"No one compares to you, but there's no you, except in my dreams tonight." Dark Paradise, Lana Del Rey

She had been in his dream again.

As they sat side by side at the large pond in the private gardens of the royal palace, he shifted nervously. The last time they were in this situation—feeding the turtleducks that had become her favorite pastime—they were together. He could reach out and hold her hand, stroke her hair, or kiss her wherever he pleased. Now, they might as well have been two completely different people. She barely remembered him. He remembered everything.

Now, she was laughing happily as a baby turtleduck nibbled at a small crumb of bread in-between her fingers.

"How is Sokka doing?" He asked, glancing at the beautiful tan woman that sat at his right. She was wearing an elegant blue tunic that complimented her darker skin well. She had asked why they had blue colored clothing at their disposal at the palace—being the Fire Nation at all—and he chose not to lie to her. He explained that she had come to visit for a while at one point, and ended up with quite the collection of clothing of her nations color. He was not lying when he said he chose to keep them because he knew they would be of use again one day. Well, he thought that before Mai entered the picture, at least.

"He's well. I assume you know he lives in Kyoshi Island with Suki. But he's been kind of…distant lately." She explained, returning his gaze. Her smile reached her eyes; she loved talking about her brother.

"Really?" This genuinely surprised him. Sokka was his best male friend, and if Katara was his sister, he assumed she would know everything he did. "What makes you say that?"

"His letters haven't been very…detailed," she said as she thought, "I think he might be hiding something. Even if it's a letter, Sokka is very easy to read."

"I don't know what he could be hiding," he offered, "The last thing I heard was that Suki was expecting."

The way her blue, blue eyes widened was the indicator that he had just spoiled the surprise. Groaning, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. A high-pitch squeal startled him and he jumped as he threw his hands out behind him to steady himself.

"Suki is pregnant?" she exclaimed, smiling. "I can't believe this! Dad is going to be so happy! Maybe they'll move back down to the South Pole. Gran-Gran would love a grandchild!"

"I'm sorry," he rushed, "I didn't mean to spoil it. I thought whatever I could know, you would to. But now…Suki being pregnant is probably something he'd want to say in person." Smooth, Zuko, real smooth, he scowled himself.

Her arms were around him before he could process what was happening. Another girlish squeal sounded in his ear and he was tumbling backward—her right on top of him. He let out a low grunt as his head came into contact with the soft grass. A single blade tickled his ear and he twitched, causing him to knock his head into hers.

"Ouch…" she whispered, sitting back on her heels. "Are you alright?"

He rolled his eyes. "I think I should be asking you that. Also, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were that close to me…" He trailed off as he noticed a small blush on her cheeks. He propped himself up on one elbow, rubbing his forehead with his free hand.

"No, I should apologize. I am just very excited…I shouldn't have jumped on you like that, though." She blushed deeper and this caused him to smile.

"You're a girl. I'm not surprised," he admitted, unknowingly lowering his free hand until it rested on her knee. "Even I'm excited to see him as a father. That will be—"

"—interesting," She finished, looking down at his hand on her knee. He coughed, pulling it back.

"So, Sokka's well, but how is life in the South Pole? All I hear about is life on the Island." He asked, trying to shift the awkward tension that arose in the atmosphere around them. She was quiet for a moment, seemingly mulling over her answer, but her eyes never left her knee.

"How is Azula?" Her voice was quiet, a whisper.

He couldn't help but be surprised. He assumed if she couldn't remember Mai, she wouldn't be able to remember Azula. As they locked eyes, he could see her eyes were clouded over with some deep sadness.

"She's…getting better."

"Where is she?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"A mental institution," he explained, "She was getting better but she relapsed recently."

"What happened to her? Could I see her?"

"To put it simply: she went insane. No, you cannot see her right now." His own brow furrowed as he watched her frown at this statement.

"How did she end up there?"

"All the pressure from my father eventually got to her," he said, "but at first she was put into jail. I thought that…that she would get better, but she just ended up slipping further away."

"Why was she in jail?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" He snapped, suddenly suspicious of what she remembered.

She gaped at him. "I know you have a scar on your chest, and I know your sister is the person who gave it to you. I remember. I just want to know more about it." At this, he sighed. She didn't remember it was her.

