Disclaimer: I don't own 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'
Drabble Title: Moon
Drabble Rating:
K+
Categories:
Angst/Tragedy
Word Count: 514
Pairings: Zuko x Katara (Zutara), Sokka x Yue
Notes:
The first bit in italics is from my old book of nursery rhymes. It was my favourite night time poem, although it looks pretty stupid now I reflect on it.


INFERNO OF ICE

A KataraZuko drabble collection.

Flowerperson
© 2006


Moon

I see the moon,
And the moon sees me.
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.

She had caught Sokka staring at the moon plenty of times—too many occasions for her to remember—and would simply sigh and turn away, gazing at her feet. When he would finally give up and return to his tent, Katara would glance to the ethereal orb and silver and wish, wish for Sokka to be okay.

Every night, it was the same routine.

A few weeks later, after a surprising turn of events in which Prince Zuko and his uncle Iroh had joined the group of four (excluding Appa and Momo), making it a group of six. They had mostly kept to themselves although Iroh was very sociable but at times the two would converse quietly quite a distance from the others. Sokka didn't trust them in the slightest, so always had his eye on them. Iroh was too cheerful to mind and Zuko hated the Water Tribe boy anyway, so wasn't really that bothered.

One night, whilst Sokka was going through his regular sighing-and-staring-at-the-moon exercise, Zuko sat next to her. She ignored him at first, staring at her brother. That was, until, Zuko spoke up. "Does he do this every night?"

She nodded once, silently.

"Why?"

Katara turned to him with a blank look. Really, it hurt too much to think why. She remembered who the moon used to be too. She had talked with her, and laughed with her, and thought of how she was so… selfless and would do anything for her country, for her home. "Why what?" Why had that Fire Nation general killed the Moon Spirit? Why had Yue given up her life? Why was the world so ruthless, always making the innocent pay the price?

"Why does your brother keep looking at the moon?"

She sighed, turning away from him. "It symbolises someone he loved… someone he lost."

Zuko didn't mention it again, and neither did she. But one night, when Sokka had retired to the camp, she noticed another figure gazing up at the moon and the twinkling stars.

"Zuko?" she whispered into the darkness. "What's wrong?"

He glanced to her before turning back to the sky. "I was wondering if it somehow symbolised the person I loved… the person I lost." She sat beside him, placing her hand on his for comfort.

"And did it?"

"She guided my way when it seemed too dark. She was there for me when I was lonely. She was beautiful. She was… perfect." He must have been talking about some past girlfriend, and that thought made Katara grimace for some reason.

"What was her name?"

"Ursa… she… she was my mother." Not a girlfriend then.

Katara blinked away her tears, "I lost my mother too."

They both returned to camp without another word, yet both understanding the brief yet deep conversation they had just had. Maybe, somehow, they would grow closer and learn to share their loss. Maybe, somehow, they could learn to love each other to make up for the emptiness.

But for now, they were satisfied to watch the moon together, as part of a new routine.

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