Hi everyone! This is my fanfiction "Lumière de mes jours, soleil de mes nuits" translated from French, after several demands. I first decided to write it in French because there weren't enough of Zuko/Katara fanfics in my language. Of course, the characters from Avatar the Last Airbender, the comics and Legend of Korra aren't mine, but belong to the talented Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

The French version is not complete (it counts 23 chapters at the time), and is still running. I hope that you are a bit patient though since the translation is quite a challenge for me. About that, feel free to tell me (kindly) if you notice major mistakes, I'll be glad to correct them.

I finally remind you that this fanfiction is rated M, and although I put warnings to allow you to skip the hardest and most explicit scenes, there may be other scenes that could disturb you.

Enjoy your reading!

Chapter 1 - Hurt

Aang and Katara were approaching Firenation Capital with Appa. Iroh had told them about his suspicions about a potential attack on his nephew and suggested they come. Officially, it was a friendly visit to Zuko, who had been Firelord for over six years now. Unofficially, it was to be there to defend him and his family against a possiblt attack from the New Ozai Society, who was so far the one most likely to assassinate Zuko.

Zuko hadn't been informed by Iroh of the main reason for their visit, he had only mentioned his suspicions without attaching too much importance to them. He didn't want to worry his nephew any further, as he had already developed paranoid tendencies after surviving no less than seven attacks. Iroh knew that Zuko would be very angry that he had kept this from him, but the old man had faced him so many times before that it would be nothing more than routine. Although lately, they often agreed on what to do depending on the situation.

Both of them were serene, travelling through the clouds. The tension that had existed between them before had disappeared. Their break-up had been difficult to swallow for both of them. They had broken up by mutual agreement, feeling that they saw too little of each other because of their respective responsibilities. Aang didn't want Katara to wait for him forever, and his protective instinct towards her had become stifling for the Waterbender. So they had decided to break up. They had not spoken for months before finally meeting again, this time as friends. And since then, everything was going relatively well between them. Relatively.

"Appa, what's going on?" Aang suddenly exclaimed as Appa growled and moved to the left, throwing them off course.

"We can't see anything with these clouds, maybe you could..." Katara suggested and didn't need to finish her sentence for him to understand. The clouds were made of water, but it would take her too long to master such a mass. Air would be much more effective.

"Alright!" he said before standing up on Appa's back. He made a few gestures and pushed the clouds away with his airbending. What they saw terrified them.

Very thick smoke and very high flames were rising into the sky. They were coming from Zuko's Palace. Appa didn't want to disappoint Aang and tried to get closer, but the heat was too much for him. Aang grabbed his airbender staff and told Katara to come with him.

"Appa, stay close, I'll find you back, don't worry! Thank you my friend!" Aang said to him. "Are you ready Katara?"

Katara nodded firmly. Aang placed himself on her back with his airbending, so she hardly felt him, she held on tightly to him and they took off together with the airbender staff, heading towards the smoke. Katara wasn't really used to flying, but fortunately for her, she didn't suffer from vertigo. And she had complete confidence in Aang.

There was panic down below, the soldiers were being attacked by other people dressed in black and masked, mastering not only fire but other elements as well. They must have succeeded in recruiting others who, while not sharing their beliefs, hated the Fire Nation and by extension the Fire Lord himself.

"The New Ozai Society." Katara breathed. And perhaps others, she mused.

Aang eventually set them down on the steps that led into the palace grounds where the battle was raging. "I'm going to help these soldiers, you go find Zuko, I don't see him anywhere here!" Aang called out to her as he flew towards the attackers, hitting them with his airbending.

Katara dodged most of the fight and found herself in the Palace. "It's too big, how am I going to find him in there?" she sighed. She began to run and pace the many rooms, looking for Zuko.

She would avoid fights as much as possible or block her enemies by freezing the water in her canteen and sending it onto their wrists, heads or legs to throw them off balance and immobilise them. Then she would stun them before returning the water to her water skin in liquid form. Unfortunately, there wasn't much more water in the Fire Lord's palace at first glance, so she couldn't spare a single drop from her gourd, especially since she would need it to eventually heal Zuko.

Eventually Katara heard a sound as characteristic as it was horrifying: lightning. So Azula was out of prison again? She had long known the cowardice and treachery of Zuko's sister, who had tried to strike her with lightning during an Agni Kai against him. So she hurried to find Zuko.

