She was miserable.
Lying on her back on her bed in room they had been offered by Zuko, Katara's eyes stung with unshed tears as she recalled her foolishness. How could she have ever thought he would choose her? She was so plain, so boring, and he was so exciting. He was adventurous and brave.
He was everything she was not. She was a waterbender, he was a firebender. He was powerful, she was weak. His family was royalty. What was she? Nothing.
A deep sigh slipped from her lips, and she choked back a sob. He would never love her the way she loved him. He probably hated her.
iNot too much, apparently/i the logical side of her brain interjected. iDidn't he save you from Azula's lightning?/i
Of course, she tried to block the thought out, along with all thoughts of him. Why were they even still in the Fire Nation anyway? Wasn't the Fire Nation the whole cause of all their problems?
She rolled over on her side, facing the nearest wall with her back to the door. She hated Mai. Not for all the horrible things she had helped Azula do, but because she was with Zuko. She didn't exactly ihate/i Mai, she mused. She was more jealous than anything.
A sharp rap on the door drew her out of her thoughts.
"Come in," she said, not moving.
The door opened and she heard someone step inside. "Hi."
The lump in her throat seemed to grow. It was Zuko. "What do iyou/i want?" It came out harsher than she meant it to be.
"I wanted to see if you were okay." Curse him for being so calm, pretending he had no idea what he was doing to her.
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just, it was a tough fight. Well, for me, anyway. I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt."
The genuine concern in his voice brought more tears to her eyes. "Thanks. I'm fine, thanks to you." She rolled over to face him. "That was really stupid, by the way. Brave, and I'm really, really thankful, but it was stupid."
The corner of his mouth ticked upward in a small smile. "I know. But I'm glad I did it."
She wanted to scream at him, i If you're so glad you saved me, you must love me! So why are you with her?!/i
She didn't. "Me too." She sighed as she looked over him. He was wearing what looked like pajamas- silky pants with a matching shirt, which was open, revealing bandages where he had been struck by Azula's lightning. "How are you?"
"I've been better." He raked his fingers through his hair.
They were quiet for a minute before Katara's jealousy and fury took hold of her. She sat up suddenly. "You chose Mai." She was about to add 'over me,' but decided against it.
He gave her a puzzled look. "Yes… Who else was there to choose from? Ty Lee?" He meant it as a joke, but the quip only drove the knife deeper into her gut. He'd think of that crazy acrobat before her?
"Well, I thought…" She bit her lip to try and keep from crying. "I thought, you know, since you saved me, I was…" She finished quietly, slightly embarrassed. "…one of the options. In your mind, at least."
"Oh." He looked like he was in pain. Between his injury and the situation Katara had put him in, he probably was. "Um…"
"You've been with our group for how long? Weeks? And you didn't notice how I felt about you? Some days it took all I had not to tell you. But I knew you would go back to Mai, so why am I surprised now that it's happened? And then Aang kissed me and I felt like I couldn't break his heart." She scoffed quietly. "Sorry. I guess it was stupid of me to think-"
Before she knew it, Zuko was in front of her, tilting her chin upwards and kissing her gently.
"Wow," she whispered as he pulled away. "I guess it stupid of me to think that you would never feel the same way." She was quiet for a moment before the shock wore off. "I guess I'll have to have a talk with Aang…" She couldn't believe this was real.
"I never imagined you would like me. You hated me for so long. And you're beautiful, and kind, and you're an amazing bender, and I guess I thought…" He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I thought that I was beneath you. When I joined your group, it was torture for me. Being so close to you, being so in love with you, and thinking you could never love me back."
"That's how I felt." Katara smiled. She and Zuko could finally be together, happy, forever. But her grin faded when she remembered how this conversation had started. "What about Mai?"
"That's what I came to tell you." He sat on the bed next to her. "We're breaking up. She's a nice girl, but…"
"She's not your type?" Katara quirked an eyebrow, guessing his reasoning.
"She's not you."
"Wow, Zuko," she teased. "You really are a romantic under all that."
He pulled her into his arms. "You love it, though."
"Yeah," she agreed, leaning her head against his chest. "I really do."