Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender copyright Dante Dimartino, Brian Konietzko and Nickelodeon Studios.
She pulled the heavy cloak tighter around her shoulders. "Tell me again why we're sitting out here, on the side of a mountain, in the middle of the night, in the cold?"
"It's a surprise. Here, drink this."
Katara frowned, accepting the now steaming cup of tea. Cradling it in her hands, she turned her attention back to the starlit sky. Zuko was talking, but her attention was fixed on the stars overhead, watching, wondering.
He stopped mid-sentence, realizing she wasn't listening. Her tea remained untouched, growing cold in the night. She'd been like this for weeks now and a small, selfish part of Zuko wondered if he'd ever see her smile again. He hated himself for it.
Zuko knew she was grieving for her grandmother. He was grieving too, for his best friend. He hated seeing her like this. At first he'd held her, danced with her as she'd requested and he'd foolishly thought that maybe it'd be enough to carry her through. Since that night though, she'd become withdrawn and silent. Day by day he watched helplessly as the fierce, caring woman he loved disappeared before his eyes. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help her with this pain. She was drowning in her sorrow and he couldn't do anything to ease her suffering. It hurt.
He followed her gaze, knowing where it would lead. She was looking at the sky again. She'd been doing that every night since Gran-Gran's death; a solemn and silent figure bathed in starlight. She'd look beautiful if she weren't cloaked in tragedy. He didn't know the connection, but something about the sky was important to her. It was the reason he brought her out here tonight, to this cold, lonely mountainside. Out here, far away from the bright fires of the palace city, where the stars burned brightly against the inky darkness.
"What are you looking for?" he whispered, unsure if she even heard him in her grief; unsure if he even wanted her to answer him. Perhaps there was nothing and she was simply staring into space, lost in her grief, waiting to burn out and be swallowed by the darkness like the stars she'd taken to watching every night. The thought hit him like Azula's lightning once had and for a moment he couldn't breath, couldn't think, past the paralyzing dread spreading through him. He couldn't lose her too.
"The lights." Her voice is so soft, so unexpected, that he nearly missed it over the howl of the mountain wind.
"Lights?" He pressed for an answer, hoping this would become an actual conversation instead of the few meager sentences he'd managed to drag from her lips these past weeks. She nodded, her eyes never leaving the sky. He missed those blue eyes. He missed a lot of things now. He'd never realized it was possible to be so close to and so far from someone at the same time. Zuko sighed, realizing she wasn't going to offer any further conversation. He watched her, watching the stars, eyes searching for something that she never found. Finally he pulled his eyes away, looking for the lights she sought. He saw the stars, the moon, but nothing else. He tried again. "I don't see anything."
This time it was Katara that sighed. It carried the burden of unresolved grief as her finger unconsciously sought her mother's necklace. "Neither do I."
Silence enveloped them once again. This time Zuko had nothing to break it, so he said nothing. Her answers only begot more questions and he didn't know what to do. Instead he focused on the one thing he could control, the fire.
He'd come prepared, a habit from his many years with Uncle; or rather a habit picked up after many years of Uncle's lectures of him not being prepared. The fire flared brightly as he added a few logs and he was pleased to see Katara's eyes on him. She'd moved closer to the fire while he wasn't looking, her cloak now firmly clutched in her hands as she tried unsuccessfully to hide her shivering. Normally he would've teased her about not being able to take the cold, like she'd so often teased him, but not tonight. Instead he reached into his bag, pulling out a heavy wool blanket. Her eyes lit up, a smile pulling at her lips for the first time in weeks. Channeling his bending he warmed the blanket before wrapping it around her shoulders.
"Thank you."
He nodded, feeling very pleased with himself and reached into his pack for his own blanket. The pack was empty. His smile fell into a confused frown. "Oh no…" Rather foolishly he peered into the obviously empty bag. "I couldn't have-"
"Zuko?"
"Of all the stupid-"
"Zuko."
