Only the Good Die Young

'You will be executed tomorrow at sunrise.' Was all she said to the crumpled blue figure. She ignored the other occupant of the dungeons, turned on her heel, and left.

Katara tried very hard not to sob, and found it disconcertingly easy. The tears were stuck in her throat, choking and refusing to budge. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked back and forth, oblivious to the golden eyes watching her.

There had been so much blood. She didn't know such small bodies could hold so much blood. But she had felt it, every last drop. Because she was a waterbender, and because water was so much a part of blood, she had felt it seeping from her friends, her family. She had felt it tremor in response to her anguish. She had felt every last drop as it swirled with her bending water, the rusted spirals lashing at all the firebenders around her. She had fought on alone with blood and tears.

And now she would die alone.

Something shifted off to her right. Her head snapped about and she met the amber gaze. Her eyes widened.

'Zuko.' She choked. A feeling of déjà vu stole over her and she scowled.

She had not seen him since Ba Sing Se. She had thought him dead. Part of her hoped he wasn't. Death was too kind a fate for him. Apparently Azula agreed.

'This is all your fault!' she spat without conviction. She couldn't feel anything. Even the aching sob in her throat was dissipating, leaving her empty.

He broke their gaze. Had he just nodded? He was staring at the ground. Defeated was the only word she could think of to describe his posture.

She blanched. How long had he been down here? How long had it taken before this cell broke his spirit? She wanted him to rage and scream at her, so that she could rage and scream back. Anything to feel something in what were to be her last hours on this earth. But he looked away, and she felt nothing.

'Wasn't it good enough that you chased us for months? Wasn't it good enough that you kidnapped Aang and me over and over again? You just had to… to…' she could not admit that she had almost trusted him in that cave. 'Had to try and kill him! Well are you happy now? He's dead! And it's all your fault!' Unbidden, the lump rose in her throat once more. The ache of it was such a relief, and she did not try to swallow it down.

His gaze flicked up to meet hers once more. But he did not deny her accusations.

'He'll be reborn into the Water Tribe.' Was he trying to reassure her? It didn't work.

'No he won't!' She was on her feet without realising it, the rage and fear and unbearable sorrow that had been hovering just beyond her comprehension suddenly burst forth and she didn't care that she spat when she spoke. She didn't care that she was stamping over to him. Because she could feel for the first time since she had cut down her enemies using the blood of her friends and in a few more hours she was going to die.

'Aang will never be reborn! That's all he ever was to you, was the Avatar! But he was Aang, my friend! He was a person too! And he will never ever come back!'

She whirled away from him and almost ran into the opposite wall. She didn't care. She didn't care that in a few hours she would die. She didn't care that the last thing she would feel would be hate and anger and fear and sorrow. She didn't care because there was nothing left to care for. Hot tears streamed down her face as she beat her fists against the wall.

At last, exhausted, she slithered down it to crouch in a heap. Then the sobbing came.

'Stop crying.' As always, it was a command.

He watched her, sitting in a heap, her back to him. Her hand was still splayed against the wall and she hid her face. But she could not hide the sobs. He didn't know what to do. Was there any point in comforting the condemned?

'Stop crying!' His stomach twisted. He had been alone so long. He didn't mind the quiet. But this was so much worse. The sound was annoying and it made him remember their time in that cave, when they had come so close to an understanding. It almost hurt.

'I said stop crying!' He was on his feet, striding toward her. He seized her shoulder and spun her around. Her eyes were squeezed shut, as though they would hold her sobs inside.

'Stop it!' he yelled and shook her, kneeling before her. The sobbing did not stop, but she turned her gaze up at him.

'Please.' He muttered, his hold loosening on her shoulders.

The next moment she had buried her face in his tunic, her fingers digging into his own shoulders in mimicry of his hold a moment before. She sobbed harder than ever, but at least the sound was muted. She was most definitely in shock, he thought idly. Even as a last resort, she should not be turning to him for comfort.

He sat for a moment, unsure what to do. He should push her away. But, as though by rote, his arms rose and began patting her back. Her grip in his shoulders loosened and, glad to be rid of the pain, he warmed his hands a little.

And tensed when her hands snaked about his waist. He breathed and forced himself to relax. She was insane, hysterical and in shock and in a few hours she'd be dead. What did it matter if she hugged him?

'I don't want to die,' she sniffled into his tunic. And then, even through her sobbing, she began to laugh. 'Even when everything I care about has been killed in front of me. Even when I've done the most horrible things and there's nothing left to live for, I don't want to die.'

He shushed her, trying to sound gentle. In truth he just wanted her to be quiet, and possibly to let go of him. But she didn't.

He didn't know when she fell asleep, just that she got heavier and heavier until he had to lean back on one hand to stay sitting up. Her silence would have been a welcome relief had her arms not still been cinched about his waist.

He was not aware he had fallen asleep until his head hit the floor. He cursed. His arm had given way as he relaxed, and he'd fallen. His head throbbed and he muttered more oaths under his breath.

Only when he was done did he realise her rhythmic breathing had stopped. He looked down at her. She was staring up at him.

Her face was too close. His head hurt. She was still half lying on him. How long had they been sleeping? Was it close to sunrise? She was far too close. He could feel her breathing. Why was she looking at him like that? Her eyes were shimmering, but not with tears. Had they always been so blue? Her arms were still around his waist. One of his hands was still on her back. Why couldn't he breathe?

Their lips met without him knowing who had closed the distance. It was a clammy kiss, wet with her tears and warm with his fire, but as clumsy as two lost children. It was wrong. It didn't feel right to him, and he knew when she drew back that it hadn't felt right to her either. But of all the wrongs that had been committed that day, this was the least of them. And so, hesitating only a moment, he kissed her again.

There was a shriek of metal-on-metal, and they broke apart. He was on his feet and in a bending stance. She was still sitting on the floor.

'What are you doing?'

'Get up.' She looked at him quizzically.

'They're coming for me.' The implication was clear; he should stay out of it.

'We'll go together.' He was terse once more, not looking at her. Neither would admit it, but live or die, they did not want to go through it alone. They didn't need to admit it. It had been obvious the moment their lips met.

'We can't win.' Already she was in a waterbending stance, her actions belying her words. She had no water, but it hardly mattered. Her enemies' blood would do.

'Never give up without a fight.'

The door opened.

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AN: My last entry for the KataraZuko Shuffle Challenge: Only the Good Die Young, by Billy Joel. Prompted by the title only, as the feel of the song and the mood of this fic could not be more different. It's creepy for a number of reasons. First because it's dark. Second because I love it because it's dark. Third because the characters are OOC and choppy. But you know, I'm hoping you'll forgive them for that because if I was stuck in solitary or was about to be executed, I probably wouldn't act like myself either.