Haunted

(also affectionately referred to as Ghostara)

By Advocaat

"Zuuuukoooo."

Zuko didn't look up from the letter he was writing to an Earth Kingdom dignitary. "What?"

"I'm a ghooooost."

"I'm aware of that."

The air over the desk beside Zuko's parchment shimmered and then an opaque figure was sitting there, dressed all in white. Out of habit, Zuko scooted his work to the side slightly to make more room between them. He couldn't touch her, of course, but that was precisely the reason he kept his distance. He didn't need to be reminded that she wasn't actually here with him.

It had been nearly half a year now since Katara had tragically lost her life; not in battle with some strong foe, but to a court assassin of all things. Everyone had been devastated. Nobody had expected Katara to be targeted. Zuko, sure, or Aang, but not Katara. The poison was fast-acting. There was nothing any of them could do. Zuko had been furious. As had Aang. In fact, the young Fire Lord had never seen the Avatar so angry. Were it not for his uncle's interference, Zuko was convinced the peace-loving boy would've been right beside him as he sent the assassin to meet his maker, but as it was, neither of them got that pleasure and the man was sentenced to life at the bottom of one of the Fire Nation's most notorious prisons.

On the eve of her sending, Zuko had bade his final farewell to Katara before he, along with her brother and all of their friends, had cast her body to sea, taking with her his hopes for a future that was no longer possible.

That was then, but...

Katara huffed and leaned over his letter, scanning its contents disinterestedly. "You know that guy is just trying to bully you, right? You don't have to give him that much."

Zuko smiled slightly. "Yes. But I can use my generosity as leverage later," he said, rewetting his brush and starting on the next line.

"You're a terrible person."

He just shrugged and continued writing.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes before Katara heaved a sigh and declared, "I'm bored."

Zuko continued to write. "Then go terrorize Sokka."

Katara huffed again and out of the corner or his eye Zuko saw her toss her hair over her shoulder. "Haunting Sokka is pointless. He can't see me."

Zuko sighed at that. "Yeah, and because I can, you spend all your time hanging around me."

Katara lay back, her legs dangling off the edge of his desk. "It can't be helped. You're the only one who can."

Zuko finally set down his brush and looked up at her. She was lying on her back playing with a paperweight. "Why are you still here, Katara? Shouldn't you have crossed over to the spirit world by now?"

Katara set the paperweight down and sat up, crossing her legs. "I'm not ready to be dead yet."

"I don't think death works that way."

"Oh, and suddenly you're an authority on death?"

Zuko exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why did their conversations always seem to go this way? His friends were starting to think he was going crazy, talking to someone who wasn't there. Maybe he was. He knew, realistically, that Katara was likely just a figment of his imagination. The truth was, he wasn't ready to let her go yet. This specter was probably his mind's way of hanging on to her.

He stood from his seat and stretched his back. "Come on, let's go to the kitchens. I still haven't eaten dinner yet."

Katara smiled and hopped off the desk. "I knew you liked having me around."

o0o

They walked through the palace corridors in silence. Actually, they didn't. Katara yapped incessantly the whole way to the kitchens. Since her death, Katara had become a great deal more talkative than she'd been when she was alive. When Zuko had asked her about it, she'd claimed that she had a responsibility to make up for all the conversations she couldn't have with other people by talking to him more. Zuko privately thought she was being annoying simply because she found it entertaining and she truly had nothing better to do.

Zuko quickly nabbed some snackables from the kitchens and they retreated to his private lounge to eat.

"You've gotta stop holing yourself up all the time," Katara told him while he munched a handful of fireflakes. "You're becoming asocial."

"And whose fault is that?" he asked, frowning at her. "Whenever I try to be social, you go and make me look like a crazy person!"

Katara gave him a look of mock sympathy. "Being crazy is hard, isn't it Zuko?"

Zuko exhaled a long, suffering sigh and leaned back on his sofa. "Couldn't you at least make an effort to keep your thoughts to yourself when I'm in the company of others? I don't want people to start thinking I'm unfit to be Fire Lord."

"So far as I can tell from peeking at your family records, talking to yourself doesn't actually qualify as grounds for dismissal from this particular job."

"...Katara."

"Okay, fine," she relented, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll behave."

"Thank you."

Katara was actually silent for a while after that, and Zuko began to wonder if maybe he'd put her out. Truly, he didn't mind her comments. He definitely preferred them to the alternative.

His worries were proven unfounded when she opened her mouth and said, "You know, if you keep eating like that you're going to get squishy."

Zuko actually paused in his chewing to give her a look. "Squishy?"

Katara nodded and uncrossed her arms to point at his bag of fireflakes. "You never sit down to a proper, nutritious meal. All you do is graze on crap like that. That kind of unhealthy lifestyle is going to catch up with you one of these days."

Zuko raised his brow. "Why are you so worried about it? It's not like my squishiness affects you at all." Honestly, as a seventeen year old boy who exercised regularly, Zuko did not think he was in any danger of becoming, as Katara put it, squishy.

Katara turned her nose up. "For your information, it does affect me. I'm the one who has to watch you slowly turn yourself into a lazy lump."

Zuko rolled his eyes and sunk further into his seat. "Katara, I know how much you like to worry, but I don't need you to act like my..." he trailed off as he realized what he'd been about to say.

"Mother?" Katara finished, sounding put out.

Wife. He'd been about to say wife. "Never mind," he said, shaking his head. He stood from the sofa then and stretched his arms over his head. "You know what? I'm tired. I'm going to go to bed," he declared quickly, then promptly excused himself from the room, leaving Katara to look after him as he walked away.

o0o

"She likes you."

