Katara
Trust
Katara felt so full of rage and betrayal that she thought she might be able to firebend. She reached out, felt the power of flames filling her veins and struck at the tapestry hanging in her room in the Western Air Temple. Of course, no fire came out. Instead the water in the air condensed, the tea next to her bed went flying. She reclaimed the water soaking into the tapestry and struck again, and again, and again. The tapestry fell before her wordless fury and still she didn't stop. Only when it was in sodden shreds on the ground did she pause, putting her hands on her knees, sucking in deep, trembling breaths.
"I think it's dead."
Katara whirled to see Sokka standing at the door.
"Can I come in?"
Katara thought about refusing. She was in no mood for a lecture. She was in no mood for Sokka to impersonate the father they had just lost… again. But her brother rarely requested things from her, so she nodded. Sokka came in and sat down on her windowsill. Katara stood at an angle to him, not facing him, not ignoring him, waiting. But he didn't launch a pre-rehearsed speech. Sokka just waited.
"I don't know what you want from me," Katara said when she couldn't stand the silence anymore.
"Just wanted to see if you were okay."
Katara laughed joylessly. "Okay? Well, I'm not. And none of you should be either."
"Yeah, I'm not crazy about Zuko either-"
"Crazy about him? You should be angry, you should be afraid!"
"Aang trusts him and Toph says he isn't lying," Sokka pointed out.
"They're thirteen!"
"That's not fair, Aang and Toph have seen just as much of the world and people as we have."
"That's where you're wrong." Katara turned away from her brother. "You all didn't see what Zuko is really capable of. I was the one who was trapped with him below Ba Sing Se. I was the one who saw how he can twist his words and manipulate people and betray them. It's not Aang or Toph you should have asked, it was me!"
Katara hated the tears that sprang to her eyes. She could feel that Sokka had moved from the windowsill to her side, but he knew her well enough not to touch her.
"I trust you Katara. More than anyone else in the world." Sokka's voice was low too.
"Then why-"
Sokka held up a hand. "Which is it? Did he manipulate you in Ba Sing Se, or did he betray you?"
"What?"
"They're different. Either he was planning to hurt you from the beginning, or he changed his mind along the way. For me, I'd rather he changed his mind because, well, maybe it was a mistake. We can deal with mistakes - with people who make mistakes. We've all made mistakes." Katara heard the failure of the invasion weighing on her brother's words. "What I don't want is someone who has never questioned the actions of the Fire Nation. I don't want someone who lied to my sister in order to hurt her. So… did he lie? Or did he change his mind?"
"It doesn't matter. If he lied, then he's a liar. If he changed his mind, then he could do it again!"
Sokka nodded. "Still… I'd like to know which it was."
Katara had never considered the events below Ba Sing Se in the way that Sokka was suggesting. To answer him would mean a deep consideration of her memories. It would mean letting go of her anger and fear and resentment and looking at those events that she and Zuko had shared through a new, non-judgemental lens. She didn't know if she could do it.
"I don't know, Sokka," she whispered.
"Take all the time you need to think about it. When you know, I'll listen to you. I promise. And if you say we have to throw him out, then I'll make sure it happens." Sokka opened his arms towards her and Katara folded herself into her hug. Maybe Sokka wasn't always impersonating Dad, maybe he had really learned from him.
Sokka left Katara alone to think, and she went for a long walk along the cliffs. When she finally returned to the temple, it had been dark for a long time. Haru and The Duke were still at the fire, but otherwise it was quiet. Everyone else had retreated to their rooms. Katara went into the temple, searching for him. It took a while to find his room in the corner of an empty floor. At least he knew better than to try to sleep near them.
Zuko had left his door open, and light streamed out into the hallway. Katara could see him through the doorway as he set up his stuff. She saw him take a long look at a portrait of his uncle - the man that had made it possible for Katara to escape Ba Sing Se with Aang. The man who made it possible for Katara to bring Aang back. The man who had saved the Avatar. What was Zuko thinking as he looked at that portrait? Was he making his uncle proud? Or was he planning to disappoint the man again?
Zuko jumped when he finally saw Katara.
"Hey!" he said. His voice cracked.
She slowly entered his room, arms crossed, head bowed. When she spoke her voice was soft, and sharp. "You may have everyone else here buying your transformation, but you and I both know that you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past."
Zuko stepped back from her. "I know I-"
Katara held up a hand, silencing him. "So let me be clear. If you take one step backwards, one slip up - if you give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, then you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore."
She made herself look into his eyes. Blue met gold. She wanted him to see that she was serious. He bit his lip and stared at the ground. He was freaked. Good. Before she could sweep out of the room dramatically, his body language changed. He stood up straight and, looking at her eyes, gold to blue, he bowed as a student would bow to their master.
When Zuko straightened up, Katara was gone.
