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Katara had to admit that sometimes she didn't believe in love. She thought that maybe emotion was just an idea forced into the heads of all humans. That someone said emotion was real and people decided to feel it.

Then she would feel anger and it came in flashes directed toward her childish "boyfriend". She would lash out and feel that emotion boil inside of her and she'll know. Anger, sadness, it's real.

But love? She wasn't sure. She looked at Aang and listened to his sugar-coated words and knew that he was the best she would ever get. He was sweet and kind and anything she could've asked for, but why didn't she feel butterflies and fireworks? Love?

"Gram gram?" The old women was sitting on the fur pallets of the southern water tribe igloos with Katara. As soon as the war had ended Katara had come home and Aang had come with her. He couldn't stay long though. Avatar business she supposed.

"Yes?" Her voice was old and comforting.

"Did you ever love someone?" Katara had matured a lot in these past few months without Aang. Or anybody else for a matter of fact. She was not lonely though she was content. Her blue eyes were older and sadder, her body had filled out in the way it does when you turn fifteen. Her ever present hair loopies were gone. Her hair was never braided. Always down untamable curls. Katara treasured the times Gram Gram pulled a comb through her hair.

"Love is a complicated thing Katara." Old wise eyes settled on Katara's slumped shoulders. Suddenly the flap of fabric covering their igloo was pushed open.

"A fire nation ship is here!" Katara startled before standing up abruptly and putting the hood of her parka up. Her hair poked out the sides but she didn't bother to tuck it back. A fire nation ship wasn't scheduled to come for a few weeks.

Katara came out of the igloo and ran towards the smoke she saw billowing out of a small fire nation vessel. Not a trades ship. The snow crunched below her thick fur boots and hardly slowed her down. By the time she reached the wall they had worked to rebuild men were walking down the metal ramp to the snow. They were wearing fire nation red parkas and their usual pointed toe boots. When they stopped at the bottom a few stepped aside before one stepped forward and lowered his hood.

"Is it always this cold here, Katara?" A smile broke across her face and she ran forward before throwing her arms around him.

"Zuko!" He was knocked backwards and caught off guard. She heard his throaty laugh and felt his arms go around her waist.

"I missed you too much not to visit. You just left us, Katara. All of us. You didn't even come and see me."

"I'm sorry." She felt a pang. Guilt. That emotion was real too.

"I'm ready to forgive you." She felt something else. Nostalgia.

"Zuko.." Katara didn't let go. How could she let go of him? Being away from everyone had given here enough time to forget how to miss someone. But now she missed him. She missed everyone. She didn't belong here anymore. She knew where she belonged now. And she knew what love was.

"Katara come back with me. Please come back with me. You can be the ambassador for the southern water tribe. You are important to the fire nation. You are important to me."

And then there it was. A burst of painful warmth in her chest. It coated her heart and sent the same warm feeling through her veins and to her fingertips. It was hidden inside her heart and it pushed and shoved against her ribs and she welcomed it because she knew that she needed it.

Her hood fell back and she pressed her cold cheek against his warm unscarred one as she whispered to him, "I don't love Aang." She felt the edge of his mouth tip up into a small smile.

"And I don't love Mai."