Her family left after the dinner. He walked back up to the palace and went to find Sokka, to see maybe if he wanted to spar a little, and a servant told him that their family had gone. Zuko vaguely remembers struggling to get through the double doors that were always too heavy for children to push by themselves and waving to the dust their palanquin left behind.

--

When he first meets Mai, she's reading Fire Nation legends in the palace library with Azula. They're reading his particular favorite, the story of the first Agni Kai, when he silently steps through the door propped open to watch them. Azula had apparently ordered Mai to read the story out loud. He's lulled by the tone of her voice – how she somehow manages to sound bored without being offensive.

He watches the shape her lips make when they form the words of the story. She runs her finger over the pictures and her eyes watch Azula as she looks out the window. She's pretty in a noble and strange way; plain, but fascinating.

He's interested in her for a couple of months before he figures out how arrogant she really is.

And the idea of being with Mai somehow pales in comparison to being with a girl he knows nothing about and hasn't seen in years. (Even if said girl is a waterbender.)

--

Four years pass faster than he would like.

His sister is now training in the arts of being a woman as well as firebending and normal combat, and he himself has begun to learn advanced swords with Master Pakku and firebending with his uncle.

His mother has gotten even quieter, if that was possible – and his father louder and more demanding. Their family dinners are no longer an enjoyable time to catch up, but instead considered filling the quota of time they have to spend together.

He wonders what Katara has become now. Is her hair longer? Is she a worthy bending opponent? She's…two years younger than him, at least, if he can remember correctly. He never learned the date of her birthday. What of her family?

He lies in the grass of the courtyard, listening to the turtle ducks peck at bread he left on a lily pad in the pond.

He guesses that she's even more beautiful.

He stares at the endless expanse of sky and tosses an apple from hand to hand. His brow furrows as he pictures her face in the clouds. He knows it's useless to waste his time on a girl he'll probably never see again, but – four years. It's been that long and he still thinks of her almost every day. If there was a way to see her again, he knows he would have thought of it by now.

He turns his head slightly and rolls his eyes when he sees Ty Lee making her way towards him. (On her hands, of course.)

"Hi, Zuko!" she chirps. He wants to wince, but keeps it inside and tries to remember that this is the nicest of his sister's friends.

"Hello, Ty Lee. How are you?"

"I'm fabulous! Look what my sisters taught me to do!" She pulls her leg up until it's parallel to her body.

His face twists uncomfortably. "Wow, Ty Lee, that's really-"

"Oh, I'm not done." She switches her leg around so it's behind her back. Zuko almost feels himself gag. "Now I'm done. Isn't that neat? I suppose the only reason I can do it is because I have double-jointed hips, but it can't be that hard. Why don't you try? I'll help you stretch!"

"No thank you, Ty Lee."

"Really? Well, okay, if you say so-"

"I do."

"Oh Zuko, you're too funny."

He smiles tightly. "How is your family?" He knows that Ty Lee is a good a distraction as any to keep him from thinking about Katara. Maybe if he plays his cards right he'll be able to trick an idea out of her without giving too much away. Maybe he can tell her he wants to see Sokka again, to study other nation's fighting techniques.

"-And then Wai Lee spilled the entire basket all over the floor and I had to sweep it up. Isn't that unfair?" she whined. Zuko narrowed his eyes in concentration. What was she talking about…?

"Completely unfair," He concedes.

"But enough about me, Zuko. How are you?"

"I'm enjoying the sunlight."

"You know what you should be doing?" Ty Lee arches a brow.

"No. What?"

"Planning for your birthday party!" His eyes widen. That's the perfect way to see her again. "Silly Zuko, you thought we forgot, didn't you?"

He flashes her a neat row of teeth. "Of course you didn't forget, Ty Lee. Would you like to help me plan?" She nods enthusiastically and he tosses the apple behind him.

--

When the night of the party arrives, he is bathing in warm water in the fading daylight coming through a window. He sits curled into himself in a tub, the water smooth and reflective as glass. He counts the steps to his favorite dance in his head and wonders if she's coming.

Almost a week ago, Ty Lee helped him concoct a guest list and send out the invitations. His mother had been itching for him to have a party anyway – and it wasn't like he could get away with not having one. He was the heir to the Fire Nation. It would be sin to not celebrate his birthday.

