"Um- could someone please help me?" She said as she nearly dropped Zuko again. Immediately two fire nation officials ran up with a stretcher and helped her push Zuko onto it. They hurried into the palace and rushed him into a bedroom.
Katara looked around her with wonder. It had Fire Nation insignia everywhere and a large bed in the middle of the room. On the mantle-piece was a framed photo of a woman, smiling and hugging a young Zuko, around eight. He looked unusual without his scar; he looked like a young Ozai.
"Master Katara? You can leave- we have everything under control." The young official looked at her with wonder. He had probably never seen a water bender before.
"I can handle it. I have healing abilities." Katara said shortly. She wanted to explore the room a little then talk with Zuko. She couldn't do that with other people here.
"Ah, yes. Well, we'll leave you two alone." The official, with the others, scurried out of the room. Katara walked over to Zuko. He was breathing steadily and probably just needed some rest.
Katara walked around the room again. Apart from the bed, the fireplace and the mantelpiece, it was empty. The wallpaper was simple, a red colour with the fire nation logo on it. If this was where Zuko slept each night, Katara couldn't blame him for being troubled. She picked up the picture of the lady and examined it closely. They were in a garden, the woman looking down at Zuko's face with wonder, Zuko himself giggling and snuggling into his mother. Her face seemed familiar somehow; Katara had seen her somewhere before. She racked her brain, trying to remember where.
Behind her, Zuko groaned and rolled over. She rushed over to him, and, when she found he was okay, relaxed. What was she going to do now? She was very tired; the exhaustion of the day had caught up to her. But apart from the lonely bed the only other place to sleep was the floor.
Katara summed up the options and climbed on the bed, as far away from Zuko as she could get. Thank goodness he was asleep. No awkward questions. As she drifted more and more towards unconsciousness, she half thought, half dreamed about that woman and Zuko.
When Zuko woke up, he nearly fell out of bed in surprise. Next to him was the sleeping figure of Katara, peacefully snuggled into his chest. He looked down at her, confused. What was she doing? Why? Questions ran though his head, questions he didn't have answers to. Instead, he buried his head in her neck and, smelling her sweet hair, went back to sleep.
The next day Katara woke up when the sun shined in her face from a window. She rolled over, and, to her amazement, came face to face with Zuko, his golden eyes looking at her playfully. She shot up and began to edge away, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
"I woke up earlier and you were all cuddled up to me." He said. She could hear the smile in his voice without even looking at him. "It was cute." He teased, and hugged her closer to him.
To Katara it felt right being in his arms. They fit together, like a special two-piece jigsaw meant only for them. She felt something that she had never felt with Aang. She wondered what it meant.
For his whole life, Zuko had had something missing. He had felt it all his life and it had never gone away. As happy as he was with Mai, she couldn't fill that hole. Nobody could. Or so he thought, but when he was with Katara, the hole was filled. Interesting...
Katara rolled over to face the window again. Somehow, this conversation was easier to have without having to look at him. She was about to say something when he got in first.
"So what's with you and the Avatar?" He asked with absolute sincerity.
"What? I don't know! Why are you asking this now?" The irony was funny. She was talking about the boy who loved her to bits while being held by his former enemy and now friend. "Well- I used to think I loved him. But then something changed. I don't know... He just wasn't right."
"Isn't he? He can protect you, can't he?" Zuko asked.
"What? Is this about protecting me? I can protect myself, thank you very much. I don't need anyone!"
"Oh." Zuko sounded pained. Katara sighed and turned over. He had his eyes shut and a small frown on his face.
"Zuko- I didn't mean it like that. I just meant- never mind. You know that picture of that woman over there?" She gestured toward the fireplace. Zuko froze and then rolled over.
"Yes." Came the muffled reply.
"Well this is going to sound crazy, but... I've seen her somewhere before. I don't know where-" Her sentence was cut off as Zuko rolled over, sat up and grabbed her shoulders, his eyes boring into hers.
"Where?" he hissed through clenched teeth. "Where did you see her?!"
"I-I don't know!" She said. She was obviously scared. He sighed. He tended to do that too much- scare people.
An attendant came to the door. Katara shot off the bed and over to the window, pretending to have been there the whole time.
"Master Katara- Avatar Aang has arrived. He was victorious. He took away Ozai's bending. But he was hurt. He needs you. Come." The attendant turned. Katara shot a glance toward Zuko and hurried out of the door. She paused.
"Zuko- I'm sorry. But he needs me."
"Go. Just go." He growled. He listened to the sound of receding footsteps and curled up. Never before had he thought his heart would hurt so much, not even when his mother left. He put it down to the wound but really he knew it wasn't that.