She finally arrived in the room from which she had heard the lightning bolts. At the sight of the hooded male figure, who was the only one standing in the room littered with inert bodies, Katara knew it was not Azula. She sensed that there was water nearby, probably a bathroom. Facing her assailant to dodge any of his blows, she called for the water in the next room and froze the intruder, leaving only his head out to breathe.

Katara approached him, looking threatening. "Where is he?!" she screamed as she stared into the eyes of her assailant.

He grinned and looked to his left, to the ground. Katara's heart skipped a beat as she saw the scar on the face of the man the intruder was looking at.

"Zu... Zuko!" she cried, her eyes wide with fear. He didn't move.

She rushed to him and searched his neck for a pulse. His heart was still beating, but irregularly. She groped his body, looking for the wound that had put him in this state, the black of her outfit making it impossible to see. As she touched the back of his left shoulder, where the red piping of his Firelord outfit was, she felt warm liquid running down her fingertips. Blood.

She turned him over as gently as possible and saw with horror that the lightning bolt he had received - what else could it be? - had gone through his left shoulder, right next to his heart. He did not respond to any call, any sound. Even a slap did not have much effect.

"It's too late!" sneered the soldier frozen in his ice cube. Katara in her anger pushed the ice up to his mouth to prevent him from speaking.

Then, seeing that he was trying to get out of his frozen cage with his chi, she knocked him out with a block of ice. He no longer offered any resistance. She dreamed of beating him to a pulp, but there was more important things to do. Zuko was still alive, and she vowed to do whatever it took to keep him that way.

Katara opened her waterbender staff and applied a poultice of water to the gaping wound on her friend's left collarbone, then activated her healing powers. It took her quite some time, and she hoped that no one would come and disturb her.

Thanks to her bending, she could see the enormous damage that had been inflicted on him. Unlike the last time when he had been able to redirect some of the energy from the lightning strike he had received, this time it seemed to have hit him full force. Aang in the same state had died instantly, only saved by the sacred water from the North Pole Katara had at the time. Zuko was a very strong person to have survived, but he was lucky that Katara had found him so quickly or he would have bled to death.

Her bending stopped the damage to his body and the bleeding, but wasn't strong enough to rebuild his body in one go. The bleeding had stopped but Zuko remained unconscious. She felt tears in her eyes. Seeing him in this state made her more sad than any other injured person she had ever healed. She cared for him, very much so. They hadn't seen each other for some time and to meet like this, in blood and pain, was intolerable to her.

"I'll do whatever it takes to heal you, Zuko." she said, unsure if he would hear her. It would cost her physically and morally, but she didn't care. If Zuko didn't survive, she would never forgive herself. They had done too much to end here.

It wasn't his voice that answered him, "Katara?! Katara, where are you?" called a voice in the hallway.

"I'm here, Aang!" Katara answered. Aang arrived on his air scooter, which was one of his fastest ways to move.

He jumped down and gave a worried look first at the soldier who seemed to have passed out from the ice, then at Katara, and finally at Zuko, whose head rested on her thighs.

"Is he... " he asked, dreading the answer.

"No, he's alive, but I couldn't heal him in one go, so I may have to wait for the full moon next night." Katara said darkly. She had an idea, and it wasn't a very pleasant one, so she preferred to keep it from Aang.

"I'm going to try to find Iroh, Ursa and Kiyi, are you going to be okay? I normally knocked out all attackers around here." Aang told her.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Katara replied. He was about to leave when she called out to him. "Aang? Before you leave, could you help me put Zuko on the sofa?"

Aang nodded and used his airbending skills to lift Zuko onto one of the remaining sofas. The Avatar assumed it must be a living room where Iroh prepared and drank tea, judging by all the broken porcelain. Then, after checking the surroundings, he left Katara to look for the rest of the royal family. She took the opportunity to thaw out the soldier, and to knock him out again with a bit of ice to make sure he won't disturb her.

Katara didn't take her eyes off Zuko for a second and tried to make sure there wasn't anything else serious. Except for that gaping wound, a few scratches and bruises on his arms and torso, and the fever he was starting to run, nothing more. But that was already too much. As she looked at his chest to check his wounds and fractures, she saw again the scar left by the lightning bolt sent by Azula during their final Agni Kai. Lightning she should have received, if he had not intervened.