Zuko glanced at Katara out of the corner of his eye, keeping his movement minimal so as not to arouse attention from his guests. He surreptitiously cocked his eyebrow at her.

"The one on the left. She's been openly ogling you for the past twenty minutes."

Zuko cast his gaze over the two daughters of the ambassador he was currently meeting with. Both girls had their heads bowed respectfully as their father read off a proposal on tariff negotiations. "She's not even looking at me," he whispered back, carefully focusing his eyes back on the ambassador.

"Of course she's not now. You looked at her. Big mistake, by the way."

"Why?" he questioned curiously, turning his head just slightly to peek at the late waterbender.

"Because now she's going to think you're interested."

Zuko looked back at the girl in question, but her head was still bowed and she showed no signs that she even recognized his presence outside of the customary respect she was obligated to show him as Fire Lord.

He shook his head just slightly. "You're seeing things."

Katara crossed her arms and regarded him with pity. "Oh, Zuko. You're just so dense. Really, it's a wonder you made it this far."

Zuko's eyebrow twitched and he pointedly ignored her for the rest of the meeting.

o0o

"Say it."

"Katara..."

"Nope. You have to say it."

Zuko ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the ceiling beseechingly. "Fine! You were right."

"Of course I was."

After the meeting had ended and the ambassador and his family were dismissed, Zuko had been walking down the corridor away from the throne room when the young woman Katara had accused of liking him approached him. Katara had worn a smug look the whole time as the girl gushed about how he was such an amazing Fire Lord and asked him if he was currently seeing anyone and dropped not so subtle hints about how her hips were ideal for bearing children, and perhaps if he was free later, she could show him some of the other things her hips were good for.

It was at that point that Zuko had politely excused himself.

"So, are you going to take her up on her offer?" Katara asked, giving him a sly look.

"Of course not," Zuko responded, giving her a withering look. "You know I'm not like that."

Katara shrugged exaggeratedly. "I don't know what you get up to under the sultry veil of night."

Zuko's eyed her flatly. "You know exactly what I do every minute of every day."

Katara smirked slightly. "Don't be bitter just because you're a boring person."

Zuko flopped into his chair and crossed his arms grumpily. "If I'm so boring, then why do you spend all your time with me?"

Katara's smirk turned into a soft smile and she settled herself on the chair's armrest, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. "Because I don't mind that you're boring and asocial and gloomy. I like being with you."

o0o

That night, as Zuko lay in his bed trying to fall asleep, his mind was drawn back to Katara's words from earlier.

I don't mind that you're boring and asocial and gloomy. I like being with you.

He sighed. How he'd longed to hear those words when she was alive. How he'd wished that she would forget about her feelings for Aang and stay with him after the war. Forever. He'd wanted that so badly.

And then, one day, she was gone. Just like that. Poisoned while taking lunch with him and their friends. How long could he continue to pretend that this specter was Katara? How much longer could he fool himself with illusions? It was unhealthy. If he kept this up, he would turn out no better than Azula.

But she seemed so real.

He still caught himself trying to reach out to her sometimes, even despite making the decision to keep his distance. She would be doing something foolish, like walking on the handrail of a set of stairs or skipping around too close to the turtleduck pond, and he would unthinkingly make a move to steady her. Even after all these months, his body still reacted when it perceived her to be in danger. It was times like these that his fingers would seek out the scar on his chest and he would remind himself that no matter how good his reflexes were, they couldn't save her anymore.

What kind of sick joke were the spirits playing on him? Letting him save her from Azula's lightning only to rip her from him a month later with a bowl of poisoned soup. Right when things had finally been looking up for him, for the first time in his life, she had been taken, almost as if her life were the price for his good fortune.

He didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse that her spirit now haunted his every waking moment. But he thought that having her pester him for eternity as an untouchable phantom was still better than not having her at all. And maybe he was a bit mad for thinking that way, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

Although, sometimes he swore her ultimate goal was to give him a heart attack.

How many times had he been walking through the palace, minding his own business, when she had popped out of a wall right in front of him, or rose up unexpectedly out of the pond, usually accompanied by a bellow of "Oogahboogaboogah!"

And how many times had he then had to explain to those in the vicinity why he'd suddenly yelped and taken a bending stance for no observable reason.

She was going to get him locked up with Azula one of these days. It was only a matter of time.

o0o

"Geez, Zuko. You look like something the pygmy puma dragged in. Didn't you sleep at all last night?"

Zuko fell back in his chair and covered his eyes with an arm. "I had a lot on my mind."

Katara nodded in understanding. "To meet the floozy, or not to meet the floozy..."

Zuko lowered his arm and pegged her with an irritated glare.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop," she said, rolling her eyes amusedly. "So, what's on the royal agenda for today, your majesty?"

Zuko sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days. "The usual. Meet with whoever and then stamp my seal on some documents and then mull over a couple dozen proposals and separate them by 'ignorant' and 'ill-conceived' and then shout at some local officials, and I'll probably finish the day out with a nice hard spar to vent my frustration."

Katara crossed her arms and nodded as she ticked off his list in her head. "You've become a bit jaded, haven't you."

Zuko sighed. "My dad always made being Fire Lord look a lot more exciting than this."

"Yeah, well, his method of Fire Lording is the reason you have so much work to do now," she reminded him.

