiled at him softly. “I know how much you value having us around. So that’s why I would like to propose that I…stay in the Fire Nation and train up some new recruits. I already spoke to Ty Lee and she’s with me on this. We can make up the numbers with Fire Nation women and we can train them in the Kyoshi style. What do you think?”

“Suki,” Zuko breathed uncomfortably. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” Suki countered.

“But the Kyoshi Warriors mean everything to you.”

“I’ll still be a Kyoshi Warrior,” Suki said determinedly. “I get it, they’re Fire Nation women. I don’t expect them to wear the uniform and we may have to adapt a few things. But the Kyoshi spirit will still be there. The whole concept is still the same – we’re taking a group of your average, non-bender women and training them – in our unique style,” she added pointedly. “– to defend themselves and others. But with stealth. Lots of stealth. It’s very important to the Kyoshi way,” she smiled.

“It’s certainly an interesting idea,” Zuko admitted. “But, Suki, if the Earth Kingdom need you, you should be with them. The Kyoshi Warriors need you.”

“I’ve already tapped my replacement,” Suki said confidently. “Besides, it’s not like it’ll be forever. I will probably go and re-join them once the new recruits are fully trained. Sure, it might take a year or two but the Kyoshi Warriors will still be there when I get back. Look,” she stepped closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Zuko, I know how worried you are. And, honestly, being Fire Lord, you’re right to be worried. Even being a powerful firebender, you need protection, too. I know you have your guards, but Mai invited us here for a reason. You kept us around for a reason. I want to do what I can to help you with that. So you don’t think you’ve been completely deserted.”

“I never would have thought that,” Zuko said. “I do really appreciate this.” He didn’t even really have to think about it. If Suki was genuinely as enthusiastic about it as she seemed, Zuko was more than happy to take her up on her offer. He would be a fool not to. The last thing he wanted to do was put Suki out, but when she was determined, nothing anyone could do or say would stop her. “If we’re talking Fire Nation citizens, I’ll probably have to have a talk with my councillors. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s a yes.” He would have to send a hawk to them. It would take Suki some time to gather recruits, and the faster he could get this in motion, the less time would be wasted. “I don’t expect you to start now, though,” he added.

“I know,” Suki smiled. “Your family is my priority.” It had only been at Iroh's and Toph's dogged insistence that they could cope if anything happened, and Zuko's agreement, that she hadn't ventured into town with his family.

“That’s not what I meant. I just meant…I’d like you to see this as your vacation, too. We’re all friends here.” He only needed her to leap into action in the face of an actual threat. There were also some Fire Nation guards who patrolled at night, but Zuko had noticed Suki hadn’t touched a drop of any of the liquor last night. It may well have been a personal choice, which was fine, but Zuko hoped she hadn’t abstained from a sense of duty. “So it means that if you want to try the firewhiskey, you’re…you’re welcome to.” He sighed at his lame attempt at a joke. Was it even a joke? If Sokka had been around, he would have torn him to shreds for that. Zuko suddenly realised what had been left unsaid by both of them. Sokka. “How’s Sokka taken it?”

“I haven’t actually told him,” Suki sighed. “I mean, there was nothing to tell before. It’s going to be really hard for him, I think, me being in the Fire Nation for so long.” He seemed to find the relatively small distance between the South Pole and Kyoshi Island hard enough. They both longed to be able to stay in the same place together for more than a few weeks at a time, but their duties kept them separated more often than not. At least Kyoshi Island was only a couple of days away by boat in good weather. Crossing the ocean to the Fire Nation took two weeks in good weather.

Zuko looked crestfallen at this. Before the guilt could overwhelm him and he rejected her offer, Suki quickly added: “But that is not on you. This is absolutely not for you to worry about. This is my problem. All I ask is that you don’t tell anyone except your councillors before I’ve had a chance to talk to Sokka.” Zuko nodded in agreement.

They began walking back around the cliff to the beach when Zuko tried his luck at another joke. “You know, I…I heard Sokka made a really cute Kyoshi Warrior,” he said, smiling lamely. Suki laughed out loud.

“He really did!” she exclaimed. “Maybe he’d like to join our ranks.”

“You know, you have a point,” Zuko realised out loud. Suki raised her eyebrows questioningly. “Not about Sokka,” he clarified. “But what about if men wanted to join?” The Fire Nation still had an army and a navy, but recruitment of both men and women had stalled, and indeed many of their troops had had to be let go in favour of funding other projects. There was no real need for fresh blood now they were no longer at war, and besides that, Suki’s tactic involved pulling in average people and making them exceptional. The army had had the ruthless tendency to only take the best in the past. ‘Unless they needed sacrificial lamb-cows’, Zuko thought bitterly.

“That’s a conversation I’m willing to have,” Suki said, nodding. It was something that hadn’t occurred to her and she would need to think about it, but she couldn’t think of any real reason to say no. Except for tradition, but it also wasn’t traditional for the Kyoshi Warriors to be the Fire Lord’s personal guard. Things changed and this really wouldn’t be a problematic one.

The beach was now completely deserted, and Katara was nowhere to be seen. They assumed she must have gone back up to the house, but Zuko felt a pang of worry and kept looking back as they climbed higher to see if he could spot her. Nothing. He reminded himself that Katara was an extremely powerful waterbender. If she had run into trouble, the ocean was probably the safest place for that to happen. Unless she’d been knocked unconscious… The worry overtook him and he jogged back up the house ahead of Suki, trying to remain calm.

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her sitting on the veranda, curled up on one of the armchairs with a book.

She looked up and waved at them as they passed her. She had changed out of her beach clothes and was now wearing a simple long red skirt with a red top that showed her midriff to match. When in the Fire Nation, after all. She had ended up making a new outfit in Ba Sing Se that she was keen to show off, but she wanted to save it. And she was very fond of this ensemble. Red suited her dark skin tone, and this was a much better choice for the climate. She didn’t think she even owned any outfits in Water Tribe colours that were thin enough for the unforgiving Fire Nation heat.

****

That night after dinner, Iroh decided that everyone had to join him on his evening constitutional. During their earlier jaunt into town, Iroh had said he wanted to come back in the evening to see it all lit up. He seemed to miss the clamour and night-time displays of Ba Sing Se, even though it had only been a day. He wouldn’t get the clamour, but there was no reason to refuse the man his night walks and everyone was happy to go along.

Toph stole Katara’s usual place when going on night-time walks with Iroh. She linked arms with him and they led the group, who had almost automatically split off into pairs. Katara and Zuko walked behind everyone else, watching with mild amusement as Kiyi ran between the pairs trying to make sure everyone felt included. She eventually settled at the front of the party and clung on to Iroh’s other arm. While the others talked among themselves, Katara and Zuko walked in silence. He had once again lit a small flame and balanced it in his palm to light their way.

“What do you think of the island?” he asked her.

“I guess I haven’t seen much of it,” Katara replied honestly. “But I love what I’ve seen so far. How about you? Is it nice to be back here?”

“Yeah, actually,” Zuko admitted. “But I’m a little worried about mother. The last time she was here was with my father. She probably doesn’t have a lot of great memories of this place.”

“She seemed fine when I spoke to her this morning,” Katara said.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I guess I don’t know her that well, but I like to think I know if people are uncomfortable…”

“You’d know,” Zuko assured her. “I’m probably overthinking it. I guess I’m just…scared of losing her again.” He hadn’t ever admitted that to anyone before. He had been a bit hurt, when Ursa and Noren had rejected his offer of moving to the Royal Palace and living there full-time. He supposed it had been a pointless wish. Even though Ursa had confronted Ozai and stood up to him, she would never feel completely comfortable there. Aside from the memories of her forced marriage to Ozai, she and Noren had made a life for themselves in Hira’a. It was a simple life but one they both adored. And Zuko had to agree, it was probably better for Kiyi to grow up away from the Palace, not to mention safer. He had no doubt that the kidnappings had had something to do with their decision. Another reason to resent Azula. As if he needed another one.

Katara was at a loss as to what to say. Zuko was being unusually open with her, and she didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make him clam back up. It was nice, being able to talk like this with him.

“I can understand that,” she finally settled on. “But I don’t think there’s any reason to think that you will. Whose idea was it to come here anyway?”

“Uncle’s,” Zuko smiled. “And mother did look happy to be here. I guess for her, Ember Island is also some of her best memories of life with my father.”

Which wasn’t saying much, Zuko thought. Even on vacation, his father could have a foul temper, especially when Iroh wasn’t around. He usually took it out on Zuko. Sometimes it was in the form of spiteful words calling Zuko useless and an embarrassment, among other things. But other times he struck Zuko out of sheer frustration at his very presence, when they were alone. When no-one was looking. The worst had been when he had knocked his son to the floor with a vicious backhand once. Zuko invariably ended up in tears and was comforted by Ursa. As he grew up, he had realised with a heavy heart that Ursa had probably shielded him from the worst of it.

He didn’t mention any of this to Katara. What would be the point? The past was the past and things would be different this time. He could never remember being around so much laughter on any of their old trips. He was so glad he had invited the others. It made his family feel complete. Except for Aang, but given the situation between him and Katara, it was probably for the best that the Avatar wasn’t here. And Zuko wouldn’t admit this to anyone, least of all Katara herself, but he was secretly glad she was the one of the two who had been able to make it. He couldn’t even explain why. He didn’t try to either. It was just a feeling.

“I’m really glad you’re all here as well,” he told her as they neared the town. “I feel stupid admitting this, but I almost didn’t invite you…”

“Oh…”

“It’s not because of any of you,” Zuko added quickly. “I guess I just thought…none of you would want to come.” Katara stopped, and placed her hand on his arm. She turned him around to face her. He looked sad and a bit embarrassed that he had said it out loud.

“Why would you think that, Zuko?” Katara asked him gently.

“I don’t know,” Zuko shrugged non-committally. “Like I said, it was stupid.”

“Well for what’s it’s worth,” Katara smiled at him. “If you do ever…you know, want a friend, write to me. I’d love to visit.”

“Really?”

“I would be honoured, Fire Lord Zuko,” she joked, giving him a mock-bow. Zuko couldn’t help but smile at her. She seemed to have that effect on him at the moment. They began walking again. “Or is it Grumble Lord Zuko now?” Katara said, a thoughtful look crossing her face. She stroked her chin in imitation of Sokka. “I forget…” Zuko tapped her playfully on the arm and she giggled.

“But seriously, I will write to you,” Zuko promised. “We could…write to each other anyway, if you wanted?”

“Sure,” said Katara. “It’s been kind of hard keeping track of everyone.”

“I know what you mean,” he sympathised. “And I’ve just been staying in the same place. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for you when you’re travelling all the time.”

“Well, I was travelling all the time,” Katara corrected. Zuko stiffened. He knew that. He was such an idiot, why had he said that? Luckily for him, Katara noticed. “It’s okay, Zuko,” she said reassuringly. “I’m still kind of getting used to that myself. But it is nice knowing where I’ll be for the next few weeks.”

“What will you do…after?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Katara replied. “I guess I haven’t really thought about it.” And she didn’t want to, not yet. There was always the possibility of returning to Ba Sing Se with Iroh but that wasn’t guaranteed. There was also the possibility of returning to the South Pole with Sokka, but her feelings hadn’t changed on that. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the fact that she was with her friends.

“I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m sorry,” apologised Zuko.

“You don’t have to be,” said Katara. She took a good look at him. He might not have realised it was showing, but he was clamming up again. He seemed to think he had really stepped out of line by asking her that simple, perfectly reasonable question. Katara thought back to last night and guessed that might be why. She had really shown herself up by exploding at Sokka in front of them like that. She placed hand on his shoulder. “Zuko, really, it’s okay. I’m sorry I got so mad last night…and I shouldn’t have said we weren’t that type of friends. We are. We just never really gave ourselves the chance before.” That much was true. They had barely been on speaking terms until just before Sozin’s Comet, and then Zuko had remained in the Fire Nation while the others kept doing what they were doing. “It’s a good question,” she continued. “I guess I just don’t really want to think about it right now. But maybe I could come visit with you sooner than we thought?” Zuko liked the sound of that. Suki would be busy with her new project, after all.

“I might take you up on that,” he told her. There was a short pause, then he added, “Thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” she smiled. “Plus I hope you know that if I am at the Royal Palace, I expected to be waited on hand and foot!” she teased.

“That’s okay,” Zuko replied. “I have lots of servants.” Katara laughed at that. There was probably something in the water, but Zuko’s jokes seemed to be taking today! He almost felt ready to challenge Sokka to a comedy contest. The one who elicited the least groans from the audience would be declared the victor. Katara laughed again as he said this, but pointed out that Sokka’s jokes were so terrible, Zuko would win by default. He wasn’t sure if that was an insult or not, but didn’t have time to figure it out as Toph yelled for the two ‘sloth-snails’ to ‘stop making googly eyes at each other and get down here!’

****

In the end, the town didn’t have much to offer at night. To Iroh’s disappointment, the streets were dark save for the moon and the light emanating from the few drinking establishments and restaurants, and so they started the trek back up the house. The idea of a beach party was half-heartedly thrown around by Sokka, but everyone was ready to curl up in the sitting room for some drinks and games. Kiyi was dutifully sent to bed, again protesting all the way. This time, Katara and Iroh gathered everyone around the small table for a card game. The deck Katara had found was comprised of four identical groups of thirteen cards called ‘suits’, each suit representing one of the elements. She and Iroh had become familiar with a few different games from Iroh’s friends in Ba Sing Se.

Thinking back to her earlier conversation with Zuko, Suki did indeed try the firewhiskey that night. That was too strong for her liking, but she took to the rum. Another unique Fire Nation product, as it turned out.

She was worried about telling Sokka her news. She had fleetingly tried to broach it on their walk, but Sokka had become distracted by something Suki couldn’t even remember, and she lost her nerve. She now drunkenly thought it might be kinder to wait. Let Sokka enjoy their time together rather than fretting about their future. She knew she would have to tell him before the trip ended, but that was still several weeks away. She had time.

Toph, as it turned out, was an extremely useful ally to have in one game. It was called ‘Cheat’ and involved laying cards face-down in turn and declaring what they were. The rest of the group then had the chance to call out if they thought they were cheating, and the card would then be revealed. If they had been cheating, they picked up the pile. If the caller was wrong, the caller did. In order to better include Toph, they buddied up for the game. Toph chose Katara as her partner as she felt Katara would have the biggest handicap, being so trusting and unable to lie even without Toph there to sense it. Suki and Sokka paired up, naturally, Zuko partnered with Ursa, and that left Iroh and Noren, who were almost as astute as Toph at telling when someone was lying. In game, at least.

As the evening wound down and the games finished, everyone slowly migrated back to their bedrooms. Suki had at this point decided finally, definitely that she wouldn’t break her news to Sokka just yet. Even if her head wasn’t swimming, she would not. Sokka half-walked, half-carried Suki back to their room and she collapsed in a heap on the bed, giggling to herself. Sokka draped the blanket over her and leaned in for a tender kiss on her lips.

“I love you,” he breathed, smiling down at his giddy girlfriend. It was only a matter of time before he plucked up the nerve to ask her the question he’d been meaning to ask. He had planned to do it on the island as soon as it had been confirmed. He wanted to talk Iroh about potential romantic spots he could take her. It would be humiliating because Iroh would pry and Sokka would be forced to admit the truth. But the only other person who knew the island well enough, Zuko, bless him, would probably be next to useless at suggesting romantic spots.

Sokka stroked Suki’s hair lovingly as she drifted off to sleep. It wasn't that late, and Sokka wasn’t quite ready to end the night yet. He had to see if he could convince Toph and Zuko to play another round. He had an idea that he wanted to try out…but he should probably wait for Katara, who had already gone to bed. It wasn’t something he wanted to suggest while they were playing with the more grown-up grown-ups, but he figured they would get their chance.

They had time. They had several weeks.

Notes:

The deck of cards described in this chapter are canonically real! They make a brief appearance in, I think, the 'Imbalance' comic.

Not that I'm shamelessly plugging, but my other, darker story has now also been posted. I'm still planning to release one update per week for each story, because with COVID, life isn't exactly getting in the way right now.

Also, thanks so much to everyone who commented on the last couple of chapters. I'm always happy to field any questions, although I accept this story isn't exactly complex. Sometimes you just need a good bit of fluff.

Chapter 5: Amorai and Naja

Summary:

Katara reveals her wilder side on a night out with Sokka, Suki and Toph, and some of Zuko's best-kept secrets are brought to light.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Two weeks had passed since they had all arrived on Ember Island. The time had seemed to fly by, and everybody was enjoying themselves immensely. By day, they explored the different parts of Ember Island, and by night they all came together for games, and often a few drinks, after they shared dinner. Kiyi continued to look put out whenever she was sent to bed and ‘missed all the fun’ so the group had begun taking it in turns to keep the little firebender entertained during her bedtime routine. Much to Sokka’s delight, in particular, as Kiyi was young enough that she actually found his jokes sincerely funny.

As much fun as this was, Sokka and the others had more recently been itching to explore the nightlife of the island. Iroh had ‘accidentally’ wandered in to some of the drinking establishments the town had to offer during his nightly constitutionals and made some recommendations. Zuko and his family elected to stay behind, partly because of Kiyi but also because of Zuko being the Fire Lord. He wasn’t sure how proper it was for him to be seen out gallivanting with his friends. Everyone in the capital knew who he was and exactly what he looked like, but then again no-one had recognised either him or Azula when they had come here for the weekend with Mai and Ty Lee four years ago. He wasn’t even sure if the island’s residents even knew for certain that he was visiting. Except for the chef, but the man had promised his discretion when he took the job. But it just wasn’t his scene. Not to mention the last party full of strangers and alcohol he had gone to had ended up with he and his cohorts wrecking the place in ill-conceived revenge against the snobby host. His friends understood but promised they would fetch him for a nightcap and some games when they came back.

The excitement among the group was palpable as they left the house that evening. They were all dressed in Fire Nation red and were raring to go. Suki was donning an elegant silk cheongsam that hugged her body and showed off her slender, agile figure. That much was obvious from the way Sokka had almost drooled when she had shown off her outfit. A high slit went up one side of the skirt, with a shorter skirt visible underneath. Suki pointed out that just gave her the freedom to move rather than her legs being clamped together. Katara wore a halter top with a shawl over her shoulders, and a long, flowing skirt that reached her ankles. Toph and Sokka had simply recycled the Fire Nation clothes they had ‘borrowed’ all those years ago.

Toph wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, not having had a proper night out like this before. Toph mostly surrounded herself with her students, most of whom were too young. Katara, for her part, had enjoyed perhaps a few too many nights out with Jin and her friends in Ba Sing Se, but before that she had surrounded herself with Aang, for whom this would hold little appeal, she imagined. Aang would go along for the group’s sake and probably end up befriending the entire tavern, but it wasn’t something he and Katara had ever done themselves. He didn’t drink, for one, and that impromptu dance party he had organised for his Fire Nation classmates had been a long time ago. She wondered if there would be music and dancing where they were going tonight.

****

As it turned out, Sokka was the one who ended up befriending most of the tavern. They stayed in the first place they went to. It was dim inside, but the atmosphere was lively with music, talking and laughter. It was a popular place with the locals and there were even some decks of cards behind the bar for patrons to borrow, as well as a couple of dart boards hanging on the wall. It was only a matter of time before Sokka challenged anyone who would listen to a match.

Initially it was just the four of them in a booth towards the back of the tavern, but each time Sokka returned from his trips to the bar, it seemed he found someone new to introduce to the group. There was a juggler, called Tee, who had been hoping to drum up some business by providing entertainment; a small group of local girls who were celebrating the impending marriage of one of their number; and even a couple of the infamous Ember Island players! One of them was the actor who had played Zuko in that absurd show, ‘The Boy in The Iceberg’. His name was Amorai and he seemed to take particular interest in Katara, much to her annoyance. Toph, on the other hand, was delighted. Amorai’s companion was the really buff guy, called Naja, who had played the Toph character in the performance. The group had unspokenly agreed not to reveal their true identities to their companions, for Zuko’s sake, although it was obvious Toph was absolutely bursting to confess who she really was.

“Of course, acting is an art like no other,” Amorai was boasting. He had his arms around two of the girls from the bridal party, but kept winking at Katara. “You have to truly…lose yourself.”

“How easy do you think it would be to lose him now?” Katara whispered to Suki. The other woman snorted with laughter.

“You have to become the character, nay the person¸ you are entrusted to portray,” Amorai continued, oblivious to their sniggering. “Their triumphs become your triumphs. Their pain becomes your pain.” He dropped his head dramatically. “I have taken in a lot of pain over the years... But I have to! It wouldn’t be right otherwise, and it’s only made me more sensitive…” The girls on his arms swooned and clung to him for dear life. Katara and Suki struggled to suppress laughter. Amorai looked at them, and dropped his arms. “Take you, for instance, my dear,” he said dramatically, clasping his hands over one of Katara’s. She raised her eyebrows. “I see a kindred spirit in you. You have known pain, you have known loss, like I have. You have had to take far too many burdens on your shoulders for your young age.” Katara was amazed. She had been listening to him prattle on about acting, or more specifically about his acting ability, for so long she was surprised that Zuko hadn't sent out a search party for them. It was clearly a subject about which Amorai was extremely passionate. But now his tone had changed and he seemed surprisingly astute. He was suddenly a completely different person. He looked lustfully into her eyes. Despite herself, or it may have had something to do with the drinks, she felt herself begin to melt, just a little.

Amorai stood up and swooped a flustered Katara into his arms. He didn’t notice Suki barring Sokka from launching at him.

“She can take care of herself,” she gently reminded him. Besides, Katara had to be up to something to allow this charade to go on. She wasn’t the sort to just freeze up with nerves. And Suki was dying to know what it was.

“Tell me, my dear, what great losses have you taken on?”

“Well, I…” She looked up into his eyes and felt herself blushing. By now, Suki and Sokka were watching the scene unfold with rapt attention. Despite being in their cups themselves, they were ready to spring into action should the need arise. But they didn’t think it would. Amorai was an idiot, but he seemed like a fully harmless idiot. He was in more danger than Katara if he misstepped.

“Don’t be shy,” Amorai said encouragingly, pulling her closer. Katara let him. “I’ll bet you’ve played some dazzling characters in your time.”

“Actually, I’m not-” Katara began, flummoxed.

“You bear such grace, such radiant beauty,” Amorai insisted. “I would be honoured to enter the stage with you. Those luscious lips have a story to tell, I can see it!” He had been talking about acting. He was acting. Of course. But that was okay, Katara decided. She had dealt with his sort in Ba Sing Se, much to the amusement of the group of dancers she had befriended. She was happy to play along, it was all in good fun. And the way he’d talked about her luscious lips…

Katara smiled at him flirtatiously. “Oh there’s a story,” Katara whispered. She gave him a sultry look. “Would you like to hear it?” Amorai practically purred. Katara’s smile widened. Keeping her hands firmly on his back, she dipped his upper body down and leaned slowly towards him… Suki had gone red in the face and felt like she was almost ready to burst. Sokka’s jaw dropped to the table.

Just as Katara was about to reach Amorai’s lips, she pulled away. “And scene!” Everyone at their table who had been paying attention laughed and applauded. Now it was Amorai’s turn to look flustered. She brought him back up. He patted himself down coyly, then beamed at her.

“I knew you were an artist!” he declared. Katara bowed modestly, both to her scene partner and to their makeshift audience. As ridiculous as Amorai was, she was glad he had taken it in the spirit of jest. That was all she had meant by it. “If you’re ever looking for work, our theatre could use someone like you,” he told her.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

As she returned to her friends, their mouths were agape. They had never seen Katara behave like this before, not even with Aang.

“Katara, that was…” Suki began

“Amazing!” Sokka finished. Katara smiled coyly and shrugged her shoulders. “You really had me going there.”

“Well, that was the point,” Katara told him. She posed dramatically. “An actor must lose themselves, after all,” she said with an affectation in her voice. Suki and Sokka burst into laughter again. As much as they adored her just as she was, they liked this new playfulness of hers. Sokka in particular had sometimes worried that because Katara had had to step up at such a young age, and lost her childhood because of it, she would always struggle with letting loose and having a laugh. But it suited her. Granted she had had a few drinks, but both of them knew from experience that liquor only helped bring out what was already there. It couldn’t create new personalities from thin air. And Katara hadn’t had too many…

Toph, meanwhile, was engaged in a very loud conversation with Naja. He was a lot more down-to-earth than Amorai, and seemed genuinely interested in hearing her talk about earthbending. She regaled him with anecdotes of her triumphs as well as comical errors. She said she had been part of a travelling group of performers. Her ‘backstory’ was that she had been found by them at a relatively young age, after running away from a desperate unhappy home life. The best lies always had a ring of truth to them, after all. Sokka was talking to Tee and kept asking him to show them some tricks.

Amorai settled back into his seat with the other girls, and wondered aloud if anyone would be interested in playing a game. It was one he and Naja had played several times with their cast members. It was called ‘Never Have I Ever’, and Amorai loudly boasted he had come up with the concept. Sokka highly doubted that as he was familiar with this game from back home, but decided to let the guy have this one. It just wasn’t that important. He also couldn’t wait to tell Zuko they had met and drunk with his stage counterpart, and he regretted that his friend wasn’t here to witness it. Largely because he wanted to be there to witness Zuko meeting Amorai in all his ridiculous glory, and he could say for certain Suki and Katara were feeling the same.

Amorai went up to the bar and returned with a fresh round for the whole table.

“Okay, so the point of the game is we all go around and make a statement – it doesn’t have to be true – and then you drink if you’ve done it,” Amorai explained. “I’ll start. Never have I ever…been in love.” Everyone at the table drank to that. Suki planted a kiss on Sokka’s cheek, which he returned lovingly. It was Katara’s turn next.

“Um…never have I ever…,” she muttered, struggling to think. Then it came to her, and she smiled wickedly and pointedly at Amorai. “Swept a man off his feet!” she concluded. Katara and Suki both drank to that, clinking their glasses proudly. Amorai nodded with approval.

It went around the table like this until it got back to Amorai. By this stage, one of the girls had really taken to him and the pair wandered up to the musicians for a dance. He had clearly lost interest in Katara. The rest of the bridal party said their goodbyes and moved on to their next destination with Amorai in tow. He threw the group a wave as they left.

They had been in the tavern for a couple of hours now, and Sokka was feeling ready for anything. He challenged Tee to a juggling contest, trying to hide the fact that he was slurring slightly. Tee was happy to oblige and the two stepped out into the garden.

“I’d better go and make sure he doesn’t injure himself,” Suki said, unable to suppress a snigger.

Toph was still talking to Naja – they seemed to have become fast friends already, and weren’t planning on moving anywhere soon, nor even inviting anyone else into their conversation. Katara decided to follow Suki. She needed some air anyway.

They ventured outside and watched with amusement as the contest got underway. As the professional, Tee volunteered to go first. He finished to a round of applause from the spectators who had gathered and bowed. Then he passed his juggling balls to Sokka, who hiccupped loudly. He played to the audience, cracking jokes and making sure everyone knew it was the gorgeous redhead in the audience who had made him the man he was today. Suki smiled warmly at him. Sokka could be an idiot but he was her idiot, and he never let her forget it. She loved that about him.

Sokka’s own juggling display turned out to be a little less adept. To be fair to Sokka, the objects went up into the air and came down just fine. It was just that it was the ground catching them and not Sokka. Katara and Suki giggled a little more loudly than they intended.

Not one to put off by a little failure, Sokka instead demonstrated a dramatic bow, finishing: “Thank you, thank you. You’ve been a wonderful audience.” He seemed to bask in the laughter, which only got louder at his encouragement. Tee went up to him afterwards and offered to buy him a drink. He said he hadn’t seen something so funny in years. Sokka nodded approvingly. “I see you’re a guy who likes comedy!” They wandered back into the tavern together, arms around each other’s shoulders, all the while Suki was shaking her head at them. She really, really loved that man…

“Great night, huh?” she said to Katara.

“Hilarious,” Katara agreed. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun.” She awkwardly pulled Suki into a bear hug. “You’re a great friend,” she told her merrily. The chillier air seemed to be getting to her. Suki thought it would probably be best if Katara stayed on water for the rest of the evening. Right now she was in the happy-go-lucky, merry, everything is great stage. Suki knew, not from personal experience but from watching others, the next stage could get a lot darker.

Katara seemed to be a lot livelier in general at the moment. She had barely mentioned Aang since she’d arrived on Ember Island. Suki had noticed his absence, but not as much as she thought she would. She was so used to seeing Aang and Katara together, but Katara seemed to be almost…blooming without him. It made Suki question in the back of her mind whether anything else had gone on in their relationship that Katara didn’t want to share. Except it was Aang. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Perhaps being the Avatar’s girlfriend had simply been a greater burden than Katara herself had even realised until the weight of it was suddenly lifted from her shoulders. Suki had made it clear she was available to talk, but Katara never had since she’d first told them. Not about Aang anyway. They usually ended up swapping tales of their time apart.

“It’s great to see you so happy,” Suki sighed with contentment. She gave Katara a squeeze and the two of them walked back into the tavern.

****

Zuko hadn’t expected his friends to be back as early as they were, but it was obvious they had all had a merry old time at the tavern. Toph was the only one who looked put out to be back. The other three had had to virtually drag her away from Naja as the evening wound up. Naja reminded Toph of her old friend, The Boulder, and he had just as gentle a heart and had no problems taking her seriously despite her stature, and the fact that she was blind. Zuko was relieved they were back though. Ursa and Iroh had begun exchanging stories about Zuko when he was younger, and he felt himself flinching from embarrassment. What he hadn’t counted on was those stories continuing in the presence of his friends…who did absolutely nothing to help.

Zuko plays the Tsungi horn?!” Sokka exclaimed excitedly. Zuko slapped a hand to his face and groaned. It had only been a matter of time before Iroh had allowed that little gem to spill. Although it was actually his mother who had brought it up.

“Well, not at first,” Ursa smiled. “Whenever the teacher would turn up, he would cross his arms and pout for half the lesson.” She looked over at her son, who was sat on a cushion on the floor, arms crossed and pouting. She didn’t need to say anything. Everyone except Toph followed her gaze and began laughing again. Toph could already tell he had been pouting – she could feel it from her own position on the floor. “How long has it been since you’ve played?” Ursa asked him kindly. Before Zuko could answer, Iroh jumped in.

“Too long, too long,” he said lamentably, throwing a look at his nephew. Many a music night had passed on the ship during Zuko’s banishment, and he had not graced them with the dulcet tones of his Tsungi horn once, despite Iroh’s pleading. “But…did you ever hear about the time Zuko here became a juggler?” Zuko’s eyes widened in horror as everybody else gasped in awe.

“Why do I tell you anything?!” Zuko said desperately. Iroh merely beamed at him.

“Tell us, Zuko!” Suki insisted.

“No thank you.”

“If you tell us,” Toph said, smirking. “We’ll tell you all about what Sugar Queen got up to tonight.”

“Hey, don’t drag me into this!” Katara spluttered. Zuko caught her eye and grinned at her. Then he turned back to Toph.

“Well…that actually sounds worth it,” he chuckled. He heard Katara groan loudly. She poured herself another drink. She had listened to Suki and abstained in the tavern, and had sobered up a bit. Now she felt like she was going to need a bit more.

Zuko sighed and began telling the story. He didn’t really mind. He would prefer to tell it himself, since Iroh would have embellished it with unnecessary details…such as that awful haircut he had given him before he met up with Jin.

“It was while Uncle and I were living as refugees in Ba Sing Se,” he told them. “I was…out with this girl. Of course I couldn’t tell her who I was. She asked where I was from and I…sort of told her that my uncle and I were part of a travelling circus…” Toph, Suki and Sokka had looks of sheer, unbridled joy on their faces at this revelation. Katara, of course, already knew this story, but decided to keep that little tidbit to herself...for now. “She asked me for a demonstration,” he added.

“Please…please tell me you gave her one,” Sokka said. Zuko nodded, and Suki and Sokka collapsed into giggles. It wasn’t long before everyone else in the room joined in.

Katara, for her part, felt herself mellow with happiness. She liked this side of Zuko. She really liked him. He’d barely touched any of the drinks that had been passed around since they got back, so she knew it wasn’t that. He was just…relaxed. Having a genuinely good time. It had been so long since she’d spent any extended time with him before coming to the island. He certainly seemed a lot more comfortable in his skin now. She hoped she’d get to see more of this throughout their vacation, but for now she had a very important question for him. “This girl…was her name Jin?” she asked innocently.

Zuko’s eyes widened, and a hot flush of embarrassed dread filled his stomach. He slowly nodded, and Katara cracked up laughing. Everyone else looked at her quizzically, and it took Katara a moment to regain her composure before she explained that she and Jin had become good friends in Ba Sing Se, and Jin had just happened to mention going out on a date with a shy boy who she was stunned to learn was now the Fire Lord. Zuko groaned. Of course Katara had met Jin, and of course they had become friends…

“And how did the demonstration go?” Sokka prompted.

“Not well. I threw some things up in the air and they fell down again.”

“Kinda like Sokka tonight!” Suki exclaimed, and the subject soon changed. The ‘young ones’, as Iroh affectionately called them, made plans to continue this soiree on the beach, as the others would soon be heading to bed. They seemed to have forgotten about Katara’s own escapades tonight. Even Zuko hadn’t mentioned it, and he was the one who had bargained for it.

Or so she thought. As they stepped outside, Zuko asked Katara: “So…what did you get up to tonight?” Katara smiled less than soberly at him.

That last drink had not been a good idea. Especially now she was back outside, it seemed to hit her all at once and she found she didn’t have a care in the world. “Oooh…I’ll give you a demonstration!” she said. Zuko was her friend, he wouldn’t think less of her, he’d find it funny. She began to walk towards him but was held back by Suki.

I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she smiled down at her friend. Katara shrugged.

“Sorry, Zuko!” He laughed quietly to himself. He would get it out of her eventually. Or one of the others. If a demonstration was required, it had to be good.

On the beach, Zuko bent them a fire and they gathered eagerly around it. Sokka and Toph began talking loudly about their plans for the future and making sure more reunions like this happened in their lives. Zuko observed them from across the fire. He noticed that Suki was being unusually quiet. He knew her secret, of course, but she had yet to tell Sokka. Fortunately, Sokka was too engrossed in the conversation and telling bad jokes to notice.

Katara leaned back, her palms resting on the log she shared with Zuko and sighed happily. This really was bliss. She had all of her favourite people around her (except for Gran-Gran and her father, of course), and for once they weren’t on a dangerous mission or being hunted or having to worry about just surviving. She had caught a glimpse of the lifestyle with Iroh in Ba Sing Se, and to a lesser extent with Aang while it had just been the two of them. Except where there was trouble, Aang had a tendency to follow it. Katara hadn’t minded. The Avatar’s purpose was to restore and maintain balance in the world. Following him headfirst into dangerous situations was pretty much part of the job description as the Avatar’s girlfriend. Or at least that was how Katara had seen it. For all the good it had done…

But she found she didn’t miss him. At all. If he turned up now, begging for her forgiveness and saying he wanted to get back together, she confidently felt she would refuse him. Although a part of her yearned for the taste of adventure, Katara had realised that Aang was no longer a necessary part of fulfilling that. If Katara wanted adventure, she could go out and find it herself. She was more than capable of handling herself. Sure, it would be nice to have company but she could always pop in on her friends. She had learnt her lesson after confessing to everyone. She wouldn’t leave them in the dark next time.

She now also firmly counted Zuko amongst that number. During the time they had spent together, their friendship had truly blossomed. It seemed like they could tell each other anything. They just had an understanding that neither had realised they desperately needed until they had found it in each other. Zuko had once admitted to her that he missed it all too. A lot. Being Fire Lord was mostly what he had expected, but what he hadn’t anticipated was how empty he sometimes felt in the role. How powerless. Azula and her band of Kemurikage had shown him that better than any other threat could.

The two of them often joined Iroh on his evening constitutionals. It had become a bit of a habit for them, and Iroh loved having the companionship. Katara hung back to allow Zuko and Iroh to talk in peace, as she was often just enjoying the view, but Zuko usually found his way back to her. Iroh had a habit of taking a seat where the mood struck him and would begin meditating. Zuko joked he suspected his uncle just wanted a quick power nap.

When this happened, Katara and Zuko would walk a respectable distance away to leave him in peace and then sit down themselves. On particularly soft stretches of sand, they often found themselves lying side by side and just drinking in the cosmos. It was times like this that Zuko would open up to her. It was times like this that Katara felt closer to him than ever. She had realised that as fond as Zuko was of everyone in their party, he didn’t tend to speak a lot unless they were actively doing something, even if it was as simple as playing a game, or if he was alone with someone. During their stay on Ember Island, more and more often that someone was Katara.

They talked about anything and everything. They reminisced, they came up with whimsical theories to set the world to rights. Sometimes they even shared memories. Some of the ones from Zuko’s childhood were difficult to hear, as Zuko had spent much of it unhappy. Especially after his mother had been banished for treason. In turn, Katara told him of the fear and frustration she had sometimes felt as a child, being the Southern Water Tribe’s last and only waterbender. About how thrilled she’d been to get to the North Pole only to be told by her now step-grandfather that he wouldn’t train her because she was a girl, and for no other reason. Zuko listened with amusement as Katara told him about her challenge to Master Pakku, and how she had almost been victorious. Of course she had challenged him, Zuko thought. Even at fourteen, Katara had been determined and not to be underestimated in a fight. He himself knew that. She may have lost that particular battle but she had still won overall. Master Pakku changed his mind about teaching her shortly after. For all his faults, he was the one who had elevated her to the level of master waterbender, and no-one could take that away from her.

The one topic they never broached, though, was Zuko’s scar. Katara was curious about how he had got it, but she also knew that it must be a painful memory for him. Zuko never spoke about it and Katara didn’t want to push him. He would tell her if and when he was ready.

Snapping out of her daydream, she took in the firebender beside her. A wave of affection for her friend passed through her with her memories, and she threw her arms around him. He snapped out of his own reverie, startled.

“What’s that for?” he asked curiously.

“Nothing,” she said giddily. Zuko wasn’t sure what to do, and settled with patting her awkwardly on one of her arms, making Katara giggle. “I’m just feeling extra happy right now. It makes me affectionate. I could punch you on the arm like Toph if you prefer?”

“No, thanks,” Zuko said. “This is fine.” His features relaxed into a smile. Katara didn’t seem the least bit bothered that he wasn’t hugging her back. He was happy to, but the grip she had on him made it difficult to twist and face her. That and both of his arms were trapped beneath her. But when he thought about it, there was a very simple solution to that. “Here,” he muttered. He wrestled one of his arms free and wrapped it around her. She settled in closer, sighing with contentment.

“You’re, like, such a good friend, Zuko,” she told him, slurring her words a little.

“Thank you,” he said awkwardly.

“No, really, really!” she insisted. “You’re…I think you’re, like, actually my best friend!” She waited to gauge his reaction before continuing. “Honestly! I feel so close to you. And not just cos we’re hugging.” Zuko felt a small flutter, but pushed it aside.

“I feel close to you, too,” he told her truthfully. She grinned at him. Good.

“You were the first person I told my secret to!”

“Why was that?”

“Errr…because you’re Zuko?” she said loudly. Zuko looked at her with confusion. “I just mean…like…like I knew you’d get it. If anyone was gonna get it, it would be you!”

“I see.”

“Okay now Zuko. Zuko!” she started, and reluctantly pulled out of their embrace. “I need you to look at me.” Zuko was already doing that but didn’t say anything. “Because…I have to tell you something.” He nodded. Her expression suddenly turned sad. Really sad, and full of guilt. “I was…horrible to you, when you first came to us,” she said. “I am so sorry!”

“Katara, that was…years ago. And I deserved-”

“No!” Katara interrupted him loudly. “No you didn’t! I was a total bitch!”

“No you’re not!” Zuko retorted fiercely. “Don’t call yourself that. I chased you, I broke your trust. You reacted how any sane person would have done.”

“But…but Sokka and Toph took you so easily…”

“I think that just proves my point,” Zuko smiled at her. Katara looked momentarily confused then burst into giggles. “It was a long time ago,” Zuko reasoned. “You’re one of my closest friends now. It doesn’t matter.”

“That’s not true,” Katara whined tipsily. Her expression had turned sad again and she rested her head on his chest. They wrapped their arms back around each other and she gave him a squeeze. “You do matter,” she said. “You matter to me…”

“That’s not what I…never mind.” Zuko smiled down at her and began stroking her head tenderly. Katara purred in response and nuzzled into him, giving him another squeeze. He knew there was a good chance she would fall asleep on him but he didn’t mind. She wasn’t anywhere near far enough gone to be in danger, not like some of the drunks he had seen during his travels. He knew the others would have got her to bed straightaway if that was the case. Like Katara had earlier, he felt a wave of affection for the waterbender sweep through him. She had called him her best friend. That meant more to Zuko than she could ever know, he thought. And now she was throwing her arms around him, just because. Like she truly wanted to just be close to him. He knew Katara had had a few drinks, but what was it Iroh said? Drunken words are sober thoughts? He hoped that was the case here… The last person who had been this affectionate with Zuko, outside of Iroh, Ursa and Kiyi of course, was Mai. And that had been a while ago now.

Then there had been Inari…but that didn’t count, as it had turned out. He had mostly succeeded in pushing his second ex-girlfriend from his mind, but occasionally she popped up in his head. He didn’t think of her fondly.

He thought of Mai still, though not wistfully like he used to. He hoped that she had found her calling in the Earth Kingdom. He hoped she was happy. He would always hold a special place for Mai in his heart. She had been his first love. And in some of his darker moments, especially after Inari, he believed she would be the only love he would get to experience back.

When he had been all but anonymous, girls seemed to show an interest in him and fawn over his well-toned body. Some girls, anyway. His scar hadn’t seemed to pull their focus as often as he thought it would. But now that he was Fire Lord, everything felt different. Women still approached him, but it was always noblewomen from well-to-do families who were seeking to advance in his court. He knew it wasn’t him they were attracted to, but his position, his political power. The promise of being by his side on the throne during their marriage. The hope that they would get to push their own agendas by whispering in his ear when his guard was down. Inari had been one such noblewoman, and she had been the only one to have fallen through the cracks. He didn’t trust any of them after that, much less wish to marry any of them.

He knew he would have to marry eventually, for the sake of his bloodline if nothing else, but a part of Zuko refused to give up the hope that he could yet marry for love and not politics, or ancestry as had been the case with his parents. His councillors may think they had a thing or two to say about his future wife, but ultimately the decision was Zuko’s. His uncle had told him that when the time came, he would know. Zuko had taken that to mean he would know when he was beaten and just resign himself to a loveless marriage in the hope that it produced heirs. It was the last thing he wanted but duty may well end up calling before he had a chance to discover the real thing…

“Looking cosy there!” Suki grinned as she sidled up to them. Sokka and Toph had decided that if they worked together, they could build the ultimate sandcastle, with Sokka’s experience in the Southern Water Tribe and Toph’s sandbending doing all the actual work. Suki had decided to leave them to it.

“It’s…it’s not-” Zuko said hurriedly, reddening slightly.

“Relax, I’m only kidding.” She took a seat beside him. “You know she’s asleep right?” Zuko smiled. The light snoring had given Katara away a moment ago.

“I know. I didn’t want to disturb her.” Suki smiled knowingly at him. It hadn’t escaped her notice, how much time the two had been spending together. Or how much more relaxed Zuko seemed to be around her. Suki had noticed a change in Zuko since they’d been here. He looked…happy. Happier than she’d seen him before. His uncle Iroh was a very smart man, suggesting this. A vacation with old friends had been exactly what Zuko needed.

“Have you…had a chance to talk to Sokka?” he asked quietly.

“Plenty of chances,” Suki sighed. “But I haven’t yet, no. I mean it’s not even confirmed yet,” she added, trying to justify her delay. “Have you heard from your councillors?” Zuko shook his head. As promised, he had sent them a messenger hawk after talking with her, but it seemed with or without him, his councillors were determined to make every simple decision as slow and long-winded as possible. But Zuko knew that wasn’t Suki’s real reason for not telling Sokka.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked her gently.

“That…it’ll be the end of us,” Suki told him honestly. Her voice cracked ever so slightly.

“Suki, you don’t have to stay in the Fire Nation.”

“Yes I do,” she insisted. “It’s right, I know it is. It’s what I’m meant to do. It feels like it’s my…destiny.”

“Well...that’s something I know a lot about.”

“So you get it. But…it’s going to be really hard. And I can’t ask him to come with me because he has his own responsibilities.”

“Isn’t that his choice?”

“It is,” Suki agreed after a pregnant pause. “And I’ll respect whatever choice he makes but…that doesn’t mean I’m going to like it.” If Zuko hadn’t had a sleeping Katara to contend with, he would have pulled Suki into a hug. He knew her well enough to understand she would be fine with that. As it was, the best he could do was offer her a comforting smile and a promise to listen if she needed to talk. He had stayed true to his word and not mentioned her plans to anybody. Not even Katara.

“Thanks,” Suki smiled sadly. She noticed that Zuko hadn’t moved an inch, for fear of disturbing Katara. If she hadn’t been in her cups, the next words may never have left her mouth. But she knew Zuko. Well. And this was something she didn’t want to keep in for propriety’s sake. “Can I offer you some advice?”

“Sure.” Zuko raised his eyebrows questioningly. Suki lowered her gaze to Katara and then looked back up at Zuko.

“It’s obvious how much you care about her,” she said, choosing her words carefully. Zuko didn’t bat an eyelid.

“Of course I do,” he replied, almost defensively. “She’s…she’s my friend.”

“Look, I might be reading way too much into this but…it seems like you care about her a lot more than that,” Suki pressed. Zuko didn’t say anything at first. He knew what Suki was getting at. But he didn’t want to dwell on something that would never happen. He had neither the time nor the inclination to escape into a stupid fantasy. And yet he couldn’t bring himself to lie to Suki. He accepted the truth that Katara was his friend and nothing more. Even that was amazing, considering how they had first met.

“So what if I do?” he finally sighed. “It doesn’t change anything.”

“It might…if you tell her,” Suki suggested cautiously. Zuko jolted at her words. Katara stirred in his arms but didn’t wake up.

“It won’t do any good,” he said bitterly. “We could lose what we already have. It just complicates things. Mai and I barely spoke for months after we broke up. Besides, it could never work. She’s Master Katara of the Water Tribe. I’m Fire Nation.”

“Do you care about that?”

“Of course not!”

“Well, Aang was an Air Nomad and that didn’t bother her, so what’s your point?” Suki shrugged.

“He’s also the Avatar,” Zuko pointed out. To his mind, that was a valid exception. One that Zuko certainly didn’t qualify as.

“I don’t think that’s what mattered,” Suki told him gently. “But it’s up to you.” She glanced back down at Katara, whose mouth had ungracefully dropped open in her sleep. “I guess we should get the master waterbender up to bed, huh?”

“Yeah,” Zuko agreed. Together, they brought Katara back into semi-consciousness. Suki half-carried, half-walked Katara back up the steps to the house and Katara gave everyone a wave as she left. Zuko thought about what Suki had said. As lovely a notion as it was, being with Katara in that way, he knew his argument still stood firm. He really enjoyed the easy relationship he had with her now. And he very much looked forward to teasing her about this tomorrow.

It really wasn’t worth thinking about. His friendship with Katara was too high a price to pay.

Notes:

I've had a couple of nights out with my university drama group go like this. I have no regrets.

I used a Fire Nation name generator to come up with Amorai and Naja. Amorai was always going to be like he was written, but that name spilling out was just pure serendipity.

I did really want Zuko to be included on the night out, and when I originally wrote the scene he was, but I just couldn't convince myself that our slightly-hapless-in-social-situations Fire Lord Zuko would a) risk being recognised, and b) actually enjoy it. Sorry, Zuzu, but if I've read you as well as I think I have, you really wouldn't have liked it.

Thanks to the lovelies who commented on the last chapter!

Chapter 6: Best Friends

Summary:

Katara and Zuko have a heart-to-heart; Sokka receives unexpected and distressing news from the South Pole.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was very late in the morning by the time a bleary-eyed Katara stumbled into the sitting room. She had opted for the comfort of her familiar Water Tribe dress today, ignoring how it clung to her in the heat. Zuko was in an armchair with his nose buried in a scroll. Suki and Sokka were lounging on the sofa, Sokka nursing his head on Suki’s lap. He groaned occasionally, seemingly just to let the room know he was still there and suffering immensely. Katara’s own head had cleared, but not after a few fitful hours at dawn trying to get back to sleep because her body had ached too much to move.

“Morning,” Katara said feebly, sitting down on a cushion on the floor. Suki and Zuko looked up at her and smiled. Sokka groaned in response. “So…how much of an idiot did I make of myself last night?” Katara asked sheepishly. Suki struggled to suppress a grin.

“You mean you don’t remember dipping Zuko last night and almost kissing him?” she teased. Both of her friends’ eyes widened in shock.

What?!” they both cried out simultaneously. Suki sniggered behind her hand.

“I’m kidding!” she told them with a hint of mischief in her voice. “No, you just did that to the actor who played Zuko from the Ember Island Players.” Zuko raised his eyebrows at Katara. She could feel his eyes on her and refused to look at him, her cheeks heating up as the memory came back to her. Sokka and Toph had filled him in about Amorai and Naja last night after Suki had taken Katara back to the house. Personally, Zuko was very glad he hadn’t been there. He’d managed to show enough displeasure at the mere thought of Amorai that Sokka had burst out laughing at him, Toph joining in just because she could. “Although…” Suki continued. “You were wrapped around actual Zuko for most of the night when we got back here.” Katara grimaced. Yes, she remembered that.

“Oh man!” she groaned, sinking her head into her hands. “I did do that, didn’t I?”

“Both of those things,” Suki helpfully reminded her.

“Both of those things.”

“Yup!” Suki giggled happily.

Katara finally plucked up the courage to look at Zuko, who had an indecipherable grin on his face. It was an oddly discomfiting sight, so rare were they. “Relax, Zuko, it’s not like I actually thought it was you,” she glared at him.

“Of course, of course,” he teased. “Why would you want the real thing when you can get a cheap knock-off?” His joke fell flat. If it had been the right time of day for crickets, Suki was sure they would have easily broken the deafening silence. It was too bad for Zuko, really, that the only person who would sincerely laugh at that was still in a state on Suki’s lap. Suki and Katara both shook their heads at him. He hurriedly buried his nose back in the scroll.

“Okay,” Katara sighed. “I’m just gonna go take a long walk…into the ocean.” She stood up to leave. She couldn’t help but feel hugely ashamed of last night. Yes it had all been in good fun, but what had she been thinking?

Zuko stood up as well. “I’ll come with you,” he offered. He had thought about what Suki said to him last night. A lot. And while she might be right, he still decided to continue treating Katara as a friend. His best friend. That was more than enough for him.

“Zuko, I was kidding, I’m not really going to drown myself,” Katara replied wearily.

“Sorry, can’t take that risk,” Zuko smiled at her. “What are best friends for?” Katara stopped. She had said that, hadn’t she? She regarded him silently. Zuko seemed…he seemed different. Much more sure of himself. She liked that he could relax around her. And in his own way, he helped her feel more at ease too, though she couldn’t explain why or how. He just did.

Or perhaps she was just reading too much into it. Either way, she really liked spending time with him. Even if right now she knew he had an ulterior motive…making damn sure she relived all the embarrassing moments of last night in vivid detail. She was just thankful all she had done was hug him. She couldn’t imagine if she had actually kissed him…

“Okay,” she said measuredly. “Then as my best friend, is there any chance you won’t mock me the whole time?”

“Probably not.”

“At least you’re honest, buddy,” Katara groaned at him and started walking down the hall.

“That’s the spirit!” he chuckled as he followed her, leaving a nonplussed Suki and a completely unaware Sokka in his wake. When he caught up with her, he added. “But listen, if you do, uh, want to ‘dip’ me, could I have some warning first?”

“Knock it off, Zuko!” Katara retorted, playfully punching him on the arm. Suki only heard the grunt and assumed that was what had happened.

That had escalated quickly. Had Zuko listened to her? Is that what this was? Suki herself had obviously had a bit to drink, but that just meant she couldn’t stop herself from spilling her advice. Not that she’d imagined things. It was clear that Zuko had feelings for Katara. And it seemed very much like Katara had…something, at least, for Zuko. Even if it was just a fling, it might be good for the two of them to get it out of their system. It might help them both realise they could be with other people and move on…but she also worried she should have kept her mouth shut. If something did happen and it all fell apart, she would be responsible. It would break Zuko’s heart, losing Katara’s friendship which she knew meant so much to him. She wanted desperately to run after them, to grab Zuko and tell him she had been wrong and she shouldn’t have said anything.

‘But he’s the one who pointed it out,’ she reminded herself. He was the one who had been hesitant, because he valued the friendship. Maybe this was just him being, though she could hardly believe it, playful.

She resolved that going after them would only humiliate Zuko and probably cause more problems than it solved. She would just have to watch them when they came back. And maybe have another talk with Zuko.

****

The promised mocking had been rather short-lived as it turned out, and Katara and Zuko fell into a companionable silence as they walked. Katara was still reeling internally from her antics of the night before, and she could only be grateful to her drunken self that she hadn’t done worse. She didn’t know what had possessed her to play Amorai at his own game like that, but she had to admit, the looks of shock on Sokka and Suki’s faces had made the whole thing worthwhile. Katara knew she wasn’t always classically ‘fun’ to be around, but how could she be? She and Sokka had both had to grow up before their time, and even though Katara was younger, the expectation had still fallen to her as a girl more than it had to Sokka. It was accepted he would need time to develop into a man capable of protecting the tribe. Katara had been given no such luxury. It certainly hadn’t been an unhappy childhood, but it wasn’t much of one as childhoods went.

It did make her wonder though, why now? Why had she decided now to just…cut loose, as Sokka would say? She didn’t want to believe it was just because she and Aang had split up. That had been months ago now, and if that was the reason, what did it say about their relationship? The more she thought about it, though, the more it made sense. She had gone from being responsible for helping prop up the tribe to being responsible for Aang, Sokka and later Toph, because the spirits knew they weren’t going to do it themselves. They had settled into a comfortable routine in which Katara did most of the chores and had to continue to put her needs by the wayside for the sake of the needs of their group. When the war ended, and the group had trickled to just her and Aang, that routine had never really stopped. It had been such a habit for her that she had tried to do the same with Iroh, but he wouldn’t have any of it. It hadn’t escaped her notice that she hadn’t felt the same strong inclination when they’d arrived on Ember Island. This was largely helped by the fact that nothing needed doing, thanks to Zuko’s diligence, but all the same.

It was funny how her relationship with Zuko had taken such a turn. She had gone from not truly believing they were real friends to feeling closest to him in their group in the space of a few days. If she had just given him a chance earlier in their travels…but what difference would that have made in reality? He was the Fire Lord and she had been the Avatar’s girlfriend. Each came with their own duties that rarely overlapped. She hoped they would keep in touch this time, though. Wherever she ended up…

They had walked through the forest and emerged on a high cliff. They could see the private beach from there as well as the house. This was far enough, she decided. It wasn’t so much the walk as the time to think she had craved. Fortunately Zuko seemed to understand that, and was just as lost in his thoughts as Katara. She sat down on the lush grass that feathered the clifftop, stretching her legs out in front of her before giving in and reclining fully. Zuko did the same. As they lay side by side, they began to talk, almost to themselves. Somehow they got on to the topic of their first loves.

“Do you miss him?” Zuko asked her.

“I actually don’t,” she admitted. “I was devastated when he first left but…being in Ba Sing Se gave me a lot of time to think and I realised…we were better off without each other. He broke my heart after everything I had done for him. I stuck with him through thick and thin. I haven’t always agreed with what he’s done, but I was always there. I trusted him and his judgement.” Zuko knew that all too well. At the Western Air Temple, after all, the only reason Katara had agreed to let Zuko join was because she was willing to go along with whatever Aang thought was right. “What about you?” She turned her head towards him. “Do you miss Mai?”

“Sometimes,” Zuko sighed. “Not…not like that, but…it was nice having her around.”

“Is there definitely no chance?” Katara asked cautiously. Zuko shook his head.

“No, it’s done,” he confirmed. Katara tried hard to ignore the small flutter of hope in her chest at his response. “Mai would never have been happy with me.” Katara began to protest, but Zuko continued: “She spent her whole life cooped up being told what to do. The only time she really came alive was when she was fighting and thinking for herself.”

“Like Toph,” she remarked.

“Yeah, actually,” he agreed. “She might have loved me once but being Fire Lady would have destroyed her. And she would have let it, for some godforsaken sense of duty. I would have been happy, I think, but she wouldn’t have been, not really. And that would have been wrong. What’s the point in marrying for love if you’re not going to make each other happy?”

“I…couldn’t agree more,” Katara replied, slightly bewildered at the emotion in his voice. She supposed she and Zuko had never really talked about Mai before. The way he spoke about her, it was clear he still cared for her but as a person in her own right, not just as his ex-girlfriend. This was another one of those times where Zuko was happily opening up to her. She was glad he felt he could trust her. For a long time, trust had been out of the question for Zuko and Katara. Even after she forgave him, she still couldn’t have said for certain if she fully trusted him. She knew he would stay on side and he wouldn’t just desert them but she also feared that he would fail to resist temptation a second time, if it ever arose. When Zuko had asked Katara, of all their group, to help him with Azula, that was when she had known. Since then, she had trusted him, and he her. Completely and fully.

If Katara was honest with herself, she had a small confession to make. She did regard Zuko as her best friend, she really did…but that was all she had allowed herself to express. Even in her drunken state, she hadn’t dared to do more than test the waters. See how he reacted to it. Their newfound closeness had brought on a whole raft of feelings for him. It hadn’t escaped her notice how ruggedly handsome he was, or how strong, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was kind, caring, loyal, brave, intelligent…but above all, he let her be who she was. Zuko didn’t balk when she told him some of the darker things in her mind, things she wouldn’t have dreamed of telling Aang. Zuko didn’t expect her to be this sweet, light, positive, perfect person all the time. He understood her humanity and the darkness that sometimes came with it. He had had his own to contend with. Yet in many ways, she felt he was a much better person than her. He had dragged himself out of it. Katara sometimes felt as though she was only sinking into it further.

If that was the case, she was glad she had Zuko by her side. If anyone could help drag her out if it got to that stage, she had a feeling it would be him. And it wouldn’t destroy their friendship in the process.

“I think Aang’s biggest problem was that he expected me to be this…perfect…goddess all the time,” she mused, as much to herself as to Zuko. “And then, when he realised I wasn’t, he bailed.”

“I think Mai was the same,” Zuko said. “Not about me, but about herself. I never demanded that of her, but she seemed to think I did. Especially after I was crowned.”

“To be fair, Aang didn’t demand it,” Katara continued. “Not out loud. But it was also super clear when he was disappointed in me.”

“What could he possibly have been disappointed in you for?” Zuko asked incredulously. Katara shrugged nonchalantly.

“Sometimes, I think he thought I was a little too harsh if we were negotiating. And then of course there was that whole mess in Yu Dao.”

“What about it?”

“Well, I pointed out to him and the Earth King that you weren’t being difficult, you just had legitimate concerns for your citizens,” she told him. “And Aang wasn’t…he just…he didn’t seem too happy with me for that. He never said anything, but I could tell. I’d known him long enough.”

“So what, he just expected you to blindly agree with him on everything?” Zuko was beginning to feel a bit frustrated now. Had Aang always been like that? Had he just not noticed because he had never been an integral part of the group? Or was Katara a special case, because of Aang’s feelings for her?

“I don’t think so. Aang’s not like that. I guess he was more surprised than anything. Up until that point, I rarely went against his decisions because, you know, I agreed with them.” That was fair enough, Zuko supposed. But that was a ridiculous amount of pressure to put on your girlfriend. He knew Aang was young and boyish, which was really just polite code for ‘immature’, and because of that his relationship skills were fairly stunted. The spirits knew Zuko hadn’t always been a good boyfriend to Mai, but he liked to think he’d learned from it. Maybe Aang would, too. He noticed Katara looking at him expectantly, and realised she had been talking while he’d been lost in his thoughts.

“Sorry, what?” Katara smirked at him.

“Mai was right about one thing.” Despite himself, Zuko’s heart fluttered.

“What…what’s that?” he asked her nervously.

“I really miss fighting. Is that awful?”

“If it is, that makes me awful, too,” he shrugged. “I think we spent so long learning and honing our skills that it’s natural. It’s like you spent so long pouring your heart and soul into something, and when it’s gone you feel a little…”

“Empty,” she finished for him. He nodded. “Zuko, can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course.”

Katara sat up. She didn’t want to look at him as she said this.

“When I was fighting those firebenders in the Earth Kingdom village, I…kind of enjoyed it. I know it was terrible, and awful for those poor people but…it was the most exhilarating thing I’d felt in a long time. I really wouldn’t have used the bloodbending if I hadn’t had to but I also wasn’t exactly sorry that it was needed.”

“That is a little dark,” Zuko mused. Katara felt a pang of worry in her chest. Had she gone too far? “I had no idea you had it in you,” he smiled. She pouted at him. He was teasing her.

“Stop it,” she chided gently. “I don’t know, I guess it’s more that if they were going to attack, I was glad they did it while I was there. I was glad I had to be the one to fight them off.”

“Katara, it’s okay, you don’t have justify yourself,” he reassured her. “I think I’d feel the same. I know Mai feels the same. I get it.”

“Why do you think we like conflict so much?” she wondered aloud.

“Because it’s what we’re used to,” Zuko replied surely. “And, unlike me, you’ve always used your bending for good. I’m not sure if it’s the fighting you enjoy. I think it’s that you know you’re helping people.”

“Don’t get me wrong, that helps, but I definitely like the fighting.”

“Do you want to fight me?” Zuko asked her suddenly. He sat up.

“Huh?” was all a completely perplexed Katara could utter.

“We could spar,” he suggested. “You’re probably due an ass-kicking, anyway.” He grinned at her. Katara gasped in mock outrage.

“Excuse me, I think you’ll find I won my last few fights against firebenders!” she pointed out indignantly.

“Yes, but not me,” Zuko chuckled.

“I’m hungover,” she pointed out. “You know I could take you in a fight on any other day.”

“The master waterbender’s going to let a simple hangover get in her way?” he goaded her. Katara rolled her eyes. He smirked as she scowled at him.

“If Fire Lord Zuko thinks that jibe is going to convince the master waterbender, he’s going to be very disappointed,” she taunted, smirking back. She lay back down and indignantly folded her arms under her head, settling down, grinning as she watched Zuko figure out the best way to respond.

“If the master waterbender’s too afraid, I’ll accept your surrender now – I’m gracious like that.” Katara let out another mock gasp of outrage, but couldn’t keep herself from giggling.

“If Fire Lord Zuko doesn’t stop, the master waterbender will give him an ass-kicking of his own.”

“Are you threatening the Fire Lord, Master Katara?” he retorted in a mock-scolding tone.

“It was your idea!” Katara protested, sitting back up. She caught Zuko’s smirk, and the two broke out into laughter at how ridiculous they were being. Seeing Zuko’s face lit up with genuine mirth stirred something in Katara that she couldn’t quite explain. But it made her feel peaceful. She realised she didn’t think she had seen Zuko laugh before. Ever. It was…she couldn’t think of the word, but it was something to behold. Her face relaxed into a bright smile of its own as her eyes met Zuko’s.

It took them both a few moments of looking into each other’s gazes to realise that neither of them were laughing anymore.

Katara suddenly felt extremely aware of her surroundings, and particularly aware of the firebender sitting just inches from her. She felt something deep within her itching, yearning, to move towards him. Her hands balled into fists as she imagined wrapping them around him. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she thought of his lips... She couldn’t remember when she’d started thinking about them, but right now, in this moment, they were all that could fill her mind. His amber eyes scrutinised her intensely and she found herself wondering if he could read her thoughts. She kept her expression as neutral as possible, but she could feel herself start to give in. She began breathing heavily as her mind fought seemingly every muscle in her body.

‘What am I doing?’ she chastised herself. ‘This is Zuko. I’m being ridiculous. I’m probably just upset about Aang…’ It wasn’t the first time, after all. Katara had given in then. She wouldn’t do so now.

Unbeknownst to Katara, Zuko could feel a similar urge bubbling up inside him. He shook himself. This was Katara. The master waterbender. His confidante. His friend. And the former lover of one of his other close friends. ‘What I’m feeling is wrong,’ he told himself resolutely. ‘She’s my best friend. She wouldn’t want this.’ But it hadn’t escaped his notice just how agitated Katara seemed to become. She looked like she was trembling. He pushed all desirous thoughts from his mind as concern for her flooded his system.

“Katara, are you okay?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, standing up quickly. Zuko stood up too, not believing her. She lifted one of her arms to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. She walked up to him and pulled him in for a hug. “Thank you, Zuko,” she breathed. He squeezed her reassuringly. He was still confused but decided to just let it be. He smiled and peacefully sank into the hug, his head on her shoulder.

“What for?” he asked softly.

“For forgiving me,” she whispered. “And being my friend, being here…I think I just need a hug,” she admitted. “You’re a good hugger.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Katara,” he reassured her, but gave her another affectionate squeeze all the same. “But don’t think this means I’m going to forget what we talked about. You’re still due an ass-kicking,” he smirked. Katara pulled away from him, her face lit up with a mischievous grin of her own. Her arms were still wrapped around his waist.

“That sounds like a challenge, Fire Lord Zuko,” she retorted, a certain sultriness to her tone. Zuko really didn’t know what to say to that. His heart gave another flutter, and a pleasant feeling of warmth pooled in his stomach, that had nothing to do with firebending. He had felt like this before, but…not for a long time.

“Well,” he stuttered uncertainly as he met her mischievous gaze. “Master Katara, maybe one day…you’ll be up to meeting it.” Katara gasped in mock outrage then burst out laughing.

“Oh, you are so on!” she promised him with glee, poking him playfully in the ribs. “You know what? You want to do this right now? Let’s go!”

Zuko did. He really did. But not in the way Katara had meant it. He shifted awkwardly, acutely aware that his own arms were still wrapped around Katara. She had made no attempt to move or break their embrace. It felt nice, holding her in his arms.

“Uh…” he stuttered, at a loss for what else to say. As silence fell between them, Katara’s own mischievous expression faded, and was replaced with concern. Something was going on with Zuko. He had, for no discernible reason, completely clammed up on her.

“Zuko, are you okay?” she asked. He nodded uncertainly. “You can talk to me if something’s bothering you,” she offered, not convinced. There was something bothering Zuko, that much was very true. But Katara was probably the last person he should be discussing it with. He regarded her silently. Her gorgeous, chestnut-coloured hair rustled in the wind, a few strands occasionally brushing his face. Her deep blue eyes, to his pleasant surprise, were filled with genuine worry. Worry for him. Her lips were slightly parted as she waited for him to respond. Those lips…Zuko was filled with such an intense longing to press his own against them, to kiss her with all he had, to show her just how much she meant to him.

Without being able to stop himself, Zuko’s hand left her waist and reached for one of hers. Surprised, Katara took it and interlaced their fingers. “It’s okay, Zuko,” she whispered tenderly, and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. She tried hard to ignore the spark of energy that passed between them as they touched. She tried even harder to ignore the pleasant, familiar jolt in her stomach that came in moments like this. Well, moments like this with someone she really liked…

‘I really like Zuko, huh?’ she realised. ‘Really like him.’ She felt like she was frozen to the spot. She couldn’t move away even if she wanted to. When…did this even happen?

Did it matter?

Katara felt that same urge kick in, the one that had been begging her to close the gap between them. They were already hugging, but his lips were so tantalisingly close…

Zuko’s mind, in turn, had completely emptied, and his body took over. Without thought, unable to stop themselves even if they wanted to, Katara and Zuko both found themselves slowly leaning in towards each other.

Suddenly, they both heard rustling in the trees and then the sound of footsteps thudding heavily, getting closer. By unspoken agreement, they sprang apart and instinctively took up defensive stances. They turned their backs to one another without evening thinking about it, and waited…

Sokka virtually fell through the trees, gasping for breath. They were both taken aback by his sudden arrival but relaxed.

“Katara, there you are!” Sokka panted.

“Sokka, what is going on?” Katara called to him, stepping towards her flustered big brother. “Wait…how did you even know we were-?”

“I need to talk to you!” Sokka pleaded desperately. Katara only nodded, perplexed and concerned. Sokka rarely got this wound up. Something really bad had to have happened. Sokka sighed, both in relief and despair. Katara threw a glance back at Zuko uncertainly.

“I’ll, uh, head back,” Zuko volunteered, taking the hint. Katara nodded gratefully at him, but Sokka didn’t seem to notice. Katara watched Zuko as he headed back through the trees, wondering what had just transpired between them. If anything. It was probably just her…although Zuko had been the one to take her hand.

But right now, that wasn’t important, she told herself. Right now, Sokka needed her.

He paced back and forth along the clifftop agitatedly. He kept muttering under his breath, but so far Katara hadn’t been able to get a single iota of sense out of him. She kept trying to interrupt his tirade, but he didn’t seem to hear her.

“What am I going to do? What am I going to do?”

“Sokka!” she said forcefully. “What is going on?” He finally stopped and looked at her, his face crestfallen. Wordlessly, he pulled a rolled up parchment from one of the pockets of his tunic and handed it to her. The parchment was bound by a blue ribbon, and she recognised the polar bear dog emblem on the broken seal. It was from the Water Tribe. She unrolled it curiously and instantly recognised Hakoda’s handwriting. “Hey, it’s from dad!” she exclaimed excitedly. She looked up at Sokka but his face told her this was the source of his anguish. The blood in her veins suddenly turned to ice. She thought she’d figured it out. “No,” she said softly, her own face matching Sokka’s. “No. Is it Gran-Gran?” Sokka shook his head. Katara let out a sigh of relief. That was some good news at least. But whatever it was had really rattled her brother. Katara looked down at the parchment again. She frowned. “It’s…only addressed to you,” she realised out loud. “Do you want me to-?”

“Just read it, Katara,” Sokka replied forlornly. His legs felt like jelly and it took every ounce of his strength not to just collapse onto the grass below his feet. He waited and watched as Katara began reading.

“Okay,” she muttered as she read, more for Sokka’s benefit than anything. “Uh-huh…oh…oh! Oooohhh…” Suddenly it was all very clear. She looked up at him sadly, lost for words.

“What am I going to do, Katara?” he asked her desperately.

“You could…” she stammered, thinking on her feet. “You could…I don’t know, you could turn it down?”

“You know I can’t,” Sokka sighed in defeat. Even if Hakoda’s decision as Chief of the united Southern Water Tribe wasn’t final, Sokka was by far and away the best man for the job. No-one else could possibly hope to match his experience. If Hakoda was as serious as he said he was about opening up the Southern Water Tribe – and judging by this letter he was – Sokka was the natural choice, as the Chief’s son and as part of the team who had been instrumental in ending the war. The only other person who would have been equally as qualified was Katara. It would have stung that she had not been considered, had she not remembered that Hakoda had no idea what had happened. As far as her father knew, she was still with Aang travelling around the world.

“Sokka…” Katara began slowly. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe this doesn’t have to be as bad as you think.”

“It would never work, Katara!” Sokka protested loudly, and frustratedly kicked at the ground. “It’s already hard enough being away from her, and at least Kyoshi Island is only a couple of days away!”

“Talk to her,” Katara pressed. “Maybe she can come with you?”

“I can’t ask her to do that! The Kyoshi Warriors are her life!”

“Shouldn’t that be her decision?” Katara pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him. For how much his attitude towards women had improved over the years, he could still be incredibly dense sometimes. “You’re not doing her a favour by keeping this quiet,” she persisted. “All you’re doing is taking her choice away from her-”

“I know!” Sokka groaned. His legs finally gave in and he flopped onto the sand, his legs crossed and his head in his hands. “I know all that! But…what if she does say no? It would break my heart.”

“What if she says yes?” Katara reasoned, crouching down next to him.

“She won’t. She can’t.” He groaned again and drew his knees up to his chest. He rested his head on them and began muttering to himself again. Katara could only hear snatches of what he was saying, and she rubbed his back comfortingly. “How did I ever think this was going to work? I’m so stupid.”

“I thought you only just found out?” Katara queried, puzzled.

“You don’t get it, Katara,” Sokka sighed. His eyes pricked with tears of frustration and sadness, but he refused to let them fall. Katara noticed the struggle he was holding with himself but chose not to comment. If Sokka was in his normal mood, he would go on a tirade about how him crying wasn’t ‘manly’. “I was…I was going to ask her to marry me.”

“What?!” Katara gasped. Sympathy was quickly replaced by excitement and she clapped a hand to her mouth. “Sokka!”

“I thought if…if she was on Kyoshi Island and I was at the South Pole, we could find a way to make it work. Now that the rebuilding’s done, I can do most of what I need to do by messenger hawk. Dad wouldn’t need me in the South Pole, except for meetings and stuff.”

“You were…going to move to Kyoshi Island for her?” Katara was stunned. She knew that Sokka was besotted with Suki, but she’d never honestly imagined he would be so prepared, happy even, to uproot his whole life like that for her. She’d never really considered the future of their relationship at all. They were Suki and Sokka. They just worked, all odds be damned. She hadn’t realised how much thought and time Sokka had put into trying to make sure they could even have a future.

“Of course I was,” Sokka told her. “I love her more than anything.”

“I know you do,” Katara said softly. “That’s why you need to talk to her.”

“I know,” Sokka agreed sadly. “But how can we possibly have a future if we’re half a world away from each other all the time?”

“Well, Suki does spend a few months a year in the Fire Nation…” Katara mused. Suki had told her that.

“Only three,” Sokka pointed out. “I can’t spend most of my life apart from my own wife.” His own wife. That was a strange but beautiful thought. Katara could hardly imagine her stupid big brother being a married man. But she also knew that Sokka would make a fantastic husband. Suki found his quirks charming and amusing rather than annoying. There would be a lot of laughter in their marriage, Katara was certain. Except now, their father had inadvertently destroyed any hopes or prospects they may have had.

“I’m sure if you explained to dad, he would understand,” Katara said, hoping she sounded reassuring.

“You know as well as I do that he’d want to,” Sokka sighed. “But I’m his son. I have a duty. And it’s for the good of the Tribe.”

“Well…maybe it won’t be permanent.”

“It doesn’t matter. She probably would have said no anyway.”

Why would you think that?”

“She’s way too good for me. I don’t know why she’s still with me.”

