Standard disclaimer: I don't own ATLA. who would have guessed.
AN: No I haven't watched the finale but I found out the ending and quite frankly I was pissed. So I found myself unable to get to sleep (bloody thunder storms) which led to me thinking about the finale and this idea for a short story popped into my head.
"Zuko, we need to talk." Iroh, a little older then he had been four years ago said as he came out of a hallway leading into the training area. Zuko turned to face his uncle, the four years had aged Zuko much both his temper meant and looks. He was beginning to resemble his father closely though the scar would forever separate someone from mistaking him for his father. "What is it Uncle, I haven't heard you use that tone for quite some time."
"Thats because things have been going well nephew. But it has been three years since you broke up with Lady Mai and you haven't so much as looked for another partner." Zuko frowned, the council liked to bring up this point enough but Uncle now too. "I have already told the council the answer I will tell you. I will look for a partner when the nation is on it's feet enough to not need me the moment something goes wrong. Thats what happened with Mai remember?" Now it was Iroh's turn to frown, Zuko may like to think that his duty as Fire Lord drove a wedge between Mai and him but Iroh knew that if Zuko had truly loved the girl he wouldn't have let his duties do that. "Zuko, I think that you are over simplifying the situa." Iroh was cut off by a voice of someone entering the courtyard.
"Not that I mean to interrupt this no doubt highly important conversation about ZuZu's love life or lack thereof but I came here to tell you that Lord Sokka and his wife are going to be arriving today with their daughter Kia." (AN I don't know if Azula died but I don't care) Zuko turned to look at his sister who stood leaning against one of the many pillars surrounding the arena. "Thank you Azula, I'll head down to the docks and meet them." With that Zuko exited the arena the same way that Iroh had come in.
"You could have waited to tell him that, I thought I was getting through to him." Iroh said wearily to his niece. Azula unmoving as she leaned against the pillar replied nonchalantly "Uncle, nothing anybody can say or do will make Zuko look for someone to be his mate. It's up to him to look and he currently has managed to delude himself into thinking that it's because he's Fire Lord. We both know that Mai and him didn't love each other, I mean their still friends and all but she's married now happily too. And I'm not sure if Zuko will ever get that."
Iroh looked at his niece, not the monster she was but a few years ago but now she was like her mother. Of course she still had that mean streak in her but given the circumstances she could be much worse off. "You have changed much over a very short period of time Azula, your mother would be proud of you." Azula though she tried to hide it looked a little hurt over the remark. Anyone trying to bring up her mother would often find themselves being singed or shocked, because unlike Zuko Azula had no experience with a parent who actually cared for her. "Well them she should have at least tried to be a mother to me all those years ago and she could have been prouder a lot sooner." Was all Azula said as she left the training area.
Zuko now in the traditional robes of the Fire Lord began the walk down to the docks. He had a small retinue of guards with him but nothing much, many people were shocked actually when they first saw him walking the streets after he became Fire Lord but Zuko's experiences in the earth kingdom as a refugee had taught him some measure of humility. He walked where ever he needed to go and treated the servants at the palace well. As through districts his mind began to wander, when he had first started these little walks it had been right after the war had ended. Back when there had been plenty of people angry over the end of the war, he remembered that there had been several assassination attempts against him which was when the guards were added. It wasn't that he couldn't protect himself but people tended to assume that guards were better at being able to stop an assassin then the target of the assassin.
As Zuko stepped on to the pier of the dock he was surprised to see that the there was already a water tribe ship there, it was in the process of being moored to the pier so he assumed that it was Sokka's ship an assumption that turned out to be correct. As a gangplank was placed in between the ship and Zuko stepped on board a strange sound like "Uncle Zuko" was heard as a small blue bullet rammed into the fire lords chest. "Hello Kia." The Fire Lord said as he looked down at the small water tribe girl currently hugging him. "Hi Uncle Zuko, Mommy said that if I'm good I'll get to feed the turtle ducks." As a smile spread across Zuko's face he nodded "An does attacking an innocent ruler of a nation count as being good." He asked the small child.
"Of course it does, I mean if it didn't then it would mean that we have a pint sized assassin on our hands." Came the voice of Sokka as he stepped onto the ships deck. Sokka too had gotten older, looking more like his father and his voice didn't crack anymore. Behind him came Suki who walked over to pick up Kia. "Nice to see you Zuko." Suki said as she bent down to lift the girl, Sokka walked over to Zuko and surprisingly to the Fire Lord brought him into a hug. "Oh and I forgot we have an unexpected passenger." Sokka told Zuko as he gestured to the door leading below deck. As the door opened Katara emerged older and looking much more like her mother. "So where's Aang" Zuko asked innocently." At this Katara scowled and simply began walking towards the palace."
"It's a long story, which she probably doesn't want you to know." Sokka told Zuko as they both watched Katara's retreating form. When Sokka felt she was out of earshot he leaned over to Zuko "So I'll tell it to you very quietly as we make our way to the palace." Zuko nodded to him as they began to walk up the path to the palace.