That was true. Ozai's rule had left the country a huge mess. Zuko had spent every day of the past six months trying to clean up after his old man. "Sometimes I wish I could just forget my responsibilities," he confessed. "Just for a few hours. All this pressure is wearing me down."

Katara frowned. "You're not planning to drink yourself into the ground again, are you? Because I swear—"

"No," he interrupted her, sending her a glare over his shoulder. "I already promised not to do that again."

Zuko had only been drunk once in his life, and that was just after Katara's death. It was the night her spirit had first come to him.

They had cast her body out to sea earlier that day—a proper Water Tribe sending—and finally, all the rage and pain had become too much. Zuko had locked himself in his room with a bottle of fire whiskey, fully intending to drink until he passed out. Or died. Either would have been fine.

He had sat on the floor with his back propped up against the bed, his bottle half empty and clutched in one hand as he cried silently, having lost the energy to do anything else after thoroughly trashing every piece of furniture in the room in his rage and grief. The thought of never again seeing Katara's face; never again hearing her voice, her laughter, her scolding; never feeling her fingertips on his arm, on his face; never getting to tell her how much she meant to him, how much he desired her; he couldn't stand it. She had become everything to him, and he simply didn't know how to live now that she was gone.

Zuko had never been a quitter. No amount of suffering and misfortune had ever been enough to break his will. The spirits had thrown everything they could at him and he had pushed through every time. Sitting there on his floor, his mind fogged by alcohol, he tried to remember that determination.

His eyes had slid to the high ceiling and he brought his free hand up to cover his face. "Enough already," he'd muttered drunkenly. "You win."

That's when Katara had appeared before him, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.

"What the hell is this, Zuko?" she'd demanded, gesturing around the battlefield that was his room and then looking pointedly at the bottle in his hands.

Zuko hadn't believed his eyes as he took in her outraged expression and her stormy blue eyes. Eyes he'd thought he would never see again. "K-Katara," he'd said uncomprehendingly.

"Obviously," she'd responded with a snort. "Now pick your ass up and clean this up."

"...what?" was all he could say.

"I swear, I'm gone for a day and everyone completely falls apart," she huffed crossly. "And for Spirits' sake, Zuko, put that bottle down before I smack it out of your hand. What are you even doing with that in the first place? You're the Fire Lord, for La's sake. Show some responsibility."

It had been under Katara's penetrating gaze that he had set the bottle aside and promised never to act so foolishly again. Since then, he had stuck to that oath. For so long as Katara was there to keep him on track, he wouldn't mourn her. That was the only thing he could offer her now.

The door to his office burst opened suddenly, ripping Zuko from his thoughts. "Hey, Zuko!" Sokka greeted loudly as he and the rest of their friends filed into the room. He strode up straight up to Zuko's chair and looked his friend over critically. "Man, you look beat. You really need to get out more."

"Told you," Katara piped up next to him. He ignored her.

"I've just been really busy," Zuko told the other boy, pulling himself up straight in his chair.

"No kidding," Toph said, making herself at home on a pile of books. "We came all the way to the Fire Nation to visit you and we've barely seen you at all. You've become a complete shut-in."

"Zuko," Suki spoke up hesitantly, wearing a concerned frown, "we know that Katara's death was hard on you, but it's already been six months. Think of what she'd say if she knew you were closing yourself off like this."

Zuko rubbed his temples tiredly. "Believe me, I know exactly what she'd say."

His friends shared worried looks and then eyed him with something a bit too close to pity for his liking.

"Zuko," Aang said seriously, stepping forward. "I know the pain you're going through. We all do. But Katara…she's gone now." His voice cracked on the word gone. "You have to let her go."

Zuko's fingers curled into a fist beneath his desk as he felt a sudden wash of anger at the young monk. Let her go? Aang made it sound like he should just toss out Katara's memory like last week's trash. "How can you say that?" he demanded, standing from his chair. "Didn't you love her?"

Aang furrowed he eyebrows, looking hurt. "Of course I did," he answered, his gaze meeting Zuko's unwaveringly. "And I always will. I know it's hard, but you have to accept what happened. You're just bringing yourself more pain by hanging on to her like this."

Zuko gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. Aang was right. Zuko knew he was. But moving on...that was something he couldn't do. Not now, anyway. Maybe not ever.

He forced his breathing to return to normal and lowered himself back into his chair. "I don't want to talk about this," he said, laying his hands on his desk.

"Maybe not. But you need to," Aang pressed. "We're your friends, Zuko. Let us help."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, Aang," he started, "I appreciate the offer, but I really don't need help."

"It's not that we don't trust you," Sokka chimed in, "but if you think about what happened to Azula, you're beginning to look an awful lot like she did right before she went off the deep end."

Zuko rubbed his temples and looked around for Katara, hoping for some help, but she'd disappeared. What timing. "I'm not crazy," he said exasperatedly, looking around at each of his friends. I hope.

"Alright, you're not crazy," Toph said, leaning forward over her crossed legs. "So then, who were you talking to before we came in?"

Zuko opened his mouth and then closed it again, unable to find a good answer for her. "Myself," he said finally.

"You're lying."

He growled low in his throat. "Then no one!" he snapped. "I wasn't talking to anyone."

"Zuko..."

Zuko looked around at each of there faces again, their pitying expressions making him feel like a trapped animal. He couldn't take it anymore. "Alright, fine!" He threw his hands up in the air. "I was talking to Katara. I've talked to her every day for the past six months. She won't leave me alone! And you know what? I don't want her to! I like having her around. I'm scared that one day she's going to finally leave, and then I'll really be alone."

