Chapter 2

Zuko nervously played with his dagger as he waited behind the curtain. In a few minutes, he would walk out into that courtyard, and take his place as the new Fire Lord. Something he'd only really dreamed about when he was younger, he now felt nothing more than anxiety and dread. He'd seen the cost of the war, the horror's that the fire nation had put people through. And he'd seen the kind of men that held positions of power in his court. Zuko wished he could just wave his hand and replace them all with better choices, but to do so would destroy his court, and give his enemies exactly the chance they needed to seize control themselves. No, it would be his duty to run his court as best he could, and unite a squabbling rabble of power-hungry geezers into some form of a government. Muttering a curse under his breath, his mind drifted back to his days travelling the world, searching for the Avatar. Sure, his mind was tormented, but at least he was free to change that. All the fancy clothes and protocols of the court seemed little more than a trap to him now.

There would be time to worry later though. Today, he was supposed to give a speech, one to re-galvanize the people and assure them that the Fire Nation was changing. He went over his hastily prepped notes once again, wishing he'd had someone to help him. All his fancy words seemed stupid in the moment. He paced back and forth, as time ticked on slowly. He had to make it sound good as well; that was the hardest part. But hey, at least he wouldn't be alone. He glanced over to the boy meditating by the door. Suddenly, a surge of confidence filled his body. Right. He wasn't alone anymore. Not now, and not in the future.

The boy opened his eyes, as if he could sense the person watching him. Zuko walked over, and the two smiled at each other as they prepared to walk out and speak with the people. They paused by the door, as the announcer finished off his little speech.

"And to think. A year ago, I was hunting you down." He said, glancing down at Aang. Aang chuckled in response.

"And now we're friends. Working together to make the world a better place." He faced forward, breathing in deeply, and letting it out in a relieved sigh.

"Destiny sure is a funny thing, isn't it?" Aang said. Zuko nodded.

"Yeah, it is." Was all he said in return, and the two of them walked outside.

Katara felt the cool breeze blow through the balcony as she watched the sun go down. The ceremony was still going, although it was much emptier than before, and a lot of those who remained were passed out drunk, or sitting quietly to the side as they watched. She twisted her lips in disgust. She wasn't much of a drinker. Granted, she was only 15, but still. She'd been leaning against the wooden railings for a while, looking out over the island home of the Fire Nation. She had to admit, it was beautiful. For all their crimes, the Fire Nation were just as much people as any other. They had a culture, and a way of life that was beautiful in its own way. It had taken her a long time to see it, but as she stood there, a sense of relief flooded over her. Now all these people could finally express it, and share it with the rest of the world, without being brainwashed by a dictator who believed theirs to be the only way. With enough effort, she had no doubt that the Fire Nation would once again reclaim its honor.

She felt the person before she heard him. The faint tingle of his blood moving through his body was something she was able to sense now, thanks to Hama. While she'd hated what Hama had shown her, she had to admit that her mind was in the right place; a waterbender was most powerful when they understood the human body.

The creak of the floorboard's stirred her from her musings, and she turned to face the guy.

"Sorry Aang, I was just…" She started, before her eyes took in the figure who was actually there.

"Zuko" She questioned. "What are you doing here?"

The firebender put on a façade of hurt. He stood beside her dressed in royal robes, but his posture was relaxed, happy even, and she almost felt tears prick at her eyes at the thought. They had a complicated past, but she knew that Zuko hadn't felt true happiness for a long time. She was glad he'd finally made it.

"I'm sorry. Where you expecting someone else?" He asked, although he knew the answer. She shook her head.

"Well, not really. Just thought Aang was the most likely person to be stalking me" Zuko's face registered his shock, and it was all she could do not to burst out laughing at the sight.

"I was not stalking you!" He cried, indignantly. Katara giggled, purposefully turning away from him to gaze out over the land. After a few seconds, he took a place by her side. The two of them didn't really talk, more content to just be there together.

Zuko was the first one to break it.

"So…" He began. "What are you going to do next?" Katara opened her mouth to respond, but to her surprise, she had nothing to say. She closed her mouth, eyes furrowed as she realized that she'd never actually thought about it. Her future for the past year had been to defeat the Fire Lord, and with that completed, she found herself at a loss for what to do next. Had it been anyone else, she would have come up with something else, not wanting to bother them with her own problems. But something in the tone of Zuko's voice made her realize. It wasn't just a question for her.

"I don't know." She answered honestly. "I have no idea what I want to do. All my life, I've lived in the shadow of this war. Now that it's over…" She trailed off, but from the look on his face, she was sure that Zuko understood. He always did. Ever since that brief exchange they'd shared in Ba Sing Se, she'd come to realize that they weren't very different deep down. The thought made her smile.

