So I have twelve inspirational quotes (one for every month of the year) and I decided to write 12 oneshots that center around them and are completely zutara. Yay.

Quotes are from Rodney White pictures. I don't own them or avatar the last airbender.

~Tomorrow is the future we make it through today for~

January – Tomorrow

Zuko stumbled; the blood trailing down hand was dragging his life with it, pooling casually in the dirt and quickly freezing. Slowly but surely he worked his way across the desecrated field. He ignored the corpses whether friends or foes they were all the same now. They were merely recycled atoms, once again returning to the earth to be remade into something else. Such was life. Such was death. Soon he might join those already there, frozen forever in the blood of strangers. He, however, had one last chance. The blue figure stood hazy in the distance, the chill and fog of early winter mornings that blurred his path to her was embracing her legs like a long lost lover. She looked bad, but not nearly as near to death as Zuko was. His head gave an immense lurch sending him spiraling to the ground. His hands made contact and a cry of pain shot from his lips as his injuries took their toll. He lay there, the red he was surrounded by was slowly disappearing beneath the black seeping into his vision and making it swim until he could have sworn he saw the faces of those he had loved, his mother, his uncle… then in a flash of clarity there were blue eyes, full of tears but clear as a full moon and then only black and words, fading even as they were spoken 'Hold on Zuko, hold on for those who love you.'

Katara had heard his pained cry and known who it was immediately. She had whipped around just in time to see his completely shattered shoulder give out, and his fall into the icy dirt. It had taken her mere moments to get over the shock of the imperturbable prince facing off with death, and then she had run, run like she never had before, and fallen by his side. She had called to her all the water she could, drawing water from the ice and even her own body, and attempted to heal him. Her tears freezing on her face added to her water, the signs of weakness adding to her strength. She worked until she could not, and then passed out on top of the dying prince, close to death herself.

Zuko opened his eyes. He saw fabric, sheets his mind slowly corrected, his sheets. He noted that he was at home, and he was warm. He wondered why he felt surprised, and then he remembered. The battle, the blood, the rebels from his own kingdom falling beneath his sword and Azula breaking out. He remembered the shot from her hand, the pain in his shoulder and he remembered the feeling of watching her die from his own fatal blow. He remembered her final laugh, blood bubbling from her mouth. Even as she chocked on that blood, she had looked at him, gave a hysterical laugh and muttered 'weak'. Then she had died. Zuko pinched up his face at the memory, only to realize his mistake too late. Only by lying completely still had he escaped thus far and even that small movement had set off the pain. It shot through his body and once again the black crept into his sight. But he remembered. 'those who love you.' And he hung on.

Katara had awoken soon after being brought back and healed her minor injuries. She had been only exhausted and her body had forced her to sleep, solving the problem. She had bolted out of the room though, realizing that Zuko was not so lucky, his problem was not only exhaustion, but internal bleeding, broken bones the cold air rapidly depleting his body heat. She had found him in the royal apartments with wailing women outside, the fire nation's symbol of mourning and death inside. She had run in and found him only nearly dead. Katara immediately set to work.

He had woken sporadically for the next few days. Always, it had hurt less than the time before. Now as he woke he could function fairly normally. He sat in up in bed, using his non-injured arm. He ignored the twinges from broken ribs, and the soreness of all of his muscles from multiple bruises. He glanced around and was startled by the waterbender sitting in a chair on the other side of his bed. He had not been able to turn the other way during his recovery, and thus had not noticed her before. She was asleep, curled up completely in an oversized chair, he legs tucked up beside her body, her head on her knees. She looked peaceful, if tired and worn out. He absently wondered how long she had been there.

He didn't know how long he watched her simply sitting there. Eventually though, with much longer shadows, she stirred and woke. She glanced up at him, clearly expecting to find him sleeping, but did not.

Katara did not realize how long she had been asleep. She was less than shocked to see him sitting up. He always had been more of a fighter than most realized. She beamed at him, proud to see him awake. She got up and move to the side of the bed so she could examine his injuries for other more serious problems she may have missed in her rush. She summoned water to her and began to run her hands up and down his arms and chest.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Fine, honestly, better than I could have expected." He raised his good arm to touch her shoulder. She jerked up to meet his eyes. "Thanks, Katara." She only nodded and set back about her work.

"You're healing remarkably well." She smiled up at him. "Are you cold?" She asked, pulling the sheets up over his wounds.

"No. Not really. It is January, so what else do you expect, but a little chill." He smiled.

"How do you do it?" She queried sitting back until her shoulders met a bed post, and then leaning up against it.

"Do what?"

"I've healed more people than the biggest abacus in the world could count. I lost track in the thousands, and that was weeks before I had even healed from a major battle, where I must have healed thousands more. No one pulls through like you do; no one could have survived those injuries but you. How do you do it?"

"Well, I have something to live for." Zuko answered thinking on his feet… er off his feet…

"What would that be, oh angsty teen prince of darkness?" She teased him lightly.

"Tomorrow."

"The future then…"

"Not exactly, more tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that. I may not have some grand plan, but I have a short term one. Survive. Don't die because tomorrow is worth that fight. There was a time when tomorrow was all I had, and even then I had to fight for it. So I make it through today." Zuko met her eyes, and was amazed to find wonder there.

"That's simply beautiful." She smiled at him, and got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Zuko asked, not wanting her to leave, and not wanting the pain to return.

"Don't worry. I'll be back." She walked to the door where she paused. "I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled.

"Yes, see you tomorrow Katara." Zuko went back to sleep, knowing full well, she would return the next day.

PLZ REVIEW! feburary will be more lighthearted!!! thanks. toooodles.