A companion piece to Conversation by Firelight (Sokka & Zuko). This was a challenge to write as dialogue-only; I started writing in exposition and action multiple times, but I wanted to see if it was possible to translate the implications through only conversation. Hopefully it works.

Written as gen, but you can see Katara/Zuko if you wish. Set a couple years after the end of A:TLA.

(Also, when did this site change its doc uploader? The copy and paste box is absolutely tiny. D: I am much confused!)

"That was impressive—whoa! Hey. Katara, it's just me."

"Zuko! You startled me."

"Sorry. I've been here for a while, you know."

"You have? How long?"

"Long enough to watch you finish the last couple katas. You seemed pretty caught up in it, and I didn't want to disturb you in the middle of practice."

"Oh. I didn't notice…"

"Yes, I figured. I wonder what the power of the full moon feels like to you? If it's anything similar to what we feel at the summer solstice, it must be pretty intense. I wonder which is stronger."

"The full moon would win, no question about it."

"You sound very certain about that."

"There's just no possible comparison! Sozin's Comet might rival it, but I doubt anything else could."

"That's a bold claim."

"Hey! Remember our first fight here? That was a full moon, and I destroyed you with ease."

"Was it? I was too busy tunneling through the ice to really notice. Although I recall that once the sun rose, I took you out fairly easily…"

"I'd barely started training then! You've had years of experience on me. For a beginner, I did pretty well."

"I think that for someone who'd been swimming through freezing water, I did pretty well, too."

"Hmph. Well, I'd demand a rematch, but that's probably a pretty dumb idea, isn't it? Considering that we're at a peace summit and everything. You know, I'm surprised they let you into the Spirit Oasis in the first place."

"I'm surprised, too. I didn't think they would, but I suspect that your Master Pakku might have something to do with it. He played pai sho with Uncle over tea earlier, and that's probably some White Lotus secret ritual. Actually, it almost definitely is a White Lotus secret ritual."

"Then it's a good thing that your uncle came, isn't it?"

"It makes things a lot less awkward, at least. It's still a little strange to think that they've known each other all this time, even during the worst times of the war."

"Yes! And Sokka's master Piandao, and Aang's old friend Bumi…all old people really do know each other. Just think that might be us someday. We'd be the old masters."

"Huh. There's a terrifying thought."

"Are you scared of the old part or the masters part?"

"Just the everything part, really. It's strange to imagine myself getting old—or any of us, for that matter. Can you imagine an old Toph?"

"Oh, she would be just like Bumi! Except less crazy. Hopefully."

"And less snorting would be nice."

"Okay, so Bumi is rather strange. But he's helped us out when we've really needed it, and he's wise in his own way. And you can't deny that he's an amazingly powerful earthbender!"

"He did take back Omashu by bending only with his chin. That's impressive."

"With any luck that might be you someday."

"The chin bending? Or the snorting? Being captured? Or the rampaging of cities?"

"The oldness, Zuko. And maybe, if we're very lucky, the wisdom."

"…"

"That's something to hope for, isn't it?"

"I think that you'd be much better at that than me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just…I can imagine you being an older version of Uncle. I mean, an older version of yourself. You know what I mean. That was some amazing bending you were doing earlier."

"Wisdom isn't just about bending, you know."

"What you said is wisdom right there, isn't it? At least, it sounded a lot like what Uncle would say. That's a compliment, relax. Are you always this restless on full moon nights?"

"Aren't firebenders restless during the summer solstice?"

"Yes. The solstice festival starts from sunrise, and most people don't go to bed at all. Those who try to have to put up with fireworks and parties all night long. And I did notice a lot of Water Tribe people up and awake tonight, in case you were wondering, but I was asking about you in particular."

"Normally yes, and this is the Spirit Oasis, which makes it even more intense. It's hard to not feel powerful here in the heart of the Water Tribes. You can feel it too, right?"