With his confession out in the open, Zuko rose from his desk and brushed passed his friends as he stormed from the room. He needed to get away. He needed to think.

o0o

"Your Majesty," a servant stopped him in the hallway, holding a scroll. "A message has arrived from your uncle, the Dragon of the West. It's marked as urgent, sir."

Zuko slowed his breathing and regarded the servant with a quizzical brow. "My uncle?"

The servant nodded and handed him the scroll with a bow before respectfully retreating.

Zuko looked down at the roll of parchment in his hand curiously. It wasn't uncommon for his uncle to send him letters, but it was unlike him to mark them as urgent unless there was a matter of truly pressing importance that he felt Zuko needed to be informed of right away. Zuko wondered what had happened to warrant such a label. As far as he knew, nothing major was amiss in the world at the moment.

He untied the crimson ribbon and broke the wax seal, unrolling the scroll and letting his eyes scan the contents.

To my dear nephew, it read. I hope this letter finds you in better spirits than the last time we spoke. I apologize for the urgent marking, but I've recently discovered something that I think you'll very much want to see. Destiny does indeed work in funny ways.

I've boarded a passenger vessel from the Earth Kingdom and am on my way to the Fire Nation as I write. I expect to arrive within the week. This old man would be very happy if you would indulge him by preparing two rooms and a pot of tea.

And Fire Lord Zuko, please go eat a proper meal. You're going to get squishy if you ignore your health.

Love,

Uncle Iroh

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose at the last line. Not you too, Uncle.

He rolled the scroll back up and stuffed it into his robes. What could his uncle have found that would cause him to jump on a boat and come immediately to the Fire Nation? The last time his uncle had pulled himself from his precious tea shop and gone through the trouble of voyaging all the way from Ba Sing Se to the Fire Nation was after he'd received word of Katara's death. At that time, he'd rushed to the Capital to comfort Zuko in his grief, understanding how much the death of one of his dear friends would have affected him. Despite his promise to Katara's ghost, Zuko's emotional state had still been in shambles when his uncle arrived. It was largely thanks to the old man that Zuko had been able to pick himself back up enough to keep the country going during those first few weeks after her passing.

His uncle's vagueness about whatever he'd discovered made Zuko both curious and wary. The old man was up to something, he knew it. And why would he ask for two rooms to be prepared?

Zuko's eyes narrowed. If his uncle was trying to hook him up with a bride again...

His eyes widened then. Or, what if...? Could it be that perhaps his uncle had found his mother at long last and was bringing her back to the Fire Nation? Hope swelled in his chest, but he banished it with a shake of his head. Don't get excited, he chided himself. It's probably something else.

Still, with a new spring in his step, Zuko resumed his trek through the halls, his previously dark mood forgotten.

o0o

Zuko was relaxing by the turtleduck pond sometime later when Katara reappeared, equipped with her newest pester tactic. He knew he was in for trouble when she leaned in close and peered at him with a wide-eyed look of innocence.

"Hey, let's play a game," she suggested, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"A game?" he questioned, eying her warily.

"Yeah. You know, one of those generally enjoyable social activities that people who aren't boring and grumpy often participate in with their friends."

"I know what a game is," he informed her—grumpily.

"Great!" Katara said brightly, wiggling even closer. "There's one I've always wanted to play."

Oh, yes. This was definitely going to be trouble.

"It's called 'marry, shag, cliff'," she said, ticking each item off on her fingers. "It's simple. All you have to do is choose which three people out of our group of friends you would marry, bang, and throw off a cliff."

Zuko scooted away from her abruptly and regarded her with flustered disbelief. "You want me to what?"

"Oh, don't look so scandalized," Katara said with a scoff. "It's not that big a deal."

"Katara."

The white-clad phantom rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell you what, I'll start," she declared, lifting her eyes skyward in thought. "Hmm... I think I'll cliff Aang..."

Zuko looked at her with shock.

Katara giggled at his expression. "He can fly, remember? I don't think throwing him off a cliff is going to hurt him."

Zuko mentally smacked himself. Right.

Still, for her to choose Aang to cliff, that meant he was no longer a candidate for the other two options. This left Zuko rightly baffled, as he'd expect Katara to want to reserve one of those spots for her boyfriend.

Katara hummed again and lifted a finger to her chin contemplatively. "As for marriage…" She made a show of thinking about it for a drawn-out moment and then nodded. "No matter how you look at it, it's gotta be Suki."

Zuko blinked. "Suki?" he questioned, perplexed.

Katara nodded. "She's level-headed and reliable. A real bread-winner type. Plus, she'd help out with chores."

Zuko just looked at her skeptically, trying to decide if she were being serious or not.

"And finally," Katara continued, ignoring his look, "I'm gonna have to pick you to sex."

Zuko's eyes bugged out of his head and he blushed fantastically. "Me?"

Katara smirked and unashamedly met his eyes. "What? You're a good-looking guy," she said unabashedly. "And anyway, you're the logical choice. Aang's only thirteen and I'm not gonna do my brother." Her nose crinkled up in disgust. "Just no."

Zuko was torn between feeling flattered that she thought he was physically attractive and horrified by her flippant declaration of it. He spluttered for a good few seconds and then managed to come out with, "How can you just say stuff like that so easily?"

Katara leaned back on her hands and smiled out at the turtleducks swimming lazily about on the surface of the water. "It's amazing what happens to your inhibitions when there are no longer any consequences for your actions," she said. "No one can touch me, no one can see me, no one can hear me... It doesn't matter what I do." She faced him then and smirked mischievously. "Like this, for example." She sat up and took the folds of her funeral robe in hand and proceeded to yank it open, exposing her naked chest to him.

