Often I have been accused by my Kataanger friends of being too partial towards Zutara. While I agree I am an avid Zutarian, that doesn't mean I hate Kataang. And just to prove it to my Kataang friends, I am writing this Kataang oneshot. I admit it's my first Kataang fanfic or fanart or anything related to Kataang, but I will give it my best and I hope you like it as well. Crosses fingers

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the last airbender and this is a work of complete fiction.

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Its strange how the things that you keep searching for are right before your very eyes.

Katara has traveled nearly the whole world with her brother and Aang, searching for a way to help defeat the evil fire lord. Who knew that this journey would take her so near her heart than she had ever thought possible when she was growing up as the only water bender in the entire south pole? Days and months had gone by in a flash and here she was, at the threshold of the greatest battle that history was ever going to be a witness to, a battle that would decide the fate of the entire world, a battle for which she knew she was ready the moment she witnessed her mother's lifeless body lying in the cold merciless snow.

For a moment, the cries of her wounded tribesmen reverberated through her mind. Being too young to participate in the ongoing battle, she and Sokka had been forced to hide while the rest of her family was getting slaughtered by the invading fire nation soldiers. The frozen tears clinging on to her eye lashes as she had hung on to her brother in terror, shivering not because of the sub zero temperature but because of the consuming terror eating up her soul, she was too confused and frightened to realize that this one incident was going to turn her world upside down.

She had come a long way from being that helpless tiny girl to being one of the most respected and feared waterbender the world has ever known. And tomorrow she was going to make sure that no one would ever have to lose his or her parents again as a mere pawn in the ongoing senseless battle that has consumed the world for a hundred years now. She gritted her teeth, her hands fisting themselves. She was determined.

The cool night breeze gently ruffled her hair as she sat in deep thought. The whole gang has been preparing themselves for the big battle tomorrow and a solemn atmosphere prevailed over the entire ship. The last few days, they had been traveling around in one of Hakoda's water tribe ship, which was now docked on the bays of a secret island that Zuko had told them about. She had noticed how Sokka was trying his best to cheer up Suki but she knew he was thinking about whether he would ever be able to see her again. Toph's usual banter and insults had subdued to a unnerving silence, her sightless eyes wandering around everywhere and she knew she was thinking about her parents.

The whole ship was silent and Katara slowly got up from the wooden floor, gently stretching her arms. She had not seen Aang for the past hour and instinctively she knew where to find him. She walked over to the wooden steps leading up from her cabin. The creaking of the floor board as she climbed up the stairs sounded as loud as a stampede of a hundred comodorhinos but she ignored the noise. She shivered at the sudden cold wind engulfing her from the seas and pulled her robes a bit tighter around her shoulders. She walked over the docks, making her way over to a lonely figure standing at the far end, his shadow silhouetted against the pale moonlight.

She sighed, wondering how she was going to tell him.

"You don't have to tell him. He knows already."

Katara whirled around, instinctively getting into a fighting stance. She peered into the darkness, trying to see through the shadows and as her eyes became accustomed to the dark, she saw Zuko calmly looking up at her from the shadows where he had been siting. She let her arms drop by her side and wearily walked over to him, rubbing her head, trying to curb the headache that had been bothering her for the past few days. Zuko shifted over to one side as Katara slowly lowered herself next to him, leaning against the wooden wall. She looked over at him but he didn't look at her, his eyes lost in the clouds above. Katara turned to look up the sky too, the moon partially hidden behind the clouds as the night wind whiped around her, making her clutch her robe tighter.

" Does he?" she asked, still not looking at him.

Zuko didn't reply back but turned to look at her face. She calmly stared back at him, her eyes roaming around his familiar face, the same face which she once thought belonged to the enemy, the same face she had grown to accept as her comrade, her friend, the same face which had finally made her see that all fire nation people are not monsters after all. He nodded his head slightly and turned back to look up to the sky, his hair ruffling in the wind.

" So I don't have to tell him?" Katara persisted.

Zuko once again looked back at her.

"I did not mean it in that sense." He replied." I meant you don't have to worry about how you are going to tell him."

Katara knew he made sense in a weird sort of way. With her and Aang, things have always been left unsaid but it has always been understood. Even when Aang had kissed her before going to face Ozai during the eclipse, no words were later exchanged about that incident. She was surprised no doubt, it was not everyday that the guy you think is your best friend suddenly lugs at you and kisses you. That's what she thought in the beginning. She had been so concerned about everyone else that she never gave time to herself, to even think about her own feelings and needs. Others always came first.

Even when she finally realized what her feelings for Aang really meant, it was because she was thinking about how 'he' felt, not because how 'she' felt. The realization came as a shock to her, rendering her speechless. So long she had been searching for love and it has always been with her. She just didn't know where to look for it until it found her.

The tiny pang of jealousy that she felt in the cave dance party had been pushed aside as a reaction to seeing Aang with someone else for she had never seen him with that close with any other girl before. Not because her heart wrenched at the sight, seeing Aang so happy with someone else. A tiny smile etched over the corner of her lips at the memory. How naive she had been.

" It's not always that you find someone who cares so much about you." Zuko's voice brought her back to reality. She looked over at him. Was he talking about her and Aang or was he talking about Mai? She knew that the prince really cared for Mai, though he never spoke about her but she had grown close enough to him to know that he does.

"Yes." She agreed, nodding her head slightly. Aang had always cared about her, not that Sokka didn't. But with Aang, it was different. She looked over at his shadow by the railings, still and unmoving. Why didn't I tell him till now?

"It doesn't matter." Zuko said, his eyes looking where she was looking at. "What matters is the present." She nodded her head, looking back at Zuko, who gently smiled at her and stood up on his feet. He gave her his hand, which she took and he pulled her to her feet. She looked up at his eyes, so mysterious, she didn't have to read his mind to know he was thinking about Mai.

"Uncle says that love always finds a way." He whispered. " So don't worry."

Katara looked into his eyes. "Yes. You should remember that too." she whispered back.

Zuko looked a bit surprised but before he could say anything, Katara had already turned around and was making her way over to Aang. She didn't worry about it anymore, she knew she didn't have to.

The creaking of the floorboard made Aang turn around to look at her. For a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, they both just stood there, looking at each other, saying everything they had to say and yet saying nothing at all. Katara was not even aware who made the first move but the next thing she knew, she was in his arms, holding him like she had never held anyone else before. Zuko was right. You don't have to say anything. He already knows. The last thing she remembered before their lips met was that she was finally where she belonged, she was finally home.

Its strange how the things that you keep searching for are right before your very eyes.

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reviews are always appreciated