First Naruto, then Avatar! I'm really branching out here! Well, this was inspired by my fear that Katara and Zuko would fall for each other. It was a nightmare…literally speaking. AND ZUKO NEEDS TO GET SOME SENSE SLAPPED INTO THAT THICK HEAD OF HIS!!! Eh...hehe…sorry. The season finale had me pretty mad at him…again…and just when I was starting to like him…again…why must he be so dumb! And don't even get me started on Azula…
Disclaimer: We interrupt this angry rant to inform all you readers out there that Kinkatia, though she may have seen every episode, does not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Thank you.
Kinkatia: uh…I think orangepencils's Disclaimer is following me…
It Was Never Meant To Be
Long ago, there was a noble prince in an impoverished land. An enemy nation had been raiding the towns and holing the major cities under siege. The people were suffering from famine and disease. The only way to save the poverty-stricken kingdom was to form a truce with the attacking country. But the rulers of the enemy nation wanted only one thing in return for leaving the stricken kingdom in peace; the prince was to marry their daughter, and leave his land for all time.
The prince, however, had other plans. He had fallen in love with a peasant woman. She was brave and strong, even in the threat of a full-out war. All her energies went to helping those around her. She loved the prince in return, and believed with all her heart that once he was king, he would save the dying kingdom.
The prince's father did not approve of his son's love, and willingly arranged for him to marry the foreign princess. When he delivered the news, the prince fled from his home, determined not to be separated from the woman he loved. They made plans to flee and be married where they were safe from the king.
On the day they had chosen, they met at the outskirts of the city. But the prince's younger sister, being as cruel as her father, had betrayed him. Before the lovers could escape, soldiers sent by the king himself arrived, tearing them from each other's arms. They struggled valiantly, desperately trying to reach each other, but to no avail. The woman was taken away, and the prince returned to his father. But they had vowed to find each other again, in this life or the next.
The king had the woman punished severely for treason, and her family killed when they attempted to rescue her. The prince was sent away to the other nation, to fulfill the terms of the treaty. But when he arrived, he attacked the royal family, almost succeeding in killing the king. Upon his escape, he was announced a traitor, and any who harbored him would be put to a cruel and merciless death.
Alas, the two lovers were never meant to be together. The woman had no way of finding the prince, and he could not return to his home to find her. But for the rest of their lives, they were haunted by the memory of that tragic day when they were torn from each other, never to meet again.
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All was silent around the campsite. Well, almost silent. Sokka was snoring loudly, loud enough to drown out Appa's snores. Momo, somehow sleeping through everything, was being used to cover Toph's ears. And Aang was sleeping peacefully, drooling happily as he dreamed of yummy things to eat. Iroh had removed himself from the others before settling down, and for the first time ever, was not snoring at all. Must be due to the strange plant he boiled into tea earlier…
Katara got up and, casting one glance at the others, snuck off into the forest. He'd been following them closely all day, watching them. Watching her. She could feel it in her very soul. That was part of the connection they had. But if the others knew about it, they wouldn't understand. None of them could understand.
"Katara."
She turned around, and he was there, smiling lovingly at her. She embraced him, tears stinging at her eyes. "Zuko...I've missed you so much."
"I'm here now," he whispered in her ear. "I wish you could come with me."
"I know," she said sadly. "And I will, after Aang defeats the Fire Lord. I promised to help him."
"I only wish I could help, too, if only to be with you."
They stood quietly together in each other's arms, listening to the wind blowing through the trees. After a time, Zuko spoke. "There's something I want to show you." Katara nodded, allowing him to take her hand and lead her further into the forest. They came upon a lake, glistening in the light of a full moon. Fireflies danced all around them, little green specks of light in a silver-blue world.
"It's beautiful," Katara whispered, leaning on Zuko. Together they sat down by the water's edge, silently watching the starry sky. It was the quiet moments like this that they both enjoyed most, that made their separation easier to bear. They didn't need to talk; their connection was deep, and each could easily tell what the other was feeling. It was a type of telepathy so pure that it had no explanation, no way of being understood. It just was, and that was all that mattered.
Off in the distance, they heard someone calling out Katara's name. "You should be getting back," Zuko whispered sadly. "Before your friends start to worry."
"Stay close?" Katara pleaded. "I can't stand not being near to you."
"Of course," he replied, kissing her sweetly. "Be strong, Katara. I'll see you again soon." With that, he had disappeared into the trees, leaving Katara behind, tears in her eyes.