"It's very peaceful. That's Tui and La in the pool, right? Uncle told me the story of how the moon and ocean spirits crossed over into our world."

"That's them. Commander Zhao killed Tui during the invasion of the north, and the moon went out. Then your uncle attacked him, and he fled like the coward he was."

"Huh. Well, he didn't run far, if that makes you feel better."

"Oh?"

"I fought Zhao after the moon went out. I might have won, but we were interrupted by this giant watery arm that pulled him into the ocean."

"Oh! That must have been La taking revenge. Serves him right."

"That clarifies things somewhat. I was always kind of confused as to what was going on. At any rate, I've never liked Zhao, and I was only too happy to fight him. I did feel a little bad about how he died, though. If he hadn't been so stubborn, he might still be alive today."

"Ugh. I'm glad he's gone. Our friend Yue had to give up her life to bring the moon back. I guess in a sense she is the moon now, but…"

"That's the person that Sokka was in love with before Suki, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"We talked about it some. It's clear that he still misses her."

"Yes, she was. Yue loved him back too. I mean, she was a princess and obviously Sokka isn't, but I think they could have made it work. He was pretty broken up about her death for a long time. I'm glad he met Suki. She's been good for him."

"The Kyoshi Warriors certainly have been invaluable allies to us at the Fire Nation palace."

"Is that diplomatic talk? That sounded very formal."

"Maybe a little. But I'm glad Mai thought to bring them to the palace; they're some of the best guards I could hope for. And Ty Lee's certainly seems to be enjoying herself, at least. Apparently her aura is the pinkest it's ever been."

"That's great to hear! …and you don't look very happy. What's wrong? You said they're great guards, right?"

"I did sort of burn down Suki's village back in…well, before I understood what honor really meant. I keep meaning to make reparations, but things just keep coming up. Next time we visit the Earth Kingdom, I'll have to come up with some sort of formal payment. Add that to the payments that we're giving to the Water Tribes at this summit."

"Well, you did sort of attack us at the South Pole. I mean, just you personally that one time, but we've been raided for years before that. And the Fire Nation did invade the North."

"I'm aware of that. Thanks for reminding me."

"Zuko. It'll get better, I promise. No one blames you, or at least no one should."

"Sometimes I wonder if it'll ever end. The Fire Nation has so many debts to pay: to the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and not to mention the massive debt that can't ever be repaid to the Air Nomads…"

"It'll get easier with time. People know that you're not like your father, and they're willing to talk to you. They can see that you're trying, and that means more than anything."

"At least I can be thankful for that. It's more than we could have hoped for if Azula had become Fire Lord."

"Oh, I don't even want to imagine how that might have turned out."

"Horribly, I can tell you that."

"How is she, by the way? I know you found her after Hira'a, but I don't know what happened after that."

"She's…she's still unstable. I've moved her to Rook Island, where she'll have some space and more comfort than she would have at the asylum in Capital City. Last time I visited, she was shouting at Mother the whole time."

"And your mother wasn't actually there, was she."

"No. I don't think Azula was even aware that I was talking to her, which is a drastic step back."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"My sister's in an island mental asylum, my father's in prison...that's a recipe for a cheerful family reunion."

"At least you found your mother. That's something, right? And you have a new family now."

"It's really good to see Mom again, true. Kiyi's sweet enough, I guess, and Ikem's not bad either."

"I was talking about us, Zuko. To use Sokka's silly name, we're Team Avatar. Always have been, always will be. You and me, Aang and Toph, Sokka and Suki. Even if we're miles apart, we've still shared something special."

"Special. That's certainly a nice way of putting it."

"What? You mean you didn't enjoy our refined company? Were our living arrangements at the Western Air Temple not fancy enough for you, oh Fire Lord? What, you didn't like my cooking? Huh?"

"What the—that's not what I'm saying at all!"

"Relax, Zuko. I'm only teasing you. I know that complaining was the last thing on your mind."

