AN For some reason this prompt took me far longer to write a story for. Technically it was one full one and several start ups. Not fully happy with the result though, I might return to this one and write another one shit later on. Still, thank you for reading, I hope that you enjoy it and -insert disclaimer stuff here-.
Life was constantly changing and as a waterbender Katara knew this the best, still there were some things she felt quite strongly about. When a life changing moment came up it was supposed to be direct and obvious, preferably complete with enough time to weigh one's options and calmly decide. Technically she hadn't calmly decided to join Aang; she had been just slightly frustrated at that moment. She had however been able to think out her actions with Yon Rha, she had been given plenty of time to think of everything she would do to that man since childhood but she had changed her mind in the end. Katara accounted the quickness of most of the decisions to the fact that they were under a deadline and being chased during the majority of the time. Still, when a large moment was about to happen she had always been aware of it. Well, most of the time she had been aware of it, although she did figure it out later.
She had broken up with Aang; a big move that she knew would change her life as she had made it and carefully considered it. Letters had been thoughtfully written out to their mutual friends and to her father to let them know what had happened and reassure them that they were both fine. After that she decided to follow the typical steps of a break up since that seemed to work for everyone else. That's why Katara ordered up her favorite desert, closed all of the blinds, and as soon as her desert arrived, she tossed herself onto her bed and allowed herself to sink into the silk sheets. The fact that she was currently residing in the Fire Palace, officially as an ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe and unofficially as Zuko's friend who needed to get away, certainly came with a few perks.
She could only allow herself to wallow and indulge in her desert for so long before she found herself bored with the stages of a breakup. What was supposed to come next, anger? But why would she be angry if she had broken up with him? Ok, she could skip that stage. Was she supposed to cry now? After that absolutely horrible play she had become slightly sensitive about being called a tearbender and tried to limit her crying as much as possible, after all, she was a grown up now, usually.
She had to do something to keep busy and keep the boredom at bay. There was always work to do, except for now when she was searching for it seemed, she could practice her forms or go to the market and just look around. Calling some water over to her from a nearby basin she created different forms as she continued to lounge on her oversized and overly red bed.
Ah, how foolish of her to have forgotten. Although she had written her letters to her friends she hadn't written one to Zuko or General Iroh explaining what had transpired since she had planned on simply telling them in person. Perfect, something to do. Sending the water back with a simple flick she removed herself from the extremely comfortable bed and quickly fixed her clothes, appearance meant quite a bit in the palace.
Katara didn't bother to choose which one she would try and find first, she would properly talk herself into thinking she absolutely had to see one of them before the other, run into the one she was supposed to tell later and have her entire plan ruined. Now she had to simply decide to go left or right, left led towards the general and outdoor area and right led further into the private quarters. Really either one could be anywhere. Since she felt like going outside she turned left, it was up to chance now.
Servants passed her by with small bows and she smiled in return having grown used to it by now. The breeze drifting in and the scent of the firelilies in full bloom called her forward and made her quicken her step. When she had first arrived to the Fire Nation she had been a bit worried about how she would react to the weather. Mental images of drowning in the heat had plagued her with wonderful details and even mimes added in by Sokka. Now she was quite happy with her choice and had found herself adapting quite easily.
Katara found herself with a smile when she spotted Zuko by the pond feeding the turtle ducks. Was she supposed to be smiling so soon after ending her relationship? She couldn't be bothered right now, except for that delicious desert so far the steps to getting over a break up had proven to be useless and quite dull.
"Hey!"
She called out and promptly snapped him out of his thoughts. A look of surprise flickered across his face before he smiled in return and patted the grass beside him. He was still dressed in the clothes he usually had meetings in but his hair was free from his crown and he looked relaxed as he continued to toss bread to the turtle ducks. Katara joined him and after she settled down beside him he broke his bread in half and handed her one of the pieces. They didn't speak for a while simply feeding the turtle ducks before she broke the silence.
"I broke up with Aang."
She heard him shift slightly to glance at her but he didn't say anything for a while, most likely unsure as to what to say or do.
"Are you ok?"
He finally spoke up and she nodded quickly. After another glance he seemed to accept her nod as true. When both of them ran out of bread he stood up and held his hand out to her. It was such a normal thing for them to do by now that she didn't even think about why they were standing up.
"I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do but I know you have way too much energy to just sit in your room."
Zuko stared down at her thoughtfully. If Toph had put him in this position, not that he could see that happening, he would take her to some violent place to cheer her up. When he had broken up with Mai she had gone off to see Ty Lee which he guessed had helped. Katara however managed to confuse him.
"I've never shown you my favorite place in the city have I, get dressed in some simple clothes and I'll take you out."
Katara was ready to argue that he was bossing her around and that although he was the Fire Lord he wasn't her Fire Lord. She stopped when she noticed that he was actually trying to help and even looked a bit hopeful.
"Ok, it'll be nice to see you out of the palace after so long anyways."
She granted her consent and he looked slightly relieved which made her smile. Later that day when she was going to bed with her stomach full of genuine water tribe food and a smile still on her face she decided that breaking up with Aang was having a lot of positive side effects. Seeing Zuko eat a sea prune and then chug down his water had been worth it. Now she knew how to get over a break up, find Zuko and manage to talk him into eating the saltiest sea prune possible so that she could laugh till she cried.