“Because she loves you, you big goofball!” Katara told him forcefully. “Come on, Sokka! You broke her out of the most high-security prison in the most high-security nation! You single-handedly planned the invasion on the day of Black Sun, you-”

“Do I need to remind you what a disaster that was?” Sokka argued.

“That had nothing to do with your plan,” Katara reasoned. “You know it would have worked.”

“What’s your point?” he asked her glumly.

“My point is you’re the ideas guy,” she smiled at him. “If I got trapped somewhere inescapable, there’s no-one I’d trust more to break me out of there than you. You can find a way around this, I know you can. But not,” she emphasised, “if you’re not honest with Suki.”

“I know you’re right,” Sokka conceded. “I really should talk to her.” His chest ached at the thought. Would she be sad? Would she be angry? He thought he’d prefer her to be angry. If she started crying, Sokka would break down in an instant. He loved Suki with every fibre of his being. He thought he played it off well, but by the spirits it could be genuinely painful in the South Pole without her. He wasn’t short of friends, or drinking buddies, back home. He had his work to keep him busy during the day and had passed many a raucous evening in the tavern with his friends. But then he’d have to crawl back into an empty bed, alone. There were plenty of occasions he’d struggle to sleep for thinking about her. Sometimes he would watch the moon as the hours passed by. Sometimes it would comfort him. Other times, though, he just felt guilty. Whether it was for Suki or Yue he wasn’t sure. He no longer had the same intense feelings for Yue as he had four years ago, but he knew in his heart he still loved her. He always would. Just not in the same way as he had. And Suki…Suki was the one for him, he knew it. No-one understood him like she did. No-one could put up with his antics and laugh lovingly with him like she did.

He looked up at his sister. “Katara, please don’t tell anyone about this. Not before I’ve spoken to Suki. Not about this and especially not about me wanting to marry her. Promise me.”

“Of course I promise!”

“Not even Zuko.” She raised her eyebrows at him. “Don’t give me that look. You tell each other everything!” That was fair, she supposed. A small smile escaped her lips as she thought of him. She hoped Sokka hadn’t noticed.

“Well, yes, we do but honestly I think there’s a good chance he already knows,” she reasoned. “Dad probably wrote to him too.”

Sokka closed his eyes and groaned again. “Of course he did.”

“It makes sense. He’s the Fire Lord,” Katara added.  “He should probably know who his new ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe is.” Sokka nodded in understanding, but he still didn’t feel too happy about it. He knew Zuko and Suki were good friends. What if he said something? As if she read his mind, Katara added: “Zuko won’t say anything if that’s what you’re worried about,” she assured him confidently.

“Actually, Katara, while we’re here…I want to talk to you about Zuko as well,” Sokka began carefully. Suki had told him what had happened last night, while he and Toph had been busy building their masterpiece sand sculpture, a replica of the new Southern Water Tribe. By the time they had finished, he excitedly turned to show the girls but found only Zuko sitting on the log, looking – oddly for Zuko – at peace with everything. He sighed. He had other things on his mind, but this was something that was bothering him. He, through Suki and the letters the two men had exchanged, knew Zuko better than anyone else thought. Better, in some ways, than his sister.

“Oh…okay,” Katara replied, the question and confusion evident as the words rolled off her tongue.

“Look, I know it’s none of my business, but…you need to be careful there.”

“Of Zuko?” Katara scoffed. Her face darkened. “What are you talking about, Sokka, he’s our friend! How could you even think that…?” She trailed off as Sokka shook his head.

“That’s not what I meant,” Sokka replied earnestly. “Suki told me what you said last night.”

“And what was that exactly?” Katara questioned, crossing her arms. Just where was Sokka going with this?

“You said he was your best friend,” he reminded her. Katara started, and relaxed.

“Oh that? Yeah, that was just–”

“Katara, that is a really big deal for Zuko,” Sokka continued, cutting her off. “You know that Zuko didn’t really have any friends before he joined us.” Katara nodded slowly. “So…can you see why it would be important to him that someone thought he was their best friend?” Katara nodded again. She felt a pang in her chest. Sympathy? Affection? She wasn’t sure. “Just…look, I know you’d been drinking but, he seemed really different this morning. Did you notice?” Admittedly, Sokka hadn’t been the one to spot it. That observation had also come courtesy of Suki when Sokka had rejoined the land of the living after his last groaning spell.

“Yeah…” Katara whispered.

“Suki told me that that’s the sort of thing Zuko would take to heart,” Sokka continued. “So…just, you know, be careful.”

“What are you saying?” Katara asked. “You think I’d hurt him?”

“Not on purpose,” Sokka qualified. “But…if you didn’t mean it, I think that would hurt him, yes. He’s had a hard enough time trusting people. I have to ask, did you mean it? Because if you didn’t, I think-”

“Yes, I did,” Katara promised her brother confidently. “It’s crazy, I know, but I do feel really close to Zuko. He just understands me. And honestly, he makes a lot more sense to me now. I guess I just needed to grow up a little before I saw that.” Sokka nodded. “But, thank you for telling me, Sokka. I…I do really care about him. And I feel like I have a lot to make up for. I was such a bitch when he first asked for our forgiveness.”

“Maybe you were a little harsh,” Sokka agreed. “But come on, it was weird for all of us!” That much was true, Katara supposed. “And he’s forgiven you. The fact that you’re his friend now means a lot to him, you have no idea.”

“I’m kind of surprised you do,” Katara admitted.

“We’ve written to each other,” Sokka shrugged. “Men can discuss feelings, too, you know.”

“Oh I know that. I just didn’t realise you could,” Katara teased. Sokka punched her playfully on the arm, making her giggle. “For what it’s worth, I think the fact that we are all his friends is what means a lot to him. There’s nothing special about me.”

“You’re probably right about that – ow!” Sokka yelped.

Notes:

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on the last chapter! I think 'Embers' is among the most light-hearted stories I have ever written, and I won't lie, it does give me the fuzzies sometimes.

I know it may seem like I'm overplaying how much 'best friends' means to Zuko, but I can say from experience that even at his age, it is something that feels like a big deal if you haven't grown up with it. I feel like Zuko is someone who would cling to titles like that, as it allows him to fill a specific 'role'. As someone with a bit of social anxiety myself, that can be really comforting.

Next chapter will be up next week :)

Chapter 7: The Ember Island Festival

Summary:

The royal party attend a festival, where Noren bonds with Zuko, Sokka mopes, and Kiyi does the impossible and brings Toph to her knees.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Sokka was extremely restless that evening, and spent most of it lost in thought. After his earlier conversation with Katara, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his news. He hadn’t plucked up the nerve to talk to Suki yet, but he promised himself and Katara that he would. Just maybe not tonight…

Toph was loudly telling everyone about what she and Zuko’s family had got up to for the day. They had ventured into one of the other towns that Ember Island had to offer, one that had just installed a new zoo filled with Fire Nation creatures. Part of Katara regretted that she hadn’t been awake early enough to join them, but for Sokka’s sake, another part of her was very glad she hadn’t. Kiyi had adored the komodo-rhinos, of course. Toph had turned out to be a very useful companion in the nocturnal enclosure, which was kept in a permanent state of darkness for the animals’ comfort. Sokka had been especially delighted when she told him the enclosure was called the ‘Noctunnel’. One of the animals, a burrowing creature which reminded Toph of a badger-mole, seemed to have taken a real shine to her. It had sniffed at her curiously and followed her wherever she went from underground. The four who had missed out agreed that they would have to go themselves and they would have to take Kiyi with them under pain of her not speaking to them ever again.

The highlight of Toph’s day, however, had been when they had encountered Naja, her friend from the tavern the night before, whilst they had been taking lunch in a restaurant. While Iroh and the others did some shopping, Toph and Naja had gone for a walk and picked up their conversation with ease. Toph didn’t like many people on first impression, but she felt she had found somewhat of a kindred spirit in Naja. He was much younger than he looked, though old enough to have a betrothed, and he had excitedly been telling Toph all about him. Toph insisted that the three of them meet up for drinks before her vacation was over, and she would drag her friends along as well. She promised Naja she would get a messenger hawk over to him. She wasn’t sure how much discretion was still needed with regards to her companions’ royal status and thought it would be safer if she made the arrangements.

As the night wore on, everyone slowly trickled to bed and Zuko and Katara were the last two standing. For her part, she hadn’t forgotten the conversation with Sokka about Zuko. It had been bothering her, what Sokka said about Zuko not really having friends before them. She supposed she must have known that already, but somehow Sokka had made it truly sink in. She had no intention of bringing it up, it would most likely just make him feel embarrassed, and that was the last thing she wanted. She had been drunk when she’d loudly proclaimed Zuko was her best friend, but that didn’t mean it wasn't real. They were incredibly close, they told each other everything, and they were always perfectly comfortable with one another, even if all they did was sit in companionable silence.

And then of course, there had been their conversation that day and the moment they shared afterwards. Katara couldn’t say for certain if she would have actually done it. If she would have actually kissed him…would Zuko have even wanted her to? Would he have kissed her back? She was burning to ask him all of those questions, but got a hold of herself. Zuko had seemed to be very relaxed this evening. Their moment wasn’t bothering him, she thought. What was the point in bringing it up?

“Can I tempt you with one more?” Katara asked, brandishing the bottle of rice wine. There were only a few remnants left. She knew she shouldn’t be drinking again, not after how she’d felt this morning, but she’d thrown caution to the wind when it was offered to her by Iroh. She was on vacation, after all.

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea,” Zuko smiled at her.

“Never said it was,” Katara shrugged, grinning. Zuko couldn’t argue with that and held his glass out for her to pour into. “So what do you think, Zuko?” she asked, leaning back against the sofa on her cushion. Zuko sat across the table from her. “Are you regretting inviting us all here yet?” Zuko sniggered.

“Regret’s a strong word…” he mused playfully, causing Katara to giggle. “Of course not. I was…I was a little worried about it, to be honest.” Katara nodded, listening, and took a sip of her wine. “I don’t know why.” Katara regarded him thoughtfully. She knew Zuko had a certain amount of anxiety about social situations, especially ones where he was the centre of attention, but again, the full implications of this hadn’t hit home until Sokka had pointed them out. She didn’t know how she had been so blind to it before. It hadn't been that long since she’d got to know the real Zuko, the Zuko that was before her, the one who happily opened up to her and she to him, but all the same.

“To be honest, I think you were always going to be safe,” she said gently. “Toph’s loud and Sokka, as much as I love him, is a goofball. It’s hard to feel awkward around them.”

“I guess I was more worried about everyone feeling awkward around me,” Zuko admitted.

“Why?” He shrugged. He knew he made people feel uncomfortable sometimes. Sometimes that could simply be attributed to the fact that he was Fire Lord, but other times he knew that wasn’t it. He didn’t know if it was the sight of his scar that made them awkward, or if it was just him. “Well, for what it’s worth…I love spending time with you. You don’t make me feel awkward.” Zuko flashed a genuine smile at her, which made Katara beam inside.

“Thanks, Katara,” he said. “Listen, I…I’m sorry if I made things weird earlier today.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I…I held your…hand. It was…it was stupid, I’m sorry-”

“No, no, Zuko,” Katara said quickly. She put her glass down and shuffled over to him. “Don’t be sorry about that. It was fine. If you need support, I’m here.” Zuko nodded but didn’t look fully convinced that Katara wasn’t just trying to make him feel better.

“I mean it,” she insisted. She pulled him into a hug. Nonplussed, Zuko returned the gesture. “You’re pretty damn great,” she sighed happily.

“How much of that wine have you had?” he chuckled.

“Not that much,” she promised. “Sorry, but you’re my best friend now. That means you’re going to have to get used to lots of hugs.”

“Is it negotiable?” he teased.

“Nope!” she told him confidently, and gave him a small squeeze before pulling away. “I mean, I guess if it really bothers you-”

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I’m just not…used to it.”

“I know,” she said understandingly. To her surprise and delight, this time Zuko wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She squeezed him again. “Zuko, seriously, I can’t thank you enough for this. This is all your doing. You got us all back together again.”

“Not really, it was my uncle’s idea…”

“As much as I adore Iroh, he wasn’t the one who invited us,” Katara pointed out. “That was all you, Fire Lord Zuko.” She squeezed him one last time and pulled away. Zuko looked, for lack of a better word, stunned. But also pleased. Really pleased.

“Uh, I guess that means you should…bow to my superior wisdom?” he joked uncertainly. Katara blinked at him in surprise then snorted loudly with laughter. “That doesn’t look like bowing to me,” he tutted mockingly, which just made Katara laugh harder. She wished the others were around to see this side of Zuko. Sokka in particular would be ecstatic, she thought.

“Okay, well, I’ll cut you a deal. If I ever become one of your subjects, I will bow to your superior wisdom as many times as you demand, Fire Lord Zuko.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he chuckled.

Katara managed to convince Zuko to play a final round of cards before they headed to bed themselves. As much as Zuko liked to grumble, she could tell he was enjoying himself. So was she. She felt genuinely thrilled inside, at how easily their rapport had built up. She felt another wave of affection for the firebender sweep through her as he graciously accepted her utter defeat in their game. The feelings from earlier hadn’t been forgotten, but for now she swept them aside. It wasn’t worth the risk, she knew that. Getting involved romantically would just complicate things, and mess up everything they had now. She couldn’t afford to lose that. It would break her heart.

****

The next day was the day of the Ember Island Festival. It was a large annual event that drew visitors from all over the Fire Nation, and in recent years, the wealthier Earth Kingdom citizens. Merchants from all over the world had been invited to set up stalls at Zuko’s behest after the war. Water Tribe attendance, both mercantile and guest, was still very low, but over the years Earth Kingdom wares became a common and popular attraction for visitors. International travel had indeed opened up, but in practice it tended to be reserved for sailors and those few private citizens with the means to do it.

Everyone in the royal party had been looking forward to it immensely. For Iroh and Sokka, it was an excellent opportunity to go on a shopping spree. All in the name of supporting world harmony, of course. For Toph, it was one of those deliciously rare chances where she would be surrounded by peddlers, gaming stalls, and plenty of scammers who would only see a small blind woman and assume she was easy pickings. Toph did so relish proving them wrong. Today, she and Kiyi decided to team up – much to Ursa’s consternation. The scammers in particular would practically drool over the money they thought they could flush out of a small blind woman and her child companion. It took a lot of convincing, but Ursa eventually relented, on the firm promise that Sokka and Suki would keep an eye on them. Iroh had already goaded her into joining him at the various vendors, and Noren seemed keen to try and spend some time with his stepson. That just left Katara. Zuko had been hoping she would join him and Noren, but the temptation of shopping with Iroh was just too big to resist. They had whiled away many a free day checking out as many of Ba Sing Se’s stores, and the occasional boutique, as they could and Iroh always made a brilliant companion. She thought this would also be a good opportunity to get to know Ursa a bit better. They had shared some more coffees early in the morning together, but Ursa didn’t like to talk about herself. She was more interested in Katara’s anecdotes. Not wanting to pry, or make her feel uncomfortable, Katara always obliged.

As soon as they arrived at the festival, they all split off into their little groups. Toph and Kiyi raced for the games – it was hard to tell who was dragging who – and Sokka and Suki trailed far enough behind them so they could keep watch but not so close that Toph and Kiyi felt like they were being guarded. That would rather spoil the illusion after all. Everyone agreed to meet up again at sunset for some refreshments before watching the fireworks display that concluded the festival together.

Zuko wasn’t there in his official capacity as Fire Lord, but he resolved that if he was recognised, he wouldn’t correct anyone. As much as he would prefer to remain anonymous, realistically it could only do the festival good if people knew the Fire Lord deemed it important enough to attend. There were of course some security concerns as he hadn’t brought a guard with him, but he knew there would be patrols anyway for the visitors’ safety. A small minority of the Fire Nation population objected to how multicultural the event had become and could still cause trouble, whether they knew the Fire Lord was there or not. Having his own personal guard would just draw attention to him and probably just make the situation worse. And he was a powerful firebender – it wasn’t as though he couldn’t defend himself.

He looked wistfully after Katara as she and Iroh accosted Ursa and dragged her to the first stall, which was run by a cheerful Earth Kingdom merchant selling whittled ornaments. He realised he’d been staring a bit too long when Noren cleared his throat.

“Are you okay there?” he asked Zuko kindly.

“Uh, yeah!” Zuko replied hastily. “I just…I know what my uncle is like at these things. I’m not sure mother knows what she’s gotten herself into.” Noren chuckled at that and they began walking down the main avenue of the festival. He heard Toph as they passed a hustler, saying in the most sweet and innocent voice she could muster: “Are you sure I can play? I’m blind.” He smirked as he imagined that same hustler’s face when Toph would inevitably own him at his own scam. He hoped she never changed. And that she wasn’t too much of a bad influence on his sister.

“So…” Zuko began awkwardly, turning to Noren. “Have you…been in any interesting plays…lately?”

“Well, I tend to direct these days,” Noren explained. “Your mother has had a few starring roles though. I never could get her off that stage.”

“She does love the theatre,” Zuko mused.

“But I’m sure you know all that! I want to hear about you. Tell me what life is like in the Palace. You must have some fascinating stories.”

“Not as fascinating as you’d think,” Zuko told him. “I spend a lot of my time trying not to bang my head against a wall or dismiss all my advisors.”

“They’re that bad?”

“Worse,” Zuko groaned bitterly. “It’s impossible to get anything done sometimes. It took them two months to agree to allow dancing in schools again.” Noren chuckled despite himself. Other than their love for Ursa, he and Zuko had never really found any common interests. He was so thrilled for his wife that she and her son had found each other against impossible odds, but it was disheartening that Zuko rarely had two words to say to him. Noren eventually realised it was because Zuko wasn’t really a talkative person in general, but all the same Noren wanted to have a better relationship with Zuko. He understood that Zuko had had a terrible relationship with his father, through no fault of Zuko’s, but he also observed how close he and Iroh were, despite the extremely differing personalities there.

“I was really pleased that you brought it back,” Noren offered. “The arts are important. It’s a way to express yourself without actually having to put yourself on the line.”

“I never thought about it like that,” Zuko replied in surprise. “I always liked ‘Love Amongst The Dragons’.”

“Have you ever seen it on stage?”

“Every summer when I was a child. But it was always the Ember Island Players…”

“Oh yes, your mother said you didn’t like them very much.”

“They butchered it,” Zuko told him. “Be grateful you never had to see them.”

“Well actually, we might end up doing that. Your mother mentioned there was a play she wanted to see while we were here.” Zuko grimaced. As futile as it was, he had hoped beyond hope he wouldn’t have to go and see them this summer. The last play of theirs he’d seen had been abysmal. But it was his mother, and if his mother wanted to go the theatre, that meant they were going to the theatre.

“Well, you have been warned,” said Zuko.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” chuckled Noren.

****

Something was really off with Sokka today. For the last week he’d been yakking on about all the ‘cool stuff’ there would be at the festival, but right now he wasn’t showing interest in any of it. In fact, he was being downright mopey and Suki had no clue why. His hand was limp in hers and he ignored the cries of many vendors trying to sell their wares. Sokka was usually a butterfly-moth to a flame with them. When they passed a stall selling boomerangs and Sokka didn’t even so much as give them a glance, Suki had had enough.

“Sokka, what is up with you today?” she asked him with concern.

“Nothing,” he sighed.

“I can see something’s bothering you. You’ve barely said anything since we got here.”

“Maybe I’m just not in the mood for talking.”

“Since when?” Suki scoffed.

‘Since I found out we’re going to have to break up,’ Sokka thought to himself miserably.

“Since always,” Sokka argued. “I can be quiet sometimes.”

“Sure, but you’re usually asleep.” Actually, even that wasn’t true. Suki swore that Sokka’s snoring rattled the foundations of the house sometimes.

“Well maybe today I’m in the mood for some thinking!” Sokka snapped. A flash of hurt crossed Suki’s eyes and she stopped, tugging hard on Sokka’s hand. When he looked up at her, she was glaring at him. He shouldn’t have snapped at her, he knew that. He felt awful. This wasn’t her fault.

“Want to explain to me what that was?”

“I’m sorry,” he groaned. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind, okay?”

“Okay. So why don’t you tell me about it?”

“I can’t.” So Sokka had secrets now too?

“Of course you can,” she reasoned calmly. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”

‘Not this,’ he thought bitterly. A pregnant silence fell between them. He could feel Suki’s eyes boring into him, but other than the fact he looked miserable, she had no way of knowing what was bothering him. He just wanted to scream out in frustration. Why had his dad done this? He must have known the problems it would create in his relationship with Suki. And now Sokka was so wound up about it all, he was just making things worse. He needed to be alone. Or at least not near Suki, if all he was going to do was take it out on her.

“I’m sorry, Suki,” he said eventually. “I’m just not feeling it right now. I think I’m going to go back to the house.”

“What? Why-?”

“You can watch Toph and Kiyi, right?” It was a question but Sokka didn’t wait for an answer and began walking away from her in the direction they had just come. She watched him leave, torn. She had promised Ursa she would keep an eye on Kiyi, but she couldn’t just leave Sokka in this state. She threw a glance over at the pair, who were currently munching on cotton candy and admiring the wares of a rare Water Tribe stand. Toph was a woman now, she reasoned. She wouldn’t take it too far this time, especially not with Zuko’s younger sister in tow. She hated abandoning her duty, but Sokka was acting like such a child! She couldn’t just let this go. Sokka was already thinning into the crowd and if she didn’t follow him now, she would lose him.

By some extraordinary stroke of fortune, she spotted Katara out of the corner of her eye. She quickly marched up to her and spun her round.

“Hey, Suki!” Katara greeted, slightly stunned.

“Can you keep an eye on those two please?” Suki asked her desperately, gesturing to Toph and Kiyi. Katara nodded. She assumed Sokka must have come clean to Suki and that it hadn’t gone well. “Thank you.” With that, Suki left just as quickly.

“Sokka! Wait!” she called after him frustratedly, and ran into the crowd.

****

When it came to shopping, Iroh was already a force of nature. But at a festival that proudly bartered goods from around the world, he was unstoppable. Katara and Ursa both felt certain he must have bought out half the vendors by the time they finally reached the last merchant stall. Truthfully, they were both exhausted but Iroh seemed to be as full of energy as ever. The two women had got into the habit of chatting idly at each stall, Katara keeping a watchful eye on Toph and Kiyi, while Iroh invariably engaged the merchant in a long conversation. They couldn’t possibly begrudge him for it, though. Katara had been wanting to use the festival as an excuse to buy gifts for everyone, and Iroh was a dream companion when it came to matters like that. He seemed to know the layout of the festival before they even got there, and made several excellent recommendations.

For Sokka, Katara found a Fire Nation stall that sold boomerangs. She’d had no idea that they were used as a weapon outside of the Water Tribe. Technically they were intended to be used as display pieces, but she felt certain Sokka would appreciate it all the same. She knew she might have to wait to present it to him, however. She hadn’t seen either him or Suki since Suki had asked her to watch Toph and Kiyi. She hoped beyond hope they would be able to work it out. The last time she had seen Sokka heartbroken, she had felt completely helpless. Which she had been. She knew from experience that heartbreak wasn’t something you could easily get through with all the help in the world. It was something that had to come from within.

Iroh also pointed out a stall of weaponised fans, and she eagerly purchased for Suki a beautiful fan ornately decorated in burgundy and gold patterns with a razor-sharp edge. The merchant had told her that they had been inspired by the original fans of the Kyoshi Warriors, and although the artist who had designed them again intended them to be display pieces, there was no reason it couldn’t be put to practical use. For Toph, she found an ore of a rare precious metal unique to the Fire Nation. Katara wasn’t exactly certain of the limits to Toph’s metalbending and had been hesitant in buying it at first. Iroh eventually convinced her to go for it. If anything, Toph would at least relish the challenge of trying to bend it, and if she succeeded, it could open even more doors for her. For Iroh, Katara had had to be a bit sneakier. She wanted all of the gifts to be a surprise. She had learned in Ba Sing Se how much Iroh loved buying these curios for himself, but it felt wrong to exclude him. Ursa had actually helped her in that regard, by keeping Iroh occupied while Katara wandered over to a Water Tribe stall that sold, amongst other things, traditional Water Tribe teapots. There was no better option for him. Between them, Katara and Ursa also managed to ensure that Iroh didn’t spot the stall himself, which had been surprisingly easy as it turned out.

With Ursa’s guidance, she also found a firebending scroll for Kiyi with some basic forms. Katara knew from experience how much such a scroll had helped her when she had been surrounded by non-benders. The forms were more artistic than the usual combat forms and both she and Ursa agreed it was a safe way for Kiyi to hone her skills without having to be constantly observed by a master. Ursa told her that both Zuko and Azula had been thrust into combat firebending from a very young age at Ozai’s behest. Azula had been a prodigy and picked it up naturally, but Zuko had struggled a lot more, eventually being surpassed by Azula. Katara mused silently that it had been because of their polar opposite personalities. Azula had always enjoyed the combat and the competition and being the best of the best; Zuko had only been trying to please his distant father. She resolved never to mention this to him unless he brought it up, but she couldn’t help but feel a pang of affection for him. They ended up buying a scroll for Noren as well, which depicted a mural of ‘Love Amongst the Dragons’, which had been his first leading role in their small local theatre in Hira’a.

With Iroh’s help, she found a book for Ursa that contained the script for her own favourite piece of theatre, which wasn’t – to Katara’s surprise – ‘Love Amongst the Dragons.’ It told the tale of the Blue Spirit, which had always resonated strongly with Ursa, but because of its Water Tribe connotations hadn’t been performed since Sozin had declared war against all the other nations over a century ago. Katara certainly couldn’t take credit for the idea and she and Iroh promised they would give it to Ursa together.

Katara was at a complete loss as to what to get for Zuko, though. She understood him incredibly well, and that’s how she also knew he didn’t really place much value in the material, in spite of his royal upbringing. She wanted it to be meaningful, as all the others had. But what was meaningful to Zuko was something he had been starved of for most of his life – trust and, as much as it saddened Katara, affection. He had never said it in so many words, but she knew his past. He had told her most of it himself. Katara would happily give him all the affection he wanted. She really cared about Zuko, and only wanted for him to be happy. And truthfully, she enjoyed getting affection from him too. He was a very good hugger.

It almost frightened her, how intense her feelings were for him, but it also filled up her entire body with a comfortable, soothing warmth, as if she had just stepped into a bath. Even just thinking about him brought on a wide smile that she couldn’t control. She felt…happy. Just happy.

****

Kiyi was practically bouncing as she skipped along beside Toph. By now they had played most of the games at the festival and had resorted to sampling the various sweet treats that were on offer. Kiyi had been stunned when Toph admitted she had never eaten chocolate. It hadn’t really been available in the Earth Kingdom when she’d been growing up.

So Kiyi made it her personal mission to find all the chocolate vendors at the festival to show Toph what she had been missing out on. Some of it was much too sweet for Toph’s taste, but Kiyi seemed to be enjoying this new game a lot, and Toph was happy to play along. It was the least she could do for her partner-in-crime after Toph’s own games had been such a rousing success. Kiyi had played the role of caring little sister/guide perfectly and the scammers in particular had lapped it up. It was how they’d ended up with the money to splurge on sweets, after all. If Kiyi decided she wanted to spend her share on enlightening Toph about Fire Nation desserts, who was Toph to argue?

“So what do you think?!” Kiyi asked her excitedly as she pressed another square into Toph’s hands. Toph took a bite. This particular chocolate had the exact opposite problem. It tasted so bitter in comparison to the others, Toph wasn’t even sure it could be counted as chocolate.

“I think it’s, uh, an acquired taste,” Toph said diplomatically. Kiyi laughed. She knew what that meant. She had heard her brother say it a few times.

“You sound just like Zu-Zu,” Kiyi commented.

“I think you’ll find the Grumble Lord sounds just like me!” Toph grinned at her. Kiyi giggled happily and linked her arm through Toph’s.

“Hey I have a question for you.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you’d still know everyone? Without the war?” Toph paused to think. Truthfully, no she probably wouldn’t. She probably would have ended up wasting away at the Bei Fong estate, at least for a few more years until she was old enough to strike out on her own. Maybe she would have encountered Zuko, what with their families’ statuses. But it was impossible to say for certain.

“I hope so,” Toph replied honestly. “They’re…pretty great.”

“Who’s your favourite?” Kiyi piped up.

“Who’s your favourite?” Toph countered.

“I asked you first!” Kiyi protested.

“I’m older,” Toph pointed out. Kiyi pouted for a moment, but decided to answer anyway.

“Well I probably shouldn’t say this because Zu-Zu is my brother, but right now you’re my favourite, Melon Lord!” Toph could only smile in response. “And Katara already told me I’m her favourite…but I think it was just something she said. She really seems to like Zu-Zu.” Toph fought hard to contain a smirk at that.

Toph was well aware just how much Sugar Queen liked Grumble Lord, and he her. Their heartbeats gave them away in an instant. It was the same rhythm that Aang had used to give out when he was with Katara, except it was both of them this time. Toph couldn’t say for certain what was going on, but she had a sneaking suspicion. She was happy for them. She had been just as surprised as everyone else by Twinkletoes’ actions, but she couldn’t honestly say that Sugar Queen and Grumble Lord didn’t somehow make sense together. It was obvious to everyone how close they had become, and how much they put each other at ease. If and when Twinkletoes found out, he would just have to deal with it. It was his own stupid fault after all.

Toph and Kiyi decided to join Iroh’s group after Toph had eaten all the chocolate she could stomach. She was beginning to feel a bit queasy and was grateful for the respite now that Kiyi was distracted. Indeed, Kiyi took the sugar rush in her stride and bounded to the front with Iroh and Ursa, chattering excitedly about anything and nothing.

“You okay there, Toph?” Katara asked.

“Too much chocolate,” Toph groaned.

****

Walking around with Noren hadn’t been as awkward as Zuko had feared, not after they had broken the ice. Noren spent a lot of time talking about the theatre, drawing some quite amusing comparisons between directing a difficult cast and Zuko wrangling his councillors. Noren had also requested Zuko’s input into a gift for Ursa, and seemed to spend a long time deliberating until Zuko agreed that a necklace embedded with rubies and emeralds would suit her perfectly. Zuko knew Noren asking for his advice was a token gesture, Noren was her husband after all, but he appreciated it all the same. A large part of Zuko regretted he hadn’t been able to spend the festival with Katara. There was still the fireworks display, he supposed.

But Noren was a perfectly amiable companion, and as well as patiently listening to Zuko complain about his councillors, he was also able to offer some advice as to how to deal with them. Dealing with unruly actors and stubborn advisors really weren’t so different.

He had been recognised a few times, but it was rarely more than uncertain stares and the occasional gasps of awe that they were in the presence of the Fire Lord. A couple of particularly insistent citizens had decided now would be a fantastic time to petition him for something, but he had had to gently inform them that he wasn’t here on business, but made a promise to look into it once he was back at the Palace. Zuko intended to keep that promise. What he didn’t tell them was that their requests would likely be added to the heavy backlog of similar petitions. He honestly couldn’t predict just when he would get around to ‘looking into it’. He needed new councillors. He said this to himself every day, but he also knew that any replacements would likely be just as bad. What he really needed was someone who could deal with them better than he could. Someone who wouldn’t be afraid to tell them they were wasting time and to just agree on something for a change. He was so desperate to avoid being like his father…

Zuko may not have been able to spend the festival with Katara, but he had found something for her. He had been extremely hesitant in buying it at first. It was a silver hairpin set with a blue topaz stone the colour of the ocean, intended to adorn the traditional female hair buns. He knew she’d love it, with it being close to Water Tribe blue, and it would suit her perfectly. But he didn’t want her to think he was getting it for her with the expectation that she would reward him with…well, her. He just wanted her to have it and had eventually convinced himself it wasn’t a big deal. He was buying a gift for his friend, that was all. It would be wrong to stop treating Katara as his best friend just because he had feelings for her.

He shook his head. His mind was exhausting sometimes. He just wanted to enjoy himself. And seeing what he hoped would be Katara’s smile when he gave it to her was definitely something he would enjoy.

He and Noren decided to head to the meeting spot early, as they felt they had experienced all they needed to of the festival. Noren suggested they share a pot or two of tea before the rest of the group got back. Zuko happily agreed. He was certain they wouldn’t see Iroh, Ursa or Katara for some time still, knowing what Iroh was like.

****

Suki eventually caught up to Sokka, and grabbed his arm. “Sokka!” she panted, fuming by now. He half-turned his body towards her, but kept his face low. “What was that back there?! Why did you-?” She gasped as Sokka looked at her. His eyes were wet with tears and his face was flooded with guilt. All of her anger dissipated as quickly as it had arisen. She pulled him in close. “Sokka, what’s wrong?” she asked him desperately. He sighed into her shoulder.

“Not here,” Sokka mumbled, and led her by the hand out of the main thoroughfare. They found a quiet spot just behind one of the stalls, where only the occasional passer-by might disturb them. They sat on the grass together and leaned against the back of the stand, still clutching each other. Sokka took a few moments to compose himself and plan what to say. Suki sat in silence, giving him the time he needed. She had to admit, this was starting to scare her. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Sokka like this. This was exactly the reason she had delayed telling him about her planned move to the Fire Nation. She couldn’t stand to see her loveable, goofy, intelligent partner like this. It broke her heart.

“I have something to tell you,” Sokka finally began, letting out a deep breath. Suki nodded and waited patiently for him to continue. She cast aside her own feelings for the time being, intent on getting to the bottom of this. “I…my father…that is…” he stuttered before trailing off. She gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

“Sokka, whatever it is, I’m sure we can work through it,” she tried to reassure him. She ignored the small voice in the back of her mind telling her this was an outright lie. They may be able to work through Sokka’s news, but hers wouldn’t be simple.

Sokka took another deep breath. “My father has appointed me to be the ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe,” he said fluidly, suddenly sounding a lot more confident and sure than he felt inside. “I don’t know how long for, but it means I would have to live in the Fire Nation. We won’t get to see each other and…and I love you so much. I don’t want to break up with you but I don’t know what else we can do,” he finished sadly, hanging his head again.

Suki gasped. She was completely lost for words. She almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Sokka had to move to the Fire Nation?

So she didn’t need to worry anymore? She had spent the last few days fretting over something that wasn’t even going to be an issue now? The relief that swept through her was so immense she struggled to suppress nervous laughter. She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Sokka’s confused expression confirmed she wasn’t. This was unbelievable! Incredible! Destiny…like she had told Zuko. Granted, Sokka had to have only just found out judging by his behaviour today and not the time leading up to it so her not telling him before turned out to have been the right call after all. She smiled despite herself, and before she knew it her whole body was shaking with that same nervous laughter. Sokka, for his part, felt incredibly hurt by her response.

“What’s so funny?” he asked her, crestfallen. His voice cracking. Suki turned to look at him.

“I am so sorry!” she said genuinely. “It’s not funny, it’s really not. It’s just, well…I have something to tell you too.” And so she told him, all about the Kyoshi Warriors having to withdraw, and her plan to stay and train up new Fire Nation recruits with Ty Lee. When she finished, Sokka was dumbounded.

“Wait, so…we’re both moving to the Fire Nation?”

“Yep!” she exclaimed happily. “I’ll be based in the capital for training, which I’m guessing is where the embassy will be?” Sokka nodded eagerly. Suki’s expression softened and she felt a twinge of guilt. “I should have told you sooner,” she admitted. “I was a coward. But actually-”

“It’s worked out better this way,” Sokka finished, agreeing with her. He wiped the remnants of his tears away and his face broke out into a big grin. “Suki, I can’t believe this! This is amazing!”

“I know!” she squealed. They fell into a loving embrace and held each other tightly. They pulled away and looked deeply into their beloved’s eyes. Suki’s were filled with excitement; Sokka’s were filled with an almost uncharacteristic calm. “I love you, Sokka,” she told him tenderly, pulling him in for a kiss.

“I love you, too, Suki.”

****

“Zu-Zu!” Kiyi yelped excitedly as she spotted her brother and father. They were sitting around a barrel that acted as a makeshift table. They broke their conversation off as Kiyi launched herself at Zuko and landed on his lap, nearly knocking him off his stool. He pulled her in for a hug.

“Did you have a good day?” he asked her.

“The best!” Kiyi exclaimed. “Melon Lord won all the games!”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Toph said half-heartedly, resisting the urge to clutch her stomach. She still felt sick with all of the chocolate and cotton candy and other sweets she had had. Katara had given her plenty of water, which had helped some, but now that they had stopped walking finally, Toph was ready to collapse on the ground. Which she did. She clung to the grass like it was life-preserver and groaned.

Zuko looked questioningly at his sister. “What did you do to her?”

“She told me she never had chocolate!” Kiyi protested.

“So you ate all the chocolate at the festival, huh?” he grinned at her. Toph stuck a thumb up from the ground in confirmation. She forced herself to sit up and slumped against the barrel. “Do you need a drink, Toph?” he asked her.

“I think that would help,” she agreed. “A cold beer, please.” Zuko shook his head, smiling.

“I’ll get them,” Katara volunteered, and was joined by Iroh.

“I hear they have a lovely selection of tea,” he winked knowingly at her as they headed to the stall.

“I don’t think that’s what the Melon Lord had in mind,” Katara grinned. “Hey, thanks so much for your help earlier.”

“Don’t mention it,” Iroh chuckled, waving a hand. With both Iroh and Ursa’s help, Katara had also finally found something for Zuko. It wasn’t something she would have thought of herself, and she was more than happy to trust their judgement.

As they walked off, Zuko realised that two of their party were missing. He frowned. Ursa had asked them to keep an eye on his sister. Where could they have got to?

“Where are Suki and Sokka?” he asked.

“They left,” Kiyi replied matter-of-factly.

“It sounded like they were having a bad fight,” Toph explained. “It’s okay though. Sugar Queen was never far away. We’ve mostly just been eating candy.”

“And it was great!” Kiyi chimed in, still abuzz with energy.

“I’m actually kind of impressed, Kiyi,” Zuko told her. “I’ve never seen anyone win a battle against the Melon Lord before.” Kiyi giggled in delight, and Toph scowled at Zuko.

“Hey, I will have you know, I am a grown woman, I am perfectly capable of making my own…really bad decisions,” Toph groaned, causing everyone to laugh again. Toph sighed. “You’re a very worthy nemesis, Candy Cane. I’d bow to you but I can’t move.”

“Candy Cane?” Ursa asked curiously.

“That’s my new nickname!” Kiyi told her happily. “I like it. What do you think, Zu-Zu?”

“I think it’s better than Grumble Lord,” he muttered in response, causing Toph and Kiyi to crack up. “Is there any chance the Melon Lord would lower herself to give me a new one?” Toph smirked at Kiyi. She had had a feeling this might come up, and had coached Kiyi in exactly what to say.

“Sorry, Zu-Zu,” Kiyi replied. Toph cleared her throat and shook her head at Kiyi. “I mean…the fact that you’re asking means no, Grumble Lord.” Zuko shook his head as they laughed again. This one was here to stick, it seemed. At least he was still a Lord, he supposed. It was better than Twinkletoes at any rate.

Katara and Iroh came back with their drinks. Katara brought Toph’s beer as well as juice for Kiyi, and there was a round of tea as well as more beer and firewine for everyone else. Katara had tried the beer at the stall, and the grimace on her face at the taste of it had caused a lot of amusement for both Iroh and the merchant. She hadn’t learnt her lesson from those nights out with Jin in Ba Sing Se, it seemed. Katara decided she would stick with tea and firewine. Kiyi stayed perched on Zuko’s lap as she thirstily drank the juice put before her.

“Thanks for watching her,” Zuko said to Katara as she came up beside them.

“It’s no problem,” she replied. “I think your sister was actually more responsible than Sokka. And don’t tell Iroh I said this, but I needed a break!” Zuko chuckled appreciatively.

“He does get a little carried away,” he mused.

“You’re not kidding. I’m honestly not sure how we’re going to get it all back to Ba Sing Se.” Zuko’s heart sank as she said this. He wasn’t too sure why. What had he expected? Was it really so surprising?

“Well they’re…pretty big airships,” he said weakly.

“Yep…they are,” Katara agreed suggestively, but she noticed the change in Zuko’s demeanour. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed him comfortingly. “There might not even be room for anyone else.” Zuko smiled.

“You could always just surf behind them?” he suggested jokingly.

“Or hang off the side like flying,” Kiyi chipped in.

“Or I could glue-bend myself to the side…” Katara mused, pretending to be deep in thought.

“That’s just silly,” Kiyi giggled.

That’s the silly one?” Katara chuckled at her in disbelief. Kiyi nodded insistently.

“Ask the Melon Lord,” Kiyi said. “But I think she’ll listen to me.”

“She has a nickname now,” Zuko muttered by way of an explanation. Katara understood and smiled. Toph giving you a nickname meant you were officially part of the group. As unflattering as said nickname may be, it was Toph’s way of showing that she liked you, which was why Zuko knew he was in no position to argue against his.

“That’s right! I’m Candy Cane, because of all the candy we had!”

“Please don’t talk about candy…” Toph groaned from below them, causing them all to crack up.

****

Suki and Sokka were practically giddy when they finally rolled up to the group. After their talk, they had gone back around the festival like they should have done in the first place. Sokka was back to his usual energetic self, and had dragged Suki back to the boomerang stall as well as stopping off to admire the many, many other trinkets that caught his eye. He hadn’t been able to resist buying a new magnifying glass that came with a case of detachable lenses for different jobs, and excitedly told Suki all about how much better his detective skills were going to be. He suggested offering to work for Zuko part-time as an investigator, alongside his duties as an ambassador. Suki giggled loudly, and made Sokka promise she could be there when he told Zuko this news.

Katara, for her part, was absolutely thrilled to see them back to making googly-eyes at each other and laughing at private jokes that no-one outside of Sokka and Suki’s unique appreciation for his humour would ever understand.

“We have some really big news!” Sokka announced to the group as they reached the table. He was absolutely beaming, and Katara felt her heart quicken. Had he done it? Had he proposed?! She squeezed Zuko’s shoulder excitedly, and tried to compose herself as Suki caught her eye. Katara, in a failed attempt to seem super casual, leaned on Zuko, placing her other hand on her hip. Zuko grunted and looked up at her in confusion, then shrugged and patted her hand. Suki raised her eyebrows but grinned at the pair of them. Those two had a strange friendship, she mused.

Everyone turned expectantly to Sokka. He dug into his satchel (remarkably, not a new one he had just purchased on a whim) and proudly whipped out his new magnifying glass. It gleamed in the sun as a confused silence fell over the group. Suki shook her head at him. “I got a new magnifying glass! Look, it has all these different lenses!” Sokka explained, bringing out the case as well. “So I can look at different things!”

“But…can’t you do that with all magnifying glasses?” Zuko asked warily. Katara snorted beside him.

“Not like this!” Sokka insisted. “Look, this is for bigger things, this is for the really small things, and-”

“Don’t take any notice of my nephew, Sokka,” Iroh reassured him. “I will never forget the day he said that all tea is hot leaf juice.” He scowled at Zuko and shook his head sadly, ignoring the sniggers from the rest of the group. “My own family…but I think this is wonderful. Nothing will get past you.” Sokka nodded eagerly at Iroh’s encouragement.

“Uh, yeah,” Katara agreed uncertainly. “You’ll be the best detective in…the house.” Now it was Zuko’s turn to snort with laughter.

“Actually, I was thinking a little bigger than that,” Sokka retorted mysteriously. He beckoned for Suki to join him. “Suki and I, we’re…” He got lost in her eyes as she gazed lovingly up at him. “You want to tell them, sweetie?” She nodded and looked out to the group.

“We’re moving to the Fire Nation together!” Everyone exclaimed in surprise, and immediately began congratulating them. Katara gasped with joy and ran over to them and pulled them both into a big hug.

“I can’t believe this!” she gushed. “This is so great! How did this happen?”

“Well, as you know, Sokka is going to be the ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe,” Suki explained. “And me, well, I’m going to stay and train up some new warriors for the Royal Palace. The Kyoshi Warriors can’t stay here, the Earth Kingdom needs us.”

“Suki, that’s amazing!” Katara said and pulled her into another hug.

Neither Sokka nor Suki made any mention of an impending wedding, so Katara had to assume he hadn’t proposed. Yet. But this was perfect for them! It would only be a matter of time, she knew.

The fireworks were going to start soon, and the group filed over to the viewing area to try and find a patch of spare earth where they could lay their blankets to watch the display. The beer (and water Katara had kept forcing down her throat) had been just the remedy Toph needed, and she sailed up to the front with Kiyi to accost Iroh.

Once again, Katara and Zuko found themselves at the back of the group. As they began walking, Katara linked her arm through his and they chatted about what they had got up to at the festival. Katara warned him that they would probably have needed a wagon to carry back everything she and Iroh had bought. Luckily, the vendors had agreed to deliver most of it. Iroh had given them the address of his own property on the island. Zuko chuckled knowingly.

“So I guess we have to sit behind everyone else,” Katara muttered to no-one in particular as they reached the viewing area. They had hung back for so long that there was no room with the rest of the group, and the only patch they could find was a few rows behind them. Iroh tossed them a blanket as they arrived, and winked at them. It was disconcerting.

Zuko said nothing as they sat down. As Katara sat down beside him, their shoulders touching, he became acutely aware of the mere inches of space between them. A part of him desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her close to him. Katara had happily done that to him a couple of nights ago…but she had been drunk. It didn’t seem appropriate, and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He also stoically ignored the part that longed to take his affections further, and reach out and kiss her. An overwhelming jolt of energy passed through his stomach at the mere thought of her lips pressed against his, her body pressed against his.

He had often thought of her, and wondered how she was doing. He had admired her from afar for years. He hadn’t always harboured romantic feelings for her, but he had been in awe of her at times. When he had first encountered her, they were enemies but he’d had to begrudgingly admit she made a decent and honourable opponent. When he’d changed to their side, he had been in love with Mai. He had an awful way of showing it, at first. It had broken his heart to leave her behind, both on the day of Black Sun and at the Boiling Rock. But he’d had no choice. The first time had been to protect her. He knew he was betraying his nation’s twisted ideals and didn’t want her to suffer any of the fallout that may have caused. And that was assuming he would have been able to convince her to let him go in the first place. At the Boiling Rock, he had done it to protect his friends. He hoped that Mai had understood. He knew she’d understood when she came to their aid, even standing up against Azula.

But that was then. He wasn’t in love with Mai now. And as Zuko and Katara had grown closer, her hold over him had only grown stronger. It sometimes felt like he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She lit up the whole room when she walked in though she didn’t seem to realise. Or perhaps it was just him. He felt as comfortable around her as he did with Suki, but it was…different. He resolved to always be there for her, no matter what. Her calling him her best friend had only sealed it.

She turned around and smiled at him, and he was completely disarmed as he snapped out of his thoughts. “You okay?”

“Yep,” he lied quickly. Katara shook her head, still smiling. And then she reached down and took his hand in hers, and gave him a comforting squeeze. This time, it was Zuko who interlaced their fingers, and much to his relief, Katara made no effort to disentangle them. As the fireworks began, she turned away to watch, still gripping his hand.

Zuko knew he was falling for Katara. Hard. He couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted to. When she had mentioned going back to Ba Sing Se, it had hurt a lot more than he had expected it to. Reason told him that was foolish, however. Katara had to do something afterwards, after all. They couldn’t all stay on Ember Island forever.

It deeply saddened him that as much as he liked Katara and wanted to be with her, there was always the spectre hovering over him telling him it couldn’t realistically work. They would be too far apart. It had worked for Suki and Sokka, but Kyoshi Island was a lot closer to the South Pole than the Fire Nation was, or to Ba Sing Se. And, this was Katara, the incredible master waterbender. Why should she uproot her life for him? She would probably only end up frustrated and miserable with him, like Mai. And that was all assuming Katara was even interested in him like that. And why would she be?

She should do whatever she wanted and go wherever she wanted…even if that meant Zuko had to be left behind.

Notes:

By my calculations, we're almost at the halfway point! I will say now that after the next chapter, I'm going to take a "mid-season break", if you will, from Embers to focus on my other fic and also to catch myself up with this one. I have no intention of abandoning Embers, I just need some time to grow my pool of chapters for it.

Thanks again to everyone who commented!

Chapter 8: The Proposal, Part I

Summary:

Sokka and Zuko seek Iroh's advice on sensitive matters, while Katara wrestles with her feelings for her best friend.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was a thick and humid day, and being outside did nothing to alleviate the feeling that Katara was being positively cloaked in the dripping heat. Sunbeams occasionally broke through the heavy canopy above, illuminating particles of dust and other detritus that danced infinitely within the beacons of light that hit the forest floor. There wasn’t even a gentle breeze to be spoken for, but Katara reasoned that was probably as much to do with the trees she was surrounded by as the weather itself. It wasn’t a particularly enjoyable walk, but it wouldn’t have been even if Katara hadn’t felt like she was being suffocated by the humidity. Once more, it wasn’t the walk that Katara sought, but the time to think. This time, in solitude.

Try as she might, she couldn’t stop thinking about her best friend. He had been on her mind a lot recently. She knew she had some very non-platonic feelings for Zuko and she found him to be an incredibly attractive man. Besides that, he was her best friend for a reason, even if that had all happened very quickly. They just…connected, and understood each other.

She had never expected this. She certainly didn’t expect that Zuko could look at her in the same light, at least not in that sense. She knew his friendship was sincere and that he cared about her, which was itself a wonderful feeling. But there had been times where she found herself wanting more…to kiss him, explore him, and feel his hands on her body…the thought of him pressed up against her always sent a fleeting jolt through her stomach, and she lamented that the sensation didn’t last longer. She had come close to giving in a few days ago, on the cliffs. If Sokka hadn’t interrupted them, only the spirits knew what might have happened.

Since that day, Zuko had taken up residence in her mind as an eager player, willing to act out any and all scenarios she could imagine. At first she had welcomed them. They were just harmless fantasies, she had reasoned. In some of them, Zuko did nothing more than tenderly wrap his arms around her from behind and hold her tightly and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. In others (lots of others, Katara had to admit) those embraces led to more. He would start by kissing her gently on the cheek, moving down to her jaw, and then place torturously sensuous kisses on her neck, her shoulder, his very touch igniting a primal, lustful fire within her. He would then spin her around to face him. He would look at her with such longing, such desire in his eyes, before finally, their lips met. And it was always, unfailingly, Zuko.

At first, those thoughts had soothed her, and felt oddly comforting. Katara would never admit this, but there had been a significant number of nights alone in bed when she had allowed such thoughts to ‘comfort’ her before she was released from the grips of her imagination, and settled into a contented sleep.

Sometimes it amazed her that she was having all of these fantasies about Zuko, given their shared history. How had this even happened? There was a part of her that she felt would always hold some disbelief at that fact, but as she had spent more and more time in his company over the past weeks, a larger, still-growing part of her just saw the firebender who made her heart race. The firebender whose very touch had begun to spark such intense, almost addictive, jolts of energy in her body. Who made her feel cared for and cherished in their friendship. And after all of that, the firebender who understood her, both the good side and the darker. And who Katara understood equally.

The fantasies didn’t soothe her anymore. Not as much. Now, whenever she tried to summon the same pleasant jolt in her stomach at the thought of Zuko’s hands and lips on her body, it was accompanied by a pang that crudely reminded her it wasn’t real…and probably never would be.

Even if she allowed herself to seriously consider that Zuko held the same feelings for her, she plagued herself with doubt. Would they just be two friends feeding each other what they craved in the height of summer, only for it to all return to normal once the bliss of vacation faded away?

Would they – could they, even – be more than that? Zuko being Fire Nation wasn’t an issue for Katara, just as she knew her being Water Tribe wasn’t an issue personally for Zuko. He had made that clear. But of course, Zuko wasn’t just Fire Nation. He was the Fire Lord…

If they did become more, would it end disastrously, like it had with Aang? She was better off without that relationship, she knew that now, but that didn’t meant she didn’t sometimes miss the close and easy friendship she had had with the airbender. She couldn’t imagine losing another friend like that. That was what kept her silent. Zuko was at least still her best friend as things stood.

But him being the Fire Lord, that was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, his political status meant he had certain duties and responsibilities and traditions to uphold, and she doubted if she would fit into any of them, but it was that very same status that also meant he had more freedom than most to defy tradition. He was no longer a Crown Prince forced to obey – he could make his own traditions if he so chose.

Katara hadn’t felt such inner turmoil since Aang had tried to force the very same conversation she was now avidly avoiding with Zuko on her four years ago. She had been just as confused then as she was now. Not about her feelings – she knew how she felt about Zuko. But thinking about Aang brought on what had become an all-too familiar feeling of guilt. It felt like a heavy weight on her chest, until she felt completely paralysed by the uncertainty. How could she feel so strongly about Zuko when she and Aang had only been broken up for a few months? What did it say about her, that she could transfer her affections so easily?

A horrible thought swept uninvited into her head – did it even matter that it was Zuko? Was he just a replacement to fill the void Aang had left behind? Because if that was the case, she had to stop this! Zuko deserved more than that. He deserved so much better…

‘No,’ she told herself. ‘This is ridiculous. I have feelings for Zuko because he’s Zuko.’ He was not just the first eligible man who’d come along. Strictly speaking, that had been Larnak back in Ba Sing Se. If ever Katara had had a rebound, as Sokka would call it, Larnak was it. She didn’t regret their encounter, not anymore. It was just something that had happened and was now no more than a memory that barely registered.

Katara sometimes wondered if she should just come clean. Tell Zuko how she felt, but also make it extremely clear that it was fine if Zuko didn’t reciprocate. He was her best friend and that was what mattered. As much as it hurt to think of Zuko falling in love with another woman, she knew she would get over it. She knew she could still be there for him, they could still share laughter, stories, adventures…she would find her own new beau eventually, and the time Katara had naively confessed her feelings at nineteen would just be a fond and silly memory they could look back on because they were both strong people dedicated to each other. To their friendship with each other…

Katara sighed. Who was she kidding?

****

“I must say, Sokka, I’m certainly intrigued,” Iroh grinned at the Water Tribesman awkwardly sat cross-legged in front of him. Sokka had come across Iroh just a few moments ago and said that he needed the older man’s advice on something important. Iroh graciously invited Sokka to join him on his balcony for privacy. “Tea?” he offered.

“Uh, no thank you-” Sokka replied, flustered, but he quickly realised his mistake.

“Nonsense! There is always time for tea,” Iroh rebuffed, and poured them both a cup. Sokka took it and Iroh didn’t miss the slight tremor in his hands but didn’t say anything. He had no idea what Sokka was so nervous about, or how he fit into it, but he resolved he would do his best to help. They drank in silence for a few moments. Sokka didn’t understand himself why he was so anxious with Iroh. But then again, ever since he had made his decision this morning, he had been a nervous wreck. He just wanted it all to go perfectly.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Iroh prompted him gently. Sokka didn’t respond immediately, and instead thirstily finished the rest of his tea in one. Iroh chuckled at him and refilled his cup.

“I, um, I wanted to ask your advice on something,” Sokka told him.

“I know,” Iroh smiled at him.

“Right! I already said that…” Sokka inhaled deeply and let it all out in an audible sigh. “Well, I’ve…and this needs to stay between us! Katara is the only other person who knows.” Iroh simply nodded.

“You can trust me to be discrete,” he assured Sokka. “Unless, that is, you’re about to tell me an embarrassing story about my nephew. I can’t promise I’ll be able to keep that in.” Sokka snorted with laughter. Learning about Zuko’s Tsungi horn abilities, and his short stint as a circus juggler, was something Sokka wasn’t going to let his friend forget in a hurry. Especially now they were both going to be living in the Fire Nation. He wondered with amusement just how long it would take for Zuko to expel him as ambassador…

“I…want to ask Suki to marry me,” Sokka admitted. Iroh’s eyes widened and his face broke out into a wide, genuinely joyful beam.

“Sokka, that’s wonderful!” he congratulated him, patting him on the shoulder. “Do you need to find a betrothal necklace? I think it will be difficult to find one in the Fire Nation, but I’ve always loved a challenge.”

“No, no, I’ve got that covered,” Sokka replied, feeling a rush of gratitude towards Iroh. “I’ve had it for months. But I wanted to wait for the right time.”

“And that time is now?” Iroh asked. Sokka nodded certainly. Iroh smiled gently at him. “I completely understand. So how can I help?”

“Well, I want it to be special,” Sokka told him. “I want it to be the most romantic evening of her life.”

“I’m sure Suki will think however you do it is special. It is not the asking, but the asker, that is important.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t try though, right?” Sokka smiled. He felt so much calmer already. He didn’t know what gift or ability Iroh possessed, but he always managed to make anyone in his company feel at ease.

“You’re absolutely right,” Iroh agreed.

“I already have an idea of what I want to do,” Sokka continued. “What I need some advice on is…well, where.” Iroh nodded thoughtfully.

“If you feel comfortable sharing your plan with me, that would help me make a recommendation.”

“Of course!” Sokka said. “It…sounds kinda lame, but I kinda want to keep it simple. I want to take her out somewhere, just us, maybe a picnic dinner, and after, I was going to…well, you know.”

“That sounds beautiful,” Iroh told him. Sokka broke out into a proud little smile. “I’m certain Suki will love it.”

“Me too,” Sokka agreed happily.

“And I know just the spot.” Sokka leaned in to listen eagerly as Iroh told him. Sokka had been right to come to Iroh. The suggestion the older man made was everything Sokka could dream of whenever he had pictured that moment. Sokka wasn’t sure how he could describe how he felt. Part of him realised that this was turning out to be one of the most anxiety-inducing moments in his life, but another part of him was enveloped by unfettered excitement. Tonight, he was going to show Suki what she meant to him, get down on both knees before her, and present her with the betrothal necklace Sokka had painstakingly carved himself. He wanted to marry her, to be her husband, more than anything.

‘This is it,’ he realised. He couldn’t go back now. He was going to do it. And he hoped, wished, prayed, that she would say yes.

Feeling much better, Sokka thanked Iroh and gave him a quick hug, promising to let Iroh know how it went. Of course, both of them suspected that if Sokka got the answer he wanted, they would probably make a big group announcement, similar to when they declared they were moving to the Fire Nation.

Just as Sokka was about to leave, he remembered something. He turned back to Iroh.

“Iroh,” he began. “I never thanked you. For taking my sister in.” Iroh’s raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You really didn’t have to, but…she seems a lot happier. If your help had anything to do with that, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

“No thanks necessary,” Iroh assured him. “I was glad to help out a friend in need.”

“Well if there’s ever anything I can do to repay the favour…I’m gonna be kind of a big shot in the Fire Nation now,” Sokka boasted jokingly. Iroh chuckled at him.

“It’s really not necessary,” Iroh replied. “But I appreciate it all the same. I’ll keep it in mind.” Sokka nodded in acceptance and left. Iroh suddenly shook himself. He should have asked Sokka to make sure Zuko continued to observe Tea Appreciation Day! The annual national holiday that Iroh had founded in Zuko’s absence, much to the latter's displeasure upon returning to his duties, had caused quite a stir, and it would be a shame to see it fall by the wayside. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head, and poured out another cup.

As for Sokka, he now knew he had today to make sure everything was perfect. He had already spoken to the chef about acquiring some of Suki’s favourite food for the picnic. It was unlikely he had been able to get any traditional Kyoshi Island fare, but Suki had a particular hankering for certain Fire Nation dishes, which Sokka was sure shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Sokka was feeling so lost in anticipation that he didn’t spot Zuko in the hallway, who was himself a bundle of nerves. The feelings he had for Katara had completely taken over… His every waking thought seemed to be consumed by her. When she wasn’t with him, he stupidly found he missed her, even though he knew he would see her in the evening.

He knew what was happening. There was nothing else to say. Zuko had fallen completely and hopelessly in love with Katara

He hadn’t felt like this for a very long time. It was something he would need his uncle’s advice on. At the very least, tea with Iroh should soothe his battered nerves somewhat. The two men collided sharply, neither having noticed the other.

“Sorry,” Zuko muttered. “Did you need to talk to my uncle, too?”

“Nope, he’s all yours, buddy,” Sokka reassured him, patting him on the back. He frowned as he inspected his friend. “Are you okay? You look really pale.”

“I’m always pale,” Zuko frowned back.

“No, there’s something different,” Sokka continued, and began circling Zuko. Zuko folded his arms across his chest and stood stoically as Sokka began prodding at him.

“What are you doing?” Zuko asked, perplexed. Ordinarily, he would have told Sokka to knock it off by now. But he was also acutely aware that this was Katara’s brother. If things did miraculously work out between Zuko and Katara, it would be best to keep Sokka on side. Of course, if Katara was here she would be the first person to tell Sokka to stop harassing Zuko, he thought. “How long are you going to keep doing this?” he sighed, running out of patience. “I need to talk to my uncle.”

“I’ve got it!” Sokka exclaimed triumphantly. “I am being really annoying, and you’re not reacting. What’s going on?”

Zuko thought quickly. “I’m practicing for when you’re going to be ambassador,” he deadpanned.

Sokka burst out laughing. “Fair enough,” he smiled, and to Zuko’s relief, stopped prying (and prodding) and went on his way whistling happily. Zuko shook his head. As thrilled as he was that his friends were going to be close by, the thought of this Sokka as ambassador, a role of great responsibility, was honestly a bit worrying.

Zuko knocked on Iroh’s door and crept in. His uncle was on his balcony enjoying probably his twentieth cup of tea that morning.

“Uncle?”

“Good morning, Zuko!” Iroh greeted. “Would you care for a cup of tea?”

“Do I have a choice?” Zuko smiled lightly as he sat opposite his uncle. Iroh thought for a moment, then shook his head, chuckling. Zuko couldn’t help but chuckle with him and accepted the beverage gratefully.

“Uncle, I need your advice on something,” Zuko started, getting straight to the point.

“I am a popular man today, it seems,” Iroh remarked. “I should start posting office hours.”

“Should I make an appointment?” Zuko joked.

“I think I can make an exception for my nephew,” Iroh smiled at him. He sipped his tea and waited for Zuko to continue.

“I…well, I…I need to talk to you about something,” Zuko muttered nervously. Iroh nodded in understanding and waited patiently for Zuko to continue. “I think…I think I’m in love.” Iroh’s eyes widened and he fought hard not to spit the tea back out. He swallowed it roughly and regarded his nephew, who was watching him anxiously. “Is it that surprising?”

“No, not at all,” Iroh assured him. “Well, only in that you haven’t shown a lot of interest in romance since Inari.” That was fair, Zuko decided. He and his uncle exchanged frequent letters, and the only time Zuko had even hinted at the prospect of romance was to share his chagrin at the noblewomen who were only interested in being the Fire Lady for the power and status the position held.

Iroh could understand Zuko’s frustration. He knew that Zuko would be very sweet and loving with whomever was lucky enough to marry him. It shouldn’t be too much to ask for the same from his future wife, even if he was the Fire Lord. Strictly speaking, the Fire Lords were free to choose their own wives in any event, but it was extremely rare that it wasn’t a noblewoman, usually someone who had been selected by their parents at a young age. They were free to refuse if the match didn’t work, but the concept of marrying for love was still relatively unknown for the Fire Lord. The same went for the Fire Lord’s offspring, although the rules surrounding their marriages were generally much more rigid. Ursa had been an exception to the nobility rule, as Fire Lord Azulon had determined that Avatar Roku’s heritage would only strengthen the royal bloodline.

“That’s true,” Zuko conceded. “But there hasn’t been anyone I’ve been interested in.” Iroh nodded in understanding. “Well, until now…”

“I’m really pleased to hear that, Zuko,” Iroh smiled at him. Zuko felt himself begin to relax. “I must confess, I was worried you were in here to talk about Inari.”

“Why would I?” Zuko asked confused. And then he realised. “Right…it’s almost been a year since we ended things. I hadn’t even noticed.”

“That’s splendid,” Iroh smiled at him. “I’m sorry I brought it up. Now, tell me all about this love of yours.”

“She’s…she’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met,” Zuko sighed happily. An image of Katara’s breathtaking smile formed in his mind, and he felt overcome with the same longing that plagued him whenever he thought of her. “I’m crazy about her.” Iroh nodded sagely. He had been in love once or twice. He knew exactly what Zuko was going through. He was also extremely pleased that Zuko felt comfortable enough to actually talk to him about it, instead of allowing it to twist his guts inside out, as his nephew was wont to do. Even Fire Lords needed a bit of help with romance sometimes.

“Mmhmm, and how can I help?” Iroh asked.

“I just…I don’t know what to do. I don’t feel like I can ever act on it.”

“Why not?” It was a simple question, and a fair one. And Zuko really wasn’t sure how to answer. “Is it because…because you’re worried about what happened last time?”

“No, I told you, I wasn’t even thinking about that,” Zuko assured Iroh.

“Then why?”

“I guess…because I’m Fire Lord. I don’t know if anything could ever happen between us. If she even wants it to.” Iroh nodded thoughtfully.

“I take it she is not a noblewoman?” Zuko shook his head in assent. “Well…neither was your mother, strictly speaking,” Iroh pointed out gently. “And I mean that with no disrespect whatsoever. My point is, it’s not unheard of.”

“I get what you’re saying, but the truth is…she’s not even from the Fire Nation…”

“Oh!” Iroh exclaimed in surprise. “My, you young ones are really keeping me on my toes today. Who is she?” This was where Zuko wanted to balk. He knew his uncle would ask this question, but Zuko hadn’t made up his mind whether to confess that it was Katara. Did it make him sound pathetic, that he was pining after his best friend? Was it even right, or fair? And then of course, there was the small fact that Katara may end up returning to Ba Sing Se with his uncle after the vacation was over. Would that just make it awkward for all of them?

“I…I think I made a mistake,” Zuko stuttered. “I should go.” He stood up to leave, but Iroh gently placed a hand on his wrist and gestured for him to return to his seat.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Iroh told him. “I thought it might help me to know who she is, but don’t force yourself if you’re uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that,” Zuko replied. “It’s just…it could make things really complicated. For everyone.”

“Very well, Zuko, let me ask you this. If you do nothing, what do you think will happen?”

“Well, nothing.”

“Mmhmm, and what do you think will happen if you tell her how you feel?”

“It could mess everything up!” Zuko exclaimed in frustration. “Uncle, you don’t get it, it’s…” he sighed. Iroh was once again right. He couldn’t help Zuko if he didn’t know who she was. Otherwise the conversation would inevitably end in a proverb unique to Iroh that could take Zuko days to decipher.

“It’s Katara,” Zuko finally admitted. A small weight felt like it had been lifted from his chest, now that he had finally said it out loud. “I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s driving me crazy.” This time, Iroh didn’t splutter. He calmly put his cup of tea down, and stared at Zuko thoughtfully. Zuko and Katara…Iroh couldn’t lie, he had briefly considered that prospect himself. It had been nothing more than a passing thought, before Mai came back into Zuko’s life. And yet here his nephew was, professing he was in love with the waterbender.

“When did you start having these feelings?” Iroh asked curiously.

“Not long ago. I guess since that battle in Ba Sing Se I always thought she was…um…you know?” Shockingly, Iroh did, and he nodded. “But since we got here, I don’t know. It’s all happened so fast.”

“Are you certain it’s not just an infatuation?”

“Yes,” Zuko said confidently. “Really sure. Believe me, I know the difference. I haven’t felt like this since Mai.”

“Well, it can be a tricky one, my nephew, that much is true…but I have to ask, what are you so afraid will happen if you tell her?”

“I’m afraid that I’ll lose her friendship,” Zuko confessed sadly. “And also, if I mess things up with her, what does that mean for her? I think she’s assuming she’ll go back to Ba Sing Se with you. She’ll have nowhere to go. I can’t do that to her.”

“I don’t want you to worry about that,” Iroh assured him. “Katara will always be welcome with me as long as she wants, no matter what happens between you two.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Zuko smiled gratefully.

“Wonderful…now what other excuses can we knock down?” Iroh joked. Zuko shook his head in mild despair. “Too soon?” Zuko nodded. “My apologies.”

“Look, Zuko,” Iroh sighed. “I know you. So I know you’ll have spent far too much time worrying about what would happen if Katara didn’t feel the same. But have you ever stopped to consider what might happen if she does?” Zuko didn’t answer. He hadn’t dared to allow himself to imagine that scenario. He knew he wouldn't handle the crushing sting of rejection very well if it didn't turn out the way he wanted. As if it could possibly be true anyway. Katara was very affectionate with him, yes, but that was just Katara. The only time that really gave him pause for thought was that moment a few days ago. When they had held each other, and Zuko had started leaning in, and he could have sworn Katara had as well. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything. He understood that she had probably just got caught up in the heat of the moment.

“Even if – and that’s a big ‘if’ – Katara feels the same, I really don’t see how we could make it work. I can’t leave the Fire Nation,” Zuko said bitterly.

“So? Why can’t she come to you?”

Zuko shook his head. “I can’t ask her to do that.”

“Shouldn’t that be her decision?” Zuko recognised his own words echoing back at him, from when he had spoken with Suki. About a practically identical scenario, he realised. He had been the one to tell Suki she needed to speak to Sokka. What a hypocrite he was, he mused. “Zuko, I think you may be getting ahead of yourself,” Iroh explained gently. “As of right now, Katara is your friend, correct?”

“She’s my best friend.”

“Of course, of course,” Iroh agreed. “Then you will know that even if your feelings are unrequited, Katara is not the sort of person who would make it difficult for you. Most likely, she would be as afraid as you are of losing your friendship.” Zuko nodded. “As long as you both are willing to work together, I see no reason why it should affect anything. Long-term, at least. You’re both very determined and passionate people. Why are you so quick to assume she would stop speaking to you?” Zuko shrugged unhelpfully. “I think what you need to do first of all is see if she is open to the idea. Invite her out to tea.”

“Not everything can be solved with tea, Uncle,” Zuko sighed. Iroh put the pot down with a clang, and stared hardly at his nephew, and shook his head. Zuko looked back and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his uncle’s antics. He settled for a smirk instead. Iroh shook his head again, and re-filled Zuko’s cup to the brim. Zuko understood that before he would be allowed to leave, he would have to finish it. “But it is very refreshing,” he added.

“Yes it is,” Iroh nodded, and grinned. “But, as much as it pains me to say, you may be right.”

Now it was Zuko’s turn to splutter. “You’re admitting I’m right? About tea?!”

“Don’t push it, nephew. You may be the Fire Lord, but I still hold some sway in the Fire Nation,” Iroh warned darkly. “I’m sure if I pulled a few strings, I could make sure that Tea Appreciation Day was celebrated each month!”

Zuko blinked in surprise at his uncle’s sudden outburst.

“That’s really not the threat you think it is,” Zuko smirked in amusement. Iroh couldn’t help but agree and chuckled along with him. “What were you saying?”

“Before you worry about the future, you should see if there’s anything to even worry about,” Iroh continued.

“How?”

“I believe you young ones call it dating,” Iroh replied drily.

“You think I should ask her out on a date? Isn’t that the same thing as just admitting I’m crazy about her?”

“Not at all. All you’re doing is inviting her to spend some time alone together. It’s not the same as telling Katara you’re in love with her.” Zuko shook his head uncertainly. He couldn’t do that…could he? It seemed so…sudden. Would Katara feel ambushed, if he just asked her? Would it upset her, knowing that while she just thought she and Zuko were really close friends, he had actually been longing for more? Would she believe that she wasn’t enough for him anymore if she didn’t return his feelings? He didn’t know. He just…didn’t know. It was why he had come to his uncle in the first place. And through all their years and travails together, Zuko couldn’t think of a single occasion his uncle had steered him wrong…

“Perhaps you’re right,” Zuko said softly. It didn’t have to be a terrible idea, not if Zuko played his cards right. He could just ask Katara if she wanted to have dinner with him. That was a fairly innocent thing to do. He could always just tell her he wanted to take her out as his friend if he had to. Did friends do that for each other?

‘They do now,’ he thought, exhausted from arguing with himself. Feeling strangely confident, Zuko made up his mind. He was going to ask Katara out…hopefully on a date, but he would see how the conversation went. Also, if Katara said no, he would at least then know exactly where he stood. He could then move on, and they could go back to how it was before. Iroh was right. Katara wasn’t the sort of person who would make him feel humiliated. As long as he didn’t do something really stupid, she would do everything in her power to make sure he didn’t feel awkward.

It was one of the reasons he loved her.

****

Without realising it, Katara had almost arrived back at the house. She could see the courtyard through the thinning trees. How long had she been out here, she wondered.

And then she saw Zuko, pacing agitatedly off to one side, near the koi pond. She felt a flutter in her chest and she couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him. Maybe she could just tell him? Maybe he felt the same? Maybe he’d swoop her up in his arms and kiss her-

She stopped herself. Her face fell as she sighed again.

She did need to tell him…but only because this wasn’t fair to Zuko. He thought he had found a true friend in her. And like a terrible friend, she had spent the last couple of days trying to avoid spending too much time alone with him (not that she had been successful), all because of her stupid feelings. Had he even noticed? She hoped not.

At least if he knew the truth, painful as it might be, they could both begin to move on…

****

Zuko’s mind was reeling. He felt like he had conceived and run through every possible scenario as to exactly how he should ask Katara out, but each one had fallen flat. It didn’t help that he had never asked anyone out before. He and Mai had been pushed together by Azula and Ty Lee (he later learned they had essentially planned to use Mai as a lure to ensure he went back with them to the Fire Nation, a notion which disgusted him). None of the noblewomen who had been thrown at him by their overeager parents had endured more than a private dinner with him within the confines of the Royal Palace.

Except for Inari but even their ‘relationship’, as much as it was one, had never been public. Inari had always preached the same excuse, she didn’t want people ‘getting the wrong idea’. At the time, Zuko hadn’t minded. He was willing to go to great lengths to ensure she was comfortable in his presence, and if that meant secrecy was the order of the day, he had been happy to play along. Once he had discovered the truth, suddenly it all made sense. He had been filled with bitter resentment for a long time, longer than was probably healthy, but now he didn’t even think about her. He wondered if another nobleman had fallen for her charms. He wondered if she was happy being a trophy wife. She was too smart for that, like Mai, but unlike Mai she didn’t seem to have the ambition to reach for something grander. Her idea of grand had been very much in line with her parents’ – the coveted position of Fire Lady. Or more accurately, the coveted position of being able to whisper in the Fire Lord’s ear. That was all she had wanted, in the end. The ‘secrecy’ had been her way of manipulating him not to seek counsel from outside of their bubble. It had been her way of ensuring he only listened to her. And listened he had. Long enough that he had truly believed for a time they were in love, that Inari was interested in him for him.

