This story was inspired by yumedarling's amazing art piece on tumblr for Day 1: Hidden. My idea for it just happened to go with Day 3: Confession. This is my first ever post and fanfic. Hope it's ok.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
The box was hidden where no one could find it, beneath the floor board where the drape from the window pooled. The sleek, dark wood held all of the letters she never sent. The ones filled with the happening of her days, her hopes of what was to come, and the words of love she wanted so desperately to tell him, but never could.
He wrote her every week telling her his insecurities and dreams. Always imploring her to reply. She never did. He could never understand why. He only heard of her when Sokka came on diplomatic business or Aang came to see how he was fairing. It was tearing him apart. He had waited so long to hear from her, to see her. Every day as his servant shook her head to say no, his heart drooped a little lower in his chest.
His final letter said he could wait no longer. The officials were pressuring him to wed and he could only wait another month more for her reply to his proposal. If he did not hear back he would have to give up.
Her last letter, placed on top of all of the others unsent, told him that it was ok. He needed to give her up, marry Mai, have a family, rule the nation fairly and justly, and move on. She loved him, but they simply could not be.
The box remained in its spot, hidden for years collecting dust. Life continued. She married Aang, whom she loved dearly. Had three wonderful children and helped to heal the world still scarred by war. They saw all their friends regularly, including a certain royal who made no indication anything had ever been amiss. All while the letters sat unopened until one day a curious child noticed the loose board under the drape and pried it up. There sat a dark wooden box holding reminiscences of a time passed.
"Mother, what are these?" the boy inquired when she entered the room. A hint of sadness entered her eyes as memories rose to the surface of her consciousness.
"Memories, my son. Memories never shared and words never said. No more and no less," she replied softly. Bumi replaced the letters, all of which he noticed had Uncle Zuko's name on them, back in their box.
Many years had passed before he spoke of the incident. By then Katara was old and frail. Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Mai. They had all gone before her and she was near joining them. But one of her oldest friends, the firelord, was still alive and strong enough to travel. He took up vigil at her bed side. Talking with her of past adventures while she was awake and watching her lovingly as she slept. One night, while studying her soft features he asked to no one in particular, "Why? Why did you never reply?"
"But she did," Bumi whispered from behind him holding two cups of tea. The Fire Lord turned to him. His confused eyes followed the man as he placed the tea down, crossed the room, and bent down to pry a floor board up. From within, he pulled up a box. Bumi handed the box to the Fire Lord and said, "I found this box of letters once as a child and I asked mom what it was and she said that they were memories never shared and words never said. They are all addressed to you." With that the general left the room.
Zuko stared intently at the wooden box in his lap. Should he open it? Should he read the letters? Did he have any right to?
"Read them, Zuko," Katara said breathily. "They are for you, but please understand that I do not regret any choice I made." She closed her eyes again, breaths becoming soft with sleep. Katara was fading. Her family filtered in and out all checking on her. He simply sat there with the box. Finally, he went back to his own room and opened the first letter. As he continued to read them, old wounds reopened that he thought had healed long ago. Wounds of loneliness and longing. Then he reached it. The last of the hidden letters. The one that replied to his last plead for a response sent so many years ago. The letter that held her final confession. It sent tears streaming down his worn cheeks.
She had loved him as he had her. And all these years he had thought she had felt nothing. As he reflected, he realized she was right that they had to stay where they were needed. He in the Fire Nation and she traveling with Aang until they started their family. He, like her, had no regrets. He had loved Mai and his children. They had lived happily. He never regretted giving up on Katara. But the small sting of what might have been still haunted a small corner of his mind. With that he closed the letter, placed it back in the box, and stood. He returned to Katara's room where she slept. Bumi was keeping vigil. When he saw the fire bender in the doorway he rose and left silently, passing the royal as he looked on at the sleeping water bender. Zuko stepped quietly towards her bed. He knelt and kissed her softly on the lips then rose, satisfied with this final act, and silently closed the door behind him.