She looked around for a cloth she could use to cover Zuko's wound, but there was none. She scanned what was left of his red and black tunic. It was unusable. It was torn all over and soaked with blood. She looked at her own outfit, which had also some blood on it, to see if there was anything she could sacrifice for this noble task. Her eyes went down to the thick white cloth belt she wore to cinch her blue kimono, and judged that it would do the trick. Her kimono parted, revealing the white outfit she always wore underneath. To bandage his shoulder, she gently straightened him and sat behind him, to keep him against her and thus have an easier access to his shoulder, from behind as well as from the front.

"Did you really have to be so heavy?" she grumbled as she bandaged his shoulder. He was weighing his weight against her - especially since he was not conscious. A real dead weight. She had all the difficulties of the world to make a success of her bandage, which had to surround the shoulder completely, from the clavicle to the scapula.

Zuko's face stiffened throughout the operation - a sign that he must have been aware of something after all - and then relaxed again when she was done. Katara checked his pulse again, it was a little less anarchic but still fast. He should be fine if she carried out her plan next night.

She sat at the foot of the sofa on a cushion half torn by the flames that were no longer burning, her blue eyes fixed on Zuko. His loose hair reminded her of the Zuko she had fought six long years ago. But his face was different, more mature, wiser too. And more manly, if she thought about it seriously. He was no longer the angry teenager she had known, though she was sure he still was sometimes. Iroh had taken good care of him.

"My nephew! Katara!" a very worried male voice exclaimed. Right. Iroh was there, accompanied by Aang. He hadn't changed much, looking as a bon vivant as ever. But his face was serious, and for a good reason. He knew that all this was going to happen. He was angry at himself for not asking Aang and Katara to come earlier.

Katara immediately stood up to greet him, keeping a careful eye on Zuko. Her usually lilting voice was low. "Iroh, what a pleasure to see you again, even if I hoped it would not be like this."

"The pleasure is shared, despite the circumstances." he replied ruefully before approaching Zuko. He scanned him for a moment then turned to Katara, questioning her with his eyes.

"I stabilized him as best I could, but I'm afraid he needs more than just one healing. I'll try to heal him again next night, the powers of the full moon should be more helpful." Katara explained, hoping that Aang wouldn't find out what was going on in her head. "He got hit with a lightning bolt full force and couldn't redirect it at all, from what I saw of his wound. I need bandages and pads."

"I will take care of that. The able-bodied assailants are gone, the royal guard is arresting the remaining ones. One of my soldiers should come and take care of him," Iroh said, pointing with his chin to the one Katara had knocked out. "Was he the one who launched it?"

"Yes, and I bet that his knowledge of it came from Azula." Katara replied, approved by Aang.

"I should recall the Kyoshi Warriors to protect Zuko. We thought that wasn't necessary anymore, but obviously..." Iroh sighed. This was the seventh time his nephew's life had been attempted since the beginning of his reign.

"I'll take care of it! Where are Lady Ursa and Kiyi anyway?", Aang asked, as he was about to leave the room. He hoped they hadn't been kidnapped, Zuko's condition was worrying enough.

"They are safe, don't worry my boy. Thank you both for coming to help us." Iroh thanked them, looking at them in turn.

"It was nothing! Well, I have messages to send!" Aang said to himself as he stormed out of the room. Katara often liked to compare him to a tornado when he was in a hurry.

"I'm not leaving until I get Zuko back on his feet. When I do, you can thank me," Katara told him as she checked Zuko's pulse again, which was beginning to calm down. "He's very lucky to be alive."

"He's strong, stronger than he's ever been." Iroh said softly as he absentmindedly stroked his nephew's head with misty eyes. He feared he would lose him forever this time.

Katara put her hand on Iroh's shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. "He will live."

She doubted that Zuko would recover completely, but she didn't want to tell Iroh.

"May you be right", Iroh told her. "Can you watch over him? I have some orders to give."

Indeed, he regularly replaced Zuko when he was away or, on the contrary, when he had urgent business that forced him to miss these events. In one case Iroh was taking care of the Fire Nation from within the walls, in the other he was going to the events on his behalf. And now he had to lead the captives to the cells, organize the relief effort for the possibly injured guards, and listen to the reports of the various group leaders as to the losses and capabilities of the attackers. Know your enemy if you want to fight him, Iroh often repeated to his nephew.

