Sum 41 - Best of Me
This takes place exactly at Southern Raiders episode.
Zuko brings his hand up to his chest and clutches the fabric of his shirt just at the spot where his heart lies within his limbs, thumping regularly steady yet for some reason, it hurts.
He winces at the pain, feeling odd at finding the waterbender's words could easily stab him so deep. He even wonders whether the pain is going to be permanent or not. He's certain about the former.
Okay, apparently what she said is true; she was the first one to trust him, back in Ba Sing Se. And then he turned his back on her, on all of them. But why is she the only one dwelling on that issue? Aang has forgiven him, so has Sokka. Toph is the first one to accept him in the group and Suki just does whatever Sokka does so she too has forgiven him. This leaves Katara the only one hating him.
Normally, he couldn't be bothered by this. He's not the kind of guy who cares about how people judge him. His uncle has taught him to not let those people burden him and just think positively instead. Eventually, they'll understand.
However, knowing the fact that the Water Tribe girl loathes him so much causes uneasiness in his soul. Suddenly, he's come to care what peopleāno, what she thinks of him.
He must apologize, so he thinks. Mourning on his mistakes won't get him anywhere. If it necessitates him begging for her forgiveness, pleading on his knees, bowing low until the tip of his nose brushes the ground, so be it. He has lost the authority of his honored title anyway.
And that's the reason why the former crown prince of the fire nation is sitting on a small boulder outside the waterbender's tent, fighting back the drowsiness that seems to overcome him, his inner heat rising as the chill of the night wind sends shivers down his spine.
He has figured something out when he talked to Sokka. And waiting like this is just one of his attempts to show her a better side of him.