Zuko blushed fantastically and immediately whipped his head away, covering his face with his hands. "Katara! What are you doing?"

Katara chuckled. "Zuko, I'm dead," she reminded him. "I could walk around butt naked and it wouldn't matter. Even if other people could see me, I'm untouchable." She paused for a moment and then added, "I've realized that a lot of what motivates us to do the things we do, like covering ourselves up, is fear. Fear of getting cold, fear of our reputations being hurt, fear of being assaulted; but I don't have those fears anymore." Her face fell and her expression turned solemn, and almost...bitter. "I'm free."

Zuko felt his heart clench as he read the sadness in her eyes. This was the first time since her spirit had appeared to him that he'd seen Katara look so unhappy. All this time...had she merely been putting on a brave face for his sake?

Forgetting himself briefly, he reached out to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder but he was pulled harshly back to reality when his fingers slipped right through her. He yanked his hand back and cradled it to his chest as though he'd been burned.

Katara flinched at his reaction. She pulled her robe closed and turned away from him. "I'm sorry, Zuko," she apologized meekly. "I'm just causing you pain by sticking around, aren't I?"

"No!" he denied quickly, dropping his hand from his chest. The last thing he wanted was for her to get it into her head that he didn't want her around. "If anything, I'm the one hurting myself by pretending that you're still here with me."

He tugged his hair out of its topknot and ran his fingers through it frustratedly. "I've become a lunatic who would rather stay holed up talking to a dreamed-up phantom of his best friend than spend time with his real friends," he told her with a wry smile. "And I'm completely okay with that. If it means I don't have to say goodbye to you, then I'll gladly live the rest of my life this way."

Katara silenced him by reaching out and cupping his face in her faintly glowing, transparent hands. She leaned forward then and placed her forehead against his, and although Zuko couldn't feel any of it, he could almost pretend that he could. Somewhere in his soul, he could.

Zuko closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "You're not really a figment of my imagination, are you."

"No."

He opened his eyes and brought his arms around her, miming the embrace he so wished he could give her. "Please stay with me."

Katara didn't say anything but her hands moved from his cheeks and she wound her arms around his back.

It was enough for him.

o0o

"What are you doing?" Katara asked curiously as he spread fresh sheets over a gigantic bed in the palace's guest wing.

"I'm preparing a room for my uncle. He's coming to visit."

Katara smiled brightly. "Oh, Iroh's coming? That's exciting. You finally managed to convince him?"

Zuko shook his head. "No, he decided on his own. He sent a message saying he had something important to show me."

Katara smirked at that. "Like a new and exciting brand of tea?" she teased.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "While I wouldn't put it past him, I don't think that's the case. He specifically asked for two rooms to be prepared, so I'm thinking whatever he's bringing is more person-shaped."

Katara clapped delightedly. "Maybe he got himself married!" She paused for a second and then added, "Again."

Zuko shuddered and continued to lay out blankets.

Katara's expression turned sly. "Or he could be bringing you another bride. Remember last time, he–"

"Please," he cut her off, "don't remind me."

She giggled and hopped up onto the bed that he was still in the process of dressing. "So, why are you doing this?" She gestured at the bedcovers. "Isn't this the sort of thing you keep droves of servants around for?"

Zuko shrugged and pulled a crimson pillowcase onto a fluffy down pillow. "Doing stuff like this helps to break the monotony of my day."

"I thought that was my job."

Zuko smirked. "I'm already used to you."

Katara huffed and rolled over onto her stomach. "So, if you're doing this now, does that mean your uncle is going to arrive today?"

Zuko finished casing the last of the pillows and tossed them onto the head of the bed. "I don't know, but today feels promising."

Katara nodded sagely. "Zuko's intuition."

That earned her a scowl. "That's not a thing."

Katara smiled at him and reached over to mime ruffling his hair.

"Stop that," he said indignantly, batting at her hand.

"Well, I hope he does arrive today," she said, hopping off the bed. "I miss the old coot."

Zuko smiled affectionately and finished arranging the pillows. "Me too."

o0o

It turned out that Zuko's Intuition was right on the mark. The moment Zuko received word that his uncle's ship had pulled into port, he sent an order to the kitchens to have a feast prepared for the old general's arrival and had a carriage sent down to the harbor to pick him up.

Zuko delivered the news to the rest of the gang and the five of them, plus Katara, now stood eagerly outside, awaiting Iroh's arrival.

Toph was especially excited and she amused herself and the others by listing off all the things she was going to do the moment her favorite old man stepped out of his carriage. Zuko was battling with himself, wondering who it was his uncle had brought and trying not to get his hopes up that he had indeed found his mother and was bringing her home at long last.

Katara moved around him so that she was facing his front and smiled at him. "Don't look so nervous, Zuko. If you get any more tense, you're going to pop."

"Guys, I think that's him!" Sokka exclaimed, pointing off down the road. Sure enough, a red and gold carriage was approaching, pulled by a pair of dragon-moose.

They watched the carriage's progress as it pulled slowly up to their group and stopped in front of them. They all crowded around as the door opened and Zuko's uncle stepped out. He looked around at all of their faces and wore an expression of mock astonishment. "So many young faces here to greet one tired old man."

Zuko smiled widely and rushed forward. "Uncle!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around the portly elder.

Iroh hugged him back and then took a step back, holding him at arm's length and looking him up and down. "My, Fire Lord Zuko, you're looking leagues better than the last time I saw you," he said with a satisfied smile.

