Title: The Cold Truth
Rating: PG (for character death)
Summary: It failed her when she needed it most.
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She could only stare blankly, her tears almost freezing to her face as she watched the decorative canoe carry him out to sea. It was tradition to send the dead to the ocean instead of burying them in the snow. For safety the elders had said. So the animals would not unearth the remains; so that the element that gave them life could carry them out and eventually over to the next. Still, she damned the long standing tradition because she really wanted him to stay at home, where he belonged.
Sure she had his all his mementos, like his battle armor and his betrothal necklace he gave many years ago to her mother, but they were not enough. It was all material and only gave memories from the past, they held no future.
She felt a hand grasp her own, but she gave no acknowledgment to the person standing next to her at that moment.
"Katara...?"
Once she was sure the canoe was no more than a small dot on the horizon, only then did she turn to look at the person at her side.
Suki gave her sympathetic eyes. "Did you want to stay out here a little longer?"
Katara gave a slight nod.
Suki squeezed Katara's hand in understanding and then released it, walking back to the small snow capped city that was her new home.
Katara watched her friend's retreating back, making sure she reached her destination before looking back out at the ocean.
It mocked her with its slow moving waves that lapped at the snowy surface under her boots. It was all too ready to send him adrift but denied its other ability to her when she needed it most.
Before long, her ears caught the crunchy sounds of snow being walked on as someone approached. Even layered in a furred parka could not contain the heat that always seemed to radiate from him whenever he was in close proximity.
He thought of many things to say to her once he heard the news, but everything he conjured up was either too formal or not sincere enough. She deserved better than an 'I'm sorry for your loss' or 'my condolences.'
Instead, he came to stand by her side and offered her a listening ear.
After a short moment, he heard her whisper into the chilled air.
"It failed me."
Zuko watched the sun slowly but surely fall beneath the canopy of water.
Zuko glanced at her. "You did everything you could."
Katara frowned at that. "I could have done more, should have done more. I just wasn't skilled enough or knowledgeable enough. If I had more time..."
"Katara, it's...It was fatal, incurable, there was nothing anyone could do."
Her eyes flashed angrily, her hands formed fists in her homemade mittens. "I would have found a way around it! It's just my healing abilities are not good enough. How can I be a master waterbender when I couldn't even save someone I love?"
Zuko regarded her for a moment, wondering what to say to that.
"Katara..."
The tears threatened to come back.
"Even water has its limits…" Zuko started gently before being interrupted.
"That's rich coming from someone who wields an element that has led to nothing but death and destruction, your element has no limit!"
As soon as the words escaped her lips, she wanted to take them back.
The words hung there, seeming to chill the already cold air.
"Zuko, I'm so sorry-"
His next words shot sharp warmth back into the environment.
"You don't think I know that? You don't think that I have to live with the fact that my ancestors before me have laid waste to nations across the board with their fear-mongering and warped use of the element of my people? You don't think that I know how it is to talk of peace and wanting to right the wrongs, only to be met with the hostility and prejudice? That people, both my own and from other nations, believe I'm just like my father and the fact that every day, I look more and more like him. Every day I have to remind myself that I am Zuko, not him. Every time I look in the agni-loving mirror, I have the same conflict, the same turmoil..."
He paused, took a steadying breath and continued.
"But you know what? I keep myself centered by knowing that my element does more than all of that. It gives life, warmth, strength and can be used for positive purposes. Has it ever failed me? Of course it has, but that doesn't stop me and yours shouldn't stop you. You are more than your element."
Katara stared at him, "Zuko, I had no idea..." then glanced away, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry I said what I did. I didn't mean it."
Zuko shrugged. "I know," he nudged her shoulder. "It's not like I've never lost my temper."
Katara appreciated the lighter mood he created. "That's true. You were such an angry prince, back then."
His lips quirked into a half smile. "And now?"
"A less angry Fire Lord?" Katara teased.
The smile was full when he stated, "You can say that."
The wind picked up, blowing chilled air around them. It made the pair take note of just how dark their surroundings were becoming.
Katara pulled her parka hood over her head. "Guess we should head back?"
Before Katara could even turn around to head back, Zuko gave her a sudden hug.
Katara gasped in surprise. "Zuko?"
"If there's anything else you need, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask." He mumbled into her blue hood.
Zuko was not the 'huggable' sort, so for him to perform the action, it warmed her heart more than his bending ever could.