Slowly, she rose from the ground and headed back to camp. Halfway, she ran into Aang. "Where'd you go, Katara?" he asked worriedly.
"I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk," she lied, walking past him. "But I'm tired now. Let's get back to camp and get some shuteye.
The next day was as normal as every other day. Iroh continued training Aang in the art of firebending, while Toph and Sokka argued. Katara was unusually quiet, though no one noticed it. After all, Toph was filling the void with hurling rocks at a screaming Sokka. That would distract just about anybody.
Needing supplies, they moved on, coming across a small town. They couldn't stay long, however. The fire nation had sent soldiers everywhere looking for Aang, and it was safer to keep moving. So by nightfall, they were out in the forest again, setting up camp. That's when Toph made the announcement that chilled Katara to the bone.
"Someone's following us."
"What?" Sokka exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us earlier, while we still had time to get away?"
"Because it's only one person, maybe two. Whoever it is, they're riding an ostrich horse. I thought maybe it was just a traveler going the same way as us, but even after we left the path, they've kept a steady distance." She delivered the news calmly, as if it didn't really matter.
"Could it be someone from the fire nation?" Aang asked.
"Maybe," Iroh put in. "But I doubt it. If so, we would have already been attacked."
"Couldn't it be Azula, though? She's smarter than the rest of the fire nation's goons," Sokka said with his mouth full of meat.
"No. If I know anything about Azula, it's that she'd never stoop to riding an ostrich horse. She feels they aren't majestic enough for royalty."
"And besides," Toph added. "She would've come after us last night."
"You mean whoever this person is, they've been following us since yesterday?" Aang asked, surprised.
"Yep."
"If this person meant any harm, I think we would have known it by now," Katara said reasonably.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Sokka agreed, still stuffing his face.
"Even so," Iroh said wisely. "We should be very careful tonight."
Katara snuck off again once she was sure everyone was asleep. She had to warn Zuko, before he was caught. He was there, waiting for her. Sensing her distress, he immediately embraced her, stroking her hair until she had calmed down enough to speak.
"Toph discovered you," she whispered urgently. "She doesn't know it's you, but everyone's on edge now that they know we're being followed. It isn't safe anymore!"
"I'll have to go then," he whispered sadly.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she sobbed, unable to hold back her tears. "I love you, Zuko; don't forget that while we're apart."
He raised her head, looking deep into her compassionate eyes. "I love you, too, Katara. That will never change." He leaned in toward her, and she leaned toward him. Their lips met, and all their love poured into one another. They became lost in that love, oblivious to the world around them.
"Katara?"
They broke apart, startled. Aang was standing nearby, staring at them in disbelief. No one moved for what felt like hours, the tension growing. The silence was broken by Toph, Iroh and Sokka arriving. "Okay, hold on a minute," Sokka said, looking from Aang to Katara and Zuko, confused. "What is going on here?"
"Katara," Aang said again, sounding hurt. "How could you?"
"Zuko," Iroh sighed. "It is as I thought; you were the one following us."
"Him?" exclaimed Sokka. Shaking his head to regain his cool, he stepped forward. "Alright, step away from my sister, and we'll go easy on you."
"I'm going," Zuko whispered to Katara.
She clung to him tighter, starting to cry all over again. "I'm coming with you," she whispered back. "Now that they know…"
Together, the two of them ran, trying to escape. But it was to no avail; Toph lifted a wall of earth in front of them, blocking their path. "What are you thinking, hanging around with this traitor? Have you forgotten what he did at Ba Sing Se?" she asked.
"I don't care about any of that!" Katara cried tearfully. "I love him!" She held onto Zuko even tighter, knowing what was coming next. Not even Zuko's strong arms around her could ease her fears.
There was nothing wither of them could do. Though Iroh did not see reason to get involved, and Aang was too heartbroken to care, Sokka and Toph were enough to tear them apart. They struggled, doing everything within their power short of hurting them, but it was to no avail.
As Katara was dragged away, she called out to Zuko one last time. "I'll find you again, I promise, whether it be in this life or the next!"
If only they knew, that it was never meant to be.
I am so evil! I wrote about the very concept I despise! And now poor Aang is heartbroken, Katara and Zuko will never be together again, Iroh feels terrible, Toph will never trust Katara again, and Sokka is traumatized. Poor them. At least I got it done! Hooray! So, review, even if you don't like it. Unless you have nothing to say. In that case, I give you a great big "Tsk, tsk, tsk!"