"And you're not looking so bad yourself, old-timer," Toph said, muscling her way between them and throwing her arms around the old man's middle.

Iroh chuckled and embraced her warmly. "Ah, young miss Bei Fong. You've become even more lovely since the last time I saw you."

Toph blushed and punched his arm lightly before moving aside so that the others could greet him.

When everyone had had a turn to say their hellos to the former general, Iroh cleared his throat and announced, "I'm glad you're all here, because I've brought someone very special with me today and I think it's only fitting that you all be here to see her."

Zuko sucked in a breath and his heart began to hammer in his chest. Could it be that his uncle really had found his mother? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Katara look him with curiosity.

Iroh turned back to the carriage and held his hand out to the person inside. "Come on out, my dear," he beckoned gently.

A delicate hand found Iroh's and then, to the shock and amazement of everyone gathered there, out from carriage stepped...

"Katara?" Sokka breathed, his eyes widening and his face draining of all color.

The group stood there, paralyzed by shock. Sure enough, the young woman now standing before them was undoubtedly Katara. She had the same dark, unruly hair, the same acorn skin, the same large, blue eyes; however this Katara's eyes were blank, void of any spirit. She gazed around at them passively, no hint recognition in her expression. In fact, she made no expression at all. She just stood there, doll-like, connected to Iroh's hand.

Zuko stared at her uncomprehendingly. This was Katara? But how? He looked over at the ghost by his side and saw her staring just as disbelievingly at the person before them. What in all the Spirits' names was going on?

"Katara?" Aang called to the girl, moving forward to stand in front of her. "Katara, is that really you?"

She said nothing and just continued to stare past Aang as though he weren't even there.

Aang frowned and looked at Iroh with concern. "What's wrong with her? Why is she acting so weird?"

Iroh gave the young Avatar a pointed look. "Look at her closely, Avatar Aang. You should know better than anyone what's wrong with her."

Aang looked back at this dollish version of their friend and examined her closely. His eyes widened and he took a step back. "Her spirit! Her spirit's gone!"

Iroh nodded, confirming his diagnosis. "This is only the body of your friend. Her spirit is elsewhere, disconnected from her flesh."

"But how?" Sokka demanded. "Where? She can be fixed, right?"

"Perhaps," Iroh answered. "The spirit and the vessel have been separated for a very, very long time. But if Katara's spirit were to be reconnected with her body, the possibility exists that she could recover."

Suki smiled hopefully. "So then all we have to do is find her spirit?"

"But where would we even begin to look?" Toph chimed in, holding up her hands questioningly.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to look far," Iroh said, and he looked Zuko straight in the eye. "Isn't that right, my nephew?"

"Zuko?" Sokka questioned, looking at the older boy uncomprehendingly. Then realization lit in his eyes. "Wait. You don't mean that all this time he really..."

Zuko ignored him and trained his attention on Katara, who still stood next to him with a shocked expression.

"That's my body..." she said, eyes fixed on the double in front of them. "...I'm not dead?"

"Uncle," Zuko said, looking at Iroh earnestly. "You're sure she can be alive again if she's reunited with her body?"

Iroh gave his nephew a sobering look. "There are no sureties, my nephew. But the possibility exists."

Zuko swallowed, his chest tightening. "And what if it doesn't work?"

Iroh stepped forward and laid a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Then I imagine that either her spirit will continue to remain here, stuck in limbo until her body dies, or she will simply die after both parts have been reunited, as a result of having been separated for so long."

A tense air fell over the group at Iroh's predictions. Aang scowled down at his feet and Sokka screwed his eyes shut, furrowing his eyebrows. Toph and Suki hung their heads and Suki bit her lip, mulling over the old general's words.

Zuko's hands curled into fists at his sides and he clenched his teeth. Why? Why, when he was finally offered a miracle, did it have to come with such a steep gamble. Having Katara be alive again was more than he could ever have hoped for. But the alternative was the thing he feared most in the entire world. What if it didn't work? What if she really died and her spirit left him forever?

Zuko lifted his chin and looked around at all of his friends. "It's Katara's choice," he announced, swallowing his own feelings about the matter.

Katara looked up at him and her expression softened. She took the few steps toward her body so that she was standing just in front of it and then turned around to face her friends. A gasp went through the group and Sokka rubbed his eyes disbelievingly. "Katara?"

Suki covered her mouth with her hand. "How...?"

"It seems her proximity to her body has strengthened her ties to our world, allowing us to see her," Iroh observed.

Katara's eyes widened and then filled with tears. "Guys..." she said, looking around at all of them.

"Katara," Sokka said again, tears appearing in his eyes as well. "You've really been right here? The whole time?"

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. "I'm so glad you can finally see me." Despite her best efforts, the tears escaped her hands and began to roll down her face. "I've missed you so much."

"I can't believe it," Aang said, shaking his head. "How could I not know?" He clutched his head between his hands and fell to his knees. "I'm the Avatar! How could I not know?"

Katara smiled gently at him. "It's not your fault, Aang."

"What is your decision, my dear?" Iroh asked, pulling her attention away from the distraught boy.

Katara looked at her body, still standing there motionlessly, as though waiting, and then back to them. Her eyes found Zuko's and she beckoned him forward with a hand.

Zuko stepped toward her and stopped an arm's reach away. Katara looked up at him and smiled.

"I've been a real nuisance for you these past months," she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

Zuko shook his head. "I don't mind."