"I will not let him out of my sight." Katara promised.

Iroh left the room. Zuko hadn't moved, or so Katara thought, until she saw his face tense up, his eyebrows furrowed. He was really regaining consciousness, and he wasn't going to like it. He let out a groan that quickly turned into a grunt. Then he screamed louder and louder, until he let out a howl that immediately called Iroh back into the room. He began to spasm, his muscles all twitching at once. Katara quickly moved him to the floor, dodging his confused movements, then immobilized him by straddling him. But she couldn't do it alone, Zuko was so muscular that he easily dominated her in strength. She didn't want to use the ice to pin him down, he would risk heat shock with his fever, which could kill him.

"Need help Katara?" he asked. He was quite serene in appearance, which reassured Katara.

A sane person was more helpful than a panicked one. And Iroh was one of the sanest people she knew.

"Hold his legs and his right arm!" she ordered him in a loud voice without even taking the time to adopt a more respectful tone. Iroh did not care and obeyed immediately. "I will try to heal him again, he must move as little as possible!"

He continued to scream in pain. This brought back very bad memories to both the nephew and the uncle. The day Ozai had burned his son's left side, Zuko's screams then were similar to the ones he was screaming now.

"Zuko, I'll do my best but it will be very painful right now, I'd rather you bite this than your tongue." Katara said as she tore off a piece of the red and black tunic he was wearing. She rolled the cloth into a ball and put it in his mouth. She gathered her hands over his injured shoulder and started healing him again, more precisely and neatly this time. She was trying to put back what had been broken or displaced in his body, which made Zuko's screams double. Katara would remember this perilous recovery for a very long time. Perhaps her most perilous yet.

"Just a little longer, hold on!" she encouraged him as she continued her task.

She couldn't let his heart fail, or it would be over. Iroh maintained him as well as possible on the ground. In spite of his great age, he had kept his strength thanks to his firebending, which he practiced from time to time to keep in shape. Which was fortunate because his nephew was struggling like hell even if he tried to move as little as possible. The pain was unbearable for him.

"I'm almost done!" she shouted to him. Then, after long, agonizing minutes, the pain seemed to subside and Zuko's tense body fell limply to the floor. Katara pulled the saliva-filled cloth from his mouth. She didn't make a single face of disgust. Her work was done for the moment. She was sweating, as was Zuko, who was panting loudly. He was still conscious to Katara's astonishment.

Iroh let go of his nephew's arm and legs, also tired. The healing had not lasted long, but holding his nephew's strength had taken an intense effort.

Zuko's eyes were still closed, but he opened them halfway.

"Thank...you." he whispered before falling unconscious again. Katara smiled.

She didn't think it would be the first thing he'd say, he'd made progress on gratitude and thankfulness, that was undeniable.

Katara sat down next to him, tucked the remains of the pillow she had been sitting on before into a ball under his neck. "Is there somewhere we could carry him to rest?"

She did assume he had a room, but if it was on the third floor of the palace, no way. He needed to move as little as possible.

"His room is at the end of this hallway" Iroh told her. "We need to find a stretcher, I'll get it!"

And he disappeared before Katara could open her mouth. She was holding Zuko's hand, trying to give him some comfort. Wasn't that why she was there? She also checked his pulse through his wrist, hoping it would remain steady. His black hair, which had grown out nicely, was more disheveled than ever, no doubt from the lightning bolt he had received. This was how she preferred him, he looked freer than when he wore his usual serious bun topped with the Fire Lord's headpiece.

Moments later, the royal doctors arrived in the room, armed with the promised stretcher. Katara helped them place Zuko on it, and followed them. She didn't take her eyes off of him, though, glancing around at her surroundings. This was the first time she'd set foot in Zuko's room. It was extremely large... and extremely empty. There were only a few pieces of furniture of necessity as well as a huge bed. The room was, as everything seemed to be in the Fire Nation, decorated in red and black. Only the carpet bore the Fire Nation symbol, a flame mixed with a stylized trident. Two large windows overlooked the inner courtyard where Aang had fought earlier. The doctors had prepared the supplies Katara had asked Iroh for: bandages, compresses, and even some herbal concoctions. They laid Zuko as gently as possible on the bed.