"…I knew that."

"Sure you did."

"This may come as a surprise to you, but I've never really been teased before. In a nice way, I mean. Azula used to do it all the time, but her teasing was, ah, a little too harsh to be called teasing."

"Zuko, I hate to tell you this, but that really isn't a surprise at all. And I'm sorry you had to go through that. Sokka and I tease each other all the time, but it doesn't matter at all. He's still my brother, and I'll always have his back no matter what."

"That must be nice."

"Yes. I don't know how I would've gotten through Mom's death and Dad's leaving without him."

"Did your father leave to fight because of your mother's death?"

"Not directly. My mother died when I was eight, and Dad didn't leave until I was…oh…twelve. I didn't want him to leave at all. I know why he had to, but…"

"I'm sorry."

"I was mad at him for such a long time, but we've worked past that, at least. I'm just happy that we're all together now. I wish that Mom could be here with us, but…I'd like to think that she'd be proud and happy of where we are now."

"She was a very brave woman. A lot like her daughter, I'd imagine."

"Mom was a lot braver than I could ever hope to be. I still miss her a lot, even it's not as sharp with the passing of the years."

"I hoped to give you closure when we went to find the Southern Raiders. Did it work?"

"About Mom's death? A little, I guess. About Yon Rha…well, that's another story."

"About Yon Rha…"

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind my asking—what was that technique you used on the captain? I've never seen anything like that before."

"…"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I don't know if it's some sort of mystic waterbending secret or what."

"No, it's not…it's not a secret. It's, uh…it's called bloodbending, and it's exactly what it sounds like. A woman named Hama taught me. She'd been a captive of the Fire Nation and bloodbending was how she escaped, and…it's wrong, it's so very wrong, but I can see why she did it, you know? And I didn't want to learn it, but…I didn't mean to use it on that soldier. I was just so angry."

"It sounds like she had her reasons for learning it. Fire Nation prisons aren't pleasant, and I imagine for waterbenders that it becomes ten times worse"

"Maybe. But I still don't want to do it ever again. I mean, taking control of someone's body like that…that's wrong. No one should be given that kind of power."

"Then you're better suited than I am, at least. I think that if I had been in your place, I probably would've done much worse things."

"I did think about using it on Yon Rha. Just like I thought about killing him. I'm still not sure if I should have let him live, and no matter what Aang says, I'll never forgive him. But I'm not going to let him take up more of my life than he already has, and I'm definitely not going to ruin myself and my self-respect just to get back at him."

"That's a…surprisingly good way to live your life."

"Is it? I don't know. I still don't know."

"Well, I think it's good advice, at least."

"For what? Are you thinking about revenge of your own?"

"Not beyond…well, nothing I haven't thought about before. My own family's pretty messed up, as if you hadn't noticed already."

"I did notice. It's not very subtle."

"Sorry about that."

"It's fine. It's not your fault your family is the way it is."

"Yeah…you know, at the very beginning of my reign, I went to my father for advice."

"Oh, Zuko. What happened?"

"He told me…well, he said a lot of things, but it essentially boiled down to 'whatever you do is right, because you're the Fire Lord and the Fire Lord is never wrong.' And one thing led to another, and that was the war that almost started at the end of the Harmony Restoration movement."

"Ah."

"I've been trying so hard not to be him, to move past what he's done. What scares me more than anything is that I'll try so hard to not do what he'd do that I'd…well, I'd end up doing it anyway. I don't even know if that makes sense."

"You've done very well these past couple years. Aside from the whole maybe-war thing, but the point is that there wasn't a new war, right? As long as you keep trying to fix things, we'll be there to help. And not in an Aang-killing-you sort of way."

"That was unfair of me to ask of Aang."

"It was. But we're not going to need that kind of safeguard, because we're rational people. And we're friends, and friends talk to each other. Like what we're doing now!"

"…I suppose so."