Katara laughed, screwing her eyes shut as she did so. "You're too nice, Zuko."

His mouth turned up slightly. "No, I'm not."

Katara shook her head with a smile and then opened her eyes again, looking into his own affectionately. "No," she agreed, "I suppose you're not." Her smile widened and she said, "You're boring and asocial and gloomy."

Zuko scowled down at her, but before he could say anything, she stepped forward and stood on her tippy toes to whisper in his ear. "But I want to stay with you forever."

She pulled back and turned to the rest of their friends. "I've decided to go for it," she announced.

The group shared worried looks amongst themselves, but in the end, they all nodded and adopted determined expressions. Zuko, too, nodded to her and said, "If this doesn't work, I swear I'll find a way to haunt you."

Katara laughed and held her sides. "Was that a joke, Zuko?" she said between giggles. "I guess you really can teach an old panther-shark new tricks."

Zuko huffed and turned his head to the side. "Just do it already."

Katara's giggling came to a stop, and with a final smile, she turned around and put an astral hand on her empty body's shoulder.

All at once, she flickered and vanished.

The group immediately trained their eyes on Katara's body and waited with bated breath. The doll-like face blinked, and suddenly it wasn't a body staring at them, but Katara.

She smiled.

Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she pitched forward.

o0o

There was a desperate moment of panic as everyone rushed forward at once. Sokka was the one who got to her first, and he grabbed her before she could hit the ground. Immediately he pressed his fingers to her neck, feeling for a pulse. A few heartbeats later, he looked up at them and his face broke into an enormous grin.

"She's alive!" he announced, hugging her tightly. "Spirits of the ocean and moon, she's alive."

"Let's move her inside," Iroh said, ushering them toward the palace while Sokka lifted his sister into his arms. "Zuko, you prepared that room, I hope?"

Zuko nodded quickly and led the way as they all filed into the palace. He brought them to the guest wing where he and Katara had spent that very morning together preparing the rooms for, of all people, her own arrival.

Sokka laid her on the bed in the first room and they all crowded around, watching her breathe in astonishment.

"She's really alive," Toph said, her voice filled with wonder. "I can't believe it."

Zuko tore his eyes away from Katara's sleeping form and looked at his uncle. He wanted answers.

"How, Uncle?" he demanded. "She was dead. We all confirmed it."

Iroh shook his head. "Appearances can be deceiving, my nephew."

"She was cold!" he exclaimed, frowning at the old man frustratedly.

Iroh lowered his eyebrows and looked down at the slumbering girl. "I can't tell you exactly how this miracle occurred," he began, looking a bit amazed himself. "But if I had to guess, I'd say that it was likely her bending that saved her life."

"Her bending?" Sokka questioned. "But how?"

"Waterbending healers are surprisingly resilient," Iroh said. "I wonder if the coldness you felt wasn't her body isolating the poison in her bloodstream by freezing it out."

"By...freezing?"

The group looked around at each other, digesting this possibility. It hadn't occurred to any of them that her body's coldness could be anything but the icy grip of death. Such a thing was completely unheard of.

"So, you're saying that when we cast her off to sea, she was still alive?" Zuko said, horror filling his belly. What had they done?

"Precisely."

"But," Sokka protested, his face deathly white, "how did she survive all this time?"

Iroh smiled slyly. "It's the most curious thing," he said. "When I found her, she was residing in a small coastal village in the Earth Kingdom. An elderly couple had discovered her on the shore and adopted her into their household. According to them, she'd been frozen in a block of ice."

"A block of ice?" Sokka repeated. His face lit up and he turned to Aang, who looked back at him in realization.

"Just like me!" the young Avatar said excitedly. "She must've used her waterbending to freeze herself the same way I did."

"But then, why did her spirit leave her body?" Zuko asked. "Why did her ghost come to me?"

Iroh smiled a secret little smile. "Although her body was fighting the poison, she was on the cusp between life and death. Once again, I can't tell you for sure, but I'd guess that her spirit left her body in preparation to move on." He glanced at his nephew and his eyes twinkled. "But she must have wanted to say goodbye to someone very badly."

Zuko's own eyes widened as he processed his uncle's insinuation.

"You're right," a weak voice said from the bed. All at once, everyone focused their attention on Katara, who now had her eyes open and was looking at Zuko tiredly. "I wanted to tell Zuko that it wasn't his fault."

"Katara!" Zuko said, relief pouring over him. She was awake!

"What do you mean?" Aang asked, confused. "Why would your death be Zuko's fault?'

Katara looked guilty and she turned her face away from them. "There are...reasons...why some people in the Fire Nation might find me threatening. Given my position as one of Zuko's close friends."

Zuko's hands balled into fists and rage filled him. "That's why?" he seethed, furious.

Aang looked back and forth between them. "I don't get it."

"Don't worry about it, twinkletoes," Toph said, coming to their rescue. "Later."

"I should've known!" Zuko said angrily. "I should've guessed! Stupid!"

Katara pulled him from his self-beratement by saying, "Like I said, it's not your fault. I assumed you would have realized why it was me they targeted and would blame yourself for it. That's why I came to you that night. But instead, I found you... Well, I'm sure you remember exactly how I found you."

Zuko blushed and looked away.

"What? How did you find him?" Sokka asked curiously.

Katara huffed. "Being a moron." Her ire faded into a sad smile. "I remember thinking that I couldn't leave him like that. I didn't know that my body had lived, so I just kind of stuck around. It didn't take long to figure out that Zuko was the only one who could see me. Of course I was sad and lonely, especially at first, but Zuko needed me and I didn't want to move on, even if I'd known how."