"She was going to hurt someone I care about. Afterward, she was arrested for attempted murder and conspiring with our father. Then we had her transferred to a facility so she could be monitored around the clock and try to be rehabilitated."

Thinking about his sister always managed to dampen his mood, and she seemed to sense this. His tone was rougher than he would have liked, but he did not want to be spending their quality time talking about the person who aimed to kill her—both of them, actually.

"Oh," she said, "I'm sorry. But life at home is…redundant. I jumped at the chance to travel out here." A small smile appeared on her full lips. Zuko couldn't help but stare at her mouth.

"You apologize a lot, you know that?" he teased, sitting back upright. "But I'm glad that you are here."

"I never got a chance to tell you this, but when I was in my coma, the Fire Nation is what I dreamt about." Her smile widened and his heart skipped a beat.

"Oh…" He felt himself fill up with sadness. He looked down at the grass between them, frowning.

"Yeah…it was like I was living a different life, here. We were actually together." She admitted, blushing once more. At this, his head shot up and her blush quickly deepened.

"I-I didn't know that," he whispered, "I kind of bailed after you woke up. I was just…really sad…"

"I heard," It was her turn to place a hand on his knee. Topaz met azure and he felt his heartbeat quicken as she smiled. "You called me Kitten."

How she did not feel his heart beating like a jackhammer in his chest, he had no idea. That nickname is what he called her when they were being…very, very intimate with each other. What had they done, exactly, in her dreams? He felt the back of his neck heat up and he cleared his throat.

"Kitten," he purred in a low, raspy voice, "I called you that in real life, too."

"What?" Her tone suggested they were on the same page when it came to the nickname. He fought back a smirk at his suspicious was confirmed.

"It was just a nickname I had for you." In bed, he thought. He cleared his mind of any suggestible thoughts and offered as friendly of a small as he could muster. I have a fiancé, he told himself.

"Oh," she let out a breathless laugh, "I…it's…err…was…nice."

"Thanks. Toph is actually the one with the knack for nicknames."

She smiled. "So I've heard. I guess I'm Sugar Queen or Sweetness."

"Don't forget Madame Fussy Britches," he laughed, "I think that's my favorite."

"Why would she call me that?" Katara scowled, crossing her arms.

Just like her old self.

"You're very motherly, and you scolded all of us a lot." He smirked as her frown deepened.

"Oh yeah? Well what'd she call you, Mr. Fun?"

"Sparky." He shrugged, smirking.

"How endearing," she muttered. She withdrew her hand, turning back toward the pond, and picked up the leftover bread. He couldn't help but chuckle at how Toph left out telling her the insulting nickname.

"Firebender," he said. He picked up his own chunk of the bread and tore off a piece and threw it into the still pond. "I'm sure these turtleducks are happy that their caretaker is back."

Three babies swam toward them and Katara resumed her laughter as they tickled her fingertips. A comfortable silence settled around them as Zuko watched her with awestricken eyes. As much as it had been her favorite pastime while in the Fire Nation, it had been one of his as well. Ever since he was younger and his mother would come out here daily to feed them. Women and turtleducks, he laughed.

"I'm surprised they're not mad at you for abandoning them." She teased, bumping her elbow into his arm.

Zuko forced a small laugh. Suddenly, this felt too much like old times. He stood up, surprising her, and she furrowed her eyebrows. He let the big chunk of bread in his hand fall into the pond and turned to head back into the palace.

"Where are you going?" She asked, confused. He stopped, but didn't turn around to face her.

"I think we should go speak to my uncle now. I want to know why he invited you out here." His tone was sharp, and he already knew that she would feel hurt.

Iroh sighed contentedly as he picked up his fresh, steaming cup of ginseng tea. He had just brewed a fresh pot, and the window in his office was open, so a calming breeze flew in around him. However, his peaceful surroundings were cut short as his office door flew open. He looked up, surprised, but sighed when he saw his nephew stalking toward him.

"Uncle," he greeted, "Do you have a moment?"

"Of course! Let us have some tea." He said, offering him to take a seat. His nephew declined with a shake of his head, but took a seat anyway. Katara came running into the room, breathless.

"Zuko! I told you to wait up." She said, walking over and plopping into the last available chair. Iroh felt his curiosity rise, but stood up to close his door since they had failed to do so.

