Why in the world had they gone to that stupid play? Zuko knew it had been a terrible idea. Katara and Aang were weirdly distant and quiet as they walked back to the beach house. Sokka was extremely quiet too, and for him that was an extra strange phenomenon. To be honest, Sokka's constant jokes and annoying comments sometimes got on Zuko's nerves, but now he wished Sokka would say something—anything—to lighten the mood. Toph, who Zuko had talked with at intermission more than he ever had before, hadn't said a single word on the walk back either (despite her loving her portrayal in the play). Something about seeing the possibility of them completely and utterly failing played out in front of them was extremely disheartening and not at all easy to forget. It seemed to wipe out any of the other good aspects of the play (if there were any). Zuko figured it would probably weigh on everyone's mind for a while.
Zuko lagged behind everyone else just slightly. He looked towards the backs of the group and saw Katara look up and move towards Aang, attempting to walk next to him. Weirdly, and totally unlike himself, Aang turned and walked away from her without lifting his eyes from the ground. What was up with those two? It almost seemed like more than the play was bothering them.
After a while, they finally reached the house. Suki and Sokka sat on the steps off to the side, holding hands and being so flirty it was gross. At least they both seemed cheered up. Toph took off and made a rock tent. She apparently was going straight to bed it would seem. Aang went into the house and up to a bedroom. Zuko heard his door slam all the way from the courtyard. Katara sighed loudly.
Ugh. Zuko was not in the mood to deal with everyone's attitudes, and he was still angry from the play himself. He decided to go for a walk to clear his head. He tuned to head towards the beach and was a good distance away from the house when Katara moved to walk into the house.
Zuko didn't remember making the decision to follow her but before he knew it he was walking the 10 yards or so back to the house. He sneakily slipped through the front door after she did. Hey, he was still new at this whole 'good guy' thing, he chuckled to himself. Zuko saw Katara reach Aang's door before ducking behind a wall where he could still hear, but not see, her.
Katara knocked on the door. "Aang can we talk again? I don't—"
"Please Katara. I can't right now. I need time to think," Aang called from behind the door.
"Aang listen to me. I don't want you to be mad. It was wrong of me to storm off on the balcony like I did. And it was wrong of me to react so angrily after you kissed me. I should've been calmer."
Wait. They kissed? Perhaps Zuko had underestimated how in love they were with each other. He'd always seen Aang's crush on Katara as something childish, and something she didn't necessarily reciprocate. Why was he so mad anyways though? They loved each other it seemed, and honestly, Zuko thought, they deserved each other. It made sense in a way, them being together. It fit. He strained to listen closer, not wanting to miss a word.
There was a pause before Aang spoke again. "I don't want to see you, Katara!" he insisted forcefully. "I get it. You don't want to be with me. You said you were confused and that this wasn't the time, but really you just don't want to be with me. Now just please leave me alone." Oh spirits. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Aang was only 12 years old, and sometimes he sounded so 12 years old it was painful.
"No Aang. I don't want you to think that," Katara urged desperately. "I just mean it would be too hard right now." A beat passed. "Aang you mean so much to me, and we've been through so much together. You and I are a team. Always. I never want you to not be a part of my life. I just feel unsure about the timing. How could it possibly even work?"
Zuko heard the sound of a door opening and guessed Aang had finally come out to meet Katara. "Don't you see, Katara? The more you say things like that, the more you talk of being a team, the more you hurt me," he cried. When you talked again it was quieter. "I always want to be a part of your life too. And I can't imagine my own life without you. But I want more. I want everything with you. I really think we could make it work if we tried." Another beat passed. When Aang spoke again, it was soft and shaky. Almost question-like. "I love you."
The silence that followed was filled with enough tension to break a large rope. Eventually Katara spoke. "Aang. I love you too. I always, always have. I'm just scared this wouldn't work."
"You're breaking my heart, Katara," Aang said quietly, but matter-of-factly. It was quiet again for a long time. Katara didn't say anything and Zuko wondered if he had missed the sound of her walking away. Then, he heard the unmistakable sound of lips pulling away. Did Katara just kiss him?
"Wait, but—" Aang started, but she had already run away. He heard Aang groan in confusion and then walk back into his room. Zuko decided this was probably the right time to sneak back out and go on the walk he had meant to go on.
Zuko reached the section of the beach where he had spent an evening with his sister, Mai, and Ty Lee. It hadn't been that long ago but so much had happened that it felt like a different lifetime. He'd been so confused inside now. He smiled internally at the happiness he had now at helping the avatar. He walked around collecting some wood before kneeling down at the fire pit area. He laid the wood down and set it aflame with his hand before plopping down on one of the log benches, elbows on his knees.