Toph crossed her arms and blew her bangs out in annoyance. "So, all those times we heard Zuko talking to himself, it really was you he was talking to?"

"I'm afraid so."

Zuko let out an exasperated sigh. "She was a terror. She actually delighted in making me look crazy in front of people."

"I wasn't trying to make you look crazy," she defended. "You just made it too easy. I kept telling you that you didn't have to react to every little thing I said."

"You rarely shut up!"

Katara turned her nose up. "I was bored."

"Excuse me," a meek voice called from the doorway, drawing everyone's attention. "Dinner's ready."

o0o

It was later that night, after everyone had enjoyed an exquisite, poison-free feast full of laughter and tears and smiles, Zuko was settling into his bed, his head and heart still swimming from what had happened that day. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that Katara was really alive. He half dreaded that he would wake up the next morning and find out that today had been a dream and Katara was still nothing more than a phantom in his room.

He was startled by the sound of his door creaking open and he lit a flame in his hand to see who on earth was ballsy enough to sneak into the Fire Lord's bedroom.

"Zuko," Katara's voice called and he watched her step into the room and close the door softly behind her before padding over to his bedside.

Zuko blinked, perplexed at her late-night visit. "Katara?"

Katara shifted from foot to foot nervously and then said, "I'm not used to being apart from you. It's weird being all by myself."

Zuko looked at her dumbly. Was she perhaps suggesting what he thought she was suggesting?

"Can I..." she swallowed nervously. "Can I sleep with you?"

She was.

Despite his better judgement, Zuko scooted over and held the covers up for her. Katara smiled gratefully and slipped underneath them, settling herself next to him. Her weight caused the mattress to dip just slightly and even though he knew she was solid now, Zuko hadn't been expecting that; he was so used to her astral form and its lack of mass.

In fact, since Katara had regained her body, Zuko had yet to actually touch her. A part of him was still afraid that his fingers would go right through her. He could try, though. Right now. She was right there. But his fear kept him rooted where he was.

Katara seemed to understand his thoughts because she pulled one of her hands from under the covers and held it up between them. "Touch me," she commanded softly.

Zuko hesitated. Then he brought his own hand out and held it up to hers, leaving the barest of spaces between their fingers.

"I'm not going to disappear," she assured him, waiting patiently. She was going to make him be the one to close the gap.

Zuko's heart was pounding in his chest as he continued to hesitate, just shy of touching her. 'What if's raced through his brain, paralyzing him. If he closed that gap and his hand went right through hers, he didn't think he would be able to handle it.

"Do you promise?" he whispered, his hand shaking slightly as he continued to hold it before hers.

Katara's lips pulled up into a smile. "I promise."

Zuko took a deep breath, and, summoning all his courage, he closed the gap. The pads of his fingers met hers first, and then their palms followed, coming together like old lovers. He exhaled slowly and savored the feeling of her skin on his for the first time in half a year. A half a year in which he thought he would never feel such a thing again.

Without breaking their contact, Katara's other hand came up and cupped his cheek, just beneath his scar, and unlike the time by the turtleduck pond, Zuko could actually, truly feel her hand on his face. She wiggled closer and laid her forehead against his and Zuko could feel her warm breath on his face. It felt like life and hope and endless possibilities.

"Please stay with me," he breathed, drinking her in with all of his senses. All but one.

"I already said I would," she responded and her hand moved from his cheek to thread through his hair.

She tugged, gently, and that was all the prompting Zuko needed. He threaded his fingers through hers and with his other hand he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her, slanting his lips over hers desperately. She closed her fingers over the back of his hand and pressed back, kissing him even harder. He moved his hand from her head down to her back and pulled her on top of him, wanting to feel as much of her as possible. He broke the kiss then and freed his hand from hers so that he could wrap both arms around her and hold her close.

"You have no idea," he said, squeezing her tightly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Katara wrapped her own arms around him and laid her cheek against his. "Me too."

"When you died, I wanted to die too," he confessed.

"I'm glad you didn't. I would've killed you."

Zuko laughed and rolled them over so that they were both on their sides once more. "I love you, Katara. I'm so in love with you, I can't even stand myself."

"Well, you're in luck," she said back. "I just so happen to have a lot of experience standing you. And I'm fully prepared to continue to stand you for the rest of my life."

Zuko grinned and pulled her to him again, burying his face in her neck. "I'm counting on you, then."

Katara smiled as well and squeezed him gently. "You couldn't get rid of me if you killed me."

oO0Oo

Oh, my lord. That wasn't supposed to end up that long. Not sure how that happened.

Sorry if it seems really rushed and kind of choppy. I wrote most of this in bits and pieces and then had to find a way to logically string them together. I was just spent the past hour cringing as I read it over, but meh. It'll have to do.

So, this was inspired by a plot bunny that WhenIAmGone posted over at Promptbending. I've changed things up a bit from her original idea, but I hope it turned out well all the same. At first I wasn't gonna do it, but then it just kept looking more and more tempting and I cracked. All credit for the idea goes to her.

This is a bit of a monster oneshot, isn't it? To all of you who have been patiently waiting for the next chapter of The Confrontational Approach, I apologize. I was beating a really good pace with that chapter and then this happened. 悪かった.

I hope you enjoyed it, despite the rushed-ness. Please drop a review/comment if you have the time to tell me what you thought. Or even just to complain that I put TCA on hold to write this. You know, whatever floats your boat.

Ciao for now!

-Advocaat