The doctors turned to the waterbending master, visibly embarrassed. And very intimidated. Katara's skills were unquestionable. She was the most powerful healer in the world. "There are many other injured people we need to take care of..."

"Don't worry, I'll look after him. He's out of danger for now." Katara said and grabbed one of the simple seats in the room to sit next to Zuko. "If he bothers you once he's healed for leaving him in my care, let me know, I'll give him a hard time."

They seemed reassured and left the room, inviting her to ask them if she needed anything. She took a deep breath. Her work had just started again. Now it was time to bandage his wound properly until it healed. Katara stood up and proceeded to completely undo the tunic Zuko was wearing so she could have full access to his torso and back, which she would have to bandage. He seemed to be still unconscious, which did not make her task any easier because he was like a dead weight to lift. She decided to straighten him, to sit behind him, and to maintain him against his own chest to be able to bandage his shoulder correctly. She took off the belt she used to wrap him, and then started putting on fresh bandages. It took her quite a while but she got the job done. She got up and laid him gently on the sheets, readjusting again his pillow.

It was only as she sat back down on the edge of the bed that Iroh burst in. "How is he?"

"Still unconscious, which gave me a bit of trouble to bandage his shoulder, but it takes more than that to stop me." Katara smiled as she watched Zuko with a falsely reproving look. He never made it easy for her. "What's the death toll?"

"Many dead, on both sides. Aang was very efficient, as I suppose he always is. He's gone in search of the New Ozai." Iroh told her.

She pouted. "I see. Dreadfully efficient.", she muttered.

She thought she was going to spend some time with her friend, but she was disappointed. But she supposed he hadn't told her, first because he knew she should have stayed here to take care of Zuko - being the only one able to heal him - and second because he didn't want to hurt her feelings by leaving her behind again. Telling her he was leaving her here to go on an adventure would have hurt them both. It was better this way.

She pulled herself together. "I wish I could heal other people, but I'm going to need all my energy to heal Zuko."

"Don't worry, there are no very serious injuries, most are just knocked out." he told her. She saw a lie in his eyes but decided not to raise it. Iroh probably didn't want to worry her, and besides, he had told the truth: there was no injured people that the palace doctors couldn't treat. But most of them were far from being simply stunned.

Katara glanced out the window. The day was still well and truly here for a while. "It's going to be a long day, for Zuko and for all of us." she sighed wearily.

Iroh had taken his nephew's hand without saying a word. Perhaps this was the first time Katara had seen him so worried. She looked away, leaving him with his nephew, and went into the next room, where she had sensed water. Her hands were stained with Zuko's blood, as was her blue tunic. She washed her hands and grabbed a couple of cloths she moistened for her patient. He had a high fever. She returned and handed the damp cloth to Iroh who placed it on Zuko's forehead. There wasn't much more to do, except wait for tonight.

Just then, Ursa, Zuko's mother, and Kiyi, Zuko's half-sister, arrived. The waterbender stood up and bowed. Kiyi remembered Katara well. She had grown up since then, she must be at least eleven or twelve now. The same age Katara had been when she found Aang in his iceberg. "Oh Katara, have you come to save my Zuzu?"

Katara paused at the nickname, which Azula spat out with her usual venom of hatred when she spoke of Zuko. Now it was just sweetness from Kiyi. Katara knelt down to be at her level.

"Yes Kiyi, don't worry, he'll be fine, he's very strong." Katara said gently in a childish voice.

"Oh yes, he is! My brother is the strongest!" exclaimed the young girl, showing the muscles of her thin arms.

"I thank you Katara for taking care of my son", Ursa said with emotion. She sat next to him, holding the hand that Katara had previously held. She obviously cared for her son like the apple of her eye. Katara had been moved when she heard that if Ursa had abandoned Zuko when he was younger, it was to protect him. She had found a new life for herself, her memories having been erased in exchange for a new face given by the Mother of Faces. The Mother of Faces had given her back her true face and memories when Zuko had come to find her. And today, they hardly ever left each other's side. It was not surprising after so many years apart. Kiyi wasn't jealous in the least.

"Zuko is a friend, he knows he can always count on me. Although I wish he'd stop being so close to death so I could come visit him." Katara said in a lighter tone.

