Hello All,

This is my submission for Zutara Week on deviantart. I had always wanted to do this, so this year I took a shot. Usually I am a Voltron writer, but I a in love with the Zutara shipping.

I hope you like my stories...reviews are welcome!

Zutara Week – Day One (Crossover)

Based on the episode of "The Southern Raiders"…I present…

Destiny's Crossover

Appa flies quickly over the oceans with a very determined Waterbender at the helm. Her eyes are focused, her mind clear of everything but the mission that she has set out to complete…no matter what. The sun is setting now…the dusky sky is actually very beautiful, but she takes no notice. Her companion stares at her, wondering how much longer she is going to be able to carry on. Once they got the location of the Southern Raiders, she has been hell-bent to get to them…to punish the man that took her mother away from her.

All in the protection of the last waterbender of the tribe…her daughter.

The young girl sitting on Appa's neck has never been able to reconcile herself with what happened…she has blamed the entire Fire Nation for her loss, but in her eagerness to kill the man that killed her mother, she has accepted him as her cohort in this revenge. His golden eyes rest on her back and he sighs…who would have thought that he would be the one that would aid her on this mission. Of course, he was the only one that knew who they were and where they could be found…but that fact that he was the only one to accept what she had to do was amazing initself.

"Katara, I think we need to land and rest for a while. We have been going for days straight…you need your strength."

A cold voice answers, "I have enough strength…don't worry about me."

Sighing again, he tries to reach her again, "You have rings under your eyes and you're exhausted. One night is not going to delay us…they will still be there. Whale Tail Island is their docking station…they are always there." He climbs down out of the gondola and sits next to her. He sees that her hands are gripped so tightly on the reins that her knuckles are turning white. "There is a small island off the left...we can rest there."

Tired eyes look at him angrily, but she turns the bison in that direction and begins to land. When Appa comes to a halt, Zuko hops down and starts to set up camp while Katara sits on his head still…staring out over the water towards her prey. The banished prince moves quickly to set up camp...building a small fire and reaching in the gondola and finding two sleeping bags. Once that is done, he comes over to her and gently tries to coax her down, "Katara, you need to rest. I have set up your bag…come down."

Almost mechanically, she swings her leg over and slides to the ground…stalking over to her bag and plopping down on it. He goes onto one of the bags that they brought with them and pull out some jerky and fruit, handing her some. She accepts it but doesn't start to eat. Zuko sits down and eats slowly, staring at her…wishing that she would do something more than just breathe.

"Katara…"

Dull eyes are pulled to his and the wish of seeing those eyes shimmer again passes through him. "What do you want?" she murmurs, putting her food down. What he originally wanted to say disappears at hearing her harsh voice. This is not Katara…this is not the eternally hopeful person that he has tried so much to get to trust him again. It is made clear to him at this moment that a crossover has taken place here…a changing of the guard if you will. He was always the sullen one, always the one to be so angry. But this is not what she is…this is not what she should ever be.

"Katara, we will find him…but do you think you will be ready?"

"Of course I will! How can you ask that?"

He lowers his head, needing to express himself without sounding ridiculous, "Because I have been going through the past few months remembering that all I wanted was some type of revenge for what I had thought I lost…only to realize that I never did. Hate is a powerful emotion to drive you, but once it's gone…"

Katara looks at him quizzically, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because even though I said I was going to lead you to your mother's killer…I am beginning to wonder why it was so important for me to do so, to lead you down a path that you probably didn't need to go down." He brings his eyes back to hers and feels himself beginning to drown in those oceanic depths.

"What does that mean?"

"Your destiny is along the path of good…you don't need to cross over into a much darker realm, like the one I am trying to find my way out of."

Katara snorts, "Now you tell me…since when did you decide to take Aang and Sokka's side to this?"

"I'm not on their side…I just don't want this to…" and he freezes. Suddenly, he doesn't want her to know how he has been feeling about her. When did this happen? Looking at her, he sees the beauty that has always intrigued him and he instinctively knows that killing this man may change her in a way that she may not be able to live with.

Katara stares at him for a moment, up until now she has been only thinking of getting to that man…avenging her mother's death. But now, she's listening to a person that had chased her for months, tied her to a tree, tried to kill Aang, and other atrocities that she doesn't want to go into…believing that what he says is sincere. Her gaze softens, "You don't want this to what?"

Zuko swallows hard, "I don't want this to change you…they need you to be the hopeful one of the group, I need you to be the hopeful one…"

"Really? You need me?" her gaze widens at his words, a strange hope fluttering around inside her. What am I thinking?

A small blush covers his face, "Yeah…well I…"

She laughs a little, "Thank you, Zuko…I did need to hear that." She turns to her bag and settles herself in to lie down. "Good night."

Zuko lies down and stares up at the moon. He never meant to let so much go about his feelings for her, but he was afraid of the downward spiral that she may ride on…he needed to make her aware of it. Her destiny need not cross over into that dismal place where she can lose herself…and it surprises him how much he doesn't want to see that happen to her. He closes his eyes and responds, "Good night, Katara."