Sokka began telling his story making sure that the rather angry water bending master couldn't hear him. "Now everything was fine between her and Aang, well I guess fine isn't the right world Aang thought that everything was great and Katara kept on telling us that she felt she had made the wrong choice. I'm still not sure if she simply meant the relationship or if there was another guy somewhere but Katara for at least those first two years put up motions of loving Aang in public. The fights started after that, at the start they were just little but as Aang started to well even I'll admit it he was being kind of jealous over anyone who so much as spent time with her outside of family. In fact a pupil Katara was teaching Aang nearly bent him into the ocean when he saw them sparring. Then a few months ago Aang gets called to the northern air temple by some Guru, I think it was the same one from before and off Aang goes in the night didn't even ask Katara to come and that kind of made her snap. She simply walked on to my ship when we were leaving said that she wasn't going to be anywhere near Aang when he gets back and fast forward a few stops on our trip and here we are."
"I never thought Aang would be like that. I mean he's the Avatar isn't he supposed to be all in balance within himself?" Zuko likewise had lowered his voice. "Thats the thing it turns out he never did the final chakra, it dealt with earthly attachments or something like that. I can kind of get it I mean if I ever had to give up meat I don't think I could." Suki's voice then came back to the two of them, "Are you two going to hurry up or do you plan on gossiping like a pair of old women all day."
"Coming honey." Sokka yelled as he ran up to catch her. This left Zuko who continued on at his leisurely pace, wondering what this turn of events will end up meaning.
Later that day
Zuko walked through the halls of the palace. Towards the servants chambers, more because he needed to tell them not to hide from Katara. In previous visits with the Avatar she had frozen twelve servants to walls and even once blood bended one out of the room she had been in. Though this was as much Aang's fault as hers since those servants were giving her "summons" from the Avatar to join her or go on some colossal waste of time trip through the city. Honestly Zuko didn't understand the fun of window shopping when you also didn't believe in having unnecessary luxuries. In fact the servants had at one point tried to bribe one of the handful of Dai-Li guards to deliver one of the summons. He had replied you could offer me the crown of the earth king and I still wouldn't do it.
Zuko reached the door to the servants quarters, he reached for the hidden latch simply because servants were not meant to be bothered off duty this stopped noisy nobles from ordering them around. This kept the servants happy and happy servants are less likely to put poison in your tea his uncle had once told him. Zuko felt the eyes in the room turn to him and they immediately bowed to the Fire Lord clearing his throat he looked at them. "I've come to tell you that the Lady Katara is her." At that the mumbled moans and even one person who had the unlucky experience of being frozen four times began to sob a little. "Don't worry the Avatar is not with her so you won't have to interact with her unless she wants to." With that Zuko simply left the room and headed towards his Mother's garden that was nearby.
As Zuko stepped on to the grass he noticed with some surprise that Katara was here, "Hello Katara." She looked up from the pool that she sat in front of and patted the grass next to her indicating for him to take a seat. "Hi Zuko." She said as he sat down, "It's a lovely garden." Zuko looked at the tiny geyser she was making in the water the turtleducks would swim through them, or try to at least since they tended to get a little air time when they entered them before they landed back in the pond. "Yes it's one of the last things I have to remember my mother, most of her prized possessions she took with her. All thats left is this garden and her crown, and someday that will be my own wife's crown."
Katara stopped playing with the water and looked right at Zuko's face, "Zuko I want you to answer this question and answer it truthfully." Zuko looked at Katara a little confusion showing on his face but he decided that it couldn't hurt to find out what she wanted to know. "Go ahead Katara." She took a breath, to calm herself maybe. "Why, right after we had beaten Ozai and you were crowned fire lord that you said good bye to everyone but me. Even Aang but you disappeared when I tried to say goodbye."
Zuko's face betrayed no emotion to those who didn't know the Fire Lord well but Katara though she couldn't read him as well as say Azula could tell that the question had caught him off guard. "It's because that when I found out about you and Aang, it's just that I always figured it was going to happen but I held on to some small bit of hope that well." Katara's face now looked confused. "You hoped for what Zuko?" Zuko began to stand up and he walked a small distance away before turning. "I had feelings for you Katara, it all started at Ba Sing Se and it just kept on growing after I joined your group. But I knew that you wouldn't feel the same because well you had the Avatar. But when you went with me to face Azula I foolishly let my hopes get up, but after you healed me and all you said was that you should be thanking me I knew that you must not have felt that same. So if you want the reason why I wasn't there was because I didn't trust myself around you at the time, I didn't want to ruin our friendship over a stupid crush of mine."
Katara stood up as she slowly moved over to Zuko, she reached her hand up and put her hand on his scar. Just like she had done back in Ba Sing Se. "Zuko I had feelings for you too back then, but I didn't think you would reciprocate them. I mean you had Mai so I thought that I knew that Aang had feelings for me and back then I took the safe route instead of taking a chance with you. And what did that get me, four years of an annoying, immature, jealous, controlling airbender." A smirk spread across Zuko's face at the names she called the air bender. "You forgot preachy Katara."
A smile spread across her face "Yes I supposed I did didn't I. Zuko do you think that you and I could we have a second chance." Zuko's arms wrapped around Katara as he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. As he pulled back he said in a low voice "Thats all up to you because I never stopped loving you."
Well this was originally just going to be a one shot but I might make it a chapter or two longer just so that it isn't too bloody long. Plus I'm tired.