Eek! After this...6 more chapters. I think I'm going to cry now.

So because of that, here is something sad. I normally see drabbles the other way around but I like to go for the opposite ways cause it's different. :D Here you go, angst with no death. Brownies for you if you know the song I based it off.

The Fire Lord stood at his mirror, golden crown glimmering in the morning light, a tight frown resting on his lips.

The sound of a creaking door, light familiar footsteps, and the sound of uneasy breathing, brought him back to reality.

Katara walked up to the Fire Lord in her dark blue robes, dark circles forming around her wet eyes, quietly she frowned when Zuko didn't turn around. He stared at her from the mirror, holding his heavy shoulders up with whatever pride he had left.

But he really didn't feel like he had any right now. He just felt so...wrong.

"Zuko...I.."

Her voice disappeared when he turned around, his eyes burning into hers, as he grabbed her shoulders and held her tight. Even with his death grip, his hands were shaking, as he whispered with a cracking voice to the beautiful waterbender.

"Don't say it. Don you dare say it, Katara."

They had their own lives. Their own homes, families, and priorities. But in this tiny room, that revealed everything, it was all forgotten. Their fake smiles and expensive material items could not hide how they truly felt during the longest few minutes of their lives.

"I have to, Zuko! You're going to be a married man in an hour and I hope you have a happy life. I'm not staying for the wedding."

Her words hurt his heart, shattering into tiny pieces of truth, just like the vase behind him. Knocking it down with force and anger, the glass fell and shattered across the floor, causing silence to stab them with such a force that it broke them.

The once powerful water bender, broke into a fury of tears, not even she could bend away.

Sobbing into her hands, trails of old and new tears fell, she turned around.

Inside, she was screaming. She was screaming until her lungs out till they were numb. Where did the time go? Just yesterday they were laughing, smiling, being the people they were meant to be. They promised their feelings would never go away. But yet, they never did. Their priorities got in the way and the Fire Lord needed a woman for a heir.

A woman of his blood, a woman of his nation, a woman he did not love.

Katara began to walk away toward the door, but a hand reached out and spun her around. Whipping her around, she gasped when she felt familiar hands slide to her neck and pull her forward. Zuko held her close, their foreheads touching as they leaned against each other.

So close. So close they were. A small unseen kiss. A forbidden kiss.

But yet, not even that happened.

With a broken whisper, words spilled out of her mouth, and she could already feel her heart close and fall slowly apart as they stood there.

"I have to go. I'm not supposed to be here.."

Holding her tighter, Zuko shook his head and felt his voice cracking. His chest was pounding, bruised from a battle of love, and begging him for mercy from this heart break. It simply couldn't handle it.

"We can't end this way, Katara...not like this..this can't be the end."

He felt tears run down her cheeks, falling on his face, and he could feel the tension in the distance between their lips. But the air between them made it impossible to breath, as they felt the sands of time slowly vanish away.

"No, Zuko. I need to leave now...I'm going home. For good.."

Now with shaking hands, he brushed the hair from her face. Pulling away, Katara stepped back but his hand shot out and grabbed her. Holding her back, he shook his head and cried out to her.

"Don't say it Katara! Please, I'm begging you. Stay...please...stay...I love you.."

She cried harder.

The music that would make his tie his relationship with a woman he did not want began to echo down the halls, haunting him, as his cue was being signaled to reach the stand. The music that would ruin his life, played louder bringing more desperation into both their throats.

"We both have to go..."

She was all he cared out about.

Her hand pulled away from his, and reached for the door knob, tears still spilling out of her blue eyes that he adored so much.

Zuko's trembling hands reached out for her, as if it were for his life, and in this case, it was. He slowly felt a light, a warmth, a part of him vanish when she opened the door and turned around to face him for the last time.

He loved her.

Again he begged her not to say those words. Because maybe it wasn't the end. And now he felt something wet behind his eyes, and she only cried harder, shaking at she opened the lips that he desired and longed for. The words she spoke would be with him to his dying day, whispering into his ear as he said the vows he did not want, and killing his heart slowly each and every day.

"Goodbye, Zuko."

The door shut, leaving him in the dark room.

Alone.