Zuko couldn't believe what he had overheard between Aang and Katara. He was confused by it honestly. He didn't know exactly how they were each feeling, but if he had to guess, Zuko felt they would end up with each other after all of this. They really, truly fit.
As for himself, he thought, he'd be lucky to make it out of all of this alive. The play probably did have it right. He knew he'd face Azula in the end. It felt like destiny. They had constantly fought . Their entire lives they'd never coexisted peacefully like a normal brother and sister. Zuko couldn't even remember the last time he felt any sort of older brother type protective feelings or loving feeling towards her. They tormented each other. Eventually one of them would have to rule out.
He thought of Katara and Sokka and a pang of envy flashed through him. He was so jealous of their relationship. They could rely on each other. They always had each other's backs. They knew each other so well and always strived to make sure the other was happy. But at the same time, they teased and poked fun at each other. Zuko couldn't even imagine having anything close to that with Azula. What would that have been like?
But perhaps it was good they were never close. It would make having to kill her in the end easier he supposed. And she would have to die if they were ever to have peace in the world. Just like his father would have to die. Zuko knew it was the way. How could the world ever return to how it was, become balanced again, if the people who had perpetuated the evil were still alive? Zuko didn't waste time denying it. The rest of his immediate family would have to be defeated and killed. They'd done too much; destroyed too many lives.
Zuko's thoughts were suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps. He whipped around, his body tense and ready to strike. His experience with Toph had taught him restraint, but growing up with Azula, and living on the road for so long had taught him to stay prepared to strike.
"It's okay, Zuko. It's just me," Katara said teasingly. She walked lazily towards him and sat on the log bench opposite him and across the fire. "I just saw the fire and thought I'd join." Zuko's body relaxed and he sat back down. Zuko couldn't read her. She seemed content. At least happier than when they were walking back from the play. He figured maybe her mind was at rest since things had been resolved with Aang. But had they? From what he had overheard, it wasn't like those two were together or anything yet. Spirits girls were confusing. He wasn't even involved in the situation and he could understand Aang's groan at Katara's mixed signals. He stared at her. The fire danced in her wide eyes. She seemed mesmerized by the flames.
Zuko didn't make a response, so she spoke again. "That was a really awful play." She said it in an amused tone, not looking up to him from the fire. For some strange reason this made Zuko's lips curl into a smile ever so slightly.
"It really was," he responded politely. "I'll never be able to get the picture of me standing on a war ship bellowing out useless orders to move faster so we could get closer to catching the avatar. I can't believe how awful I must have been." He said all of this in his characteristic dark tone, but also seemed sad.
Katara, who had been slouching, sat up a little straighter. "Hey. I know I said that actor was pretty spot on, but I was just teasing you. It's just too tempting to get you riled up sometimes." Zuko chuckled at this. He was at least self-aware enough to know he had a temper. Even now that he had changed his motives and joined them. "Personally," she continued, "I'll never be able to get the image of you with long flowing hair out of my head. I think you should keep growing it out."
He smiled and chuckled again. A few moments passed before he spoke. "I also guess I've never actually apologized to you for stealing your mother's necklace. It wasn't until tonight that I realized how awful that really was." Another beat passed. "So I'm sorry."
"It's all good Zuko. I'm over it. It was a long time ago and everything has turned out okay now." Zuko wanted to tell her that this definitely wasn't the end yet. They still had major things to accomplish and things could still go south pretty quickly. Aang could lose. Aang could die. If he fought Azula, he could even die. Zuko wished that thought would stop popping into his head. Katara was relaxed again now. Zuko looked at her. Red Fire Nation clothes actually seemed to suit her. It was different than her usual blue, obviously. But the red looked nice against darker skin. If he'd seen her walking down the streets in a Fire Nation town, Zuko would maybe not even realize that she wasn't from there. Of course, her big blue eyes and her signature blue necklace let on that she clearly wasn't Fire Nation.
Katara spoke again. "You know, I always thought it was weird that you didn't destroy it after I got away. I mean especially once you found Aang. I guess maybe than Aang wouldn't have hung around to retrieve it and you would have lost time in possibly getting him." She seemed to almost be talking to herself. Zuko didn't particulary like talking about the time period when he was hell bent on capturing Aang, or what his tactics had been, but he responded anyway.
"To be honest I almost did right after I found it on the ground in that prison. But my uncle advised me that it might come in handy. I'd sat through enough lessons on other cultures growing up to know that it was a water tribe betrothal necklace. I figured it probably meant a lot to you and you may come back looking for it. I guess it did end up proving useful at the time." A beat passed. "Looking back now I suppose Uncle only told me to keep it because he knew it was probably special to you. That's just how he is. He didn't even know you and was still looking out for you." Zuko smiled.