Zuko hated to admit it, but Inari had bitten him. Hard. It hadn’t even really bothered him that Inari herself wasn’t sincere, but the idea she had promised that someone could be had been wrenched from him. Katara was sincere, he was sure of it. She enjoyed his company, she sought him out almost as often as he wanted to seek her out, she never demanded anything of him, she understood him, she listened, and she didn’t make him feel like he was being awkward. But so had Inari. Her ministrations had been rather expert, and he couldn’t help but think how proud Azula would have been had she been around to witness it. But Katara wasn’t like that. She wasn’t. Zuko had nothing to be afraid of in that respect.

“Hey, Katara,” he practiced for what felt like the hundredth time. “Did you want to…get dinner? Together? Just us, I mean?” Even when Katara wasn’t around to hear him, his nerves somehow still failed him. “As friends! I want to do this with everyone, but I thought I’d start with you. Because you’re my best friend!” He pointed at where Katara would be standing, and sighed and shook his head. “Why am I so bad at this?” he lamented aloud. That was probably the lamest way to ask a girl out in history. Was this why the royal family usually got their parents to do the heavy lifting for them? Suddenly, he had a lot of sympathy for the concept of arranged marriages. If his father hadn’t hated him, would he already be married to a suitable noblewoman? He had been of age when the war ended. But he wouldn’t be where he was right now, he could say that for certain. As difficult as this was, his current circumstances were preferable. For the most part.

“Why is this so hard?” he groaned in frustration.

“What’s so hard?” a sweet female voice behind him asked curiously. Zuko froze. Of course it had to be Katara who found him like this. What else would the spirits do to amuse themselves except ensure Zuko placed himself in as many humiliating situations as possible?

“Nothing,” he replied. Katara walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He felt tense. ‘I know how you feel, buddy,’ she thought. She wondered if it would be inappropriate to offer to rub his shoulders. Did friends do that for each other? Friends who weren’t pining after the other, at least?

“Are you okay?” she eventually settled with, giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“Fire Nation business,” he lied.

“Do you…need another minute to yell at the sky?” she smiled. “Cos I can come back-”

“No, it’s okay,” he smiled back, feeling relief surge through his system. He turned to face her, and without warning, Katara threw her arms around him. He stumbled slightly, but gladly wrapped his own arms back around her. “What’s that for?” he asked, puzzled.

“You looked like you could use a hug,” she replied, pulling away. “And honestly, I kind of needed one too,” she admitted. Zuko felt a flutter of worry at her words. Before he had a chance to ask her what was wrong, Katara continued, “Zuko, if there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m here for you. You know that, right?”

“Actually,” he began softly, feeling his stomach begin to twist at what it knew was coming. “There is something.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “I…” she paused and began nervously playing with her hair. ‘Just do it!’ she chastised herself. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about too.”

“What’s the matter, Katara?” he asked her, full of concern. She shook her head.

“It’s okay. You can go first.” Now it was Zuko’s turn to shake his head.

“Sorry, but you’ve got me worried now. Mine’s not important.” Katara sighed again. Of course Zuko put himself aside and let her go first. That was just how he was, when he cared about someone. As she was swept up in another wave of affection for him, Zuko took her hand in his and squeezed affectionately. Katara felt strangely relieved at the gesture. ‘Thank you, Zuko,’ she thought fondly. ‘Maybe we can be okay…’

“I…I have to be honest with you about something,” she began, claiming her hand back. A cold pit of fear formed in her own stomach, and she clammed up. Her heart pounded deafeningly in her ears, and she felt an entire rabble of butterflies take flight in her stomach. Inside, she was chastising herself once more. ‘This is ridiculous! I am a master waterbender! I helped end the war! Just say it!’

‘I can’t stop thinking about you,’ she thought, looking up at him. She had prepared a little speech but now that the moment had come, her words failed her. What was she supposed to say? That she really, really liked Zuko, and not just as her friend, but of course he was her friend, and he was really important to her? She needed him to know that it was totally okay if he didn’t feel the same she got it what mattered was that they were friends and she really hoped she hadn’t messed everything up but she just couldn’t keep it inside anymore?

It was the truth but it sounded desperate.

What Katara ended up saying, after far too long had passed for her stuttering to remain reasonable, was a hurried: “I still owe you a fight!” Zuko frowned in confusion. That was what Katara wanted to talk to him about? Then why had she seemed so nervous and unsure of herself? That wasn’t like her at all.

“Erm, sure,” he agreed uncertainly. “Katara, is that really all you wanted to talk about?” Katara fidgeted across from him, and sighed.

“I won’t lie to you, Zuko,” she admitted, twirling another strand of hair between her fingers. “I do have some…uh…pent up energy I need to get out of my system.” She looked up at him and smirked, channelling her inner Toph. “And kicking the Fire Lord’s ass seems as good a way to do it as any.”

“Oh really?” he chuckled. “Does this mean Master Katara is ready to accept my challenge?”

Katara nodded determinedly. “It does, Fire Lord Zuko. Are you ready to settle this?”

But before Zuko could reply, they heard Suki’s voice ring out from around the corner, calling for Zuko .

‘Why does that keep happening?’ Zuko wondered.

“Oh hey, Katara!” Suki greeted as she spotted them. “I didn’t realise you were back.”

“Yeah, well, I heard Zuko yelling at the clouds so I thought I’d better come check it out,” Katara smirked. Zuko scowled at her, but Katara was deliberately avoiding his gaze, to keep from breaking into nervous laughter. Suki tittered.

“I think Sokka and Toph just want to spend the day on the beach,” Suki explained. “Are you two joining us?”

“Definitely,” Katara replied eagerly as Zuko nodded. “I don’t think I’ve spent enough time in the ocean yet.”

“Is that code for you want another water fight?” Suki smirked, crossing her arms. Katara shrugged nonchalantly.

“Maybe a little,” she smirked back. Not that it had anything to do with the fact that it would mean once again seeing her element dripping down the toned, firm chest of a shirtless Zuko…no, that had nothing to do with it at all.

****

After passing a lazy few hours on the beach, Katara felt relaxed and more than ready for her upcoming sparring session with Zuko. They had decided upon getting back to the house that they would change and walk through the woods back up to the cliff where Zuko had initially challenged her. Sokka had let Katara in on his plan for that evening. When Katara had stopped squealing with excitement on his behalf, and let him go from the rather crushing hug she’d pulled him into, she had insisted as eagerly as Iroh that he tell her everything when he and Suki came back that evening. It didn’t occur to Katara for one second that Suki might say no, and Sokka felt oddly comforted by his sister’s certainty of that. She wished him luck and said she would see him that evening before going to meet Zuko back in the courtyard.

Zuko, for his part, was feeling a bit frustrated with himself that he hadn’t yet plucked up the courage to talk to Katara, but he reasoned it was probably better he hadn’t done it at the house. Especially when it had turned out that Suki had been so nearby.

Maybe he would get a chance after they sparred. He felt quietly confident that he would be able to beat her. The clouds had cleared and the sun was beating down heavily on the clifftop as they emerged from the woods. He would literally be basking in the source of his element, although he acknowledged that Katara had the whole ocean not too far below them. Her bending had to be strong enough to pull it from that distance. He was sure he had seen her achieve much more remarkable feats. Not to mention, he had noticed the glaring absence of Katara’s trademark waterskin as they’d walked. She wouldn’t come to spar unarmed. She obviously had other methods.

She turned to him, determination and a spark of excitement clearly visible on her face as they stopped.

“Well, we’re here. You’re the challenger. What are the rules?” she asked him, grinning.

“The first person to knock the other down, wins,” he decided, a determined smile of his own breaking out.

“Oh yeah, cos that worked so well for you last time,” Katara smirked, thinking back to their water fight on their first day on Ember Island. Zuko had slipped very unceremoniously then, and now he was cocky enough to take her on and think he could win in a fight where she could use actual waterbending? “You’re going down,” she said and confidently strode away from him to the opposite end of the cliff. As Zuko had suspected, she streamed some water up from the ocean and turned to face him. Even from this distance, he could still see the glint in her eye. Well, Zuko couldn’t allow that. He was the Fire Lord. She was the one who was going down.

He bent into a firebending stance and punched his fist forwards, feeling the fierce and chaotic energy surge through him before sending a fireball in Katara’s direction. She easily stepped aside and let it swirl past her. She laughed lightly to herself. Zuko was going to have to do a lot better than that. He sent some more fireballs towards her, but she dodged each one, not even having to rely on her element to defend herself.

“Is that the best you got?!” she teased from across their makeshift arena. Zuko couldn’t help but grin. If that was how she wanted to play it… He shifted into a different stance, and sent a volley of fireballs in her direction, before kicking one final one out which was much bigger than the others. He wasn’t worried for her. He knew she could block them. Katara coated her hands in the water and deftly deflected each one, as if she were blocking punches. Her eyes widened at the sight of the larger fireball though. She didn’t have enough time to draw up a shield, so instead she froze the ground beneath her feet and began skating around him. Zuko threw more fireballs as she circled him, but none of them even came close. She conjured up an iceball of her own and launched it at him, mimicking his own movements he noticed with slight surprise. When had she started doing that? He drew up a wall of fire and the iceball sizzled and evaporated into steam.

Katara quickly changed tactics, and bent a water whip. It would be easier to get that through any fire walls Zuko put up. She lashed out at him, but she had stopped skating for the time being. She could end this battle in moments, she knew. All she had to do was freeze him in place. If it was deep enough, he would be rendered powerless. But that wasn’t in the spirit of this sparring session. That was an endgame move…and Katara wasn’t done playing yet.

Now it was Zuko’s turn to be on the defensive as Katara used her water whip and a flurry of iceballs to try and knock him off-balance. He retaliated with a fire whip. Katara leaned backwards underneath it to dodge it, and as it circled above her head, she reached up for the whip and froze it. The cold shock travelled all the way back up to Zuko’s arm, and he jolted in surprise. That was also a new one.

They carried on like this, each introducing new forms and moves that neither had seen the other do before, but ultimately it was a stalemate. As they both began to tire, the option of freezing him became more and more appealing. But she would have to find an opening. Zuko had got into the habit of bringing up fire walls each time Katara blasted her element at him, and it always sizzled into nothing. She physically couldn’t bend anything cold enough to withstand the heat and nothing broke through. She began skating around him again, hoping to catch him off-guard, but in response he put up flaming walls all around him, cutting her off completely. She grimaced. Zuko was a much tougher opponent than she had anticipated. He was a lot more disciplined than those lowlifes in the Earth Kingdom village. And a lot more powerful. If they had been as powerful as Zuko was now, she would never have been able to take on all three of them without help.

She skidded to a halt, considering her options. There was nothing she could do to break through those walls, not from that distance. She would have to get closer. She blasted sheets of ice at the flames licking the ground in front of her. The ice melted on impact, but she didn’t need it to break through and continue on its journey. She just needed to create a gap. Eventually, the spot she was attacking cooled enough that the flames died out, leaving a narrow crack in Zuko’s shield. She quickly slid through, propelled by a platform of ice she bent underneath her. Inside, she found Zuko twisting and turning his head, trying to work out where she was. Their eyes met, and the flames suddenly withdrew. Only slightly. But enough for Katara to know her presence had caused that reaction. She smirked at him and sent another iceball in his direction. He crossed his wrists in front of him and tore it apart with his heat just before it made impact. She could see he was panting heavily. This was as tough for him as it was for her. She had her opening.

Katara continued to blast water and ice at Zuko, and each time he deflected, but he was beginning to lose ground. He stepped further and further back before finally retaliating with a blast of his own. She put up a wall of ice and ducked as it soared through. Then Zuko made a fatal mistake. He hesitated. In that split-second, Katara pushed the water from her ice wall with all her might and it whizzed along the ground towards him.

Zuko was half-lowered into another attack stance when he found he was unable to move. His legs and arms were completely encased in ice. He tried to bend enough heat to melt it, but Katara was taking the full opportunity to only make it thicker and quickly replaced any he had successfully melted away.

This time, she strode towards him confidently. “Do you yield?” she asked him casually. A sphere of water hovered above her left palm. Katara flicked her wrist lazily and it froze before his eyes. Zuko had to concede defeat. True, he wasn’t on his ass, but now that she had him pinned, he wasn’t getting out of this one. He nodded both solemnly and sheepishly at the same time. Katara smiled that delightful smile of hers, and with a wave of her hand, the ice spilled away from him as she melted it. She streamed it back into the ocean as he collapsed on the ground in fatigue.

“That was…intense,” he said breathlessly.

“That was fun,” she agreed happily, flopping down beside him. “You’ve gotten a lot better.”

“Thanks…I think.” After a few moments, both of them had recovered their breath. Katara stood first, and extended a hand to Zuko. Grinning, he took it…but unlike all the other times she had needlessly helped him up, neither of them seemed to want to let go. He rooted himself to the spot as he regarded his opponent, fiercer than she looked and dressed proudly in Water Tribe blues. He expected her to taunt him, to revel in her victory over the Fire Lord. But she was silent, breathing heavily, and had an indecipherable expression on her face.

Katara was flooded with a powerful rush from their fight. That same yearning, itching feeling was stirring up inside her again. Except now, she was fuelled not only by her desire for Zuko, but also by adrenaline. She didn’t think she would have the power to resist this time, not with that intoxicating cocktail coursing through every fibre of her being.

Zuko seemed to be looking at her just as intensely. Did that mean what she thought it did?

In a moment of utter clarity, Katara saw what was going to happen and there was nothing she could do to stop it. This time, her nerves weren’t going to fail her. She was going to do it. She was going to risk it all. The adrenaline and the desire were too much for her to bear. She just couldn’t keep it bottled up anymore.

She let go on Zuko’s hand and placed both of hers on his shoulders. She took a deep, steadying breath, and with a rush of courage and sensations she couldn’t keep at bay, Katara leaned in and tenderly pressed her lips to his…

****

If Sokka thought he had been nervous earlier, it paled dimly in comparison to how he felt now. He and Suki were on their way to the place that Iroh had suggested. The island had once again been treated to a glorious sunset, although the myriad of orange and pink hues had given way to a soft deep blue as it grew later. It was dark enough that the brightest stars had begun to emerge. It was about as romantic as he could have asked for. He made a show of lugging the basket housing their picnic dinner, so as to justify not holding Suki’s hand as they walked. He didn’t want her to feel him shaking and ask what was going on. He was still being unusually quiet, however.

“I think this is the place,” he told her. They stood at the top of one of Ember Island’s numerous cliffs. Ahead of them, there was a wooden stairway leading down to a small, secluded beach. It didn’t look like much from here, but Iroh had promised him that as night fell, the wait would be more than worth it. Even if it wasn’t, it was cosy and, more importantly, private. The beach was a public place, but Iroh had passed it many times on his constitutionals and never once seen anyone down there. It surprised him, given the unique beauty of this place. The sand was a murky, shadowy colour, but felt just as soft to the touch. Sokka laid down the blanket and held out his hand to Suki.

“Milady?” he grinned goofily.

“Milord,” she smiled in return as she sat down. Sokka began unpacking their meal, starting with one of the bottles of firewine he had managed to sneak out of Zuko’s drinks cabinet. He would pay him back later. If Zuko even noticed. He poured them both a glass and sat down beside her, staring adoringly at her. If Suki was the type to blush, this would have been the moment for it. She leaned in and kissed him softly. Sokka wilted.

“I love you,” he told her.

“I love you too.”

As Suki turned to look out at the ocean, Sokka quickly patted his dress tunic. He felt the familiar presence of the package buried deep in one of the inside pockets. He would wait until after they had eaten dinner to do it. Until the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky. Iroh had told him that was when the beach revealed just what made it so magical.

Strictly speaking, Sokka’s tunic was what he wore when he was working official business with his father, but it was one of the only pieces of formal attire he owned. And the only one he had brought with him. He would have to ensure more got shipped to him from the South Pole when he took up the role of ambassador. For now, though, it did nicely. Suki herself was donning the same red cheongsam she had worn the first time they had gone out to the tavern. Sokka thought Suki always looked breathtaking. He was particularly fond of her Kyoshi Warriors uniform, as he had made clear to her on several occasions, sometimes even occasions of a more amorous nature. He wouldn’t change a thing about her. For Suki, that feeling was mutual. Sokka was the love of her life. His ridiculous jokes and sometimes outrageous behaviour were all a crucial part of what made Sokka who he was. That was the man she had fallen in love with, and she was glad Sokka had never felt or been compelled to change.

“So, why were you keen to eat here?” she asked him curiously, taking his hand.

“You don’t like it?”

“I do, it’s beautiful,” Suki clarified. “I was just wondering…why here?”

“Trust me,” Sokka assured her. “I have it on good authority that it’s worth it.” He kissed her once more. “Besides, can’t a guy treat his amazing, incredible girlfriend to a romantic evening just because?” He cupped her cheek with one of his hands and kissed her again, more deeply this time. Suki’s arms came up and wrapped around his shoulders. For a moment, their picnic was forgotten as they embraced and became lost in each other. The stillness of this idyllic scene was broken only by the gentle symphony of the waves crashing onto the shore.

They pulled apart and regarded each other happily.

“Would you care for some food, milady?” he offered. She nodded and leaned back on her hands. She didn’t know what she had done in a past life to deserve this, but it must have been world-altering. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was. By now, the evening had given way to night, and the moon hung low in the sky, bathing the beach in a serene, ethereal glow. She cast her eyes back out to the ocean, and she saw it. The trance she had fallen into broke and she gasped loudly in shock.

“Sokka! What is that?!”

****

Katara lingered for only a moment before pulling away, and daring to open her eyes. Zuko looked, for lack of a better word, utterly stunned. Katara’s heart began to race once more, although she wasn’t sure if it was with longing or worry that she had pushed it too far. She should have talked to him, asked him. Why had she just leaned in? What had she been thinking? She knew how grating it could be from when Aang had done it to her four years ago!

Zuko had indeed frozen in shock, his heart hammering in his chest as he absorbed what had just happened. Katara had just kissed him…how, what…? He opened his mouth a few times but couldn’t force the words from his throat. But Katara mistook the reason for his silence.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” she whispered, sounding so small. “I’m so sorry, Zuko.”

Once Zuko finally regained his senses, his face broke out into a smile. A genuine, relaxed smile. Katara…felt the same? So Zuko had once again been a big idiot by just not using his words? How did he manage to keep falling into that same trap? He was ready to laugh at himself, and he was certain the woman who stood before him would laugh with him when he told her. But right now, he had something much more important he needed to do.

“It’s okay,” he told her softly. He gently placed his hands on either side of her waist. “I’m…I’m glad you did.” Katara’s heart fluttered as he then quickly leaned in and crushed his lips back to hers. Katara gasped internally, but quickly got over her own shock, and she began to kiss him back.

Finally…finally everything felt like it was slotting into place.

Notes:

This is the halfway mark, folks! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me so far. It will be a few weeks before I update this story again, but I hope I've left it in a good enough place, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it :)

Chapter 9: The Proposal, Part II

Summary:

A quick recap of Part I - Sokka has followed Iroh's advice of where to propose to Suki; Katara and Zuko finally give in to their feelings for one another.

Notes:

So that didn't turn out to be a very long break at all, but I really wanted to get this chapter out.

This one picks up immediately from where Chapter 8 left off, so...enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Zuko had indeed frozen in shock, his heart hammering in his chest as he absorbed what had just happened. Katara had just kissed him…how, what…? He opened his mouth a few times but couldn’t force the words from his throat. But Katara mistook the reason for his silence.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” she whispered, sounding so small. “I’m so sorry, Zuko.”

Once Zuko finally regained his senses, his face broke out into a smile. A genuine, relaxed smile. Katara…felt the same? So Zuko had once again been a big idiot by just not using his words? How did he manage to keep falling into that same trap? He was ready to laugh at himself, and he was certain the woman who stood before him would laugh with him when he told her. But right now, he had something much more important he needed to do.

“It’s okay,” he told her softly. He gently placed his hands on either side of her waist. “I’m…I’m glad you did.” Katara’s heart fluttered as he then quickly leaned in and crushed his lips back to hers. Katara gasped internally, but quickly got over her own shock, and she began to kiss him back.

****

It was slow at first, and gentle. Zuko’s lips were warm and tender and Katara only wanted more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, emboldened by the soft groan she provoked. It got her what she wanted. As she pressed herself firmly against him, his kisses became hungrier and filled with fire. His hands reached up to cup her face as hers pulled him closer. The thrilling sparks of energy in their stomachs quivered until the two were completely consumed by their passion. Katara ran her fingers through Zuko’s soft hair, until her thumb lightly grazed his scar.

But Zuko didn’t flinch. He didn’t seem to even notice it. He was as lost in Katara as she was in him. He kissed her like he needed her to breathe. He kissed her like the sun kissed the ocean every evening. He kissed her like the entire world had fallen away. Which for them, it had. All that existed for Katara and Zuko in that moment was each other.

When they eventually pulled away, they smiled almost shyly at one another, both breathing heavily. Katara couldn’t help the wide grin that was plastered across her face. She was completely powerless against the surge of happiness that had taken sudden control of her body.

“I…I guess this means you like me, too, huh?” she smiled.

“I’m crazy about you,” Zuko admitted, smiling lovingly down at her. All his earlier fear had vanished, and he felt immensely relieved of the burdens he had put upon himself fretting about his feelings. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while.” Katara beamed back at him. She knew that feeling all too well.

“We’re idiots, aren’t we?” Katara mused, unable to suppress a small laugh. They should have just talked, like adults. “I can’t believe I didn’t say anything sooner. Well, I guess technically I didn’t say anything…” She blushed at her own words, causing Zuko to smile.

“It’s okay,” Zuko assured her. “I didn’t either, remember?” And there he went, making her feel better, more at ease. Another surge of affection for Zuko pulsed through her, and she longed to be closer to him.

“Come here,” she said tenderly, pulling him in. She sighed contentedly as she leaned into his chest. Instinctively, Zuko closed his arms around her and held her tight.

“You know, I had a whole speech planned,” Katara muttered with amusement as she cuddled up to him. Zuko squeezed her affectionately, but was unable to suppress a snort of laughter.

“Damn,” he whispered. “I’m really sorry I missed that. Is it too late to take it back and start again?” The soft jab to his ribs was all the response he needed, but he could feel Katara giggling. 

Zuko never would know what possessed him to utter what he said next.

“I guess it’s a…good job Aang couldn’t make it after all,” he joked, with an adorable grin on his face. Before he paled as he realised what he’d said, and his eyes widened in horror. Why had he said that? Now of all times? He groaned internally and began to push away, red hot embarrassment seeping into every muscle in his body. But Katara held him firm. When he looked at her, he was relieved to see she was smiling at him. Grinning, actually.

“You’re such a dork sometimes, Zuko!” she teased him playfully as she tenderly stroked his cheek, and kissed him lightly on the lips. His shoulders sagged but he couldn’t fight the feeling of happiness that was filling his chest. He could only nod in response. He was a dork sometimes. Not as Fire Lord, thankfully (or at least he hoped) but Zuko, the 21-year-old trying to grapple with friendship and romance, could definitely be a dork. Maybe that was okay. Katara certainly seemed to think so.

Zuko regarded Katara longingly, acutely aware of his hands on her body and the mere inches of space between them. The woman in his arms, this beautiful, beguiling woman, took his breath away. Katara. He had just kissed Katara! And she had kissed him back (she had actually led the charge, now that he thought about it), and what a kiss. It had been everything he’d dreamed of.

But then there was the doubtful, darker part of him that told him it should feel wrong, he should feel guilty about Aang…but when they’d embraced, everything seemed to slot into place. It felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. It felt…right. When his gaze met hers, he saw only longing in her eyes. Longing…for him. It made him light up inside, and the dark and doubtful voice was quickly quashed.

Katara was her own woman. She knew what she wanted. She wasn’t thinking about Aang. She certainly didn’t need him to on her behalf.

“I guess we should think about heading back,” he heard her say, her sweet voice muffled in his tunic. She sounded incredibly reluctant. But she was right. Neither of them were sure how long they’d been gone, but they didn’t want anyone to worry about them, and besides that, Zuko’s family and Toph would be expecting them for dinner. Iroh, in particular, would want a few words, Zuko was certain.

Reluctantly, they pulled away from each other and began the short trek back through the forest to the house. Zuko reached for Katara’s hand, and felt a small thrill as she took it and interlaced her fingers with his. Another jolt of energy passed between them and they smiled at each other. This wasn’t just them offering comfort to one another. Things were different now, and they could both feel it. Zuko could only hope Katara was as glad as he was about that.

There was still a question Zuko needed to ask her, he knew. He hadn’t gotten the chance earlier, when Suki had found them. Now, although his nerves were still jumbled, he felt ready to do it. He felt much more confident that she would say yes.

But he would wait until after dinner. He was sure Iroh had mentioned once that asking girls out on an empty stomach wasn’t a good idea. Yes…that was definitely something Iroh would say, he convinced himself.

****

“Sokka, what is that?!” Confused, Sokka followed Suki’s perplexed, almost stricken, gaze and when he spotted what she had, his own mouth fell open in wonderment.

“That’s incredible,” he breathed, filled with awe. Iroh had promised him something spectacular, but the older man had been hazy on the details, insisting it was something Sokka needed to see for himself to be able to fully appreciate it. He hadn’t been wrong. As secluded and romantic as this cove already was, this just made the whole evening perfect. Suki could only gasp as they took in the view before them.

The moon was beaming down on them, but what caught their eyes was the water. The inky black ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see, with a thin beam of light cast by the moon almost seeming to divide it. As the waves broke onto the shore, they left the blackness behind. It was an impossible sight to describe. The water positively shimmered, opalescent, as if the waves were studded with diamonds. Sokka felt as though he could reach into the water and hold the light in the palm of his hand. Suki came up to him and took his hand, still gasping in awe.

“What is it?” she asked him incredulously. Sokka shook his head. Truthfully, he didn’t know. He wasn’t even sure if Iroh knew. “How did you find this place?” Sokka decided to be honest with her. He tore his gaze from the luminescent waves and looked deeply into her eyes.

“I didn’t,” he admitted softly. “It was actually Zuko’s uncle who told me about this place. I said…I said I wanted to take you some place special.” He took a deep, anxious breath. He was going to do it, wasn’t he? He had been planning to wait until they had eaten, but after fate (and Iroh) had thrown him the most romantic moment he could ever have dreamt up, waiting just seemed stupid. This was the moment. This was the moment… He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as Suki watched him expectantly. As if she knew what was coming. Perhaps she did, he mused. She was a very smart woman and she could read him like a scroll that was comprised mostly of illustrations. “I…” he stuttered. He took her hands in his, and fought to keep them from trembling too much. He didn’t understand why he was so nervous. He had faced literal death too many times to count, but he had always picked himself up and dusted himself off, ready to charge back into the fray. But the thought of proposing to Suki right here, right now, was reducing him to a jellied mess.

“I love you so much,” he breathed, pulling her in for a kiss.

“I love you, too,” she echoed, slightly bemused.

“You’re my whole world,” Sokka told her. “I can’t imagine life without you. It’s been really hard over these last few years, hasn’t it?” Suki nodded in agreement, though her expression had changed to one of uncertainty. “And I know we’re moving to the Fire Nation together,” he continued, offering her a reassuring smile.

“That we are,” she agreed. Sokka sighed. He had had a whole speech planned, but it wasn’t going the way he had meant it to. He got so caught up when he was with Suki. She just had that effect on him. He loved it. He loved everything about her. Their relationship had had its share of hurdles, mostly to do with the distance and time they spent apart, but they had always come through it, and their relationship was stronger for it. That thought was soothing, Sokka found. It didn’t need to be perfect, he realised. Life wasn’t perfect, and their relationship hadn’t been either, not all the time. Suki didn’t expect, want nor demand perfection. She had made it clear time and time again she just wanted Sokka, exactly as he was. And Sokka just wanted Suki exactly as she was.

“I don’t ever want to be apart from you again,” he said with newfound resolve. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that we’re both going to be in the Fire Nation together.”

“Even if we didn’t handle it in the best way?” Suki smiled, letting a small giggle escape. Sokka couldn’t help but return her smile.

“Yeah, even if,” he agreed happily. “But, Suki, I have something I need to say to you…” He took another deep breath. He let go of her hands and dug around in his tunic for the necklace, relieved to see it hadn’t jumped out of his pocket since he’d last checked it five minutes ago. The betrothal necklace was wrapped in a light bundle of cloth and he closed his hand around it and pulled it out. He sank down onto his knees, and gazed up at his beloved.

“You are the love of my life,” Sokka told her earnestly. “I can’t imagine what my life would be like if you weren’t in it. And I don’t want to. Suki, I love you with all of my heart. Whether you’re laughing with me or yelling at me when I’m being stupid-” Suki giggled at that, despite herself. “I love you exactly as you are. You have always been there for me. And I want to always be there for you, for the rest of our lives, if you’ll have me.” Sokka carefully unwrapped the betrothal necklace, and offered it up to Suki, both of his palms outstretched, in the traditional Water Tribe tradition. Suki audibly gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth in shock.

Sokka had truly outdone himself. It was tradition in the Water Tribe for the men to carve the betrothal pendants themselves, with the ribbon supplied by their mothers or nearest female relative. Strictly speaking, it was a Northern Water Tribe tradition, but one that Sokka had taken a real shine to. He imagined that even in the Southern Water Tribe, before the war, there must have been a similar tradition. He could hardly go hunting the best polar game for Suki here! This just said so much more, and Sokka knew his family understood – they had helped him. The ribbon on Suki’s necklace was a deep, dark shade of blue, a near-perfect match for Suki’s enchanting eyes. That had been no mistake, and Sokka would always feel eternally grateful to Gran-Gran for tirelessly dyeing and working the colours to be as close as possible. The pendant itself was a beautiful shade of emerald green, upon which Sokka had painstakingly carved the characters for Avatar Kyoshi. To Sokka’s mind, the betrothal necklace didn’t just represent his intentions, it was a symbol of their relationship – a union of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom.

Sokka took another deep breath and finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind for months.

“Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors…will you marry me?”

****

Both Katara and Zuko were extremely restless that evening. Neither had been able to stop thinking about the other. Or that kiss… It had felt incredible. And it was something Katara was very keen to do again. She hoped Zuko felt the same, and the way he kept shooting furtive glances at her and smiling coyly when their eyes met across the dinner table told her the feeling was mutual. They were both acting as casually as they could, but inside they were desperate to get through the meal so they could enjoy an excuse to be alone together. Suki and Sokka had gone out for dinner, as Katara well knew, and though she was anxious for them to return with (hopefully) news of their betrothal and she could finally squeal at both of them excitedly without having to keep it a secret, she was also equally anxious to get Zuko alone again. Pick up where they left off.

Luck was on their side that evening. After dinner, Iroh stood up and announced he would be going for a walk and extended the usual invitation for anyone to join him. Toph jumped up instantly, and latched onto Kiyi, who was slightly bemused by Toph’s sudden enthusiasm but happily played along. Iroh chuckled at the two of them and asked if anyone else wanted to join him. Katara kept deliberately quiet, trying hard to avoid his gaze. If he asked her directly, she would feel compelled to say yes. Zuko was having the same quandary.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Toph smirked. Those two idiots were so glaringly obvious, even if she didn’t have her earthbending to help her see. Toph could tell they were both blushing furiously and making not-so-secret googly eyes at each other. It was only a matter of time before she cornered them and forced them to admit it, but for now she would leave them be. Whatever was going on, something very interesting had happened today, she could tell. It would be better not to wind them up and make them feel too awkward to confront their feelings for each other. No, the uncomfortable squirming could wait. Toph could be patient when she wanted to be.

Ursa and Noren decided they wanted to spend some time to themselves before everyone agreed to meet back at the house later, and they would just go for a walk on the beach. Katara and Zuko nodded and waved everyone off, not quite believing their fortune. It was almost as if the spirits were conspiring, except for them for once. 

As soon as they were alone, Zuko smiled knowingly at Katara. He didn’t want to waste any time, so he motioned for them to go outside. It seemed safer than staying in the house where anyone who had forgotten something might walk in on them.

“Do you want to…go for a walk with me?” he asked.

“Another one?” Katara smirked, and gasped in mock outrage. “Are you just trying to get me alone…in the dark, Fire Lord Zuko?” she teased, a sultry smile gracing her face. Zuko stuttered momentarily, unsure of what the right way to react was. He wasn’t even sure if he’d actually offended her. Had he read too much into it? Oh spirits, why hadn’t he just-? “Because I’d be fine with that,” she clarified, seeing his struggle. He smiled in relief and nodded. She took his hand and led him outside, giggling.

 Both of their hearts were racing, full of nerves and excitement. The thought of Zuko’s lips on Katara’s again almost made her want to launch at him then and there, but despite the unusually strong wine she had tried with her dinner, she knew better to at least wait until they were out of sight of the house. They ended up trailing into the edge of the forest just next to the koi pond, where they had shared confessed their secrets to each other. Where their relationship and understanding had really begun to blossom.

Once they were certain they wouldn’t easily be spotted if anyone did go looking for them, Zuko opened his mouth to talk but Katara had other ideas. She threw her arms around him and pulled him in for a passionate embrace. Zuko stumbled slightly at the force, but he certainly wasn’t complaining and kissed her back eagerly. His hands settled on her waist for a time, before slowly moving up her back and he gently cupped her face again. Katara felt a whirlwind of sensations as his hands moved up her body. The sparks from earlier were still very much alive and it awakened all of her senses to his touch. They were sensations that she didn’t feel very often. Sensations that reminded her she was a woman, and in her arms was a man who treated her like one. She moaned softly as he deepened the kiss between them, which in turn stirred a host of feelings in Zuko. By the spirits this felt so good.

After a few moments, they broke away from each other. There were no shy smiles this time. This time, they both were certain how the other felt. But, for Zuko at least, that did still leave a question hanging in the air.

“Katara,” he whispered, pulling her close. “We should…probably talk about this.”

Katara responded by kissing him again, lightly this time. “Yeah,” she breathed between kisses. “We – definitely – should.” But neither of them wanted Katara to stop. When she pulled away from him again, she hiccupped loudly. She flushed with embarrassment and clapped a hand over her mouth. “I am so sorry!”

“Don’t be,” Zuko smiled at her. But, then, he did start to wonder. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Uhhh…maybe just enough that doing this in the courtyard doesn’t seem like a terrible idea,” she admitted, giggling sheepishly. She smiled serenely at him. “But not so much that you don’t.” Zuko frowned in confusion. Her eyes widened. “Uh, because doing you – doing this – already feels like a good idea!” she babbled quickly, hoping to recover herself. “It has nothing to do…with the…drink…” she trailed off and groaned. She moved away from him and put her head in her hands. ‘I am such an idiot,’ she chastised herself.

Beside her, she felt Zuko begin to shake. She looked up at him nervously and saw he had his head in one of his own hands. She could make out a big grin on his face, and she realised he was shaking with laughter. Katara wasn’t sure if he should be pleased he found it funny or if she should pout that he was laughing at her.

“Katara?” Zuko said happily.

“Yeah?”

“You’re a dork sometimes,” he chuckled, looking at her longingly. She snorted with laughter herself.

“Yeah, I guess I am, huh?” she agreed. He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips back to hers. He felt like he couldn’t get enough of her. He just wanted to hold her tightly and not let go. His hands trembled as she kissed him back and snaked her arms around his waist. He longed to go further, to explore her…but he didn’t know if she was ready for that, or even if she wanted it. His hands slipped down to her waist and he gently nudged her closer.

Zuko knew that if he let it be, he could get away with not talking about this tonight. If he wanted to, he could just keep kissing Katara, and enjoy all the incredible sensations that her touch evoked throughout his whole body. He still couldn’t believe that she liked him too. That she had been the one to kiss him first. It was a shame he hadn’t got to hear her speech, but her lips had already told him plenty in other ways, he thought.

And that was when he knew he didn’t just want to let it be. Katara had taken a plunge tonight, a big one, which Zuko could appreciate more than Katara realised. He had been on the verge of doing something himself. He didn’t think he would have been brave enough to kiss her, though. He had had enough trouble just mustering up the nerve to ask her to dinner. Taking her out on a date was still something he desperately wanted to do. Katara had been brave earlier. Now it was his turn.

He pulled away again, and became lost in the deep blue ocean of her eyes. She looked back at him longingly, her eyes sparkling with that delightful smile of hers. “Katara,” he whispered. “I…I never got a chance to say what I wanted to earlier.” Instantly, Katara’s smile was gone and she looked at him guiltily.

“Oh crap, you’re right!” she gasped. “I am so sorry-”

“No, it’s okay,” he smiled reassuringly. “You have nothing to apologise for.” Katara nodded, and smiled gratefully back at him. Zuko really was incredibly sweet. It honestly defied logic for Katara that he wasn’t already married, or at least involved with someone. Any woman who won his heart would be the luckiest woman in the world, if his recent behaviour was anything to go by. Which she knew it was. And there he was, wanting her out of all the doubtless gorgeous noblewomen he must encounter in his court all the time. It was an extraordinary feeling, and Katara didn’t think she could remember ever feeling so serene and at peace with the world as she did in this moment.

She had been on the move, running for so long, not knowing when or even if she would stop. Ba Sing Se had been a pleasant, much-needed break from the chaos, and this vacation was just that – a vacation. But in a few short weeks, she would be on the move again, to who knew where. She had briefly mentioned going back to Ba Sing Se with Iroh, but she hadn’t even discussed that with him yet. He may decide that as much as he enjoyed her company, he didn’t want her around all the time, and Katara could appreciate that. The idea of carving her own life out in Ba Sing Se alone wasn’t hugely appealing either, and even now, nor was returning to the South Pole, at least long term.

There was another prospect she had been toying with…but again, she hadn’t actually discussed it with the parties concerned. She internally shook herself. When had she stopped talking to people about the things that were on her mind?

But even as she asked herself this, in a dark part of her mind, she knew exactly when that had started. It had started long before three months ago…

As if he could sense her internal argument, Zuko took her hands in his and gave them a reassuring squeeze, and suddenly Katara was back.

“I did it again, didn’t I?” she chastised herself. “What was it you wanted to say?” This time, Katara promised herself, she would be all ears. Or at least if she did get distracted, it would be because Zuko was just so tantalisingly handsome, his body so tantalisingly close. She was sure he would understand that.

“Well,” he began softly. “I wanted to know if…um…that is, I wanted to ask you…” he stammered and trailed off, flustered. Good grief, he was the Fire Lord! ‘Pull yourself together!’ he snapped at himself. Katara was now looking completely bemused as well as concerned.

“What is it, Zuko?” she asked him kindly.

“Did you want to…have dinner…with me? Just us, I mean?”

Katara blinked in surprise. Had she heard that right? ‘Did Zuko just ask me out?’ And then another realisation hit her – this was what he had wanted to say before. Before their spar, before their kiss. ‘He was going to do that anyway?’ Katara almost felt ready to melt as another warm wave of affection and appreciation for Zuko swept through her. She had had plenty of those over the last couple of weeks. But this one felt…different. Stronger.

“You mean…go on a date with you?” she checked. Zuko nodded almost imperceptibly. Katara felt like she was ready to burst. Zuko wanted to take her on a date…that had to mean that he wasn’t just messing around. If that was all he wanted, why go to the trouble? Katara had made it clear she was into him. If all he wanted was stolen kisses and secret moments, he would hardly invite her to be seen in public with him. In public in the Fire Nation, no less. With the Fire Lord.

Katara had never actually been on a date, but had heard various friends talk about them, including Suki and Jin. They always seemed to have a great time…even if their dates sometimes gave them a coupon for free tea as a token of their affections… She suppressed a laugh as she imagined Zuko ending their date like that.

Even though Katara was feeling a bit nervous about the prospect, every part of her told her to say yes. Her face broke out into that delightful, gorgeous smile of hers that Zuko so adored. “Of course! I would love that,” she beamed, and pulled him into a tight hug. “What did you have in mind?” she asked him as she pulled away and took his hands in hers again.

Truthfully, Zuko hadn’t thought that far. He could almost hear his Uncle Iroh in his head, tutting at him for not thinking things through. Again. He had put all of his energy into plucking up the courage to just ask, and in none of his imagined scenarios had the Katara in his mind said yes so eagerly. Mind-Katara, in fact, could be downright cruel at times. But then again, Mind-Zuko was generally a lot more flustered than Zuko thought (hoped) he was in real life. He tried to think quickly, but his brain was failing him. Now that Katara had said yes, all thoughts were wiped from his mind.

“I have to be honest with you, Katara,” he told her sheepishly. “I didn’t think this far ahead.” She giggled lightly in response.

“I don’t know how you feel about this, but Sokka told me about this great restaurant he took Suki to. Maybe…we could check it out?”

“That sounds nice,” he agreed softly, his heart hammering. “How about…tomorrow?” Katara nodded and captured his lips once more. Zuko was…not someone she would have ever imagined going on a date with even just a couple of short weeks ago, but the Zuko before her, the Zuko she now knew, was…pretty great. She had no tangible idea of what to expect from being on a date, but she was anxious to find out.

And this might also be the perfect opportunity to finally wear that dress she’d made in Ba Sing Se…

****

When Suki and Sokka returned to the house much later that evening, only Iroh and Katara really paid any attention. Much to Zuko’s chagrin, Iroh had decided it was high time that he crack out his Pai Sho set, but no amount of goading could persuade Zuko to play the game with his uncle. Iroh was a formidable opponent and pretty much unbeatable – against Zuko, at least. Ursa decided to take up the mantle in her son’s place. Kiyi initially watched with interest but quickly grew bored and wandered over to Toph, who was engaged in conversation with the others.

But as soon as they heard the front door close, both Katara and Iroh’s heads snapped up. They shared a conspiratorial glance and exchanged hopeful smiles. Zuko felt Katara shift excitedly beside him, but despite her eager anticipation, Katara managed to restrain herself from leaping up and ambushing the couple as they walked through the door. There was no doubt in Katara’s mind that their evening hadn’t gone well, and that Sokka and Suki would be returning as a betrothed couple. She held herself still but couldn’t keep the wide grin off her face. It seemed to take forever for the two to emerge into the lounge. Katara wouldn’t have been at all surprised if Sokka was just deliberately dragging it out to make her squirm – it was definitely the sort of thing he would do.

Her palpable excitement didn’t go unremarked by Toph, of course.

“What’s with you, Sugar Queen?” she asked, perplexed.

“I can’t say,” Katara replied regretfully. “Just…just wait.”

Sokka came in first. Katara unconsciously grabbed Zuko’s hand and clasped it firmly as she took in the sight of her brother. Zuko, for his part, wasn’t complaining at the gesture, even if her hold was almost uncomfortably tight, but he was equally as perplexed as Toph as to what had merited this reaction.

“What’s-?” he began to ask but Katara just shook her head as she studied her brother intensely.

Sokka looked…Katara wasn’t sure how he looked. She eyed him quizzically but he refused to meet her gaze.

“Evening, everyone,” he greeted sullenly. Katara’s face and stomach dropped. Had Suki said no? How, why? She’d always thought they were so in love. They were made for each other. By the spirits, they had made plans to live together in the Fire Nation! How had it all gone so wrong?

For that matter, where was Suki?

Iroh was the first to speak as everyone stared at Sokka in puzzlement. “Good evening,” he said amiably. “I think we could all use some tea, don’t you? Sokka, Katara, if you would be so kind as to assist me?” Katara immediately stood up to follow Iroh into the kitchen. She knew what he was doing – dragging Sokka away from the centre of attention. The anguish on his face was mounting, and Katara just wanted to pull him in for a big hug and tell him it was all going to be okay. And then corner Suki and give her a big piece of her mind with no end of finger-pointing.

“No, that’s okay,” Sokka replied glumly. “I think we’ll all need something a little stronger. I hope you won’t take offence at this, Iroh, but tea just doesn’t seem quite fitting…” He trailed off and took in everyone’s concerned expressions.

He heard Suki’s footsteps echo down the hall behind him, and it took all of his resolve to keep going. It was time. The muscles in his face had been straining for the last few minutes, and the relief was instant as his features suddenly broke out into the wide, goofy grin that was as trademark of Sokka as his boomerang. “…for a betrothal party!” he announced as Suki finally entered the room behind him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and brought her into the light. And drew everyone’s attention to the gleaming green pendant she now wore proudly around her neck, and almost everyone gasped and broke out into equally wide smiles and loud cheers.

“Sokka, you-!” Katara shouted. She had been about to call him a bad curse word, a curse word she would rather not use in Kiyi’s presence. But she was also grinning. “You absolute jerk! You are in so much trouble!” Finally, she ran to him and after punching him playfully on the arm – because, seriously, who did that?! Idiots who needed a punch on the arm to be reminded they were idiots, that was who – she enveloped him in a crushing hug. “I’m so happy for you!” she squealed, and then turned to Suki. The woman who would be her sister. “And you! I can’t believe you let him do this!” she accused teasingly.

“I gotta let him have some wins,” Suki winked, grinning back and accepting Katara’s embrace.

Everyone else began scrambling up from their various positions and moved over to the couple to congratulate them, hug them or shake their hands. Zuko wrapped Suki into a warm hug.

“Congratulations,” he told her as they pulled away. “This is truly great news. I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks, Zuko,” she beamed at him.

“If you were looking to get married in the Fire Nation, I’d be honoured to host it,” Zuko offered, addressing both of them. Then before he knew what was happening, the newly-betrothed couple pounced on him and Zuko was swallowed up in one of those damnable group hugs his friends so fervently insisted on.

“Zuko!” Suki gushed. “We haven’t…really got that far yet, but that is an amazing offer!”

“I know!” Sokka agreed happily. “It’s not every day the Fire Lord offers to plan your wedding for you is it, sweetie?” Zuko’s eyes widened, but before he could respond, they walked away, sniggering to themselves.

“I said host,” Zuko said desperately. “I said host! Not plan!” Oh spirits, had it come out wrong? Was he actually going to have to plan their wedding for them now? He didn’t know the first thing about pulling weddings together, even if he didn’t already have enough on his plate. Toph snorted loudly with laughter. Zuko really was too easy to wind up sometimes.

“They’re messing with you, Grumble Lord,” she smirked.

“I dunno,” Katara quipped. “I wouldn’t put it past Sokka. Hope your calligraphy’s good, Zuko, because you’re gonna have a lot of invitations to write.”

“I have to write them too?!”

Katara and Toph burst into fits of laughter. Zuko scowled at them and crossed his arms. Which just made Katara laugh harder, and Toph when she relayed to the earthbender that the great and honourable Fire Lord was just standing there and sulking. Zuko merely shook his head, before a smile cracked his own features. He supposed he would have to get used to it. Sokka wasn’t going to stop being Sokka just because he was ambassador. Or a married man…

Zuko wasn’t sure which one concerned him more.

As Toph also wandered away to chat with the happy couple, Katara pulled Zuko close, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry,” she smirked up at him. “It’s just so easy sometimes. I couldn’t help myself!” Zuko shook his head at her, but grinned. He liked that Katara was so playful now, unburdened, and full of the same bubbly confidence he had come to associate with her. Even if it did seem to be at his expense an unreasonable amount of the time.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get him back,” Zuko promised. “And you.” Katara raised her eyebrows, and leaned in closer.

“I’m not sure whether I should be worried or excited by that,” she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. Zuko felt a shiver run down his spine. “Can you give me a hint?” Zuko couldn’t. He himself wasn’t sure, if he was being honest.

“Just to be clear,” he began cautiously. “I don’t have to write the invitations if they get married at the Palace?”

“No!” Katara laughed. “Honestly, I didn’t think you’d fall for that so well. I guess Toph and Sokka have been a bad influence, as your uncle would say.”

Since they had ended up not doing much talking after Zuko asked Katara on the date, they hadn’t yet discussed about whether to tell the rest of their party about their burgeoning relationship. And so both had silently agreed to play it safe and just not mention it until they’d had a chance to find out where the relationship was going first. It didn’t make sense to get everyone all riled up if their date turned out to be a disaster, or they simply realised they were better as friends. Not that Katara or Zuko expected either of those events to happen. The way she was feeling right now, Katara couldn’t imagine not wanting to kiss Zuko again after their date tomorrow. It was a bit more complicated for Zuko, given that he knew he was in love with her. No matter how tomorrow went. But it was still better this way, he decided. Iroh was the only other person who knew exactly how Zuko felt about Katara.

And then of course, with the news of Sokka and Suki’s betrothal, it would have just been tacky.

“Did you know?” Zuko asked her suddenly, thinking back to how jumpy Katara had been when Sokka first came into the room.

“Yeah. Sokka swore me to secrecy. You have no idea how hard it’s been not being able to tell anyone!”

“Actually, I get the feeling you’re pretty good at keeping things in,” he remarked.

“Is that a dig at how long it took me to tell you how I felt about you?” she asked accusingly.

“Technically you still haven’t…”

“Don’t push it!” Katara smirked. But she realised he was right. She hadn’t actually said the words, instead letting her actions speak for her. Whereas Zuko had. He’d said he was crazy about her. Katara hoped Zuko knew the feeling was mutual. And when he, the Fire Lord, offered to host her brother’s wedding, Katara honestly fell for him a little bit more. It made her sincerely regret that she and Zuko had spent most of the last four years apart. She had missed out on a lot of Zuko-time. “You know, it is unbelievably sweet of you to offer to host their wedding,” she commented, looking at him fondly.

“You’re all my oldest friends,” Zuko replied. “Besides, the advantage of being Fire Lord and having lots of servants is I wouldn’t have to lift a finger.” He smirked to show he was joking, and Katara laughed happily.

“I still expect to be waited on hand and foot when I come visit,” she reminded him.

When? That’s rather presumptuous, Master Katara,” he teased.

“Yeah, well, it’s presumptuous of you to think you’re gonna get away with it, Fire Lord Zuko.” Without realising it, both of them had edged closer to each other. At that moment, Zuko wanted nothing more than to kiss her again. And he couldn’t help but feel relieved that he and Katara still shared their old banter. They were still friends, there was no awkwardness at all. For Zuko, everything had changed, and yet nothing had. Everything seemed to come so easily when he was with her. Zuko still had his moments, but as Katara had proved earlier, so did she.

“I could order the guards to keep you out?” he suggested.

“Yeah, cos that’ll work. Or are you forgetting who won our spar earlier?”

“Do I need to remind you that I’m the Fire Lord?”

“Do I need to remind you that I’m a master waterbender, the new ambassador’s sister, and your best friend? The Kyoshi Warriors couldn't keep me out,” she grinned. Zuko absolutely was still her best friend, as far as Katara was concerned. That hadn’t changed just because they’d kissed. And judging by how relaxed Zuko was and how comfortably their typically ridiculous conversation was going, he felt the same. It made her feel much surer about tomorrow night.

“Well…then…I guess I don’t have a choice,” Zuko conceded, defeated.

“Nope!” Katara chirped happily, not being able to resist hugging him again. It was the closest she could safely get to expressing what she really wanted to do. But as they embraced, an idea struck her. “Hey, um, shall we go down to the beach and…get a fire started?”

“Why?” Zuko frowned in confusion.

“Sokka just got engaged. You seriously don’t think he’s going to demand a bonfire beach party?”

“Good point. Well, we may as well wait for everyone. I’ll go tell them.” Katara had to fight the urge to giggle. ‘Oh Zuko, you are so clueless sometimes,’ she thought with a warm heart.

“Zuko…” Katara said suggestively. “I was thinking we could go down and get it all set up together. Alone,” she emphasised quietly. A flash of realisation crossed Zuko’s features. And it sounded very much to Zuko like Master Katara was now trying to get him alone in the dark.

Zuko had no problem with that.

“Oh…yeah, you’re probably right,” he agreed. “It wouldn’t be…fair to…make them all help.”

“Exactly! And you know, we only need one firebender.”

“Well, I am considered to be pretty good at it,” he smiled. “And what’s your role in this?”

“Uh…supervisor?” Zuko scowled jokingly at her, and both of them couldn’t help but chuckle at themselves.

Their plan set, Katara went to let Toph know they were going to go and set up for Sokka and Suki’s inevitable beach party, not realising that Toph had naturally just overheard their entire conversation. She had been mostly impressed with their performance thus far. No-one who didn’t already have suspicions would likely have guessed by their conversation that they weren’t just best friends ribbing each other. Until the end, that was.

“Mmhmm,” Toph mumbled cryptically. “Sure you won’t need any help down there?”

“No, we’ll be fine!” Katara answered, much too quickly and much too brightly. Toph fought to contain a smirk. “I’ll come get you all when we’re done.”

“You got it, Sugar Queen.” As Katara walked away, Toph giggled to herself and shook her head. The way these two idiots were behaving, she wouldn’t even have a chance to confront them.

“What’s so funny?” Kiyi asked as she bounded up beside her.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” Toph replied.

 

Notes:

Clueless Zuko is clueless, but this is totally something I could imagine him doing in the show if it had focused more on his love life.

For anyone wondering, the beach Iroh suggested has bioluminescent algae in the water, which does exist in the real world. It's not something I've ever seen myself (at least, not this way - the closest I've come is glow worms) so if my description is off, sorry.

As I'm sure all of you have guessed, the next chapter will be their date. I will also go into a bit more detail about Katara's lack of dating experience from her relationship with Aang. How oh how will that go...? (I know how it will go because I'm the supreme overlord of 'Embers')

Until next time folks. No word on when I'm afraid, because working full-time sucks when all you want to do is sit and write fanfiction about your OTP.

Chapter 10: Next Moves

Summary:

Katara and Suki discuss the future; Zuko seeks some last-minute advice from Iroh; Katara and Zuko go on their date

Notes:

Hola! Right, fair warning everybody, this is a longer chapter.

You may also wish to consider pre-booking an emergency dentist appointment before reading because this one gets rather tooth-rottingly fluffy places. I am rather unapologetic about this. With the year we've all had, I think we all need some escapism and light-hearted fluff sometimes. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“This was such a great idea, Katara,” Suki smiled widely as they were seated. “I love this.”

“I’m glad you approve,” Katara beamed back at her. “It’s as close to tradition as I can get.” Suki and Katara were in an inviting and cosy teashop, supposedly the best on the island (at least, according to Iroh). Ever since Sokka had let Katara in on his plan to propose, Katara had been looking forward to this. She explained that it was customary in the Southern Water Tribe for the women of the groom’s family to welcome the bride to her soon-to-be-kin in an informal tea ceremony. It was a tradition that had dwindled significantly during the war, especially during the latter years once the waterbenders had all been carried off, and the Southern Water Tribe as a whole practically decimated. By that point, the Tribe’s main priority was simply surviving, although Katara could remember her mother telling her about her own tea ceremony – Gran-Gran had apparently been rather insistent on it. Her mother had told Katara she hadn’t had a clue what was going on at first, and was sure her future mother-in-law had some ulterior motive and half-expected Kanna to tell her that she wasn’t good enough for her son. Fortunately it hadn’t panned out like that, and Kya had laughed as she told Katara that she had never once admitted those fears to Gran-Gran. Katara had laughed with her. She had been eight at the time. She hadn’t known it would be one of the last times she and her mother would get to laugh together.

Despite that, it was still a fond memory for Katara. And, mostly because of that, she had been delighted to learn that that particular tradition was being steadily revived ever since the era of peace had landed. As the family’s matriarch, Kanna would almost certainly invite Suki to such a ceremony herself the next time she and Sokka found themselves in the South Pole, but Katara simply couldn’t resist treating her soon-to-be-sister to a preview. Until she had children of her own, she would only be able to do this once, after all. And she had it on good authority that the only better tea to be found on Ember Island was Iroh’s. Not that Iroh was biased, of course…

“I had no idea the Southern Water Tribe had such close ties with Ember Island,” Suki joked.

“Well, it was harder during the war,” Katara said breezily. “We used to wait until there were about ten betrothals and then ferry them all over at once. For logistical purposes, of course.”

“Of course,” Suki grinned, laughing. “It would just be silly to do it one at a time.”

“Exactly!” The two women looked at each other and broke out into laughter. “See, this is why you’re perfect for my brother,” Katara smiled. “Your sense of humour is just as bad as ours.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Sokka came out with that himself,” Suki agreed. “So do you know what’s good here?”

“According to Iroh, everything.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Suki glanced down at the menu, feeling spoilt for choice. Katara had assured Suki that this was her treat, as Sokka’s sister. Usually these ceremonies were for the groom’s family to get to know the bride ahead of the wedding, but of course that wasn’t necessary here. She had already known Suki for years and the two women had grown close. Suki was also the only one Katara regularly wrote to during their time apart, aside from Sokka. If Katara had felt inclined to write to any of her friends about what had happened with Aang whilst she had been in Ba Sing Se, she had a feeling she would have told Suki before her brother. As good friends as they were, she felt like she could have handled Suki’s disappointment. She wouldn’t have been able to handle Sokka’s.

Suki opted for a green tea and lavender blend, while Katara stuck with the jasmine tea she had grown so fond of while living with Iroh. They also both ordered a healthy selection of cream cakes to share. Just to test them out, of course. It was the only way to be certain that it really was the best teashop on the island.

“You know, part of me still can’t believe that I’m actually betrothed,” Suki mused as they sipped their drinks.

“I cannot tell you how excited I am,” Katara beamed at her. “Or Sokka, actually. I think his plans for the day are writing to just about everyone he knows.”

“I’m sure the Earth King will be delighted to hear it,” Suki giggled, Katara quickly joining in.

“I wouldn’t put it past him. I’ll bet Bosco even gets his own letter.”

“Sokka speaks Bear?” Suki asked innocently.

“No, but you’ve seen his handwriting. Bosco will probably understand it better than anyone else.” Suki and Katara both fell back into a bout of laughter, drawing stares from some of the establishment’s more ‘refined’ patrons, but neither of the women paid them any heed.

“Maybe I won’t let Sokka write the invitations…” Suki said.

“It’s probably for the best if you want people turning up when they’re supposed to,” Katara quipped, causing both women to giggle once more. “I would suggest getting Zuko to do it, but I’ve already had to convince him he didn’t have to.”

“Why did he think he would?” Suki raised her eyebrows.

“That…may have been my fault,” Katara replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. Suki snorted. “I kinda told him it was his job if he hosted the wedding…”

“Katara!” Suki chided mockingly. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with your brother. He’s a bad influence on you.”

“That’s what I said,” Katara smirked.

“Ah, he’ll get over it,” Suki grinned. “You can’t help being hilarious, right?” The two of them chuckled and continued drinking their tea as they waited for the cream cakes to arrive. Suki regarded Katara thoughtfully, with a warm smile resting on her face. Katara was different from the last time they had seen each other, there was no two ways about it. She was much happier than Suki thought she’d ever seen her before, even though the war had been over for four years. She laughed more, she unapologetically told jokes almost as bad as Sokka’s, and she just generally seemed so much more…uninhibited. Suki had never once worried for Katara during her relationship with Aang, not the least because Katara always gushed about him and what they got up to on their travels in her letters, and the two had always looked so immovably perfect for each other on the rare occasion they did get to see each other.

But there was no comparison to the Katara from then and the Katara sat in front of her now, and Suki began to wonder if she perhaps should have been concerned. Aang was in no way cruel and unless the words came from Katara herself, Suki would adamantly refuse to believe that Aang hadn’t treated her with the utmost respect and kindness throughout. Nevertheless, it was clear that being free from that relationship had done Katara the world of good and Suki was honestly thrilled for her. It must have been extremely difficult in the beginning, especially as Katara had for some unfathomable reason believed that none of her friends would understand her having to use bloodbending. For Suki, it hadn’t been any kind of debate. Katara had done the right thing, pure and simple, and she had no reason to feel guilty, much less like a monster. The monsters were the firebenders who had attacked that village. And, if Suki was being honest, Aang was the one who should feel guilty for making Katara feel like that. Suki had already decided she would tell Aang that in no uncertain terms the next time she saw him. Which could well be her wedding, she supposed. Even though Aang and Katara had broken up, she didn’t imagine Sokka wouldn’t want to invite him. He was one of Sokka’s oldest friends. He might have some big brother words for Aang himself, of course, but as far as Suki was aware, neither of them had stopped regarding Aang as their friend. Katara had made it clear that she didn’t expect anyone to choose sides, and had even expressed a wish to be friends with him again herself, when they were both ready.

“So how are your plans for the Fire Nation move going?” Katara asked interestedly. She knew that Suki planned to train up Fire Nation citizens to replace the Kyoshi Warriors as the Palace Guard, but she didn’t know the ins and outs of it. It had been a stroke of remarkable fortune that both she and Sokka had found themselves needing to relocate to the Fire Nation capital at the same time. The spirits themselves must have aligned the stars to allow that to happen, Katara thought.

“Pretty good,” Suki told her. “I’m not sure if I told you, but Ty Lee is completely on board and she’ll be staying here with me to help train the new recruits.”

“That’s so great, it’ll be good to have a partner on-side,” Katara remarked. “How long do you think it’ll take until they’re up and running?”

“It’s hard to say,” Suki sighed. “At least a year or two, I think. A lot of it depends on how long it takes just to find enough girls who would be interested in joining.”

“Do you think that’ll be hard?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Ty Lee would probably have a better idea than me about that. I mean, I guess part of me is counting on there being ex-soldiers who might be interested? Ty Lee seems to think so, and Zuko also suggested inviting men to join. It could help boost the numbers.”

“Ooh, that would be a first,” Katara nodded. “For the Kyoshi Warriors, I mean.”

“Right,” Suki agreed, although her smile faltered slightly. This didn’t escape Katara’s notice.

“How do you feel about that?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Suki sighed honestly. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with men wanting to join, it’s just…not how things are done, you know? But then again, I’m guessing Avatar Kyoshi also never imagined the Warriors becoming the Palace Guard to the Fire Lord. If there are some men who want to be a part of it, who am I to say no? It would be like telling a girl she couldn’t join the Army just because she was a girl, and I would never be okay with that.”

“Oh, I hear you there. I was so mad when we got to the Northern Water Tribe, and they refused to teach me just because I was a girl.”

“Exactly! If some guy comes up to me and says he wants to learn our style and do his part for his country…I’d never have the heart to tell him ‘no’. It would actually be kind of amazing, when I think about it,” Suki admitted, brightening. “But it’s just…not custom. Which I know sounds stupid and petty, but-”

“Hey, I get it,” Katara assured her. “You should have seen me when Sokka and I went home for the first time after the war.” That wasn’t a pleasant memory of home, and not just because of the rebels. A lot had changed in Katara’s absence. Logically, she knew that of course they would have done. The Tribe had been in dire need of rebuilding, in every sense. She just hadn’t expected it to be so much, or as different as it was.

She certainly hadn’t expected to be forced to accept a new stepmother… Katara and Malina were on significantly better terms now than when they had first met, but Katara didn’t consider them to be close. And she wasn’t sure they ever would be. Again, logically, Katara knew that it only made sense that her father would move on. And really, it was better for him that he had. He must have been very lonely. As terrible as the war had been, it gave him something to focus on, and because of his role in it, it had meant he was always surrounded by his comrades. A lot of that had probably fallen away since. Not that the surviving warriors didn’t still support each other, but Katara could appreciate that it wouldn’t have been the same. And her father certainly seemed much happier. But she hadn’t been able to completely silence the dark voice deep inside that sometimes whispered to her that this new marriage was a betrayal against her mother. She had tried talking about it with Aang once. He had dutifully listened to her and comforted her, but Katara could tell he didn’t really understand why she was so upset.

“Sokka might have mentioned something,” Suki told her. “That must have been hard.”

“It sure wasn’t easy,” Katara agreed. She sighed. “I still don’t really think of it as ‘home’ anymore, though. But I don’t know, maybe I wouldn’t have done anyway. I changed a lot when we were travelling.”

“That’s to be expected. I think I’d have been worried for you if you had stayed exactly the same, after everything that happened.”

“I guess you’re right,” Katara nodded. None of her friends were the same people they had been during the war (except for Toph, but Toph was as stubborn as her element so that was no surprise). She smirked teasingly at Suki. “When did you get so wise?”

Suki gasped in mock-outrage. “I will have you know that I was always wise,” she joked. She pointed an accusing finger at Katara. “You just weren’t wise enough to appreciate it.”

 “I stand corrected,” Katara laughed amiably. “Seriously, though, I completely understand why you’re not sure about men joining…but the fact that you’re going to let them anyway, if they want to, I think that’s what makes you a great leader,” Katara smiled warmly at her. “Whoever signs up is gonna be lucky to have you.”

“I don’t think they’ll think so when we actually get to training,” Suki retorted, drawing an amused snort from Katara.

“Do you have a training ground yet?”

“Sort of. Zuko said there are some empty buildings we can use, and they should be big enough for everyone to sleep in as well, but we’ll get that all sorted when we get back to the capital. That’s “council stuff” apparently.” Suki sipped her tea, and took a bite out of one of the cream cakes which had arrived while they had been talking. She moaned and nodded in approval, and gestured for Katara to do the same. The cakes did not disappoint, the two women silently agreed. They would have to try a couple more each, though. Just to be absolutely sure. They had both decided amidst conspiratorial giggles that they would have to be thorough for when they reported back to Iroh.

“Anyway, what about you?” Suki asked. “What’s your next move?”

Her next move…Katara had been giving this a lot of thought lately. They only had a couple of weeks left on Ember Island at this point, and unless Katara planned on squatting in the house once they were all gone, she would have to make up her mind pretty soon. She had tentatively broached the topic with Iroh earlier that morning, and he had seemed genuinely delighted to hear that she might be going back with him. He told her he had meant it when he said she could stay as long as she wanted, even though it had already been two months by the time they had come to Ember Island. It lightened Katara’s heart to know that he seemed to value her company as much as she valued his.

And she should probably show her face at the South Pole again, especially now Sokka was engaged. When he took Suki back as his betrothed, there was bound to be a Tribe-wide celebration, and Katara would hate to not be a part of that. And she did miss her dad and Gran-Gran. If she did decide to stay with Iroh long-term, she thought she might go to the South Pole first, and then make her way back up to Ba Sing Se from there. Iroh had had no problem with that, and assured her that her room would be waiting for her when she returned. Katara had been wanting to do some more travelling, and if she happened to take the scenic route back up to the sprawling Earth Kingdom capital, that would be the perfect opportunity. Travelling alone would be a new experience in and of itself.

But as much as Katara loved Iroh, and she did truly consider him to be her family now, she also knew in her heart of hearts that staying in Ba Sing Se wouldn’t be her first choice. She had no issue with the idea of settling down somewhere, that actually sounded rather pleasant after the last few years of being a nomad with Aang, but she also knew that Ba Sing Se wouldn’t feel like hers. It didn’t matter how fantastic Iroh was, nor even that she missed Jin, Ba Sing Se just wasn’t home. Sadly, neither was the South Pole, not anymore. She had blamed it on the changes and “development” it had undergone since the war had ended, but truthfully she couldn’t imagine going back there long-term and just sitting in a healing hut and waiting for those who were actually out living to come to her for aid. Which she knew was what would happen, eventually. True, if she went back to live in the South Pole, she would have the chance to train the next generation of Southern waterbenders, but waterbender births were still a disturbingly rare phenomenon in the South. As things stood, she would only have two or three students of a suitable age for training at most. And if Katara was being brutally honest, she didn’t think that would be her first choice either. It was something that could tether her to the South Pole if she was already there, yes…but as guilty as she sometimes felt about it, it wasn’t enough to draw her back. She had questioned why she wasn’t more excited about that prospect, multiple times, wondering if that just made her selfish, but she couldn’t ignore her heart. And her heart was telling her that the South Pole just wasn’t it for her.

Lately, she had begun to accept that maybe that was okay. Maybe that just wasn’t her destiny. It wasn’t as if the new waterbenders wouldn’t have any teachers if she decided not to take up the mantle. It would mean they would be taught the Northern-style, yes, but that was also the only style that even Katara had had any formal training in. The rest she had either taught herself or simply adapted what she’d learned, save for the more brutal, almost desperate forms of waterbending Hama had passed on to her…

Katara couldn’t even say what she wanted in her heart of hearts. She had thus far managed to avoid thinking too much about it, becoming fully immersed in the vacation bubble. Her next move had been such a distant prospect when they had first arrived, but time was beginning to run out. She had been asked a few times before on this vacation what she was planning, but she had always brushed them off. But now, Katara believed, she needed to be upfront about it.

“That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about,” Katara admitted.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I…I’m kind of struggling with it, to be honest. I mean, I guess I have a few choices but none of them really feel…right, you know?”

“Oh, honey, I had no idea,” Suki sympathised, taking one of Katara’s hands in her own. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“It would be good to talk it over with someone,” Katara told her, smiling wearily. “But not right now. This is meant to be about you.”

“We’re going to be sisters, Katara, I want to help,” Suki assured her. “Tell me about your choices.”

“Wouldn’t you rather talk about the wedding?”

“We can do that anytime,” Suki said, waving her hand dismissively. “We don’t even know where we’re going to do it yet. And Sokka and I both want to get settled first. With Sokka setting up the embassy and me recruiting, it’s gonna be a few months.”

“That makes sense,” Katara agreed. “Will you be in the capital for that?”

“No. Ty Lee and I talked about it, but we both decided it would be better if we went to them. Sending off posters by messenger hawk just seems so impersonal, and honestly, not safe for Zuko. It would be too easy for someone to slip through the cracks if we didn’t meet them first.” Katara nodded. “But if we’re both out there, it gives anyone who might be interested the chance to see what we’re about, and more importantly, it gives us the chance to make sure no-one is signing up for the wrong reasons…” Suki finished darkly. Katara understood. With them replacing the Palace Guard, and all the privileges such a position gave them, it would be scarily easy for a would-be assassin to try their luck. Even if they got caught before training was completed, they would still have a decent amount of access to the Palace…and Zuko. Katara shuddered, and her heart pounded with worry just at the thought. But the way Suki was planning it, they would be able to vet them before they even came near the Palace.

“And,” Suki continued after a pause, “I would love to see more of the Fire Nation. I haven’t visited a lot of places outside of the capital and here.”

“It’s so beautiful,” Katara told her. “And even though they’re all the same country, everywhere just feels so different to each other. You’re gonna love it.”

“Oh, of course, you guys travelled around during the war…” Suki recalled, trailing off. A thought had just occurred to her. A thought she liked the sound of very much and, she suspected, so would Katara. “Oh spirits, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner! Katara, you should come with us!”

“Huh?”

“With me and Ty Lee!” Suki said excitedly. “You could help us with recruiting! You’re so good at that kind of thing.” Katara looked confused. “Did you or did you not single-handedly started a riot on that prison rig?” Realisation dawned on Katara’s face.

“Well, I didn’t really do anything,” Katara said, trying to wave the compliment away. “It was the earthbenders-”

“Who wouldn’t have done anything if it wasn’t for you,” Suki reminded her. “You need to give yourself more credit, honey. And you know what, it doesn’t even matter. I, for one, would love it if you were there with us. I know Ty Lee would be really excited to see you, too.”

“Well, I have wanted to travel more,” Katara mused, quickly warming up to the idea. She couldn’t think of a single reason why not. For all the travelling she and Aang had done, they had stayed mostly within the Earth Kingdom. Before this vacation, Katara hadn’t even been to the Fire Nation since they had helped Zuko search for his mother. It was…kind of perfect. She would get to see more of the world, spend more time with her friends, and there was a large part of her that felt thrilled by the idea of being able to help with such an important mission.

“I can see you want to say ‘yes’,” Suki prompted her, grinning. Katara had never been great at hiding her emotions, and it was plain that the more Katara thought about it, the more excited she became.

“I actually really do,” Katara admitted. Outside of the reasons she had already considered, there was another very important reason, one that thrilled Katara’s heart and swaddled her chest with a warm, comfortable sensation – it would mean getting to stay closer to Zuko. Granted, while she was helping with recruiting she wouldn’t, but they’d at least be in the same country. Sending letters to each other would be a lot easier. And with Sokka as ambassador, she was sure she could find an excuse to hang around the capital for a while once they came back. Perhaps Suki could make use of her in training the new recruits. She had a sneaking suspicion that neither Sokka, Suki nor Zuko would mind that at all.

As nervous as Katara was about their date tonight, she was also really looking forward to it. She couldn’t wait to kiss him again. They had spent a bit longer than was reasonable ‘setting up the bonfire’ last night, she remembered with a smile. Katara had felt like she couldn’t get enough of him, could barely keep her hands (or lips) off him. Zuko was a very good kisser, and the way he made her feel…it didn’t matter what he was doing. On top of the whirlwind of electrifying sensations that left her trembling when they kissed, he made her feel safe. Wanted, appreciated, understood. Zuko had fast become her best friend for a reason. Even if tonight didn’t work out the way she wanted it to, Katara would fight tooth and nail to make sure they didn’t lose their friendship. She was confident Zuko would do the same.

With all that in mind, what on earth was there that could make Katara decline?

“You know what, Suki,” Katara beamed at her, “I’m in. That sounds fantastic! Thank you so much!” She stood up and raced around the table to pull her into a tight hug. Suki wrapped her own arms around Katara, laughing lightly. “Do you need any help with planning?” Katara asked eagerly as she sat back down.

“Of course. I’m sure Zuko must have a map lying around somewhere in the house,” Suki nodded just as eagerly. “We could have a look tonight?”

“Oh!” Katara exclaimed, and suddenly found herself blushing furiously. “Um, actually, I…won’t be around tonight…”

“Ooh, what’s happening?”

“I kind of…have a date.”

What? Katara, that’s amazing! Good for you!” Suki gushed excitedly. “You kept that very quiet!”

“It only happened la-uh, recently!” Katara quickly corrected herself.

“Well, I think it’s great that you’re moving on,” Suki said proudly. And she meant it. She hadn’t exactly lost any sleep over the thought of Katara still potentially being hung up on Aang (though she knew that she wasn’t) but it was still heartening to hear that Katara was ready to put herself out there and try again. She deserved to find a good man who appreciated and accepted everything about her, including her ability to bloodbend. Toph had been absolutely right about that – Aang had seriously dropped the ball there. And Suki found herself feeling immensely pleased for Katara that she didn’t seem to feel like she was the one who had to pay the price.

“Thanks, Suki,” Katara smiled coyly. “To be honest, I am a little nervous about it. I’m not even sure what I’m gonna wear.”

“Don’t worry,” Suki drawled, her grin taking on an almost wolfish appearance. “I’m sure I can help you find something…”

****

It came as no surprise to either Iroh or Zuko that they both found themselves in the exact same position as they had just the day before. From almost the moment he had woken up that morning, Zuko’s heart felt like it was ready to burst in anticipation of tonight. Of his date. With Katara. As things stood, he was currently a mixture of very excited that he would get to show Katara just what she meant to him, and dreadfully anxious that she would hate all of it or he would badly mess it up in some way. It was the sort of thing that definitely required a conversation with a cup or five of tea with his uncle. Iroh had been more than happy to oblige.