"I told you where I was headed," said Zuko, "I think it's okay if we weren't walking at the same pace."

Iroh couldn't help but shake his head. His nephew should be kinder to his old friend, his old love, since she had suffered so much. Of course, Zuko had suffered a great deal as well. But what he had to say, well, it would help if they were getting along.

After he closed his door, he rejoined the two young adults at his office desk. He offered a cup of tea to Katara, and she happily accepted. He smiled. It made him happy to see that they still shared the same taste in tea flavors.

"Now my nephew, what is it you would like to talk about?" He picked up his cup of tea and smiled as the familiar taste coated his throat.

"I want to know what is so urgent that you summoned Katara for—without consulting me—and pulled her away from her duties at home." Zuko started without hesitation. Next to him, Katara scowled.

"I don't have any duties! I was very bored! I'm glad your uncle called me out here!"

"It still would have been nice to know you were coming!" He snapped.

"Maybe he wanted it to be a surprise! Since you have failed to try and even contact me within the past two years, I think what he did was fine." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked the opposite way of the Fire Lord. Just like old times, Iroh chuckled. Zuko looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Tell me; have either of you two heard of the old tale of The Forbidden Lovers?" Iroh asked, setting his tea cup back down. "It's quite the favorite among the lot of the Earth Kingdom."

Katara shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I haven't heard that one."

"Uncle…" Zuko warned. Iroh smiled.

"It's quite an extraordinary tale. Some don't believe it's a tale at all, but a prophecy—a foreseen event centuries ago," He took a breath to take another sip of tea. Katara was the only one who seemed to be interested in listening to what he had to say. Zuko would think this was just another tale of love. A topic he could ramble on about for a long time.

"It's been said that when the youngest Fire Lord takes the throne the signs will begin. Zuko, when Mai came to see me about that sleeping antidote-"

"—which doesn't work." Zuko chimed in.

"—that you were having your dreams again. More frequently, is that right?" Zuko nodded.

"Dreams…" Katara whispered.

"Yes, well, it is said that the signs will begin—which one would mistake for dreams —and that the one with the ending of each dream is the missing piece to the whole. It's said that together they will bear the blue-eyed firebender; the greatest ruler of them all."

Iroh smiled to himself as he took another sip of tea. Katara seemed to be frozen in her seat, and Zuko's brow was pulled down as he thought.

"What does this have to do with either of us, Uncle?" Zuko asked, breaking the silence.

"My dear nephew, I believe you are the youngest Fire Lord to sit on the throne."

"Okay…what about Katara?" The young waterbender seemed to be pulled out of her daze at the mention of her name. They both looked up at him expectantly.

"After Mai told me about your dreams, I simply invited Katara out here for a visit. Not knowing when she would come, I added that it was very urgent. Fortunately, I did not need to interrogate her because she brought up the dreams on her own."

"Dreams?" Zuko asked, looking at his ex-lover.

"I have dreams about you…" She admitted, her cheeks flushing.

"Yeah," he nodded, "In your coma, right?"

"Not just in my coma…"

Both eyes were back on him.

"When was your last dream, Zuko?"

"Last night." The firebender admitted. Katara's eyes widened. Iroh smiled.

"You seem puzzled, dear." He said, his eyes glistening.

"Zuko…what was your dream about?"

Zuko snorted. "Please don't tell me you even begin to believe what he's saying."

"Just answer the question, Zuko." She demanded, crossing her arms.

"Fine! We were at a banquet after the yearly Peace Summit. I woke up around the time that you were about to descend some stairs in—"

"—in your mother's gown," she finished, "I was wearing something that belonged to your mother."

Iroh felt the tension settling in the room as he poured himself another cup of tea. He smiled, bringing the cup to his lips and Katara mimicked his actions. He waited a few more moments before breaking their dazzled state.

"Ah, there is no instinct like that of the heart. That is why I invited Katara out here, dear nephew. Though, after her accident, things have been made much more complicated. It's just a matter of time until all the elements combine."

"But…" Zuko muttered.

"…I'm engaged!" They exclaimed to the older man at the same time.

A/N: Oh look, a semi-cliffy! I think. Zuko doesn't know about Hahn, and you didn't know about her status, so I'm sure his reaction will be fun to see ;) Thanks for reading!