"Katara!" Zuko cried as he ran trying to catch up with her. "Katara!" It was pouring outside in the Fire Nation. Zuko, at this point was 20 years old, and Katara was 18. Katara whirled around to see Zuko following close behind. Zuko could tell she was crying, though it was kind of hard to see she was, because it was pouring outside. He could only tell because her eyes were red and a little swollen. Anyway, they just stood there, staring at each other, as if trying to reading the other's thoughts. After what seemed hours, Katara ran off from what seemed from embarrassment. Once realizing what was happening, Zuko took off after her. They were, once again, sprinting in the pouring rain. Zuko finally caught to her, and tackled her to the ground. He somehow flipped her so she was facing up. She was struggling to break free, but in the back of her mind, she knew it wouldn't work. "Katara, what's wrong? Why did you give me that awful letter?" Zuko asked her. "Do you know what that letter did to me?" Once that was said, she froze. Zuko couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"No. I don't know what that letter did to you. But I do know that your letter hurt me." She said in almost a whisper. Zuko wasn't quite sure if he heard her right. What did she mean what his letter? He didn't write anything. Or so he thought. Zuko was frozen in place, and Katara took that to her advantage. She ended pushing him off and ran away again. Zuko snapped out of it and ran after her. "Katara! Katara, I'm sorry! Please! Stop running!" Zuko shouted after her. He just about caught up to her, when suddenly she tripped and fell down, crying out in pain. Zuko abruptly had a huge burst of adrenalin. He reached her, only to see her holding her ankle as close as she could. She was still crying. "Katara, are you ok?" She just nodded. "Katara aren't you able to heal your self?" Zuko said. Katara just shook her head.

"I can't even water bend." Zuko looked at her with confusion shining in his beautiful golden eyes. She just pointed to her bracelet. Zuko looked down and gasped once he saw the familiar bracelet. He knew that bracelet. His father had given his water bending concubines those bracelets. Not that Katara was his concubine. It was the powers that this jewel held, and Zuko knew about them. They take away your bending. That must be why she was so upset. They also shrink every time you try to bend your element. Unfortunately, it looked pretty small.

"Where did you get that?" Zuko awaited her answer, but it never came. Just as he was about to ask the question again, she broke into tears. "Katara, talk to me. What happened? Why do you have that bracelet? And what was with that letter you gave me?"

Katara looked up to see Zuko staring straight into her hurtful eyes. "I—I," Katara started crying again. "Oh, Zuko, why me? If you wanted me gone, why didn't you just say so and leave me alone? Why did you have to give me this wretched bracelet?!" Katara let all the tears out now, as she put her head against Zuko's chest.

Zuko looked at her with confusion again. "What are you talking about? I've never wanted you to leave! I wasn't going to give you the bracelet; I was going to give you—" Zuko stopped himself before he said it. "Who gave you that bracelet, anyway?"

Katara looked at him again, "A lady. She told me—"

Flashback

*knock* *knock* Katara answered the door. "Yes?" There stood a Fire Nation lady with eyes that reminded her of Zuko. Katara noted that she had a message in her hand. It looked to be written and signed by someone in the Fire Nation royalty.

"I have a message for, my lady." Katara was handed the letter. Katara thought the voice sounded familiar, but dismissed the thought. This kind lady doesn't look familiar. "Thank you. By whom is it sent?" Katara asked with curiosity.

"By the Prince, my lady!" Katara's head snapped and stared at the lady. Zuko sent her a letter? She opened the letter and looked at it. It didn't really look like his hand-writing, but it was fancy enough that she couldn't tell. After looking at the letter and noting it was signed by Zuko, she read the letter:

Dear Katara,

This isn't going to work between us. I know you really like me, but I just don't. You're too loud and unsophisticated for the Fire Nation. You're not beautiful enough and you're not of the right nation for me to marry you. That is why I am telling you to leave. I have found someone else who is better than you and she is actually Fire Nation. Besides, I don't think anyone really likes you or even wants you to be here. So just leave already. You don't understand how easy it is to write this letter and give you this bracelet. Yes, I am giving you a bracelet and I want you to wear it. Yes, as a goodbye present. I know how wrong it is to tell you this heart-breaking truth and give you this bracelet, but I am going to do it anyways.

Sorry that it could never be.

~Zuko

The lady handed her the bracelet and Katara put it on. The strange lady secured it with fire and the bracelet's clip melted away. Now Katara could never take the bracelet off unless someone melted it off. And only fire can melt something. Air, water, and earth would just make it shrink. And this piece of jewelry would shrink and shrink until the victim's blood circulation was cut off. The prisoner would then have to loose their hand and become a weaker bender. If only Katara knew of the bracelets powers…

Katara, then, looked up, after staring at the bracelet, and the lady was gone. She read the letter again and sat down to write her own letter. After writing her letter and rereading the letter he gave her, she started to cry. Zuko didn't really love her anymore! What about all those promises he made? What of all of those love letters and poems he wrote? Did he even write them? Or was he just wanting to play her and get her to just give the Southern Water Tribe away? That's when she ran. She ran outside and realized it was raining. She sped past the Palace gates and ended up running into Zuko. Zuko saw her and his face lit up with a smile. How could he just smile at her? Was he trying to rub it in her face that he didn't love her like she loved him? She got up and spat at his feet. She would not show him that he hurt her. She would be strong. She threw the letter at his face and ran like the wind.

* * * * *

Zuko wondered what that was all about. He opened her letter and it read:

Dear Zuko,

I am sorry, too, that it would never work out between us. But, you know, I'm glad that it never would. Then I won't make the mistake of marrying a self-absorbed, spoiled, rotten, ugly-scar-faced jerk! I realize that loving you was the biggest mistake of my life. I thought that we were happy together, but I guess we weren't. Thank you for the bracelet and boosting my self-esteem.

I sure hope that the rest of the men on this earth aren't as horrible as you!

~Katara

Zuko couldn't believe this! What did he do to deserve this nasty letter? He was going to find out. He took off after Katara and shouted her name, "Katara!". . .

End of Flashback

As Katara choked out the last few memories, Zuko listened. When she was finished, he spoke up, "Katara, I never wrote you that letter. And I never gave you that bracelet."

"You didn't. Well, in that case, I never meant to say those words. I was just so angry and hurt after reading the letter that I threw together some insulting things. I really don't hate you. But you said that you meant to give me something else. What was it?"

Zuko looked into Katara's gorgeous and luscious eyes and pulled out a box. "I was going to give you this," he pulled out a red necklace and held it out to show her. "I was also going to say that I truly love you and I wanted to know; Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, will you be my Fire Lady?" Katara couldn't believe her ears! Did he just propose to her?!? "Yes!! Zuko, oh, yes!! I will marry you!!" Zuko took his hands and put them on the side of her face to pull her into a kiss.

The kiss started out soft and sweet, but turned into passion. Soon, without realizing it, as Zuko's hands went roaming about down her arms, his burning hand brushed her bracelet and it broke off. Katara's ankle was then healed by the water of the rain and soon, they were on the ground kissing passionately again. Katara had never loved a man more than Zuko and he never a woman more than Katara.

And they laid there kissing and holding each other in the rain, for they had found true love and held onto it.

Author's Note

Wow. I had never written a short, fluffy love story. This was my first and I hope it turned out ok. And, yes, I know, about half (or over) is extremely cliché, but I just wanted to write something like this. READ AND REVIEW!!!

And for the record, bits and pieces were actually from a dream.

~Froggy-San