Despite much nosy prodding from Iroh, Zuko had remained stoically quiet as to exactly what had happened between him and Katara the day before, only sharing that he had eventually plucked up the courage to ask her out, and she had said yes. Iroh had of course beamed at him when he heard the news, which in itself made Zuko feel a bit better.

“That all sounds wonderful, Zuko,” Iroh said happily as he poured them their third cup. “But I have to ask, why are you in here talking to an old man rather than getting everything in place for tonight?”

“I’m just so nervous!” Zuko despaired, slumping slightly. “I haven’t been on a date in so long, and…well, they didn’t exactly end great.” His first ever date, with Jin, had ended with Zuko fleeing after she had kissed him. His date with Mai had ended with Zuko in the fountain. Iroh knew both of thoe stories already, of course. There wasn’t much his nephew didn’t tell him, not anymore. He nodded in understanding.

“That wasn’t your fault, Zuko,” Iroh assured him gently.

“Well, maybe,” Zuko shrugged dismissively. That wasn’t the point. “I’m just not sure how I should act. Or what she’ll expect from me.”

“I fear I may be the wrong person to ask there – it’s been a while for me, too,” Iroh pointed out. He finished his tea and calmly regarded his nephew. “Just be yourself, Zuko. Dating isn’t about playing games and trying to impress someone with who you’re not. That never works. And don’t forget, she said yes to going to dinner with you. So you know she must like you too.” Zuko blushed slightly. He was definitely aware that Katara liked him too…or she had last night…but that wouldn’t have changed, right? Surely she would have said something if she’d realised it had all been a big mistake…

He sighed and shook himself. In his core, he’d known all of what Iroh had said already. Sometimes it just helped to hear it from someone else. “I know you’re right,” Zuko admitted softly. “I just…” He growled in frustration at himself. “This is ridiculous. I’m the Fire Lord! What is wrong with me?”

Nothing is wrong with you, son,” Iroh replied warmly but firmly. “It’s only natural you would be nervous. Fire Lord or not, you’re still human. But what you need to remember is that Katara is not Inari. She won’t just string you along for her own gain.”

“No, of course she wouldn’t,” Zuko agreed. “I know that. I guess I’m just more worried I’ll screw things up somehow.”

“I really don’t think you will,” Iroh said comfortingly. Then he grinned. “Just, if you want to give her a gift, perhaps make it a bit more meaningful than a coupon for tea.”

Zuko, who had just taken a sip of tea himself, spluttered in shock, and cringed at the memory. Iroh chuckled as Zuko wiped the tea from his face and groaned. If this was a harbinger of things to come tonight, he was doomed. But not as doomed as his uncle was about to be. One look at his face told Zuko he had just been trying to wind him up.

“That was your idea!” Zuko burst out.

“It was,” Iroh admitted, unable to suppress another chortle. Zuko scowled at him in response. “And besides, she seemed to appreciate it from what you told me.”

“Oh yeah, it was a completely magical evening after that,” Zuko muttered sarcastically.

“It was a difficult time, Zuko,” Iroh reminded him gently. “When you couldn’t even tell her who you really were, it can’t have been easy for you. You mustn’t blame yourself. No-one gets everything exactly right the first time, no matter who they are. What matters is that you do your best. If all else fails, just make sure you’re kind, charming and respectful. And I already know you won’t struggle with any of that.” Zuko reddened again at his words, but he had to admit, he did feel better. He always felt better after talks with Iroh. Despite his rough start in life, he knew he was truly blessed to have his uncle. He may not have been able to see it or appreciate it in his angry youth, but Iroh had always looked out for him and had always been there for him. Zuko was the man he was today because of Iroh, and he strove hard to make sure Iroh knew just how thankful Zuko was to have him in his life.

He did, however, respectfully decline Iroh’s offer to do his hair for him again.

****

Katara was beginning to deeply regret asking for Suki’s help getting ready for tonight. As soon as they got back to the house, Suki instantly latched on to her, and insisted they empty out Katara’s wardrobe for her to try everything on, and it had to meet Suki’s approval before Katara was allowed to wear it out. Suki was also relentlessly pestering her about who the ‘lucky guy’ was but Katara kept evasively changing the subject. That was all bad enough. It got worse when Suki roped Sokka into it.

The two of them were waiting in Katara’s room as she got changed behind a screen. The women had both decided that none of Katara’s Water Tribe outfits would do justice to a first date with a new beau, not when there were so many gorgeous Fire Nation outfits that suited Katara. Suki had even dug into her own collection, but due to the difference in their figures, they had quickly been dismissed. Suki was slender where Katara had curves, and nothing seemed to fit comfortably. Katara hadn’t yet tried out the dress she had made herself. The more she looked at it, the more she thought it was too formal. But nothing else seemed quite right.

She walked out in the latest ensemble thrown together by Suki, but neither of them were particularly enamoured with it. Sokka yawned loudly. He had been there for half an hour now. The only reason he was sticking around was because he was dying to know who was taking his little sister out.

“Come on, Katara, who is it?” he nagged incessantly as the latest outfit was rejected.

“I’m not telling you, Sokka,” Katara sighed irritably. “Honestly, I’m not even sure I’m going to make it tonight. Nothing works!”

“Stop worrying,” Suki chided her. “I’m sure he’ll think you’re beautiful no matter what you wear. This is about making you feel fantastic, not him.” Katara nodded. Maybe she should just stick with her Water Tribe blues. She did feel very comfortable in them. And it wasn’t as if Zuko hadn’t seen her in them before. It wasn’t as if she had to hide her identity or her heritage.

“If my baby sister is going out on a date, I have a right to know who it’s with,” Sokka insisted.

“Oh do you now?” Katara retorted sceptically, hands on her hips.

“Absolutely. As your older brother it’s my job to make sure you’re safe…and to psych you out as much as possible before you meet the guy!” he joked. Katara and Suki both scowled at him.

“Don’t take any notice of this idiot,” Suki said to Katara.

“Hey! I’ll have you know-!” Sokka protested. But neither of them were listening.

“Katara, what is this?” Suki gasped as she held up the dress. “It’s beautiful! Where did you get this?”

“I, uh, made it,” Katara told her, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. “I’m not sure if it’s right for tonight though.”

“Are you kidding me?” Suki scoffed. “Try it on. Now.” It wasn’t a request. She pushed the dress into Katara’s arms and forcibly ushered her back behind the screen. When Katara emerged a few moments later, Suki almost let out a loud squeal.

The dress looked stunning on her. It was a cross between a cheongsam and the typical Water Tribe dress, but in the deep crimson of the Fire Nation. Where her blue dress was lined in white, this dress was lined in black, with flecks of gold sewn in to the fabric. The dress was held closed by the usual buttons just below her shoulder, as well as a burgundy ribbon wrapped tightly around Katara’s waist.

“Why on earth wouldn’t you wear that?” Suki asked incredulously as Katara slowly spun around for them.

“I don’t know. I guess I thought it was a little much?” But Suki was shaking her head.

“You have to wear that tonight!” Suki insisted. Katara opened her mouth to protest, but Suki wasn’t having it. “Nope, that is my final decision. This is the only outfit that gets my approval, and you’re not allowed to go out without it. Sorry, Katara.”

“But what about-?”

“There is no right to an appeal,” Suki smirked. Katara couldn’t help but laugh. Perhaps Suki was right. She had been looking forward to showing it off.

“Can you just give us a clue?” Sokka whined, completely oblivious to the exchange that had just gone on between his sister and his betrothed. “Is it someone we know?”

“Uh, sure,” Katara said dismissively as she fiddled with the knot on the ribbon.

“Okay…is it Aang? Are you getting back together?” Both Katara and Suki shot Sokka looks of pure disbelief.

“Seriously, Sokka?” Suki glared at him.

“No you’re right, that’s insane, I’m sorry,” Sokka said quickly to Katara. She only shook her head at him. “Is it…hmm…oh, is it Haru?!”

“No, Sokka, it is not Haru,” Katara sighed. She couldn’t believe they were still going on about it. Nothing had even happened between them! Sure, she’d thought he was cute but that was the extent of it.

Sokka continued guessing. “The Duke? Longshot? Um, oh, the Boulder! No, that’s stupid…oh my spirits, is it one of those guys from the swamp?!” Katara struggled to suppress a giggle at that.

“You’re right, it’s Tho,” she told him sarcastically. “I’ve been keeping him locked up in my room the entire time we’ve been here, that’s why you haven’t seen him at all.” Suki burst out laughing, while Sokka concentratedly studied Katara’s expression.

“Well, I don’t know! Um…is it someone on the island?”

“Obviously it is, Sokka, she wouldn’t be going on this date if he wasn’t!” Suki pointed out.

“You know what I mean!” Sokka protested. “Is this where we know him from?” Katara thought about that. Strictly speaking, no, it wasn’t. But it was here that she had really got to know Zuko. The Zuko she was going out with tonight. The Zuko she had been having more than a few secret fantasies about, some less tasteful than others. The Zuko who had grown into her best friend. Her silence more than confirmed Sokka’s theory. “Okay, that narrows it down. Ha! It’s Amorai, isn’t it?” Sokka joked, causing both he and Suki to collapse into a fit of giggles. Katara stayed silent. ‘Why not?’ she thought. He had played Zuko after all. There was a slight connection there...

“Actually…it is Amorai,” she lied smoothly, bracing herself for their expressions. They didn’t disappoint her. Their jaws simultaneously dropped to the ground.

What?!” they cried in unison. Katara stifled a snigger. ‘Imagine if they knew the truth,’ she thought to herself.

“How?” Suki asked incredulously.

“We ran into each other a couple of days ago, and he asked me out. He seemed a lot more charming, so I thought why not?” Katara replied straight-faced. Suki and Sokka both shook their heads in disbelief. They didn’t even suspect that Katara was lying, but all the same they hadn’t seen this coming. Or perhaps they should have done. Katara had never been so outwardly flirtatious with anyone as she had with Amorai. Perhaps there had been a reason for that besides the drink. “Actually, that reminds me. He let me pick the restaurant. Which one did you two go to again?” Katara asked. Inside, she was beaming. This lie was perfect. She had been wracking her brains as to how get that information without giving everything away.

‘Amorai, you poor fool,’ she thought. If she ever ran into him again, she would have to thank him. Their ridiculous antics that night had provided the ideal cover story.

****

They had agreed to meet at the restaurant itself, so as to avoid the suspicion that would inevitably be raised if they left the house together. Zuko had vaguely mentioned to his family that he had to take care of some urgent Fire Nation business and not to expect him for dinner. That was also how he had got away with going out in more formal clothes than usual. Although Iroh winking at him while Zuko was on his way out hadn’t helped the situation.

He left before Katara, and decided he would just amble around the town for a bit first. It was a very small town, and he was cautiously optimistic that no-one would pay enough attention to recognise him. He wanted to keep it that way, for Katara’s sake more than anything. His heart was pounding even as he was just walking down the main street. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He had a date, the first he had had since Ba Sing Se. And that had been a while ago. He took some comfort in the fact that Katara probably had more experience in that regard, and he could always stand back for her to lead.

He kept telling himself he was looking forward to it, he didn’t have anything to worry about, Katara wasn’t just a random girl. They wouldn’t have to go through the agonising, awkward process of ‘getting to know each other’. She was already his best friend. They could just enjoy their time together.

Or would Katara expect things to be different now that this was a date? What would she expect from him? Spirits, what did people even do on dates again? Were they literally just for getting to know each other? So would this be an evening of long and awkward silences? Mind-Katara reared her vicious head again, and in the scene he pictured she was pointing at him and laughing for being so damnably awkward.

‘Why did I ever agree to this?’ Mind-Katara jeered loudly. ‘You know what, you’re a freak. This is over. Don’t come near me again.’

‘But we’re best friends!’ Mind-Zuko protested pathetically.

‘Ha! Like I would ever waste my time with you! You’re not worth even being my friend.’

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Katara was not Mind-Katara. Mind-Katara was a figment of his imagination, a cruel mistress dreamed up by his even crueller psyche. The Katara he loved was sweet, caring, intelligent, and fiercely loyal to the point that most of her softer qualities were blasted away when someone she cared about was hurt or threatened. Zuko knew that from personal experience. He was glad to be on the other side of that boundary now. He rubbed the back of his head nervously as he approached the restaurant. Katara had found him and confirmed which one it was after having spoken to Suki and Sokka. His Katara (not that Zuko thought of her as his, just that she wasn’t Mind-Katara) had smiled widely at him and pulled him in for a hug before returning to her room to get ready. Zuko hoped she wasn’t just trying to avoid hurting his feelings…but surely if that was true, she wouldn’t have agreed to go out with him so enthusiastically. They were going to a public place – a place she had chosen – where there would be people around. ‘That is the definition of a public place,’ Zuko berated himself.

“Zuko?” He snapped out of his thoughts, turned to face her, and promptly froze. He couldn’t help but gape in a very undignified, un-Fire Lord-like manner as he took her in. Katara had followed Suki’s rather forceful advice and ‘elected’ to wear the crimson dress Suki had fawned over. (Sokka, in typical older-brother fashion, hadn’t even noticed.) Her gorgeous chestnut-coloured hair flowed freely down her back and was neatly styled with a Fire Nation bun at the back of her head. He had seen her with her hair like that almost every day since they had arrived, but she looked so much more dazzling in this moment. “Are you okay?” she asked him, raising an eyebrow quizzically. Zuko realised he hadn’t said anything for several moments.

“Katara, you look…breathtaking.” She blushed and smiled shyly, averting her gaze.

“I’m glad you like it,” she told him. “You look pretty damn handsome yourself, Fire Lord Zuko.” Her face suddenly fell as she realised her mistake. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t call you that here.”

“That’s probably for the best, but it’s okay,” he reassured her, and offered her his arm. She smiled in relief and rested her hand in the crook of his elbow and they walked into the restaurant, both of their hearts racing. Katara had a slightly better façade than Zuko, but her own nerves were engaging in a particularly acrobatic display of somersaults and flips. There was something she should probably tell Zuko now, she knew, to save (or at least explain) any awkwardness on her part for the evening.

No sooner than they had crossed the threshold of the restaurant, a woman who introduced herself as the owner greeted them and ushered them upstairs to a private dining space, where an intimate table for two had been set up by a window overlooking a small vegetable garden. After his earlier conversation with his uncle, Iroh had ventured into town and made the request on his behalf. Zuko hoped Katara didn’t mind. He hadn’t been recognised by too many people at the festival, but he didn’t want to risk anything disturbing their time together.

“I…hope it’s okay that we’re not eating with everyone else,” he ventured uncertainly.

“Of course,” Katara smiled. “I get it.” She wanted Zuko to be comfortable too. And if privacy helped him relax, Katara was more than happy to go along with that. She imagined that this was just one of the quirks of dating the Fire Lord. And as it hit her that she was indeed out on a date with the Fire Lord, she fought to suppress a nervous giggle, but luckily Zuko didn’t seem to notice. Despite the number of times she had taken to calling him that, she still just thought of him as Zuko.

Zuko patted his pocket as they sat down. The box containing the hairpin he had bought for her at the festival was still there. He knew it would be, but he had an irrational fear he had left it behind or it had somehow managed to vault out during his walk here. He couldn’t logically explain why it had taken him this long to gift it to her. Tonight just seemed appropriate, given the situation.

After the waiter brought them their drinks and took their food order, Katara nervously regarded the firebender sat opposite her. He looked nervous too, she remarked. Hopefully her small confession wouldn’t make him feel more ill at ease.

“Zuko, I have something to tell you,” she began. Zuko nodded to show he was listening. “I’ve…never actually…been on a date before. So I’m not exactly sure what to expect.” Zuko started. This was Katara’s first ever date? How was that even possible?

“Wait, so you and Aang never…?” The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He groaned internally. This was a good start.

“Not really,” Katara replied, completely unperturbed by the mention of her ex-boyfriend. “I mean, unless you count me cooking dinner for us both, or having parties with the air acolytes as dates.” That was…strangely comforting news for Zuko. If there was anything that Zuko knew he was capable of, it was stepping up when it was required of him. He could do this. He didn’t have much experience himself in this regard, but he had some. As long as Katara was happy, they could explore it together. He made a mental note to berate Aang when he next saw him though. He was liking the sound of the relationship he and Katara had shared less and less. What exactly had Aang ever done to make Katara feel special and cherished, rather than just a pretty, occasionally useful ornament at his side?

“Well, that’s okay,” Zuko told her, and smiled reassuringly at her. “To be honest, I haven’t been on many myself. And somehow both of them involved a demonstration of circus skills…” Katara laughed at his revelation. This was good. She felt calmer already. Perhaps all that time he had spent with Iroh had rubbed off on him more than he had realised.

“I have to ask, how is that possible?” she grinned. “I don’t know much about dating, but I didn’t think that was a regular part of it.”

“I’m told that it’s not,” Zuko confirmed, returning her grin. “It just seems to be a specialty of mine.”

Katara giggled again. “Well, we could always go three for three if you wanted?” she suggested teasingly. Zuko pretended to scowl at her, then shook his head, smiling. “Fair enough. But, if you don’t mind me asking…well, I guess I just thought you and Mai would have…” she trailed off. Should she be bringing up his ex-girlfriend on a date? Something within her told her she shouldn’t. But Zuko didn’t seem to mind.

“We never really went out,” he explained. “I barely left the Palace to be honest.” Katara nodded. “And, uh, I was a little worried they would end up like the first date I went on with Mai,” he joked.

“Oh, what happened?”

Zuko explained that his dinner with Mai had been a plot by Azula and Ty Lee, and that they had had the bad luck to bump into Jin. Mai had then decided to demonstrate her knife-throwing skills, and launched an icicle at a fish placed on Zuko’s head. Zuko had ended up falling into the fountain, which Mai had considered ‘payback’ from when they were children. As he told the story, the smile fell off Katara’s face and her expression slowly turned more and more troubled.

“She…threw an icicle at you?” Katara was shocked. Had Zuko been okay with that? Had Mai even asked him? He could have been seriously hurt! Granted, Mai was renowned for never missing her mark, but still. “That sounds kinda messed up, Zuko,” she said, her eyes full on concern. Zuko froze. Great. He had ruined it. Why hadn’t he just kept his mouth shut? “Were you okay?” she asked him, reaching out and taking one of his hands in hers.

“Yeah, I was fine,” he nodded, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Heh, I probably deserved it.”

“I don’t think you did,” she told him gently, squeezing back. “But I promise our date won’t end like that. Well, not the icicle part anyway. I’m less sure about the fountain. I am a waterbender after all…” She grinned mischievously at him. Zuko couldn’t help but return it. He could feel the tension in his shoulders dissipating. Katara had that effect on him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I pull you in with me,” he joked.

“Fire Lord Zuko!” Katara quietly gasped in mock-outrage. “Is that any way to treat a lady?”

“That depends on if the lady was the one who pushed me in,” Zuko countered. Katara laughed again.

“That’s a fair point,” she conceded. She thought for a moment. “Is it wrong that I actually think that sounds kinda fun?”

“Not wrong,” Zuko chuckled. “Just…very you.”

“Really?” she said in surprise. “Honestly, I never thought of myself as a fun person to be around.”

“Of course you are. Besides, think about who you’re talking to.”

“That’s crazy, I have a great time with you.”

“And I have a great time with you,” he smiled at her. “That’s what matters.”

“That’s…really sweet. Thank you, Zuko,” Katara said in a mixture of appreciation and surprise. She felt a surge of affection for Zuko pass through her again. But this one felt different, deeper. There was more to this sensation than simply affection. But Katara didn’t have time to dwell on it as their food arrived, and they both tucked in hungrily.

After they finished their meal, neither Katara nor Zuko had any inclination to return to the house. He couldn’t believe his luck at how well tonight was going. There had been no awkward silences, and Katara was just as affectionate as ever. He questioned why it had taken him so long to pluck up the courage to ask her.

In the back of Zuko’s mind, he knew there was another question he wanted to ask her, but he wasn’t sure if this was the right time. Katara really seemed to be enjoying herself, and he didn’t want to put any undue pressure on her and spoil the evening. No, he decided, it could wait.

They began to wander through the town together. As they walked, Zuko’s hand found Katara’s and he intertwined their fingers, sending a pleasant jolt through both of their stomachs. They had held hands plenty of times before, but now there was a tantalising whisper of potential behind this simple action. It meant something. Katara squeezed his fingers affectionately as she broke out into a wide grin. For her, the leap they had made from friends to…whatever they were now felt so natural. Like it didn’t make sense for her to be doing this with anyone else. It was just right.

When Katara spotted the fountain in the centre of the main square, she nudged Zuko and raised her eyebrows suggestively. Zuko tried his best to scowl at her but it was impossible. That mischievous beam on her face was so endearing. It wasn’t something anyone had seen very often from Katara. He supposed it had been because, for the first time, Katara was free to just be free. As much as he admired how much she cared about people, he had seen first-hand that she could sometimes be too caring for her own good.

****

“This has been such a great night, Zuko,” Katara said softly as they lay side-by-side atop one of the cliffs a short while later. They had been on their way back to the house before becoming distracted by the night sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight, and the stars twinkled mesmerisingly above them. They had accidentally taken to just lying back and gazing at the cosmos on one of their many walks with Iroh, and neither had been able to resist doing so again. Especially now that it was just the two of them...

“It really has,” he agreed. He squeezed her hand lovingly.

“I, uh, hope I didn’t make it too awkward at the beginning. When I said this was my first date.”

“Not at all,” he reassured her. “I’m glad you told me.”

Katara rolled onto her side to face him, and she sighed contentedly. Zuko really was incredible. She questioned how it had taken her so long to see it, to see the real him. But she quickly brushed that aside. She saw him now, and her feelings for him were only growing deeper and deeper with each passing day. Feeling blissful, she slowly inched towards him until she captured his lips with hers. She placed a hand on the back of his head and gently ran her fingers through his hair. In response, Zuko wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer as he deepened the kiss between them. Katara was beginning to feel the familiar sensation of desire that sparked each time she had given in to her fantasies. A fire was lit deep within her, and she couldn’t believe her luck that this wasn’t all in her head. This was real, it was actually happening. And, oh, she was so glad it was. Reality had a tendency to fall short of what she longed for in her heart, but not here, with Zuko.

“I, uh, got you something,” Zuko said when they pulled away. He sat up and reached into his pocket and presented her with the box he had kept cradled there all night. His heart began to pound in his head. He hoped she liked it. He hoped she didn’t get the wrong idea.

Sitting up herself, Katara took it from him curiously. “Zuko, you didn’t have to-”

“I just saw it and thought of you.”

Katara let out a small nervous laugh. She tentatively opened the box and gasped when she saw the hairpin. It was stunning, and blue topaz stone glinted exquisitely in the moonlight. “Zuko, I can’t…thank you! I love it. But you really didn’t have to get me anything,” Katara babbled. Zuko didn’t say anything. “But I said that already. Thank you so much. I actually got something for you, too, but it’s back at the house. I was going to give everyone a little something when we all left.”

“Give it to me then,” Zuko said earnestly. He took the pin from the box and motioned for Katara to turn around. He carefully placed it in her hair, and fastened it.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“It looks beautiful on you,” he assured her. She turned back around to face him. As he lost himself in the deep blue ocean of her eyes, the words just fell out of his mouth. “You look beautiful tonight. No, that’s not right.” Katara raised her eyebrows. “You are beautiful.” He reached out and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers, unable to resist touching her. Katara couldn’t help the near-silent purr at the gesture.

“You’re pretty damn beautiful yourself, Zuko,” she whispered. She wanted to kiss him again, badly. And that was exactly what she did. Her heart pounded as she drew close and pressed her lips tenderly against his. They wrapped their arms around each other, and Katara pulled herself flush against him, soaking up the warmth of his chest. She parted her lips slightly, an invitation. She moaned softly as his tongue brushed against hers, and the rest of the world fell away once more as they became lost in each other.

It may have been the first and only real date Katara had ever been on, but as she lay in bed later that night, happily reminiscing, she could confidently say that it was also liable to be the best. Zuko, for his part, did confidently say to his uncle that it had been the best date he’d ever had. He had also asked Katara if she would like to go out with him on another date, and had been heartened that she had very excitedly agreed. He wasn’t often one to get so ahead of himself, especially in romance, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this could be real. His feelings for her certainly were.

Katara realised as she was drifting off that she hadn’t gotten around to telling Zuko about her plans to stay in the Fire Nation for a while longer after their vacation. She chuckled lightly to herself. No matter. It just meant she still had that to look forward to. She couldn’t wait to see his face.

Notes:

Another chapter done! Thank you so much to everyone who commented, left kudos and bookmarked the story.

Parts of Katara's reflecting on the South Pole was drawn from the 'North and South' comic. Zuko's first date with Mai was directly lifted from one of the other comics (it's either Tales of Team Avatar or The Lost Tales or something along those lines). I didn't want it to come across as just Mai-bashing, but that is literally what happened in the canon.

What with work and having two stories on the go, plus Christmas coming up for me, it's difficult to say when the next chapter will be up. I have every intention of uploading it before the New Year (the Western New Year, that is) and parts of it are already written, so fingers crossed! Until next time, lovelies!

Chapter 11: Bliss and Nostalgia

Summary:

Katara and Zuko have a talk about the future of their newfound closeness; and the group enjoy a night under the stars for old times' sake

Notes:

Hi guys. Wow...it's been nearly two months... I am so, SO sorry. I'm usually much more disciplined than this with my updates (or, at least I think I have been so far) and this is frankly shocking. It's partly my own fault, since I got caught up with my other story, but also, if I'm being completely honest, the state of the world right now and these constant bloody lockdowns has meant I found it quite difficult to get into the right mindset for writing fluff. That said, I am very happy with this chapter, and to make up for the long wait, it is longer than my usual chapters for 'Embers' and, uh, let's just say things get a bit "steamy" at one point (not that kind of steamy, this is rated "T" after all)!

Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

There was only just over a week left before their stay on Ember Island would be over, and for everyone, it felt like the ending was coming sooner than expected. It didn’t seem to dim anyone’s mood, however. Iroh was honestly anxious to get back to his tea shop, even if it would be without his ‘apprentice’. Toph, though she would never admit it to their faces, missed her lily-livers. Everyone knew this was code for ‘bossing people around’. Suki and Sokka were both looking forward to starting their new adventure together, even if it did mean – ironically – the preparation took them away from each other during their vacation. Sokka had written to Hakoda to confirm he accepted the position of ambassador, and had gone down to breakfast one morning to be greeted by an unfairly gleeful-looking Zuko together with a pile of ‘vital documents’ that Sokka ‘had to familiarise himself with’ before he returned to the Fire Nation capital to take up the job. Zuko’s somewhat sadistic pleasure at Sokka’s rude awakening was quickly tempered, however, by a startling amount of ‘urgent matters’ from his councillors which they had collectively decided to send all at once, including preparing for the arrival of Ambassador Sokka (a title which Sokka loved to flaunt in the faces of anyone who would listen). Because of that, there were some days the two holed themselves up in Zuko’s room to try and work in peace, as some of their work overlapped in any event.

Suki and Katara, for their part, had begun running training drills in the courtyard. As Katara had next to no experience with non-bending combat, this was a good opportunity to help Suki brush up on her teaching before she greeted her new recruits in the capital. Sometimes Kiyi ran in to join them for their warm-up exercises, but was always called back by her parents before any actual sparring began. Nothing Katara owned was really suitable for hand-to-hand combat, however, save for her Water Tribe garb. Suki suggested that they go shopping. They would probably all want matching uniforms for training anyway, so they decided to make a day of it, and came back with simple red tunics and black cropped trousers which was much more suitable for the Fire Nation heat. Much to Sokka’s chagrin, it was on a day he had promised to help Zuko with plans for the embassy. Fortunately, there was no need to build a new structure as there were still some vacant residences that had once belonged to honoured war generals in the vicinity of the Royal Palace and Zuko offered one for Sokka and the Southern Water Tribe to utilise as the embassy. He also offered a separate one to Suki, for propriety’s sake since they weren’t yet married, but Suki simply shot him a look that made it very clear it wouldn’t be needed.

As always, Sokka wilted when Suki modelled her new outfit. It took all of Zuko’s resolve not to wilt, too, when he saw Katara. He didn’t know why, but the sight of Katara in that simple outfit stirred something very…inappropriate in him. As gorgeous as she looked in blue, red just…suited her.

To Katara’s mind, the tunic was a bit too small. While it flowed nicely down Suki’s lithe form, the material clung to Katara’s more curvaceous figure, especially around her hips and they stuck out prominently from her slender waist. This wasn’t at all unusual within the Water Tribe, but Fire Nation women weren’t built like Water Tribe women, it seemed. But for all that the tunic was still very comfortable and she had plenty of room to move around during training. As far as Zuko was concerned, the tunic fit her perfectly.

“That…looks really good on you,” was all he was able to utter when he saw her, unable to stop himself from blushing furiously like a lovelorn teenager. “On both of you!” he added hurriedly as Suki stood by Katara. The questioning looks Suki and Sokka gave him did nothing to help his predicament, and he quickly fumbled around for an excuse to leave. But not before he caught one last look at Katara. She beamed at him happily, but beneath that he caught the edges of a slight smirk. Zuko knew then that he would have to try and catch her after she had finished training one afternoon. See if they could sneak off together, and he could let her know just how good he thought that outfit looked on her.

With Katara’s enthusiastic encouragement, Zuko had begun getting much bolder with his affections towards her. It wasn’t totally unknown for Zuko to just grab her and kiss her when she wasn’t expecting it, like she had done to him on a few occasions. In fact, it had been Katara who – after one particularly heated embrace – mentioned that if Zuko ever wanted to do that to her, it would only be ‘fair’. Zuko didn’t need telling twice. And he very much wanted to do it again.

Zuko remembered with a fond smile when Katara had told him she would be staying in the Fire Nation to help Suki. She had acted very coy about it at first. Seeing it as it was the morning after their first date, Zuko had been worried that she was going to tell him she regretted everything and wanted nothing more to do with him, not even as her friend.

They had been out for a walk, just the two of them, when Katara had turned him, her face wearing an unusually serious expression:

“Zuko…” Katara began, fighting to keep the grin off her face. “I have something to tell you.”

Beside her, she felt Zuko stiffen, and his hand unconsciously grasped hers just a little bit tighter. Katara looked up at Zuko in concern, but before she could even open her mouth, Zuko spoke. “Is…this about last night?”

“No,” Katara assured him, smiling. “Don’t you worry about that. I had a great time! I hope you did, too.” As his system flooded with relief, Zuko could only smile back and nod in response. Katara beamed at him. “Well, that’s good,” she began enigmatically. “Because…I’m afraid you’re going to have to put up with me a little longer after the vacation.”

“Oh, is Master Katara finally gracing me with a visit?” Zuko smirked. “I’m honoured.”

“So you damn well should be!” Katara laughed, squeezing his hand affectionately. “No, actually, Suki invited me to help her recruit and train the new Warriors. And since we’ll be in the capital, obviously I’ll have to give Sokka a hard time,” she smirked playfully. “And, maybe, come and see you? That is, of course, if the great Fire Lord Zuko can fit me in.”

“I…I’ll have to check my schedule.”

Though Zuko thought he had done an admirable job of playing it cool (at first), inside, he had been utterly beside himself. He couldn’t believe it! Katara was staying! He had a good mind to give Suki a massive raise for making the suggestion because, really, it was perfect. Katara had something she wanted to do, that would give her a purpose, that would give her a name of her own making, not just as someone’s companion or waterbending teacher. She had confided in him a few times about how much that had irked her on occasion. True, he wouldn’t be able to see her while she was travelling around the Fire Nation, but he wouldn’t have been able to anyway when the vacation was over. Katara would either have struck out on her own, returned to Ba Sing Se with Uncle, or gone back to the South Pole. But if some of the towns they visited just happened to be in need of a Fire Lord pep talk for some reason, he was sure he could find an excuse to go along for a day or two. For the sake of his people, of course.

It had only taken a moment of Katara pouting at him before he had broken out into a wide grin of his own. Not able to help himself, he just lifted Katara up in his arms and made it clear to her just how beside himself he was about her news. It had left Katara gasping, and once he lowered her back onto the sand, she quickly spun him around and pushed him against the cliff wall to return the favour.

He hoped they could keep doing this when they all returned to the capital. Only he hoped that by then…he would be able to call Katara his girlfriend.

****

“You’re killing me here, Suki!” Katara panted as they finished another vigorous training session. Their training regime had started off with breathing exercises and forms, but with the improvement Katara had shown, Suki pressed her into actual combat quite early on. Suki was a fierce opponent, and on more than one occasion, Katara lost sight of what they were doing and instinctively used waterbending to defend herself. When that happened, Suki jokingly offered to chi-block her to make it more authentic. Katara respectfully declined.

Suki laughed kindly at her. “You’re really getting the hang of it, though,” she pointed out. “I wouldn’t be pushing you so hard if I didn’t think you could do it.”

Katara took a moment to answer as she gulped thirstily from her waterskin. Despite the thin fabric of her tunic, she was still drenched in sweat. She would need to bathe before dinner that evening. For now, she made do with tipping the waterskin up and pouring the contents over herself. She shuddered as the sudden cold covered her from head to toe, but it did feel a lot better.

“Any chance you could have a little less faith in me next time?” Katara groaned.

“Nope, sorry,” Suki retorted, grinning. “You coming to get changed?”

“Not yet,” Katara replied. “My muscles are killing me. I’m going to do a little yoga first.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Suki remarked. Her muscles felt fine and the stretches she had led Katara through after they finished sparring had been enough for her. But Katara had raised a good point. Katara was already in excellent shape of course, but non-bending combat was a different style from waterbending, and worked different muscles. It was certainly possible that some, or all, of the new recruits may experience the same struggle. An idea suddenly struck Suki. “Hey, you know, for as long as you stick around, maybe we could have yoga as part of training? You could lead us. If it helps you, I’m sure it’ll help the new recruits, too.” Katara nodded enthusiastically in agreement

“Definitely!” she said, bending into her first pose.

Satisfied, Suki went back inside. “Hey, Zuko,” she greeted as she passed him. Katara paused for a moment, but then smirked. It was only a matter of time before the firebender’s curiosity got the better of him, she supposed. She was surprised she hadn’t spotted him watching them before, but then again, Sokka had been taking up a lot of his time recently. Katara would have been jealous were it not for the attention and affection Zuko unfailingly lavished her with when they did find themselves alone.

Katara could get up and go and greet him herself. She could do that…but it would be more fun to toy with him first, or at least give him a show. Let Zuko come to her if he wanted her. ‘Toph is a bad influence on me,’ she thought, smirking to herself as she shifted into another pose.

When she finished and turned to face him, she noticed that he was trembling slightly. He really did seem to find her irresistible at the moment. He himself was dressed in his own burgundy tunic with a dark brown vest lined with gold, and burgundy trousers with black boots. It was the same outfit she had gotten used to seeing him in during their travels and during their stay on Ember Island. She liked it as much on him as he seemed to like that tunic on her.

“Do you want to…go for a walk before dinner?” he asked as he approached.

“Sure,” Katara nodded. “Shall I get the others?” she teased.

“I…I meant just us.”

“Just us?” Katara gasped in mock outrage. “Fire Lord Zuko,” she drawled, “I hope you don’t have any dishonourable intentions.” Zuko smirked at her. He knew this game by now. And he knew how she liked him to respond. He pulled her towards him and pressed his lips to her ear.

“Would it be a problem if I did?” he whispered. Katara purred despite herself and bit her lower lip. His words, and that hushed tone…it lit a small fire within her.

“Not at all,” she replied simply, pulling away from him and taking hold of his hand. She turned on her heel and ran off into the forest, giggling. Zuko eagerly kept pace with her. They had formed a habit of ‘going for walks in the forest’ when they wanted to be alone before everyone else had gone to bed. They still hadn’t told anyone what was going on between them. If Katara was being honest, part of her loved the secrecy and the sneaking around. She savoured the anticipation she felt when they were on the verge of being alone, and she loved making the most of any opportunity when she could finally give in to her desires. It was exhilarating. But, if she was going to be staying in the Fire Nation for the time being (and she had no intention of putting a stop to their newfound closeness, as long as Zuko wanted that, too), they would need to talk about it, she knew. And if they did decide to become more serious, it made more sense to tell the people they cared about before the vacation bubble burst and reality seeped back in, calling them to their respective duties. She imagined Sokka might faint from the initial shock of it, but he would get over it quickly. Toph probably knew already, because she was Toph, and she couldn’t imagine Suki being anything other than happy for them. It was Zuko’s family she was most nervous about breaking the news to, to be honest. If there was any news to break, that was.

Katara turned to face him as they came to a stop, and Zuko was on her in an instant. He cupped her face with his hands and his lips came crashing down on hers in a stroke of passion that ignited another fire within Katara. She placed her hands on his waist and slowly led Zuko backwards, guiding them towards a tree. He took the hint, and pressed her up against it, which elicited a deep moan from her. She bit her lip again as she broke the kiss and stared into his amber eyes. They looked…hungry and full of desire. Hungry for her. Desire…for her. It was too much for Katara. She brought her hands up to his neck and pulled him back down as his hands started roaming her upper body. He brushed his tongue against her lower lip, and as she let him in, she heard him groan. He pressed her more firmly against the tree, pinning her with his body. It stoked the already intense heat within her, and in response she lifted a leg and hooked it around his waist. Zuko groaned against her lips. Did she have any idea what she did to him?

He moved away from her lips and began kissing her tenderly along her jawline. He could hear Katara’s breathing quicken, and, encouraged, he went lower and planted kisses along her neck. Katara gasped as the fire within her flickered and began burning more brightly. She didn’t want him to stop at her neck. She didn’t want him to stop at all.

But she knew he wouldn’t go further. Zuko was a perfect gentleman in that sense, and he wouldn’t go any further than what she explicitly made clear to him was okay.

His hand teased her hip and began sliding back up her body. In tandem, he moved away from her neck, much to Katara’s disappointment, but this quickly dissipated when he captured her lips with his again. She felt his hand stop halfway up, just to the side of her chest. He was asking for permission, she knew. She broke their kiss again. The almost wild look in her eyes confirmed just how much she wanted him to. She nodded at him as she bit her lip again. A loud gasp sounded from her lips as he cupper her breast, massaging it gently and swiping his thumb over her nipple through her tunic, and the fire within Katara turned up the heat once more.

His touch left her breathless. What was he doing to her? She wasn’t sure if she was completely ready to be intimate with Zuko, but she did presently harbour an irrational resentment for the layers of fabric that lay between them. The last time she had been intimate with anyone, she had been drinking before they stumbled back to his rooms. She had wanted it, she remembered – Larnak had done nothing to make her feel pressured and she had willingly gone with him (she might have led him, now that she thought about it). Katara didn’t regret the experience, but she did learn that casual, uninvolved encounters really weren’t her thing. It had been easier with Larnak because he had just been a handsome man who reminded her of home. She hadn’t seen him again after hastily dressing and returning to The Jasmine Dragon the morning after, and that had suited both of them just fine. But Zuko was different. She liked Zuko, a lot, and she really cared about him. Even before they had started sharing these secret moments of bliss, she knew she cared for him and wanted to be with him more than just as her best friend. Casual and uninvolved was not how she ever wanted to think of Zuko. She was confident that Zuko felt the same…but reality didn’t always grant their heart’s desires.

It was agony when Zuko finally pulled away. She leaned back against the tree, her legs trembling slightly.

“Why would you do that to me…right before dinner?” Katara panted. He chuckled.

“Maybe I just wanted you to know how you make me feel all the time,” he teased. Her ensuing laugh was full of mirth. Part of her still couldn’t believe this was all happening. But by the spirits, she was glad it was. He evoked something just as primal and lustful in her as she did in him, and it was delicious.

But what was so good about their whatever-this-was was that they were still best friends. In company, they could talk and muse and debate just as they used to. Sometimes even when they were alone, they did nothing but snuggle up together and enjoy those same deep conversations as when everything had been strictly platonic between them. Cuddling up to Zuko had fast become one of Katara’s favourite pastimes to while away a quiet evening. Especially when they were outside. The moment a cool breeze wafted over them and Katara shivered, he would wrap his arms around her and pull her flush against his chest. Being a firebender, he was always so warm. If they ever went to the South Pole together again, Katara had a feeling she wouldn’t need the furs that typically lined their beds if she had Zuko with her. The thought of lying next to him and falling asleep in each other’s arms…it overwhelmed her a bit. A rush of emotion flooded through her without warning and she tugged him towards her. Their arms instinctively closed around each other and she nuzzled into his chest, breathing in his scent with a contented sigh. Katara loved that she got to do that. She loved all of it. Zuko was…incredible. He was an incredible kisser, he gave incredible hugs, could hold fantastic conversation when it was just the two of them and she couldn’t remember the last time she had just sat back and laughed so much and so freely. She knew that not all of her current state of peacefulness should be attributed to Zuko, but damn he just made it so easy! She just hoped that…they could be together. Zuko wasn’t the type to just lure someone in for a fling only to then discard them later, she felt safe in that, but…

Was that going to be a problem? Zuko wasn’t just a man from the Fire Nation fooling around with an exotic Water Tribeswoman. He was the Fire Lord. Would his people even accept Zuko courting someone from outside of their country? Weren’t there certain expectations of him? She doubted taking on a foreigner as his Fire Lady (not that they were even thinking about marriage yet, but still) would be part of it… But surely not. Zuko must have thought about this. Zuko had a tendency to overthink everything, after all. He must have already considered that and assessed that it wouldn’t be a barrier to them being together.

But this was why they needed to talk. So Katara, and Zuko, could be certain what this was and where they wanted to go with it.

Zuko, meanwhile, was also steeling himself. He loved what they were doing, too, he really did…but he didn’t want to just fool around. Katara meant more to him than that. He hoped she knew that. He wanted to be with Katara, and not just in secret, as invigorating as that was. It felt so naughty and very un-Fire Lord-like. It was something he had missed out on when he was in his teenage years, and the thought that he was doing something he shouldn’t spurred him on at times. But Zuko’s feelings for the woman in front of him had never just been physical. There had always been more to it. He was in love with her. He loved Katara and everything about her with all of his heart. And he wanted to be able to show her that with something other than stolen kisses, as wonderful as they felt.

He took a deep breath and reluctantly pulled away from her. “Katara?” he said shyly, just as Katara uttered his name equally shyly. They grinned at each other, and Zuko gestured for her to go first.

“I…um…” Katara stammered uncertainly. She really wasn’t sure what to actually say, now that the moment was here. Unlike when she had been ready to confess her initial feelings for Zuko, she didn’t have a speech planned. It wasn’t something she had been obsessing over constantly, it had just been a seed of doubt niggling at the back of her mind, growing louder and more demanding of her attention as the vacation’s end grew ever larger in their sights. They only had a week left now. Zuko had seemed very happy when he’d found out she would be staying in the Fire Nation for a while, but then again, he had spent the last four years being, sadly, isolated from his friends (other than Suki’s rotation, of course) because they had all drifted off to fulfil their own duties and begin rebuilding the world. Now said duties happened to be bringing most of them a lot closer together. Of course he had been excited. She was his best friend, too. And that was fine. No matter how this conversation went, Katara’s feelings in that respect wouldn’t change. She wouldn’t let them. She would still be there for him, whether he needed someone to water-whip his councillors into shape or he just wanted someone to talk to.

She looked up at him and nodded resolutely to herself. She could do this. She had helped end a war, for spirits’ sake! She could tell a man that she wanted to be with him. “We still haven’t…really talked about what this all means,” she ventured. Zuko nodded in agreement. Strangely, he considered, this was what he had wanted to bring up as well. “And, well, I know what I want, but…” she trailed off. She just had to come out and say it, she told herself, and then it all spilled out of her in a rush. “I can’t do casual, Zuko. I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s just not me and if all this can be is a fling, then I think we should stop now. Before either of us gets hurt.”

Zuko blinked in surprise, and he withdrew his arms from her waist to instead take a gentle hold of her hands. Was that what she wanted? Did she want to stop? A sharp, painful pang echoed across his chest just at the thought. But if that was what she wanted, he had to respect it…but why on earth would she think that this was just casual? Had he not been clear enough?

“Why would you think this has to just be a fling?” he asked her quietly.

“Well, you know, you’re the Fire Lord,” Katara replied. “I’m sure there’s probably some tradition against you marrying someone like me – uh, not that I’m suggesting you’ll even want to but…ugh, damn I really screwed this up,” she berated herself, running a hand down her face.

“You think me being Fire Lord means I wouldn’t want to be with you?”

“I’m not saying you wouldn’t want to,” Katara clarified. “Just that…you know. I’m not Fire Nation, I’m not even a noble.”

“Katara…you said it yourself,” Zuko told her gently. “I’m the Fire Lord. I can be with whoever I choose to be. Even my councillors don’t get to make that decision for me.” He sighed softly. “And even if there was a law like that, it would have come from my great-grandfather. It was thanks to him that the world burned for over a century – I’m not going to pay any attention to what he wanted for the future.” He said it lightly, almost smiling, and Katara could see he had a point. She smiled back up at him, a pleasant sensation of hope pooling around her heart. “What matters is what we want,” he assured her. Katara nodded in understanding.

“And…what is it that you do want?” she asked him nervously.

“I…well, I really care about you,” he began, realising that the spotlight had now flipped onto him. Right, now he had to find a way to actually say words to express how he felt. He didn’t feel that was his strong suit, even around Katara…but he could do this. He may never be able to compose an epic poem declaring his undying yearning for his one true love that would be passed down through the centuries like in romance scrolls, but he could tell this woman how he felt and speak from the heart.

Katara smiled up at him, and gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. “I really care about you, too,” she told him.

Zuko couldn’t help the adorably shy smile that graced his features. “Good,” he muttered. “I mean, thanks! I mean…” he groaned. Katara couldn’t help but giggle at him. “I’m being a dork again, aren’t I?” he sighed.

“A little,” Katara nodded. “But I think it’s cute.”

Zuko frowned. “I’m not sure if I like you calling me cute.”

Katara raised her eyebrows. “Then stop being so damn cute,” she said pointedly. Zuko attempted to scowl at her, but soon wilted as Katara leaned in and pressed her lips to his scarred cheek. Zuko sighed at himself. Fire Lords weren’t supposed to wilt. Fire Lords were supposed to remain stoic and composed at all times, even if the woman they loved did know just what to do to make them feel better. He decisively blamed Sokka for this reaction. He had clearly spent too much time around the Water Tribesman, who was well-known throughout their friendship group for being reduced to a puddle any time Suki so much as looked at him. But in his heart, Zuko didn’t mind. Katara just had that effect on him, and it was just another thing he loved about her.

“I know what I want, too, Katara. There is no pressure and you can absolutely say no. But I just wanted to ask.” Katara nodded, prompting him to continue. “How would you feel if…I…started calling you my, uh…girlfriend?” He murmured the last word so quietly that Katara strained to hear him. Had…had he just said what she thought he had?

“You want me to be your girlfriend?” she asked.

Zuko nodded nervously. “That would be a much more concise way of saying it, yes.” Katara giggled at his words, and threw her arms around his neck.

“Oh, thank the spirits!” she sighed into his shoulder. “I…I want that, too. But Zuko, I just have to check – I know you said you’re allowed to choose, but are you sure me being your girlfriend won’t just create a whole mess of problems for you?”

“Yes,” he said kindly. “This is what I want and, as long as it’s what you want too, I really can’t see any issues with us being together. I have thought this through, Katara. I promise.” Katara smirked knowingly back at him, thinking of Iroh’s many, many anecdotes of when Zuko had done the exact opposite and only wound up more bitter and frustrated when it didn’t go the way he wanted it to. As if he read her mind, Zuko sighed. “You shouldn’t believe everything my uncle tells you, you know.” Katara couldn’t help but giggle at that.

“Oh really? I seem to recall being told that someone thought it would be a good idea to hide a freaking sky bison in an apartment in the Lower Ring,” she pointed out, barely able to conceal her laughter. “Now, remind who that was…I forget…” Zuko scowled playfully at her, but on the other hand, he was relieved she could bring his past up so casually. He had apologised wholeheartedly for everything he had done, and he understood that the people he was proud to be able to call his friends had somehow forgiven him for all of it, but it still brought a bitter taste into his mouth to think about it. But Katara didn’t seem to be concerned with that. For her, it was done. For her, it was just a good way to prove her point that Zuko, for all of his determination, hadn’t been the best strategist in the past.

“Yeah,” Zuko sighed, unable to deny it. “Uncle told me very clearly I couldn’t keep him."

“Probably a wise decision.”

“Hey, we had a courtyard,” Zuko shrugged. “And I would have gotten him some hay.”

“Well then I really will be lucky to have such a kind, thoughtful and merciful boyfriend,” Katara smiled at him. Zuko grinned smugly back at her. “Yeah, yeah, don’t let it get to your head.”

“I already have a crown, Katara. It’s too late for that.” Katara burst out laughing at that. The sound made Zuko feel warm inside. He liked it when she laughed. True, it was once again at his expense, but at least this time it had been his intention! But then he realised the full implications of what she’d just said… “Wait…does this mean-?”

“Yes,” Katara grinned at him, “I would love to be your girlfriend.” Zuko smiled back down at her as an overwhelming burst of happiness surged through him. Katara leaned up as he leaned down, moving her hands to cradle his face as he settled his on her hips, and they pressed their lips back together, firmly yet tenderly. Zuko’s hands quickly moved to her back and gently nudged her closer, holding her tight as she deepened the kiss between them. Spirits…how had he gotten so lucky? Who had he appeased to find himself right here, right now, with this breathtaking woman wanting him as much as he wanted her?

As they pulled away, Katara added, “Just so you know…even if we couldn’t be together, you’d still be my best friend,” she assured him, before smirking. “You wouldn’t have been able to get rid of me that easily.”

“Damn. I’ll have to try harder,” he joked. Katara snorted.

“I hope you’re not going to turn into an ungracious host, Fire Lord Zuko,” she teased, nipping his lower lip gently. “Or I’ll be forced to make a complaint to my ambassador.”

“Well, Master Katara,” he smirked back, “technically he’s not ambassador for another week. So…your move.” He looked down at her, grinning as Katara pouted in response. He had her there, she knew. “Besides, since when did Master Katara need someone to fight her battles for her?”

Katara nodded thoughtfully. “You make an excellent point, Fire Lord Zuko,” she conceded. “I can always kick your ass myself, you’re right.”

“And we’re back to threatening the Fire Lord…”

Actually, I think you’ll find I’m threatening my boyfriend,” Katara giggled, trying and failing to sound reproachful. “He just happens to be the Fire Lord.”

Zuko frowned in confusion. “I’m really not sure that makes it better…”

“Yeah, well, you’re stuck with me now. Deal with it.” Before Zuko could think up a witty retort, Katara leaned in and captured his lips once more, and any desire he may have had to have the last word instantly faded. He was indeed “stuck” with her now, after all. And if this was her way of dealing with it, Zuko was more than happy to play along.

****

The next day was a day everyone in their friendship group was very excited about. Seeing as the vacation was almost over, and they had already enjoyed more than a healthy heaping of nostalgia by all being together again for a few weeks, it was only a matter of time before someone suggested camping out under the stars for a night, ‘just like old times’. It didn’t surprise anyone that Sokka was the one to bring it up first. None of them had tents with them, but that was the great thing about having an earthbender in their group, and Toph had heartily agreed to construct them all earth-tents for the night. They also agreed to bring out the pillows and blankets from their own beds, and there was more than enough tarp left over from the renovations for them to use as ground mats.

Katara in particular had felt a huge wave of excitement crest over her when Sokka had first floated the idea to their group. Despite the circumstances at the time, travelling around with her brother and Aang, then later Toph, Zuko and Suki had been some of the best months of Katara’s life. They had been filled with such excitement and adventure, and there were times where it was so easy to forget that their quest was ultimately about stopping a tyrant from burning down the entire world, all because of the company they had kept. True, there had been teething problems with both Toph and Zuko, but Katara couldn’t imagine life without either of them in it now. Sokka, for all of his bluster and atrocious jokes, was noticeably different when he had someone like Toph around to bounce banter off, and Katara had grown extraordinarily fond of Toph since Ba Sing Se, when Toph had first allowed herself a moment of vulnerability around Katara. The older girl at the time had felt oddly pleased that she and Toph had reached such a stage in their friendship, and proud that she and Toph had worked together to show those snobby Upper Ring girls up. And Zuko was just Zuko, which Katara admitted she had been too stubborn to appreciate at first. Like Katara, he was more of a ‘responsible’ one in their group and it had at times felt like he was the only one she could count on to back her up when talking Sokka down from terrible ideas or getting Aang to focus on his training.

As they were packing, Zuko couldn’t begin to fathom why he had agreed to this. It was at Katara’s insistence that Zuko said he would join as well, assuring him that he didn’t have to drink anything he didn’t want to, they just wanted him around.

“You mean so I can babysit?” he had smirked, which set off a round of sniggers from his friends. He had then sighed dramatically. “Why can’t I say no to you?” he groaned, pretending to sulk, but no-one bought it for a moment.

“Aww, I had no idea you felt that way about me!” Sokka had gushed jokingly, slapping an arm around Zuko’s shoulders. “I mean, I know I can be very charming and persuasive, but-”

“I was actually talking to your sister, Sokka,” Zuko had pointed out drily, to more laughter from his friends and much pouting from Sokka.

To Katara’s credit, she had smiled so delightfully at him when Zuko caved, that he couldn’t help but return it. She had pulled him into a tight hug (and only a hug since they were in the presence of their friends at the time) and promised that she would look after him. Zuko was sceptical that he was the one who would need looking after but refrained from saying it. He had seen Katara under the influence of liquor once before (though according to Suki and Sokka, he had seen relatively-composed Katara, compared to the tavern at least).

“I told you tarp had different uses!” Sokka boasted triumphantly to Katara as she packed them. She rolled her eyes at him.

“I never said they didn’t, Sokka,” she reminded him.

“Nuh-uh, not true. You said it was stupid!”

“It is stupid to use them as a blanket when you’re camping normally,” Katara said. “But, we’ll have earth-tents so it’ll be fine even if it does rain.”

“It won’t rain,” Sokka said confidently, eyeing the deep blue and cloudless sky.

“At least if it does, we have a firebender now,” Toph added. Katara and Sokka couldn’t argue with that.

Once everything was packed, including a few bottles of firewine they had raided from Zuko’s drinks cabinet, they set off together through the forest. They were waved off by Iroh, who just shook his head at the ‘young ones’. Though he wasn’t judging – he imagined that if he was their age and this opportunity had come up, he would have jumped at it.

It was late-afternoon by the time they had finished setting up their camp for the night. Suki and Sokka decided that it took two of them to gather the firewood and they ran off into the forest together, giggling loudly, completely oblivious to the knowing stares of their companions.

“Subtle,” Toph remarked casually. Katara and Zuko both nodded wordlessly in response. As promised, Toph bent them all earth tents and Katara and Zuko set to work laying the tarps, blankets and pillows in each one. Sokka and Suki of course shared a tent, and Toph, Katara and Zuko each had their own, on the other side of the firepit from the young lovers. Toph made sure of that. Once her part was done, Toph bent herself a long, flat rock with a raised back and collapsed contentedly onto it, folding her arms up behind her head.

Zuko, though, was being unusually quiet as he finished off his task. Katara suspected she knew why. Now that they were officially a couple (another wave of excitement swept over her at the thought) came the part where they told everyone else. They had decided to tell their friends first. Zuko had nervously admitted his uncle already knew parts of it, having heard them from Zuko himself. Katara hadn’t minded in the least, and truthfully, she was glad that one member of his family already knew and (seemingly) approved. It was his mother she was worried about. She had gotten along with Ursa absolutely fine throughout their trip, but there was a difference between being introduced as Zuko’s friend and being introduced as her only son’s girlfriend. Her son who also happened to be the ruler of his nation…though there may ultimately turn out to be no need for Katara to fear, she nonetheless felt a weight of worry settle on her chest when she thought about it. Zuko had done his best to soothe and reassure her and pointed out that he was just as terrified about telling her father and grandmother. It was part of the reason they would tell their friends first. They were certain none of them would react badly to the news, and they saw it as test run of sorts.

“Toph, Zuko and I are just gonna get some water for tonight,” Katara suddenly announced. Zuko’s head snapped up in surprise. He frowned questioningly at Katara, but she only nodded at him pointedly before turning her attention back to Toph. “Will you be okay?”

“I’m sure I’ll manage,” Toph replied, her eyes closed. As her other two friends walked away, she snorted. “Like I said,” she muttered to herself, “subtle.”

****

“I didn’t think you’d need my help with the water,” Zuko voiced aloud, confused even as he walked hand in hand with Katara down to the small pond that they knew lay a short distance away from their camp.

“I don’t,” Katara replied breezily. “That was just a clever ruse to get you alone,” she smirked.

“You do realise we’re actually going to have to get water now?”

“Oh gee, I wonder how a waterbender will deal with that,” Katara laughed, stopping and wrapping her arms around his waist. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” she told him, smiling as they held each other like it was the most natural thing in the world. It certainly felt like it. “You’ve been a little quiet.”

“I’m always quiet,” Zuko pointed out.

“True, but I also think maybe you’re a little nervous?” Katara replied. “Zuko…if you’re not ready to tell them, we can wait.”

“Katara, you’re my girlfriend,” Zuko assured her firmly. “Believe me, I want everyone to know. I’m just a little…”

“Nervous?” Katara repeated. Zuko nodded sheepishly. “That’s okay. I get it, honey, I really do. You know I’m terrified about how your mother will take the news…”

“Katara, my mother adores you. Trust me, she’ll be fine.”

“And Sokka adores you,” Katara smiled. “Don’t get me wrong, he’ll probably pretend to be mad and do a whole big brother spiel, but you don’t need to take any notice of that.”

“And if Sokka is actually mad?”

“Then I’ll tell him to stop being such an idiot,” Katara promised. “And which do you think is likely to be scarier – me or Sokka?”

Zuko didn’t even need to think about that one. “Definitely you.”

“Is the correct answer,” Katara giggled. “Despite popular opinion, I’m not all sweetness and light.”

“Believe me, I know.”

“Hey!” Katara tapped him playfully on the shoulder.

“I was just agreeing with you,” Zuko retorted innocently. Katara shook her head at him, still giggling. Well, she couldn’t argue with that, she supposed. It wasn’t as if she was genuinely upset. They were just having a laugh like they had done since pretty much the very start of the vacation. Of course, a lot could change in the span of a few weeks… Out of habit, she swept her gaze over their surroundings quickly to make sure that no-one was around and then pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss. “I’m ready to tell them,” Zuko promised. “You just might have to do most of the talking.”

“I can handle that,” Katara smiled.

She took his hand back in hers and began leading him further up the path towards the pond. “Fetching water” may have been about as convincing a ruse as Suki and Sokka going to “collect firewood” together, but now that Katara thought about it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have some on hand, judging by the number of firewine bottles Sokka and Toph had insisted they needed. Katara was very much planning on joining in the revelries again. She considered warning Zuko that this may result in her dipping him for a kiss, like she had with Amorai in the tavern, but she suspected he already knew that was a possibility. He had teased her enough about it the next morning, after all. A sudden feeling of warmth and excitement enveloped her again. Damn, this vacation had been such a good idea! Having everyone around again (well, almost everyone) and just talking and laughing without cares in the world…it felt fantastic. It was almost bizarre that where they used to camp because there was no other option, now they were actually choosing to just for fun.

The whole world had lost any such semblance of carefree innocence for a century, but it was heartening to know just how quickly it seemed to be able to bounce back. How natural and normal this all felt. They had all changed during the war, had all come out of it with baggage, but they were all there. They were all okay. Toph had her school, which by the sounds of it was flourishing, not just as a bending academy but also as a contractor for more complicated projects; Sokka was getting married; Suki was setting up her own squad; Zuko was leading his country. Katara sometimes felt like, of all of her friends, she was the one who had achieved the least since the end of the war. She had been drifting for a while, caught up in the blissful haze of her relationship. She had been just as instrumental as Aang in continuing to help out the world, but she knew it was never her the people they helped sought. It wasn’t that she had craved the recognition and accolades that had always fallen to Aang as the Avatar, it just would have been nice not to have been overlooked completely after everything she had done. That had been one of the great things about Ba Sing Se – the people she had met and helped there appreciated her for her, not as just the Avatar’s girlfriend or the Avatar’s companion or the Avatar’s waterbending teacher. It hadn’t been entirely Aang’s fault, she knew – he was the Avatar. Even though it had taken all of them to halt the Fire Nation from their destructive path, ultimately, Aang was the one who had stopped Ozai. Of course the people would revere him. That didn’t mean he’d had to lap it up so much, though. The Air Acolytes, in particular, had been extraordinarily good at drawing him away from her and seemingly forgetting Katara was even there. Until she got mad, that was.

Well, not this time. She may be Zuko’s girlfriend now, but she wasn’t going to sit back and let herself be defined by the man on her arm, no matter how crazy she was about him. She wouldn’t just be the Fire Lord’s lover or the Fire Lord’s assistant. Katara wouldn’t have as well defined a role as Sokka or Suki now did in the Fire Nation, true, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make one. And she knew without a shadow of doubt that she could talk to Zuko about any of it if she ever felt stuck. Suki had been very enthusiastic at the idea of training the new recruits with Katara and Ty Lee, so she imagined she would do that for a while. Afterwards, who knew? That was okay. She was just looking forward to her next adventure.

****

Katara and Zuko decided they would tell them after dinner. The sun was already beginning to set by the time they got back, with a large block of ice trailing behind them at Katara’s command.

“Get over here, Grumble Lord!” Toph called to them as they emerged from the treeline. “We need a fire and I think Snoozles is about to cry.”

“I am not crying!” Sokka protested from his position hunched over the kindling he and Suki had (eventually) remembered they needed to collect. No-one had thought to bring spark rocks, seeing as they had a firebender with them, but Sokka had decided that that didn’t matter. There was no need to wait for Zuko to return, he could get the fire going on his own…and had then spent much longer than necessary grunting, cursing and flapping with frustration as each minute ember he managed to ignite with friction instantly lost their glows the moment he had turned sharply around to triumphantly boast to Suki and Toph that he had managed it. “It’s a lot harder than it looks!”

“I have to ask, how did you manage to have campfires before I joined you?” Zuko queried incredulously as he calmly bent a series of flames towards the firewood, where it roared to life.

“With a lot of swearing, mostly,” Katara replied, causing Sokka to glare at her and the others to chuckle at his displeasure.

As the summer was nearing its end, the refreshing ocean breezes that caused the elite and the wealthy to flock to Ember Island for the season took a decidedly cooler turn, and as the heat from the fire wafted over the clearing, everyone sighed in contentment, basking in its warmth. Toph was still laid flat on her rock-recliner, while Suki was perched on a log that she and Sokka had dragged to the clearing, before rolling it down towards the firepit where Toph used her earthbending to lodge it in place with stone. They had done the same to another log beside it, which Katara and Zuko quickly occupied after she streamed the ice block into the pails they had brought with them.

Suki cracked open the first bottle of firewine while Sokka and Katara busied themselves with the picnic basket and laying out the dishes the chef had prepared beforehand. Their dinner was accompanied by the sound of much talking and laughter, and it wasn’t long before they turned to the second bottle of firewine after their bowls and chopsticks had been cleared back away.

“So I was thinking-” Sokka began, before he was brusquely cut off by Zuko.

“That’s a shocker,” he deadpanned, causing everyone except Sokka to crack up again.

“Actually, Grumble Lord, what’s shocking is that he wasn’t lying about it,” Toph quipped.

Anyway,” Sokka tried again once the sniggering died down, “what I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, Zuko,” he mock-glared at the firebender before smirking in a way that made Zuko feel significantly more unnerved than the glare ever could. “Is that since this is the first time we’ve all been camping together for years, I thought we could do something to make it a little…uh, extra-special.”

Suki groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t bring cactus juice, Sokka!” At the mere mention of it, Toph and Katara also groaned. Neither of them had forgotten Sokka’s antics the last time he had guzzled the stuff down. To be fair to him, it had stopped him from complaining about water and it had seemed to sate him somewhat, but it had still been reckless and stupid, which Katara had lectured him about multiple times after he had come down from the euphoric high. At one point, he had been almost as bad as Aang on the rare, chi-stimulating tea an Earth Kingdom general had made him drink to try and induce the Avatar State.

“I didn’t, for you information,” Sokka replied haughtily. “I couldn’t find any…” he mumbled to himself, but loud enough for the rest of the group to hear him. He beamed at them. “But, I did find this little beauty!” With that, he dramatically drew out a stringed musical instrument from a soft leather case behind the log he shared with Suki. On closer inspection, Katara recognised it to be a banjolele. She had seen them for sale whilst idly wandering Ba Sing Se with Iroh, and had witnessed the instrument in action at the hands of a few street performers. Sokka helpfully plucked one of the strings to let Toph in on what he had just revealed.

“Since when do you play an instrument?” Katara asked.

“I’ve been practising,” Sokka shrugged. “It was actually your uncle who gave me the idea, Zuko!” he said proudly. “He mentioned how you used to have music nights on your ship.”

He used to have music nights,” Zuko informed him. “I never had anything to do with it.”

“Aw, that’s too bad. I was hoping you’d join me up here,” Sokka grinned. “You know, since you’re so good with the Tsungi horn and all…” Katara, Suki and Toph all fell into more laughter as they remembered just how horrified Zuko had been when Iroh and Ursa had let that little tidbit of his past slip. Zuko scowled at all of them, but he wasn’t going to fall for this so easily.

“Nice try, Sokka. I don’t have one with me,” he replied smugly.

Well…” Sokka trailed off, still smirking at Zuko, and then produced…a Tsungi horn from behind the log. Zuko’s eyes widened in shock and then horror. “Your uncle helped me pack it up this afternoon.”

“Are you keeping an entire orchestra back there?” Suki quipped, making a show of leaning back to check behind the log for more instruments. But before Sokka could retort, Zuko sulkily burst out:

“I am not playing the Tsungi horn, Sokka.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll just see what happens once you have some more wine in you,” Sokka joked. If he was being completely honest, he didn’t expect that Zuko would perform for them in a thousand years. But the Tsungi horn was very light and easy to carry, and honestly, it had been worth hauling it out here just to see Zuko’s face! If Sokka could paint, that was the expression he would want to memorialise Zuko with for many, many future generations to see.

“Actually, Sokka, before we keep drinking,” Katara piped up, exchanging a look with Zuko. He smiled knowingly at her and nodded, “there’s something that, uh, you should all know.” At this, Toph’s ears pricked and she sat up for the first time since bending her seat. In the end, she had decided against confronting her friends about their painfully obvious, blossoming romance. At the end of the day, it was their decision what they did and she’d noticed how happy they seemed to make each other. If Toph were younger, the thought of making them squirm for her amusement would have been enough for her to go barging in and tease them relentlessly about how very unsubtle they were, but something within her cautioned Toph to exercise restraint this time. Because what would it achieve ultimately? A few minutes of entertainment for Toph, and then possibly a lot of awkwardness between the three of them for the rest of their stay. So Toph had decided to respect their privacy and said nothing (except to Iroh, but Iroh already knew so that didn’t count) that might give them away. If they wanted it to be a secret, they could have that secret. But now, it seemed – judging by how nervous both of their heartbeats were – they were ready to come clean. Toph thought it was just as well. Keeping a lid on the mocking comments she was ready to launch at them had been getting quite difficult. It was only because she was able to joke around with Iroh about it that her resolve to leave them to it hadn’t crumbled.

Suki and Sokka, however, merely looked at Katara curiously, and Suki nodded, encouraging her to continue. Katara took a deep breath and glanced up at Zuko. He caught her eye and stretched his hand out in the small gap between them, proffering it to her. Katara smiled and gladly took it, giving him a squeeze as she interlaced their fingers. She turned back to her friends, none of whom had apparently noticed the gesture.

“Zuko and I, we’ve…um…we’ve been…” Katara stammered nervously. Zuko squeezed her hand, letting her know that he was ready to jump in if she needed him to, despite his earlier misgivings about having to do the talking. She merely shook her head lightly at him, and squeezed him back in gratitude. “We’ve been…seeing each other and, well…we’ve decided we want to be together. We’re a couple.”

The clearing suddenly fell into silence. Around them, crickets chirped loudly, only being drowned out by an occasional crackle from the fire. Sokka, Suki and even Toph gawped at their friends, blinking. After a few tense moments, they all seemed to react at once.

“It’s about freaking time you admitted it!” Toph groaned.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Suki chimed in, thinking back to her conversation with Zuko (whilst he had been very blatantly snuggling with a drunk Katara). She looked them up and down, and noticed their intertwined hands for the first time. She grinned at them. “But congratulations! I think you two will be amazing together. Just don’t get too distracted during training, okay? I need my girl at her best!” she joked. Katara smiled at her gratefully, before turning her attention to her brother. His expression of shock hadn’t changed at all in the past few moments, and Katara wasn’t convinced she hadn’t accidentally frozen it on his face with her waterbending.

What?!” he eventually burst out, standing up. “You and…you and my sister…you…you…” he was practically gasping for air at this point.

“Breathe, Sokka,” Suki calmly reminded him.

“I…I don’t understand,” Sokka said. “What happened to Amorai?”

At this, Katara’s face reddened. ‘Oh crap, I forgot about that!’ she thought to herself. Beside her, she felt Zuko shift and he raised his eyebrow at her questioningly, but with a hint of a smirk hiding in his features. “Nothing happened to him, Sokka,” she sighed. “I made that up because I was actually going out with Zuko that night.”

“Well, I guess that explains why he looked so confused when I asked him how the big date went,” Sokka mused thoughtfully. He had just assumed the date had gone terribly, that perhaps Katara had made some horrific faux pas that she was too embarrassed to admit to. He had run into Amorai in town one day, and Amorai had just shot him a puzzled expression until Sokka hastily changed the subject. It was still handy he had run into him, though – it meant Sokka had found something else out, which he was keeping close to his chest for the time being. He had casually mentioned this nugget of information to Iroh, and as Sokka had predicted, the older man had known just what to do with it. Zuko probably wouldn’t be too thrilled when he found out, but Sokka reasoned he could just blame it on Ursa. After all, she had made it no secret that she wanted to see a play while they were here and Zuko had already reluctantly agreed they would go to whichever show she wanted…

“You did what?” Katara gaped at him.

“Well, how was I supposed to know?!” Sokka retorted defensively.

“He’s got a point, Katara,” Zuko said to her. “But, out of interest, why him?”

“He played you. There’s a link there…sorta,” she answered weakly. Zuko merely snorted in amusement and squeezed her hand again.

“So it had nothing to do with the ‘dipping’ I heard about?” he smirked. Katara groaned at him as everyone else, including Sokka, fell into laughter. Katara pouted up at Zuko.

“I’ll dip you in the pond if you’re not careful,” she mock-threatened. Zuko held his hands up in mock surrender, still smirking at her. Katara broke out into a smile of her own and shook her head at him. She turned back to Sokka and looked imploringly up at him. Whether Sokka approved or not wasn’t her greatest concern, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want her family to be happy for her. Especially Sokka. He was easily the one closest to her and they had been through so much together. Not to mention they would all be based in the Fire Nation capital soon. They had agreed that for as long as Katara was helping Suki with the new recruits, she would take a room at the new embassy. Suki would probably have to stay on-site some nights with Ty Lee in case any problems arose, but the general idea was that the three of them would live together, with Zuko just a stone’s throw away so they could easily spend their evenings together if they chose.

Sokka let out a loud and dramatic sigh. Truthfully, the news had been a bit of a shock, but now that he thought about it, Sokka realised he didn’t actually have an issue with it. It just grossed him out a little to think of his baby sister dating anyone. Watching her and Aang canoodle constantly had given him a bad case of the oogies before he had returned to the South Pole on a more permanent basis. It had almost been a blessing, not having to be subjected to that daily. He just hoped that Katara wouldn’t feel that same inclination with Zuko.

“Eh, I guess it’s okay,” he decided. “I mean, I already know that Katara will kick your ass if you hurt her, so I’m not worried about that,” he grinned. Zuko could only nod meaningfully at him.

“I’ll never do anything to hurt her, Sokka. You have my word,” Zuko promised solemnly.

“I’m not sure if you can make that promise, Grumble Lord,” Toph piped up. “We don’t know what your Tsungi horn sounds like yet.”

Zuko bristled. “I am not playing the Tsungi horn!” he reiterated, scowling at her, even though he knew she couldn’t see him. Katara tittered beside him and shook her head. Zuko was so easy sometimes, it was unreal.

“Just promise me one thing,” Sokka said to Katara. “I had to put up with this enough last time, and I’m putting my foot down here.” He placed his hands on his hips and leaned right in to her face as she frowned in confusion at him. “No oogies!”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk!” Katara scoffed, standing up to meet him. “What about you and Suki?!”

“Hey, we’re getting married. It’s different.”

“Only since last week,” Katara pointed out. “What about the four years before that?”

“I’ll have you know…” As the siblings bickered, Zuko looked over at Suki. They shook their heads in understanding at each other.

“What are ‘oogies’?” Zuko mouthed at her, puzzled. Suki shrugged, and lifted up the bottle of firewine to refill her glass as she calmly listened to Katara and Sokka continue their playful argument. Zuko thought that was the best idea Suki had had since agreeing to marry Sokka, and motioned for her to hand the bottle to him.

****

The night continued in that manner until everyone was thoroughly in their cups, and they all seemed to shout louder and louder to make sure the whole island could hear them. Zuko and Toph both decided they wouldn’t be surprised if Iroh stalked up later to make a noise complaint. But it was all in good spirits, and everyone was in good cheer. Like last time, the liquor had made Katara very affectionate, and she spent most of the night snuggling up to Zuko on their shared log, feeling well and truly pleased that she didn’t have to hide it anymore or play it off as her being inebriated. Zuko couldn’t help but agree and lovingly held her close. The liquor didn’t seem to affect him in the same way. It made him less self-conscious than usual, but despite Sokka’s pleading and begging, Zuko knew there wasn’t enough liquor in the world that could make him think playing the Tsungi horn for his friends was a good idea. That didn’t stop Sokka from breaking out his banjolele again, though.

He had just finished playing a jaunty little tune, for his own amusement as much as anyone else’s, and had received scattered applause for his efforts. His face suddenly took on a very sombre and serious expression as he stood before them. “I would like to dedicate this song to my beautiful betrothed, Suki.” He blew a kiss at her and she beamed less than soberly at him. “And to my sister,” Sokka continued. “I have a feeling you’ll recognise this one.” Katara frowned in confusion at him before hiccupping loudly and falling back against Zuko as she giggled.