"Just don't ask your dad for ruling advice again. I don't think Ozai's very qualified to speak on the subject."

"That's what Mai says. Well, she was more mad at me for keeping secrets from her, but when we first made up after breaking up—"

"You broke up? I never knew!"

"Obviously, we're back together now. It took a lot of groveling on my part, believe me, but she's right. I can't let him try to influence the Fire Nation's future through me."

"Good! That's definitely a step in the right direction. And you know, we've taken a lot of steps since then. This summit is one giant leap forward to a better future."

"So long as I don't accidentally offend the Water Tribe in some unspeakably obscure matter."

"Don't worry so much. Sokka and I will be there to help talk down any unreasonable people. And you can always ask your uncle to invoke secret White Lotus peace rituals with Master Pakku. Sometimes I think tea and pai sho are the true secrets to peace."

"Yes, I'll play a few games with people. That'll smooth things over."

"Don't let General Iroh hear you say that. It's more than a game and you know it."

"I know."

"Hey. Don't sound so down. They let you into the Spirit Oasis, so that means that they can't possibly hate you that much."

"That's definitely reassuring, not being hated that much."

"You know what I mean. This is one of the most sacred places in the whole of the Water Tribes, where the moon and ocean are in constant harmony. Everything about this oasis is sacred, from the trees to the air to the water. And of course, Tui and La. They're not going to let just anybody in there."

"It is very beautiful. And warm, too. I ddin't think that was possible here in the North Pole."

"Aww, is the little firebender cold?"

"I can adjust my internal temperature to compensate, thanks for the concern. It's just nice to be able to let my chi relax every once in a while. Don't waterbenders feel cold?"

"I've lived in the South Pole nearly my whole life. The North Pole feels perfectly normal to me."

"Fair enough. Do you mind if I take a closer look at Tui and La?"

"Sure. Look. Tui is the white one, and La is the black one. Push and pull, swimming an eternal cycle."

"Not unlike the cycle of the elements, I suppose. You know, killing the moon was such a stupid idea. Firebenders need the moon need just much as waterbenders do. I mean, spiritual connection aside, it's still very helpful to have the light of the moon to guide you on dark nights. I don't even know what Zhao was thinking."

"You and me both. Like I said, I'm so glad he's gone."

"Yeah. Hmm. The water's warm."

"Are you surprised? It's like everything else in the Spirit Oasis."

"A little bit. I guess I thought it'd feel different for some reason. Or maybe it would sparkle or something, I don't know."

"It's special, but I don't know if it's that special."

"It's definitely really beautiful. It reminds me a lot of the pond back home. Have you ever been there? I can't remember if you saw it the last time you were in the Fire Nation. Mom and I used to sit by the bank and feed the turtleducks. Last time she visited, we…Katara?"

"…"

"Are you all right?"

"Do you remember what I said to you under Ba Sing Se?"

"You said a lot of things under Ba Sing Se. And then Aang and Uncle found us, and then we fought, and there wasn't really much room for speaking after that."

"I mean before the fight, in the caves. I had a vial of water from the Spirit Oasis that I used to….well, I used that one to heal Aang after Azula shot him with lightning, but do you remember what I said to you before that?"

"You said…you said that you could heal my scar."

"Yes. Well, I mean, I said that I could try. I could try now, if you wanted to."

"…"

"I mean, I don't know if it would work. It's an old scar and already healed. But…it's a full moon, and I'm at the heart of the Water Tribe. My bending is as strong as it'll ever be. I could…I could try."

"…"

"Zuko?"

"I—I don't…"

"I don't think it would hurt at all. I mean, not more than getting shot at by lightning, anyway, and I got you through that, didn't I? It should be—"

"…no."

"What?"

"No. Thank you, Katara, but no."

"Are you sure? I thought you…I don't know. I thought you said that it marked you."

"It does. I never wanted it, and I never asked for it."

