Even though we said nothing to the others, I think they caught on pretty quickly that something had changed between Zuko and I, and that it was a good change. He was far more openly affectionate with me, nuzzling my hair and putting his arm around me in public but the adults knew not to pry and merely left us to our own devices until we were ready to tell them ourselves. When Katara found out, she practically caused a tidal wave that nearly swept away the temple on Air Temple Island she was so happy, demanding to know every single detail as I'd just cringed back from the sound of her squealing.
I gradually made the process of moving my life back to the Fire Nation, and the only person who wasn't happy with the change was my father. Dad refused point blank to acknowledge Zuko as my partner, to the point where we actually argued and fought for the first time ever and I had to leave in order to clear my head. Mom calmed him down and talked with him, trying to make him see sense, but to my surprise, it was Zuko himself who managed to persuade dad that he wasn't going to disappoint me ever again.
He showed up at the house in the middle of a visit to the city, where he requested to talk to my dad alone. Mom and I left the house and it was hours before there was any sound or movement inside. For a while I worried dad had actually killed him, but then they both walked out and dad stiffly told me that if Zuko ever made me cry, I was to come straight back home and never go back. I was shocked, staring at him before then looking at Zuko, who looked rather pleased with himself. I asked him time and time again what they had talked about, but he wouldn't tell me, since he'd promised to keep it a secret but I did notice that Zuko moved a little awkwardly after seeing my dad, so I guess he must have accepted a few punches before my dad was satisfied with just talking.
I moved back to the Fire Nation where I lived with Ursa, Noren and Kiyi in their house outside the palace where I lived my days quietly and peacefully, enjoying not having any responsibilities for an entire year as Zuko and I dated quietly without anyone outside of our immediate family and circle of friends knowing. I went with him whenever he had inspections or diplomatic missions, more often than not giving him advice when faced with difficult decisions or dilemmas. One time, I was especially glad I went because our ship ran into a typhoon on the way back to the capital. The storm was so strong it made me think back to the ones I had faced before, once travelling to the colonies, and the second when aboard the ship with Zuko and Iroh. The waves were like huge monsters, clawing at the ship and trying to drag us under.
It was so bad that for a while, the crew thought they were all done for as the biggest tidal wave they'd ever seen came crashing towards us, one that would have definitely sunk the ship, when I'd finally managed to get myself up on deck after being thrown around in the engine room after several breaks. I raced forwards to the very front of the ship, passing by the crew as they tied themselves on with lifelines and held onto anything solid and attached to the ship for dear life, Zuko yelling from the bridge. "KAYO!"
Ignoring everything else around me, I focused on the wave and just like I had done before, I sliced it open and pushed the two halves aside, letting the wave pass us by harmlessly as I began to water bend to the extreme. With another wave coming, I started moving the water underneath us and made it rise, guiding it into a full sphere to wrap around the entire ship before holding it, poised in position as I focused, taking deep and even breaths as I felt the movement of the water all around me.
The crew stared in awe, never having seen water bending like this. Katara and Aang could do this much, and I had an entire crew's lives on the line including Zuko's. There was no way I was going to fail. Once the second wave had passed I pushed the water sphere away, letting it crash back into the ocean as I then leaped onto one of the waves and rode upon it, circling the ship before I started to pull the water into a cyclone to raise me up above the ship. Feeling every raindrop and the pull of the tide, I thrust out my hands then strained to raise them, focusing with every fibre of my being all the way down to my core.
When the rain froze in the air, everyone stared as I began to pull the wet and damp moisture towards me, causing it to join the water cyclone as the air continued to rush with powerful force and might. Creating a pocket of calm weather and gentle seas around our ship, I bought enough time for the engines to be repaired and we could continue moving forwards. With calmer waves, we were able to outrun the typhoon and reach calmer seas, so I leaned forwards and returned to the deck of the ship on my water cyclone before letting it drop, breathing heavily as Zuko came storming over.
"Kayo! How could you be so reckless? Did you really think you could conquer a typhoon?! You could have…" My legs buckled and Zuko lunged the rest of the way in order to catch me, seeing that overdone it. "Idiot." He was angry, angry that I'd put myself at risk but he held it in, lifting me up and carrying me to his quarters in order to put me down on the bed so I could rest for a while. The sleep did me good, though when I awoke, I had a fuming Zuko stewing next to me. "Awake?"
"Uh…yes?"
"Good." His eyes narrowed. "What were you thinking?!" I flinched at his sudden shout before I sighed, sitting up and pulling the cover off me.
"I was thinking that it would be better if we didn't end up at the bottom of the ocean as a wreck. I apologise if you had a difference of opinion, I'll be sure to consult you next time."
"Damn it Kayo, you just jumped straight in and…what if it had been too much? If you had passed out whilst you were over the ocean, I might have lost you for good." Understanding why he was mad, Zuko got up and started to pace so I let him for a while, knowing that it was better for him to work out his stress and frustrations that way.
"I just wanted to protect you." I offered him simply, getting up and hesitantly reaching for him. When my hand touched his arm he stopped, looking at me harshly as I looked up at him. "There's no way I was going to let some dumb storm take you from me. You're mine, not even the ocean can have you." Making a noise at the back of his throat in frustration, Zuko grabbed hold of me to kiss me fiercely, expressing everything he wanted to say but couldn't form the words to do so. Before I knew it he was pushing me backwards, making me squeak before we hit the bed and after that, there was no stopping him.
Not that I wanted to, in fact, I was quite the active participant. When we returned home, Zuko and I were as close as ever and most night we spent with each other, spending lazy mornings together for as long as possible until one of us had to get up. I loved the simplicity of my life, and after three years living that way, Zuko and I got married where I became a more active figure in the court once more. I was now the Fire Lord's wife, and with that came certain responsibilities. I handled it all well since I had done similar things before, and twenty years after the end of the war, I gave birth to our first and only child. Izumi, our daughter.
If my father loved me, then he was completely besotted with Izumi. He and mom moved to the Fire Nation to be closer after her birth, where we all lived together as one family and Zuko finally felt the sense of completion and inner peace he had been searching for his entire life. We grew old together, raising our daughter to be wise, strong and fair, so that when she became Fire Lord after my husband retired, we could enjoy our days together with very limited responsibilities.
And that was how my life ended, destiny having brought me on the wings of a storm to the man I would come to love, and a family who meant more to me than the entire world. I hated storms ever after that, but I was always grateful for the one that brought me to the place where I was meant to be. To a banished prince, who was just as lost as I was, until we found one another.
The End...