Sokka took a deep breath.

“Two lovers, forbidden from one another
A war divides their people
And a mountain divides them apart
Built a path to be together!”

At this, Katara cheered. “I do know this song!” she declared happily. She untangled herself from Zuko and jumped up to stand beside Sokka. She began to sway in time as Sokka got through the next verse.

“Yeah, I forget the next couple of lines but then it goes – come on, Katara, you know this part!” Katara nodded at him and together, they burst out into the chorus:

“Secret tunnel!
Secret tunnel!
Through the mountain
Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!”

Sokka finished with a triumphant flourish on his banjolele as Katara drunkenly cheered for him again, before devolving into another fit of giggles. They had almost forgotten about their friends, who were all wearing identical expressions of pure confusion mixed with horror mixed with a decisive air of ‘what on earth did I just witness?’

Toph was the first to get over it and she snorted loudly at the other two. “What have you gotten yourselves into?!” she cackled, practically rolling on the floor through her laughter. Zuko and Suki exchanged uncertain glances.

“Still happy about your new relationship?” Suki teased.

“Still happy about your betrothal?” Zuko retorted, smirking. Suki snorted with laughter.

“I can’t argue with that!” she said happily, and they clinked their glasses together. “Seriously, why was that song dedicated to me, Zuko?”

“I…really can’t answer that question. I don’t think anyone can explain why Sokka does what he does.”

“Sokka sure is a mystery,” Suki agreed. “Well, you and I will have to stick together from now on. These Water Tribe folk make great partners, but they’re insane sometimes, huh?”

“Yeah,” Zuko nodded serenely. “But you’ve got to love them anyway.”

“Yeah…” Suki nodded, then frowned. “Wait, did you just say-?” She looked up at Zuko in pleasant shock, but he just shook his head, pleading with his eyes not to mention it. Suki smiled in understanding and nodded. Katara was a lucky girl, she couldn’t help but muse. But as she looked at her betrothed and his sister, who were by now holding each other up as they laughed, Suki knew she was as well. She loved that idiot…and she couldn’t wait to be married to him.

Notes:

Hello again. Thank you so much to everyone who commented, bookmarked and/or left kudos! You guys have been utterly fantastic and thanks so much for staying patient. I know every author says this, and it's probably true for every author, but every comment really helped spur me on and lifted my spirits :)

I'd love to be able to promise it won't be such a long wait again, but I just can't. However, as some of you may have noticed, I have now capped this story at 16 chapters, and I do have a rough outline for how each of the remaining ones will go, so that should help with the process. Part of the reason I struggled with this one was because I knew where I wanted everyone to end up, I just wasn't quite sure how they got there, if that makes sense.

But enough of my ramblings! Thanks again, all of you, sincerely. Until next time.

Chapter 12: The Prince and the Avatar, Part I

Summary:

Ursa muses about her children; Aang is on a journey; and the Royal party finally pay a visit to the theatre.

Notes:

Hi everyone. So, I'll start by apologising for how long it's been since the last update. I went through a bit of a rough patch (mild by pandemic standards) and it made a bit of a mess of my mental health. Things seem to be back on track now, and I have at least been able to prepare another chapter! I meant it when I said I have no intention of abandoning this fic, but I'm still very sorry for the unintended hiatus. I will also keep replying to comments - if a reply is outstanding on yours, rest assured it is coming.

So, this chapter has been split into two. That wasn't the original plan, but I spent quite a few pages on the build up and I honestly think this would have been twice as long if I hadn't cut it where I did. I will say, I had a great time getting back into writing with this. I hope you enjoy it as well.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It may have been the last few days of their vacation, but no-one was letting that fact dampen their spirits, and they continued to enjoy everything Ember Island and the neighbouring islets had to the fullest. Even if that sometimes meant rolling out of bed at midday and spending a lazy afternoon in a natural hot spring – Iroh and Sokka were in particular very in favour of simply relaxing before their real world duties called them back.

In honour of their recent betrothal, the Royal party had decided to spend this particular day celebrating Sokka and Suki, and this exciting next step in their lives. There would of course be more formal, liquor-accompanied events closer to the ceremony, but no-one – least of all the happy couple themselves – saw any reason why that meant they couldn’t get started now. It had actually been Ursa who had suggested it originally, and her idea had been met with much approval and eager enthusiasm from everyone else.

Iroh, Zuko and Noren had taken charge of Sokka’s day out whilst the women – at Suki’s request – had all gone for an impromptu, unofficial spa session. Ursa had thought that sounded like a wonderful idea…until she discovered what Suki’s idea of a “spa day” actually was. What it (apparently) meant in reality was that they ventured to a local beauty spot in the centre of the island, where a large, majestic waterfall dropped over the hillside into a deep pool below. Though it wasn’t quite what Ursa had had in mind, she had no reason to complain.

The waters of the pool were frigidly cold compared to the warmth of the ocean, but there was nonetheless no end of frolicking and swimming by everyone. Ursa also hadn’t previously been aware that climbing to the crest of the waterfall on footholds designed by the greatest earthbender in the world and then diving into the swirling cauldron below qualified as a “spa treatment”. When questioned, both Suki and Katara were adamant that it definitely was and Ursa had merely laughed and conceded the point. Kiyi was most decidedly not permitted to join them at the top, but she perked up when Katara used her waterbending to generate waves and even a series of soft rapids, which Kiyi had great fun attempting to navigate aboard her makeshift raft (all while under scrutinous supervision from both her mother and a master waterbender, of course).

In the time they had all spent on Ember Island together, Ursa had grown very fond of her son’s friends. They were a vibrant, loud and somewhat eclectic mix of people, and probably not the best companions to befit Ursa’s idea of a peaceful vacation, but their presence had brought only life and laughter to their stay. The effect that they had on Zuko was certainly obvious. Ursa was well aware of their somewhat complicated history, but she was genuinely elated that despite everything his father had put him through, Zuko had still managed to break free and surround himself with people he could rightfully trust. Not just trust, but people that he could relax with, and allow himself a certain level of vulnerability with. Ursa well knew what it was like to be surrounded by rat-vipers, raising their heads to strike at the slightest sign of weakness or dissent to gain favour.

With the exception of Iroh and one or two maids, Ursa hadn’t really had a single friend whilst she had been married to Ozai. She had been selected to be the younger Prince’s wife for her ancestry, being a direct descendant of Avatar Roku, and from the moment Ozai and his father, the then Fire Lord himself, had arrived in Hira’a to make their “proposal” to the moment Ursa had been banished from the capital, Ursa hadn’t felt like she had been permitted to make a single choice about her life or what she did with it. She had been desperately lonely for the first year of their marriage. Ozai hadn’t been cruel to her, not then, but it had also been clear that he wasn’t particularly interested in her for anything save for producing the heirs he had so desperately wanted. Ursa hadn’t understood at the time precisely why her cold, distant husband had been so eager to grow their family – after all, Ozai had only been third in line for the throne. Even if, spirits forbid, something had happened to Iroh before Fire Lord Azulon passed, the throne would have skipped to Lu Ten rather than Iroh’s brother. It was simply the way of things. Having children had certainly been expected of their union, but not strictly essential for the continuation of the Royal bloodline. Ursa had at times questioned why, if her ancestry was so valuable to the Royal family, she had been married to Ozai rather than the Crown Prince at the time. That was until she had learned that it had been Ozai to track her down from obscure records; Ozai who had made the request of his father to seek her hand in marriage; and Ozai who had insisted that they make the journey to Hira’a to fetch her in person, where Ozai could remain in full control of the process.

Ursa was older and wiser now, though. She now understood Ozai’s seemingly zealous passion for having her and their children in his life. It had all been part of a grander scheme to rip the throne out from underneath his brother. Ursa had no doubt that regardless of what had happened during the Siege of Ba Sing Se, Ozai would have made a power move eventually, and he would have used his children any way he saw fit to “prove” to his father that he and his had the better claim. The “demonstration” that Ozai had had Azula give for her grandfather had all been part of it. Ozai’s interest hadn’t been in displaying his pride at Azula’s power and prodigal abilities, it was merely in demonstrating to his father that theirs was clearly the stronger branch of the family. As far as Ozai had been concerned, Lu Ten’s serendipitously-timed death had only sealed it.

But, as painful and insurmountable as it had felt at the time, it was past and dwelling on it pointlessly did no-one any good. The war was over, Ozai was imprisoned and no longer a threat besides, and the Fire Nation was positively thriving in peacetime under the careful guidance of her own son. And that didn’t even take into account the endless suffering her country had caused the world over for a century. Ursa knew that, relatively speaking, she had had it very easy. Her banishment from the capital had probably been the greatest kindness that Ozai had ever granted her. Of course, had she known how he would treat their children in her absence, Ursa would never have left. At least, not without them. She had honestly believed they would be safer if she followed Ozai’s command…

Despite the guilt that she still carried, Ursa was happy with her life with Noren and Kiyi. And thanks to Zuko’s refusal to give up in the face of seemingly impossible odds, and the help of his wonderful, loyal friends, Ursa felt as though her family was complete. Almost. The only missing piece was her eldest daughter, Azula. They had only had a small number of encounters since Ursa’s banishment, none of them positive. Ursa had received no news of her eldest daughter since the last one. No-one had even seen or heard from her in a couple of years. Despite everything that had happened, Ursa worried for her, constantly. It may not be obvious for most, and it was difficult to break through the fog of her apparent strength and coldness to see the hurting young woman within. But Ursa was in no doubt about it – Azula had been broken left solely in the care of Ozai. Both of them had. The only difference was, Zuko had at least felt loved by his mother before she’d been forced to flee. Azula hadn’t…

Ursa had gone to say goodbye to both of them. Zuko, always the lighter sleeper, had stirred when she’d given him one last hug, and she had later learned that he had carried her parting words with him throughout the turbulent years to follow. Azula had remained peacefully asleep, however, seemingly entirely unbothered by the events of that past day.

Azula had been young, but she had known that they were being serious. She had known that it wasn’t just a game and that her brother’s life had been in genuine danger. And, in her own twisted way, Azula had probably saved her brother’s life that day. She had gone about it in a cruel fashion, taunting him and mocking him, but the moment Ursa had gotten the two of them alone, Azula had in very uncharacteristic fashion spilled everything. Normally, when it came to her treatment of Zuko, she would remain tight-lipped or simply lie through her teeth to avoid getting into trouble. But that time, when it had truly mattered, Azula had held nothing back. She had unabashedly told Ursa every grotesque, terrifying detail almost unprompted. Ozai had asked his father to revoke Iroh’s birthright and allow the throne to pass to Ozai instead. Fire Lord Azulon, now passed, had blown up at him for his complete lack of compassion and demanded that Ozai kill his own firstborn son, so that he might suffer as Iroh was suffering. Azula hadn’t looked remotely fazed as she had almost gleefully recounted the tale to her mother, which had disturbed Ursa some, but it had been that information that had allowed her to bargain for Zuko’s life.

The irony of the deceased Fire Lord’s punishment for Ozai’s lack of compassion hadn’t been lost on Ursa. She felt guilt for many things, but helping to bring about the death of her father-in-law was not one of them, not if it had meant her little Zuko could live.

She sent a prayer to Agni every night for Azula, asking him to keep watch over her, to keep her safe, to help her. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. Even before Ursa had left, she had neglected Azula. It was no wonder the poor girl had grown up to be a copy of her father. He had had her entire life to mould his daughter in his image and Ursa had done nothing to stop it. Since Ozai’s temper had mostly been directed at Zuko, Ursa simply hadn’t worried for Azula the way she had for Zuko. But cruelty had many faces and Ursa had learned that far too late. Just because Ozai had never been violent with Azula, the way he sometimes had with Zuko, didn’t mean that she was being cared for, or felt loved. Truly loved for who she was just because she was his daughter, not because she was a prodigy firebender who could better serve Ozai in his malice. Azula probably didn’t even know the difference…she had just known people leaving her, abandoning her, until Ozai was the only one left. Of course he was the one Azula trusted most. He had been the only consistent adult in her life. The one who had never let her down and never left. Ursa didn’t begrudge Azula for refusing to even attempt a relationship with her, but she hoped with all her heart that her wayward daughter would one day find her way back. And when that day came, Ursa was going to take her into her arms and hold her tight. No matter what Azula did, Ursa wouldn’t leave her or let her down again.

“Are you okay, Ursa?” a friendly voice sounded to Ursa’s left, snapping her from her thoughts. She glanced up and spotted Katara standing at the edge of the pool, looking over at her with concern. Ursa quickly schooled her expression into a reassuring smile.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Ursa chuckled amiably. “Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts there.”

“I’ve been there,” Katara sympathised, coming over to sit beside Ursa. “Did you…want to talk about it, or-?”

“No, no, it’s nothing to trouble yourself with, dear. I think we all just get lost in our own heads sometimes!”

“Oh, I know what you mean,” Katara replied. “That’s definitely happened to me before. I think I might have freaked Iroh out a little when I first moved in with him, actually.”

“Had a lot on your mind?” Ursa asked, hoping to deflect the attention away from her. Luckily for Ursa, Katara took the hint.

“At the time,” Katara nodded. “I wasn’t too sure what I should do next, you know?” Ursa nodded in understanding. She also knew about building a new life when your old had been roughly and unexpectedly taken away. “Now though, I’m actually really excited to get to work with Suki and stay in the Fire Nation for a while. It’s such a beautiful country and there’s so much of it I haven’t seen.”

“It’s very unlike the South Pole, I imagine?” Ursa smiled at her.

“There are just a few, small differences,” Katara nodded, chuckling. “Of course, my brother is moving here, too, so I’m not sure how long that’ll last…”

A flash of amusement crossed Ursa’s eyes. “Well then, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for all the new igloos when I’m next in the capital,” she mused innocently.

“You joke, but I would not put it past him!” Katara giggled. “I honestly think it’s only a matter of time before he asks me to bend an ice palace for his embassy.”

“I believe that would make a fine addition to the city,” Ursa nodded in approval.

“Oh, for sure,” Katara smirked. “It’ll be the most impressive building in the area…until it melts, of course.” The two women chuckled at that before lapsing into a semi-comfortable silence. Katara had gotten to know Ursa much better during their time here but Ursa could still sometimes seem to be very closed-off. Not in the sense that was unfriendly, she was anything but, it was more that Ursa just didn’t like talking about herself. She preferred to listen and learn about the other people around her – much like Zuko, in fact. Despite their many years apart, the resemblance between them was at times startlingly obvious. Katara and Ursa had shared quite a few early mornings sipping coffee and chatting idly, and as far as Katara was concerned, they got along really well. Ursa, as it turned out, had quite a sharp and witty sense of humour and Katara had jokingly begged her on multiple occasions to pass on some tips to Sokka, for the good of everyone.

Katara had been initially been very apprehensive when she and Zuko had told Iroh and Ursa about their new relationship, but she had had nothing to worry about, as Zuko had promised. Iroh had just beamed knowingly at them and began dropping ‘subtle’ hints about how Katara would make a wonderful Fire Lady, much to Zuko’s chagrin and embarrassment. Ursa had adopted the more traditional approach of congratulating them and wrapping them both in a warm embrace. Katara had later shyly confessed to Ursa that she had been nervous about how Ursa would take the news. For her part, Ursa couldn’t imagine anyone feeling intimidated by her, least of all someone as strong and accomplished as the young woman currently sat beside her. Ursa supposed it was flattering that Katara held her in such high esteem, but she was quick to reassure Katara that she really had no need to fret about Ursa’s opinion of her. Even if she hadn’t already gotten to know Katara and grown fond of her as she had with all of Zuko’s friends, Ursa trusted Zuko’s (and Iroh’s) judgement. As long as Zuko was happy, and it was abundantly clear that being with Katara was making him very happy, then that was all that mattered.

“Would you like to go for a stroll with me, Katara?” Ursa asked after a moment of companionable silence.

“Sure!” Katara agreed enthusiastically and instantly stood up to join her. After stopping to quickly let the others know they were going for a walk, they set off on one of the many paths that ringed the waterfall. Some were very gentle, well-trodden trails that ventured into the surrounding woodland while others twisted around the steep cliff-sides that towered over the glade where they had left the others. Unsurprisingly, Ursa chose one of the woodland paths. As they ventured into the trees, the wind carried across the sounds of their companions’ laughter, including the distinctive and rather disconcerting cackle that anyone who had met Toph would instantly associate with her. Ursa raised her eyebrows knowingly at Katara, who failed to stifle a small giggle. They both glanced back over where the other girls had gathered at the edge of the pool, but saw nothing out of the ordinary so both simply chalked it up to the typical harmless shenanigans that they didn’t need to get involved in.

“You know, I love my friends,” Katara began, “but they’re not great at the whole relaxing and peaceful part of a vacation. I hope we haven’t all disturbed you too much!”

“Not at all,” Ursa chuckled reassuringly. “I’ll admit, this wasn’t quite what I had pictured when Iroh suggested this, but it’s honestly been lovely having you all here.”

“Oh good, I’m so glad.”

“I think Kiyi has really enjoyed getting to know all of you better,” Ursa continued as they walked. “I know I certainly have. I can’t tell you how glad I am that Zuko has such a good group of friends he can count on.”

“Honestly, at this point I think he’d have a harder time trying to get rid of us than persuading us to stick around,” Katara grinned in response.

“Especially with three of you moving to the Fire Nation,” Ursa pointed out. “How are the plans coming along?”

“They’re good! Sokka’s going to have a lot of work to do when he gets to the capital. I think he’s a little upset with me that I’ll be, in his words, “too busy flying around with my fiancée” to help,” Katara giggled. “Still, I’m just hoping he can pull himself away from annoying Zuko enough to make sure my room’s all ready when I come back with Suki!”

“I’ll be sure to tell Zuko to keep an eye on him,” Ursa chuckled. “And to maybe not tell your brother where the ice house is…just in case.”

“Good call. Wouldn’t want him getting any ideas,” Katara laughed.

“Indeed,” Ursa smiled. “And what about you? Have you managed to get everything together with Suki?”

“Yeah, I think we’re just about there. We’ll be going back to the capital first for Ty Lee, and Zuko’s already told us we can have an airship for travelling around the islands. I’m not sure exactly where we’re going to go yet, though – that’s something we need to talk to Ty Lee about. She’ll know best.”

“Well, if you find yourselves in Hira’a, please do stop by. It would be lovely to see you all.”

“Sure thing! I can’t promise Suki won’t try to recruit you, but I’ll settle for another coffee,” Katara joked.

“I’ll make sure to have it ready for you,” Ursa nodded in agreement. “And I believe you’ll be staying in the capital to train them, too?” Katara nodded. She wasn’t exactly sure of that side of things yet, but she and Suki had already agreed they would just play it by ear. They had decided that Katara would likely be best placed to act as a sparring partner, to give the new recruits the opportunity to practice against benders. Granted, waterbenders weren’t a likely group that they would need to specifically keep watch for, but Suki was also planning on asking some of the firebending guards to help out and arranging for some earthbending training as well, to allow the recruits to run the full gamut. Katara’s hand-to-hand combat was still fairly weak so she imagined she would probably sit in on those sessions as a student, at least at first. She was also very interested in learning Ty Lee’s chi-blocking technique and Suki had promised that that would be a staple part of it. Katara may not be intending to be a guard herself, but that was no reason not to take advantage of the training if it was offered to her.

The two women continued chatting as they walked, neither really paying attention to where they were going. Ursa’s own plans for after the vacation were, she admitted, slightly less exciting than Katara’s. Most of hers and Noren’s work in Hira’a was centred around their local theatre. Since the end of the war, the population of Hira’a had grown somewhat which, as far as Ursa and Noren were concerned, could only bring good tidings and more talent to their modest troupe. Part of this was attributed to the soldiers and conscripts finally returning home for good, but there had been more mobility in general around the Fire Nation since the hostilities had ceased.

One of Zuko’s most recent initiatives was to purchase small, unused plots of land in various villages and various islands, which were then offered to those most in need, including veterans and returning colonials, to help them get back up on their feet, at no cost to them. It had the benefit of helping those who needed it, as well as simultaneously sating some of the pettier nobles who liked to laboriously complain to their Fire Lord about how the capital had “gone downhill” since the “peasants” from the colonies had been voluntarily repatriated. Those same nobles were always careful not to include the soldiers in amongst their tirades, but it was obvious to anyone who was paying even a semblance of attention that it was just rich snobs looking down on those who weren’t rich snobs, regardless of their origins or histories.

As Ursa talked about the next show Noren was planning to produce, the conversation inevitably turned to that evening’s planned outing.

“Have you ever seen the Ember Island Players perform?” Ursa asked.

“Once,” Katara grimaced. She didn’t elaborate, but her expression told Ursa everything she needed to know about Katara’s feelings for them.

“Not a fan?”

“Let’s just say there were some creative differences,” Katara grinned sheepishly. Ursa laughed aloud at that.

“You’re not alone in that. Zuko never liked them either. Even as a child, he loved the theatre but he couldn’t stand when we used to go to see them.”

“What are your thoughts on them?” Katara asked curiously.

“Well…they’re not among the most talented troupe I’ve had the pleasure of watching, but their interpretations are at times…unique,” Ursa replied diplomatically. “Which in theatre can be a good thing. In my opinion, it usually makes it a lot more interesting than seeing the same production done in exactly the same way time and again.”

“Interesting is a good word for them,” Katara agreed. “Do you know what they’re putting on tonight?”

“I don’t,” Ursa admitted. “I know Iroh has already bought the tickets, but otherwise he’s been very secretive about it all. He keeps telling me that it’s a surprise.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Katara didn’t feel that this was an unreasonable question to ask. Whether or not surprises were to be relished or dreaded depended a lot on who you were dealing with. If it was coming from Suki or Zuko, for example, Katara imagined she would safely be able to look forward to it; if it was Sokka or Toph, however (not that she was singling anyone out, just providing completely random yet accurate examples…) that could be a very different story.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Katara – I am really not sure!” Ursa laughed. “It won’t be anything bad, I’m certain of that, but he’s always careful to mention how much he thinks Kiyi and I will enjoy it, especially when Zuko is around. And then he just gets that look…” Katara nodded earnestly in understanding. “You know the one?”

“Not from Iroh,” Katara clarified. “But that is definitely something I’ve seen from Sokka. It’s not comforting or reassuring at all, is it?”

“Not usually, no,” Ursa smiled. “Well, whatever happens tonight, I think we can be assured that it will be interesting.”

“Yeah,” Katara smiled back. “Definitely interesting.”

****

Meanwhile, somewhere over Eastern Fire Nation waters

There were only two things in Aang’s life that he would freely admit that he regretted and he wished he could undo. According to the monks’ teachings, regret was an earthly attachment, something for which the truly enlightened would have no time. But for those who had not reached enlightenment, and may never, it was nonetheless still discouraged. Life happened as life happened. Choices led to consequences. One should always strive to mitigate any unintended damage, of course, for the sake of balance, but dwelling on past mistakes and wishing for a do-over helped nobody. Still, despite these teachings, the Air Nomads were human and even the most enlightened among them acknowledged that regret was simply a natural, normal part of life. The key was to learn to accept what had happened and take steps to rectify it if they were in the wrong, or to practice forgiveness. It was normal to have feelings, but what was important was to control them and not allow oneself to be consumed by the wrongs that had been committed. There was simply no room for wallowing in regret or revenge in Air Nomad philosophy.

To Aang, this all made perfect sense. Even as the Avatar, he was still human. He was still going to have those feelings. When he had found the devastating remains of his people at the Southern Air Temple, he had gotten so upset he’d wound up going into the Avatar State! At the time, Aang had regretted that, too, mostly from fear that Katara and Sokka could have been hurt. He knew he wouldn’t have forgiven himself if they had, but luckily for everyone, Katara had always had a special touch with Aang. She had always known just what to say or do to calm Aang down when it all got too much and to make Aang feel better. It was part of the reason he loved her so much. She was just…right for him. She was Katara. The one who had found him, the one who had woken him up from his century-long slumber, the one who had trained him in waterbending, the one who had encouraged him and cheered him on when he needed a boost, the one who had been by his side through thick and thin for nearly five years…

Aang’s first regret was running away when he was twelve, allowing his people to be slaughtered. Aang had to admit, he hadn’t been in much of a mood to forgive anyone after that. But Katara had then pointed out that Avatar or not, he had only been twelve. There was no guarantee that he would have survived the massacre either, much less been able to prevent it. Of course, Katara’s words had been gentler but Aang knew what she meant. He always knew what she meant, just like she always knew what he meant. Katara had been the one to help Aang see that perhaps things had worked out the way they had for a reason. Life happened as life happened. It didn’t take away the pain of his grief or the loss of his people, but it had allowed him to stop blaming himself. He hadn’t been the one to attack unprovoked. The Fire Nation may have been looking for him, but there was no telling whether they would have stopped at the Southern Air Temple even if they had found Aang and confirmed he was the Avatar. There was no telling whether his demise would have allowed his culture to survive.

Aang’s second regret was more recent. He regretted flying away from the one person who had truly understood him, who had always stood by him, whom he loved more than anyone (except maybe Appa, but Katara understood that – she loved Appa, too!) She had made a mistake, yes, but that was okay. She was human and humans made mistakes. Aang had arrived at that conclusion after some time spent meditating and mulling it over. He had spoken to a few of his past lives about the…incident, and had gotten rather a nasty shock – contrary to Aang’s expectations, most of them were in agreement that what Katara had done was right. Avatar Kyoshi had been particularly vocal about Aang allowing his principles to get in the way of the reality of the situation and had given him a fairly stern talking-to. This was unsurprising given Kyoshi’s tendency towards, uh, “direct action” rather than peacekeeping during her tenure as Avatar, but Aang thought she had been a little unfair to tell him he didn’t deserve Katara if he wasn’t prepared to grow up! Even Avatar Yangchen, whom Aang was certain would understand his point of view, what with her being a fellow airbender and all, had gently told him that it had been wrong of Aang to let his emotions get the better of him like that.

Despite initially not wanting to, Aang had eventually accepted their wisdom and headed back to Ba Sing Se as soon as he roused himself from his deep meditative state. He had been forced to make a stopover on the way due to some trouble, and he had then been asked to initiate a new chapter of Air Acolytes in a port town (and how could Aang refuse that?!) It had taken a bit of extra time but it was all par for the course as the Avatar and there had been no doubt in Aang’s mind that Katara would be waiting for him when he returned, just as eager to make up as he was. He knew she would also understand why he had been delayed. But by the time he reached the Palace, he had been distraught to learn that Katara was gone and no-one in the Palace knew where she was. Aang hadn’t even realised how much time had passed until one of the servants broke the news to him. He had been gone for the better part of a week… He’d felt his heart wrench as he realised. If he had only been quicker, he could have stopped her! He could have told her he was sorry, and that he forgave her, and it had all been a horrible mistake! It would have been fine, he’d told himself eagerly. Humans made mistakes and that was okay. Aang was only human, too. It would all be fine. They just needed to talk and Aang could make it all right again. Talking it over was what Katara had wanted in the first place, so she would surely be open to listening when he saw her again!

Aang had then settled in and waited himself for a few days, in the hopes that Katara might return. But it had all been in vain. After the fifth day of trawling the city and asking all and sundry if they had seen a waterbender pass through, Aang had begun to feel desperate and panicked had gripped him as the full realisation of what he had done and that he might not be able to undo it crashed over him. The realisation that Katara probably hadn’t just gone somewhere to cool off and would return, but had actually just left without breathing a word to anyone! Aang remembered how tight his chest had felt and the blasts of pain that shot through him when he thought about her and their argument. He had been upset that she had left him behind, but the rational part of him also broke through and managed to point out that he had done that to Katara first. But he hadn’t meant for it to end like that! He had just been upset and, yes, angry…as much as that prospect had shamed him. But Aang was human, too, and right then all he had wanted more than anything was to sweep his girl up into his arms and tell her that all was forgiven…

He regretted having lost his temper, deeply, but even now, he still believed that his reaction had been justified. How was he supposed to have felt? Katara had, for all intents and purposes, betrayed him. She had promised Aang, sworn to him that she would never use bloodbending again! She had sworn that she found it just as abhorrent as Aang, and confided in him that she often wished Hama had never taught it to her. Aang had believed her and supported her through her turmoil and her guilt, but he wouldn’t deny that he had also been glad that she was back on the right path. Even now, Aang could still remember she had become frighteningly and disconcertingly vicious about confronting the man who had killed her mother. At the time, Aang had been terrified for her that she would do something she regretted. He had been put slightly at ease by Zuko when they had all reunited again, but it had still been a bit of a shock when Katara had coolly declared that just because she had spared the man’s life didn’t mean she forgave him, and that she never would. Aang had chalked it up as a blip, the desperate nature of war messing with everyone’s heads, that sort of thing. But to then use bloodbending on those firebenders…when help had been so close by? All she’d had to do was stall them and then the Army could have come in and sorted them out. Then Katara wouldn’t have broken her promise and everything would have been okay.

They would probably still be together now, off on their next adventure or maybe having some quiet time at one of the Air Temples. The Air Acolytes were always delighted when they showed up to visit, and always roped Aang into games or asked him to lead them in meditation or even to teach some classes on the Air Nomad way. The Acolytes really seemed to get a thrill from being taught by the last airbender himself, and Aang was more than happy to help them with their enthusiasm. Katara usually wandered off to find something else to do, and it sometimes seemed like she got bored, but Aang couldn’t help being so excited! It was only natural! He had always came out of those trips feeling extremely positive for the future of his culture. It wasn’t what it should have been, but in a strange way, as Katara had gently pointed out to him once when he had been feeling low, it was almost better. Because the Air Acolytes were all there by choice. They had deliberately and intentionally chosen to follow that way of life and adopt the Air Nomad culture for themselves, rather than being born into it. They had taken time out of their days and lives to learn, even before Aang had come into the picture, because the Air Nomad way resonated with them. The fact that some were even willing to relocate from their homes to help restore the Temples had almost brought joyful tears to Aang’s eyes, and even Katara had welled up at seeing how happy Aang was.

Spirits, he missed her so much…

He had spent the last few months attempting to track her down. The hurt that pounded at him from her absence was relentless, and Aang didn’t think he had felt so glum and broken since he had lost Appa. He had sworn when Appa returned that he would never lose anyone he loved like that again…but now he’d lost Katara, and just like with Appa, he didn’t know where she was. He hoped she was okay. He hoped that if he didn’t find her first, she would find her way back to him, like Appa had. But at least, unlike when Appa had been missing, Aang could still go and search for her much more easily. So that was what he had done. Although, he did have to slap himself on the forehead before he left the city. In all his time spent searching and enquiring after Katara, Aang had somehow managed to completely forget that Zuko’s Uncle Iroh also lived in Ba Sing Se! If Katara would have gone to anyone in the city, it would have been him! So, on the morning of the sixth day after his return, Aang had sped down to where he knew Iroh’s teashop to be, and had been greeted by the cheerful former general himself. It had been very pleasant, all in all, under the circumstances. They had had a nice chat and a catch-up (Aang had decided against launching straight into his real motive for visiting – he hadn’t wanted Iroh to think him being rude) and best of all, Iroh had even seen Katara! But by then, it had been a couple of weeks ago and Iroh mentioned that she had been on her way to the South Pole… That made sense, Aang had supposed. Spirits, if she was as distressed as he was by what had happened, of course she would go to her family. As gruelling as Aang had known the journey would be, he couldn’t help but feel positive. If Sokka was there, he might be able to help. Especially if Aang pulled off a wild, grand gesture to impress Katara and show her just what she meant to him, how could Katara possibly refuse with her family members watching? He had imagined her laughing in delight and rushing into his arms, and they would kiss and make up and they could just put this behind them and be stronger as a couple for it.

The journey to the South Pole had been largely uneventful. Aang had stopped in various towns and villages along the way for supplies, and whilst he had always been greeted with a warm welcome, there had thankfully been very little that anyone needed the Avatar for, so his travels had gone mostly unimpeded. There was almost a delay during a rest stop for Appa at the Southern Air Temple, but Aang had been insistent that he had to be on his way again quickly. Katara was the love of his life and he didn’t want anything getting in the way. The Air Acolytes had been shocked at the news and disappointed that it was only a quick visit, but had also been very understanding and supportive. Aang had promised that once he found Katara, the two of them would return and stay for longer. Perhaps even for the whole autumn season. Why not? There were no pressing issues that Aang was aware of, and it was close enough to the South Pole that if Katara did get bored (though he doubted she would – she loved his passion for his culture) she could borrow Appa for a few days to visit home. It was kind of perfect, and Aang had flown away feeling surer than ever.

That certainty had then been fast quashed when he finally landed in Katara’s renovated village in the South Pole, only to find that she wasn’t there! In fact, Hakoda, her dad, had told Aang that none of them had seen her since the last time she and Aang had visited. All of Aang’s hopes and fantasies were instantly crushed at the knowledge, and it had taken all of his strength not to let his emotions get the better of him again…but he had been so worried! Up until that point, he hadn’t been fearful for Katara, assuming she would have just made it safely to the South Pole, but now that he knew she hadn’t, she could be anywhere! What if she had been kidnapped?! What if her boat had sunk and she was stranded somewhere?!

Fortunately for Aang, his panic hadn’t had to last long, once he had managed to focus enough attention back on Katara’s dad. By some stroke of serendipity, only two days before Aang had arrived, Hakoda had received a letter from Sokka. Hakoda had already told Aang that Sokka had gone to vacation with Suki and Zuko on Ember Island, and that an invitation for Aang and Katara had arrived in the South Pole a few weeks prior. Almost as soon as he had heard those words, Aang made up his mind to go to the Fire Nation next, to see if Sokka at least knew anything, and to muster up the help Aang would need to find Katara from his friends. He knew they all cared for Katara almost as much as he did, and they would be happy to help.

But then there was even better news. According to Sokka’s letter, Katara had surprised them all and she was actually with them, on Ember Island, right now! Aang had been so relieved that she was safe that he had almost cried, and Hakoda looked very pleased by the news too. Katara was okay…she was with friends and she was okay. Aang wasn’t mad that they were likely all there vacationing without him. It stung that he was missing out while they were all having fun, but he knew he was difficult to track down. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t been invited. It had been very smart of Zuko to think of sending his invite to the South Pole. There were only a few places where Aang was guaranteed to regularly stop at, and Katara’s home was naturally one of them.

Even with Appa’s speed compared to Water Tribe ships, it would still take a while to travel to Ember Island from the South Pole, but Hakoda had mentioned they would be there for most of the summer. If Aang didn’t allow himself to be distracted or pulled away, he could probably make it just in the nick of time!

And wouldn’t it just be so perfect? He and Katara would reunite and all of their friends would be there and it had been too long since Aang had seen any of them. As much as Katara was at the forefront of his mind throughout the journey west, Aang was also excited about seeing the others again. He and Sokka could crack hilarious jokes, he could spar with Toph, and maybe there was even some crazy giant new animal for Aang to ride! And then once everyone else went home, perhaps he and Katara could stay and just take some time for themselves. Aang imagined Katara would just be as keen as he was about that. They did have some catching up to do, after all. They had missed a few months together. As long as no-one desperately needed the Avatar, there would be no problem. Aang would be annoyed if that happened but he was sure Katara would understand. She always did. That was just one of the things that made her so great. He had missed her so much and he couldn’t wait to kiss her again…maybe even take it further. They had before and being with Katara, being so close to Katara, had been incomparably amazing.

Below him, Appa groaned and waved his tail slightly. Aang understood and petted the bison’s head affectionately. “I know, buddy,” he sympathised. Appa must be exhausted. They had been flying pretty hard and fast since leaving the South Pole. All for a good cause, of course, but still, Aang was incredibly grateful for Appa’s perseverance. “But we’re not too far now! We’re already in the Fire Nation.” Appa groaned again in response, making Aang chuckle. “Yeah, I know it’s been hard. But just think of all the fun things we can do when we get there!”

By Aang’s calculations, Ember Island was just a few more hours away now. He broke out into a huge grin at the thought that in just a few hours, he could be cuddling and kissing Katara again. In all his fantasies about their future, he had never imagined having to fly over half the world just to find her, but Aang didn’t mind. Katara was worth it. She had had a slip-up, one that he wouldn’t have expected from her, but that was okay. Aang wasn’t going to let that take away from his sweet, perfect Katara ever again. She was Aang’s forever girl…and he was going to get her back.

****

That evening, after everyone in their split party had returned to the house, bathed and shared an early dinner together, it was finally time for Ursa’s long-awaited trip to the theatre. Everyone had independently decided that this was an event worth dressing up for and it took quite a while for them all to get ready. Toph, for her part, honestly couldn’t have cared less what she looked like but had been cajoled into making an effort by Katara, under the strict promise that Katara wouldn’t choose an outfit that was too frilly or “girly”. Despite Katara’s hearty agreement to those terms, Kiyi was also invited in to “supervise” as the Melon Lord’s right-hand woman, and Katara appropriately deferred to Kiyi’s authority before any final touches were added.

They had also all eagerly agreed that they would venture to one of the taverns after the show to make a proper night of it. There was one particular establishment right next to the theatre that also welcomed children, having grown used to the exponentially busier trade that accompanied performance nights and taking advantage of the fact that most of their patrons on such evenings were families that inevitably included little ones. The tavern had already sectioned off a separate area for these guests, but once the Dragon of the West had made them aware that they may well receive a Royal visit that evening, the owner had scrambled to set up a private room reserved just for them. Iroh knew that this would be much preferred by Zuko, for one, and he had also (correctly) anticipated that Ursa and Noren may have consternations about otherwise taking their eight-year-old to a tavern, even if it did market itself as family-friendly. It was to many squeals of excitement and delight from the aforementioned eight-year-old that her parents agreed that, once they were informed of the private room. Given that it was a special occasion, Kiyi would even be allowed to stay up past her bedtime, so long as she behaved. At that, Kiyi wasn’t sure if she was more excited about getting to stay out with the grown-ups or about seeing the play. Before that day, only her great-uncle and Snoozles seemed to know what the play was, but every time she asked, she had just kept getting told it was a surprise. Kiyi liked surprises. But then that afternoon, once her mother and Katara had gone for a walk, Suki had told her and Melon Lord that Snoozles had let slip what they were seeing. Kiyi liked being in on secret surprises even more! Especially when those secret surprises involved her brother, who was still none the wiser…

****

“I thought the whole point of being Fire Lord was that no-one would be able to force me to these shows anymore,” Zuko grumbled as they all walked into town that evening.

“Chin up, buddy!” Sokka said as he came up behind Zuko, clapping an arm on his shoulder. “Being Fire Lord is a lot more than that. There’s also all that paperwork!”

“Thanks, Sokka,” Zuko muttered sarcastically. “You always know how to make me feel better.”

“I know!” Sokka gushed, shaking his head with misplaced self-pride. “This must be why dad chose me to be ambassador. I just have a way with people.”

“I don’t get why you’re so happy to be going,” Zuko frowned. “You thought they were terrible, too – I know it wasn’t just me.”

“True,” Sokka conceded. At the time, it had not been a good play to go and see. “But I’m sure it won’t be so bad. Besides, Iroh said he got us the Royal box this time!” Sokka was very excited about the Royal box. Reportedly, when one was a guest of the Royal box, they had people bring your snacks to you! No waiting in line, no jostling for the space at the bar or the concession stand, the server just wrote down the order and took care of all that for you! It was just one of the many perks of being friends with the Fire Lord, one which Sokka wouldn’t be foolish enough to not take advantage of. The best part was, Iroh had promised him that he could even order meat! Fire flakes were a more traditional theatre snack, and they were all very well and good, but in Sokka’s opinion, if the theatre staff had gone to all that trouble to cater for them, it would only be terribly rude not to make sure it all got eaten. Sokka was willing to sacrifice himself to that cause for the sake of being polite. Even Katara would have to approve of that, surely.

“I know,” Zuko sighed. “I asked him not to, but he ignored me.”

“Maybe he just forgot.”

“Conveniently.”

“Zuko, don’t take this the wrong way, but people know you’re the Fire Lord. Don’t you think it would be weirder if someone recognised you in the stands?”

“Not necessarily!” Zuko huffed, with the air of a man who knew he had lost to logic. Zuko could accept this, on its own. It was much tougher to accept that he had lost to logic against Sokka, the same man whose logic had once found him crawling into Appa’s mouth to stage a daring and completely unnecessary rescue of Momo, and then complaining for the rest of the day that he stank of bison drool. Sokka was admittedly brilliant in times of crisis, a certifiable genius (in his own way) when it mattered…but Zuko had also had plenty of access to Suki over the years since the war’s end, and the way Suki told her tales of their shenanigans, Zuko was honestly unsure how Sokka was still alive at times.

“Yeah, I think I gotta go with Sokka on this one, honey,” Katara cut in, grasping Zuko’s hand and squeezing it affectionately. Zuko threw a mock-glare down at her. “You can’t just hide under a big cloak this time.”

Which was a shame. Zuko had already given that prospect some serious thought. And if the cloak just happened to be large enough to wrap around Katara as well, all the better. He imagined terrible performances wouldn’t seem so terrible if he was snuggled up with the woman he loved, and whom he couldn’t believe he was privileged enough to be able to call his girlfriend, away from prying eyes. He didn’t care what they actually did when they shut out the rest of the world. Zuko would obviously be in favour of pulling her into his arms and kissing her until she was trembling, but he would also be perfectly happy to just cuddle and talk – whatever Katara wanted.

But the woman he loved apparently didn’t seem to consider that potential seriously. “I thought you’d at least be on my side,” he grumbled.

“Sorry, honey,” Katara shrugged, and grinning like she wasn’t the least bit sorry. But as always, when Katara smiled at him like that, making him feel like he was the luckiest man in the world, Zuko couldn’t help but smile back. As much as he would have loved to avoid it altogether, Zuko had known he wouldn’t be able to put tonight off forever. He wouldn’t have been able to stand how disappointed it might make his mother if he refused to go, even if it was on the perfectly valid grounds that the Ember Island Players were just dreadful, and Zuko had on more than one occasion considered forcing convicted criminals to watch their shows as punishment. “Even if it’s awful, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it,” Katara continued enthusiastically. “Just take it as a masterclass in how not to put on a good play.”

“Katara’s right,” Sokka agreed. “We’re all older and wiser than we were the last time we saw them. Well, not me, I was already pretty wise, but still.” Sokka stared proudly off into the distance and took a deep satisfied sigh, while behind him his friends all exchanged glances and head-shakes. As if on cue, Sokka then turned back to Zuko. “Who knows, maybe now you’ll just find it funny?”

Zuko doubted that, but he didn’t bother voicing it. As had become his custom when he was displeased for no actual real reason, Zuko simply allowed his scowl to do the talking for him. His friends weren’t put off in the slightest by his glaring and simply continued their gentle teasing. Zuko mostly stayed quiet throughout the rest of the walk, silently communicating to Katara via hand-squeezes that despite his grumbling, he was okay. Because if Zuko was being honest, as much as he liked to complain about the Ember Island Players (and as much as his so-called friends liked to laugh at him for it), they weren’t the real reason he was feeling apprehensive about tonight. Zuko wasn’t keen on “going out” in general, not to places where there would be lots of people and he would very much be in the public eye. The Ember Island Festival had proved that simply hoping to avoid recognition whilst he was just out for a day of fun with his family and friends was futile. Zuko knew part of his apprehension was just him. Nothing even remotely bad had happened when some of his citizens had stopped and greeted him at the festival, and he hadn’t come away from those encounters feeling like he had disappointed them or failed to live up to their expectations, but it was an ever-present, never-silent niggling little worry in the back of his mind that one of these days, he would do just that.

Though Zuko tried to never mull on why this was for too long, the source of this anxiety wasn’t something he could keep secret from himself…

It was different when he was acting in his official capacity as Fire Lord. Official appearances were planned. He had time to prepare for them, to establish a schedule or an agenda, and plenty of people he could seek counsel from (or who would just give it unprompted, when they knew him well enough) to ensure he knew exactly what he was up against. Not to mention, when he wore the crown, he always felt much more confident in himself. When he wore the crown, he was the Fire Lord in charge of keeping his country afloat. He couldn’t just appear self-assured and calm and like he knew what to do, he had to possess those qualities, for the sake of his citizens. As Fire Lord, people looked up to him and relied on him to keep them safe. He didn’t proclaim that he was Agni’s chosen or that no-one may dare challenge his decisions, but people nonetheless respected him and looked to him for answers. When he wore the crown, it was sometimes easy to forget that he was ever anything but the stoic, strong and confident Fire Lord they all seemed to believe he was, and he could therefore slip behind his mask and become that stoic, strong, confident man as easily as he had become the Blue Spirit.

Tonight was hardly an official appearance, however, and Zuko didn’t particularly want to treat it like one. He was with his family and friends, just like at the Festival, and his family and friends had made it abundantly clear that they wanted him to just be him. He had put on his regal robes for the evening, though that was more to lend credence to their arrival at the Royal box than because he was attending as Fire Lord. He had also tentatively asked Katara if she would prefer that they not act like a couple tonight, and keep their relationship a secret for the sake of her privacy. Katara had then informed him in no uncertain terms that she was his girlfriend and she intended to act like it, unless hiding their relationship was what Zuko wanted? After hastily assuring her that it wasn’t, he was just thinking about what she might want or need, Katara had instantly melted into a beautiful soft smile, before leaning in and tenderly yet passionately claiming his lips with hers. When he had asked her what that was for, Katara had just shaken her head and told him, “Just because you’re you.”

As if she had read his mind, Katara then chose that moment to squeeze his hand once more. “We’re here,” she whispered softly.

“Let’s get this over with,” he sighed.

“Stop grumbling,” Katara chided, grinning. “Tell you what – if you can get through the whole show without scowling, I’ll buy you a drink at the tavern.”

“You mean you weren’t going to anyway?” Zuko joked, raising his eyebrows.

“Of course I was – I was just planning on putting it on the Royal tab,” Katara smirked.

“…well, aren’t you generous.”

“I know. Aren’t you lucky to have me?” she winked.

“Very,” Zuko replied drily yet sincerely, and smirked back at her. “Just promise you won’t tell Sokka? I’d like to have some money left in the treasury when I get back to the palace.”

“Who do you think told me about the Royal tab in the first place?”

Zuko began mentally composing a note to his councillors to file for bankruptcy.

****

Almost as soon as they stepped foot in the lobby, they were greeted by a very enthusiastic and excitable crew of theatre staff, who swept them almost instantly up to the Royal box. Much to Sokka’s (and Iroh’s) glee, there was such a flurry of activity as they were escorted to the uppermost level of the theatre that both were reasonably confident Zuko wouldn’t have had a chance to spy one of the posters that hung proudly on the dark red walls. Sokka had hoped to be able to keep this quiet, from Zuko if no-one else, for as long as possible but he hadn’t earnestly expected that it would all work out as well as it had. There was a minor chance Zuko might expel him from the country once he found out, but Sokka figured it would be worth it. Besides, Katara was Zuko’s girlfriend now. Zuko wouldn’t want to risk upsetting her, would he, so his position was likely safe. Probably. Hopefully – it might be difficult explaining to his father that he’d need to scout for a new ambassador before Sokka had even taken up the post, even if it was for a hilarious reason.

There was much bowing and profuse gratitude that the Fire Lord had seen fit to grace their theatre with his presence, and they were delighted to welcome him and his friends to their humble establishment. They were then introduced to their private servers who would be assisting them this evening. Zuko idly noticed that it took several of them to take down Sokka’s order.

The Royal box was much plusher and more elegant than the last time they had come here. Instead of hard benches, the box was furnished with an array of comfortable, thick-cushioned sofas in deep maroon, well-spaced out to ensure that no-one was forced to huddle too close together, arranged in terraces like in the stands to ensure that even those seated at the back would still have a clear, uninterrupted view of the stage. Only the best for royalty, after all. The box was more than large enough to comfortably accommodate everyone in their party, but Toph and Iroh had elected to take seats in the stands instead. Toph could remember not being able to see anything last time, suspended as they had been in their like now, and decided she didn’t want to miss out again, and Iroh went along to keep her company. All other offers were dismissed with a wave and a promise that they would all catch up and gossip during the interval. Toph and Iroh were both certain to grab a glass of the complimentary spice wine on their way out, however.

The remainder of the group eagerly began to spread themselves out in the large space they had been appointed. As Zuko sat down beside Katara in one of the sofas on the front row, Sokka nudged his shoulder from the sofa behind them. “Are you ready for your speech, Fire Lord?” he grinned.

“Speech?” Katara queried.

“It’s what they do when we use the box,” Zuko sighed. “Before the show starts, they’re going to announce that we’re here and ask me to say a few words. For luck, apparently.”

“Aw, that’s nice!” Katara replied cheerfully.

“I’m just here to watch, like everyone else,” Zuko complained. “Why do they have to make such a big deal out of it?”

“I can always talk if you want,” Sokka offered.

Zuko couldn’t help but think that the only thing worse than giving the opening speech himself was letting Sokka speak in his stead. He said as much, to laughs all-round.

“Hey! People would love to hear from the new ambassador,” Sokka protested. “I’ll bet I could inspire them with my ancient, mystic Southern wisdom."

“Try and say that without a mouth full of fire flakes and I might take you up on it,” Zuko retorted. Sokka considered this for a moment, then nodded.

“Noted,” he conceded, before leaning back and throwing an arm around Suki’s shoulders.

Zuko sighed and leaned back in his own seat, pondering what to say when the moment came. Beside him, Katara cleared her throat and stared at him expectantly. It took Zuko a moment (and a few nudges from Katara), but he eventually twigged and, smiling, lifted his arm. She grinned back and slotted herself comfortably into his side, sighing with contentment as he closed his arm around her and gave her a squeeze.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I wasn’t ignoring you.”

“I know,” Katara whispered. “Don’t worry about the speech, Zuko. They probably just want you to say you’re happy to be here and that you’re looking forward to a great performance.”

“So they want me to lie?” Katara’s only response was to laugh softly into his chest. “I know that’s all they want to hear,” Zuko told her. It was all his grandfather had said the few times he had deigned to mixed with the common people, after all. It would be perfectly acceptable to keep it short and courteous. But… “I just don’t like being the centre of attention.”

“Well then you might have picked the wrong profession, Fire Lord Zuko,” Katara smirked.

“I thought girlfriends were supposed to be supportive.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” At Zuko’s frown, Katara hastily added, “Kidding! Look, I know you don’t like it, but…you’ll be great. People respect you and look up to you, like they damn well should. Besides, people are here for the show, right? And don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s what they’ll remember about tonight, not your speech. And if you do get nervous, just pretend you’re talking to me. If that would help.”

“It would help,” Zuko assured her. He smiled softly down at her, and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Thank you, Katara.”

“Any time! I’ve been told I’m good with pep talks.”

“You are, but…I meant thank you for being here with…with me.”

“Like I’d be anywhere else,” Katara smiled, and began to lean in for a kiss when they were interrupted by a disapproving hiss from behind them. They both slowly turned their heads and matched Sokka’s glare.

“I believe what you were about to do would qualify as ‘oogies’,” Sokka said in a mock-stern tone. “Don’t you remember our talk when we were camping?”

“I do, and what I remember is not agreeing to that,” Katara retorted. She then turned back to Zuko and closed the distance between them, firmly pressing her lips to his. They smiled at each other as they pulled away, and Katara settled back into the nook at Zuko’s side.

“You know, I’m starting to think the North Pole had some good ideas about their women…” Sokka mumbled under his breath. Katara’s eyes widened in outrage and she swivelled back around to shoot her brother a dirty look. Katara’s glare was, however, no match for Suki’s and Sokka quickly wilted under his betrothed’s withering gaze. “I – I was only joking, sweetie!” he hastily backtracked.

“You’d best be,” Suki grinned back.

The lights above them then began to dim, signalling that the show was about to start. As if on cue, an expectant hush fell over the entire theatre, growing collectively quieter as darkness descended. The last few smatterings of conversation soon faded away to whispers and then there was nothing but total silence, broken only by the occasional cough and throat-clearing from the audience in the stands below them. After a few moments, a single spotlight lit up the centre of the stage just in front of the curtains. A smartly dressed man emerged from behind them, carrying a silver-topped black cane and a sleek, shiny top hat crowned his head. The man was also in possession of a rather flamboyant moustache, which he began to twirl between his fingers absent-mindedly as he made a show of surveying the audience.

“Well, well, well, this is a wonderful turnout!” the man announced loudly and proudly, his voice easily carrying the distance between him and the Royal box at the back of the theatre. “It’s such a pleasure to welcome you all here tonight! Are you excited for the show?” The audience cheered in response, to many nods of approval from the presenter on the stage. “That’s great to hear. Now, of course most of you will already know that this is the opening night for a very special performance…but what you might not know is that we also have a special guest in the audience. Ladies and gentlemen, I am thrilled to announce that our very own Fire Lord Zuko is present for tonight’s event!” The presenter then gestured up to the Royal box, and the theatre was suddenly inundated by the sounds of loud, raucous cheering and heavy applause. Zuko started slightly at the warm reception, and as Katara beamed up at him from his right, he couldn’t help but break out into a small smile. He didn’t spend as much time as he should amongst the common folk, he knew – the nobles and his councillors had the unfortunate habit of taking up all his time with what was usually frivolous nonsense. He had gone on official visits to a couple of the outlying islands, as much to assure them that they were in his mind and wouldn’t simply be forgotten or trodden on as maintaining a presence to discourage any would-be troublemakers. It wasn’t enough though, in Zuko’s opinion. He doubted if he would ever be able to do enough. But all the same, despite his worries, it was extremely heartening to hear what sounded like genuine enthusiasm and encouragement coming from his people.

Without being prompted by the presenter below, the spotlight shifted away from him and up to where Zuko was now stood at the edge of the balcony. The applause died down as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Thank you. I know you’re all eager for the performance so I won’t keep you long,” he began, making sure to speak clearly. “I’d just like to say that it’s an honour to be here, and I’m really happy to see so many of you here supporting the local community. Coming to watch the Ember Island Players at the end of summer has long been a tradition in my family. You actually have my mother, Lady Ursa, to thank for our appearance here tonight.” He held his tongue as the audience broke out into more applause and cheers. From their position in the stands, Toph and Iroh could clearly hear some of the murmurings from their fellow audience members going on around them. Most of the comments were overwhelmingly positive, praising their Fire Lord for appearing to be so down-to-earth and approachable. One woman seemed very pleased that he had thought to mention his mother and she loudly lamented to her friend that she wished her son could be more like Zuko.

“I’m certain she’s as excited as you all are to get started,” Zuko continued, “so with that I’ll leave you in the capable hands of the gentleman on stage. I hope you enjoy the show.”

He sat back down as more applause and cheering rang out across the theatre, and let out a deep sigh of relief. Katara wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek. “You did great, honey!” she whispered enthusiastically. “I’m so proud of you.”

“It wasn’t really anything…” Zuko stammered uncertainly, hoping the darkness would cloak his blush.

“Just take the compliment,” Katara grinned cheekily at him. “You were honestly great. And the audience clearly agrees with me!”

“Yeah, it was a good speech, buddy,” Sokka pitched in from behind them. “Short and to the point. Very Zuko.”

Zuko wasn’t sure if that was intended to be a compliment or not, but had no time to dwell on it as the presenter began speaking again.

“Folks, I’ve got good news. The moment you’ve all been waiting for…is almost here!” The audience chuckled. “This show was first performed almost exactly four years ago today. Some of you may remember it from its first run, but of course it had a different name back then. We called it The Boy in the Iceberg at the time.” As soon as those words left the presenter’s lips, a flicker of recognition pulsed across Zuko’s mind. He frowned in confusion and suspicion, and noticed Katara doing the same beside him. That sounded familiar…disconcertingly familiar…

“But don’t you worry if you caught it last time – there have been a few changes…” He waved his cane in the air for emphasis as he spoke, and the audience was practically buzzing with anticipation. “I’ll leave it to you to see if you can spot them!” He raised his arms dramatically, as if expecting much more of a response than the uncertain stares he got for his trouble. He hastily straightened himself. “Believe me, that joke will seem a lot funnier when the show is over,” the presenter assured them, smirking. Sokka cracked out a laugh at that.

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for is actually here! Ladies and gentlemen, in honour of the anniversary of the end of the war, the Ember Island Players are proud and privileged to present the new and improved interpretation – The Prince and the Avatar!”

Notes:

I hope that's not too mean of a cliffhanger...if it helps, the original cliffhanger I had planned was probably worse...which now, I'm sure, fills you with lots of encouragement for the next chapter. Or DOES IT????

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on the last chapter. When I was feeling very low, I honestly went back and re-read them and it really helped spur me on with this chapter. So thank you, all of you, for that.

For those who also read my other fic, an update is now in the works on that one, too.

I will try and get the next update out quicker, but if I don't, please bear with me because it WILL come. Until next time, my lovelies!

Chapter 13: The Prince and the Avatar, Part II

Summary:

The Ember Island Players showcase their latest masterpiece - The Prince and the Avatar! What could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile, Sokka's ploy is revealed and Katara has a revelation about Zuko.

Notes:

Hello everybody! I hope you're all doing okay this fine July evening (UK time). First off, belated Happy 4th July for any of my American readers!

Secondly, sorry, I know it's been another long wait. But I don't think you'll be too upset with me...because this is a LONG chapter. I won't lie to you, it came out at nearly 20 pages. I COULD have split it but it would have interrupted the flow of it too much. So here, have a LONG chapter. Consider it a double-episode, if you will.

I should also warn that this chapter achieves maximum fluff levels - dental floss is advised.

I won't keep you, so enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for is actually here! Ladies and gentlemen, in honour of the anniversary of the end of the war, the Ember Island Players are proud and privileged to present the new and improved interpretation – The Prince and the Avatar!”

As the theatre once more erupted into enthusiastic applause and deafening cheers, the presenter took a humble bow before them, waving and blowing kisses at the audience. After a moment, the spotlight illuminating him suddenly shut off, and he beat a hasty retreat back behind the curtain as the whole theatre was once more plunged into darkness, stilling the audience’s excitement with it. Zuko and Katara both took advantage of the brief reprieve to exchange weary, exasperated glances.

Of all the plays…of all the innumerable plays and shows from around the world it could have been… A stirring Earth Kingdom romance tale, a classical Fire Nation saga, a contemporary Water Tribe drama that had recently begun emerging from the North Pole…spirits, Zuko would have even been happy with a fresh butchering of Love Amongst the Dragons! Anything, anything, would have been better than this, he thought. Zuko was previously aware that the absolute travesty that was The Boy in the Iceberg had supposedly been “refurbished”, according to the writer, but he had had zero intention of going to see it or getting involved in any way. Until today apparently. Because the spirits were still seemingly not done with their great cosmic joke at his expense.

“Is it too late to leave?” Katara groaned beside him.

“If you’d let me wear that big cloak, we might have gotten away with it,” Zuko whispered back somewhat pointedly. Katara couldn’t deny that her boyfriend wasn’t wrong.

“I stand corrected on that,” Katara conceded unflinchingly, grimacing as the curtains on the stage began to part and large, rough white silhouettes could be made out at the back. She supposed that, like last time, they probably represented the glaciers and icebergs of home. So it would still begin with how she and Sokka found Aang, most likely. “You were right, I was wrong. That cloak would have been perfect.”

Zuko raised his eyebrows in surprise, then smirked. “Sounds like a moment to bow to my superior wisdom.”

Katara seriously considered that for a moment. “Will you get me out of this if I do?”

“No. If I have to suffer through it, we all do.”

“Then keep dreaming, Fire Lord,” Katara grinned. She took a deep breath as the stage slowly flooded with pale blue light.

Two figures dressed in crude Water Tribe costumes “rowed” onto the stage in a canoe, which had been fitted with wheels that rolled smoothly, but loudly, across the wooden planks. Katara glanced back at Sokka, who was looking entirely far too excited considering he had also witnessed the last one. He caught her eye and grinned, pointing at their stage counterparts, who were largely dressed and made up like the last time. So that clearly wasn’t one of the supposed changes, Katara remarked, noticing the inaccurate and highly impractical thigh-high slit still present on stage-Katara’s dress. She shook her head. She could only hope and pray to the spirits that at least they might have shifted from their simpering, overly emotional and totally unfair and unrealistic depiction of her from last time. Katara was better-known as a war hero now, throughout the world. There was a minor, tiny, just-slightly-above-impossible chance that would have reached the writer…

“Sokka, my only brother!” stage-Katara wailed. “We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas, and yet never do we find anything fulfilling!”

…never mind.

“All I want is a full feeling in my stomach. I’m starving!” stage-Sokka announced loudly to the audience, to theatre-wide laughter. Katara and Zuko both chuckled along. They couldn’t fault the Ember Island Players for that gag – nothing had changed in that respect, both in the show as well as real life.

“That reminds me, shouldn’t my food be here by now?” Sokka suddenly pondered behind them. Zuko and Katara exchanged glances with Suki and the three of them broke out into wide smiles and began laughing quietly. Whether Sokka had intended it or not, his impeccably timed remark was just the reminder they all needed that this was just a silly, harmless bit of foolishness. There was no point in getting upset or angry about it. It wasn’t like last time…

As much as they liked to grumble, all of them would acknowledge if pressed that it hadn’t been the portrayals of themselves that had left the bitter lasting impression so much as the ending… It had been terribly staged and just as laughably bad as the rest of the show, but at the time, the fate of the entire world was hanging in the balance. Not to mention their fates. As ridiculous as stage-Aang and particularly stage-Zuko’s deaths were, it had stung all of them with a sharp, deadly vision of failure, chaos and destruction. The walk back from the theatre had been coated with tense silence and most of them had gone straight to bed upon returning to the house, unable to face each other or the reality that the play’s prediction could just come true.

Now, though, there were no such concerns. Katara reminded herself that she was the one to encourage Zuko to just observe and find their antics funny. She decided to try taking a block from her own igloo and embrace the silliness rather than despairing of it. Sokka was certainly enjoying himself, and she had no doubt that Toph and Iroh were sharing a good laugh amongst themselves. Speaking of Toph…would they have revised her character? Toph was probably the only one who would be disappointed if they did correct their first mistake, Katara thought with a smile.

Embracing their silliness was far easier said than done, in reality, and Katara made a mental note to order a glass of strong wine when she next saw the server.

“Waterbend!” stage-Katara suddenly shouted. “Hi-yah!” Stage-Katara then promptly proceeded to karate chop the prop iceberg. When stage-Aang emerged dramatically from within, Sokka and Suki both guffawed loudly.

“Huh, I forgot a woman played Aang,” Sokka remarked. “Oh man, that little dude was pissed when he saw that!”

“He really was,” Suki agreed. “But I don’t get why. At least his character had lines. According to them, I didn’t do much more than beat you up and wave some fans around.” Sokka patted Suki on the arm sympathetically.

“Well, the guy said they made some changes. Maybe you’re one of them?”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, but I’d be interested to see what they come up with.”

“You may regret those words,” Zuko muttered darkly. “I wish my character had only had to beat Sokka up and wave some fans around.”

Stage-Katara chose that moment to gasp loudly. “An airbender!” she cried. “My heart is so full of hope…!” stage-Katara fell to her knees, “that it’s making me tearbend!” Stage-Katara then began sobbing and bawling loudly, clutching onto stage-Aang’s leg. Real-Katara frowned in severe displeasure at her counterpart’s display.

I’ll make you tearbend,” she muttered sulkily, crossing her arms and pulling off what she thought was her best Zuko scowl. She had done her utmost to mentally prepare in the little time she’d had, but she drew the line at tearbending. She heard Zuko chuckle and turned her scowl towards him in suspicion. The look he was giving her, however, wasn’t one of mocking, but one of complete adoration. Katara’s scowl lessened to a frown of confusion. “What?”

“You’re so beautiful when you pout,” Zuko sighed happily.

Katara’s frown deepened. “I’m not pouting!” she protested.

“Yes, you are,” Zuko replied surely, wrapping his arms around her. He continued smiling happily down at her and planted a kiss on her lips. “And I would know,” he pointed out. Katara, for her part, was completely disarmed. Her indignation fading, she all but melted into his arms and couldn’t help the soppy grin that broke out over her face.

“I guess you would,” she chuckled back. She leaned back in and pressed her lips to his.

“Guys. Oogies, oogies!”

“Shut up, Sokka,” they retorted in unison.

****

Although watching the play was indeed much improved by getting to cuddle his incredible girlfriend (albeit not under a concealing cloak), Zuko was still admittedly a bit nervous about when his character made his debut. His character’s behaviour and actions from that time wouldn’t come as a surprise to any of them, but the thought of having to watch it all unfold before his eyes again (and theirs) wasn’t a pleasant one.

None of his friends or family would take it too seriously, of that he was sure, but he couldn’t say the same for any of his citizens sitting in the audience. The Boy in the Iceberg had apparently gained an admirable following within the Fire Nation before Ozai was defeated, after which it was hastily withdrawn for its controversial ending. Zuko’s councillor for the arts had brought it to his attention and asked if Zuko would like it banned and any copies of the text destroyed. As tempted as he was at the time, Zuko had declined. He didn’t want to be that kind of authoritarian, despotic ruler, so paranoid and desperate to hold on to power that he was threatened by a play. Secretly, he was of the opinion that the play should be banned, but only because it made terrible theatre, not because the writer had (understandably) imagined an ending that favoured the Fire Nation. The fact that the miserable ending had thankfully not come to pass in real life, as far as Zuko was concerned, relegated it to mere fiction and not worth bothering with. After his decision, the play was free to be shown to any audience throughout the Fire Nation, though in reality there wasn’t much appetite for it in its previous incarnation once the war was over. It seemed that his citizens weren’t fans of the imperialistic ending of The Boy in the Iceberg either, once it ceased being mandatory to support it. Once a full dossier of what the Fire Nation had done to the rest of the world was published.

(That had also been Zuko’s decision, to ensure they never forgot and would never repeat it, and he had refused to compromise on the point of ensuring that their history and role in the war was taught accurately in schools.)

He calmed himself about his citizens’ possible reaction by reminding himself that this wasn’t the first time the play had been shown. Most of the people in the audience had probably seen The Boy in the Iceberg and that hadn’t done anything that Zuko was aware of to colour their perception of him, seemingly in any way at all. He had to give them more credit. They were most likely just as aware as he was that this show was a loose interpretation, to put it generously, of real events – the real story had been publicised often enough.

All the same, Zuko fought a grimace when the lights dimmed and a host of eerie, shadowy shapes moved onto the dark stage to rearrange the set. If his memory served, the next scene took place on Zuko’s ship. Sure enough, when the stage was illuminated once more, the familiar figures of his and Iroh’s counterparts took centre stage. The first thing that Zuko noticed, to his pleasant surprise, was the half-mask worn by the actor sporting Zuko’s old hairstyle and his scar. This time, they had put his scar on the right side…which was to say, the left. Zuko couldn’t say he was even cautiously optimistic about this development, but at least it was an improvement, one that didn’t go unnoticed by his friends judging by the approving whispers coming from behind him.

“Prince Zuko, you must try this cake!” stage-Iroh declared, crossing the stage to stand just behind stage-Zuko, who was making an impressively convincing show of angrily staring through a telescope.

“I don’t have time to stuff my face!” stage-Zuko snapped. “I must capture the Avatar to regain my honour!”

“Well, while you do that, maybe I’ll capture another slice…” Zuko couldn’t help but smile. That exact interaction had never quite taken place on board, but it was something Zuko could easily imagine. He also swore he could hear Iroh’s deep belly-laugh among the amused din that had broken out in the stands. “I know! Let’s forget about the Avatar and get massages!”

“How could you say that?!” stage-Zuko snapped, shocked. He clenched his fist and brought it before his chest determinedly. “You don’t understand me!” Just then, stage-Zuko’s surroundings went dark until only he was illuminated by a single spotlight. He turned to face the audience with a rather perplexing expression that was half-frown, half-anguished pout stretched across his heavily made-up face. “No-one understands me,” stage-Zuko posed dramatically, directly to the audience. “It is my burden to bear, and mine to bear alone…but bear it I must! For the sake of my honour! For the sake of my crown! And…for the sake…of my beloved country…” Stage-Zuko’s chin dropped down to his chest and he let out a low, angst-filled moan that echoed through the theatre, leaving in its wake a stunned silence.

…well…that was new…

Below, real-Zuko heard a collective round of “aaw” and otherwise sympathetic murmurs.

Beside and behind him, however, he heard barely-concealed titters of disbelieving laughter coming from his so-called closest friends and his so-called girlfriend. He glared down at Katara but she refused to catch his eye, stifling her giggles with her fist pressed right against her mouth. Zuko made a point of continuing to scowl at her until she finally sheepishly met his gaze once she had composed herself.

“I’m sorry, honey,” she whispered, unable to fight the grin spreading back across her cheeks.

“Yeah, you look real cut up about it,” Zuko remarked drily.

“It just caught me by surprise!”

Zuko snorted and shook his head. “You’re not the only one,” he sighed. He turned his glare to the stage, where stage-Zuko had only just risen back to his feet. He promptly began barking orders about how finding the Avatar was their top priority which, while not flattering to watch, was at least accurate. “Seriously, I just can’t with this play,” he whisper-ranted. “Even when they do a rewrite, they still manage to screw it up. I never did-” as if on cue, Zuko’s tirade was interrupted by another loud groaning-wail emanating from stage-Zuko, “…that,” Zuko concluded tersely. Unable to help herself, Katara was instantly overtaken by a fresh wave of giggles. Zuko scowled down at his counterpart, deciding to wait another moment for Katara to recompose herself. “This is completely ridiculous,” he muttered sulkily.

“You’re right, honey,” Katara nodded encouragingly. “It is completely ridiculous.” She raised her eyebrows pointedly. “I don’t believe you used to just start wailing about your honour like that. Well, not quite like that anyway.” Zuko raised his own eyebrows. “I mean, sure, you brooded a lot, but…” she trailed off, seemingly not sure how to finish the sentence.

 “Yeah, well, I had a lot to brood about,” he shrugged. Katara giggled softly, giving him a squeeze. Zuko met her smile with a smirk. “But can you blame me? All that, uh, tearbending I had to put up with from this one damn waterbender, you know…”

Zuko would one day write in his memoirs that the resulting jab to his ribs from his beloved was worth it...especially because, immediately afterwards, she nuzzled into his chest. He rested his chin on her head, absent-mindedly stroking her arm, and a small thrill jolted through him as she clasped his other hand in hers and brought his fingers to her lips in a delicate kiss. Spirits, he was so lucky…he honestly still couldn’t believe it sometimes. That someone like Katara wanted to be with him. Someone he could trust completely and fully, someone he could be certain wanted to be with him for him, not because she coveted the throne beside him and all the potential power it promised.

In a way, he couldn’t even blame such ambitious women. He had long coveted the throne and restoration of his status during the formative years of his banishment, after all. For a different Fire Lord, or perhaps even a different Zuko, such women would have been exactly what he was looking for. As long as they popped out a few heirs between them, the marriage would be considered a success, regardless of what went on behind closed doors. But Zuko wanted a connection with his future wife. He wanted love. He wanted to care for her and her to care for him, he wanted them to be partners and to have each other’s backs. Was that so wrong? Zuko didn’t believe so.

Perhaps during the war, refusing to accept a loveless marriage for being loveless would have been construed as weakness in the Fire Nation. It probably still was within certain circles of the upper echelons, he figured, but none that posed any kind of threat to his life or his position. It was just something for them to grumble about.

“The wailing prince and the tearbending waterbender,” Katara remarked casually. She looked up at him, beaming. “We make quite a pair, don’t we?”

Zuko broke out into a beautiful, calm smile of his own. “Yeah,” he agreed, chuckling. “We really do.”

****

As the play went on, both Katara and Zuko acknowledged that The Prince and the Avatar had a few changes from The Boy in the Iceberg, but neither would necessarily call them ‘improvements.’ This was never demonstrated more clearly than the scene with the pirates. Unlike in the original, the brief battle over the stolen waterbending scroll was not limited to the docks, and that particular storyline had been…expanded somewhat.

Following stage-Katara’s wailing justification for stealing the scroll, “It just gave me so…much…hope!”, a new scene was added in which stage-Katara – just like in real life – snuck away from their camp to a nearby river to practice some forms from the scroll. So far, so accurate.

Stage-Katara was soon set upon by the pirates and she jumped up to defend herself. “Waterbend!” stage-Katara cried dramatically, throwing out a flimsy blue ribbon in a crude imitation of a water-whip. The Pirate King (as he was dubbed in the play) then caught her water-whip with his cutlass and yanked the ribbon from stage-Katara’s grip. He grinned triumphantly at her and began a melodramatic bout of evil laughter. “Oh noo!” stage-Katara wailed, falling to her knees. “What will become of me?” She then began bawling once more. Katara was just about ready to launch a water-whip of her own when a loud shout from off-stage caught her attention.

“Don’t worry, water maiden! I’ll save you from the pirates!”

Then, to the sheer, unbridled delight of Sokka, Suki, Toph and Iroh, and the shock of everyone else, stage-Zuko crashed through the ‘trees’ fringing the wings and he rode – he rode – on to the stage. Upon closer inspection, the actor was sat astride the canoe with wheels from the very first scene, which had now been “dressed” to resemble a Komodo-rhino. As the “Komodo-rhino” audibly rolled across to the centre of the stage, stage-Zuko suddenly leapt from the saddle and heroically blocked stage-Katara off from the Pirate King.

The “Komodo-rhino”, meanwhile, continued rolling, seemingly forgotten, into the wings on the other side of the stage. In too much shock and/or awe at this unexpected development, no-one questioned it.

Suki and Sokka clutched each other in their excitement as stage-Zuko proceeded to bravely and fiercely fight the pirates with an array of orange ribbons. As was apparently his custom, stage-Zuko wailed between each one. As was apparently her custom, stage-Katara contributed to the angst and tension of the scene by letting out sporadic moans of despair throughout the encounter.

Once the pirates had all been chased off, stage-Zuko turned to stage-Katara, who – to real-Katara’s chagrin – was still huddled on the ground like a helpless, simpering damsel in distress.

“But I don’t understand, Prince Zuko,” stage-Katara said. “We’re enemies. Why would you help me?”

“I indeed love my country and I must capture the Avatar,” stage-Zuko replied gravely. “But my honour…” the stage lights dimmed so only stage-Zuko was illuminated once more, “…must come first.” The stage lit back up again. Stage-Zuko suddenly turned agitatedly to stage-Katara. “Now, where is the Avatar?!

Just then, stage-Sokka ran silently into the scene…and bonked stage-Zuko over the head with his boomerang. Real-Sokka practically leapt up from his seat in his glee. Before him, he could see that Katara was shaking in her seat and Zuko groaned loudly, his head falling into his hands. Spirits, this was better than Sokka could ever have dreamed!