He sighed, accepting defeat. His plan to cheer Katara had already gone so wonderfully wrong; he supposed she wouldn't mind having to leave early anyway. "I forgot my blanket."
Katara blinked, simply staring at him. "Are you cold?"
He grumbled, rubbing his arms absently. "No, I'm fine."
She gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him. If he was truthful, he was cold. He could use his bending to keep him warm, but he needed something to keep the heat in, like a blanket. Without something to reflect the heat back to him, he'd just be wasting energy against a chilly mountain wind he couldn't beat.
He was still berating himself for his mistake when something warm fell across his shoulders. He'd barely time to register it before a new, warm weight settled against his side.
"Better?"
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The last time they'd been this close was the night they'd danced through their grief under the moonlight. He hadn't realized how much he missed the warmth of her body until now.
Katara finished adjusting the blanket around them both and rested her head against his shoulder. She shivered. Zuko used it as an excuse to pull her even closer, channeling his bending to create pleasant warmth beneath their blanket cocoon. A happy sigh escaped Katara's lips as she instinctively curled against him. Zuko decided it made the disastrous outing worth it.
Warm again, she'd turned her attention back to the stars. Zuko contemplated what to do next. He'd hoped that bringing her out here where the stars were brightest, would offer her some sort of closure. So far, that hadn't happened. He didn't know what else to do, what else he could do. He studied her profile, the tilt of her chin, the shape of her nose, and the blue of her eyes like it was the last time he was ever going to see them. It just might be. He knew what he had to do, he just didn't know if he could. Ashamed of his weakness he looked away, searching for any other option. "Tell me how I can help."
"Zuko-"
"I know, you just need time, but still…I hate seeing you like this, knowing there's nothing I can do. I just feel so…helpless." He admitted, refusing to meet her gaze. "I would do anything for you." He admitted quietly.
"I know. Just…just be here, beside me. That's enough."
He blinked, stunned at the sudden warmth against his hand, the slight pressure of her fingers entwining with his. "You...you, want to stay here…with me?"
Katara smiled. "Where else would I go?"
He didn't want to say it. Agni, he didn't want to, but he had to. It's what she needed most right now. "Home," he choked out, his voice far more strained than he'd intended. "Back to your tribe, to your…to family," he finished softly.
She regarded him thoughtfully, her eyes piercing him in that way that he was certain allowed her to look right into his soul. One of these times he'd be brave enough to ask her what she saw, but not today. Finally she looked away, turning her eyes back to the stars. "I'm the Water Tribe ambassador. My place is here."
He winced at the reprimand in her voice. "I know. I just…if you want to leave-"
"I can see the lights Zuko."
"The lights," he repeated dumbly. He still didn't know the significance, but at least one fear had been quelled this night; she wasn't going to leave him. Now if only-
"The lights." She reiterated, lifting his chin towards the sky. Bands of color wove across the dark, shifting in hue and intensity before his eyes. Thousands of sparkling stars twinkled in and out of existence as the bands of color passed over them.
"The auroras," he breathed in wonder. "That's what you've been looking for? Why?"
"According to Water Tribe legend, when we die we join our ancestors in the lights." Katara's hand tightened its hold on his. Her voice was heavy with emotion when she spoke. "You found her Zuko. Thank you."
He wrapped his arms around her then, pulling her tight against his chest. In silence they watched the auroras dance their way through the night. He imagined Gran-Gran's spirit dancing through the stars like she had in life. It brought a smile to his face, even as his tears escaped unnoticed.
Their fingers slipped over each other's in light caresses as they watched the auroras slowly begin to fade into the bright pinks and purples of sunrise. One by one the stars disappeared, replaced by rich golden oranges and reds that exploded across the sky.
Zuko looked down at the waterbender in his arms, startled to meet her eyes. He'd expected her to be watching the sky like she had for weeks, not him. She gave him a tired smile, squeezing his hand gently. "It's a new day."
He nodded, sensing she meant more than the obvious.
