Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of its characters.

AN: Thank you for the follows, favorites, and review! You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :) Please tell me if you have any suggestions/problems/likes/dislikes regarding this story! Thank you, and enjoy!

She remembered nothing, just an icy feeling that surrounded her body, and the soft sway of someone carrying her. Her dreams were haunted by lightning and glowing water, her ears filled with screams and shrieks, as she lay still in her bed, her lips ever so often opening and letting out a pained cry.

"Katara! Katara, are you alright?" A voice asked urgently, and two hands gripped her shoulders tight.

Katara opened her eyes, welcomed by red walls and a red bed. If she moved her head to the right, she could see her brother, his arms scabbed and scraped, his hair messy, his eyes wet with recently shed tears.

"I'm fine." Katara mumbled, trying to sit up, before feeling a pain like she had never felt before shoot up from her abdomen. Black dots danced at the edge of her vision as she fell back into bed, confused about what had happened. "Why... Why does it hurt so much?" Katara managed between strangled breaths, her wound a ball of fire whenever she spoke.

"Azula blasted you with lightning. This is all Zuko's fault! He promised he would protect you, yet here you are, hurt, and he got away without a scratch. Well okay, maybe a small scratch, but nothing like the scar you are going to have! I mean..." Sokka mumbled on, but Katara soon lost interest in his words.

Zuko... She thought, and suddenly it all came back to her. Azula's maniacle laughter, how he ran to try and save her, the bloodbending, and finally a searing pain that clouded her mind, setting her nerves on fire, and finally numbing cold. Cold and darkness, followed by icy dampness. She remembered everything now. How she saved Zuko. Why? It was his fight...

"Zuko..."

"Yes, Zuko! Can you believe his nerve? Like-" Sokka started again, but noticed Katara's vacant expression. "Katara! Are you listening? Hullo?"

"Yeah?" Katara shook her head, clearing her thoughts - or at least tried to, but even the tiniest movement send pain through her body.

"As I was saying-"

"Where is Zuko?"

"Katara! You never let me finish!" Sokka exclaimed. Katara gave him the evil eye, and soon had him whimpering. "Fine! I sent him outside, that traitor! He said we wanted to see you but I mean who was he kidding? I bet he just wanted to roast you as soon as we left you two alone! The nerve of that backstabbing little-"

"Send him in."

"What? No, Katara, you are still sick and your brain must not be-"

"Sokka. Now."

"Fine!" Sokka got up, sighing. "But if he hurts you, I swear I will-"

"Just get him."

With that Sokka walked out of the room, leaving Katara to ponder the events of... Last night? Who knows how long I was out for... By now, Zuko could be the Fire Lord, and I missed his coronation! If, that is, he won his Agni Kai... Although he must have - I doubt Azula would have carried me here.

"Are you awake?" a low, husky voice asked as the door opened then closed behind a tall, pale figure, clad in all red and orange. He made his way towards her bedside, taking a few quick steps.

"I'm awake, yes." Katara answered, looking at Zuko's face. The dark scar was partially covered by raven black locks of hair, but his amber eyes brimmed with worry. "What happened after I.. you know... Did you defeat Azula? How am I still alive? How long was I out for?"

Zuko didn't know how to respond at first. He had walked in, relieved that she was finally awake, ready to give a big speech about how sorry he was for not protecting her. Zuko was still confused about her actions - why had she saved him, out of all people? Mere weeks ago she had hated him, would have been ready to take his life, but now she had given hers for him? He did not deserve that, or the privilege of walking away fine as someone as amazing as Katara had to bear a brand forever.

"Azula is gone. For good." Zuko informed her, his eyes slightly downcast. He hated his sister, despised he even, especially after the crafty move she had pulled during their Agni Kai, but she was still his sister, and somewhere deep down, he was pained to have had to end her life.

Katara must have seen the flicker of remorse painted on his face, as before he could continue, she whispered a small "I'm sorry," to him.

Zuko looked up, his golden eyes meeting her cool, sapphire ones, surprised at her words. Katara nodded for him to continue, and so he did.