"Then why keep it? No one will think any less of you for having your scar healed, you know. You might get some strange looks tomorrow, but…the scar isn't you. It doesn't define you as a person."

"No, the scar doesn't define me. But the journey that began with this scar, and the choices I made—that is me. In some strange way, I feel as though…I feel as if I've earned it. It's a part of me that shows that I am who I am because I fought for it. And what I am, who I am—that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"You should be proud of who you are, Zuko. You've come so far since the day we first met at the South Pole."

"Well. I'm not so sure about going as far as being 'proud'. But I'm not ashamed of it, at least. And I shouldn't have to hide it."

"…you're right. You shouldn't have to."

"So I think I'll keep it. Thank you for the offer, though."

"I understand. If you change your mind, you can always come find me."

"I know. But I don't think I will."

"…"

"…"

"…You really have grown up, haven't you?"

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted by that."

"Flattered. Definitely flattered. I hated you so much when I first saw you, and I didn't trust you at all when you first joined us."

"I noticed. You made your feelings very obvious whenever we met."

"Yes. I don't regret that. But you know what? I'm glad you did stick with us."

"I'm glad I did, too."

"You know that if there's a problem, you can always talk to us, right?"

"That might be a bit difficult seeing as we're going to be thousands of miles apart on a regular basis. Not that the sentiment isn't appreciated."

"True. But you can always write. And Sokka and the Mechanist have been talking about some new communication device that should be a lot faster than letters. I don't really understand it, but it's supposed to allow fast communication between ships and ports. Something about controlling lightning in tubes."

"That sounds like it could get messy very quickly. They're controlling lightning? Lightning can't really be controlled; the best you can do is to aim or deflect."

"Sounds like you would be an ideal testing candidate for their new invention, then. Lightning redirection might come in handy when it comes to playing around with explosive lightning devices."

"Huh. Well, if this Fire Lord thing doesn't work out, I'll let Sokka know that my schedule's free."

"He'd be more than happy to recruit you, I'm sure. Not that I think this device will really come to anything: he's always tinkering with new toys, and most of them usually end up blowing up in his face. But with the nations combining forces, more things are becoming possible than they ever were before. It's still strange to think of, in a way."

"If the Yu Dao experiment works, then the combined nations will become commonplace. Someday there might be a world where the four nations don't even exist anymore."

"…that's almost scary to think of. I can't even imagine what that would be like."

"If it ever does happen, I'd be out of a job. At least I'd be able to take up Sokka's offer."

"Ha! Well, that's one silver lining. Don't quit just yet, though, Fire Lord. The world still needs you."

"I know. That's the truly frightening part. And I know that I'm hardly the only stressed one. Aang especially must be busy, seeing as he's the Avatar and all..."

"Yes, he's busy. We've got his back, though, Sokka and I. Just like we've got yours. I mean, I can't guarantee that we won't try to beat some sense into you if you do something incredibly stupid, but we'll be right there if you need us."

"…that means a lot. Really."

"You look exhausted. When's the last time you slept?"

"I slept for a couple hours on the ship in between preparations. I think."

"As a master waterbending healer, I can tell you that sleep is vitally necessary for your health. Take that as my first piece of ancient wisdom."

"It's hardly your first."

"Wait. Are you saying that I nag?"

"No…"

"Because I don't. No matter what Sokka or Toph says, I simply dispense good life advice, and the world would work a lot better if people would—"

"Katara."

"—just listen to me and—what?"

"I'm saying that I appreciate it. Really."

"Hmph."

"And now I am going to heed that advice and go to bed. I can already tell that tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"Fair enough. I'll see you in the morning."

"You're not going to bed?"

"No, I don't think I'll be going to sleep for quite a while."

"Ah. The full moon?"

"Yes. But you should go to sleep; you're clearly tired. Get ready for tomorrow's meetings."

"I will. Good night, Katara. And—thank you."

"You're very welcome. Good night, Zuko."