Category: Avatar: The last airbender

Pairing(s): mainly Zutara, but also a little Sukka and Taang

Disclaimer: The Avatar world and characters belong to Mike Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

AN: First of all: I'm not a native English speaker, so it's quite hard for me to write into details... Feel free to correct me anytime! Normally only the first and the third chapter will be written in Zuko's point of view, all the rest in Katara's. Enjoy reading!


Chapter 1: Girls vs firebending

'Mom,' Zuko whined. 'Why can't I firebend as good as Azula?'

Ursa looked at her little boy. She knew he was going to ask this one day. 'Sometimes people are just more talented in something, so they learn things faster, Zuko.'

'Then why aren't I talented?' He asked pensively.

'We can't just choose ourselves. The universe made us who we are, we can't change that.' She wished Zuko would understand and added: 'You'll be better in other things than Azula. Between you and me, I think you'll get a girl long before Azula will get a boyfriend.'

'But I don't care about girls. I care about firebending! I wished the universe picked me to be the talented one', he decided pouting.

Ursa gave her son a concerned look. 'Why would you like that, Zuko?'

'Azula is always better than me, so she pleases dad more. I bet he thinks I'm a loser', Zuko explained.

'And I bet you can get as good as her! Practice makes perfect, you know.' She smiled and made her hand go through his hair. 'And about dad, there are so many ways to please him. You're his son, the next Fire Lord. Never forget that! I don't think it would ever cross his mind you're a loser. Nobody should think so about you! I would never do so.'

Zuko nodded and looked at the floor. 'Thanks, mom, but you saw his smile fading away when I tried to imitate Azula. I still think he doesn't like me.'

Ursa kissed her son politely on his forehead. 'He maybe loves you even more than I do,' she whispered. 'Now go to bed, will you?' She brushed through Zuko's hair again and pushed him kindly toward his room.

'Goodnight mom.'

'Goodnight Zuko.'


I sat right in my bed, covered in sweat, like usual.

'What is it?' Mai murmured.

'It's okay, I dreamed.'

'You had a nightmare again?' She asked drowsy.

'Not really. It was just a... dream. Nothing to worry about. You can go back to sleep.' I reassured her and laid down again.

As the minutes passed, I laid in my bed, my eyes watching the mild darkness of the night. As I heard Mai's breathing decreasing, I put my feet out of the bed, onto the cold floor. Without making a sound, I ran down the same way as I walked every night. Although it was dark, I knew where I was and when I had to turn left or right.

Every time I dreamed about mom, I felt that urge to visit her room and to inhale her perfume, which had never disappeared. It always felt like the room was calling me. And when I was in, I couldn't do anything else than watching the stars or the little pond with mother turtle duck guarding her babies all night long.

Today it was full moon. I wondered what was going on in the waterbending areas now. Once, mom told me waterbenders drive power from the moon, firebenders from the sun. I had already forgotten she told me so, but I dreamed it a week ago again. I didn't know where the dreams came from, what they wanted to tell me or why they made me upset, but I knew I dreamed them for a reason. I was taught there was no such thing as coincidence.

The first time I dreamed about mom, was back in Ba Sing Se, shortly after my fever. My uncle told me it was probably the result of an internal struggle between good and evil and in the end I would emerge as the person I was truly meant to be, but if you'd ask me, this struggle had lasted long enough. I chose to go home, so the struggle should have been stopped by now.

I liked all the memories of mom, but if I dreamed them for real and then woke up and reality dawned on me, I just felt so bad.

'Zuko?'

I immediately went into a fighting position as I heard someone behind me.

'I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you. I just thought I heard something and saw you weren't there. Mai took a seat next to me.

I looked out of the window again, but now I wasn't alone with my thoughts and mom anymore, the stars seemed to shine less bright. Moms perfume was gone, and instead I got a drowsy Mai observing me.

'What are you staring at?' I asked without looking at her.

'I'm just watching my boyfriend.' It sounded a little possessive.

'You like what you see?'

Mai pulled me down while kissing my cheeks, forehead, nose and eventually also my mouth. Her fingers stroke my stomach. I brought out a complaining groan, but she didn't pay attention to it and went on.

'Mai', I began.

She laid a finger on my mouth and started kissing me again.

With my mother in the back of my mind, I wasn't in the mood and I got of the bed. Mai gave me a sad look.

'I'm very sorry. This isn't the right place. I don't want to dishonour my mother.'

Mai stood up and pulled me toward the open door. 'Then let's go on somewhere else. I don't care. I want you. Tonight.'

'I'm not in the mood.' I pulled myself free again and refused to move any longer.

'So what is it this time?' she asked.

I sighed and walked back to my mother's bed. She would have to give up sometime.

'Zuko,' she complained. 'Come on, tell me, what's wrong? We're together now for months and I almost only see you at night. And even then you run away. Every night again you wake up because of a stupid dream and then you refuse to tell me what it was about.' Mai took a seat next on the bed again, put her arms around me and forced me to look her into her bright, golden eyes. 'You know you can tell me everything. That's what love is about. Or... don't you love me anymore?'

'Of course I still love you. It's just complicated', I murmured. 'What about you? Do you still love me?'

'I don't know, Zuko. Complicated it is', Mai whispered.

There was a long silence. Somehow I wasn't very surprised of not feeling something. No deep sadness, no heartbreak. Nothing what pointed out I had been in love with her. 'So we break up?'

'So we break up', she assented lightly.

A long silence fell. The sun came up and we still remained sitting embraced. Eventually, it was Mai who put an end to it and stood up, after kissing me for the last time. While walking away from me she said: 'Just in case someone asks, I broke up with you, not the other way around, okay?'

And like that, she left me with a smile on my face.


AN: That was it! The first chapter! Hope you like it! ;) Next chapter will be written in Katara's position.
If you leave a review with a question which could be interesting for everyone, I'll answer them in the author's note.

Review response:

sweetpotatopumpkin: How does the story match the summary? It was okay but I just don't get what is up with the chapter. Please update the story soon and maybe then I might understand alittle more?
Thanks for asking! Since I will use a lot of elements of the series, I thought you might like to know when this story takes place. Also, Mai and Zuko stay together in the series, so I first wanted clarify they broke up. It will be in chapter 3 or 4 Zuko and Katara actually get together and then the summary will become clear! Hope you'll enjoy! :)