Sozin's Comet
I gulped when I looked out to see Azula standing across from Zuko. I had never seen an Agni Kai before, but Aang had told me that they were fought to a knockdown. I knew Aang was wrong about this one.
And this way, no one else has to get hurt.
Zuko's words rang through my head as I waited for the Agni Kai to start. It seemed pretty clear that he was prepared for anything to stop his sister.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother" Azula cawed.
"No, you're not" Zuko replied. His voice was quiet, like he wasn't happy about what about to happen.
Before I could even react, the battle begun. I started sweating almost immediately. I had to keep alert from some stray fire that azula was spraying everywhere. I had no idea how long the Agni Kai had been going on. It felt like hours. It was so hot, hotter than I had ever experienced before. How Zuko and azula were dealing with it was beyond me.
I was brought out of my thoughts by a sudden burst of heat that came right near me. I saw Azula using firebending out of her feet to propel herself around Zuko. Neither could land a hit on the other as Azula kept circling Zuko. Then, Zuko dropped onto his back to avoid a burst of fire from his sister.
I thought she had hit him, but then zuko started to spin and shoot fire out of his own feet. Azula fell. Zuko hopped back to his feet really fast. Azula spun away, crawled backed up and looked at her brother with wide eyes. I ran to behind zuko so I would be able to see what was going on.
"No lightning today? Whats a matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?" zuko shouted.
"Ill show you lightning!" Azula shouted. I saw the anger clear on her face before she started charging up a lightning bolt.
Redirecting lightning? Is that possible?
I was brought out of my thoughts by azula shooting that lightning bolt right at me. I was frozen. My mind kept telling me to move, but my body wouldn't listen. I was dead.
At least, I was until zuko hurled himself in front of me. I saw him absorb all the lightning and roll across the courtyard. He shot the lightning out of his body straight up before he collapsed, clutching his chest.
I ran right for him, but was intercepted by a burst of blue fire coming from above. I saw azula standing on a building looking down at me.
"Id rather our family physician look after little Zuzu if you don't mind!" she shouted before shooting more lightning at me. I had to duck and run behind pillars to hide. I now knew why zuko wanted to fight her alone. I was no match for Azula, not with the comet in the sky.
I kept looking around, trying to find water anywhere. I had to avoid the debris from azula blowing up another support column.
But she forced me back far enough where I landed on top of a grate. And found water. I started to plan my attack, but azula found me faster than I anticipated. I backed away. She followed me. Just as she was about to shoot me with lightning, I shot the water out of grate and froze it around both of us.
I unfroze the water directly around me and I chained azula to the grate. I unfroze all the water and we both felt the air rush back into our systems. When I was content in knowing that azula was trapped, I ran back to Zuko and started healing his chest.
"Thank you, Katara" he whispered.
"I think im the one who should be thanking you" I replied. I started to feel tears in my eyes form and I helped him sit up. As he did, he grunted and i grabbed both of his shoulders. As I did that, he put one arm around me and pulled me close enough to press his lips to mine. At first, I was shocked and didn't respond, but I melted into the kiss soon after. Zuko broke the kiss quicker than I wanted, groaning as he clutched at his chest again.
"I'm sorry, Katara. Ive wanted to do that ever since the incident with the pirates" Zuko whispered. I couldn't believe he said that. The shock had to be clear on my face. I couldn't say anything, I just wrapped my arms around Zuko's shoulders and clutched him as tight as I could.
I helped him to his feet and we walked closer to Azula. When she saw Zuko standing in front of her, Azula started to lose her mind. She started crying and throwing fire out of her mouth. Zuko hung his head and turned away from his sister. He started to walk toward the palace. A few steps in, he stumbled and I stabilized him.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"It's not over until we know what happened with my father" Zuko told me. I walked into the palace with him, my mind wandering. Zuko told the priests something as we passed them, but I didn't think about it.
Next thing I knew, I was sitting down on a bed. There were clothes next to me. Zuko walked through another door into another room. I didn't even change into the clothes Zuko had left for me before I fell asleep, the stress of the day taking over.
Two days later, we heard that Iroh had led The Order of the White Lotus to a victory in reclaiming Ba Sing Se. But, we still heard nothing from Aang. Nothing from Sokka, Toph, or Suki either.
The next day, three days after Sozin's Comet, a fire nation airship came flying near the palace. Zuko was still hurt, but he prepared himself for a fight.
Toph came out first and jumped into Zuko, making him grunt in pain. Suki helping to support Sokka came next. We waited a few moments, but just as I ran up to hug Sokka, I saw Aang come out of the airship and run down to us.
For the next few days, we exchanged stories about what happened during Sozin's Comet. Sokka's story got crazier every time he told it, but I expected that much from my brother.
I had healing sessions with Zuko three times each day to work on his chest, but it wasn't until the date of Zuko's coronation, seven days after Sozin's Comet, that we talked about our kiss. It was when I was healing him. Zuko didn't sugar coat it.
"Katara, did that kiss mean as much to you as it did to me?" he asked. I was so shocked by his question, I lost control of the water and it splashed onto both of our faces. I resumed healing Zuko's chest before I responded to his question.
"I don't know, Zuko. Ive really started to care about you more ever since you helped me find my mother's murderer, but this is so fast" I told him. He grunted in pain before responding.
"I'm not proposing that we get married tomorrow or anything like that. I'm just saying that I care about you like nobody else in my life. Katara, I want to give us a shot" Zuko told me. His composure when being clearly in pain shouldn't have shocked me as much as it did. I kept healing him as I thought about what he said. He patiently waited for me to respond, but I really couldn't come up with what I wanted to do.
I pulled my water back into my waterskin and let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry, Zuko. I think it's going to scar" I told him, giving his shoulder a squeeze. He shrugged and gave me a wry smile.
"I don't think this one is going to bother me so much. At least nobody will be able to see it" he joked.
"Well, Im sure I will be able to see it soon enough" I told him as I helped him sit up. He looked at me and raised his eyebrow.
"You said this is my last healing session, though" he told me. I giggled and gave him a smile.
"Are you telling me that you won't let your girlfriend see you with no shirt on?" I asked him. Never before had I seen Zuko's jaw drop, but he recovered quick and gave me a little grin as he stood up.
He pulled me into his chest and planted a bone curdling kiss on my lips. He broke the kiss far quicker than I wanted and he walked away, grabbing a t-shirt as he walked to the door. When he got to the door, he looked back at me with a smile.
"Come on, Katara. In a few minutes, you will be dating the Fire Lord" Zuko told me. He didn't give me another look as he left.
But, he was right. That day, he was his coronation for Fire Lord. I was also right, though. That night, I got a great look at his scar as well.
Author's Note: I know it has been a while since I posted anything, but this one shot wasn't for me. This is dedicated to a few friends that I have made in my time on this site, the ones who I talk to constantly. They have all been nothing but supportive to me and I thank them for all that. So, thank you to all of them.
I love you guys.
AlwaysZutarian
Evile Ravynne Queene of Glasse
JemiLover101
R. Constance