To my readers who stuck with this story throughout the years. To the new readers who have just found it. It's done.
Zuko was happy to find Sokka when he did. The guy was sitting near the training fields, twirling the tip of his black sword into the ground. "You will dull it that way."
Sokka looked up to the man who had sat beside him. "Zuko," he looked over his shoulder and then back to the prince, "when did you get here?"
"Just now," He sat beside him and took in a deep breath, "I know that last time we talked, you were pretty angry with me, and I completely understand why. You had a right to be after the way I treated your sister."
"No, actually Zuko, I shouldn't have punched you. After… when we talked, I understood you more and how this was so confusing."
"Yeah, that's what I want to talk to you about. I "–
"Zuko, you don't have to be confused anymore."
"What do you mean?" Zuko was thrown off by Sokka's interruption.
"Remember your question? You asked what I would have done if Yue had come back, and I told you I would have chosen Yue. You also told me that you didn't want Katara to live like your mother, and I agree. I don't want Katara to marry you if you are in love with Mai."
"Yeah, that's not" –
"That's why I told Jet that he could ask Katara to marry him."
Zuko was taken aback. Time froze at that moment to allow Sokka's words to echo in his mind. "You what!" He wanted to slam the tip of Sokka's blade into a rock to make it shatter. He had forgotten that Jet was even here. He stood to tower over Sokka. "Because I was hesitant, you hand her off to the next available guy? Do you even care about your sister and what she wants?"
Sokka's brows pinched the skin between so hard that the vein in his forehead could be seen throbbing under his skin. He stood up as well unblinking as they were now at the same eye level. "How can you even ask that? Katara is my sister!"
"Yet you are quick to give her to any man who asks. Does she even know him?"
"I didn't give her away. I gave Jet permission to ask. During the war, Jet was sent to the Southern Water Tribe for healing, and he and Katara made a deep connection. Katara never talks about it, but there was a time where Jet took her away on some missions into the Fire Nation. They grew really close then."
"What do you mean?" Zuko felt uneasy. He didn't know that when it came to relationships, Katara had a past.
"They…" Sokka stopped himself and shook his head, "What does it matter? You don't have the pressure to marry my sister anymore. You can happily marry Mai and Katara can be with Jet. The harmony thing we can figure out another way. Maybe a council of you, me, and the Earth King along with Republic city is enough. Who knows maybe"–
"No," now Zuko was actually pulling out his hair. His hands gripped clumps of locks in between his fingers. He sat down, resting his hands on his knees. "I don't want this. I don't want Mai. I came here to tell you that I had chosen Katara."
Sokka was wide-eyed and baffled. He didn't expect this. He thought when Jet came to him that he was making things easier, but it seemed he did just the opposite. "Zuko, I thought…from the last time we talked, you said you loved Mai, not Katara."
"I did love Mai, and I still do, but not that way anymore. She has always been there for me, and we had…well, what we had was special, and now it is over. Katara and I were starting something new, and I want to continue that. We have so many differences, but that's what makes us work. She bends to smooth out the rough edges the war has given me, and I bend to purify what the war has done to her. Our bond seems impossible, but it works."
Sokka's gut tightened, now he knew that he had made the wrong decision. "Come on." He sheathed his weapon and turned towards the palace.
"Where are we going?"
"To find Jet before he finds my sister."
#
"So you kissed the girl, and now you're going to marry her. You sure do move fast. I never had someone this competent by my side."
Jet had gone to his room only to gather a few things. He didn't expect to see Azula there waiting. "I'm not on your side. I just don't want to see Katara with that"–
"Like I said, whatever. I don't care about your reasons for doing it. As long as it goes along with my plan, then your plan is my plan."
Jet rolled his eyes and headed out the door.