“This is the best play ever,” Sokka whispered to Suki. Suki could only nod mutely in response, almost crying with laughter.

“Come on, sis! We gotta go!” stage-Sokka cried, grabbing stage-Katara by the hand and dragging her back into the wings, though not before stage-Katara looked wistfully back at the form of stage-Zuko.

“I wonder,” she declared to the audience, “if there is any hope for him…”

The audience “aaw”ed once more.

****

Iroh was the only person in the Royal party who had the privilege to have never seen The Boy in the Iceberg before that evening’s performance. He had known what it was, of course. He had heard mention of it in passing, but other than that hadn’t given it any thought until Sokka quite literally came running up to him and made Iroh aware that if there was any show they needed to be sure they had tickets for, it was this one. Intrigued, Iroh had happily obliged, in both the acquisition of the tickets and the secrecy surrounding it.

All in all, he found the silliness and pomp rather charming. Per Zuko’s assumption, it had indeed been Iroh’s belly-laugh he had heard from the Royal box when Iroh and Zuko’s counterparts had made their debuts. The jokes and bad puns spouted by his counterpart were largely in line with Iroh’s own humour, if not a completely accurate portrayal of his and Zuko’s relationship during his banishment. Part of Iroh regretted that he hadn’t come up with some of them himself! Toph was as always a delightful and bright companion and both had exchanged many laughs as the play unfolded, in particular at Zuko’s scenes – not purely because of the wailing and dramatic monologuing the writer had decided Zuko must have done with alarming frequency (although that was part of it), but mostly because they could both easily imagine real-Zuko’s reactions.

Iroh was also flattered to see that despite the largely comic relief role his character had held in the first act of the play, his actions at the North Pole hadn’t been watered down. If he was being honest, Iroh knew in his heart that for all the changes he had undergone after Lu Ten’s death and abandoning the siege, fighting Admiral Zhao in defence of the spirits – and, indeed, the world – was the first real step Iroh had taken, both for himself and for Zuko, to dissociate from the Fire Nation’s destructive philosophies. Iroh hadn’t cared for power since long before that night, but it was the first time that he had openly betrayed both his country’s and his family’s values. His choice had admittedly made his and Zuko’s positions much, much tougher for a time, but Iroh had always known without a shadow of doubt that it was the right thing to do and that things would eventually turn out right – fate liked to construct twisting labyrinths, laced with much hardship and peril in parts, but there was always a destination in sight, so long as you soldiered on.

Watching this play, The Prince and the Avatar, and watching stage-Zuko prance around angrily in between bursts of high-intensity teenage angst, Iroh couldn’t help but feel a strong yet soothing swell of pride bloom in his chest. His son – his second son – had come so far, broken so many taboos, leapt so many hurdles to become the man he was today. As a teenager, Zuko had largely been how he was shown on stage, less the more caricaturistic tendencies of stage-Zuko of course. But he had been an angry teenager and could have become a very angry, cold and cruel man like his father. Zuko ascribed his change for the good almost completely to Iroh’s influence. Whilst Iroh was flattered, it wasn’t the truth. Zuko had, ultimately, decided on his own. Zuko was the man he was because he had decided himself to cast off the shackles Ozai had forced on him and sought his own destiny, his true destiny. All Iroh could ever do was attempt to guide him in the right direction – Zuko was the one who had chosen to follow that path in the end. Part of Iroh lamented that he had secured his escape from the Fire Nation during the Day of Black Sun before he and Zuko could reunite, but equally, he appreciated that Zuko following the Avatar – this time to join him – had needed to be a solo mission. Any goodwill or trust that Zuko earned as part of their group stood the risk of being diluted had Iroh been there, unconsciously but surely paving the way for him. It could have ended up that Zuko was merely tolerated for Iroh’s sake, rather than appreciated for who he was. No, Zuko had needed to ingratiate himself with them alone, had needed to earn their forgiveness for his past mistakes alone. Because now, it was something Zuko had achieved by himself. It had allowed him to forge those strong bonds and solid friendships that had transcended the war…which was just what his son needed and deserved.

During the first interval, Iroh and Toph rose from their seats with the rest of the audience in the stands and shuffled out towards the cool lobby and even cooler exterior balconies, where they had agreed they would reconvene with the rest of their party. The balconies were lit with decorative streams of red and gold lanterns, and benches were placed at regular intervals along the terrace, many of which were currently occupied. The sound of relaxed chatter and inside-jokes shared between groups of friends and lovers floated over them and Iroh had to navigate between the quick flurries of small children running around between the adults in their excitement. For a moment, Iroh was briefly reminded of his beloved teashop back in Ba Sing Se. He had thoroughly enjoyed his time on Ember Island, seeing Zuko and Ursa and everyone else, and relished in the much-needed break, but Iroh couldn’t quite say he was sorry that he would be returning to his routine soon. He would sorely miss Katara’s easy and cheerful companionship, but he was also thrilled for her that she would be pursuing her own passion. She had promised to write and visit, with steadfast assurances that Zuko would be in tow, his councillors be damned. Iroh believed her.

They found their group at the far end of the balcony, where it was quieter. Iroh noted that Zuko had unsurprisingly elected to remain inside and out of sight, but Katara, Sokka, Suki, Noren and Kiyi all greeted them happily. Kiyi came running up to Iroh for a cuddle, which Iroh gladly returned before she nodded politely at Toph.

“Melon Lord,” she greeted.

“Candy Cane,” Toph returned, nodding back before the two of them cracked up. It was clear a fast friendship was developing between Toph and Kiyi, despite their age difference. It was as if Kiyi was the younger sister Toph had never had and she seemed genuinely thrilled to have another protégé to take under her wing. Kiyi may not be an earthbender, but that didn’t mean Toph didn’t have plenty of things she could still teach the younger girl.

“Hey, Iroh,” Katara greeted warmly, hugging him. “So…what do you think of the play so far?”

“I think it’s delightful!” Iroh beamed. “Although I must confess, I was a little sad that I never did manage to capture a slice of that cake. It looked delicious.” He chuckled then winked at Katara. “And how is Zuko taking it all?”

“He’s a little grumpy, but he’s okay,” Katara assured him, grinning back. “I don’t think any of us were expecting his character to just start…wailing, though. That was…not in the original.”

“Oh yeah, you never saw that, did you, Iroh?” Sokka interjected, wandering up to them with an arm around Suki’s shoulders. “I’ve got to admit, you didn’t miss anything. This one is way better. That scene with the pirates, man!” he chuckled to himself. “Suki and I are having a blast!”

“That was certainly a…creative interpretation of events,” Iroh nodded in agreement. “I must thank you for your recommendation, Sokka. This has been a splendid evening.” Upon hearing this, Katara furrowed her brow.

Your recommendation?” she questioned, accusation evident in her tone.

Sokka’s face instantly fell and a clear expression of mild panic overcame his features. Iroh, having realised his mistake, sheepishly shuffled away to talk to Noren about the finer points of stagecraft. Katara raised her eyebrows sceptically in her brother’s direction.

“Uh…” Sokka stammered. “Well, it was more Amorai than me. He practically insisted that we check it out.”

“That reminds me,” Suki piped up. “I’ve been wondering about that. I can’t be sure because of all the make-up, but that didn’t look like Amorai up on stage. Is he still playing Zuko?”

“No,” Sokka confirmed. “He told me he was directing it.” Suki nodded sagely, the realisation dawning on her. It…explained some of their choices for this performance. Even having met Amorai only once, that was plenty for her to accept without question that…this was Amorai’s doing.

Katara was still frowning at Sokka, though she couldn’t say she was in the least bit surprised that he had had a hand in their outing tonight. Sokka had also been the one to insist that they go and see The Boy in the Iceberg. She could see why he would be intrigued. But that didn’t explain why there had been so much secrecy surrounding it…but she had a good feeling she knew the real reason the chosen play had been shrouded in mystery.

Before she had a chance to press, however, a gong resounded across the terrace, the signal that the play would be resuming in a few moments. Toph and Iroh said their goodbyes as they mingled with the crowd heading back to the stands while the rest of the group retraced their steps up to the Royal box, Kiyi swinging excitedly off Noren’s arm while Katara held her other hand. They were greeted by a new round of spiced wine (and freshly-squeezed fire-orange juice for Kiyi) as well as platters of food. Sokka practically drooled at the sight of all that meat and broke away from Suki (hastily turning back and kissing her on the cheek) to tuck in.

But before he could get started, he was interrupted by a deep, displeased voice clearing his throat. He looked uncertainly up to see Zuko scowling at him.

“You knew about this, didn’t you?” Zuko accused. Sokka quickly adopted an expression of innocence.

“Whaaat?” he denied in far too high a pitch to be convincing.

“You planned this. When you said you spoke to Amorai, it was about this play, wasn’t it?”

“Hey, now hold on, your uncle got the tickets!” Sokka protested. Zuko’s scowl deepened. “It wasn’t me! Although, you know, now that I think about it, he might have mentioned-”

“Don’t try to blame all this on my uncle!” Zuko cut him off, sounding to all who didn’t know him as if he was genuinely angry. He wasn’t…but he couldn’t deny it, watching the guilty party squirm before him was immensely satisfying. Sokka could only squeak in response. “This was all you. I know it was. I have it on good authority that you planned this and you conspired with my uncle to make sure I didn’t find out before we got here!”

Now it was Sokka’s turn to frown. He turned to his sister. “Katara! What did you tell him?”

“Nothing. I was outside with you the whole time,” Katara reminded him. For Zuko’s benefit, she added, “And I only found out because Iroh let slip on the terrace that this was your ‘recommendation’.”

“Well, recommendation’s kind of a strong word-”

“But that’s what you told me it was,” Suki pointed out.

“Aren’t you supposed to back me up?” Sokka rounded on her. “You know, seeing as we’re betrothed and all.”

“Oh, right,” Suki replied. She turned to Zuko with a straight face and deadpanned. “I heard nothing. Iroh did not thank Sokka for his recommendation. Sokka is innocent in all this.” She turned to her betrothed. “How was that, sweetie?”

“Wonderful,” Sokka replied drily, turning to Zuko. “Uh…you see? Innocent!” he ventured hopefully, as if that solved everything. But he quickly backed off when Zuko took a step forward.

“I will get you back for this,” Zuko promised.

“Looking forward to it, buddy,” Sokka grinned. Zuko shook his head, but couldn’t help grinning back. Sokka clapped him on the shoulder and turned his attention back to the platter, piling his plate high. Zuko snorted. Sokka should enjoy that while he still could…an idea had already formed in his mind, one that was sure to make Sokka rue the day he thought he would ever get away with this deception!

Oh, he would get Sokka good. Contrary to Sokka’s fears, Zuko had no intention of expelling him as ambassador, however. No, he wanted Sokka close by. It would be the easiest way to put his plan into action. Zuko was quite pleased with himself for coming up with it, although part of the credit belonged to his mother. Not only was Ursa the one to reveal Sokka and Iroh’s involvement scheming, but she had also inadvertently planted the seed for his revenge. If she hadn’t jokingly brought up the possibility that Sokka might demand an ice palace or an igloo to make the Fire Nation capital homier for him, Zuko might never have thought of it.

It might seem a strange request to come directly from the Fire Lord, rather than the ambassador himself, but fortunately, Zuko had the means to make it work. Sokka would require a staff to help manage the embassy itself, and unless and until more members of the Southern Water Tribe immigrated to fill the positions, Fire Nation citizens had been recruited for the job.

It shouldn’t be difficult at all to pass a message to the chef regarding Sokka’s dietary requirements. After all, they liked to know these things so they could prepare and not accidentally offend their host. And what with Sokka being such a dedicated, strict vegetarian, it would only be unfair not to warn them in advance.

****

The second act of the play contained the moment that everyone, even Zuko, couldn’t help but be curious about – the introduction of stage-Toph. Unlike everybody else in their group at the time, Toph was the only one who had been thrilled with her counterpart. Consequently, she was also the most liable to be disappointed if they changed it.

Suki’s character had been promoted, at least compared to the last one – stage-Suki had been given three whole lines in the first act! One of which was admittedly just shouting “Oh no! The village of Kyoshi!” when stage-Zuko attacked, but still. That was it so far, but Suki wasn’t surprised or particularly disappointed. Even in real life, Suki hadn’t had any involvement with the group after they’d fled Kyoshi Island until they bumped into each other at the ferry terminal.

Like last time, the second act of the play opened against a painted backdrop of an Earth Kingdom town. It seemed the group’s exploits from General Fong’s fortress to Chin Village still didn’t merit a stage adaptation, but that suited them all just fine. Zuko in particular found himself hoping that his character would be as absent from the second act as last time, but he knew it was probably futile – it was called The Prince and the Avatar, after all. Even by the Ember Island Players’ standards, it would be very strange for one of the main characters to just disappear for a good chunk of the play without explanation. Not that many noteworthy events had happened during that period, but still – Zuko wouldn’t put it past any of them to just make something up.

“Well, after a long and difficult journey from the North Pole, here we are in the southern Earth Kingdom!” stage-Aang announced for the benefit of the audience. “It’s awful about Omashu, though. Now that it’s under Fire Nation control, I don’t have an earthbending teacher! How am I supposed to learn the elements to defeat the Fire Lord now?”

“Don’t give up hope, Aang!” stage-Katara replied, full of determination. “Why, there’s a town just here!” She gestured excitedly to the painted backdrop. “Maybe you should go in and see if you can find an earthbending master?”

“Great idea, Katara!” stage-Aang agreed. “I’d better start looking around!” Stage-Aang was then lifted into the air by a previously-unseen harness, complete with glider, and “flew” around the stage and over the audience. When stage-Aang landed again, he continued in a dejected tone, “I flew all over town, but I couldn’t find a single earthbending master!”

This was it, the group knew. This was the crucial moment…

Suddenly, a loud bang followed by a louder roar emanating from below the stage made almost everyone in the audience jump in shock collectively. Then, a thick heavy fist punched through a prop rock that had been inconspicuously placed just behind stage-Sokka. Stage-Sokka yelped in terror as the fist shot up and began to scrabble for purchase, and he leapt into stage-Katara’s arms in fright. Katara, Zuko and Suki, along with the rest of the audience, instantly fell about laughing, while Sokka realised it was his turn to make a point of scowling at the stage. Katara, for her part, was overjoyed that, for once, it wasn’t her who was the simpering damsel in the scene.

Stage-Toph then emerged through the prop rock, just as big, muscly and buff as the last time. The audience in the stands broke out into cheers, with real-Toph’s voice rising above them all. “You can’t find an earthbending master in the sky!” stage-Toph declared in a deep, gravelly voice. “You have to look underground!”

“Who are you?” stage-Aang asked.

Stage-Toph spat gruffly. “My name’s Toph because it sounds like tough and that’s just what I am!” Stage-Toph flexed his considerable muscles and the audience laughed and applauded once more.

“Toph will be happy,” Zuko whispered to Katara.

“I’m not entirely convinced Toph didn’t have something to do with this,” Katara smirked back.

“Yeah…me neither.”

They exchanged uncertain glances, but soon turned their attention back to the stage.

“Toph?” stage-Aang queried. “That’s an unusual name…”

“Well, what’s yours?! The fancy dancer?”

“No! It’s Aang!”

“Yeah, I’m just gonna call you Twinkletoes,” stage-Toph replied simply. “It suits you better.”

Zuko snorted and shook his head in laughter while Katara fell into a fresh round of giggles.

“How does she do things like this?” Zuko whispered in disbelief. Katara shrugged.

“It’s Toph. Don’t question it. Just be glad she didn’t have a hand in any of your scenes.”

Zuko snorted once more. “Yeah, actually that is a reli-” He cut himself off as a thought struck him. The same notion must have occurred to Katara at the same time because they each withdrew far enough from their embrace to exchange questioning looks.

“The pirates…” they both muttered simultaneously. Had Toph – did she – ? Was that why – ?

They were interrupted by a deafening roar from the stage. Stage-Toph was screaming into stage-Aang’s face, and then stopped as suddenly as he had started. Stage-Toph stood back upright in satisfaction. “There. I got a pretty good look at you.”

Zuko and Katara mutually agreed that some questions were better left unasked.

****

Stage-Zuko did indeed take on a more prominent role in the second act. Stage-Zuko and stage-Iroh still split up because the latter took exception to stage-Zuko’s messy hair, but rather than then jump almost immediately to stage-Zuko being outwitted by stage-Azula, stage-Zuko was instead cloaked into darkness with only a single spotlight illuminating the actor as he made a show of furiously marching in place. Stage-Zuko was, for once, utterly silent in that endeavour beyond the stomping, for which real-Zuko was measuredly grateful. Upstage, more of the silent figures dressed all in black moved about in the shadows to replace the backdrop with one depicting a non-descript farm building against a sandy-coloured flatland. Zuko grimaced. This must be from his short stint in that plains village where he’d fought the soldiers… It wasn’t by any means the worst of his misadventures, but it wasn’t one he remembered fondly.

“What are you doing here?” a rough-sounding, rough-looking guard cried on stage at the sight of stage-Zuko. “You look like trouble! We don’t like your kind here!”

“Hey! Leave him alone!” a child piped up. Lee…

The stage-soldier turned around, practically spitting in fury, towards the child. “Oh, you think you’re a big, brave man, do ya?” the soldier replied. “Then you’re big and strong enough to join the army!”

“I don’t think so!” stage-Zuko burst out dramatically. “You know, I came here searching for something. For my purpose, my destiny, my…my honour.” Stage-Zuko looked at the ground forlornly before pointing his face, complete with a tragical expression, towards the audience. After a moment, he confronted the soldiers. “But clearly I won’t find any here. Because, you, sir, have none! I will fight you for the freedom of this child!”

Stage-Zuko had to do little more than shove most of the soldiers back before they retreated, all hiding and shuddering comically behind the child. The remaining soldier drew out a prop hammer and swiftly knocked stage-Zuko to the floor. The child and the defeated soldiers all gasped in shock, in tandem with the audience.

Like in real life, stage-Zuko then jumped up. He began throwing orange ribbons about the stage, wailing and shouting. After some screaming from the remaining soldier, he too was defeated. Stage-Zuko then turned to the audience. “My name is Zuko!” he announced proudly. “Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai, Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne!”

Zuko was surprised. As far as he remembered, that was what he’d said…word for word. Which was most unlike this play. He began to wonder – who had been the writer’s source? Could it have been one of the soldiers? Doubtful, as none of them came off very well in the scene. Sela, perhaps? Or even…even Lee himself. He couldn’t be older than fourteen now, but then again, that was older than Aang was when he had defeated Ozai. The same age Katara was when she had left her home and braved the Fire Nation time and again for the sake of peace. Not for the first time, Zuko wondered what had become of their family, of their little village after he’d ridden away. The village obviously wasn’t in his domain so he couldn’t just go and check in on them whenever it took his fancy, but all the same, there might be some way he could find out.

“Liar!” another actor shouted from behind stage-Zuko, slinking out of the wings. “I’ve heard of you. You’re not a prince, you’re an outcast!” Zuko stiffened and he unconsciously gripped Katara’s hand a little tighter. She looked over at him in concern, but Zuko didn’t notice.

‘Please,’ he begged mentally. ‘Please don’t say it…’ It wasn’t common knowledge…the old man in the village had somehow known the truth, but he had been the only one, so Zuko thought. His friends didn’t know…this wasn’t how he wanted them to find out. He could play it off as just being some rubbish the writer had imagined, but he didn’t want to lie. He…he hadn’t even told Katara…oh spirits, what if-?

“His own father disowned him!” the actor concluded triumphantly. Zuko let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, and felt his shoulders relax.

Stage-Zuko growled angrily at the man, but otherwise ignored him and stomped over to the child.

“You are free,” he told the child solemnly.

“Get away from me! I hate you, firebender!” the child screamed, and then ran off-stage. Stage-Zuko and real-Zuko both sighed simultaneously. Stage-Zuko then began a painfully slow march back to the wings, accompanied by sympathetic noises from the audience. That was somewhat heartening.

Katara rested a hand on his shoulder and gently tugged him to face her. She looked worried.

“Did that really happen?” she asked softly.

“Not exactly like that,” Zuko admitted. “But…yeah. I was there.”

Katara sighed sadly. “You didn’t deserve that,” she told him. “You were…you were just trying to do good. You were trying to help and they…you didn’t deserve that,” she concluded agitatedly.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand where the villagers were coming from. Whether or not their village had ever directly been attacked, the century-long war had affected each and every obscure corner of the whole world. They must have lost sons, fathers, husbands who had enlisted. They could still have suffered indirectly from the Fire Nation occupying other parts of the Earth Kingdom, which no doubt disrupted trade and supplies. If Zuko had come across Katara’s village in the South Pole in that relatively innocuous manner (as opposed to his actual strategy), no-one in their right mind would have wanted him to stick around, let alone welcomed him with open arms. No matter how he behaved, who he was would have precluded any chance of acceptance. Granted, the Southern Water Tribe had suffered directly and immensely at the hands of the Fire Nation, but these atrocities notwithstanding, Katara harboured no doubt that Zuko would have only been more violently expelled were there warriors and more capable waterbenders around.

She understood it, she did. But that didn’t mean it had been fair to Zuko. Not then, not on that occasion, not in that village. She had noticed Zuko stiffen when the scene came on and he had gripped her hand tightly when the old man on stage started shouting. There was more to the story that – thankfully for Zuko – hadn’t just been aired for the entire theatre’s entertainment. She found herself glad that he trusted her to let on that something was up, even if at this point it was no surprise. Even before becoming a couple, they had shared a few such tender moments, but all the same, she liked that she could be there for him like he was for her. She decided she would ask Zuko about it later, ready to listen if he wanted to talk. If he didn’t, then she imagined they could while away some time making out instead. That would make a perfectly acceptable alternative, Katara thought, grinning internally. As long as Zuko knew that she wanted him, she was willing to let it be by the by until he was ready.

****

The play remained largely unchanged throughout the rest of the second act, although there was still one moment that managed to shock the group to their cores. It was a scene depicting the most fateful moments of their time in the Earth Kingdom, in the crystal catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se. Stage-Zuko had just been unceremoniously shoved into view, turning around to growl at his invisible captors before he slumped to the floor. Stage-Katara perked up in interest as stage-Zuko began to mumble to himself, and she stood up and approached him. Real-Katara took a large sip of the wine she had ordered earlier, a strange sense of foreboding stirring in the pit of her stomach.

“Well, well, I never expected to see you here, Prince Zuko,” stage-Katara drawled. Stage-Zuko lifted his head forlornly, shrugged, and turned away. “Are you here to capture me?”

“There would be no honour in that,” stage-Zuko replied, “for I, myself, have been captured.”

“Oh no!” stage-Katara gasped. Then she suddenly looked like she was about to make another speech about hope. “Does this mean you’d be open to joining us?”

“As if! I would never betray my honour like that!”

“There’s honour in joining the right side,” stage-Katara insisted, sounding for once like she wasn’t about to burst into tears. “And I have to admit, Prince Zuko, I really find you attractive!”

Katara almost choked on her wine.

“You don’t have to make fun of me,” stage-Zuko replied, which drew yet more “aaw”s from the audience.

“But I mean it!” Stage-Katara moved to sit down next to stage-Zuko. “I’ve had eyes for you since the day you saved me from the pirates!”

Both Zuko and Katara simultaneously flushed furious shades of red, their mouths falling open in shock. Their counterparts then stood up and pranced to the front of the stage, wrapped in an embrace and joining hands. Stage-Katara’s foot popped as stage-Zuko laid a chaste kiss on her cheek and purred about his water maiden…

No longer able to contain his excitement, Sokka suddenly leapt to his feet.

“Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man!” he gasped. He grabbed both of them by their shoulders and pointed to the stage. “This guy is a genius! I can’t believe I forgot about this! Look, look!”

Katara and Zuko did look. And then turned their gazes on each other, both looking as disconcerted as the other. This had been in the original. Which made it all the more disconcerting. At the time, it had heaped a fresh load of humiliation onto Zuko and had landed Katara in an argument with Aang over what her counterpart had said on stage. Aang was the only one who had taken it seriously, which was ridiculous because there had been nothing going on between Katara and Zuko! Back then…but this was now. And somehow, for all it had gotten wrong, despite the years that had passed, one of the play’s predictions had in a roundabout fashion come true…

Continuing to stare and unable to take their eyes off the other, the uncertainty fell off their faces and gave way to smiles. Then smirks. Then chuckles until it eventually culminated in mutual fits of silent laughter. It was just so…so bloody stupid that there truly was nothing else they could do.

“You know what, Sokka, I take it back,” Katara whispered. “This was a great idea.”

Sokka nervously flicked his gaze over to Zuko, but even the Grumble Lord seemed full of mirth. Which was frankly amazing at the best of times, but considering the evening’s activity, it was nothing short of miraculous. Clearly, having spent the last few weeks with his friends had been a good influence on Zuko, a boost to his temperament. A certain Water Tribe member of their group was certainly the main reason Zuko was in such high spirits, but Sokka was a big enough man not to take all the credit – he acknowledged that Katara had helped, too.

“I knew you’d come round,” Sokka beamed. “I planned it that way all along.”

“Sure you did, buddy,” Zuko replied drily.

“Avatar State!” stage-Aang cried below them. “Yip-yip!”

They had forgotten that little gem as well. They could collectively see where the confusion may have come in, but it was still just so absurd… The three of them exchanged glances and fell back into laughter.

****

For the second interval, Katara elected to stay inside to keep Zuko company and give Ursa a chance to get some air. If Katara was being honest, she was also very pleased about getting Zuko to herself, even if only for a little while. She regretted that she wouldn’t be able to pounce on him the way her body wanted her to, for the sake of propriety. Even though they weren’t officially hiding their relationship, it also wasn’t officially common knowledge. Katara didn’t know much about Fire Nation customs, but she imagined the Fire Lord making out with his girlfriend in the theatre probably wasn’t a standard occurrence. As much as she was struggling to resist him at the moment, the last thing Katara wanted was to cause him political grief.

Still, she wanted him. She wanted him badly…in every sense of the word. She would sate herself with chaste kisses for now but, so long as Zuko wanted to, Katara was…she was ready. She had realised it a few days ago, and now she had no doubt. She wanted to be intimate with Zuko. She wanted to take him into her bed…or to be taken into his. Actually, she thought she preferred the sound of that one. The best part was, she wasn’t nervous. At all. No, she was excited. Zuko wouldn’t be her first, but he would be the first in a few months. And the first she really cared about since even longer.

She just…Zuko was just amazing. She loved being his girlfriend. She loved that she got to touch him and kiss him. She loved how close they were, how safe they felt together. She loved their in-jokes and the way they teased each other. She loved that, a few moments ago, they had both given in and just laughed helplessly at the absurdity of what was happening on stage instead of groaning in exasperation, like they both had in the beginning.

And if Katara was being very honest…she thought…she might just love Zuko.

Not in the way she loved Suki or Toph (and obviously Sokka), her dearest friends. No. Though the love she bore for them was no less important, what she was feeling for Zuko was much more intense. It was difficult to put into words. She just had this yearning to be with him, to be beside him. She loved seeing him so happy and relaxed and (relatively, considering it was Zuko) carefree. It just…all felt so right. She felt happy, happier – she now realised – than she had been for a while. Logically, she knew the vacation bubble tinted everything in bright, positive colours and she couldn’t expect to hold on to this high forever. But as well as being giddily happy in her relationship, she also felt peaceful. Serene. Like everything in her world was as it should be. There would always be problems to solve and crises to fix, but she felt confident in being able to battle through anything with Zuko by her side.

‘Spirits,’ she realised calmly as a comfortable feeling of warmth settled in her chest at the thought. She…did. She really did. Her face broke out into a bright yet serene smile.  Katara loved Zuko…no, she was in love with Zuko. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

And again, the thought didn’t frighten her. Even the thought of telling him didn’t frighten her, although she couldn’t deny the nervous-excited jolt that shot through her when she pictured it. In her heart, she knew that Zuko would take it well. They weren’t just messing around; they were a couple. They both took their relationship, and each other, seriously. Even if he didn’t feel ready to say it back, she wanted him to know. She wanted him to know how much he was wanted. Seeing him (or at least, stage-Zuko) be so callously cast aside and rejected after he had tried to do something good had been difficult to watch – it caught Katara off-guard how dejected it had made her feel on his behalf. She decided she never wanted him to feel like that again. And as long as she had a say in it, he wouldn’t.

“Well…” she began once the others had vacated the Royal box and they found themselves alone.

“Yeah,” Zuko agreed.

“I guess the writer must have been onto something, huh?” she beamed, squeezing his hand. “I can’t wait to see what happens to our relationship in the third act.”

“I’m not sure I want to know. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if I propose to you at the Western Air Temple.”

“Well, we did go through a lot when you came riding to my rescue,” Katara pointed out.

“That’s true. And you do find me, uh, what was it? Really attractive?” he smirked.

“Mmm, yes I do,” Katara purred, for real, pressing her lips briefly to his. It was as far as she could properly go. “He sure got that part right. I have to say, though, I know I’d forgotten about it, but I still don’t understand why they think that’s what happened. They must have known about you and Mai, right?”

“If Toph was responsible for the pirates, I think it’s fair to assume she’s responsible for that, too.”

Katara nodded in compliance. She was happy to blame Toph, too. But, on the other hand…

“Maybe,” she shrugged. Then she smiled sultrily up at him. “Or maybe he just knew how awesome we’d be together and just wanted to hurry us along.”

Zuko nodded in approval. “I like the sound of that.”

“We should keep an eye out for a Part Two,” Katara continued, grinning. “The Fire Lord and the…uh…what was it you call me?”

“Water maiden,” Zuko sighed. “And don’t say that too loudly. You never know who’s listening. I don’t want to give them ideas.”

“Oh please, you saw what happened,” she scoffed. “If there’s anything they need, it’s not ideas from us. They’ve got plenty of them.”

Zuko conceded she had a point. “Indeed. You are very wise, my tearbending water maiden,” he told her with mock-solemnity. Katara cracked up.

“You know it, my wailing prince,” she retorted to a minor scowl. “Does this mean you’ll be bowing to my superior wisdom, Fire Lord Zuko?” To her surprise, Zuko closed his eyes and groaned in response, clenching his hand. Katara raised her eyebrows in confusion.

“Sorry,” he groaned again. “You just…you have no idea what it does to me when – when you call me that.” He eyed her somewhat nervously, worried he might have overstepped. But Katara was in no way put off.

“Oh, really?” she teased, raised eyebrows and eyes twinkling with mischief. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him. “Well, I shall have to use it sparingly then,” she continued, before leaning in and whispering directly into his ear, “Fire Lord Zuko.”

“You are gonna get me into so much trouble,” Zuko breathed and – propriety be damned – he closed the distance between them and firmly crushed his lips to hers. Katara let out a quiet, muffled moan as he soon deepened the kiss between them. Her whole body began tingling with that same, delicious passion that was becoming harder and harder to temper. Thrilling jolts pulsed through her stomach as she pressed herself against him, relishing in the sensations Zuko drew as his hands roamed over her body, and unable to keep her own hands off him. She had to restrain herself from getting too carried away…but Zuko’s tone, and the confident way he had just swept her into his arms made it difficult. As handsome as he looked in his regal get-up, the part of Katara that sometimes tended to resent the layers of fabric that lay between them reared its head with unmatched fervour and it was only the knowledge that they were in a public place that kept Katara from tugging it off him. She was visibly quivering with want and need when they broke the kiss, and Zuko made no effort to hide his small smile of pride at seeing the effect he had on her. The same effect Katara had on him.

They collapsed almost instinctively back into a snuggle on their shared sofa, Katara resting her head on Zuko’s shoulder, planting small kisses on his neck and along his jawline every so often while Zuko held her lovingly and tightly. “You make me so happy,” he whispered, sounding almost as if he were in a daze. Katara’s heart swelled as a wave of affection and love for Zuko broke over her.

“You make me so happy, too,” she whispered back, even though there was nobody around. “I…” she held her tongue. It wasn’t the right moment, not here. There was nothing to hide or to be ashamed of, but Katara knew that Zuko would be much more comfortable if they had this discussion in private (their semi-public make-out session notwithstanding). And that suited Katara just fine. Truthfully, she would prefer it be in private as well, somewhere they wouldn’t be interrupted if Zuko did react the way she hoped he would.

“Yeah?” Zuko prompted.

“I’ll tell you later,” Katara promised.

“Okay,” he nodded, smiling. “I’m glad there’s only one act left,” he remarked after a moment of comfortable silence. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“It’s not so bad,” Katara shrugged. “I’m having a lot more fun than last time, that’s for sure.” She pulled away and looked up at him, studying his face. “You’re okay, though, right? Because if you want to leave-”

“No, I’m fine,” Zuko assured her. He was just grumbling. Then he smirked. “That’s very underhanded, you know. Using your boyfriend as an excuse.”

“Well, I had to try something,” Katara teased. “I even offered to bow to you, but you weren’t having any of it.”

“I’m kinda glad I didn’t,” he admitted. “This whole thing was almost worth it just to watch buff Toph scare the crap out of Sokka.”

“Oh man, you’re so right!” Katara giggled. “It makes me wish it had happened that way…” she paused, considering. “You know, now I think about it, that is what happened.” She nodded in confirmation to herself. “Yeah. They got it exactly right.”

“Well, you know Toph will vouch for you.”

“Exactly! And you’ll back me up, right, honey?”

“If I know what’s good for me…” Zuko mumbled jokingly.

“Damn right,” Katara grinned, not in the least put-off. “You may be the Fire Lord, but I’m your girlfriend. What I say goes.”

“Yes, dear.”

They exchanged glances and cracked up, giving each other another hug and a squeeze. “Out of interest,” Zuko asked, “have I earned that drink in the tavern after this?”

“I dunno. I mean, you have scowled a lot…” she mused, pretending to think deeply about it. “…but then again…you’ve also had to watch yourself wailing for most of the night. And that pirate scene-”

“Oh jeez, don’t remind me.” Zuko ran a hand down his face in despair at the memory.

“At least you got to ride in – or, roll in, I guess – and get a dashing rescue out of it,” Katara pointed out. “I just started freaking crying…again!”

“I think you mean tearbending,” Zuko teased. “But seriously, where did that Komodo-rhino come from?”

“You know, I’m not sure,” Katara replied innocently. “Maybe you should ask one of the set designers. I’m sure they could make you one if you want something to remember it by.”

Katara would one day write in her memoirs that the resulting jab to her ribs from her beloved was worth it…and that Sokka was very proud of his little sister when she relayed the story to him.

****

The third act passed without incident or (too m)any other changes that sent the group into fits of laughter at each other’s expense. Stage-Katara and stage-Zuko’s “relationship” was seemingly forgotten about as quickly as it had arisen. What happened in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se stayed in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se. Contrary to Zuko’s fears, there was also no impromptu proposal at the Western Air Temple.

Stage-Suki was a much more integral character as well, much to everyone’s surprised delight. Their collective favourite moment was the escape from the Boiling Rock. Suki’s acrobatic capturing of the Warden there was performed with a flourish, and evoked cheers from the audience. After she raised a questioning eyebrow, Sokka swore he had had nothing to do with its inclusion, so Suki’s mind instead went to Chit-Sang, the fellow prisoner they had allowed to escape with them to buy his silence. Chit-Sang had ostensibly been imprisoned for violent crimes but it was no secret that the vast majority – if not all – of the Boiling Rock’s inmates were political prisoners or prisoners of war. It had transpired after their victory that Chit-Sang had been caught circulating pamphlets and posters that could be described as less than favourable to the Fire Nation, in particular the Royal family. Suki knew that he now (legitimately) ran his own printing workshop in the Fire Nation capital and was among a small, select number of Official Printers for Royal and national missives and announcements aimed at the general public. It was therefore entirely possible that he was responsible and Suki made a mental note to stop by when she was next in the capital.

The ending, unsurprisingly, was the section that had undergone the heaviest rewrite. The final battle between stage-Aang and stage-Ozai was astonishingly well done and even though everyone in the theatre knew how it would end, the air was nonetheless thick with tension. Sokka, Suki and Toph were somewhat nonplussed to discover that, apparently, they had misremembered their perils in the battle. Rather than destroying the airship convoy from within, stages-Sokka, Suki and Toph banded together to help out in the background of the battle. Stage-Sokka and stage-Suki each threw multitudes of boomerangs and fans to knock miniature prop-airships from the sky, while stage-Toph simply squared up to them and roared deafeningly at them. Suki and Sokka exchanged glances and then shrugged. It was about the best they could have hoped for.

The Agni Kai against stage-Zuko and stage-Azula had been extremely simplified, with stage-Zuko successfully redirecting stage-Azula’s “lightning”, represented by a cobalt blue ribbon. Stage-Azula was immediately forced by a heavily made-up and over-the-top Fire Sage to concede defeat, but with dignity. Neither Zuko nor Katara took issue with this reimagining. The real thing was…not something either of them was in a hurry to relive or watch played out in front of them. All the same, however, Zuko didn’t miss the moment when Katara tightened her grip on his hand. He resolved to see if she wanted to talk about it when they got back to the house.

Everyone was in thoroughly high spirits when they descended on their private room at the tavern after the show. Sokka, in particular, was more relieved by this than he let on. Katara didn’t end up buying Zuko his promised drink as Iroh took care of everyone that night, but she assured Zuko that she would make it up to him. Zuko couldn’t tell from her cheeky grin whether that was a good thing or not.

All in all, everyone considered the outing a success and there was much laughter and chatter as they all ambled leisurely back to the house later that night – the complete opposite, in fact, to the aftermath of The Boy in the Iceberg. Toph and Kiyi took point with Iroh, as usual; Sokka and Suki fell into an energetic conversation with Ursa and Noren, with Sokka unnecessarily loudly re-enacting his favourite moments; and Katara and Zuko were too busy making googly eyes at each other, in Toph’s words, to be paying much attention to anyone else. The rest of the group were happy to leave the couple to it.

Toph was the first to notice. It happened as they were approaching the house. She was admittedly a bit tipsy, but there was no mistaking the paradoxically heavy-but-somehow-also-light steps of the great, cuddly, lumbering sky bison that they all came to know and love four years ago… Her giggles ceased and Toph became uncharacteristically serious, breathing a deep sigh. It was the sigh of an experienced woman who knew when trouble was coming.

‘Oh, boy,’ she thought to herself, gearing up for the inevitable drama that was bound to break out. ‘This could be a tricky one…’

“Hey, guys!” she called to the others, “We’ve got company.”

Confusion reigned among the rest of her party briefly, but as they rounded the corner into the courtyard, it instantly became clear.

Appa got excitedly up onto his many legs as they came into view and roared playfully. This was closely followed by a low groan of surprise emanating from his saddle. “Hey, what’s the big idea, boy?” Aang’s voice rang clear as day across the group.

As a stunned silence fell over them, Aang’s head suddenly popped up from behind the high rims of Appa’s saddle. He beamed widely at them.

“Oh, hi, everyone!” he greeted cheerfully. “How’s it going?”

Notes:

*hides from barrage of vegetables* I'm sorry! (I'm not) I know that is NOT a kind place to end it but seriously...it was just too perfect. It did occur to me that it's kind of a shame to end it on such a tense note, but then again, the original EIP episode did that, so...blame Bryke?

(If it helps, I know what'll happen next.)

The Ember Island Players are truly spectacular(ly awful). They're my kind of people. I'm a connoisseur of terrible films so I had some gems to inspire me. One of my absolute favourites has an amazing cult following. Without naming names, there's a book of the making of the movie...and a movie adaptation of the book. The first person who correctly names what I'm talking about wins a position in my court of the Supreme Overlord of Embers. You may choose your own title because I am a benevolent Supreme Overlord. (I will also create a character for you (to your specs) who will make an appearance in a later chapter of this story, if you're interested.)

I have to say, I had a LOT of fun imagining what the Ember Island Players were going to do. I really hope you all enjoyed it as well. I think this is actually my favourite chapter, although I am looking forward to the next one. Without giving too much away, let's just say many words are had by everyone. I hope I didn't make Aang comes across too harshly in the last chapter, though - in my mind, he's not a bad person, he's just immature and not ready for the kind of relationship Katara needs. Obviously I'm biased towards Zutara, but I'm inclined to disagree with Bryke about how Aang was represented in LOK. I'm not saying it couldn't ever happen or that it's not realistic, but it's just so sad that that's how they imagined some of our favourite heroes. Either they're secretly anti-Kataang, or maybe the disappointment I felt WAS the whole point. I'd be interested to know your thoughts.

Anyway, that's all for now. Until next time!

Chapter 14: The Long Night

Summary:

Aang arrives to a cooler reception than he anticipated, but things soon grow heated when he and Katara finally talk after months apart.

Notes:

Hello everyone. Once again, I am very sorry for the slowness of the update. This has ended up being another long-ass, double episode style chapter so hopefully that partly makes up for it. It got away from me a bit, and there are several scenes I had to cut to keep it at a more sensible length of 20 pages (lol). Still, that's all material for the next one!

Thank you so much for all the kudos, bookmarks and comments. To my lovely commenters, I know I'm still way behind on replying to them! Again, I'm really sorry. I will get around to you all and please don't let this put you off. Every single comments brings a huge smile to my face and I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story.

Can't believe it's been a year since I first published this! It feels strange knowing I'm almost at the end of this one, but that said, I don't intend to drop this storyline after Embers. I absolutely intend to follow Zutara and Sukka and their shenanigans in the Fire Nation! I will say now, though, that it's going to be a while before I can get there. Updating two stories at once is a lot trickier than I thought it would be and it makes me much slower at both :( I will continue to update Embers until it's complete, though, so there are no planned hiatuses other than my sporadic updating.

Anyway, enough rambling! You've all waited long enough for this. I think you'll be satisfied - I am VERY proud of Katara in this chapter, and I hope you all will be, too. I had immense fun writing her reunion scene with Aang, hehe... Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Appa got excitedly up onto his many legs as they came into view and roared playfully. This was closely followed by a low groan of surprise emanating from his saddle. “Hey, what’s the big idea, boy?” Aang’s voice rang clear as day across the group.

As a stunned silence fell over them, Aang’s head suddenly popped up from behind the high rims of Appa’s saddle. He beamed widely at them.

“Oh, hi everyone!” he greeted cheerfully. “How’s it going?”

****

After a moment of both sides watching each other dumbfoundingly, Kiyi was the first to break.

“Twinkletoes!” she cried excitedly and ran up to him, throwing her arms around him. Aang grinned back at her and stooped down to hug her properly.

“Hey, Kiyi!” Aang chuckled as the little firebender clung insistently to his neck. He smiled knowingly. It had been a long while since anyone had called him that. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out who was responsible. “You’ve been spending some time with Toph, huh?”

“Melon Lord has been a great teacher,” Kiyi replied seriously. Aang looked up at Toph questioningly, who smirked back.

“Well, since you stopped sucking so much at earthbending, I figured it was time to take a new protégée under my wing. She insisted on giving me the proper respect,” Toph replied casually, walking up to him and punching him on the arm as a greeting. “How you doing, Twinkletoes?”

“I’m good,” Aang said, wincing as he rubbed his arm. “Kinda tired – it was a long trip. I just got here from the South Pole.” Zuko heard Katara take in a sharp breath beside him and squeezed her hand sympathetically. Part of him wondered anxiously if Katara might lose her nerve at Aang’s sudden appearance and wrest herself free so Aang wouldn’t notice (which would hurt, but Zuko thought he could understand it…) but to his relief, she immediately squeezed back and held on tightly. “But it was worth the journey! It’s so great to see all of you!” Aang continued enthusiastically. He began looking around his gathered friends in search of Katara, but just as he caught sight of her, Iroh suddenly barged right up to him, blocking his view.

“It’s great to see you, too, Avatar!” he said cheerfully. “What a lovely surprise! How long has it been since we last saw each other?” But before Aang could even answer, Iroh chuckled at himself. “Bah, too long! And I don’t know about you, but I’m just parched – how about we go and have ourselves a nice cup of tea and you can tell me all about your adventures.”

“Oh, well actually-”

Nonsense!” Iroh interjected, beaming. “There is always time for tea. Come, come.” And with that, Iroh threw a rather insistent arm around Aang’s shoulders and began to near-forcibly usher the young Avatar into the house, steering him so that he wouldn’t catch an easy glimpse of Katara. Confused, but secretly agreeing that tea would be nice after the journey, Aang simply beamed back at him and happily went along. He had already waited months to be able to talk to Katara, after all – what was a few more moments? Katara would most probably want a cup herself, and Aang would make sure that one was waiting for her when she went inside.

****

Despite everything Katara had said in the past few weeks about not having any lingering hard feelings and wanting to remain friends, the surprise sight of Aang didn’t have the reaction within that she expected.

Logically, she’d known that the first time would be awkward. It was only that she would feel some nerves at seeing him again. The nerves were there, all right – but what she hadn’t expected was the host of other feelings, and right now the one that overwhelmed the others aside from her nerves was wariness. Katara, while remaining grounded in reality, knew she could be a somewhat idealistic person. Her optimism during the war had at times fallen on deaf and despairing ears, but she had always resolved to never give up hope that things would work out for the best. Staying with Iroh and being exposed to his own unique brand of optimism had only reinforced that, and she had carried with her a fervent hope that when she and Aang met again, they would find a way to look beyond what had gone wrong in the past between them. Katara truly wanted that…but now that Aang was actually here, the cold spectre of doubt hovered over her.

Their argument in Ba Sing Se had been the worst they’d ever had, but it hadn’t been the first time Aang had blown things out of proportion and become irrationally irate. One such incident had happened right here on Ember Island, during the very same (in spirit, at least) play that they had just watched. She remembered how he had stormed off halfway through. She had dutifully followed him out to the terrace to ask what was wrong, only to find out his hackles had been raised by nothing more than stage-Katara comparing stage-Aang to a brother. He had warned her that if his chakra hadn’t been blocked, he would have apparently gone into the Avatar State over it…over a line from a play…it was absurd. She had never told anyone about it, not the argument nor the kiss Aang had shocked her with afterwards. It hadn’t seemed worth it in the grand scheme of things at the time. And that incident, though having pissed her off, had been fairly mild, she reflected. The time at the Western Air Temple, whilst Sokka and Zuko were at the Boiling Rock under the guise of “hunting”, had been much worse…

A pang echoed through her at the realisation that Aang’s rare angry moments were all that she could conjure up about him. That that was what she basically expected of him now that he was here. But that wasn’t who Aang was. There had been so many good times, too. So much laughter, in the face of overwhelming odds and danger. That was the Aang she wanted to remember. As much as she didn’t lament the loss of the romantic side of their relationship, she did miss his friendship. No-one was quite like Aang, Avatar or not.

They could have it again, couldn’t they? Because it wasn’t just her who would be affected by them being unable to be around each other, was it? It was also Sokka, Zuko, Suki and Toph. If things blew up and they sided with her, Aang might be left with no-one. She didn’t want that. She knew how it felt to believe there was no-one you could count on. Iroh had been the perfect companion, the best support she could have asked for, and she didn’t want to cheapen that, but it didn’t change the fact that for the longest time, she had truly believed he was the only one who wouldn’t shun her. The only one who wouldn’t look down on her with disgust.

She didn’t want Aang to go through that. He’d been through far too much already in his young years. She still cared about him and still wanted him to be happy. As long as he felt the same, then…perhaps things could be okay. He wouldn’t have come here just to fight, after all. He had looked delighted to see all of them. He just wanted to be around his friends again. Katara could understand that.

She snapped out of her thoughts as Zuko wrapped a warm arm around her and drew her into his side. Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

“Are you okay?” Sokka asked, genuine concern evident on his face.

Smiling, Katara nodded. “Yeah, just…I really wasn’t expecting to see him here…” None of her friends smiled back, all looking worried and unsure. “But I’ll be fine! It just caught me by surprise,” she continued, desperate to defuse the tension.

“What do you want to do?” Sokka asked quickly. Katara looked blankly back at him. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the little guy, but you’re my sister. If this is gonna be too hard for you-”

“Sokka, he was invited just like you and me,” Katara pointed out. “He probably just wants to join the end of the vacation. You get that, right?”

“That’s not the point,” Sokka argued. “Right now, I don’t care about him or why he’s here. How are you feeling about all this?”

 “Sokka’s right, Katara,” Zuko added, “if it’s gonna be a problem, I don’t mind taking the fall. I’m the one who invited him. I can-”

“No, no,” Katara shook her head. “I know what you’re gonna say, honey...but that wouldn’t be fair on Aang. Put yourself in his shoes – imagine how hurt he’ll be if you just kicked him out.” She shook her head resolutely. “No, I don’t want that. I want us to be friends. I mean, sure, some warning would have been nice but it’s not like I was never going to see him again, right?”

Another thought suddenly occurred to her. She would need to give Aang a heads-up, wouldn’t she? About her and Zuko. The thought brought a wave of dread over her. She wasn’t sure how he was going to take that news. He might be absolutely fine with it and be happy for them, like the rest of their friends. She liked to think that’s how it would be. But something inside her told her that it probably wouldn’t be so simple. They had been together for four years. They had loved each other, looked out for each other, explored each other in ways a couple did. There was a lot of history there, and seeing your ex-girlfriend with another person would be difficult for anyone…spirits, Aang had struggled enough with seeing her fricking stage counterpart with someone else!

At their questioning looks, she relayed this to the group, who all seemed to share her concerns.

“He might have a hard time accepting it,” Zuko said quietly.

“Well, if he does, he’ll just have to get over it,” Toph shrugged. “And I won’t be afraid to let him know that.”

“Me neither,” Sokka added determinedly. “And if I’m being honest, I want a talk with him anyway…” Katara opened her mouth to protest, but Sokka continued, “Yeah, I know, Katara, you want us to all be friends and I get that. He’s one of my oldest friends, too – ha, literally!” he chuckled. “But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to let him off the hook. I know it all worked out for the best, but honestly, Katara, he was horrible to you! I’m not gonna let that pass.”

“Sokka…” Katara’s heart suddenly swelled with affection for her goofy, protective older brother and she wrapped him up in a tight hug. He had always understood her the best out of their family after their mother had died. He had always looked out for her. She hadn’t anticipated it carrying on to this degree once they were both adults, but she couldn’t say she was surprised. Truthfully, if their situations were reversed, Katara would be wanting words, too!

Unable to resist, Suki and Toph both joined in, the latter also dragging Zuko into the fold. Fire Lord or not, he wasn’t exempt from group hugs and it was high time he accepted it.

“You’re an idiot sometimes, Sokka, but I’m glad you’re my brother,” Katara told him genuinely.

“Hey, I resent that!” Sokka grumbled, though unable to keep from grinning. The group all broke out into light chuckles, squeezing before pulling away. Sokka rested his hands on Katara’s shoulders and his expression took a more solemn turn. “In all seriousness, Katara, do you want me to talk to Aang about you and Zuko as well? Give him a…well, not a heads-up exactly, but…”

Katara merely shook her head at him. “No, it’s okay. I appreciate the offer, but…he deserves to hear it from me. If we’re going to be friends, I have to be truthful with him.” She grinned. “Besides, I refuse to hide behind my idiot brother just because it’ll be hard.” Sokka scowled at her, and the silent “sympathetic” pat on his back from his beloved Suki who did nothing to stand up for him didn’t help matters.

If pressed, Katara would admit that she was certainly tempted to just let Sokka deal with it. Aang was less likely to overreact if the news came from Sokka rather than her, she figured. But that wouldn’t be right. Who knew, perhaps having a difficult talk would be exactly what they needed to move past all this. She did miss their crazy adventures sometimes, and just how enthusiastic Aang always was.

Hopefully, that part of him would win out over the stubborn, jealous part of him that sometimes made him overreact and refuse to see the bigger picture...

****

“There you guys are!” Aang grinned, jumping up as Suki, Sokka and Toph walked into the lounge. “Join us. We just finished setting up.” He gestured to the teapot and the seven steaming cups of tea waiting for them on the table.

Toph frowned uncertainly, and made a show of humming contemplatively. “That depends, Twinkletoes – which one of you made the tea?”

“Iroh,” Aang replied, slightly confused.

“Oh, in that case, sure! I’d love a cup,” Toph grinned back, and plonked herself down beside Iroh. Suki and Sokka both chuckled at that, quickly joined by Aang as he cottoned on.

“Spirits, I’ve been away too long,” he laughed good-naturedly. “There’s no way that should have gone over my head!”

“No kidding – I was not being subtle.”

They all shared another laugh as they gathered around the table and began sipping at their tea.

“So, I was just saying to Iroh, I’m sorry I got here so late!” Aang began excitedly. “It’s too bad because I would have loved to have joined you guys from the beginning, but honestly, I didn’t even know about it until a couple of weeks ago.”

“Yes, Zuko mentioned he had a tough time getting hold of you,” Iroh commented. “It seems you’re a difficult man to pin down, young Avatar.”

“Yeah, well, comes with the job, I guess,” Aang smiled back. He then turned to Sokka. “All I can say is it’s a good thing I went to the South Pole. It looks great, by the way! Have you guys been doing more renovations?”

“Yeah,” Sokka muttered distractedly. His gaze rested on the airbender, studying him closely.

This should have been a good thing, that they were all together again. This should have been the perfect ending to a hilarious night. They should all be sitting around the table together, competing to see who could get Zuko to grimace the most as they recounted the gem that was The Prince and the Avatar. But Sokka knew it wouldn’t be so simple. It couldn’t be so simple…and it was all Aang’s fault and Sokka couldn’t help the stab of resentment that ran through him for it.

Sokka liked Aang, he cared about him, loved him like a little brother – but he also remembered how Katara had behaved when they’d all first arrived. He remembered how small and uncertain she had been. He remembered how scared she had been to tell them what had happened, seemingly convinced that none of them, not even her own brother, would understand and all would judge her harshly for her completely justified actions. Sokka knew Katara probably hadn’t told them every last detail, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that it had been Aang to make Katara feel like that. Who had made his baby sister, one of the kindest, most generous people in the world, feel like a monster. And that wasn’t okay. Not in the slightest. Sokka still saw Aang as his friend, provided he was willing to make things right with Katara, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t confront him. He had been let off too often in the past when they had all been younger, but not this time. This time, Sokka was going to say his piece.

But first, he needed to know something.

“So, Aang,” he began in as normal a voice as he could muster. Aang, who had begun conversing again with Iroh, turned to him expectantly. Sokka sighed. He really didn’t want it to have to be like this, but Aang had forced his hand. “Don’t take this the wrong way, it’s great that you’re here, but…why are you here?”

Aang frowned in confusion, the smile falling from his face. “What – what do you mean?”

“Well, I guess I’m just wondering why now.”

“Oh!” Realisation dawned, and Aang broke out into a fresh relieved smile. “Yeah, like I said, I didn’t know about it. But I just wanted to see all you guys again. And when I got to the South Pole, your dad told me this is where you were, so I flew straight here.”

“And you know Katara’s here?” Sokka checked.

“Well, yeah.”

“Okay,” Sokka nodded, and his expression took an unusually stern appearance. “And is there going to be a problem?”

“What?” Aang gasped, shocked. “No, of course not!”

“Because there’d better not be,” Sokka warned. “I heard about what happened between you two, and I gotta say, Aang, I wasn’t impressed.”

“Are you…mad at me?” Aang asked in a small voice.

“Yes, I’m mad at you!” Sokka barked harshly. He leaned forward in his seat. “Katara is my sister! And you treated her awfully at the end!” It wasn’t just what he’d said, though Sokka was angry about that, too. It was the fact he’d made Katara feel like what she had done was abhorrent, and like she wouldn’t be able to turn to anyone. It was the fact he’d made her feel so alone she didn’t even dare go to her own family for support, for fear they would cast her aside just like Aang had. Sokka accepted that Katara staying with Iroh in Ba Sing Se had clearly been the right thing for her, but that didn’t make it okay that she felt she couldn’t trust Sokka to be on her side.

Aang fell mute for a moment under the shock of Sokka’s exacting words and withering glare, but quickly recovered. “I – I’m really sorry, Sokka,” he stuttered.

“It’s no good apologising to me, Aang,” Sokka retorted in no uncertain terms, pointing his finger at him accusingly. “You need to apologise to Katara. She’s the one who-”

“You’re right!” Aang interjected hastily, nodding. “You’re absolutely right.”

Sokka paused mid-point, the wind suddenly leaving his sails. He had to admit he hadn’t expected Aang to capitulate so quickly. He could be a stubborn ass when it came to his precious principles sometimes. “I am?” he said uncertainly. “I mean, I know I am, but…”

“Yes,” Aang nodded. “Look, I’m thrilled to see you guys, don’t get me wrong, but…the main reason I came here was to look for Katara.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “That’s actually why I was at the South Pole. I wanted to talk to her and let her know it was all a mistake. I promise I’m not here to make trouble, I would never do that.”

“Oh…” Sokka found himself at a loss for words. He really hadn’t expected this to go so calmly. He wasn’t sure why…he supposed he had just geared himself up for a fight. But, fortunately, it didn’t look like one was needed. If Aang truly had seen the error of his ways and truly was willing to put things right…perhaps there was nothing more Sokka needed to say. At least, for the time being. “Well, that’s…good to hear, Aang.” He nodded to himself. “Yeah, okay. You should do it tonight, though. I don’t mind telling you that Katara was worried about seeing you, so you do what you have to so she knows it’s okay. Understand?”

“Absolutely,” Aang agreed solemnly yet eagerly. “I…” he sighed. He hated the idea that Katara had been worried about seeing him. That wasn’t what he’d ever wanted for Katara. “Like I said, I want to make things right between us.”

Sokka nodded in acceptance, but just then, another thought struck him. What exactly did Aang mean by ‘make things right’…? He surely wasn’t expecting-?

“Katara!” Aang burst out, breaking Sokka’s thought. He looked behind him and spotted Katara and Zuko slowly making their way into the lounge. They were holding hands, but Aang didn’t seem to notice, too caught up in the sight of Katara in her dress. It was the same dress she had worn on her first date with Zuko. Aang had of course never seen her in it before, and he gasped in awe as he looked her up and down. “Wow…” he breathed. “I-”

He was cut off by a loud squawk emanating from his lap as Momo also spotted the pair. The lemur quickly took flight and went zooming over to Katara, almost crashing into her chest as she opened her arms to catch him. She grinned at him.

“Hey, Momo!” she cried happily, gathering him into her arms. “I missed you, little guy.” Momo chirped in response. Katara began to fuss over him and gave him a cuddle, while Zuko moved to stroke his head and scratch the back of his ears. Momo practically purred at the attention, thrilled to be at the centre of it, but it wasn’t long before he became distracted and began rooting in the many folds of Zuko’s robes for a cheeky snack. Upon finding nothing, he chirped with disapproval and stalked off towards Sokka instead. Aang grinned. Sokka was a safe bet if you were a flying lemur in search of food. Aang took that as his cue to rise and finally greet the last two of his friends.

Katara, he realised as he took her in properly, looked breathtaking. She wore light make-up, which made her eyes positively sparkle, and her hair was pulled into a neat and flawless back-knot in the Fire Nation style. Around her throat was her trademark necklace but it was her dress that really stood out! Aang didn’t think he’d seen her in anything so spectacular since they’d all celebrated the end of the war at The Jasmine Dragon, when Katara had kissed him for the first time. He found he missed her in blue, though – as incredible as the dress looked on her, blue was just more Katara than red. Red is what he associated with Kuzon and Zuko, not his waterbending girlfriend. But hey, it was none of his business what she wore. Plus, she was on vacation! He imagined when they started travelling together again, she would revert to her usual Water Tribe blues.

“Hey, Grumble Lord!” Aang said cheekily to Zuko as he approached them. “Toph told me about your new nickname. I gotta say, I like it!”

Aang had expected a grimace or even a scowl, but what he didn’t anticipate was the cold glare Zuko shot his way instead. A much colder glare than light teasing warranted. It was then that he noticed just how close he and Katara were standing. Aang nodded internally to himself. He thought he understood. Perhaps, like Sokka, Zuko was mad at him for upsetting Katara…at least Aang hoped that’s what it was. Because if it was, then surely Zuko would also be placated by Aang sorting things out between them. He hadn’t realised that Zuko and Katara were such close friends, however. It was a bit odd. It made sense that Sokka was upset on Katara’s behalf, he was her brother…but Zuko? Why would Zuko care so much?

He shook himself. It wasn’t important. And besides, it would be okay. He would talk to Katara, they would clear the air, and everything would go back to as it should be. With that in mind, Aang finally turned to Katara. A warm smile spread across his cheeks. “Hey, Katara,” he said softly.

“Hi, Aang,” Katara replied measuredly.

Aang stepped towards her but made no attempt to touch her. Instead, he made a point of looking her up and down and gushed, “You look amazing!”

“Thank you,” Katara nodded, feeling slightly awkward. “Uh, you look good yourself.”

“Are you kidding? I look terrible,” Aang laughed, ‘casually’ resting a hand on her arm for support. “But that’s sky bison travelling for you. You remember what it’s like.”

“Yeah, sure…” She forced an awkward chuckle out. Aang’s smile faded somewhat and he smartly removed his hand from her arm.

He took a deep breath, gathering his courage. “So, Katara, can we…would it be okay if we talked?” He looked around the room, realising that everyone’s eyes were on them, “Uh, in private?” he added, grinning sheepishly. Katara merely nodded.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I think we should.”

She exchanged a quick glance with Zuko, and he threw her a reassuring smile. Zuko had somewhat reluctantly conceded that it would probably be best if Katara spoke to Aang alone, so it wouldn’t seem like they were ganging up on him. Zuko couldn’t say he particularly gave a damn if Aang felt ganged up on, but he appreciated that it wouldn’t be pleasant news for Aang to hear.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t pissed at Aang – he was. Even before he and Katara had gotten together, he had wanted to speak with him about how he had treated Katara during their relationship. Katara had deserved so much better from him…and Zuko wouldn’t hesitate to make sure Aang knew it if he tried to give her any grief.

****

Aang remained quiet as he followed Katara out to the courtyard, though his smile hadn’t left his face. It was absolutely fantastic to see her again. He had missed her so much. Travelling without her had felt cold and almost empty, even if he did still have Appa and Momo for company. He missed snuggling with her at night; he missed keeping her company and entertaining her while she pottered about tidying or cooking; he missed taking her around the Air Temples and showing off the sacred treasures and cool hiding spots that had been revealed during the reconstructions; he missed getting to kiss her, and hold her; and he just missed having her to talk to. Even though the world was at peace, people still relied on the Avatar. He was still needed to resolve conflicts, defuse tensions and commune with the occasional spirit on the people’s behalf. And that was all before he even got started on rebuilding the lost Air Nation.

His people were gone…he was the only surviving Air Nomad. After the war was over, he had harboured many fantasies that there were hidden pockets of airbender communities who had endured and that they might make themselves known once it was safe. But there was nothing. That much had been made abundantly clear to him over the years. Rumours and folk tales arose occasionally, and Aang chased them with all his vigour in the hope that one of them – just one – might be true…but they had all been dead ends, as it turned out. It was why he had thrown himself into restoring the Air Temples. He wouldn’t be able to revive his people…but he could make sure that the Air Nomads and their stories weren’t forgotten. The Air Acolytes were an integral part of that, and Aang’s spirits were always readily raised at the sight of these wonderful, scattered tribute communities adopting the Air Nomad way of life, despite not being airbenders and having no known Air Nomad heritage.

It had been Katara who had helped him see that. It had always been Katara who made him feel better about things. When he was with Katara, all of his problems felt much more manageable, because she was at his side, ready to support him.

He was so glad she was finally in front of him. He couldn’t wait to have her back.

Katara drew to a halt almost as soon as they cleared the steps, where she turned around to face Aang. She looked apprehensive and resisted the urge to hug herself uncomfortably. She instead clasped her hands together in front of her. Aang hadn’t changed much since she had last seen him. But it had only been a few months, she supposed. The first thing she noticed was different was his expression. Where his usually soft, kind grey eyes had turned to hard steel in Ba Sing Se, tonight he looked open and calm. He bore his typical contagious smile, so wide that most people would be forgiven for thinking he was ecstatic about something if they didn’t know that that was just Aang’s nature. It was something she had missed greatly about him.

If Katara was being completely honest, though she no longer felt blindsided, she still felt quite conflicted about Aang springing his arrival on them so suddenly. She had always known she would see him again eventually – their lives and friends were too intertwined not to. A few weeks ago, as ashamed as she was to admit it, that thought would have made her want to run away. Which wasn’t to say that she would have done – Katara was no coward and she faced things head-on no matter how difficult they were, but that still would have been her secret desire. And why not, she’d thought. Aang himself was practically an advocate for running away from your problems when it suited you. He had done it often enough, after all. A few months apart had helped Katara to gain a fresh, outside perspective, and while she still cared deeply about him and sincerely hoped they could recapture their friendship, she knew there were some elements of their old relationship that would have to change. She wouldn’t just go back to coddling him and taking care of everything for him, that was for sure. But she would still listen if he needed to vent. She still wanted to be there for him…but only if he allowed it. And once he found out her news, she was genuinely afraid that he might not.

Therein lay the true reason for her trepidation. She was acutely aware that no matter Aang’s feelings about her, he would have a difficult time accepting that she was with someone else. She wasn’t sure if the fact that it was Zuko would make it better or worse. She tried to imagine how she would feel if the situation were reversed. Would it hurt her to see Aang moving on? Would it hurt more if it was with a stranger, or someone else in their friendship group…?

“It’s so good to see you, Katara,” Aang murmured after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah,” Katara nodded. “It’s been a while, huh?”

“I really missed you.”

“You did?” Katara asked without thinking.

“Of course I did,” Aang told her sincerely. “I…” he paused, looking unsure. “Did…did you miss me?”

Katara had. She honestly had. She had grown used to his absence, but they’d been together almost nonstop for nearly five years. It had been very strange to go about life without him. So she nodded truthfully in response, not thinking anything of it. Aang broke out into a relieved smile.

“So…” he began awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “How have you been?”

“Fine,” Katara replied equally awkwardly, wringing her hands together. “You?”

“Yeah, you know, fine,” Aang said casually. Katara nodded.

“Well, that’s good,” she uttered after a moment, the best she could come up with after grappling for something to say. Spirits, why was this so difficult? When had things gotten so awkward between them? It was like they had absolutely nothing left to say to each other.

Was this really it…? Was this…all they could be now? Just throwing awkward smiles at each other and making uncomfortable small talk if circumstances put them in the same place?

For all her issues with Aang, that was the last thing Katara wanted. And honestly, the very thought made her feel indescribably sad. Aang was her friend. He was her family. Just because they hadn’t worked out as a couple didn’t mean he wasn’t still important to her! She still cared deeply about him and she still wanted him to be in her life! But not like this…

‘Please don’t let this be all we can manage,’ she thought desperately.

As if he had read her mind, Aang’s face slowly fell. “Actually, Katara… What I said wasn’t true. I wasn’t all fine.” He sighed forlornly. “It was really hard without you. I missed you every moment of every day.”

“Aang…”

“Where were you, Katara?” Aang implored. “I spent most of the last few months looking for you! I came back to Ba Sing Se, a few days after…we…” he trailed off. Katara just nodded at him in understanding. She knew what he meant. Aang smiled gratefully at her. “And when I got there, they said you’d already left.” He looked up at her. “After that, I flew to the South Pole but your dad said he hadn’t seen you.”

“Yeah, I…I was going to go home, but I ended up staying in Ba Sing Se, in the end.”

Aang frowned in confusion. “You did?” he asked. “That’s so weird. Whereabouts? I looked all over the city for you before I left.”

“With Iroh, in the Upper Ring.”

Aang’s frown deepened. “Zuko’s Uncle Iroh?” he checked. Katara nodded. “That…that doesn’t make any sense.”

This time, Katara frowned. “Why would I lie to you?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” Aang said hastily, holding his hands up. “I know you wouldn’t lie. It’s just…” He explained that he had visited the Jasmine Dragon before leaving Ba Sing Se, and that Iroh had explicitly told him he’d only seen Katara on her way to the South Pole.

“So…he never mentioned I was staying with him?”

“No, nothing. I would have waited if I’d known!”

“Huh…” Katara couldn’t imagine why he had done that. As much as he sometimes liked to play a doddery old fool because it seemed to please some of his more flirtatious patrons, Katara knew Iroh was too sharp for it to have simply slipped his mind. He had omitted the information on purpose. There was no doubt at all that he had had good intentions in doing so, but Katara was still minded to speak to him about it. Largely because she wasn’t sure why he had never mentioned it to her either.

“Why would he do that?” Aang asked agitatedly. “Why would he lie to me?”

“I don’t know, Aang,” Katara said measuredly. “You’d have to ask him.”

“Yeah…” Aang nodded, sounding distracted. He nodded again. “Yeah. I will. I…I’m sure he had his reasons, but…shoot, we could have done this months ago.”

Katara began to imagine what would have happened if Iroh had told Aang the full truth. What would have happened if they had had this conversation all those months ago. She found she didn’t like what she saw. Because what she saw was that she would probably have positively begged to get back together. If only because it would surely mean that she wasn’t a bad person, and that Aang had forgiven her. She knew differently now, though. She knew better. And if that had happened, she might never have gotten so close to Zuko or discovered her best friend in him…and then another, much more horrid realisation stung her…she might never have fallen in love with him… Her heart ached at the thought.

She suddenly wished he were right in front of her so she could pull him into her arms and hold him close and tell him she was so, so thankful to his uncle for interfering. Because she loved him, with all her heart, and she didn’t want to trade that for anything. The thought of not having any of that almost made her want to cry. He saw her, he understood her…she wouldn’t be lost without him, but she wasn’t quite sure if she would be entirely the same person. She felt different from when she had first arrived on Ember Island. Her heart felt at once fuller and lighter for being with him, and that had happened long before they had shared their first kiss. She felt better and happier than she had for a long time. It was just right.

She needed to tell him. She needed to tell Zuko that she loved him. The muscles in her legs itched to run back into the house and do just that, but she forced herself to stay put. She just needed to get through this and then she could cuddle up with Zuko and spend the rest of the night in his arms, if he was open to that. She hoped he would be. She felt too drained to want to do anything except snuggle now, but she happened to know that her sometimes-prickly-on-the-outside boyfriend had a particular soft spot for snuggles. And if she had to make out with him some as well, then that would be a reasonable trade-off, she figured.

“Maybe it’s for the best,” she remarked amiably. “I think…I think this conversation would have been a lot harder for me back then.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, it was all still so fresh, you know?” Katara shrugged. “And let’s be honest, we didn’t exactly part on the best terms.”

“I know we didn’t, but…I’d like to think you knew you could still talk to me.”

“Aang…you flew away from me. You said you couldn’t even look at me. You didn’t come back for three days,” she reminded him slowly. “How could I possibly have thought I could still talk to you?”

“I…Katara, I…I didn’t…” Aang stuttered. He looked absolutely crestfallen at her words. Katara’s old instinct would have been to draw him into her arms and apologise, and gently tell him that she didn’t mean it. But this time, Katara resisted. It was what had happened. Aang knew that. She couldn’t protect him from this.

After a few moments where Aang seemed to wrestle and debate with himself, he looked squarely at her, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Katara started, surprised.

“I’m so sorry, Katara,” Aang said thickly. “I’m so, so sorry! It was all a stupid mistake! I never want you to feel like that! I’m so sorry!” Katara stared at him in shock, unsure of what to say as Aang began openly crying. Despite her resolve, she couldn’t just stand there and watch blankly as somebody fell apart in front of her. She stepped towards him and pulled him into a hug. He sank into it gratefully and held her tight.

Katara withdrew after a few moments, once she heard him quieten. He sniffed and wiped his eyes. “Thanks. Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, Aang,” Katara assured him. “I don’t want you to be upset. I still care about you, you know?”

“You do?” Aang said hopefully. Katara nodded. He smiled in relief. “Would it…would it be okay if we hugged? Uh, again?” he asked her cautiously. Katara looked up at him in surprise and smiled. She nodded again and they drew each other into their arms. A full feeling of…something flooded her chest, and Katara’s hold on him tightened. She felt a couple of tears prick at her eyes, and she blinked them away in shock. She wasn’t sure where that had come from, why this moment was making her so emotional.

As Aang squeezed her back, she recognised it for what it was. It was relief. It was hope. It was the feeling that…perhaps everything really would be okay. Perhaps Aang would take it well and just be happy for her. She’d like to think she would be happy for him if their situations were reversed…if he needed to take some time first to get used to it, that would be fine. Katara would completely understand. Just as long as they could still be friends. They had been through far too much together for him to just not be in her life.

“Thank you, Aang,” she whispered, allowing her emotions to spill into her voice. “I think…I think maybe we can be okay.” She pulled away from the hug, still smiling at him. Aang beamed back.

“I’m really glad to hear you say that, Katara,” he said. “That’s all I want, too. For things to go back to the way they were.”

Katara let out a nervous laugh. “I’ve gotta say, I wasn’t sure this would go so well.”

“Of course it would,” Aang beamed at her. “We’re Aang and Katara! There’s nothing we can’t face together, right?”

“Well, we’ve sure made a good go of it in the past!” Katara agreed. They shared a light and easy laugh, and a small burst of happiness shot through Katara. This was how it used to be. This was how it was supposed to be. Two friends sharing a laugh, reminiscing about their adventures. This was what she’d wanted.

But unfortunately for Katara, it wasn’t going to be so simple.

“I…I’ve got something I’d like to say,” Aang began tentatively. “If you’ll listen.”

“Of course,” she nodded encouragingly. “What’s up?”

He took a deep breath and launched into what was clearly a well-practised speech.

“First of all, I just want to say how sorry I am for how things went in Ba Sing Se.” Katara nodded. “I should never have stayed away so long. Shoot, I never should have left in the first place. I…I just had a lot I needed to think about, and I thought my past lives could help me get some clarity. Which, to be fair, they did but it took longer than it should have done. And I swear to you, I had no idea it had been so many days! And I came back to Ba Sing Se as fast as I could.” Katara frowned. So…he was sorry for flying away, but not for the argument? Did he still believe his reaction had been justified? “But obviously by then, you’d left.”

“I didn’t think you were coming back.”

“I know, I know, that isn’t your fault. It’s mine,” he agreed. “It hurt, but I completely get it. But that’s not the most important thing.” He looked into her eyes then, with one of the most solemn expressions Katara had ever seen from him. “I’m sorry that I let things get so out of hand. I shouldn’t have yelled at you or gotten mad. It’s just…” he sighed. “When the minister told me about what happened to those firebenders, I didn’t know what to think! You…swore to me you would never use bloodbending again, so I was shocked.”

