Iroh watched his nephew, crouched there under a gray sky, staring numbly at her grave. He had seen so much pain, for one so young.
The Dragon of the West had been a Fire Nation general. He had known death- he had caused it. But the loss of someone close to you... That was a hardship near unbearable.
Zuko had faced so many obstacles to get here- and where was here, anyway? A place where the world rested on his shoulders? A place where his father was imprisoned, his sister deranged, and now this latest tragedy had occurred?
And to him, kneeling there under the tree, beside that stone, no one was there. Even with all his friends at his side, while he was on that hill, Zuko was alone.
Life had never been easy for him. But this? There was nothing Iroh could do or say that would reach his nephew now.
He sighed, and, looking every one of his years, turned away.
None of his friends knew how to respond. Even the Avatar, who counted all life as sacred, was uncertain how to mourn someone he had never met. So, awkwardly, with a comforting squeeze on his shoulder or a few hesitant words, they retreated. After all, there was nothing left to say.
One person stayed behind. "Zuko... I understand," she said simply.
"I know," came his numb reply.
He still hadn't taken his eyes off the stone. The small, plain stone engraved with one word.
Ursa.
Katara was worried. For the moment, Zuko would be as she had first been. He would feel nothing- still be unable to take in the fact that he had failed, that she was gone.
And after that, he would be taken by an unbelievable rage.
"Zuko..." she began again. "I'm sorry."
"I know," he responded with the same two words.
Katara knew he would have to find his way out of this horrible void soon. She couldn't help but be afraid- not of the torrent of emotions that would come after, but that it may never come at all. That her friend would be lost in the empty space that hangs in the balance, and that she would never know him again. "Zuko," she forced herself to say as he lit the incense with an empty sense of ritual. "She's gone."
Rain began to spatter against the stone, darkening it with a million fallen droplets. The clouds had been black all day- why not just let it all go now, to mock him and match his rotten mood? "I know."
But he didn't.
After a long silence, Zuko allowed himself to think again.
Why had he allowed his last memory of her to become so hazy? Why had he allowed himself to feel fatigue when the moment was clearly so urgent? Why had he allowed her to go without him?
And just like that, Zuko was angry.
"She lied to me!" He roared, turning on Katara, voice breaking with the pain and rage that were too much for it to support. "She swore that she'd always be there for me, and she wasn't! She lied! I hate her!" He struck the tree, hard, unable to vent his fury adequately with words, and stopped only when his knuckles reflected his heart- numb and bleeding.
"No, you don't," Katara told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"She lied to me so many times! She broke all her promises! She lied just like Azula!" He broke away from her comforting grip, kneeling again by the stone. She couldn't tell if it was rain or tears making those tracks down his face.
"She made a sacrifice to save your life. She was willing to die for you. That, more than anything, proves that she loves you." Katara was repeating what her father had said to her on that day. The day the Southern Raiders struck the Southern Water Tribe.
"Loved," he corrected her bitterly. He was still facing the other way, but the rage seemed to have subsided for the moment.
"No, Zuko. She's still-"
"Just stop! You're always so nice to people! I hate it!" Zuko exploded.
"Why?" She didn't seem hurt. It was a simple question asked in soft tones. After a long silence, he turned to face her and responded.
"Because... you're just like her. My father, my sister, even my grandfather. They all hated me. But my mom... she could always see the good in me... You two are so similar, except..."
"Except what?"
"Except your eyes. My mom had amber eyes. Yours are..." he trailed off, lost in the ultramarine of her stare.
"You know..." Katara began after a while, breaking the silence, "Aang once met with a very wise man when we were in the Earth Kingdom. A guru. He told him that, when someone loves you, it never really goes away. They stay with you, in your heart. And... that their love for you is reborn. In the form of..." She trailed off awkwardly. The look he'd been giving her was making Katara a little fidgety.
New love.
Zuko felt a kind of tranquility spreading through his body. Almost as though he'd finally found the answer to a question that had been troubling him, and knew that it would never bother him again.
Kya smiled. She was pleased that this was the boy who would watch over Katara. The Firebender was strong and protective of those he loved in a way that was both totally opposite and exactly like her daughter.
"They're perfect for each other!" the Water Tribe woman exclaimed to the best friend she'd made since coming to this place.
"I know," the Fire Lady replied, and smiled too.
It had taken him a long time, but her son had finally found his way.
wow, that was a little darker than i'd intended, but... yeah. wow. sorry if this made anyone sad, but the ending was happy-ish, right? please R&R to tell me what you thought, cuz no one ever reviews my oneshots and i need feedback!