"I don't know either." Zuko confessed, turning around and sliding to the ground, resting his back against the railing. "That might sound bad, being the Fire Lord. But it's true." Katara giggled again, sitting down next to him. She leaned over and patted his shoulder.

"That's rough, buddy" She told him, keeping her hand in place. Zuko chuckled, leaning his head back against the backdrop. The conversation between them faded away, and Katara found herself staring at Zuko, in a way she hadn't before, at least not consciously. He looked much older than 16 at that point. The youngest Fire Lord in history, and with the immense burden of basically reshaping his nation into a between country. He looked tired; an observation confirmed by the shuddering yawn he let out at that exact moment. Katara's expression turned worried, and she placed a hand on his forehead, feeling his temperature. A little higher than normal, but that was to be expected for a firebender. She pulled away, and he looked at her in amusement.

"Since when were you my doctor?" He asked her, mockingly, but she didn't respond. Instead, she asked her own question.

"How's your scar?" She regarded him, with a solemn look. They hadn't talked about yesterday, but she knew that was a conversation that they would definitely need to have at some point. He shrugged in response.

"It's okay. Still hurts, if that's what your asking. I think it's going to be that way for a while." She nodded, expecting that answer. Sometimes, mental trauma left you with its own wounds. And she wasn't able to heal those. She grabbed his hand in hers, silently letting him know that she was there for him. Zuko looked at her gratefully, and she smiled back at him. But then, an idea came to mind.

It was a very shocking idea. The very thought sent electricity coursing through his body. He felt more awake than he had in a while. As he looked at Katara, he felt his cheeks burn hotter than usual. A strange reaction, but he shoved it out of his mind. He took a deep breath, hoping that what he wanted to say would come out all right.

"Hey Katara?" He asked, and she immediately picked up on the change in his tone. She looked at him questioningly. He paused, unsure about whether he should go through with this. With someone else, he might have tried a subtler approach, but this was Katara. He knew she'd understand.

"Can I hire you?" He asked bluntly.

Katara looked at him blankly.

"What?" She asked, her tone flat. He winced at the harshness of it. Smooth, he thought, but he kept going.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to hire you to be a part of my court." He told her. "I have no idea how I'm going to fix everything. It's impossible, at least by myself. You're someone who I can trust, one of the very few people. And you're good with people, I'm not at all. You're smart and persuasive, and not to mention one hell of a bender. I mean, you're the perfect choice!"

Katara opened her mouth to say something, but Zuko rambled on.

"And I mean, I would pay you, of course, but if you were there with me, I think I'd actually be able to do something. Even if we don't fix everything, between the two of us, we can get the Fire Nation back to its former glory. And then- "

"Zuko!"

He suddenly became aware that she was calling his name. Mortified, he looked away from her. He couldn't believe he'd just dumped that all on her.

"Sorry" He mumbled, but the hand on his shoulder squeezed gently. He looked back over, to see Katara staring at him, with uncertain eyes.

"What exactly would you want me to do?" She asked, and Zuko felt the flicker of hope light up in him. He took a second to organize his thoughts this time.

"Three things, really. One, you'd be a part of my bodyguard, protecting me and other important figures. Of course, you'd have authority over the others, and you'd be much freer than them, but that would be part of it."

"Second, you'd be a diplomat. Like I said, I suck with people, so you'd be picking up where I drop the ball there. I might also send you to other kingdoms if it's urgent, but more often than not you'd be here. U-unless that's something you want to change." He stopped for a breath, and Katara nodded in understanding.

"And third, well, there's not really a third one. You'd be a friend in a sea of faces that I can't trust. And that's a priceless thing. Of course, I understand if you're busy, but you said you didn't know what you wanted to do, and maybe this can help you figure that out or even, you know…" He trailed off as he realized, he was rambling again. He looked over at Katara, wondering what she'd say. Katara, for her part, bit her lip, mulling it over. Her face was still uncertain.

It's not that she didn't want to help, but the thought of spending her life in a completely different country was an uneasy thought. Apart from this year, she'd never set foot outside the Southern Water Tribe, and she thought back to all the people she'd left there. People who might need her. But then, she looked at Zuko. He needed her just as much. Perhaps more. And while her tribe had Sokka and her father and now Pakku, Zuko had basically no one. In the end, she realized that the choice was simple.

"How long?" She asked him, although her mind was already made up. Zuko looked at her, and she could see the hope in his eyes.

"A-as long as you want. If I had to give a rough guess, I'd say for at least three years, but if you have other things you want to do that's perfectly okay. I'd appreciate any amount of time."

Katara hesitated, looking around her. She'd be leaving a lot behind, but it wasn't a permanent thing. And besides, this was everything she'd ever wanted, really. To help people, to change the world in a meaningful way. She looked at Zuko, staring deep into his eyes, and she gave him her answer.

"I'm in"