He twists his leg out from underneath him and sighs. Not that he wants to have a party in particular. The adults that pinch his cheek and nobles daughters begging for dances itch on his nerves and it's hard to not want to hit some of them. He struggles to blow damp hair out of his eyes and looks out the window. He sees the courtyards, the ponds and perfectly manicured bushes and such. He closes his eyes. Home.

A loud knock on the door interrupts his musings and a servant girl calls to him.

"Your mother requests that you dress now, Sir." He nods to himself and stands.

"Leave my clothes in my room," he calls. He hears the retreating footsteps of the girl and steps out. With a little firebending help he steams the water off of his skin and out of his hair.

Her family hadn't responded to the invitation. He didn't necessarily need RSVP's. He was confident that enough people would come to keep it from being a problem, but it would have been nice. (To, you know, at least hear from the general direction of her home.)

He sees the intricate red robes spread over his bed sheets and sighs once more.

Time to mingle.

When he makes his way down the curved staircase and into the back room, he sees his mother waiting for him.

"Happy birthday, Zuko," she smiles warmly. He nods his thanks and smiles back at her, accepting the hug she pulls him into. "Everybody is waiting in the back courtyard. Come with me," she pulls lightly on his hand. His sister and father are waiting just outside of the doors leading outside and he sees a large crowd. Mixtures of green and red cloud his vision, but as far as his eyes can see there is no blue. He steps into the warm summer air and smiles slightly at the clapping the guests greet him with.

Ozai puts a heavy hand on his shoulder as Azula smirks a little.

"Welcome to the palace," his father begins. "I speak for Prince Zuko and the rest of the family when I thank you for joining us tonight."

People laugh a little and clap. Ozai raises a hand. "Enjoy the festivities." When the music starts up again Zuko turns to his father and nods his head.

"Happy birthday, Zuzu," Azula murmurs. He puts a hand on her arm briefly before turning and descending the stairs into the masses of people.

He searches amidst a flurry of pats on the head and slaps on the back for the faintest trace of blue. Just to see if she's there. He sees a young earthbending girl staring at him and giggling with her friends and he backtracks. The last thing he needs right now is –

"Prince Zuko. Dance with me?" He curses mentally. (The last thing he needs right now is people all over him.)

Instead, he bites his lip and nods. His father would kill him if he were anything but a perfect gentleman to girls that talked to him. He turns to find it's only Mai and takes her hand softly. She reaches out a hand and grips his shoulder as their other hands rise in a traditional Waltz position. He spins her to the music as she sighs and relaxes into his grip. He holds her an arms length away, straining to see over her mass of hair into the crowd.

"Happy birthday," he hears her say. He looks at her for the first time, noticing how smooth and perfect her skin is, just how equal their heights are.

"Thank you," he responds quietly. He decides to put a little more effort into the movements and he smiles when they move into a dip and she laughs. When the song ends he bows his head respectfully.

"I hope you grace me with another dance sometime, your highness," she muses, entertained. He nods and meets her eyes.

"See you." He watches as she turns and saunters back to her friends. Mai was always a nice distraction.

"Looking for someone?"

His head whips around at the new voice, smooth and soft and invasive to his ears. His eyes widen as he takes in the sight of her, right in front of him, wearing a pretty blue dress that hugs her torso and falls to her knees. Typical fur covers her shoulders, blocking precious skin from his line of sight. A necklace that wasn't present when he first met her rests on the dip of her throat as he examines her.

"Yes, actually," he manages to say. Twin loops frame her face and lead back to carefully combed curls that shine in the lanterns' glow. "Would you like to dance?"

She scuffs her sandaled feet against the floor and nods a little. She rests her hand comfortably on his shoulder, fingers squeezing slightly as she smiles brilliantly. He rests a palm over her waist and shivers at the heat seeping through her dress. When their hands meet, she laughs and curls her fingers into his.

"How have you been?" He is eager and impatient; she is calm and cool and beautiful. The contrast irritates him. His eyes roam over the tanned skin of her face before she answers.

"Managing, I suppose. When we got back home my dad had to deal with the ice problem the Fire Lord – sorry, Ozai, your father, whichever you prefer – mentioned. It turns out some of our ships wrecked and men were stranded. Had he not mentioned the delays, I don't think we ever would have found the survivors."