"After the duel, I saw you were still - miraculously - breathing, and decided that my best chance of saving you was placing you in water. It glowed blue, so I assumed I was doing something right. I then took you here, to the palace. That was six days ago. Sokka has never left your side, except for washroom breaks, but no one believed me when I told them it was not my intention to let you get hurt."

"Six days? And Sokka hasn't killed you yet?" Katara asked, trying to lighten the darkening mood.

"Believe me, he tried. If it wasn't for the Avatar, I wouldn't be here right now."

Katara smirked. "Zuko, can you bring me a bowl of water?" She asked. Her back was getting uncomfortable, but she couldn't move without her abdomen howling in pain. "And some bandages. Please."

Zuko got up and nodded, walking out of the room in a hurry to retrieve the requested items, leaving Katara in her bed, thinking about the six wasted days.

He is going to ask why I did it. She thought to herself. Katara was hoping to avoid the subject for as long as possible, but she would just be prolonging the inevitable. He was going to ask, sooner or later. But answering it wouldn't be very fun.

Zuko walked down the hallway, his polished fire nation boots echoing noisily along the deserted floor. He was making his way back to Katara, bowl in one hand, bindings in the other, trying to get his mind off of the Agni Kai. For the six days she had been in a coma, he had tried to distract himself with worrying over a coronation, getting his nation to support him, and above all, uniting the world. With the help of the Avatar, of course. But Aang was just a goofy little kid, who, while having endured many hardships, chose to spend his time with childish games, hoping to take his mind off of the injured Katara. Although no one said it aloud, they all blamed Zuko for it. He was not mad at them for it, surprisingly. He blamed himself, too.

Yet again, his thoughts had drifted back to the water tribe girl in one of his finest rooms. When did I stop thinking of her as a peasant? Zuko thought to himself. Azula would surely find this amusing. The honorable and powerful Fire Nation prince worrying over a no body. Zuko shook his head. He owed Katara this, after all, if it wasn't for her, Zuko might have been dead. It was a miracle that she survived.

Zuko had made it back to Katara's room, and pushed the door open with his foot.

"I brought what you requested." He said, placing the bindings and water on the table beside the bed.

"Thank you." Katara said, lifting her tan hands, and bending the water from the bowl onto her exposed wound. It was worse than he had remembered. Zuko had ordered his best healers to attend her, of course, but it seemed as if they only made it worse. The wound was bloody, with pus oozing from its center. Zuko tried not to show his disgust, but it was not exactly pretty. I caused this.

Katara could tell Zuko was beating himself up over her ugly wound as she started to heal herself with the water he had brought her. The liquid glowed bright blue in her hands, and the throbbing soon stopped, replaced by just the slightest pain if she moved too much. Katara then proceeded to wrap her abdomen in the clean bindings, and then lay back down.

"Don't worry Zuko. Its fine. I'm going to be fine." Katara said, her voice heavy with sleep, her eyes fluttering closed. She hadn't realised how weak she had been before, and now the healing had taken a toll on her tired body.

"Katara." Zuko said, his voice tiny and distant.

"Mhmm?" She mumbled, her lips curving up into a smile as she turned to her side, snuggling into her soft pillow.

"Why did you save me?"

Katara would've sighed, but she was too tired. "Because I thought you were someone worth saving."

Katara couldn't see Zuko's face, but it must have been priceless, judging from the long silence that followed after her statement.

"Don't act so surprised. The world needs you. I can't let everyone down, now can I? You need to be their leader. They need you. Not me."

"But-"

"Shh. Sleep now. Talk later. Bye Zuzu." Katara mumbled, giggling at the end of her sentence. "Azula was right. Zuzu has a nice ring to it. Goodnight Fire Lord Zuzu."

With that, Katara was asleep, her smile still on her face. Zuko just stared at her, confused and slightly annoyed, until she started to snore ever so softly. Then, he stood and left her room.

So the waterbender snores. Thats cute. Zuko thought to himself as he walked towards the dining room, a small smirk on his face.