DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: the last airbender I just use the idea for my own fun purposes

COMING TOGETHER

ZUTARA ONE-SHOT

"NO AANG!!" Katara cried. The young airbender's life had come to an end and she did not want to believe it. "AANG YOU CAN'T LEAVE!! YOU CAN'T!!" Hot tears were streaming from the waterbender's eyes down her beautifully sad face as Katara tried unsuccessfully to heal him.

"Goodbye twinkle-toes." she heard Toph say behind her and Katara could imagine the tears falling from the earthbender's eyes.

"B-b-bye Aang I'm r-really going...going to miss you." Her brother's voice was trembling when she heard him and he was trying to keep it together, but she could tell he was crying hard.

"PLEASE AANG WAKE UP!! YOU CAN'T BE GONE!! YOU JUST CAN'T!!" Katara cried so loud she didn't hear the foot steps behind her.

"Goodbye Avatar, thank you for showing me that I'm not my father and that you were my friend. Thank you…Aang. " Katara did not lift her head from Aang's chest to realize that, that was the first time Zuko had used Aang's name instead of saying Avatar.

The waterbender felt the hot rage and sorrow fill her entire body as she finally acknowledged Zuko. She turned to face the firebender and lunged her whole body at him. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!" She screamed at him while pounding on his chest. Zuko grabbed her wrists to stop her. "If you had just stopped your father before this, Aang would still be alive!!"

"It wasn't my destiny to defeat my father. It was Aang's." Zuko said trying to keep his voice calm for all of them and especially for the young grieving waterbender. It was hard to see someone like her, someone with so much pride lose control like this.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT DESTINY!" She screamed at him "I…I just want Aang back!" Katara rested her head on Zuko's strong chest and cried even harder. The young firebender let her wrists fall and pulled her into his embrace. The only thing that was on Katara's mind, as far as she was concerned, was that Aang was gone for ever and she wanted to be as close to Zuko as she possibly could.

4 days later

Katara had cried hard through out the entire funeral. They decided to have it held at the Southern Air Temple where Aang was born and raised. It would've made him happy to be home for good. Katara climbed the long steps to the very topmost part of the temple, and as she reached the top she saw a figure sitting there watching the sunset. As Katara neared the figure she recognized the Fire Nation prince, Zuko. He was sitting with his arm resting on his bent knee and his other leg laying bent on the ground. His other hand was supporting his weight. The waterbender walked up to him, leaned down and looked at him. "May I sit here?"

Without a glance Zuko said "Sure."

Katara sat down with both of her legs facing him on her left side. She looked at him and asked "What are you looking at?"

Still Zuko did not look at her when he said "The sunset."

Katara shifted her gaze to the sunset and said "It's beautiful."

"Yeah it is." he replied.

They sat silent for a few moments when Katara finally spoke up "Zuko…I…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said a few days ago. I didn't mean that. I was really upset and you were just the first person that popped into my head."

"It's okay. I knew that you didn't mean it. And even if you did, I deserved it." He was watching the sunset with determined eyes and Katara felt sad for him.

"Zuko…" she sifted her gaze at him.

"Really, Katara it's okay." Katara's eyes widened. He used her name. "I've been so stupid! If I had joined you guys when I had the chance at Ba Sing Se or even before that I could've taught Aang how to firebend better then maybe he would've had a better chance of defeating my father and living." Zuko closed his eyes tight and lowered his head.

Katara felt the guilt coming from him and she reached unconsciously to her mother's necklace when her protective instincts kicked in "Zuko, when you finally joined the group you said that you had to go through all of those things to be the person you are now and you were right. It's not your fault that Aang died, everything happens for a reason even if what's happening is painful." The waterbender lowered her hand and felt it touch something warm. She met Zuko's shocked eyes with her own and they stared at each other for a moment when Katara pulled away saying "Sorry."

Zuko pulled his hand away and said "It's okay." The two were quiet for a second then Zuko spoke again "When I look at the sunset I see my mother."

Katara looked at him "You do?"

Zuko nodded "Umm hmm. But at the same time I see my father." Katara wanted to scream at him. How could he be thinking of his father when not to long ago his father had killed Aang!? But then she thought about what she was saying to herself. Even though his father was the evil Fire Lord, he was still Zuko's father. Right? "Even after all the things he'd done to me, I hate him, but I love him."

"Why?" Katara couldn't help the question escape from her lips, but she covered her mouth to try. "I mean what do you mean?"

"The day of the eclipse when you and the others led the attack on the Fire Nation I confronted my father and told him the truth." Zuko looked at Katara's confused face and continued. "I told my father that I was going to join Aang. He told me that I should kill him then and there, but I didn't because it wasn't my duty. I was about to leave when he told me that my mother was alive."

Katara again touched her mother's necklace and gasped "Your mothers alive? That's wonderful news!" she was truly happy for him. His mother was alive! She'd give almost anything for her mother to be alive.

"She was banished just like me. When I was younger my uncle was coming home because he could not break through the wall of Ba Sing Se and because my cousin, his son, Lu Ten had died."

"I'm sorry." Katara whispered.

Zuko shrugged and continued "Before my uncle came home my father asked to talk to my grandfather. At the end of this talk my mother, sister and I were to leave, but Azula pulled me behind a curtain and we stayed behind to watch. My father asked to be Fire Lord instead of my uncle and my grandfather said that he had to know the pain of losing your first born son." Katara drew in a deep breath as her eyes widened, but she stayed quiet. "I left before I could hear the rest, but Azula stayed. My father told me that he was fully prepared to kill me for the throne when my mother made a proposition, she would kill my grandfather so my father could be Fire Lord and my father would spare me." Katara was shaking her head. "Then my ungrateful father banished her because she 'betrayed' the crown."

"Oh Zuko." she said through her hands and tears.

He turned to face her and made a confused face "Why are you crying?"

"I never…knew. No one should go through what you went through."

"You get used to it-"

"But you shouldn't!" she urged. "My brother once told me that your uncle said that you had good inside you, but… I didn't want to believe it. I…I didn't want you to hurt me again." Zuko looked at her with surprise, but the waterbender didn't take any notice to what she had said. "I thought you'd changed. I thought you'd want to change. When you told me about your mother I understood how you felt. I thought that you might need help. I thought that you might…want my help."

Zuko shook his head "No Katara, you were right." She looked up at him "I did need your help…I doneed your help." She smiled warmly at him "I'm sorry I hurt you Katara." Zuko shifted his gaze to the now almost gone sun.

Katara watched him for a minute then wove her fingers in with his and turned to look at the sun. Zuko felt her fingers on his and turned back to her beautiful face. Katara turned her ocean blue gaze back to him and smiled lovingly. She felt her body move closer to him then her eyes close and she felt the touch of warm lips against hers. Katara didn't notice the sun had left along with it's warmth because she had her own sun holding her and she felt safe and secure. In Zuko's arms the memory of Aang was no longer painful memories, but happy ones she would treasure for as long as she was alive. She knew Aang would be happy for her and Zuko because he was Aang, a good person. She knew he would only want her happiness, because that's what he had always wanted…to the very end.

THE END