Dragons were the oldest beings and, therefore, had the deepest souls. At least, that is what Uncle always said to Zuko. Zuko hadn't really thought much of it at all until he met the Ancient Ones with Aang. After that moment, Uncle's words would never leave him alone. "The Deepest Souls…" It was like the title of some horrible romance scroll that Ty Lee would moon over in the library.

What even made a soul deep? Zuko had been chasing after that answer for a while now. Ever since he had beaten Azula and became Fire Lord, he had been wondering what qualified as a deep soul. Did Aang have one because he was the Avatar? Did his mother have one because of the depth of her love even through exile?

Zuko was pondering the idea of a "deep soul" when it was announced that the Gaang had arrived. All of a sudden, Zuko grinned like a child and rushed towards the gardens where he knew Appa would have landed. The servants all stared after their normally stoic Fire Lord racing through the palace. Then, soft chuckles would follow. The servants always seemed to like when Zuko showed his youth.

"Zuko!" It was Suki's voice that greeted him first. The wail of her newborn son immediately followed. Sokka and Suki had barely been married six months when they had announced that they would be having their first child. Zuko had received the scroll with elation.

"Hey Suki! Sokka! So this is Hakoda." The infant raised his arms towards Zuko and the Fire Lord happily took him from his mother. "So the first kid finally arrives."

"All right, Sparky. Don't give all your attention to the newbie."

"Good to see you too, Toph and Aang."

The Fire Lord shook the Avatar's hand. Zuko took note of the way Aang's arm loosely wrapped itself around Toph's waist. It was about time. After all… Aang and Katara had broken up two years ago and Toph's feelings had always been clear. The thought of the waterbender made Zuko look around. "Where's Katara?"

"She's coming on a ship," Sokka shrugged. "She had business to finish up with in Omashu so she said she'd catch up with us. I think she's arriving around dawn tomorrow."

"I can go meet her at the docks. You all will want to get some rest after a long couple of days traveling," Zuko offered. He would be more than happy to meet Katara at the docks. It had been almost a year since he had seen her. He had missed the annual summer trip to Ember Island. He had been en route when a rebellion had broken out. It was pretty much the only thing that could possibly keep him from a vacation with the Gaang.

"That'd be great, Zuko. Thanks," Aang replied as Sokka yawned obnoxiously... Some things never changed.

~.~

The next morning, Zuko woke before dawn and snuck out of his own palace. It really did get exhausting to be constantly followed by guards so he dressed in the kind of simple clothes that he had worn during the war, pulling his hood high over his head to cover his scar in the shadows.

When he reached the docks, he couldn't help but feel anxious. It was a strange feeling. Katara was his favorite sparring partner. The warrior he could most rely on in a battle. The healer who saved his life more times than he could count. They knew everything about one another and yet he was nervous.

As the sun rose, a ship pulled into port. Zuko felt himself straighten in anticipation and before he knew it, there she was. The rays of the rising sun glinted off the cool sea to bathe Katara in a heavenly glow. She was squinting, looking out for the welcome party Zuko knew she was expecting. Like him, she was garbed in simple clothing. The blue dress she wore was loose, yet hit every curve. Then, her cerulean eyes met his amber ones. In that moment, Zuko suddenly understood what "the deepest souls" was really about.

It was about the people in your life. The deep souls were the ones who brought people to them without even trying. They were the ones who understood that they were part of the world and who understood their place in it.

The deepest of souls were the ones were deep souls with a singular soulmate. And for the first time, Zuko knew why his uncle always compared him to a dragon. It had taken Zuko a while to understand where he belonged in the world, but once he became Fire Lord, he had embraced his role as protector, yet he had never felt complete. All the meetings. All the people. All the battles. He understood what he needed to do as a commander, but every success had missed something. It had missed Katara. It had missed the gentleness that surrounded the waterbender. He needed her calm. He needed her ferocity. He needed her. Diplomatic protocol be damned.

As Katara reached Zuko, he took two quick steps toward her, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. The waterbender tensed in surprise before quickly falling into his embrace. She knew what he knew. Maybe she had known all along. Zuko didn't care. What mattered was that they had found each other now.

~.~

The Ancient Ones had been red and blue. There is a balance in the world. Yin and Yang. Zuko and Katara fit into the balance the Ancient Ones had shown Zuko in the flames. Zuko hadn't known that they had opened up such a secret part of him. That secret part had given new power to his firebending. It gave him the strength to lead. And it opened his heart to being loved.