The blue fire raged behind them. The Fire Sages surged around them, talking at once, causing her head to hurt. They demanded that she leave, but she felt tied to him. She couldn't just leave him there, not when she had the ability to heal him to save his life.
Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks; it blurred her vision. Zuko looked up at her, a sad smile forming on his split lips. His eyes, usually so sharp, so full of vision, were covered in the thin white sheet of death. His arm shook as he moved it up over his chest, and his fingers brushed the inside of Katara's wrist, light as a feather. She choked back a sob. "It's okay," he whispered.
Katara shook her head, an endless stream of no no no rolling off her tongue. She narrowed her eyes, concentrating. And then Zuko exhaled, as if he had been holding in his breath for a hundred years. He smiled up at her, this time not so sad. This time, happy. Grateful. And maybe something else that Katara couldn't really see or understand just yet. "Thank you."