Katara let out a small laugh. "You thought I was engaged?" Zuko could tell she wasn't laughing at him really, just the idea of her being engaged.
"Well yeah, I mean, that's at least what I figured the necklace meant. But then in the cave you told me about your mother and I realized that's probably where it came from."
"I guess that makes sense," she said through a smile. "Usually in the water tribes girls don't get betrothed until they're sixteen. So yes, I just wore it because it was my mother's. In fact it was even my grandmother's before that." Zuko nodded in understanding. They passed a couple more minutes in silence with only the crackling of the fire sounding around them. That was one of the things Zuko liked about Katara. It was easy to sit in silence with her. Aang and Sokka were the rowdy ones. And if Toph got involved in their shenanigans, it basically evolved into pure chaos. Loud chaos. But Katara usually sat on the sidelines and watched in quiet amusement. Zuko preferred the sidelines as well, so being with Katara when neither was talking felt nice. Comfortable even.
"What are your plans after all of this?" Zuko asked. He was extremely bad at making small talk. Especially with someone who hated his entire being not one week ago.
Katara hesitated, as if considering for the first time what she might actually do. "To be honest I haven't thought about it a lot. I've been so focused on saving the world I guess," she laughed. "But I suppose I might go back to the South Pole. I think it's time we tried seriously rebuilding to what we were before the war. Especially now that we're in contact with the Northern Tribe and can get help from them. I'd love to start training water benders down there." She lit up at the thought of getting to do this, and Zuko couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked when she smiled. He smiled slightly as well. "I also may travel for a while with Aang after everything is over before going down there though. He'll need someone with him for support."
"You really care about him," Zuko observed. For someone who sounded so confused about her feelings when he was eavesdropping, Zuko thought she seemed pretty sure of them now.
She smiled again. "I do."
For a split second Zuko envied Aang, but before he could figure out why, the feeling was gone. "I can tell he cares about you too. You fit well together," he said plainly again. Katara blushed and another silence fell between them. Katara broke it.
"What about you? What are your plans?" Zuko thought she sounded genuinely interested. He looked down though.
"You mean if I make it out of this alive."
She sat up again, looking serious. She had her signature I'm-going-to-fix this look she got when someone was hurt. "Zuko don't talk like that. We have to keep our hope. When things seem the worst, that's when we need it most. We can't keep living like we're going to die the next day. It'll destroy us." Zuko was impressed with the conviction she said all of this with. She seemed so sure. He kept his head down.
"Even if I do end up fighting Azula and I do end up winning, what then? I just become Fire Lord? My people won't accept me. And besides, it would all mean nothing without my uncle there to help me. And why would he ever want to now? After all he did for me….after all sacrificed to support me…I—I just…" Zuko's voice raised as he spoke but he didn't finish his thought. He was at a loss for words, and also couldn't remember having stood up. He'd treated his uncle horribly. So horribly the thought of it made him sick. Ugh it just made him so angry with himself.
"Zuko," Katara said softly to calm his anger. The fire between them had grown significantly as he'd gotten to his feet and raised his voice. Zuko ran his hand through his shaggy black hair and sat back down with a sigh. "You said yourself how much your uncle cared about me when he didn't even really know me. Think how he feels and worries about you! His own family. I don't think any level of hurt you may have caused him could make him ever want to do anything but help and support you. I haven't talked with him much, but when I have, all I notice is how much he seems to love you. You mean everything to him. He would be so proud of you and what you are doing." Katara's words genuinely helped ease Zuko's mind. As she'd been talking, he'd remembered some of his uncle's words from a long time ago. I think of you as my own. He finally looked up and saw Katara watching him intently, worry and concern written on all her features. A beat passed. Her words had truly calmed him. Only his uncle and Mai were ever good at doing that.
"Thank you, Katara," he said. She stood and Zuko watched her walk around the fire towards him and plop down next to him. He caught another whiff of her pleasant scent and for some reason his heart skipped a beat and then started beating fast. They kept their eyes locked for what seemed like a long time before Zuko closed his and looked down. Zuko felt her hand touch his shoulder.
"Everything's going to turn out all right," she whispered. "I know it." She sounded so hopeful that Zuko nearly believed her. How could this person next to him also be the fierce fighter he witnessed the other day? How could one person possess so much energy and passion but also so much warmth and gentleness? And how, thought Zuko, was she so good at making him feel so at ease?