Katara let out a sigh and opened her mouth to interject, but Aang spoke up first.

“Please, let me finish,” he requested kindly. Katara just nodded wearily and gestured for him to continue. “But, despite how I feel about bloodbending…I want you to know that I understand now.”

“You…do?”

Aang nodded sincerely. “And I promise, I’m not mad at you, not at all! I missed you so much! I couldn’t stop thinking about you the entire time I was searching for you.” As Katara listened, she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hoped Aang wasn’t going where she thought he was with this… “I get it now,” he repeated softly, taking a step closer to her. “I wasn’t there, and you were fighting them all on your own. You must have been terrified! Of course you weren’t thinking straight – you just made a mistake. You’re Katara! I know you would never do anything so evil unless you were desperate.” Aang watched her expectantly, but she only blinked back at him, schooling her expression. On the plus side, the sinking feeling had given way to irritation – that may make it slightly easier if it came to what was now seeming inevitable as Aang continued, “So I want you to know that I forgive you,” he told her, smiling softly and widely as if that was the greatest gift he could ever have given her. “I love you with all my heart, Katara. I hated being away from you. Things just feel wrong when we’re not together. And over the last few months, I learned that I can’t do this without you. I need you! I love you so much and I never want to be apart from you again!” With that, Aang closed the distance between them and began to lean in.

Katara had finally had enough. “Okay,” she said firmly, holding up a hand to stop Aang’s advance. He blinked in surprise, a flash of hurt crossing his eyes. “Aang…I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to stop you there.” Aang faltered, but nodded in acceptance. Katara took a deep breath. There was…a lot from his speech that she took issue with and wanted to ask him about. In hindsight, she could admit her first line of questioning probably hadn’t been the most conducive to keeping things amicable, but she also couldn’t even begin to recount how pissed off Aang’s words had made her. Despite the trappings of anger simmering in her stomach, she forced herself to speak calmly, “I have to ask. What exactly do you think you’re forgiving me for?”

“What do you mean?”

“Because if it’s for bloodbending-”

“Of course it’s for the bloodbending, Katara!” Aang interrupted insistently. “You said yourself it was evil. You even froze them after and didn’t tell anybody what you did, and you lied to me for months about what really happened! You must have known it was wrong.”

“All right, I shouldn’t have lied,” she conceded. “I already admitted that in Ba Sing Se. But I’m not sorry for bloodbending, Aang. Not anymore. I did what I had to do, and everyone except you agrees with me. Those men were monsters,” she emphasised. “They were going to destroy the village, and who knows what they would have done to the people after. I had to do something!”

“Why couldn’t you waterbend normally and actually freeze them instead of just pretending?”

“There wasn’t enough water around!” she explained exasperatedly. She had told him this before, as well. Or tried to – Aang hadn’t been in much of a mood for listening when this had all come to light. “If I’d taken anymore from the grass, they could have easily just set the whole place on fire and watched it burn. I wasn’t going to let that happen, and you of all people should understand that!” She gasped, feeling strangely invigorated at letting all this out. It felt good if she was being honest. “I will never turn my back on people who need me, and I won’t apologise for what I did to protect them.”

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Aang replied, holding his hands up placatingly. “You’re obviously very passionate about this.” He smiled what he thought was serenely at her, but to Katara, it just felt condescending. “And that’s okay. Whether you want it or not, I do forgive you. And we can move past this, Katara, I know we can! Just so long as you promise me never to use it again.”

“I won’t make that promise, Aang. I would never abuse it like Hama, but if I have to bloodbend to protect someone again, I will.” And she wouldn’t hesitate this time, either. If she had just thought to do that in the first place, she could have had them subdued in a quarter of the time. The village could have been spared the worst of their attacks. Katara didn’t blame herself – ultimately, it was the firebenders’ fault – but she knew she wouldn’t hold back again.

“Katara…you’re not really making this easy…”

“Making what easy?” She knew what he meant, of course. She was being deliberately obtuse, which was unlike her, but frankly, Aang was seriously starting to wind her up. Aang was entitled to his principles, she wasn’t going to attempt to change his outlook – but equally, they weren’t going to be able to move past this if he didn’t stop trying to force his principles on everyone else.

“I want to get back together, Katara!” Aang cried out desperately. “I want that more than anything.” He ran his hand down his face, conflicted, but quickly resolved himself. “Look…maybe I can look past the bloodbending. You’re right – I know you would never abuse it. As long as we both try and compromise, we can make this relationship work, I know we can! We-”

“Aang…” Katara sighed. Here it was. The moment she’d been unconsciously dreading. “We’re not getting back together.”

Aang’s face instantly fell. “W-what?” he stammered, crestfallen.

“Please believe me that I’m not saying this to hurt you, but…after everything that’s happened, I just don’t think we should be together,” she said diplomatically. The cold truth was that she simply had no interest in being his girlfriend. She still loved him, as one of her oldest friends – no more, no less.

“But…I don’t understand. I love you!” Aang protested. “You said we’d be okay! You said you still cared about me!”

“I do still care about you,” Katara promised him. “I love you, too, but…as my friend.” Aang gaped at her, the distress obvious on his face. Katara’s heart ached to see him in pain, but this was her decision. Aang would just have to accept it. “I don’t…I don’t feel…that way about you…anymore.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not something I can explain,” she said gently. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t. That doesn’t mean you’re not important to me! I’ll still be there for you, as your friend.”

“But I don’t understand!” Aang shook his head. “Where has all this come from?” He paused, considering, then shook his head again. “No, this doesn’t make sense. You’re not telling me something. What’s going on?” His eyes widened in horror as it just occurred to him. “Is…is there someone else?” he asked in a small tremoring voice.

Katara looked up at him and met his intense gaze with a firm one of her own. “Yes,” she told him.

“Who?” Aang demanded, quickly flashing from devastated to irate. Katara recognised that look. But she was done dancing around it.

“Aang-”

“Did you even miss me at all?”

“Of course I did, but-”

“Did you really love me?”

“Aang, that’s just ridiculous. You know I did, and I still do. Please calm down.”

“No, I won’t calm down! You’re the love of my life! I’ve spent all these months regretting everything that happened because I care about you and I missed you! And now not only do you suddenly not want to be with anymore, you’ve already moved on!”

“It’s hardly sudden, Aang, we’ve been broken up for months,” Katara pointed out. “And the last time I saw you, I got the distinct impression you never wanted to see me again. I also never heard from you.” Aang opened his mouth to protest, but Katara continued, “Yes, I know it’s because you were travelling to the South Pole, I get that…” she sighed. “Look, I’m sorry this is hurting you, but…we just don’t work together. I shouldn’t have to change who I am to please you, and neither should you. That’s not fair on either of us. That’s what I’ve realised over these last months.” Time had helped her to see that. Perhaps, one day, Aang would see it, too. For his own sake, she hoped he would. But that day was not now.

“Seriously? You’re choosing bloodbending over me?!” Aang snapped. “How could you say that?!”

Katara took another deep, calming breath. Now Aang was being deliberately obtuse. As if he truly believed it seriously came down to him or bloodbending! No, he was just being belligerent because things weren’t going his way, like a damn child! And she decided she really didn’t have the energy or the patience for it now. She was tired and still slightly under the influence. She just wanted to crawl into bed, hopefully beside Zuko, and sleep.

“Aang, I’m not going to argue with you,” she told him calmly but firmly. “If you can’t talk about this rationally like an adult, then I’m not doing this now.” She shook her head. She didn’t know why she felt a hint of disappointment. She’d known this was how he would behave! She’d expected no less, and yet somehow she was still disappointed. One thing was becoming clear, though – they were in no shape to be friends…not if Aang couldn’t accept her decision. And it really didn’t seem like he would, not tonight. Perhaps not ever…

Surrendering, Katara turned away and began to walk back into the house. Aang reached out and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Katara, wait! We need to talk about this! This is important. You can’t just run away because you think it’s hard!”

…that did it. Katara came to a stop and stood still for a moment. Was Aang…actually being serious? She took in some deep breaths, but no amount of breathing in the world would be enough to calm the storm brewing in her. Those small parts of resentment that she had been swallowing and shoving down and keeping bottled up began to leak over, and conglomerate to form a swirling mass that Katara was helpless to resist. The tide broke within her and she…saw…red!

She began speaking in a calm tone that did nothing to betray the maelstrom within. But it didn’t last long. “Are…you…” she suddenly spun around, the fury twisting her face, “kidding me?!” she screeched. Aang jumped, taken aback, and retreated a step. But Katara didn’t stop. It was out of her control now. She couldn’t have stopped even if she’d wanted to. For too long, she had had to keep quiet and keep the peace and let Aang get away with whatever he wanted because confronting him wasn’t worth the energy! Well, now she was done. “You’re lecturing me about running away?!” The thought was laughable if the hypocrisy of it didn’t make her so spitting angry!

“You…are the damn…poster child for avoiding your problems! You’ve done it for as long as I’ve known you! You did it constantly during the war, even though everyone was depending on you!” Katara was shouting now. She didn’t care.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Aang argued. “I was summoned by a Lion Turtle! I couldn’t just ignore it!”

“That’s not the time I’m talking about, Aang! But do you want to know something? When we couldn’t find you that morning, no-one had a hard time believing you had run away!” she pointed out viciously. “We were so used to it by then, it never even occurred to us something else might have happened! I get it, you were only thirteen, it was way too much responsibility and it wasn’t fair, but even now, four years later, you’re still doing it!”

Light spilt out into the courtyard behind Katara as a door clanged open, but she didn’t notice.

“And let’s not forget that it was you running away again that brought us into this mess in the first place!”

“Katara!” Even in the throes of her anger, Zuko’s voice broke through, and she halted in her tirade. He came running into the courtyard, closely followed by Sokka, Suki and Toph, drawn by the commotion (or more specifically Katara’s yelling) which had devolved into near shrieks by the time their friends reached them. She groaned frustratedly. “What happened?” he asked concernedly as he reached her. “Are you okay?” Still fuming, Katara just threw her hands up in exasperation.

“I can’t deal with this right now!” she ranted. “I’m done!”

She turned on her heel and stormed down the steps towards the beach, not looking back. She didn’t expect or want anyone to follow her – she just needed some time alone. She needed to bend. She needed to find a way to exorcise the anger and hurt that still raged through her veins, and she didn’t want to pull anyone else down with her. Especially not Zuko. He didn’t deserve to have to deal with the fallout from her quarrel with Aang. She would just find him later, once she’d calmed down. It was better that way. For everyone.

****

As he watched Katara leave, Zuko fought the urge to go after her, but he had heard her unspoken words. She wanted to be alone. For now, at least. It wasn’t the first time Zuko had been witness to such an outburst of strong, raw emotion from Katara. But after she had vented, she would need support and he would be glad to be there for her when the time was right.

Zuko then looked up at Aang with disgust. “What did you say to her, Aang?!” he snapped.

“Nothing! I just-”

“Look, Aang, you must have said something,” Sokka interjected calmly, though also looking decidedly vexed. “My sister doesn’t get that mad for no reason.”

“All I said was that this is important, and she shouldn’t walk away! I swear!”

Zuko snorted with grim amusement. “A little hypocritical, don’t you think?” he scoffed. Aang only blinked at him in response, shock, hurt and confusion written across his features. He looked to the rest of his friends for support, but Sokka didn’t seem like he disagreed.

“He’s not wrong,” Sokka shrugged, confirming Aang’s suspicions. “You do have a history of it.”

“All right, that’s enough,” Toph stated firmly, stepping into the breach between Aang and the rest of her friends. She turned to face the group. “I know you all have opinions about what went down, but right now this isn’t helpful.”

“We’re just trying to get to the bottom of this,” Sokka explained.

“You might be able to tell yourself that, Snoozles, but you’re going about it in a really crappy way!” Toph chastised. “And that goes for you, too, Grumble Lord!” she pointed at him. “Stop it! This isn’t who we are. Aang is one of our oldest friends. He’s the only reason most of us even know each other! We’re a team.” She raised her eyebrows at them, turning her head between them, or where she could sense them. “Or am I wrong?”

“You’re not wrong, Toph,” Suki said, speaking for (she hoped) all of them. Sokka nodded alongside her in agreement. But Zuko simply scowled, crossing his arms.

Truthfully, he didn’t want that either, not for himself. As displeased and unimpressed as he was with Aang from Katara’s anecdotes, that didn’t mean he wanted to just cut him out of his life. As far as Zuko could tell, Aang’s biggest crime had been being an immature, stubborn and at times inattentive boyfriend. It didn’t make him a bad person, but it did make Zuko glad for Katara that she was no longer constantly subjected to it.

The only exception to that, which was where Zuko’s own struggle came in, was when he had almost gone into the Avatar State on Katara…that was the part Zuko was having difficulty forgiving and definitely a topic Zuko was going to have words with Aang about. The Avatar wasn’t going to escape that whether he liked it or not… But, all that said, so long as he profusely apologised to Katara and made it up to her, then Zuko would be willing to move past it and not hang it over Aang’s head. Agni, he’d had his own fair share of angry outbursts when he was that age. But he had learned from them, repented, and strove to earn the forgiveness of the ones he had wronged. If Aang was willing to do the same with Katara, then Zuko saw no reason why their friendship should be affected.

Only now, he had swooped in and managed to go and upset Katara again in a very short amount of time. Sokka had been right to point out that Katara didn’t get so mad for no reason. She could have occasional bursts of frustration seemingly out of the blue, like everyone, but that display of white-hot rage wasn’t something Katara brought to the surface without provocation. And right now, Zuko’s concerns lay with how Katara was feeling about this all, not Aang.

So rather than answering Toph’s question, he relaxed his frown and schooled his features into a placid, stoic expression that gave little away. “Let’s just hope he hasn’t already screwed it up beyond repair,” he spat out coolly. “I’m going to go check on Katara – make sure she’s okay.” Sokka nodded, though whether it was in approval at Zuko’s concern or mere gratitude that it was Zuko rather than Sokka who had to step into that Arctic lion-wolf’s den was unclear.

“Maybe I should be the one to do it,” Aang volunteered meekly. “I was the one to upset her. I-”

Zuko cut him off. “No. You are not going to bother her,” he warned him dangerously. “If Katara agrees to talk to you again, it will be when she’s ready, not you. Got that?” Aang merely nodded timidly. With that, Zuko then disappeared from view down the steps to the beach, in a much calmer fashion than Katara had just moments before.

When it was just the four of them left, Aang turned guiltily to Sokka, but the Water Tribesman didn’t catch his gaze, staring unseeingly in the general direction of the beach. The waves could be heard crashing down below them, somewhat more violently than one would expect given how calm the night itself was. No-one needed to go down there to try and figure out why.

“Maybe we should go inside, sweetie,” Suki whispered to him, wrapping a comforting arm around him. “We should probably let Iroh and the others know what the noise was about.”

Sokka blinked, seeming to come back to himself as Suki began stroking his arm.

“Yeah,” he muttered distantly, not tearing his eyes away from the steps. Suki pressed a kiss to his cheek, and he turned his gaze to rest upon her. “Yeah, okay. You’re probably right. But, I’m gonna wait up for Katara and Zuko.”

“I’ll join you,” Suki promised. They clasped each other’s hands. “We’re gonna head in, guys,” she told Toph and Aang, who both nodded.

As they turned away, Aang then piped up in a very small voice, “I’m really sorry, Sokka.”

Sokka halted. He took in a deep breath and let it out before turning back around. “Just…not tonight, Aang,” he said. “It’s late and we’re all tired. Stick around and we’ll talk in the morning. Okay?” A small but hopeful smile rose on Aang’s face and he nodded gratefully in response.

Once they were gone, Aang turned to Toph. “Thanks for what you said back there,” he told her sincerely. "I…I probably needed to hear it, but-”

“Don’t thank me yet, Twinkletoes,” Toph replied, but shot him a dark grin. “You and I need to have a little chat.” Aang swallowed, suddenly feeling very nervous. “Come on.” She linked her arm through his, completely ignoring his reservations. “Let’s take a walk.”

****

Zuko wasn’t entirely sure what he would find when he got down to the beach, but it certainly wasn’t the empty sands that greeted him. Frowning, he quickly reached the water’s edge and scouted the horizon for signs of Katara. He soon caught sight of a trail of footsteps heading further down the sand to his left and he immediately followed them.

He spotted her as he rounded the corner to a more secluded cove that was cut off at high tide. Not that that would have been a problem for a waterbender like Katara in any event. He had expected the waves to be crashing furiously against the cliffs, directed by Katara’s precise and calculated arm movements. But his first glimpse of the fierce woman he loved showed her standing frozen to the spot and staring blankly into the waves. Her head sagged and her hands were clenched into fists hanging limply at her sides. Zuko’s heart quickened. He knew what that meant.

His pace increased as he strove to close the distance between them in time to catch her. He broke out into a run over the last few metres when he saw Katara collapse onto her knees, covering her face with her hands while her body shook with sobs. He almost crashed onto the sand beside her.

“Katara!” He opened his arms out to her.

She started and turned to him, stunned. Her beautiful face was streaked with tears and smudged make-up, all of her earlier efforts at composing herself washed away by her sorrow. “H-how did you-?” she hiccupped thickly, but unable to finish her sentence as another sob tore from her throat that made Zuko’s heart wrench.

“Come here, sweetheart,” Zuko murmured soothingly as he wrapped his arms firmly around her. To let her be more comfortable, he planted himself on the wet sand, indifferent to the clumps that began sticking to his pants, before pulling Katara onto his lap. He held her tightly against his chest, one hand rubbing small circles into her back and the other tenderly stroking her head. Still sobbing, Katara buried her face in his neck and threw her arms back around him, clutching onto the fabric of his tunic. Her breathing juddered and her body quaked as she wept, and Zuko held her through all of it, whispering reassurances into her ear. “It’s okay,” he said gently, and began rocking them from side to side. “It’ll be okay.” It was all he could say for now. It was all Katara needed to hear.

Katara cried hard, but not for very long. After a relatively short time, her sobs quietened and faded until all that could be heard was the occasional sniffle, her tears drying up. Neither of them let go of the other, though. They were each content to just sit in silence as Katara came back to herself. Her grip on his tunic loosened and her arms encircled him instead and held on. Zuko continued stroking her, running a hand up and down her back gently.

After a while, she let out a tired sigh. “I…” she started, sounding ashamed. “I’m sorry about-”

“Don’t apologise,” Zuko told her. “I blame Aang, not you.” Katara vainly tried to protest, but Zuko wasn’t hearing any of it. “It’s not your fault,” he assured her. Katara eventually seemed to accept it, giving in to his stubbornness.

She sighed again and fidgeted in his arms. He heard her take in a deep breath, as if she was steeling herself for something. Zuko thought nothing of it. But the next words that came out of Katara’s mouth almost brought his heart to a stop…

“I love you, Zuko,” she whispered.

She finally raised her head from his neck to look at him. Her eyes were still puffy from crying, but the look she gave him wasn’t one of sadness. It wasn’t even one of yearning, not in the sense of lust. It was a look of pure adoration and affection…one that Zuko didn’t think anyone had ever given him before, not even Mai. It was tinted with hope and slight worry, but she had no reason to fear.

Outwardly, the only reaction he gave was his arms clenching around her as he froze in shock. His heart didn’t stop but it certainly stuttered as he registered what she had said. After a moment, a small smile slowly spread across his lips, one reserved for Katara and Katara only. Inside, his heart soared and swelled with happiness.

“I love you, too,” he uttered breathily.

Without speaking, they pulled back into an intimate embrace and squeezed tight. Neither of them wanted to let the other go again, not tonight. They both chuckled and laughed with mirth, stroking each other affectionately. After a moment, they pulled slightly away and instead their lips met hurriedly and began passionately moving against one another. It was all they could do. There were no words that could do justice to how they each felt in this moment. But they each understood.

They both let out shy smiles and Katara began to giggle nervously when they broke the kiss. Zuko licked his lips, then grimaced. Katara raised her eyebrows in puzzlement.

“Salty,” he explained.

Katara snorted. “Oh, is that not doing it for you?” she teased. “That’s so weird because it’s all the rage in Ba Sing Se.” Zuko’s resulting laugh was genuine, and his chest filled with a warm, floating sensation as he regarded the woman he loved, who was still perched comfortably on his lap.

“I guess I’m just behind on the times,” he quipped back, relishing in her giggles. He smiled down at her, pressing another kiss to her cheek. He rested a hand on the same cheek as he pulled away. “What happened, my love?” he asked softly.

Katara sighed, leaning into his touch. “Aang just refused to listen,” she explained. “He’s got it in his head that me and him will get back together.” She sighed again, shaking her head. “Even if I wasn’t with you, I wouldn’t want that.” Zuko caught her smile and returned it encouragingly. “But now…I’m not sure we can even be friends,” she lamented, her voice catching as a fresh wave of sorrow threatened to overwhelm her. “I still care about him, Zuko,” she admitted thickly. “We’ve been through so much together. I never thought it would just…end like this. All because I don’t want to be his girlfriend? It just makes me think, what if I had said no four years ago? Would he have cut me out?”

“No, I’m sure that’s not the case,” Zuko replied, stroking her cheek affectionately. “If it does come to that, make no mistake, he’s the one missing out, not you.” He smiled reassuringly at her. “But I really don’t think it will. Aang’s immature but you’re important to him, too. Even if he doesn’t like that we’re together, I’m sure he won’t want to lose you completely.”

 “I never actually got the chance to tell him about us,” she confessed, resting her hand over his. “He knows there’s someone else, but not that it’s you.”

“It’s okay,” Zuko assured her. “But, and I hope you agree with me on this, I think we should talk to him together.” He would be damned if he let Katara go through that alone after what had happened tonight. He was prepared to argue his case if need be, but to his relief, Katara nodded at him.

“I think you’re right,” she agreed. Her smile widened. “Thank you so much, Zuko. For being here…for being you. You’re pretty damn amazing, do you know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” he smirked. “And, so are you, by the way.” Katara giggled in response and leaned in for a quick kiss.

“Do you…do you feel ready to head back?” he asked her quietly after a moment. “No pressure,” he added quickly. “We can stay here as long as you need.”

“No, that’s okay,” she shook her head. “Honestly, I’m exhausted. I just want to go to sleep.” Zuko nodded. He was half disappointed as he had been enjoying cuddling her, but he completely understood. Katara reluctantly clambered off him so he could stand up.

“Would you-” she squeaked uncertainly when he was half up. He crouched back down, waiting patiently for her to finish. “Would you mind…staying with me tonight?” she asked.

Katara thought that the smile Zuko shot at her request was utterly breathtaking.

“Of course,” he nodded, rising and stretching out a hand to pull her to her feet. He kept hold of her and interlaced their fingers when she stood to face him.

Then he realised what he’d said might be confusing. “Um, I meant, of course I’ll stay with you, not that I mind…staying…with you” he trailed off sheepishly.

“I know what you meant, honey,” she assured him, smiling lovingly. Zuko couldn’t help but return it as another burst of happiness shot through him.

“I love you, Katara,” he whispered, looking longingly at her one last time before they went back to the house.

“I love you, too, Zuko.”

Notes:

And there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!

Just a few notes - Aang doesn't come off very well in this chapter, I appreciate that. I hope I've done him justice in trying to portray him as immature and just not ready for the kind of relationship Katara needs rather than as a bad person. I like Aang as a character, a LOT, I just don't like him and Katara together. What happened to her in LoK was a disgrace and I truly can't believe that Bryke thought that was all cool and we were supposed to keep shipping Kataang after that...but then again, they also seem to think it's fine for Aang to explode on her (literally) in one of the comics but it's okay because he's YOUNG and PASSIONATE and he LOVES KATARA SO SO MUCH and he just couldn't control his temper...grrr! I hinted at that particular comic, "Love is a Battlefield", in this chapter, but I will be covering it in more detail in the next chapter because it's another nail in the Kataang coffin as far as I'm concerned.

The reason Katara got as irate as she did about Aang accusing her of running away - that was just the straw that broke the camel's back. She has quite a lot to resent Aang for, she tried to calmly walk away, but that comment just sent her over the edge. I hope it was believable. I know I've held back the intimate details of their big argument in Ba Sing Se so far, BUT the next chapter will feature flashbacks from both perspectives. Full disclosure, I've got most of that part written already, but they were among the scenes I had to cut.

Aang has a lot of making up to do, which will be the main focus of next chapter. Sokka in particular feels very conflicted, as I'm sure you saw. I don't intend for Aang to just be let off, he will need to learn some hard truths, but it's NOT my goal to break the Gaang up. Toph will be instrumental here. I know I've largely neglected her, but I honestly really struggle to do her character justice. She's just so unique. Toph is a law unto herself, so it makes sense to me that she would be the one to step in when Sokka and Zuko started on Aang. Personally, I'm very much looking forward to her and Aang's shared scene next chapter - don't worry, we will be getting to see the "little chat" she has planned!

Thank you so much again, everyone! Only two chapters to go now. Until next time.

Chapter 15: Hard Truths

Summary:

Aang undergoes some tough conversations with Toph and Sokka, and the full story behind his and Katara's break-up emerges.

Notes:

Hello! Let's just pretend it HASN'T been over 3 months... I'll be honest, I just wasn't feeling particularly inspired with this fic recently. I've found in the past that if I'm not in the mood, then I just ended up writing total, nonsensical rubbish, and even if I believed that was good enough for me, it definitely wouldn't have been good enough for you lovely guys. I will say, though, I'm genuinely glad I waited because I can promise you that this chapter is MUCH better than it would have been if I tried to force myself. It works for some authors, but I'm not one of them alas.

This is the angstiest chapter of the fic. I don't think a specific warning is required, but this one is decidedly less fluffy than the others. (Although I couldn't resist including a fluff interlude of my favourite couple!) I had a LOT of fun writing the angstier scenes, actually - Toph and Sokka both come well into their own, I think.

I'll end with a quick recap of the last chapter, since it HAS been a while: Aang arrived at the house by surprise to a much cooler reception than he expected, particularly from Sokka and Zuko. He did get his chance to talk to Katara, but it ended in a shouting match after he told her she couldn't "run away just because it's hard." Toph then decided to take matters into her own hands and is now out with Aang for "a little chat"...

Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

BA SING SE – 6 months ago

“Avatar!” Minister Chung called out in greeting as he spotted Aang and Katara walking up the steps into the Royal Palace.

“Oh, good afternoon, Minister Chung!” Aang greeted back, smiling widely. “How are you doing?” The minister eyed Katara uncertainly for a brief moment, then turned back to Aang. Katara frowned at his behaviour but didn’t comment on it. It would only upset Aang and make him feel guilty. It wasn’t his fault she got overlooked as often as she did…but all the same, the minister was acting quite strangely.

“I’m afraid I’ve found myself in a bit of a quandary,” Minister Chung admitted cautiously. Aang’s face fell, concern taking over.

“Oh no! Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Actually, there might be,” the minister nodded. “I was hoping I could pick your brain about something.”

“Of course!” Aang nodded resolutely. He turned to Katara. “You go ahead, sweetie. I’ll catch up in a bit.”

“Okay, sweetie,” Katara agreed convivially, pecking him briefly on the lips before continuing to the guest wing of the palace. The Earth King had insisted on hosting them himself, and had even commissioned an extra-large stable to comfortably house Appa. In Katara’s opinion, the stable could easily hold three or four sky bison! But that was no bad thing, she also opined. Hopefully one day, there would be a need for it.

Katara and Aang each had their own rooms but they were right next to each other, and they always ended up snuggling for the night in Katara’s bed. In fact, Katara didn’t think Aang had spent a single night in his room since they had gotten here over a week ago. Katara had no issues with this. She had grown used to having their arms wrapped around each other as they drifted off. It could be a bit disconcerting in the mornings when Aang bounced up and began bounding around with bags of energy whilst Katara was still trying to shake off the fog of sleep, but his laughter and enthusiasm were always so infectious, it didn’t take her long to get to his level.

She was a bit miffed that whatever was so important to the minister couldn’t have also been for her ears – Aang would only tell her about it afterwards anyway – but she told herself to just let it go. She was here for Aang, after all. They had both known this would likely just be a series of boring meetings regarding the former colonies and the developments in Cranefish Town. Aang had actually offered to drop Katara off at the South Pole for a visit while he came to Ba Sing Se alone, but Katara assured him she wanted to be there to support him. She had just assumed she would be in the meetings with him, there to argue the best case for the people alongside Aang, rather than listening to his shaky retellings long after the fact as her presence apparently wasn’t required. It hadn’t been Aang’s idea to exclude her, of course, but he also hadn’t put his foot down, like he could have done. He had just smiled apologetically at Katara and said he was sure the meeting would be very dull anyway and she would be a sight for sore eyes when he got out. Katara had let out a hollow laugh, for Aang’s sake, but inside she had been fuming. It wasn’t Aang’s fault, it wasn’t, but would it have killed him to have stood up for her? Or to at least have allowed her to protest rather than trying to keep the peace?

“It’s because I know I can count on you, Katara,” was his excuse. “You’re reasonable – not all of these stuffy advisors are. Sometimes it’s easier to let them have their way on the little things so I can get support for the big things! You know?” Katara did know what he meant…but she didn’t think that excluding a war hero just because they had all dismissed her as nothing more than “the Avatar’s girlfriend” really counted as a ‘little thing.’

****

EMBER ISLAND – Present day (or night, as the case may be)

Aang continued to feel nervous as Toph led him insistently through the trees. He could barely see in the darkness, the moonlight being blocked by the dense foliage above, and his earthbending senses had never developed as strongly as Toph’s, so he was at a loss as to where she could possibly be taking him.  She also hadn’t uttered a word since they’d begun walking. All Aang knew was that they apparently needed “a little chat”. Aang agreed a chat was most definitely needed, but Toph wasn’t the girl he’d had in mind when he’d been fantasising about arriving on the island.

Then again, the girl he’d had in mind shouted at him and then stormed off, closely followed by Zuko who seemed equally angry with Aang, which – if Aang was being completely honest – he still didn’t fully understand. He didn’t even completely understand why Katara had gotten so upset. He was shocked when she’d started yelling at him. Katara didn’t yell. Katara was soft and kind and cared deeply about protecting the innocent. She could be very fierce, absolutely, which came in handy when Aang found himself in a tight spot, but he had never before been the sole target of her wrath… He found himself hoping that perhaps Toph could shed some light on that since neither Katara nor Zuko seemed like they would have any interest in relieving his curiosity that night.

Not that that was truly what was bothering him anyway.

What was also bothering him, though, was Iroh, and the way he had lied to Aang, and apparently to Katara, about his visit to The Jasmine Dragon…why had he done that? It didn’t make any sense.

Toph came to a sudden halt when they emerged from the treeline, and Aang realised they must have climbed to one of the clifftops. She stomped hard on the ground and bent herself a reclined rock chair. When Aang didn’t move as she settled down on it, she told him, “Might as well make yourself comfy, Twinkles. This could take a while.”

Aang nodded mutely and bent his own seat but only perched himself on the edge, unable to relax.

He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected any of it. He had thought he’d arrive to laughter and warm greetings. He had thought he’d arrive to find the love of his life missing him as much as he’d missed her during their separation. He had thought he’d arrive to his best friends in the world who were all happy to see him. Granted, he hadn’t exactly expected Zuko to start jumping up and down for joy (though the image made him want to grin), but he also didn’t think he deserved the coldness or downright hostility Zuko shot his way. There had to be a reason for it, Aang knew that, and it had to be related to Katara. Zuko all of a sudden seemed very fiercely protective of her, and Aang couldn’t say he liked it. He was the one who was supposed to be fiercely protective of her. He was the one who should be warning off anyone who upset her. He was the one who should have followed her down to the beach and made sure she was okay.

But Zuko had done all those things. And now Aang was here, with seemingly the only friend he had left, in utter confusion and growing despair.

“What are we doing here, Toph?” he asked quietly.

“Enjoying the view,” she muttered drily. Aang let out a weak chuckle. Toph raised her eyebrows. “Damn, Twinkles – things are bad if you didn’t fall for that.”

“Yeah, well,” he sighed resignedly, “you saw what happened back there with Katara and Sokka, Zuko…” He shook his head. “It kinda feels like you and Suki are the only ones who don’t hate me now. And I don’t even-”

“Don’t be so dramatic, no-one hates you,” she chided, waving his concerns off.

“Tell that to Sokka and Zuko,” Aang muttered unhappily.

Toph shrugged. “They’re a little pissed, I’ll give you that,” she agreed. “But Snoozles was just being a big brother and Grumble Lord likes to grumble. It’s why I brought you out here. I figured we could all use a little space.”

“I get that, Toph, and thank you, really, but…I don’t want space,” he trailed off forlornly. “I want to be with my friends. I want to be with Katara. But apparently, no-one can stand the sight of me right now and I honestly don’t know what I’m still even doing here!”

“After everything that went down, do you really think flying away would be the best idea right now?” she snorted in amusement.

“I’m being serious, Toph…I…I don’t think anyone wants me here. Katara definitely doesn’t…and she’s the whole reason I came…”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Aang backtracked hastily. “Obviously if I’d gotten the invite on time, I would have come here right at the start! For all of you. But…Katara’s the love of my life…I didn’t…I never thought this would happen…”

“I can understand that,” Toph assured him, nodding. “If it helps, that’s part of the reason they were acting kinda weird around you. I know Snoozles was definitely worried you were here to try and get back together with her. But what do you say to that, you know? I mean, I would just tell you straight it wasn’t gonna happen, but that’s me.” She paused, considering. “Out of interest, would that have helped?” she asked sincerely.

“I…I don’t know…” Aang said distantly. “What would help is if Katara wasn’t saying she didn’t want to be with me and no-one was suddenly really mad at me! I don’t get it, Toph!” he lamented agitatedly. “What did I do? And even if I did do something, why not just come and talk to me about it?”

“Yeah…” Toph dragged the word out and pursed her lips, pondering. She sat up straight, planted her feet on the ground and faced Aang head-on. “Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, Twinkletoes, but it’s actually really hard to talk to you about stuff you won’t like.”

“What do you mean?” Aang asked, aghast.

“Well, you either deflect and completely ignore it, or you get mad and fly away,” she said bluntly. “Why do you think we always sent Sugar Queen in to deliver bad news? She was the only one who’d put up with it.”

“Well, no-one likes hearing bad news,” Aang tried to joke weakly, but it fell flat and Toph did nothing but stare at him blankly in response. He sighed. “Yeah, I…I know you’re right. I do that and it’s something I need to work on. And you’re right about Katara. She always knows just what to say. It’s…one of the reasons why I love her so much.” He sighed again. “If she could just see that-”

“Yeah, no, it doesn’t work like that,” Toph cut him off blithely. “That’s another thing we need to talk about, Aang. I know you think Katara’s the love of your life and I get that, I do,” she emphasised. Aang blinked as he realised who she must be talking about. He didn’t think he’d ever truly know the depth of her feelings, and had barely noticed Toph’s conflict at the time. He had been too smitten with Katara. Because she was perfect and right for him in every way. It didn’t occur to him that perhaps, for Toph, that person was Sokka…and she’d had to stand back and watch (well, not watch, Aang mentally corrected himself hastily) as he fell in love with another woman, and never seeing Toph as more than a sister. Aang could sympathise with that. At one point, he had been worried that Katara only saw him as a brother and that had sucked. Having to watch it on stage came at the worst time as well, with the comet so close and Aang still not having had a chance since the invasion (even though it had been weeks by that point) to talk to Katara about their kiss and going on from there. He accepted it was wrong to try and kiss Katara again on the balcony. It felt right at the time, a way to seal his feelings before he would walk away and let Katara mull it over for a bit before she realised her own feelings. But Katara had been very upset and mad at him for it. He wasn’t sure he completely understood why, but it was enough that it upset Katara. They hadn’t talked about it since as she’d never brought it up, so he figured they could let it rest.

“But you need to listen to her if she says she doesn’t want to be with you,” Toph concluded, bringing Aang back to the present. “I get that it might hurt, but I’m also guessing you don’t want to lose her as a friend.”

“I don’t want to lose her at all!”

“And if you don’t stop with that attitude, you might lose her completely!” Toph countered exasperatedly. Aang started, sitting up straight. He frowned.

“So you’re mad at me, too, huh?”

“No, Aang, I’m not,” she said calmly. “I’m actually trying to help you.”

“How? By yelling at me? By making me feel worse than I already do?”

“I told you I wouldn’t sugarcoat it.”

“Well that doesn’t help me right now, Toph!” Aang snapped. “Please, tell me what I should do!”

“For one, you could try not yelling at the only friend who’s willing to listen to you right now,” Toph replied coolly. “And I’m not kidding around, Twinkles – if you yell at me again, I’m outta here and you can figure your own mess out.”

Aang sighed, already feeling guilty for losing his temper. It wasn’t Toph’s fault, of course it wasn’t. But it was all just so confusing. If someone could just explain what was going on...

“You’re right, Toph,” he said sombrely. “I’m really sorry. None of this is your fault.”

“I know.” She leaned back in her seat and turned her gaze back up to the stars. Aang suddenly found himself wondering if Toph even knew the stars were there, when she continued, “But anyway, going back to before, I meant what I said, about listening to you. So far, we’ve all only heard Katara’s side of things.” She paused. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like she would have lied or anything, but I think it’s only fair you also get a chance to tell your side.” Obviously it would have been better if everyone else was here, but like Toph had said – Sugar Queen was pissed, Snoozles was being a protective big brother, Grumble Lord was being a protective boyfriend (not that Aang knew that yet, she didn’t think – she was not looking forward to that conversation) and Aunt Fanny…well, she would be the most open to listening other than Toph, but Toph could understand that she wanted to stay by Snoozles’ side that night.

“But how will that help me with Katara?” Aang asked, confused.

“This isn’t about Sugar Queen right now,” Toph insisted. “This is about you. Tell me what happened, Twinkletoes.” She stretched her arms up and planted her hands under her head. “All of it.”

****

Ba Sing Se – 6 months ago

“I’ve just come back from Gaoling,” Minister Chung began as he and Aang began to walk around the grounds. The gardens were mostly empty save for a couple of palace workers trimming the hedges, but the minister didn’t seem concerned about them possibly overhearing. “Do you remember those three rogue firebenders who attacked a village last summer – the ones that you held off?”

“Well, it was Katara who held them off,” Aang corrected him. “I didn’t get there until it was over. But yeah, they were part of the New Ozai Society, weren’t they?”

“As it turned out, yes,” Chung agreed. “They’ve just had their trial. The Fire Lord requested that they be deported back there for him to deal with, but-”

“Oh, well the Fire Lord is a personal friend of mine,” Aang interjected, sensing where this was likely going. “Do you need me to talk to him?”

“No, no, that’s not the issue. That all got dealt with,” Chung said dismissively. “No, what’s got me – and the Dai Li, for that matter – concerned is something they mentioned in their testimony.” Aang raised his eyebrows in confusion but remained silent for Chung to continue. “They all said – and keep in mind they’ve all been separated since we arrested them – that something…weird happened while they were out there.”

“What was it?”

“That’s the thing, we don’t know. We have no idea what could have caused it. But they all said that, for a few moments, it was like they…lost control of themselves.” A cold pit suddenly opened up in Aang’s stomach. “They either couldn’t move, or they couldn’t help what they did do. Surprisingly, none of them tried to blame that on the attacks,” he added thoughtfully. “Just as well because no-one would have believed them. But still…if they weren’t going to use it as a defence, why bring it up at all? So I and a few others think that they must have been telling the truth. And if they were…well, what could they possibly be talking about?!”

“Did…did they describe what it was like?” Aang asked fearfully, fighting to keep the tremble out of his voice. He had his suspicions as to what could have caused it…but surely not. She had promised. She wouldn’t…

“I spoke to one of them after their sentence,” Chung continued. “And he said he felt like he was just a puppet – he had no control over his own body until he passed out from the pain.” Chung shook his head, the worry and fear evident on his face. Aang didn’t look much better. Yes, he knew for certain what it was. The cold pit widened and began to roil and thrash fitfully through his stomach. He couldn’t believe it. She actually had… she must have done. No-one else in the entire world possessed that ability…but…she’d promised him…

“The reason I’ve come to you,” Chung continued after a tense silence, “was to ask if you’ve come across anything like this before. You’ve seen a lot of the world, Avatar, more than most of us. Do you have any ideas what, or who, this might be?” Oh, Aang knew exactly what or who this ‘might be’…but he could hardly just blurt that out! Minister Chung was, rightfully, absolutely horrified! And so he should be. It was an abomination! An affront to all bending! And now to find out that Katara had…how could she?! What had she been thinking?!

“I…I have come across something like it once,” Aang admitted cautiously. “But it was a long time ago. I’m not sure how much-”

“Any information you can give will be very useful,” Chung implored him.

“I…” Aang stuttered uncertainly. Spirits, what was he supposed to say? ‘It was my girlfriend – she has this ability called bloodbending. It’s awful and I don’t know why she used it. But she’s my girlfriend so let her off, pretty please?’ He somehow didn’t think that would fly. “I’ll need to discuss it with Katara,” he said measuredly. “I wasn’t actually there until the end, like I said. But Katara…might have seen something,” he said, the half-lie feeling heavy on his tongue. It left a bitter taste behind.

“Hmm, you make a good point. Perhaps I should talk to her myself-”

“No need for that, Minister!” Aang replied hurriedly, hoping he wasn’t being too obvious. “It…it might make her uncomfortable, coming from you. I should be the one to talk to her. I’ll let you know what she said.”

The minister didn’t look entirely convinced, but he nonetheless relented. Despite his youth, the Avatar was a difficult authority to argue against. “As you wish,” he nodded. “I’ll wait to hear from you.”

He also didn’t comment when Aang marched suddenly away, back towards the palace. The grimace on his face was probably the most displeased the minister had ever seen the unflappable airbender. At seventeen, he now stood tall but still had such an air of childlike wonder about him. But this news had clearly disturbed him some and Minister Chung began to wonder just how worried he should be about this new threat.

****

Toph sometimes hated the way her life turned out. The way to Koh’s lair had to be paved with solely good intentions because Toph was pretty sure she was on her way there now when all she’d wanted to do was give Twinkletoes a chance to tell his story!

(It was largely so Toph knew exactly how much sense to beat into him, but still.)

“So when the minister told me what happened, I had to go and talk to Katara! I knew it was bloodbending, there was nothing else it could be, and it had to be Katara!” Aang concluded agitatedly. “She didn’t even try to deny it but when I tried to talk about it with her, she just went crazy defensive and started-”

“Right, because I’m sure you started that conversation completely calmly,” Toph muttered under her breath. But Aang didn’t hear her and kept going on and on about how Katara had refused to see reason and that had just made Aang more and more upset until he didn’t feel like he could control himself anymore and that was partly why he flew away. Toph found herself somewhat surprised to hear Aang blithely admitting that he’d almost gone into the Avatar State (not in so many words, but the implication was firmly there). As he kept ranting, it became clear that while he regretted the way things had turned out when he lost his temper, he still had no real idea why he was in the wrong.

“I know I shouldn’t have lost it – Katara looked really upset,” Aang continued. “She begged me not to leave, but I just couldn’t stay! She…she betrayed me, Toph! She-”

“All right, I’ve heard enough,” Toph interjected brashly, holding up a hand. Aang halted in his tirade, confused and still agitated, but apparently willing to listen to what Toph had to say. She let out a long sigh. “Look, Twinkles, I’m just gonna be honest here. You have got to stop with the dramatics. For one, she didn’t betray you – I don’t care what stupid, half-assed promises she might have made you, but she did what she had to do. I would have done the same thing – y’know, if I could.”

“Oh yeah? Did she also tell you she froze them after and lied to me for months about it?”

“Yep,” Toph confirmed unperturbed. “She was worried you’d overreact – and let’s be real here, Twinkletoes, she wasn’t wrong.”

“How is it overreacting?! I just wanted the truth – which she refused to give me!” Aang rebuffed defensively. He sighed and shook his head. “Look, that’s not even the point. I-I’ve made my peace with that. My only problem now is-”

Have you made your peace with it? Because it sure doesn’t sound like it.”

“Well, it wasn’t great that it happened, but I realise now she just made a mistake. It’s something we can work on.” He paused. “Or could have done if she hadn’t decided she hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you, although I’ll be honest here, I don’t really get why,” Toph shrugged. “Frankly, if you tried to control my bending that way, you’d have been out on your ass before you could blink.”

As if on cue, Aang did blink in response, startled.

“What?” he gasped. “I – I wasn’t trying to control her bending, I just-”

“Didn’t want her to use a particular form, ever, because you think it’s wrong?” she snorted. “Sounds pretty controlling to me.”

Aang scoffed in disgust at her, frowning. “Well, what would you know about it? It’s not your relationship, Toph, it’s ours, and-”

“If you could take your head out of your ass for five minutes, you’d remember that’s the whole reason I stopped speaking to my parents!” Toph snapped, finally at the end of her rope. Oma and Shu, he could be a stubborn little ass when it came to his precious principles! “They couldn’t accept that I wasn’t the helpless little blind girl they thought I was. They wouldn’t listen to me when I tried to tell them, and even when we showed them, all they wanted to do was lock me away.”

“I-I’ve never done anything like that!” Aang protested. “I’d never tell her to stop bending.”

“No, Aang, but you do expect her to completely ignore a part of her bending because it pisses you off!” Toph pointed out brusquely. “I get why she’s mad. If it was just that she didn’t like it on her own, that’s different.” She paused. “Look, I don’t know, maybe for a while, it was. But that doesn’t give you the right to tell her she can’t use it if she decides she needs to. It’s not like anyone died.” Not that that would have been a huge loss, anyway.

“I know, I get that, but…it’s wrong, Toph. Bloodbending controls people. It takes away their choices. It-”

“Their choice was to attack a village full of innocent people. I think some people are better off without ‘em.”

“But does that give Katara the right to take it away?”

Toph couldn’t help it. The hypocrisy was just too much.

“Do you hear yourself, Twinkles?” she snorted in dark amusement. “That’s exactly what you’re trying to do by getting mad at Katara for bloodbending!” Aang looked like he was about to protest further, but Toph had had enough of this line of questioning. They weren’t getting anywhere and were just going around in circles. “Look, I don’t really give a crap what Sugar Queen did to stop them. She’s a good fighter and she knows what she’s doing. If she says bloodbending was her only option, I believe her.” She paused. “Actually, I don’t even care if it was her only option. She stopped them, village saved, job done. That’s all that matters.”

“But-”

“Would it have been better if she’d let them burn it to the ground?”

“No, of course not, but-”

“But nothing, Aang!” Toph snapped. “Look, you messed up here! Accept that! You don’t have to believe it’s right, but you don’t get to decide what Sugar Queen does with her bending. That’s why she gave up on waiting for you – a lot later than I would have, that’s for sure – and that’s why you’re not together anymore.”

“Okay, okay,” he raised his hands placatingly, just like he had done with Katara earlier. “You’re probably right,” he sighed.

“Please, I know I’m right,” she snorted.

“Yeah,” Aang chuckled weakly. He took a deep breath, the fight having left him. “I…I understand why she didn’t wait,” he admitted quietly. “And I get it, I do. But…all I want is to make it right now! And she won’t let me.”

“You’re confusing making things right with getting back together,” Toph pointed out. “I’ll grant you she doesn’t want to get back together, but right from the start when she told us what went down, she always said she still wanted to be friends with you. She’s not stopping you from making it right, she just doesn’t want to be your girlfriend.” Which was another decision Aang didn’t get to make on Sugar Queen’s behalf, but she hoped she wouldn’t need to spell that out for him.

“Yeah, I got that,” he muttered sulkily. “She said it loud and clear.” He lifted his gaze up to her. “She…she said she’s with someone else…”

“Yeah, she is,” Toph confirmed.

“Who is it?”

“Not my story to tell, buddy.”

Aang looked like he was about to argue, but gave up before he started. Toph nodded to herself in approval. Good. He was learning.

After a few moments of pensive silence, he spoke up again. “Is…does he…make her happy?”

“From what I can tell, yeah,” she nodded.

“Happier than she was with me?”

“I can’t answer that.” Even if she definitely did know the answer, Toph still wouldn’t tell him. Sugar Queen and Twinkletoes would need to sort that out between themselves. Toph failed to see the relevance, anyway. Sugar Queen was with who she was with, and it wasn’t Twinkletoes. That was all there was to it and given how all this was his own stubborn fault, he would just have to get used to it.

“Do you…do you think it’s serious, or-”

“Twinkletoes, seriously, give it up! It’s not my business and it’s not yours either – not anymore.” Though she couldn’t see him, she could sense through her feet how his face fell in devastation. On sensing his heartbeat which was rapidly rising in distress, she softened. “I know it’s hard, okay? We all get that. If you need some time to get used to it, that’s cool. No-one will judge you.”

“Are you sure about that?” Aang mumbled dejectedly. “They all seem pretty mad at me.”

“You definitely need to talk things through with them,” Toph agreed. “But it’s not like anyone wants to just cut you off. They’re open to talking. I’ll make sure of it,” she grinned. Aang managed a small smile back.

So far, their reunion had gotten off to an appalling start. Nothing had gone the way he expected it to. But Aang was glad for having Toph around. She could be brutal, but if she was even bothering to get involved, it was because she cared and had your best interests at heart.

All the lights were off by the time he and Toph returned to the house. She gave him a customary punch on the arm before retreating inside. Aang elected to share the barn with Appa. He needed his buddy tonight. And he needed time to think, to try and make sense of everything. Toph was right – he needed to talk with everyone. He needed to make things right with Sokka, Zuko and especially Katara. She had been very cagey earlier when he asked who this mysterious, unwelcome “someone else” was…but he failed to see how it wasn’t a reasonable question! If “someone else” was what was keeping them apart, then surely he had a right to know who? It was only fair he knew who was responsible for enticing the love of his life away from him, from their shared destiny.

He took heart from the possibility that perhaps Katara was being so coy about it because it wasn’t all that serious. Perhaps it was just a fling, something to get out of her system before she settled down. Aang wasn’t entirely sure he approved of that, but he accepted that what Katara did when they were broken up was none of his business. As much as it pained him to think about, she was technically free to pursue someone else. He just…never imagined she would. But if it was just a fling, then perhaps it wasn’t too late.

There was a lot to unpack, but Appa’s timely yawn reminded Aang that it probably wasn’t the best time. Sokka was right, it had been a long day, and they all needed to rest. Perhaps in the light of the morning, things wouldn’t seem so bleak and hopeless.

****

As she slowly ascended to consciousness, Katara didn’t think she could remember ever waking up so cosy and comfortable in her life. The golden sunlight filtered invitingly through the thin net curtains, embracing the room in a warm glow and promising another spectacularly beautiful day. Zuko had mentioned in passing that the island was overdue the late-summer rains typical of the Fire Nation archipelago, but the sky appeared not to have gotten the memo.

Still, as much as she appreciated it, the glorious weather wasn’t the main reason Katara felt so cosy. No, the main reason was the warm, pale arm draped protectively over her hip and across her stomach, and the toned, delightfully shirtless, chest pressed against her back.

True to his word, Zuko had indeed spent the night beside Katara after easily evading Sokka’s suspicious and questioning looks on their way to bed. Neither of them had been much in the mood for amorous activities, but Katara was certain that snuggling with her amazing boyfriend definitely contributed to a surprisingly good night’s sleep. Otherwise, she would most likely have spent the night tossing and turning, questioning herself and doubting whether she’d done the right thing after her argument with Aang. She was completely resolved within herself that she didn’t want to get back together with him and she was right in being firm on that, but…

…she couldn’t say she didn’t feel guilty. Not for not wanting to be with him, but she couldn’t help but feel she could have been kinder about it. She could have not lost her temper and screeched at him for what was, at the end of the day, an innocent comment. It wasn’t as if Aang had forcibly tried to detain her, all he’d wanted was to talk. Katara could understand that. But, as Zuko pointed out to her in a safe, loving whisper last night, there was no guarantee that Aang would have been prepared to listen to anything Katara said that didn’t match his vision of how the conversation should go. Katara thought that was a little harsh, but she could see his point. For all his virtues, Aang could be a stubborn little git when he wanted to be.

All the same, though, she shouldn’t have gone off on him like that, and she knew she owed Aang an apology. If they were going to be friends, they needed to work together and at least keep things civil until the initial shock wore off.

Behind her, Zuko stirred and his grip around her waist tightened affectionately. He began planting kisses on her neck and down along her shoulder and arm. Katara purred appreciatively and broke out into a wide smile as she rolled over to face him.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey, you,” she said softly back, still smiling. They both slowly inched closer and their lips met in a tender, loving kiss. “This is a nice way to start the day,” she giggled.

“I’m glad you approve,” Zuko grinned.

“Oh, I do,” she promised. “I might have to start making it a regular thing.”

Zuko nodded. “Well, I’m available to help out with that,” he told her. “Just let me know.” They shared a chuckle and Katara wrapped her arm around Zuko’s waist, holding him tightly as they shuffled together. “How are you feeling today?” he asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

“Much better,” she nodded. “Thank you for being there for me last night. I really…can’t tell you how grateful I am.” Or how lucky she felt.

“You don’t have to thank me – I want to be there for you.” And that, right there, was why she felt so lucky. Those who didn’t know Zuko very well only tended to see the prickly, focused, efficient side of him that he displayed as Fire Lord. While there was no doubt of his benevolence or dedication to his country, Zuko quite understandably hid away the softer parts of himself from public scrutiny, reserved for only his closest friends and family. Given what a wonderful, caring and intelligent man he was, Katara counted herself exceptionally privileged to be among that select number.

“I love you,” she murmured, leaning back in.

“I love you, too.” They settled into another kiss, longer this time, before giving each other a squeeze. Zuko paused, and his expression suddenly turned serious. “I’m really glad you said that actually…just remember that when I tell you this.”

Katara frowned in confusion and raised her eyebrows in interest. “What?” she asked, sounding nervous.

“I didn’t realise this before last night, but…” Zuko leaned in and whispered, “You snore…really loudly.”

Katara’s eyes widened and she gasped in outrage. “Shut up, no I don’t!”

“Katara, sweetheart, I love you…but yes, you do. It’s almost as bad as Sokka’s.”

“I don’t even snore!” she protested. “And if I did, it would never be as loud as Sokka’s. He’s set off avalanches before.”

“I’m just saying, at one point last night, I thought there was a herd of Komodo-rhinos stampeding up to the house.” Katara attempted to glare at him but found she just couldn’t hold it at the sight of the heart-warmingly adorable grin on her boyfriend’s face. She instead grimaced and flushed with embarrassment, and mumbled an apology from underneath the blanket corner she threw over her face. Zuko just laughed at her.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” he chuckled, lifting the blanket to reveal a sheepish Katara below. “I thought it was cute.” Katara eyed him suspiciously but couldn’t keep up the charade for long as Zuko began peppering her face and neck with quick kisses. She giggled as she broke and they wrapped their arms back around each other.

“Well, I guess we should just be glad the Komodo-rhinos weren’t on wheels,” she commented.

Zuko laughed out loud. “Jeez, I don’t know how I forgot about that. I must have blocked it out.”

“Don’t you worry – neither me nor Sokka are gonna let you forget it in a hurry,” she teased. “I’ll put Sokka on the job while I’m away with Suki.”

“Thank you,” he deadpanned, rolling his eyes. “That’s exactly the kind of support I’ll need.”

“I know – I’m great, aren’t I?”

“Yep. Best girlfriend ever.”

“And don’t you forget that either!” she giggled. “But I’m happy to remind you – you know, if you ever get confused about that.”

“Oh really?” he smirked mischievously. “Well, in that case, I have to be honest. I’m feeling very, very confused right now.”

“Oh no, really?”

“Yeah,” he nodded with mock sincerity. “Who are you again?”

Katara rolled her eyes at him, still grinning. Without warning, she suddenly draped a leg over him and rolled them so she was hovering above him, straddling his hips with a wickedly suggestive glint in her eye. His silken pyjama bottoms felt lush against the exposed skin of her thighs peeking out from her sleep shorts. “Is this helping?”

“It’s…starting to come back to me,” he teased. “But, uh…you might have to kiss me. Just to be sure.”

Katara was more than happy to oblige with his request. Giggling, she leant down and planted her lips on his. Zuko sighed happily as she kept kissing him, resting his hands on her hips and slowly caressing her skin. If his hands occasionally “slipped” to land on her ass or explore her breasts, they mutually agreed it was all a vital part of helping to de-confuse Zuko.

“Figured it out yet?” Katara smirked as they pulled away, resting her chin on his chest.

“I think so,” he nodded, “but we might have to go over it again later.”

“I think I can handle that.”

Both chuckling, they gave each other another affectionate squeeze. Zuko planted a kiss on top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, holding her snugly against him.

“Do we have to get up?” Katara mumbled reluctantly.

“Not if you don’t want to. I’m happy to stay like this all day.”

“I’ll bet you are,” she snorted. She sighed. “As tempting as that sounds, it’s probably not the best idea. It would be very hypocritical after everything I said last night.” She paused. “I can’t hide away in here just because facing him will be hard.”

“Katara, he was talking crap. You don’t run away or hide away from anything, not for as long as I’ve known you,” Zuko assured her sincerely. “You told me you knew you were getting mad, and you needed a break. It was late and we were all tired. It’s not unreasonable.”

“I know, but…I still think I was way too harsh,” she admitted. “He just wanted to talk. I get that.”

“That’s all very well and good, but it doesn’t help if he won’t listen to what you have to say.”

“I know he can be stubborn,” she agreed. “But try to see it from his side, honey. He came here certain we were gonna get back together, and honestly…from his side of things, I can kind of understand that he had no reason to assume that we wouldn’t.”

“How does he figure that?” Zuko asked sceptically. “You didn’t see each other for months.”

“Exactly. Because he was looking for me and I was in Ba Sing Se. He didn’t have a chance to find out that I don’t want to get back together until he came here. It…can’t have been nice to find out like that.” She sighed guiltily. “Especially with me yelling at him.”

Zuko nodded in understanding. “I guess I see your point,” he conceded. “But you’ve got nothing to feel guilty for. I know I’m biased but you want to be with who you want to be with.” He smiled softly at her. “And, right now, I’m very glad that it’s me.”

“I’m very glad it’s you, too.” They both inched forwards and shared a short but sweet kiss. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel guilty at all for not wanting to be his girlfriend, but…I should have handled it better. There was no reason for me to start yelling at him like that. I think…” she sighed, contemplating, before continuing, “I think I just went in expecting a fight and then I turned it into one…” She shook her head reproachfully. “It was so stupid…”

“Don’t beat yourself up. I get what you’re saying about it being a shock to Aang, but him turning up out of the blue was a shock to you,” Zuko reminded her. “So no, you probably didn’t handle it in the most mature way, but it’s understandable.” He smiled reassuringly. “And no-one thinks any less of you for it.”

She didn’t even have to say it. Truthfully, that was one of the things she was worried about. Katara hated being the source of conflict. She saw herself as one who went in to help resolve problems, not cause them. It was all she’d striven to do and be, and it was what everyone now expected of her, and the thought of disappointing those she cared about or who relied on her caused a drop of nerves in her stomach. It was the same feeling she’d had before telling everyone what had happened. It was the same feeling that had made her want to try and keep it all a secret, for fear of letting anyone down because they realised she wasn’t who they thought she was.

“How do you know me so well?” she asked half-incredulously.

“Because I love you?”

Katara’s heart melted at his smile, and she returned it eagerly. “I love you, too.” They shared another kiss.

“Besides, it would be hypocritical of me to give you a hard time. I think I was a little harsh myself.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. After you storm-uh, calmly walked down to the beach,” he jokingly corrected himself, to a mild glare from his beloved. “I…kind of laid into him a little bit.” He paused. “Not as much as I wanted to, but still.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him how hypocritical he was to accuse you of running away from your problems,” Zuko replied simply. “Sokka agreed with me, but I think Toph thought we took it too far.” He paused, suddenly looking sheepish. “I may have, uh, also warned him not to go near you…he didn’t seem very happy about that. But I’m not sure what happened after. Anyway, my point is, I need to sit him down and talk to him.” His expression turned serious. “Do you…if you want me to just tell him about us and leave you out of it, I completely understand. Assuming he’s still here, of course,” he added under his breath.

“Well, we can’t rule out that he’s not,” Katara agreed wearily. “But no, honey, I don’t. I should be part of the conversation. I won’t hide behind you.”

“Katara, no-one will think of it like that. I don’t.”

“I know, but that’s not the point. I think we should be honest and calm and tell him together. He won’t like it, but…at least then the truth will be out.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding. “You know him best, so…I guess we’ll just have to go from there.”

****

Aang tried to remain as calm as he could as he marched up to his and Katara’s quarters. His usual sunny personality became decidedly frosty as greetings from staff and visitors were returned with nothing more than stiff nods as he made his way through the palace.

It couldn’t be right. It couldn’t be. There had to have been a mistake. Katara wouldn’t do that…she wouldn’t…but what else could it have been? Aang had to get to the bottom of it, and it was with that resolve that he very abruptly entered Katara’s room without knocking.

“Oh, hey sweetie!” she greeted cheerfully, not questioning his sudden arrival. “I was just about to draw a bath,” she continued, turning to grin at him cheekily. “Wanna join me?”

“No,” Aang replied plainly.

Katara frowned in confusion. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

“No, I’m not.” Aang crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him. He wanted privacy for this conversation. And if his suspicions proved correct… “Katara…we need to talk.”

****

Aang decided to start with Sokka. There were several reasons for this. After what had happened last night, Aang accepted it was probably best to do as Zuko angrily suggested and give Katara some space – wait for her to come to him. At least for the morning. Aang well knew that mornings weren’t generally Katara’s preferred part of the day and he imagined any interaction they had would go a lot more poorly if he forced the issue now. As desperate as he was to clear the air between them, it was time to practice patience. Things would be all right in the end, he was sure of it. Katara was bound to be ready sooner or later, and Aang would be waiting for her when she did.

In the meantime, though, Aang knew he also needed to make things right with Sokka. He felt confident Toph was still okay with him, and he wasn’t sure about Suki. Suki certainly hadn’t seemed angry at him last night, but she might have been just trying to keep the peace. He should probably talk to her as well.

But Sokka had made no secret of the fact he was pissed at Aang, and Aang wasn’t okay with that. Not just because Sokka was Katara’s brother, but because Sokka was also one of his oldest, most loyal friends. Sokka had been right there with them through thick and thin, from Aang’s awakening in the South Pole to the last time Aang and Katara dropped him off at Kyoshi Island to visit with Suki. After that, Sokka made the decision to remain permanently in the south, splitting his time between his home and Suki’s. They’d seen each other since then, of course, but that was the last time Sokka had actively travelled with them. Aang missed the days when they all travelled together, but accepted Sokka’s decision without question. He remembered how upset Katara was at the time. She had tried to conceal it, but Aang knew. He’d done what he could to make her feel better. It didn’t seem to work at first, but then suddenly a few days later, she’d been back to her old self and Aang had smartly moved past it and didn’t mention it again, lest her blue mood returned.

The overall point was, Sokka’s friendship was very important to Aang even forgetting about Katara (not that Aang could ever do that, but still). Aang hated the idea of Sokka being mad at him or letting him down somehow. He knew he needed to make this right…

…which led to the other reason why Aang decided to start with Sokka.

A quick talk with the chef first thing in the morning was all it took. As squeamish as Aang felt being surrounded by so much meat, he put this aside for the sake of his friend and made sure that the gleaming silver tray containing a veritable feast of a meat platter (the chef had helpfully provided a silver dome to keep it free from insects while he waited, so at least Aang didn’t have to look at it) was laid out on the table outside along with a pot of hot water and a selection of teas.

Aang was just adding the finishing touches when he heard someone enter the lounge. To his luck, it was Sokka and Suki, chatting quietly amongst themselves, each holding a cup of coffee. Drat – so much for the hot drinks. Still, at least there was the food. That was the real key to Sokka’s heart.

“Good morning!” Aang greeted brightly as he stepped into the lounge.

“Morning, Aang,” Suki replied pleasantly, while Sokka just grunted (though to be fair, he did have a mouthful of coffee at the time). “Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, thanks,” he nodded. “How about you guys? It looked like you were all in bed by the time we got back.”

“Yeah, we didn’t wait up long,” Suki confirmed. “I think everyone was just about ready to crash after the theatre. It was a long night.” Aang nodded in understanding and smiled at her. He knew his arrival hadn’t made things any easier – he was grateful she wasn’t drawing attention to it.

“So what’s your plan for today?” Sokka finally spoke up.

“Actually, Sokka, I was hoping we could talk,” he said solemnly. “If you’re…you’re still okay with that.” He perked up. “We could talk over breakfast? I’ve got it all set up already!” He then dashed back onto the veranda and made a show of gesturing to the neatly-laid table. Sokka still looked sceptical…until Aang lifted the dome from the platter.

Sokka’s eyes widened then, and the drool was practically dripping out of the corner of his mouth. He then frowned suspiciously.

“Are you trying to bribe me, Avatar?”

“Is it working?” Aang asked hopefully.

“Well…” Sokka dragged the word out, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “You have gone to a lot of effort…and it would be a real shame to see all that food go to waste…”

“It definitely would,” Aang agreed.

“Hmm…”

“Oh, Sokka, just sit down already, I can see you drooling from here!” Suki chided with a laugh from behind him. Not one to go against his betrothed’s wishes, Sokka instantly obeyed and began helping himself to the delights of the platter. Suki shook her head at him, then turned to Aang. “Mind if I sit on this, Aang?”

“Of course not!” Aang nodded vigorously, and hastily pulled up a chair beside Sokka. “Please, be my guest.” Aang wasn’t certain if Suki definitely would have joined, but he was glad he’d thought to take her into account – there was easily enough food for three at the table and enough cups so they could all drink their fill of whatever they chose.

He pottered about filling their cups and making sure they wanted for nothing before he took a seat and served himself. Sokka, he was relieved to see, was far too engrossed in his surprise meat platter to pay much attention and, unless Aang was much mistaken, more and more of Sokka’s smile came out with each bite.

“So…” Aang began awkwardly. “I…I know that you’re mad at me, Sokka, and I want to thank you for giving me the chance to make this right.” Sokka, his mouth otherwise occupied by a particularly chunky piece of spiced ham, merely nodded in response. “Your…your friendship means a lot to me and I hope you know I’d never do anything on purpose to jeopardise that.”

Sokka nodded his head, stalling as he finished chewing.

“Well, as much as I appreciate that, Aang, I’m not gonna lie to you – I am mad,” he said finally. “Katara’s my sister and I really didn’t like what I heard about you guys’ fight.”

“I understand that,” Aang nodded sincerely. “Looking back…I didn’t…I didn’t handle it like I should’ve-”

“Actually, Aang, no,” Sokka interrupted bluntly. “It’s not as simple as that. If that was all that had happened, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.” At Aang’s dejected expression, he paused. “Look, it’s not like I don’t get that breaking up was horrible for both of you. But you completely overreacted and you made Katara feel like absolute crap.”

 “That’s why I came here!” he looked up at Sokka imploringly. “Because I knew I messed up and I wanted to make things right with her.”

“Make things right how? Because it sounds to me like you just expected her to go running straight back to you the moment you showed up. I can tell you right now, Aang, even if that was what Katara wanted, I wouldn’t have let that happen. Not without setting some things straight with you first.”

“Oh…but…why? I thought…I thought as long as Katara was okay, you and I would-”

“Because you were awful to her, Aang!” Sokka suddenly snapped. “I’m not mad that you broke up with her. I’m not even really mad that you broke her heart over something as stupid as bloodbending – what I’m pissed about is that you made Katara – my sister, one of the sweetest, most compassionate people I know, feel like she was evil!” Unable to help himself, Aang gasped in shock. “You made her feel like she had to deal with all of it alone! She didn’t even come to me!” he emphasised strongly. “I had no idea what had happened before she got here. She was so scared that none of us would understand and we would all just abandon her, because of you!”

Although Aang didn’t look like he was about to protest, Sokka decided he’d had enough. Aang clearly didn’t have any icing clue what he’d done wrong! Not really. Well, Katara had told him as much as she could over the course of the summer. It was time for Aang to see things from her perspective…

****

Ba Sing Se – 6 months ago

“So I’ve just had a very disturbing talk with Minister Chung,” Aang began coldly, stepping further into the room. Katara merely watched him warily, unsure how to react. He frowned. “Aren’t you going to ask me what he said?”

“Okay,” she replied measuredly. “What did he say?”

“He told me something about those New Ozai firebenders last year, in that village down south. Do you remember?” Katara nodded uncertainly. “He said that even though they’ve all been kept apart since they got arrested, they all said the exact same thing about what happened out there.” He paused, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. There was still a chance that this was all just a mistake…highly, highly unlikely, but still…Katara wasn’t exactly filling him with confidence at the moment. “And I gotta say, Katara, it sounded an awful lot like bloodbending.” Katara’s breath audibly hitched but she didn’t otherwise visibly react. Aang felt his heart clench. It was true, wasn’t it? She’d actually done it…

How could she?

“Katara, please, please tell me it’s not true!” he implored her. “Please tell me they’re making it up, or…or maybe there was another waterbender out there…please tell me you didn’t use bloodbending on them…”

The ensuing thick, heavy silence lasted only a moment, but it felt like an age, for both of them. Eventually, Katara answered meekly. “…I can’t…”

The change in Aang was…instant. The surge of raw emotion was so powerful that no-one but a psychopath could have a hope of tempering it. As Aang spoke, he found his voice rising, getting more and more upset. “Why? Why did you do that? What were you thinking?”

“Aang, you don’t underst-”

“No, you’re damn right I don’t!” he brusquely cut her off. “You promised me, Katara! You swore you would never use it again. It’s evil!

“Like those men weren’t?” she retorted defensively. “They’re the ones who were evil, Aang! They attacked a village full of innocent people!”

“Don’t you dare try to justify this!” Aang gaped at her in horror. “You’re not even going to say you’re sorry? You’re just gonna make excuses?”

“Aang, you’re not thinking rationally right now. Take some time to cool off and we can-”

“No, we’re going to deal with this now,” Aang said stubbornly. “Do you want to know something? Minister Chung was horrified when he told me! And he was right to be, Katara. Bloodbending is an awful, evil invention and has no place in this world. I thought you were going to help me make sure of that!”

“I don’t give a crap what Minister Chung thinks!” she informed him harshly. “If I hadn’t used bloodbending, that village would have-”

“Will you stop making excuses?”

“Will you just listen to me?!”

Aang frowned and let out a huff, but nodded and gestured for her to continue. “Thank you,” she forced out. “Don’t you think I tried to fight them off with waterbending? Don’t you think I did everything in my power to stop them? It was a last resort, Aang! I’d used up all my water and there wasn’t enough in the ground. If I took anymore, the whole place could have been in flames,” she said pleadingly, sniffing. “And there would have been nothing I could do to stop it. I couldn’t let that happen, Aang. Please. You have to believe me. I would never have done it if I didn’t feel like I had no other choice.”

“There had to have been something you could do!” Aang insisted. “Weren’t there any other benders around? There must have been guards.”

“Yes, there were, but all they did was seal off the village,” she explained. “They did nothing to fight them off or help the people trapped outside.” She could still remember it vividly, the chaos. People running in all directions, panting, shouting for their loved ones, pleading for mercy, screaming in agony when some of them got caught in a blast…

Katara had spent the next few days healing them. She’d gotten there in time to prevent serious scarring, but there was little she could do about the psychological trauma. The nightmares they must suffer, the fear they must carry around with them…she knew that pain all too well.

“So…if the village was sealed off, why couldn’t you just use up the water in the ground? The village was safe by then, wasn’t it?”

“Seriously, Aang? There were people outside the wall!”

“Oh…right, you did say that,” he conceded. “Okay, that’s my mistake.” He shifted his weight from leg to leg, weighing everything up. “I just…I just can’t believe you did it, Katara…” he said sadly. “I never thought you’d break your promise. I don’t even know what to think right now.”

“Aang…I’m sorry but, when people’s lives are at stake, sometimes you have to put promises aside. For the greater good. Surely you understand that? As the Avatar?”

“Really? You’re trying to tell me you used bloodbending ‘for the greater good?’” Aang sneered sarcastically. “Oh gee, I never thought it about it like that!”

“Now you’re just being childish,” she frowned.

Aang frowned back at her for the comment, but chose not to respond. Frankly, he didn’t care if Katara thought he was being childish. He knew he wasn’t. He knew he was in the right. It wasn’t the point anyway! The point was, Katara had broken her promise to him! She had…she betrayed him and their principles! She…she…spirits! What was he supposed to do?!

“I still don’t get it, Katara,” he interjected. “It shouldn’t matter if there wasn’t a lot of water in the ground. If you froze them, they wouldn’t have been able to do any more damage anyway!”

“There wasn’t enough!” she emphasised. “Nowhere near enough to pin them all down.”

“So then maybe you should have just held them off until the Army got there! You should have waited for people who knew what they were doing instead of taking it all into your own hands!”

“Waited for…how dare you?!” Katara finally snapped. “You’re not the only one in this room who helped end the war, Aang! I taught you waterbending! I-”

“Well you obviously didn’t know what you were doing then because otherwise you would never have done something so evil!” he snapped back. “It’s despicable what you did! You should have just frozen them, like you taught me to do! You…” he suddenly halted. Katara waited with bated breath, dread filling her every nerve. She had an inkling of what Aang had just realised and it would only make things worse… “Wait…but…they were frozen when we got there…” he muttered aloud, turning his confused and still angered expression towards her.

“Yeah, I…I froze them…after…”

“So…there was enough water to freeze them, wasn’t there?!” he accused. “You just wanted to bloodbend them, didn’t you? You just wanted revenge! Admit it!”

“No!” Katara said desperately. “Please, Aang, just calm-”

“Then explain it to me, Katara, because I don’t understand!”

The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I froze them so that you wouldn’t find out!”

She was shaking by this point, with anger and a wave of overwhelming anxiety. This was why she didn’t tell him! This was why she never wanted him to find out! She knew he’d react like this!

She waited for Aang to respond.

And waited.

When he didn’t, she began babbling tearfully, “I’m so sorry, Aang. I know I shouldn’t have lied but I knew you’d be so angry with me, I just panicked and-”

“This is…unforgivable,” Aang replied, sounding eerily calm. “You…you used bloodbending, after swearing to me you’d never use it…again,” he gritted his teeth agitatedly, his temper quickly rising once more. Katara suddenly felt the air around them begin to move, the hairs on her arm standing on end. “And you lied to me about it! You – you covered it up! You…WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” he bellowed. The wind picked up and the room echoed with the sound of small ornaments clattering to the floor, some breaking on impact. Aang’s eyes began to glow as he panted heavily, and Katara found herself in the eye of the vortex of Aang’s emotions.