He snorts. The last thing he wants to hear about is her gratuity towards Ozai.

"My brother turned twelve recently, you know. I feel so young."

His eyebrows furrow. "How old are you?"

"Eleven," she answers serenely. (Impossible. She seems so close to his age.)

"You seem…older," he tries.

She laughs and he grins a little before twirling her outwards and back into him. It's hard to think when she's pressed against him like that, their arms entangled. He watches her face closely as she exhales and looks at their entwined hands.

"I get that a lot. My grandmother says it's because I'm mature."

"You are," he assures her. "I mean…I guess I'm not one to talk. We barely know each other."

"True," she agrees. They dance in silence for a moment.

"I…I feel like I know you, though. Somehow…" he trails off. She looks at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

He weighs the pros and cons of bringing up the beach. "After the dinner, when you were bending on the beach and I was out for a walk. I saw you. You saw me too, didn't you? Just…there's something about that. I can't exactly place why it was so odd…" She's staring at him funny and he wants to hit himself upside the head. Why would he even bring that up? He probably sounds like some crazy stalker, now. "I'm sorry. Was that strange?"

The corner of her lips twitch up in amusement. "Not really. But I must say, I don't remember a whole lot about that – I was young. And it was so long ago."

(Only four years.)

He nods in understanding.

"Have you ever seen a waterbender bend before, Prince Zuko?"

"Just Zuko, please. No I haven't."

"Would you like to?" She steps away and holds her hands out to him. He furrows his brow and looks around at the crowd. "We won't be gone long, I promise. I wouldn't want to keep you from your party." She giggles. He shrugs and takes her hand. She weaves through the crowd like an expert and takes him away from the lights and people to a small pond.

He watches with interest as she drags her fingers through the air and pulls a thin stream of water up to dance in front of his face. He watches intently as she pulls it around his head, freezes it in a spiral and melts it back down. He smiles when she explodes the meager amount into snow. He catches a few flakes on his hand.

"It's beautiful," he says quietly. She hums with pride and clasps her hands behind her back.

"Would you firebend for me?"

His face falls. "There's nothing pretty about firebending." Despite his words, he conjures a flame and lets the ball hover in his palm. She freezes her water again and cuts it into a crystal. The light reflects onto their faces and he tilts his head.

"I think it's beautiful. There's no orange quite as brilliant as that of fire," she says. With a twitch she douses the flames with her water and giggles. "Let's go back to the party, shall we?"

He feels her hands pulling him once more and he thinks about how he's never going to be able to keep up with her.

"How is your family?" He asks suddenly. He longs for the familiar parallel and contrast between their lives. It's easy to identify with. It gives him a reason to be so captivated with her. She slows and shakes her head a little, hand withdrawing from his. He mourns the loss of warmth for a moment before watching her slender arms reach up and wrap around her shoulders. She inhales deeply and holds the breath until he thinks she might explode.

"Katara…?" He trails off.

"My mother died," she says simply. His heart clenches and aches for her. He outstretches a hand but drops it when she exhales and turns around. Her eyes are shining and her lips look pale in the moonlight. "What am I supposed to do without my mother?" She whispers. Little tears roll down her cheeks and he frowns. His arms open in a silent gesture and she moves forward easily into them.

They fold into each other with the sureness of friendship he didn't realize could be built in one night. He runs his hand down her hair and holds her tightly as she closes her eyes.

"What happened?" He says into her hair.

"She went for a walk one day and didn't come back. When we found her a couple of days later it was already too late. My father couldn't tell what happened to her, but my best guess is an animal got to her. We just weren't sure about what kind. I just…what am I supposed to do? How can I grow up right without my mother?"

"I don't know, Katara. But I think you'll be just fine with your brother and father around. They really care about you, you know," He tells her. She nods and sniffs before backing away.

"I know."

She bites her lip and he looks at the ground, contemplating how to word his next thought.

"Katara?"

"Yes?"

"Next time, don't stay gone for so long. Come visit."

She smiles and nods. "Okay, Zuko."

He isn't sure of what else to say, so he merely takes her hand and leads her back to the crowded dance floor.