A/N: I've decided that although my chapters won't be very long, I'll (try) to post every day, or at least fairly often.
As soon as she heard that Sokka was home, Katara raced down to the docks. He had been travelling for a while, though he had given Zuko the impression that he was specifically visiting the Fire Nation. In fact, Sokka had gone all the way to the North Pole first. It had been several months, and Katara had been waiting for him impatiently the whole time. She had some horrible news.
Sokka was supposed to be back several weeks earlier, but no one knew where he went.
This was just like him.
Katara skidded to a halt as she reached the shore and glanced around. Seeing Zuko, she started to laugh.
So that's where he went, Katara thought, slowly making her way over to the two of them. She smiled up at Zuko and hugged him. Had it really been a year since they'd seen each other? It certainly didn't feel like that long. She was glad to see him though, especially now.
Feeling him stiffen in her arms, Katara looked at Zuko in confusion. They were friends, weren't they? Why did he seem to be so uncomfortable with her?
"Sokka, come here!" she called, seeing that Sokka had already wandered off toward the village. "You're not even going to say hello? It's been five months!"
Sokka rolled his eyes, but walked back over to them. "I'm hungry, Katara. Can we make this quick? I could really go for some fresh seal right about now..."
"Sokka, this is important..." Katara replied, glancing back and forth between Sokka and Zuko before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "It's about Aang..."
Zuko seemed to shrink at the mention of the Avatar's name, and Katara cocked her head at him. Why was he acting so strange? After a moment, she shrugged and spoke again. "I think you guys should come with me... I have a lot to tell you, and I'm not quite sure where to start..."
Sokka had refused to talk about anything serious until after he got some meat into his stomach. It had been a long trip, and he was hungry. Surely whatever Katara had to say could wait. After all, the war was over. They'd defeated Fire Lord Ozai and everything was perfect. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
"Aang is missing."
Perfect. This was exactly what Sokka needed to begin the next phase of his plan. Zuko and Katara belonged together, and the only way that was going to happen was if Sokka took control. After all, Sokka knew everything when it came to girls.
"What's your point?" he asked, putting another strip of seal jerky in his mouth.
"My point? My point is that the Avatar has vanished!" Katara said, glaring at Sokka. Sokka just grinned.
"Katara, he's the Avatar. He's mastered all four elements! What's the worst that could happen?" he replied with a stretch.
"Ugh, you're such an idiot!" Katara groaned, turning to Zuko. "You'll help me out, right Zuko...?"
Zuko seemed conflicted, and looked at Sokka as if to ask for advice. Sokka nodded subtly at him before standing up and stretching again.
Glancing at Sokka one more time, Zuko nodded. "Yeah, of course I'll help. We have to find Aang."
"Well, since you two don't seem to need me, I'll be going now," Sokka said, strolling out of the room before either had the chance to say anything.
"I just can't stand him sometimes!" he heard as he closed the door.
Oh, but she'd thank him later.
"Ok, so obviously our first stop has to be the air temple. I've already taken a look around, but I may have missed something, and besides, that was the last place I saw him. After that, we'll either follow whatever lead we find or we'll circle around to all the nearby towns. He has to be somewhere, although he's had plenty of time to get far, far away..." Katara said with a sigh, and Zuko nodded.
Sokka was an idiot. He acted like Zuko had a chance with Katara, yet it was abundantly clear that she loved Aang, and sitting here, helping her decide how to save the one person standing between them- it was heartbreaking.
But how could he not? Katara deserved to be happy, and Aang made her happy. Sure, Sokka thought said she wasn't really, but what did Sokka know about girls? Nothing. That was what Sokka knew. And because of it, Zuko had to listen to Katara talk about Aang all day.
He should tell her how he felt. He should scream, "Katara, I love you!" He should tell her how he'd loved he wasn't sure when it happened, but when he'd jumped in front of lightning for her, he'd realized just how much he loved her. He should tell her that every time he saw her it made his heart thunder. He should tell her that she was all he could think about. He should tell her he would break up with Mai.
"Katara, don't worry. I'll find Aang for you. I won't rest until he's home safe and sound."
He should say those things, but he wouldn't. He wouldn't, because he couldn't bear to lose Katara forever.
"Oh, I knew you'd be there for me, Zuko! You're such a good friend!" she replied, leaning over and embracing him.
"Yeah..." he muttered, "A friend..."
"Sokka!" he called, barging into Sokka's tent in a rage, "How could you lie to me like that? Not happy? Do you have any idea how much lovey dovey 'Aang is the best boyfriend ever' crap I've just had to listen to? She loves him, Sokka. She loves him."
Sokka blinked up at him from his mat. "Huh...? I'm taking a nap, man..."
Zuko sat down next to Sokka. "Sokka, your sister loves Aang. You say she's unhappy, but the only thing she's unhappy about is the fact that her beloved Avatar has gone and vanished. I have no chance, and now I'm even stuck helping her find the guy!"
Sokka rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up. "Look, Zuko, I wasn't lying to you. Just trust me on this one, ok? You guys might think I'm an idiot, but I know what I'm doing. Just go on the trip with her and it'll be worth your time. Stuff'll work out. It always does for us, eh?"
Zuko bit his lip. Zuko hated waiting. He'd searched for Aang enough over the years. He'd worked for approval long enough. Why couldn't it be simple? Why couldn't Katara just love him back?
Sokka yawned and lay back down. "If you're done here, I'd like to sleep a little longer. Have fun with Katara," he said, before burying his face in his pillow.
With a sigh, Zuko stood up and left.
He had never sighed this much before.
"I can't thank you enough for helping me, Zuko," Katara said, resting her hands on the railing of the ship, "You really are the best friend a girl could hope for. I can't believe it was just a year ago that I hated your guts. Times sure have changed, huh?" She laughed. She had been so untrusting, even after he'd proven himself to her. Things had changed, but more importantly, he had clearly changed.
She smiled at him, but saw that he was simply staring down into the water. He glanced up at her and smiled sadly. Something was clearly bothering him. She'd have to ask him about it later.
"Yeah..." he said, "I was pretty awful, wasn't I?"
Then he stepped back and went below deck.
Whatever was bothering him, it was clearly eating away at him. He'd been gloomy the whole time they'd been in the South Pole, and it was only getting worse. He was probably worrying about ruling the Fire Nation. Maybe he'd gotten in a fight with Mai. Whatever it was, Katara had to help him. It was the least she could do when he was coming to help her save Aang.
Not that she could ever tell any of them what had happened when she went to visit the Southern Air Temple with Aang. They'd all blame her for his disappearance, and rightfully so.
God, she was an idiot. Who else would break up with the Avatar?
A/N: Yes. Drama. Intrigue. And most importantly, no Kataang! (To any Kataang shippers, a: why are you reading this? . and b: I'm sorry, I just don't like Kataang. There's no romantic tension there. Plus, it seems kinda like Katara is forcing herself to like Aang.)
So yeah, they went to the Southern Air Temple and Katara broke up with Aang and now he's vanished. Yes.