"Is he asleep?" Kiyi asked as she approached Zuko.

Katara moved closer to her. "He is unconscious, his body needs rest." she explained before looking up at Ursa and Iroh. "I will continue his healing tonight, alone."

It was better that no one knew about her plan. Nevertheless, she tried to justify herself so as not to arouse too much suspicion.

"I need to be in a quiet place so I can better connect my power to his heart." she said.

It wasn't entirely a lie, it was better for her to hear only two hearts - hers and Zuko's - rather than five, it made it easier for her to concentrate.

"I should go and get a room ready for you." Ursa offered, obviously needing to get her mind off things.

As she stood up, Katara put a hand on the black sleeve of her long dress. "I think it's best if I stay here, Zuko's condition is still quite unstable, I need to be able to intervene quickly."

Ursa shook her head. "Of course, how silly of me. We'll try to set you up here, with a space for you. I think the room is big enough for one more person.

It was true. You could easily fit twelve beds like the one Zuko was lying in.

Iroh stood up, "I'll take care of everything. I entrust it to you, take good care of him ladies!"

And he disappeared. Kiyi watched with curiosity, and a hint of fear, as Zuko was bandaged and still shirtless. Immobilizing him had been so hard that Katara had forgotten this detail for a moment. At least, it wasn't the first time she'd seen him like this. It was the way he'd trained in firebending with Aang back then, the best way to feel the energy of his chi flowing through his body.

"What happened to him?", Kiyi asked hesitantly.

"I wasn't there when it happened, but from the look of his wound, he was struck by a bolt of lightning. He must have been taken by surprise, otherwise he could have redirected it at least partially." Katara told her.

"Yes, he tried to teach me the technique, but I was... pretty bad.", the little Kiyi said.

Kiyi was trained by Iroh, and Zuko himself when he had some free time. She had failed at redirecting lightning. Zuko had perfected his pedagogy to teach her. He would redirect part of the lightning bolt thrown by his uncle in the air himself before redirecting the small remaining part to Kiyi, who would redirect it in turn. This way, she would not risk ending up charred. She had failed because of her stress and fear of lightning.

"Don't worry sweetheart, your brother told you himself that it took him a long time to get there, remember?" Ursa asked her gently.

Kiyi nodded silently, her eyes fixed on Zuko. Katara could tell that she was frightened by lightnings, but decided not to mention it for the moment.

Zuko growled in his sleep, which startled Ursa. Katara slowly moved closer to him and gathered her water over her chest. Kiyi watched, fascinated by the fluorescent water Katara was handling. The young woman concentrated on checking Zuko's condition. Everything was normal, so she sat back down, reassuring the mother and her little sister. Katara's stomach rumbled. What time was it?

"Oh my dear Katara, you must be starving after all this. I'll take care of you, I'll be right back. Are you coming to help me Kiyi?" Ursa asked her daughter, who was reluctant to walk away from her brother. Her mother encouraged her. "He's in very good hands, dear."

Eventually, she rejoined her mother and Katara found herself alone again with Zuko, whose face was once again tense. She sighed, unable to do anything more than watch him. She ran her hand over his wrist. The contrast between their skins was striking. Zuko's was even paler than usual. Nevertheless, Katara was relieved, his pulse had stabilised. He was breathing properly, his lungs thankfully unaffected.

Katara had almost dozed off in her chair when Ursa returned alone with her lunch.

"I hope this is suitable, I know it's not your habit to eat food from here but.."

"That will be fine Ursa, thank you very much!", Katara interrupted her as she began to literally devour what was on the golden tray Ursa had brought. A little spicy for her taste, but her stomach didn't care. She drank the water Ursa had brought in one gulp. Zuko must have smelled the food that had been served to Katara because he started to move. He was waking up. Katara put down her glass and leaned over Zuko. Zuko's eyebrows had furrowed. Then as they relaxed, his amber eyes slowly opened. He turned his head slightly towards Katara.

Zuko parted his lips. "Ka.. ta... ra..." he said in a weak voice, his amber eyes clouded with fever.

I hope this first chapter pleased you, and that you will forgive the mistakes I could have made (though I tried my best not to). Please take time to live a review, it is much appreciated and will encourage me to continue this translation. Thank you for your reading and see you, I hope, at the next chapter.