This was bad, so bad! She hadn’t seen him this upset since the Western Air Temple!

Katara had been looking for him to encourage him on his training. When she’d found him, Aang must have been having a bad day because he’d been extremely affronted that training was all she’d wanted to talk about. The result was him sealing her off from him with a cocoon of stone…and then melting it, sending molten lumps of lava flying around the terrace. Terrified and shocked, Katara had sought shelter behind one of the pillars until the onslaught ceased. Aang had been profusely apologetic once he’d calmed down, and Katara had shrugged it off with a forced smile, attributing it to the pressures of being the Avatar. Then, in the name of the ‘grand scheme of things’, Katara had tried to forget it. And she did, for a long time. Neither of them had ever brought it up again and Katara had been so happy in their relationship and getting to continue on their adventures that the incident had faded first from significance in her mind, and then faded entirely. She had been the only witness and had never told Sokka or any of her friends about it.

“Aang, stop it! Calm down!” she begged. “Aang! Please! Aang!”

Despite his fury, something must have broken through. The winds suddenly ceased. His eyes still looked stormy but they were no longer glowing. Katara made no move to approach, and neither did he. He just kept watching her, breathing heavily. But he seemed calmer. She was sure of that.

“What was that, Aang?” she asked him shakily. Now that the adrenaline was fading, all that was left was shock and a profound sadness burying itself in her heart. “How could you – you can’t just lose control like that! Someone could have been hurt!”

But Aang still didn’t respond for what felt like the longest time. Katara wasn’t sure what she should do, and the silence was maddening.

“Aang?” she finally asked timidly.

“I…I don’t know if I can do this,” he confessed solemnly. “What you did was…evil – bloodbending is evil. And for you to be able to do that…and not even be sorry…I don’t know…I don’t know what that says about you…”

“Aang…come on, you know that’s not true! Please don’t say that!”

“Do I, Katara?” he asked her sincerely, meeting her gaze. “I don’t…I don’t know anymore. I don’t…I don’t know if I can even be with someone like you…I can barely even look at you right now.”

Katara gasped, her voice trembling. “Aang…what are you saying?”

“I’m sorry, Katara,” he said decisively, no hint of apology in his tone. “I have to meditate on this.” He paused. “It could be a couple of days.”

“Aang…please don’t go! Aang…AANG!”

****

Sokka took some deep breaths after he finished recounting what Katara had told him, clearly getting worked up. Suki reached out and grabbed his hand in support. After a moment, Sokka continued in a calmer tone, “I am just so glad that she found Iroh when she did, and you should be too. Because if things had been any worse when I saw her, we wouldn’t be just talking right now, Aang – I can guarantee you that.” The implications of Sokka’s statement were quite clear. All the while he spoke, Aang’s heart clenched painfully as the full truth sunk in. The heat in his chest grew and spread up to his cheeks, while a lump lodged itself tightly in his throat.

“I…I don’t know what to say, Sokka,” he finally replied. “I – I know I screwed up. Hearing it like that…I was the one being an evil jerk! I just…I didn’t…”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses.”

“I’m not trying to make any, I promise!” Aang insisted desperately. “The fact is, there is no excuse…”

“You’re right, there isn’t.” With a glance at Suki, he softened and sighed. Suki squeezed his hand in question and Sokka nodded silently in agreement.

“So, Aang,” she began gently, “I think what Sokka wants to know, now you’ve been told all of this – how do you feel?”

“Terrible,” Aang confessed tearfully. “I feel so guilty, like I should. I swear to you – before last night, I had no idea she’d been feeling so horrible.”

“Well, what did you expect would happen?” Sokka interjected. “After the way you acted?”

“I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking! I just…I hoped she missed me, but I never knew…she felt like that.” He sniffed and wiped the first tears away from his face. “It’s…it’s really hard to hear, but I’m glad you told me. I never want to be the one to make her feel bad. I know this doesn’t make up for it, but I am so, so sorry!”

“Yeah, well, I’m not the one you need to say that, too,” Sokka told him. “But…Katara said you apologised to her last night, too.”

“I did. I meant every word. I never should have reacted like that. It was wrong of me. She didn’t deserve it – at all.”

Sokka nodded in acceptance. “And do you mind telling me what happened last night?”

“Katara said she didn’t want to get back together, so you don’t need to worry about that,” Aang admitted sadly. “I – I wanted to keep talking but she didn’t, and I asked her to stay, but…I guess I must have said the wrong thing.” He let out a deep sigh. “Or maybe she just hates me. If I was that bad…I guess I can’t blame her…”

“Katara doesn’t hate you,” Suki promised him. “She still wants to be friends.”

“Suki’s right,” Sokka agreed. “Katara told us herself. And honestly, I’m really glad you apologised. Believe it or not, I didn’t want to have to be mad at you. You’re like my little brother…but that doesn’t change that Katara is my sister. I’ve known her her whole life and I’ll always look out for her.” He paused, his expression turning serious. “All that said, if you ever treat her like that again…”

“You don’t have to explain, Sokka. I completely understand. I…I actually hope you will tell me when I’m being a jerk. Especially to Katara.”

Sokka nodded. “Now, I have to ask. Where are you with the whole ‘Katara doesn’t wanna get back together’ thing?”

This was where Aang faltered. It was a fair question, but it was a difficult one to answer. He…he honestly didn’t know. As moderately well as he’d slept nuzzled up to Appa, his head felt no clearer with regards to Katara. He loved her. Of course he did. He’d never stop loving her. She was perfect for him, she was meant to be his! How was he supposed to just accept her denying their destiny? They were supposed to be together! They were supposed to solve the world’s problems! They were supposed to get married! They were supposed to…

He couldn’t imagine doing all of that with someone else. He didn’t want to imagine it. Katara was…she was it for him. How was he supposed to just move on from that?

“I won’t lie, Sokka, it’s…really hard,” he confessed softly. “I…I don’t really know what to do…”

“Yeah, I get that,” Sokka sympathised. “It’s not an easy thing.”

“It’s not,” Suki agreed. “It’s going to hurt, don’t get me wrong but…it just takes time. As hard as it is to believe now, you will move on. You’ll wake up someday and realise that it’s not…painful anymore.”

“But Katara’s the love of my life! How can I just move on from that?”

“It won’t be easy, honey, but…I’m afraid you’ll have to if you still want Katara to be in your life. Being together has to be a mutual decision.”

“I know…I just never thought it wouldn’t be…”

He looked so forlorn that Suki couldn’t help herself. She got up and wrapped her arms around Aang. She felt for him, she truly did. He was only facing the consequence of his screw-up, but that didn’t mean they stung any less. Aang hugged her back gratefully for a moment, before she patted him on the back and returned to her seat.

“Thanks, Suki,” Aang smiled at her. “You’re a good friend.”

“Well, I do try,” she grinned, flicking her hair back dramatically. Aang managed a small laugh, and that was when he noticed it. The pendant around her neck, glinting in the morning sun…

“Suki, is that…what I think it is?” he asked, suddenly feeling a positive burst of emotion building in his chest. Suki looked down and broke out into a smile.

“It is!” she told him happily. “This doofus asked me to marry him,” she gestured to her betrothed, “and this doofus,” she gestured to herself, “said yes.” Aang broke out into a genuine smile.

“You guys, that’s…that’s fantastic!” he beamed. “Wow, that’s amazing! Congratulations!” He had no idea Sokka was planning to propose. That was wonderful! Despite his own lovelorn situation, he just couldn’t feel anything but happy for them. They deserved their happiness.

“There’s more,” Sokka piped up. “We’re, uh, also both moving to the Fire Nation.”

“Wait, what?!”

“Sokka’s going to be the ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe,” Suki explained. “And I’ll be recruiting and training new guards for the Palace.” She quickly explained the situation with the Kyoshi Warriors as Aang listened keenly. With their announcement, the veil of tension was lifted and the conversation flowed easily, just like it should. Suki and Sokka both got Aang (mostly) up to date with what he’d missed and shared a lot of laughter, especially when Sokka mentioned the Secret Tunnel song. No-one mentioned any news Katara might have as Aang smartly decided he would be better off asking her himself. Toph didn’t seem pleased when he’d asked her – he doubted Suki or especially Sokka would like it either.

They ended with a promise to all get together that evening so they could retell the disastrous beauty that was The Prince and the Avatar. Aang had to admit, he was looking forward to that. Still, he was feeling anxious. He knew he still had difficult conversations to have with Katara and then Zuko. And there was absolutely no guarantee they would go well.

After all, neither of the last ones had...

Still, he came away from his breakfast with Suki and Sokka feeling much more positive than before. It was a genuine relief that he and Sokka, in particular, were back on good terms. Even though it wasn’t easy to hear just how much of a selfish, idiotic jerk he’d been. He’d been so inflamed with passion in the moment that he hadn’t even noticed the effect it was having on Katara. His beloved. How could things have ever gotten to that stage? More importantly, how could he have let them…?

He knew he would have some serious soul-searching to do if he ever had a hope of proving himself to be the one for Katara again. It might take some time, but that was okay. If it truly was their destiny to be together, it would find a way of working itself out. It always did.

He thought, after this, he might go on retreat to one of the Air Temples. Perhaps the Eastern one. It had been a long time since he’d paid a visit there. It was currently home to only a very small crop of Air Acolytes, but to be honest, the solitude would probably do him some good. Guru Pathik had passed away peacefully in his sleep two years prior. Aang and Katara had returned immediately for Aang to commit him to the traditional, sacred Air burial rites, as was the Guru’s wish. As well as them, the funeral was also unexpectedly graced with the presence of King Bumi. Aang then learned the eccentric king got along rather famously with Guru Pathik, although Aang had never seen the two men interact. He had begun to wonder if perhaps the Guru was a secret member of the White Lotus, but the only response he got from Bumi was a loud cackle promptly followed by a challenge to an earthbending obstacle course. Aang decided to leave it at that.

Smiling fondly at the memory, Aang wandered back into the house carrying trays laden with their plates and cups, when he thought he heard Katara’s laugh down the hall. His heart rate instantly quickened. This could be his chance. And if she was laughing, then she had to be in a better mood than yesterday! He’d heard what Zuko said about giving Katara space, and he intended to respect that…but if Katara happened to see him and decided she wanted to talk, that should be all right, shouldn’t it? If she ignored him, it would sting, but he’d leave her be.

He sped to the kitchen and deposited the trays with a rushed apology into the arms of the nonplussed chef before he whizzed back out into the lounge. He forced himself to slow down, and took a few deep breaths to calm his excitement and his nerves. He straightened his shoulders and lifted his head up, trying to give off an air of confidence, and began casually strolling, hands in his pockets, down into the corridor.

But as soon as he rounded the corner, his heart faltered at the sight before him. He came to an abrupt stop as his mouth fell open in stunned silence. Just ahead of him was Katara, but she wasn’t alone. Beside her stood Zuko, and his hand was cupping her cheek while she giggled softly. As Aang watched, rooted the spot and unable to move no matter how much his heart was screaming at him, Zuko then brought his other hand to her face and leaned in. The kiss Aang forced himself to watch was short, but it was enough.

As they both pulled away, he was certain he felt his heart split cleanly in two with a resounding burning in his chest and an unrivalled tightness in his throat when he caught Katara’s expression. He knew that look. It was the look Katara had always given him…whenever she told him she loved him. It was a look Aang never wanted to see her give to another man. But there it was, right in front of him, for all to witness…and that man was Zuko. Aang’s friend…no wonder she had been so coy about it…

‘Oh…’ he thought numbly to himself. ‘I see…’

His first instinct was to flee. And, unable to bear another second, Aang gave into it. He silently retreated back into the lounge, out of their view, before he turned and sped back outside onto the veranda. He ignored the confused and concerned shouts of Suki and Sokka as he dashed past them. He ignored the surprised and disgruntled chirp from Momo as he clearly interrupted his morning nap in the stable. He even ignored the low moan from Appa as he rifled through his belongings, trying vainly to keep his tears and his sobs in check. He couldn’t be with anyone right now! He just had to get away! If he could only find that stupid-!

Once his glider was located, Aang wasted no time snapping it into his hand, whipping the blades open and took flight the moment he was in the courtyard. He didn’t know where he was heading. He didn’t know when he would come back. He decided it didn’t matter. He needed to be alone. He had his bison whistle around his neck as usual. He would summon Appa to him, and he knew Momo would follow, when he was ready.

But it seemed that the spirits had a different plan for Aang. His attention was first grabbed by distant shouts of his name. He turned his blurry gaze down and spotted Toph and Iroh waving up at him. He was determined to ignore them and just fly on, but a succession of small pebbles launched from impossible distances suddenly whacked into his glider a moment later.

He attempted to sigh at Toph’s damnable stubbornness, but all that came out of his throat was a choked sob. He found himself unable to sustain his airbending through the onslaught of grief that suddenly crashed into him. He glided jerkily to the ground, landing in a dishevelled heap.

The tears were flowing freely now, and Aang completely shut out the world around him. He didn’t notice the sound of light, bare feet rushing over to him. He barely registered the warm, strong arms that wrapped themselves around him and pulled him close. He didn’t hear the quick exchange Toph shared with Iroh, and he didn’t feel the large hand resting comfortingly on his shoulder. He just sobbed into Toph’s chest, clutching on for dear life while his broken heart continued to pound mercilessly against his ribcage.

“It’s all right, Twinkles,” Toph said soothingly. “I’ve got you…I’ve got you...”

Notes:

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed (eventually!) writing it =D

So, some of you may be disappointed that there was no actual "beating" going on from Toph's conversation, but I just didn't think actual violence fit the tone of the fic. This is a fluff piece at the end of the day, and while I don't want to shy away from the reality of crappy situations, I like to think Aang got the point loud and clear. And while I'm NOT justifying his actions during the break-up at all, he IS a teenager, and I can well remember just how intensely I felt every little slight. He completely overreacted and he was being utterly ridiculous about bloodbending, but I think I portrayed him realistically and within the canon. It was also very important to me that he sees the error of his ways. I'm still mentally plotting the sequel for this fic, and Aang will be included with his own storyline.

I will say, though, that their argument was also great fun to write. I did have to go back through my older chapters to make sure I didn't miss anything - Chapter 3 is your best one if you wanted to get some more context :) I mentioned this last chapter, but the paragraph about the Western Air Temple was directly lifted from the 'Love is a Battlefield' comic. I promised I'd go into more detail and, well, voila!

There were a lot of ways him finding out about Katara and Zuko could go. That was part of the reason this took so long, I spent a LOT of time debating the best way to go about it. I know him stumbling upon them mid-kiss is a very popular trope, and it honestly just fit the story best. I made the conscious decision that the only way for him to leave this situation without alienating everyone and pissing them all off even more was to break his heart and the shock factor definitely added to that. His talk with K + Z was originally going to be in this chapter, but it ended up being over 20 pages as it stands so I'm delaying it to the next one. It will be in keeping with the overall planned theme of the Chapter 16 where everything is going to be tied off and setting the stage for the eventual sequel!

And it will be eventual - I'm sorry, but I CANNOT write 2 fics at once again. As you've all seen, it seriously slowed me down on both of them. Once Embers is finished, I'm focusing on my other fic. That's not to say I won't write the odd chapter but I won't be uploading any for a while. It will obviously be linked to Embers as part of the series. I'm not sure how alerts work for those who are subscribed, but I presume an update to the series will notify you. If you can think of another way you'd like me to let you know, please share it :)

I'm so glad I managed to get this out before the (Western) New Year. I sincerely wish all of you ALL the best for 2022. 2021 did NOT in fact get its act together (though it was undeniably a big improvement, at least in my little corner of the UK). I can't say I'm hugely optimistic for 2022, but all we can do is see and do our best. Take care, everyone! Until next time.

Chapter 16: One Mad Little Family

Summary:

The last day of their Ember Island vacation has finally arrived! Katara makes her move on Zuko, Aang begins the difficult process of moving on and everyone prepares for the future.

Notes:

A recap of 'Embers', because it's been well over eighteen months since this starter! Aaahhh! We're finally at the end! I hope you enjoy:

Katara and Aang go through a tough break-up in Ba Sing Se, but Katara is taken in by Iroh where she begins to heal. He invites her to a reunion on Ember Island with Zuko, Sokka, Suki, Toph and Zuko's family. But when they get there, Katara is too embarrassed and afraid to admit the truth until she shares a heart-to-heart with Zuko.

Her friendship with Zuko grows ever closer and they begin to develop feelings for each other, which eventually culminate in an incredible first kiss after a breathtaking spar between them. After enjoying a great first date and plenty of make-out sessions, they decide to make their relationship official and announce it to their friends, who are all happy for them.

Meanwhile, Sokka and Suki both make plans independently to move to the Fire Nation - Sokka has been named the Southern Water Tribe ambassador and Suki will be recruiting and training a new security force for the palace. Fearing this will lead to their break-up, they eventually TALK to each other and manage to get it resolved. Sokka also has plans to propose to Suki, which come to fruition with Iroh's sage advice. After a chat with Katara, Suki invites her to join her and Ty Lee recruiting and training.

Everything all goes swimmingly for them, even including an unexpectedly personal performance by the infamous Ember Island players, until Aang shows up by surprise, desperate to win Katara back. After an argument with Katara and being told some harsh truths by Toph and Sokka, Aang then stumbles upon Katara and Zuko kissing. He panics and flees the house and is later found by Toph and Iroh, sobbing and absolutely devastated at what he saw.

'One Mad Little Family' continues almost immediately afterwards.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Okay!” Sokka announced determinedly. “Suki and I will take Appa to go look for him. You two stay here, in case he comes back.”

After watching Aang rush past them in a daze and then promptly flying off on his glider, Sokka and Suki both had a hunch what could have caused such upset in their friend. Their suspicions were soon confirmed when Katara and Zuko hurried out onto the veranda shortly after. For their part, neither of them had seen him, but heard the sound of fast, retreating footsteps after sharing a quick kiss in the hallway. Katara looked positively stricken with guilt when she realised Aang must have spotted them. Even Zuko seemed uncertain.

It would have been one thing if he’d stumbled upon them after being apprised of their relationship. It was quite another to have it sprung on him with no warning. As far as they all knew, up to that point at least, Aang had still been in the dark as to who her new boyfriend was…

Everyone agreed with Sokka’s plan, and they all set to work heaving the saddle onto Appa’s waiting back. Though no-one spoke it aloud, none of them could say they were surprised at this turn of events. Aang had always been a flight risk in times of high stress, and they could all remember at one point or another having to frantically search every nook and cranny for him. With or without the benefit of Appa, it was no easy task. At times, it became quite frustrating. But in all their hearts, they understood why he had this time. And given the same opportunity, none of them truly believed they would have done any differently.

However, all of their preparations were for nought, for no sooner had they secured the saddle than Toph and Iroh emerged from the forest, with Aang trailing slightly behind them, glider in hand.

“Aang!” Sokka called out upon spotting them from Appa’s neck, more for the benefit of the others still on the ground behind Appa. At his yell, they all dropped what they were doing and ran around to the other side. Sokka broke out into a relieved smile. “Where have you been, buddy? We were just about to send out a search party!” Although his tone was joking, it couldn’t completely quell the tension that was brewing. Aang, for his part, looked thoroughly dejected as he replied.

“Sorry, everyone,” he muttered guiltily. “I just…needed some time to myself. I’m sorry for making you all worry.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Sokka waved him off. “It’s all good. We-”

“No, it’s not.” Aang spoke with a rare solemnity and looked up. His grey eyes, usually sparkling with life and energy, seemed dull and withdrawn, as if he was preparing for a round against Koh the Face-Stealer. “Thank you for your understanding, but…I can’t keep running when things get hard.” With those words, he turned his gaze to Katara and Zuko, stood side-by-side next to Appa’s tail. “I have to confront my problems head-on.” He began walking towards them while everyone else could only watch silently. “With that in mind…Katara, Zuko…can we please talk?”

Katara nodded quickly. “Of course we can, Aang.” Zuko just nodded mutely beside her in agreement, and gestured for them all to go around the corner for some privacy. Once they were gone, Sokka and Suki both turned to Toph and Iroh with concerned expressions.

“How’s he doing?” Suki asked quietly. “What happened? We think he must have seen…” she trailed off, exchanging an uneasy glance with Sokka. “But he just ran past us without saying anything.”

“Yeah, he saw them,” Toph confirmed. She sighed. “I don’t know. Obviously he’s devastated, but he was always going to be, wasn’t he? By his own admission, neither of them knew he was there, so it’s not like they did it on purpose. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Still, it can’t have been nice for him to find out like that.”

“It wasn’t, but actually, this is probably the best thing for him,” Toph commented, to their surprise. “I don’t know about you, but before all this, I sorta got the impression he was still hoping he and Sugar Queen would get back together. Now he knows they won’t, so…he just needs to do what he needs to do to get that right in his head and start to move on.”

Although they all knew it wasn’t going to be so simple, there was nonetheless a fundamental truth in Toph’s words. They just hoped that whatever Aang wanted to say to Katara and Zuko wouldn’t drive a further wedge between them…

****

“So…” Aang began somewhat confidently and a little dully after a few moments of awkward silence. They were stood in the central courtyard, just out of view of the others. Aang mostly remembered this place as the spot where he had truly begun to hone his firebending, with Zuko’s assistance, just before the final battle of the war. He had used to consider it, this whole place, a somewhat fond memory. Now though… “I’m guessing by now you’ve figured out that I saw the two of you together.”

“Yeah...we suspected,” Katara replied softly. “I’m so sorry, Aang. That was never how I wanted you to find out. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“I appreciate you saying that,” Aang nodded. “I won’t lie, it wasn’t easy. It hurt. A lot. I hope you understand why I didn’t feel like I could stick around after.”

“Yes, we do,” Zuko replied as Katara nodded. “Truthfully, I probably would have done the same.”

“No, I don’t think you would,” Aang refuted, sounding hollow. “You would have faced it head-on, no matter how hard it was.” He sighed. “At least now I understand why you were so pissed off with me when I first got here.”

“Actually, Aang, I wanted to apologise for that,” Zuko told him sombrely. “It wasn’t fair. I assumed the worst from you, but that was wrong of me. I know you a lot better and I should have given you a chance. It’s not an excuse, but it was late and we were all tired…you didn’t deserve it. I hope you can forgive me.”

Aang blinked in surprise at his words. “You were being protective,” he stated. “I can…I can understand that.”

“All the same, it wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.”

“Well, as nice as that is, Zuko, that’s not really my issue right now. I just…” Aang sighed. He had no real idea how to proceed, if he was being honest. He was gliding on a wing and a prayer, making it up as he went along. He knew this was an important conversation he needed to have with them, but he wished he could have been better prepared. What was he even supposed to say? He could say it was great and he was so, so happy for them, but he didn’t really feel comfortable lying. He wasn’t happy with the way things had turned out, in the slightest. It had all just been such a stupid mistake. He’d never imagined it could cost him the one he loved more than anyone else…

But he knew he couldn’t say that either. Or he shouldn’t, in any event. But still, they were here now, ready and waiting to listen, so he had to say something. “I wanted to talk so we could clear the air and try and find a way to move forward,” he eventually settled on. “You’re both…you’re both important to me and I don’t want to ignore that.”

“Neither do we,” Katara agreed quickly. “You’re important to us, too, Aang – all of us,” she emphasised.

Aang nodded. “Yeah. I just…I guess I just never saw this coming…” Another silence reigned over the courtyard for a time. Katara was torn between going and pulling Aang into a comforting hug and taking hold of Zuko’s hand for mutual support. But neither of them seemed like good options. She doubted Aang would want a hug from her right now…and she wanted to remain respectful of Aang’s justified feelings, so latching onto Zuko didn’t seem like a good idea either. Her regret that he saw them kissing was genuine. That wasn’t fair on him. He shouldn’t have had to see that. She knew if the situation were reversed, she would have been driven to tears watching him kiss another woman. Spirits, the way he sometimes doted on the Air Acolytes had driven her to irrational jealousy at points and nothing had been amiss then. She could barely imagine how he must have felt stumbling across them…

“Is it…I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is it serious between you two?” Aang asked after a few more moments. “And please, just be honest,” he added. “Don’t worry about sparing my feelings. It’s better for all of us if it’s out there.”

Katara didn’t disagree with him, but she had to admit, she was kind of stunned at how well Aang seemed to be taking this. He was behaving remarkably maturely, a far cry from his accusatory demand to know who her boyfriend was last night.

“Yes, Aang,” she replied. “I…I really care about him.” She sighed, shooting a glance at Zuko who smiled encouragingly at her. She smiled back. “I love him.”

“And I love her,” Zuko added.

Aang nodded, but they didn’t miss the flash of pain that crossed his eyes.

“Well,” he sighed. “I guess I should offer you my congratulations, then.”

“You’re not obligated to,” Zuko replied. “I understand this can’t be easy for you.”

“It’s not,” Aang admitted. “But…I don’t want things to be weird between us. It just…it might take some time, and some space…”

“Of course,” they both said in unison, before blushing.

“Take as much time as you need,” Katara finished for them. “And I’m still here for you, Aang, we both are. I hope you know that.”

“Thank you,” Aang nodded gratefully, but still missing his trademark bright smile. “I want you both to know you can also count on me, whenever you need me. We’ve been through a lot together, and…well, that means something to me, as I’m sure it does to you.” They both nodded. Aang took a deep breath, and fixed his gaze on Zuko. “Sokka said you all only had a couple more days here. I…if it’s okay with you, I’d like to stick around and spend some time catching up. But, with everything that’s going on…if you don’t want me here, I’ll…I’ll understand-”

“Aang, we would love it if you stuck around!” Katara smiled encouragingly at him.

“Absolutely,” Zuko agreed, letting out a smile of his own. “You’re more than welcome.” He hummed in amusement. “And don’t take this the wrong way, but if I let you go before Kiyi gets a ride on Appa, I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me.”

Despite himself, Aang couldn’t help letting out a small laugh. “You got it, Grumble Lord Zuko!” he grinned cheekily at them. Zuko’s face instantly morphed into a displeased scowl. “Sorry, is that not what we’re calling you?”

“No, it is,” Katara confirmed casually before Zuko could get a word in, intentionally oblivious to the look of utter betrayal on his face. “He’s just in a little denial…” she whispered conspiratorially.

“Why is this a thing now?!” Zuko groaned loudly and dramatically wiped a hand down his face. “Excuse me, I need to go have a stern word with Toph…”

As he made a show of stomping off, Katara and Aang turned to each other and both cracked up at his antics. “That really bothers him, huh?” Aang commented, grinning.

“I don’t think it does – he just likes to be grumpy,” Katara replied fondly, letting out a chuckle. “Besides, he’s not getting away from it. Last I heard, Sokka was planning to petition his councillors to make it official.”

Aang burst out laughing at that. “I would love to see that happen! I’ll let him know that if he needs any Avatar back-up, I’m there!”

They shared another laugh. But as genuine as their mirth was, it was also short-lived, and it wasn’t long before they devolved back into silence. The smile fell off Katara’s face as she regarded Aang silently. Overall, this whole encounter had gone waves better than she ever thought it could, but she could tell Aang was hurting and trying to be brave. She admired him for that, but part of her still yearned to draw him in and comfort him…

“I-” They both started at the same time, and politely gestured for the other to continue. Aang didn’t take her up on her offer, and gestured to her again. “I’m sorry about last night, Aang,” she said quietly. “I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at you. I was out of line. You just wanted to talk and I just went crazy. I am sorry,” she added sincerely.

“It’s okay, Katara,” he assured her. “I…well, I’m not exactly innocent myself, you know? If I hadn’t gotten so crazy about the bloodbending, then…” ‘We wouldn’t be here now,’ was what he left unsaid. He realised upon looking into her eyes that he didn’t need to say it. They both understood. They could continue to hash it out between them, but what would be the point? That would only be conducive to creating more strife, not to moving on. They had both made mistakes and this was now where they found themselves. The Air Nomad philosophy would be to accept it for what it was, and find a way to work with it, not against it (barring, of course, extreme exceptions like the war). “I…it seems like you’re happy together,” Aang added. “He’s…he’s good to you, is he?”

Katara furrowed her brow slightly at the question, but Aang’s expression told her it wasn’t intended as a slight against Zuko, not really. He would have asked this question regardless of who she was dating now. It was difficult to pin down exactly why he was asking, but she accepted that it wasn’t a malicious question.

“Yes, very,” she told him sincerely but kindly. She smiled meaningfully at him. “I wouldn’t be with him if he wasn’t.”

“Then I’m happy for you.”

“You are?” she asked hopefully.

Aang sighed. “No…not yet,” he admitted. “But I want to be. I promise you. I’ll find a way. You…” he sighed again, struggling to find the right words. “You still mean the world to me, Katara. And even if I can’t have you as my girlfriend, I still want you to be in it.” Sokka and Toph both helped him realise that. He thought he’d understood before, exactly what it meant…but now he was in no doubt. His heart still clenched painfully, and yet there was also a spot of hope.

He…would get through this. He knew he could. He’d been through a lot worse, which he couldn’t have done without Katara and the rest of his friends at his side. With their help, he could get through heartbreak as well. He knew he would be free to leave without judgement if he wanted to. But his dearest friends were all here now and he wanted to be around them, all of them.

So, he was determined to try and smile and carry on as normal. He would have time to cry and grieve at the Eastern Air Temple. He would have time to make true sense of it all once this was done. He loved Katara…he would always love her… Maybe, one day, things would change. Perhaps, one day, she would come back to him… Intellectually, he knew it was a childish fantasy, but it gave him something to cling onto. That would have to do for now.

****

Katara was just about ready to collapse into bed by the time she returned to her room that evening. After their short but productive talk with Aang, they had all returned to the group and spent the day on the beach frolicking and catching up. Aang had been working on his sandbending, and spent a lot of time entertaining Kiyi with sand renditions of Appa, Momo and any other animal she requested. There was even a resurgence of the splash wars, much to Zuko’s displeasure (especially when he was forcibly drafted in – apparently being a mere spectator wasn’t fitting for a Grumble Lord. His response did little to convince them to stop calling him Grumble Lord.) Although with Aang’s help, this time the men triumphed, but much laughter and enjoyment was had by everyone.

Dinner was then followed by the promised recap for Aang’s benefit of The Prince and the Avatar. Kiyi in particular had a delightful time acting out some of the scenes with Sokka, and occasionally Iroh, as her enthusiastic stage partner(s). Zuko looked like he was just about ready to expel Sokka from the country when he imitated stage-Zuko’s wailing. His beloved girlfriend still apparently found the whole thing hilarious and kept giggling away quite happily despite Zuko’s scowling. For the dashing pirate-rescue scene, which everyone agreed was probably their favourite change, Sokka got down on all fours with Kiyi perched on his back. It was very important that they include the Komodo-rhino, they had all decided, and Aang’s sides were practically splitting by the time they were finished. There was some consternation among Katara and Suki as to whether that was the best scene to demonstrate, given who it involved, but Aang seemed to be in high spirits. The performers did wisely elect to omit the scene in the Crystal Catacombs, however, and if Aang noticed, he didn’t remark upon it.

After bidding the remaining stragglers goodnight after some more drinks and chatting, Katara and Zuko traipsed quietly back to her room. Out of respect for Aang, they had refrained from any displays of affection throughout the day outside of holding hands and – as tired as she was – Katara couldn’t help but feel they had some serious making up out to do!

As soon as the door closed behind them, she decided to rectify it by launching herself at him, crushing her lips to his without warning. Zuko caught her gracefully in his arms and happily kissed her back, smiling as her hands reached up to cup his face. She pulled away after a moment.

“Just in case you needed reminding how awesome I am again,” she smirked, referring back to their conversation that morning. Zuko couldn’t help but snort in amusement.

“I do find these reminders very helpful,” he jested. “I don’t know what I’ll do when you run off with Suki in a couple of days.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Sokka will keep you company.”

“Yeah…we’ll see how he feels about that when he finds out what I’m planning to do to get back at him for the show…” he looked down at her, a conspiratorial smirk winding its way onto his face, quickly shared by Katara.

“Oh…?”

He smirked again and told her his plan. When he was finished, Katara burst out laughing.

“Zuko, that is diabolical!” she exclaimed, still laughing.

“I know,” he grinned. “I’m actually kinda proud of myself for coming up with it.”

“I am too,” she agreed. “Please…please write me when he figures it out. I won’t be able to wait to find out what happens.”

“That’s if he figures out it was me before you guys get back.”

“We’re talking about Sokka and food here – personally, I don’t think he’ll last a week before trying to get to the bottom of it.”

“You make a good point,” he conceded.

“Also, can I please let Suki in on this?”

“You don’t think she’ll rat me out?”

“No way, she’ll think it’s hilarious,” Katara assured him. “Besides, she already knows you want to get him back. She’d probably have helped you figure something out if you didn’t already.” Zuko chuckled with her but it wasn’t long before they both leaned back in and shared another kiss, deeper and longer this time. Their arms slowly circled each other, holding on tight as they each let out soft moans. Katara, for her part, didn’t want it to stop there. She already knew she wanted to be intimate with Zuko, but having him here with her now turned that wish into an irresistible urge, which was in no way tempered when Zuko’s hands began to explore her as they kissed.

“Did you…want to…sleep together again tonight?” he asked tentatively. Katara raised her eyebrows, unable to help but think that yes, that was exactly what she wanted to do tonight! But before she could say so, Zuko’s eyes widened in mortification. “Uh, I meant, to actually sleep!” he added hastily. “I’m not…I wasn’t trying pressure you, or, we can do whatever you want, uh…not that I’m suggesting-”

“Honey?” Katara chimed in, smiling affectionately up at him. She cupped his cheek with her hand, shaking her head in fond amusement. Zuko closed his mouth and looked sheepishly down at her. “If I’m being honest…I was actually kinda hoping you did mean it the other way…” She smiled at him sultrily before leaning in and claiming his lips, quickly deepening the kiss between them. She pulled away and began planting kisses on his neck. Zuko let out a low groan. She pulled away again and gazed up at him, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “I want you to take me to bed, Zuko,” she whispered. “And not just to sleep,” she added, grinning cheekily. “If…if that’s what you want.”

Zuko slowly smirked sultrily back at her, tightening his hold on her. “Oh, I definitely want,” he assured her. “If you’re sure?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Are you?”

Zuko’s response was leaning back in and claiming her lips with renewed passion. Katara gladly followed his lead as their kisses took on a fresh urgency, as if they simply couldn’t get enough of each other. Katara’s resentment for the layers of fabric that lay between them was at last mollified as they cast their clothes aside before falling onto the bed together. As Zuko hovered over her, Katara couldn’t help but feel it was about damn time she could finally demonstrate everything she had been holding back. And as the night went on, that was exactly what she did.

****

Afterwards, both feeling somewhat dazed with happiness, they snuggled up together. Katara’s head was resting on Zuko’s chest with an arm draped lazily across his stomach, while Zuko cuddled her close. They both sighed with contentment. That had truly been amazing, for both of them. Katara regretted that they hadn’t done this sooner. There was so little time left of their vacation now. She couldn’t help but feel she had seriously missed out! She supposed she’d just have to try and get as much of him as she could while they remained on the island…

“I can’t believe tomorrow is our last full day,” she muttered, stroking his arm affectionately.

“I know,” he whispered back. “It’s all gone by so fast.” He turned his head to face her. “But…it’s been absolutely incredible. Every moment.”

“It really has,” she agreed, beaming up at him. “You should definitely arrange this again for next year. It’s been great having everyone here. I know we’ll still have each other, and Suki and Sokka, but I’m really going to miss everyone else.”

“I doubt they’ll be able to spare me for this long again…but yeah, we should.”

“Just put Sokka on the job. We’ll probably all need a break from him by then anyway,” Katara joked, to which Zuko chuckled.

“Hey, if he ever gets too much for you, you’re always welcome at the palace.” He smirked. “Of course, I can’t guarantee you’ll get your own room. You might have to bunk with me.”

“Oh, have you been downsizing?” she teased.

“Renovations,” Zuko replied drily, making Katara giggle happily into his chest.

“I’m sure I’ll find some way of coping with it.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he chuckled. “And I’m sure I’ll get used to the snoring…” he drifted off innocently, but the jab to his ribs quickly let him know he wasn’t getting away with that!

“I don’t snore!” she insisted, scowling in displeasure.

“Katara, do we need to go over this again?”

“You mean go over how you like to make up crazy crap about me?” They caught each other’s eye and both began laughing quietly. “Well, I guess if it’s that bad and you’re still willing to climb into bed with me…it must mean you really love me.”

“I do,” he told her softly and sincerely, leaning down for a kiss. “Very much.”

“I love you very much, too.” They shared another kiss, pulling each other close. They gave each other an affectionate squeeze before settling back down. “I’m going to miss you, you know,” Katara sighed.

“I’ll miss you, too,” Zuko nodded. “But I bet you’ll have a great time with Suki and Ty Lee.”

“I’m sure I will,” she agreed. “But…it’ll be weird not having you around all the time. I’ve kind of gotten used to you, you know?”

“Thanks. That’s good to know.” They both chuckled again. He sighed. “Honestly, I’m going to miss all of you.” He paused. “I mean, ob – obviously I’ll miss you the most!” he added hastily, to an understanding nod from Katara. “But it’s been…really nice having you all here. I can’t believe I was so worried about it.” Katara could, but she didn’t voice it. She knew that there was still a part of Zuko deep down that felt he couldn’t possibly deserve the friendship and love surrounding their group, no matter how much everyone implicitly (or explicitly) told him otherwise. It saddened her, that he still felt like that…but at least now she was in a prime position to help put a stop to such unhelpful notions.

“Well, next time you’ll know you don’t have to be,” she said encouragingly. “In fact, I think the real challenge will be keeping us all away!”

Zuko smiled gratefully at her. He still couldn’t fathom how he had been so lucky for it all to work out the way it had. How he had been so lucky that Katara noticed him, saw him and felt the same way. He would miss her terribly for those months she was travelling, he knew. He’d only spent a couple of nights sharing a bed with her, but he already knew how empty it would feel without her beside him. He had been joking about the renovations, of course – if Katara did want her own room, he would get it done, no hesitation and no questions asked. He would offer her the finest room in the palace with no expense spared. But, somehow, he didn’t believe that would be necessary…perhaps for propriety’s sake, he would have to order one be set up anyhow, but he hoped she would be comfortable sharing with him. Not solely in the hopes of repeating tonight’s activity (though he obviously wouldn’t object!), but just getting to hold her in his arms while they slept was enough. Just getting to be with her was enough…

Beside him, Katara let out a yawn and began shuffling in his arms, settling down back onto his chest. “Good night, my love,” she whispered.

He smiled affectionately down at her and stroked her hair softly. “Good night, my love,” he whispered back, before they both drifted off into a contented sleep.

****

For the last day of their vacation, Zuko, Iroh and Ursa had come together to arrange a private cruise for the group that would take them around the entire island. They had spent the last few weeks exploring the interior and visiting various beaches and offshore islets, but it just seemed to be a fitting tribute for all the enjoyment Ember Island had given them and the perfect way to end their vacation. Unfortunately, the boat deck was too small to comfortably accommodate Appa, but the sky bison was more than happy to float lazily after them in the wonderfully warm, emerald waters. On more than a few occasions, Aang airbent himself and Kiyi onto Appa’s back to keep him company. Momo, for his part, seemed genuinely torn between staying on the boat in the hopes of finding food or returning to his favourite nap spot aboard Appa. He compromised by remembering he could fly and flitting between them as the day went on.

There was a lot of excitement when a school of dolphins began chasing after their wake, leaping out of the water and diving into the foam trailing after their vessel. Katara instantly decided she wanted to join them and promptly bent herself an ice-surfboard, laughing with delight even when she lost her balance and went tumbling into the waves. When Aang bent his own surfboard and joined her in the ocean, he threw her a knowing look. She caught his train of thought and smirked back at him. It wasn’t the first time they had ridden the waves together, although it was the first time they had had to contend with playful dolphins occasionally knocking them off. Still, they was a vast improvement on the unagi.

As anyone could have predicted, it wasn’t long before Aang ditched the board and hopped onto the back of one of the waiting dolphins, who happily carried him along as they began diving once more. Aang spluttered and gasped a few times when they surfaced, but the joy on his face was unmistakeable. And, for Katara, a very heartening and hopeful sight.

After enjoying a last dinner together, Sokka then saw to it that everyone was herded down to the private beach for a final bonfire party. Having anticipated this, Zuko also ensured that by the time they got down there, an array of fire lanterns had been strung up along the cliff, and he even hired a couple of musicians to perform for them as the evening went on. Only a short time elapsed before Iroh decided to join them with his Tsungi horn. Zuko grimaced slightly as he removed the instrument from its case, throwing an untrusting glance at Sokka, but fortunately Sokka seemed too engrossed in making googly-eyes at Suki to really notice.

What Zuko did not anticipate, however, was his rambunctious little sister.

“Why don’t you go and join them, Zuzu?” she asked happily, bounding over to him where he sat on the sand. Zuko rolled his eyes-naturedly.

“Not you too, Kiyi…”

“What do you mean?”

“I am not playing the Tsungi horn.”

Kiyi’s face fell. “Why not?” she whined dramatically. “You’d be so good!”

“Trust me, I won’t be. It’s been years since I played.” Or, more to the point, years since he’d been forced to play…

Kiyi merely pouted at him. “Please, Zu-zu?” she begged. She clambered onto his lap, giving him those wide Momo-eyes that she was unfairly good at mimicking. “For me?”

Zuko scowled at her. “You can’t get away with that just because you’re small and cute, you know.”

Kiyi frowned in confusion. “Yes, I can,” she told him confidently. It worked for Toph, after all. She had witnessed it herself many times over at the festival. Toph had made a point of telling her that it only worked because she was small and blind and the vendors always felt too embarrassed to call her out on it. Some had tried before, but it never ended well for them.

The overall point was, Kiyi saw no reason it shouldn’t apply to her as well. Especially against her big brother who liked to pretend to be grouchy but was a complete softie at heart for those he loved and cared about.

Zuko shook his head at her. As good as it was she was such a confident little girl, it was also beginning to become rather concerning. He really should have known better than to allow Toph to get her clutches into her. She was nothing but a bad influence…

Kiyi, however, didn’t continue to press the issue and they fell into a relaxed conversation. At least, that was, until Katara began making her way towards them.

“Katara! Help me out here!” Kiyi suddenly called, grinning.

“What’s going on?”

“I think Zu-zu should play the Tsungi horn with Uncle,” Kiyi supplied. Katara chuckled. “Don’t you?”

“I think it would be awesome if he did,” Katara agreed, kneeling down and sharing a conspiratorial smirk with Kiyi. “But he doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to. We can’t force him.”

“I know,” Kiyi sighed dejectedly. She turned back to her brother. “Will you at least dance with me, Zu-zu?”

Zuko grinned at her. “That I can do.” As Kiyi jumped off his lap, he stood up and offered her his hand. Katara watched as he then led her to the space around the fire, where Ursa and Noren and Suki and Sokka were already dancing, with Momo flying happily around their heads. Aang and Toph were over the other side of the flames, laughing about something or other. She saw her group of friends – her family, really – all enjoying themselves and a wonderful, full feeling of contentment settled in her chest. This was the way it should be, she decided. Moments like this were what made all the trials and tribulations that life threw at them worth it, what made any future trials she may yet face seem manageable – the mad lot in front of her that she would be lost without...

Suddenly, she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Iroh beaming down at her. “May I have this dance?”

Iroh. It was all thanks to Iroh. He was the one who’d found her when she had been at her saddest and most vulnerable. He was the one who had begun the difficult process of convincing her that it wasn’t all her fault. He was the one who took her in and, in his own unique Iroh way, nursed her back to herself. She had no doubt Sokka would have taken on that role if she had continued her journey to the South Pole as she originally planned, but she knew that for all his sincerity and love, it wouldn’t have been the same. She’d needed a change of pace, a new setting in which to rediscover herself where no-one had any pre-conceived notions of her. The South Pole wouldn’t, couldn’t, have given her those same opportunities that living in Ba Sing Se did. She was too well known, for her father, brother, and her ties to Aang. In Ba Sing Se, though, she made a name for herself by helping out in the Lower Ring. She found a new hobby and made a wonderful friend in Jin. They had exchanged a few letters during the vacation, and while Jin was sad that Katara wouldn’t be returning to the city, she was very excited at the prospect of visiting her in the Fire Nation. Sokka had already assured her there would be plenty of room for guests at the embassy.

She owed Iroh a lot, she realised. She hoped she would find a way to pay him back one day.

She beamed back at him. “It would be my honour, Iroh.”

****

Some time later, after the musicians finished their set, after Kiyi had been wrangled to bed by Zuko and her parents, and after Sokka had drunk far too much, the party continued in a lively fashion. Even Iroh didn’t seem inclined to go to bed, though it was long past his usual hour for sleeping (Ursa and Noren turned in not too long after Kiyi). Sokka managed to find another excuse to bring out his banjolele once the musicians wrapped up, and was currently treating them to a cheerful, fast-paced traditional Water Tribe song. The newly established music hall in his growing South Pole town had fast become a popular haunt of Sokka’s (and Suki’s, when she visited), and was in fact what had prompted him to pick up a musical instrument of his own. The drunken yodelling that initially accompanied his performance was not greatly appreciated by their party, but this fortunately soon gave way to instrumental melodies that kept them all entertained in some fashion. At the present moment, Suki and Katara had partnered up for a dance and were twirling and spinning the other around with much giggling and less-than-graceful stumbling on both their parts. Toph was currently engrossed in a conversation with Iroh, while Zuko and Aang separately sat back and quietly observed the goings-on.

Aang seemed to be his usual chirpy self, though Zuko didn’t miss that they hadn’t exchanged two words all day. Zuko wasn’t in the least bit offended – it was entirely possible that Aang simply got caught up with everyone else rather than that he was actively avoiding Zuko, but it was also entirely possible that both were at play. Zuko couldn’t blame him. If Aang had gotten together with Mai soon after their break-up (though the thought of that just felt wrong), he knew he probably wouldn’t have wanted much to do with Aang afterwards. Not when he had still been in love with her.

But even with that thought, he didn’t like that their friendship must now be in tatters. Though they didn’t share many personality traits, Aang was a good friend to him. He had once confided in Aang about things he never mentioned to anyone else because he knew that even if Aang didn’t fully understand, he would always do his best to try. He could always be counted on to bring a smile to anyone’s face if they were down, lift them up when they needed support and – despite first excitable appearances – he was a very good listener and would strive to help out however he could.

It was strange, Zuko realised…all of those traits that made Aang so lovable and a good friend should have also made him the best boyfriend there could possibly be...

Zuko didn’t doubt he had brought a smile to Katara’s face many a time and he didn’t doubt Aang tried to support her the best way he could. Yet as deliriously happy as Katara made him, Zuko was under no illusion that if Aang had been better when it really mattered, he and Katara wouldn’t be together now. If Aang hadn’t screwed up and overreacted about the bloodbending, the two of them might not even be here now. But the way Katara told it (and Zuko had no reason to doubt her), Aang hadn’t even tried to understand. It had sounded the death knell of their relationship, though the boy probably didn’t realise it at the time. It had led to heartbreak and much soul-searching for both of them. Selfishly, Zuko was extremely grateful that Aang had screwed up, of course. He couldn’t imagine not being with Katara now, or more to the point, he didn’t want to. He would never have interfered with their relationship so long as they were both happy, even if he’d been in love with her at the time, but it wasn’t lost on him that he was reaping the benefits of Aang’s mistakes. But so was Katara, and Zuko knew he wasn’t being biased just because he was her boyfriend. Sokka, Suki, Toph and Iroh had all independently remarked on the change weeks before the new couple shared their first kiss. He found himself wondering what it was that had made Aang so intolerant of what he deemed to be Katara’s mistake while being able to easily forgive anyone else’s, even Zuko’s…

A series of high-pitched giggles and drunken cackling snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned to discover that Katara and Suki had apparently taken a tumble to the ground during their dance. They were currently little more than a dishevelled tangle of limbs on the sand, both far too close to hysterics to be able to constructively do anything about it. Zuko chuckled to himself, deciding he should probably go and lend them his assistance. Especially considering the most Sokka had managed to do at this point was cease playing and begin pointing and laughing at them. All the same, he joined Zuko when he made his approach to their respective beloveds. Katara was trapped beneath Suki, still giggling quite happily as Sokka leaned down and deftly pulled Suki up. Suki looked rather red in the face with a very merry expression plastered on her lips.

“How come you stopped playing, baby?” Suki asked tipsily, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and placing a sloppy kiss to his cheek.

“Well, when you decided to start snuggling with my sister, I figured I’d better step in,” Sokka joked light-heartedly. Suki burst out into another series of giggles and allowed herself to be led to the log Zuko had just vacated, both of them still chuckling happily. Katara, on the other hand, had yet to move and she broke out into a wide grin upon spotting Zuko standing over her with an amused expression.

“Hey, honey!” she cried happily.

“Hey,” he echoed, smirking. “You doing good down there?”

“Yeah,” she replied giddily. “It’s actually really cosy.” She stretched her arms out and began sweeping them through the soft sand as if to make her point.

“I’m sure it is,” he nodded. “What even happened?”

“Suki tripped me,” Katara said, loudly enough for the accused Suki to hear. She gasped in outrage.

“I did not!” Suki protested vehemently. “You fell and took me with you!”

“That might have happened, too,” Katara conceded, giggling once more. Zuko couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“All right, let’s get you up,” he muttered softly. He extended a hand to her but Katara just shook her head. She instead opened her arms out to him and wiggled her fingers. Zuko rolled his eyes in amusement, but dutifully bent down and wrapped his arms around her, propping her up as he pulled them both back to their feet. Katara stumbled a bit as she stood, lending more credence to Suki’s version of events than Katara would have liked, but it didn’t stop her from continuing to laugh softly in Zuko’s arms. She wrapped them around his waist and gave him a big, squishy squeeze, which he happily reciprocated.

Both of them had momentarily forgotten about Aang, and their silent pledge to rein in their affection around him. But as they pulled away from their quick snuggle and shared blissful smiles, it only felt natural to seal the moment with a kiss. They both leaned in and pressed their lips together, tightening their holds as they sank into the kiss, the rest of the world forgotten.

Aang, meanwhile, who had continued quietly observing, decided he couldn’t stand it anymore. Being forced to watch Katara from a distance all day, never feeling sure about actually interacting with her, was bad enough. But now he had to watch her smooch and get all mushy with her new boyfriend? No. That was too much. His poor heart just couldn’t take it.

Fighting a solid lump in his throat, he stood up and quietly stalked away.

The heat from the fire quickly dissipated and the sounds of laughter faded into the gently crashing waves as he rounded the corner to the next cove. He came to a halt once he could no longer distinguish them. He let out a deep, long sigh and just stood watching the waves in a daze.

Just…how was he supposed to do this?

How was he supposed to be okay with seeing the love of his life run around with and cosy up to another man? When just a few short months ago, he was the one she’d been running around with.

He was the one she should be cosying up to.

He was the one she should be kissing without regard for anyone else who might be around and making Sokka complain about “oogies”, whatever those were…

His leaden heart weighed heavily in his chest as the brutal truth sank deep into his bones.

Should was all very well and good, but…that didn’t make it real. And it wouldn’t make Katara suddenly come running into his arms, fitfully apologising for not realising sooner that she had been wrong and of course they could make it work! Though a part of Aang knew it wouldn’t happen, he also knew with certainty that if it did, he would forgive her instantly. He would just be so happy to have her back that he wouldn’t care what she did in their time apart. He just wanted Katara. She was the only one who could make him feel better about it all…but now, he realised, she’d probably never do that again. All because he lost his temper…he was such a stupid jerk-!

“Aang?” He started at the sound of a voice and spun around, his heart lighting up with hope that his fantasy had somehow become real, but it all came crashing down once more when he realised that it was Zuko. “Are you-?

Aang frowned with disappointment, and almost growled out, “Look, no offence, Zuko, but you are the last person I want to see right now!”

“I get that,” Zuko replied softly, unperturbed by Aang’s hostility. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

“Oh yeah, I’m just great!” Aang spat with uncharacteristic sarcasm. “Watching you parade around with the love of my life – yeah, it’s all just freaking peachy!” He crossed his arms and turned his back to Zuko, not wanting to spend any more time looking at him than he had to. He really hoped Zuko would just take a hint already and leave him alone, but apparently as well as taking Aang’s girlfriend, Zuko was also determined to take Aang’s peace.

Zuko sighed. “Aang, I know this isn’t easy for you, but-”

“I’m not doing this with you, Zuko,” he cut him off firmly. “Just…go away.”

“I understand,” he told him, though he could feel himself beginning to lose patience. “But this is our last night. Do you really want to avoid our friends just because you’re pissed at me?”

Aang didn’t reply for a time, struck momentarily speechless by Zuko’s perceived audacity. How dare he? Just who did Zuko think he was to lecture Aang about his attitude? Zuko had the worst attitude of anyone in the group! He was always grouchy, always grumbling about something or other just because. Katara herself had said that he just liked being grumpy! But everyone seemed to love it. Since when did being a grouchy, grumpy git pass for entertainment?!

It wasn’t fair! None of it was fair or even made any blinking sense!

As he seethed, Aang found himself unable to control the resentment bubbling over when he eventually spoke.

“They’re only our friends because of me, you know,” he pointed out coldly. “None of them wanted anything to do with you until I talked them round, not after everything you did!” He swivelled on the spot to look Zuko in the eye. “But clearly, giving you a chance was the stupidest mistake I ever made.” He frowned, shaking his head in reproach. “Some friend you turned out to be.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. He knew Aang was hurting and he was trying to be sympathetic to that, but there was no talking to him in this state. He should have heeded his uncle’s warning glance when he made the decision to follow him. Uncle knew better than anyone how to handle pissed-off, hormonal teenagers filled with an immovable determination to right all perceived wrongs against them. Because that was what Aang was, at the end of the day, Avatar or not.

“Fine,” he agreed calmly. “Have it your way. You can’t say I didn’t try.”

My way?!” Aang spat out incredulously. “Are you freaking kidding me now?!” Was this guy for fricking real?! He groaned in agitation. “Tell me, Zuko, which part of all this looks like my way to you? The part where I spent months looking for Katara only for her to tell me she doesn’t want me anymore, or the part where it’s because she moved on like freaking lightning and now I have to watch you two together?!”

“She only stopped wanting you after you stopped wanting her first!” Zuko snapped. He was prepared to accept any lashing out and blame Aang threw his way, but the moment he turned on Katara, Zuko was putting his foot down. “Need I remind you, Aang, that you left her. You broke…her heart! What did you think would happen?”

“I made a mistake! And I was trying to make it right, but you got in the way!” Aang took a few deep breaths, gathering his thoughts, before he continued, “This is all because of you,” he concluded angrily. “Why you? What have you done that’s so special?” Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but Aang wasn’t finished. “Despite what I said, I’m not mad at Katara,” he pointed out. “I know I screwed up. If…if she felt like she needed to move on after that, then…” He trailed off, unable to finish that thought. It was too painful. “But what I don’t get is why it had to be you. You’re not better than me! You’ve made tons of mistakes and we were the ones who had to put up with it!”

“You don’t think I felt guilty every single day that I travelled with you guys?” Zuko replied. “You don’t think it eats me up every time I think about what I did? Because it does. I hated myself, for the longest time. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make amends, not completely. But, somehow, you all found it in your hearts to forgive me. You were actually the one who told that by accepting it and changing, I was already a better person.”

“You’re kidding yourself if you think that makes you good enough for Katara,” Aang retorted venomously. “You don’t deserve her! You-”

“Trust me, I know I don’t deserve her,” Zuko informed him. “I know she’s far too good and kind and wonderful for someone like me.” This seemed to give Aang pause, and for the first time, he didn’t look ready to interject with another spitting insult. Zuko took this as a positive and continued, “When I fell for her, I never expected that she could possibly feel the same way. And I am just so thankful for every day that she does.” He sighed, his own anger having faded. “I am sorry that this is hurting you, Aang, truly. But I love her, with all my being.”

“I don’t honestly know why she chose me,” Zuko added. “I don’t know what it is about me that makes her want to be with me. All I know is that for as long as she does, I am going to do my damn best to make her happy.” And to make sure he was worthy of her friendship and love.

It was the best any of them could do, Zuko thought. He remembered being utterly stunned and incredulous that those same fears had plagued Katara, specifically about whether her roots and social standing would make her worthy of him. It genuinely mystified him that Katara could ever feel unworthy of anyone. She was a war hero, for Agni’s sake. Zuko just counted himself incredibly lucky that all of his feelings for her were mutual.

Perhaps if Aang had felt the same, they wouldn’t be having this conversation now. Though neither of them spoke it aloud, the possibility nevertheless lingered in the silence between them. From what Zuko had heard, Aang sometimes took Katara for granted while they were together. It probably never even crossed the boy’s mind that something could come between them because as far as he was concerned, Katara was his and they belonged together. It wasn’t entirely unlike when Zuko had yearned for the throne during his banishment. He had been so stubbornly convinced that the throne was his, that he was owed it, that any other possibilities were equally banished from his mind. It was why he wasn’t genuinely angry despite Aang’s jabs at him. He knew how it felt to be filled with such steady conviction that you were in the right and the world was wrong for denying it. He knew what a shock to the core it was to suddenly have that conviction ripped away and being forced to acknowledge the dismal reality. And he knew the weight of grief at feeling like you’ve lost it all. He knew why Aang was lashing out, and he knew why Aang was giving him such a hard time. It was probably the only semblance of control over the situation Aang felt he had. And so, channelling his endlessly patient uncle, Zuko stoically resolved to stand there and take it. He wished there was more he could do to make Aang feel better, but if this helped offer some closure to him, he would take it.

“That’s…really all you want, isn’t it?” Aang muttered seriously, sounding surprised.

“To make her happy?” Zuko checked. At Aang’s nod, he confirmed, “Yes. It is. It’s what she deserves.”

“I know it is,” Aang sighed, deflating before him. “Of course she deserves to be happy. It’s just…I hate that it’s not me making her happy. Was I…really so awful that I don’t deserve another chance?”

“I don’t think it’s that simple, Aang,” Zuko said gently. “From what I heard, you did make her happy. I think that sometimes you took her for granted, and yeah, that frustrated her a little…but at the end of the day, you two broke up because you couldn’t stand her using bloodbending.”

“Yeah,” Aang sighed ruefully, planting himself on the sand. “It all comes back to the damn bloodbending…” He sighed. Feeling much calmer, he didn’t argue when Zuko took a seat beside him. “I guess you’re okay with her using bloodbending, are you?”

“It’s just another form of bending, Aang,” Zuko shrugged. “Now, don’t get me wrong, if it was Azula with that ability, I’d be terrified. But not Katara. You know she would never abuse it. Or you should do anyhow.” He paused, but Aang didn’t argue. Encouraged, Zuko proceeded. “I mean, think about when you started to learn firebending. You were really reluctant at first because you accidentally hurt Katara once. You and I both know that fire can be very dangerous in the wrong hands, but that doesn’t mean firebending itself is evil. It’s all about who wields it. And if anyone should have the power of bloodbending, I’m glad it’s Katara. Because that means it’s in safe hands.”

“I don’t blame her for using it,” Aang said quietly. “Not…not anymore. I miss her so much. It wasn’t worth that stupid fight we had.” Zuko wholeheartedly agreed with this sentiment, but he didn’t voice it. That would just be rubbing Aang’s nose in it and felt needlessly mean-spirited. Aang let out another loud sigh behind him, and turned to face him, contrite. “I’m…I’m sorry I yelled at you. I didn’t mean what I said. I was just…mad.”

“I know,” Zuko nodded. “Believe me, I’ve been there. I understand.”

“Well, I’m still sorry.”

Zuko glanced at him in surprise and threw him a small smile. “Thank you, Aang. That means a lot.”

“Look, I’m not going to say I’m glad you’re together, because I’m not. But…if she has to be with anyone who isn’t me, then…you’d better just keep making sure you do all you can to make her happy and safe. If you don’t, you won’t just have her or Sokka to answer to, that much I can promise,” Aang told him determinedly. “But…at least if it’s you…I can keep an eye on you.”

Though Aang’s words were sincere, and Zuko didn’t doubt this, there was also an underlying lightness and amicability to his tone. One that Zuko didn’t expect so soon. It was good, he thought. It gave him hope that this wouldn’t completely destroy their friendship. It was, in a roundabout way, tacit acceptance of their new relationship, however begrudging it may currently be.

It would take Aang some time to reach the level of acceptance it took for Zuko to purposefully break away from everything he knew and all he’d wanted five years ago, but Zuko was confident he would get there. One day, it would stop hurting for him. One day, he would move on. One day, he would find another woman to fall in love with and he would hopefully have learned from his past mistakes. But for now, they appeared to have reached an accord. It was the best Zuko could realistically have hoped for. Time would take it from here.

****

The next morning, the house was aflutter with activity as everyone went about the gruelling task of finalising their packing and preparing for the journeys ahead (or in Sokka and Toph’s cases, only just starting to pack). To be fair to Toph, she only had a modest-sized bag with her and little to throw into it so was ready in less time than it took Sokka to curse and yelp that he was sure he had left this here and that there. Fortunately for Sokka, his new post as ambassador meant he at least didn’t have to travel far and anything he left behind could easily be forwarded to him in the Fire Nation capital. It would have been much more trying if he had to schlep all the way back to the South Pole. It had already been arranged for his other possessions to be shipped to him from the South Pole as soon as he was settled in the embassy.

Zuko, Katara, Sokka and Suki were all travelling by boat straight to the capital. Suki and Katara would hang around for a few days just to finish off their planning and logistics with Ty Lee before they set off on their recruiting tour of the country. Iroh was to be transported back to Ba Sing Se by airship, as when he had arrived, while Ursa, Noren and Kiyi would depart on a separate boat back to Hira’a. This only left Aang and Toph, who decided to head east together on Appa. Aang would drop her off at her metalbending academy en route to the Eastern Air Temple. Everyone was well aware that flying was not Toph’s preferred method of travel, but as she pointed out, boats weren’t exactly a walk in the park either. If she was doomed to travel sickness in any event, she figured she may as well keep Twinkletoes company and. Secretly, she hoped he would benefit from the distraction. None of them had seen when he collapsed into her arms, and Toph had remained uncharacteristically tight-lipped about it. Though she would be loath to admit it, it scared her a little, seeing him like that. She invited him to stick around the academy for a few days, but Aang had so far been fairly non-committal to the idea. They both decided to just see how it went.

They ended up being the first to depart as soon as Katara completed a visual sweep of the house and confirmed Toph had left nothing behind. Aang was understandably not all that keen to hang around longer than he needed to. After he and Toph exchanged farewells and hearty embraces with the rest of the party, he and Katara shared an awkward hug, and he mustered a handshake and polite incline of the head for Zuko, before he clambered up onto Appa.

“Yip-yip!” he called out to the sky bison, with noticeably less enthusiasm than usual. With a loud, goodbye roar, Appa leapt into the sky and took flight. Soon he was soaring above them, while Momo kept his orbit, where Toph and Aang threw final waves down at their friends from the saddle, before Appa began to fly steadily east. They kept watch until he was no more than a speck on the horizon, and then they were gone. Katara let out a deep breath she hadn’t truly been aware she was holding, and was grateful for Zuko’s arms wrapping themselves around her waist from behind.

“Are you okay?” he whispered quietly enough so no-one one else could hear.

“Yeah,” she nodded. Things weren’t the same between her and Aang, and she had a genuine fear that they never would be again. The tension rolled off the usually carefree airbender in waves as they said their goodbyes, and Katara wasn’t too proud to admit that it saddened her. She knew it would take time – that was what she had needed, after all. But she still didn’t like living with the knowledge that he was out there, in pain, and there was nothing she could do about it…

But then, that just it. There was nothing she could do about it. This was a kind of pain she couldn’t heal with her bending or herbal remedies. The only way she could resolve Aang’s pain would be to surrender her heart back to him. She couldn’t do that. Not when there was a fantastic someone right here who loved her and supported her, someone who made her laugh and made her feel like she could take on the world and face anything with him at her side. He was the one who deserved her attention…and he was going to get as much as she could possibly give him over the next few days they had together. She turned around and embraced him, squeezing tight.

“I really love you, you know that?”

Zuko’s returning smile made Katara’s heart melt all over again. “I really love you, too.”

****

Iroh was the next to leave. The airship taking him to Ba Sing Se had landed early that morning, but it was only after his thirteenth or so cup of tea that he finally decided he was ready to set off. Of all of them, Iroh had by far the greatest distance to travel, and it was unlikely he would be in Ba Sing Se until the early hours of the next morning. Fortunately, no stops would be required as the airships were kept well-supplied with enough fuel that they could easily fly into the night. Helpfully, their propulsion could even be supplemented by firebending in a pinch. It truly was a marvel of engineering, one which Sokka took great interest in and began talking the captain’s ear off about while the crew set about bringing Iroh’s luggage on board. Iroh bid everyone a cheerful goodbye, with promises to send them all packets of his latest tea blends and extending an open invitation for any and all of them to visit him at his shop.

Zuko looked put out to see his uncle leaving, and Katara squeezed his hand in support as they watched the airship ascend. Katara knew that as much as Zuko adored Kiyi and his mother, Iroh was the one he would miss the most. Katara vowed that as soon as she returned with Suki, she would write to Iroh to take him up on his offer and arrange for them to visit. She wasn’t above labelling it a diplomatic mission if that was what it took to persuade his councillors.

When it was finally time for Ursa, Noren and Kiyi to depart, the little girl could no longer control the floods of tears that had been threatening to spill all morning. She was going to miss everyone so, so much, but especially Zu-zu. She loved her big brother with everything she had and hated the idea of not being able to see him every day. She ran straight into his arms and clung to him, tears still streaming down her face.

“Why can’t I come with you?” she wept as Zuko held her in a tight embrace.

“Trust me, you’d get very bored,” Zuko assured her. “I wouldn’t be able to spend much time with you. I have to work.”

“But you’re the Fire Lord! Just tell them and they’ll do what you say, they have to!”

Zuko let out a small, wistful chuckle. If only that were true!

“Right, I am,” he nodded. “So, they need me to make all the big decisions. I’ve told you how long and boring my meetings are – do you really think they’d get anything done if I wasn’t there to tell them to quit it?” he smiled, in an attempt to make her laugh.

Kiyi thought about this for a moment. Her sobs had quietened down but she still couldn’t say she was happy. “Can’t Katara do that?”

“Without a doubt,” Zuko smirked. “But Katara has her own things to worry about.” He gave her a soft squeeze. “Besides, we’ll see each other soon enough. Mom promised you’d all come and visit for a couple of weeks in the winter, like you do every year.”

Kiyi wasn’t placated. “But that’s months away!” she wailed, burying her face in his chest once more. Zuko looked around for someone, anyone, who might be able to help. He spotted Ursa and Katara making their way towards them.

“It’s time to go, sweetie,” Ursa said gently, placing a hand on Kiyi’s shoulder. “We’ll see Zuko again soon. Come on.”

With one final choked sob, Kiyi eventually pulled herself away from Zuko. “I’m really going to miss you, Zu-zu,” she said sadly.

“I’ll really miss you, too. I’m already counting down the days until your next visit.” With one last squeeze, Kiyi nodded at him, and then turned her attention to Katara. She wrapped her in an equally tight hug, clinging onto her waist.

“You look after him, okay?” Kiyi ordered as fiercely as she could muster. “Make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

“I will, Kiyi,” Katara vowed, smiling. “I promise.”

She could tell that Zuko’s own heart was weighing heavily in his chest as they watched his family’s ship pull away from the dock, with one arm around each other and waving with their free hands to Kiyi before Ursa ushered her below deck. He wasn’t showing it, and anyone who didn’t know him well might presume he was just politely bidding a visiting noble a safe journey, but the slight grimace on his face gave him away to Katara instantly. He was going to miss them a lot. He was going to miss being surrounded by their laughter and companionship. In fact, knowing Zuko, he was probably imagining returning to the quiet halls of his palace, bracing himself to spend another few lonely months in relative solitude until the next time…

But he wasn’t alone now. As perfectly evidenced when Sokka and Suki, the last remaining members of their party, came up to them and instigated a rather messy group hug. Zuko pretended to scowl and groan at the flagrant invasion of his personal space, but Katara could see by the way his eyes lit up that he was secretly enjoying every moment. As they separated, Sokka clapped a hand on Zuko’s shoulder and tugged him towards him.

“Looks like it’s just gonna be you and me for a little while, buddy!” Sokka announced cheerily. “I got some great ideas for what we can do together from you uncle! You still get weekends off, right? Cause I don’t know about you, but I really wanna do some exploring. It’s been a while since we’ve had an adventure!”

“Need I remind you that our last adventure got me locked up and almost got us both killed?” Zuko muttered drily, but not resisting the man-hug.

“That’s okay, we’ll do something a little more low-key this time,” Sokka promised. “I hear there’s a travelling circus coming to the capital pretty soon! Maybe when they ask for volunteers, you could step up and show them your juggling?”

Zuko bristled in response and pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning.

“Oooor…” Sokka pondered aloud, a mischievous grin winding up onto his face, “maybe I could get the Ember Island Players to come do a private performance for us! I have Amorai’s details, so it won’t be any issue to set up!”

At that, Zuko’s eyes widened in horror.

“Don’t you dare,” he warned in a low voice. “I swear, Sokka, I will deport you!”

“Oh, fine, fine,” Sokka shrugged, still grinning and not taking Zuko’s threat the least bit seriously. “But trust me, buddy, you and I are gonna be living it up while the ladies go off and do their thing. Like it or not, you are going to have fun – that’s a Sokka-guarantee!”

Zuko looked helplessly over at Katara, but all he got from his beloved was a wicked little smirk that meant she was enjoying Zuko’s torment entirely far too much to be of any use to him right now. He couldn’t even count on his head of security, who was struggling not to laugh at his predicament.

Despite all his scowling, everyone knew that it was (mostly) just an act. Sokka would be busy as well, but Zuko was under no illusions that meant he would get off lightly. He probably wouldn’t admit this to anyone but Katara, but he was very glad that he would have such a good, loyal friend as Sokka to keep him company. Enforced fun wasn’t what he’d had in mind to occupy his free time over the next couple of months, but he knew it would far surpass the empty loneliness he usually felt when he returned to the palace after a trip away. There certainly wouldn’t be a dull day with Sokka around, of that he was certain.

Besides, Zuko had his own little scheme up his sleeve. He was looking forward to that, he had to admit. The fallout would end up being little more than Sokka putting on a dramatic spiel of outrage, but Sokka would also be humble enough to admit he’d had it coming after conspiring with Iroh about the play. Until then, Zuko would just sit back and enjoy Sokka’s growing confusion at the slew of vegetarian dishes his new chef would put out for him with not a slice of meat in sight. That would be sure to keep him very entertained.

As their boys wandered off down the beach, Sokka still yakking about all the fun they would have in Zuko’s ear, Katara and Suki finally let out their giggles.

“You know, as much as I love Sokka, I’m starting to feel a little bad for Zuko,” Suki grinned. “I don’t think he really knows what he’s letting himself in for.”

“He’ll figure it out soon enough,” Katara grinned back. “Besides, don’t feel too badly for him yet. I think Sokka’s going to be in for a little surprise of his own…”

At Suki’s questioning glance, Katara leaned in and whispered Zuko’s plan into her ear. As Katara predicted, Suki did nothing more than laugh.

Damn!” she chuckled. “I’m actually kinda proud of your boy right now! I had no idea he had it in him.”

“I know!” Katara agreed. “I’m proud of him, too. He’s come such a long way since we met him.”

“Yeah, they do grow up fast,” Suki nodded, turning back to Sokka and Zuko. “I know it’s only a couple of months, but damn, I’m gonna miss that goofball. And Zuko, of course. I don’t how I’m going to get used to going around every day without seeing one scowl.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s gonna be pretty quiet without them.”

“I dunno, I mean we will have Ty Lee with-” A loud yelp sounded across the beach, cutting Suki off. Confused, they turned around only to see the Fire Lord and the new Water Tribe ambassador embroiled in an impromptu wrestling match on the sand.

“You take that back!”

“Never! I am the undefeated champion and I won’t hear otherwise!”

Suki and Katara blinked, and exchanged glances.

“Then again, a little peace and quiet never hurt anyone,” Katara commented casually, linking her arm through Suki’s.

“Mmmhmm,” Suki nodded in agreement.

They had no idea what they were even play-fighting about, but Suki and Katara just shook their heads and decided to leave them to it.

It had truly been a perfect vacation, from start to finish, Katara thought. She could never have imagined that this was how everything would go when she stepped off the airship weeks earlier, but it had all turned out so much better than she had ever dared to dream. Much like Zuko, she now felt a lot more hope for the future. She no longer felt alone, surrounded by the best friends she could ask for, their bonds stronger than ever. She had found the most amazing kindred spirit in Zuko and could honestly proclaim she loved that man with all her heart. Everything had just slotted into place, and she truly couldn’t be happier.

And now, with Zuko, Sokka and Suki at her side, it was time for her next adventure in the Fire Nation…and she couldn’t wait to get started.

Notes:

Well, I got there, guys. It's taken months of work and writing, but DAMN I'm so happy I got here! I've really enjoyed writing 'Embers' and I truly hope you enjoyed reading it. Thank you to EVERYONE who has shared in this journey with me. Personally, I'm very happy with the ending. It's cute and fluffy and I'm not sorry :)

I just want to clarify regarding Zuko's "revenge" plan, because it's been a while since I posted the relevant chapter, but basically Sokka and Iroh "conspired" to get Zuko to the theatre in time to see a re-hashed version of "The Boy in the Iceberg", dubbed "The Prince and the Avatar". In revenge, Zuko is going to tell Sokka's new embassy chef that he is a vegetarian... This WILL be in the sequel.

Speaking of the sequel, there will be one. Eventually. I'm going back to only writing one fic at a time, and I still have a badly-neglected WIP that needs some TLC. I'll make Embers into a series so anyone who is still interested when the sequel is posted should keep an eye out for that.

Otherwise, for the last time on Embers, I will now love you and leave you. Thank you so so SO much for all your support and kind words. There were times when I genuinely couldn't have done it without you. Even if you remained silent, I am so, so grateful for you being here and reading my little contribution to the ATLA fandom. I can't believe it took me so long to get back into writing, because it's such a fun hobby to have. I know I was PAINFULLY slow with updates, and for that I'm sorry. Unfortunately, real life gets in the way. But I love you all and thank you again for joining me on this journey.

Take care and stay safe all of you!

Jezehel xx