ZUTARA WEEK 2010.
DAY II PROMPT: CHANGE
(Takes place post-series)
Katara wasn't sure what had happened. After the war was over and Zuko had been crowned Fire Lord, she had been excited to return to her home, the Southern Water Tribe. She had heard from her father, Hakoda, that the reconstruction efforts were coming along nicely and, while not quite approaching the sheer majesty of the North Pole, was less of a sorry sight than it had been the last time that she had seen it. As her father's ship came up within view of the Tribe, however, her stomach fell. There was no nostalgic sense of coming home, sense of belonging, that had previously been attached to its icy shores. Now, the only connection that she had with it was her Gran Gran, standing on the newly constructed ice wall, waving her home. Even though the entire tribe was supposedly her family, there were just enough Water tribesmen to make it feel foreign. She dismissed the aching feeling in her heart as just a temporary thing.
- - - oOo - - -
Zuko wasn't sure what had happened. After the war was over and he had been crowned Fire Lord, things were supposed to go back to normal. But when had things ever gone right for Zuko? With Iroh back in Ba Sing Se tending to his newly reopened tea shop, he was left alone in the Capitol with no one to lean on. Zuko and Mai's relationship had been becoming increasingly strained; Zuko simply wasn't the person that he had been before he had gotten banished, and Mai hadn't changed, save to become even more emotionless. It had come to a climax a week ago when Mai had left to stay with her parents in the newly renamed Omashu without as much as a note. Completely alone in the Palace, Zuko realised that the destiny that he had fought for so often, now that it had become a reality, was less than he expected. But he told himself that the hollow feeling in his chest that had been present since the celebration in Ba Sing Se was just because he was overworked.
- - - oOo - - -
In the months that followed, Katara tried to keep herself occupied at all times to help her ignore that aching feeling in her breast. She had thrown herself whole-heartedly into the tribe: in the morning, she sat and gossiped with the other women as they patched various articles of clothing and made new garments. In the afternoons, she helped take care of the children of the tribe and helped in the preparation of the evening meal. In the evening, she taught the junior class of waterbenders as was teaching the more advanced students in the mornings.
It was on the long, cold nights that Katara could admit to herself that her definition of home had somehow... changed in all the months that she had been away. And it didn't help that Sokka spent half his time on Kyoshi Island, visiting Suki. Or that she had broken up with Aang when she had realised that her love for him was nothing more than sisterly, and he had refused to visit unless it was absolutely necessary, dealing with his broken heart in his own way. One morning, just as the ships were setting sail for the semi-annual arctic-hippo hunt, Sokka's ship, the Yue, came calling into port. Jumping off the railing and onto the ice docks before the ship had even tied off; Sokka came running towards her, waving a scroll with a coil of red ribbon around it.
"Katara! Come on, we're going to the Fire Nation to visit Zuko! The Fire Nation is having their End of War Festival, and Zuko sent us personal invitations!"
Katara told herself that the irregular beating of her heart at the mere mention of Zuko's name was mere coincidence, and the wide smile that graced her face was just in anticipation of seeing her best friend again for the first time in nearly a year.
- - - oOo - - -
Zuko tried to calm himself as he saw the distinctive Water Tribe ship sail into the harbour. What once could have been considered an act of war now brought nothing but the biggest smile that the Fire Lord had made in nearly a year. As he moved down to the docks, it was an effort of will to stop himself from shucking his heavy formal robes and running down to the docks to greet them. Instead, as protocol dictated, he arrived moments after they docked, surround by a score of the Imperial Guard. He tried to figure out the reason why the hollowness that had been his constant companion for the last eleven months was rapidly filling, but was distracted by people coming down the boarding ramp. Grabbing Sokka's arm in a warrior's greeting, he was surprised to see a pair of bright cerulean eyes looking up at him. As his eyes met the beautiful blue orbs, his heart stopped dead for a second before beating at twice the pace that it had before.
"Katara..."
Before he could finish speaking her name, she had thrown her arms around him and knocked the wind right out of him. Subconsciously, his own arms encircled her and she snuggled deeper into his embrace.
- - - oOo - - -
After a few heartbeats in Zuko's arms, Katara looked up at his molten golden eyes and wondered why the ache in her heart had suddenly eased, and everything seemed right in the world at that moment. She never wanted to let go of Zuko. Ignoring her brother as he cleared his throat to get her attention and hint that 'maybe you've been hugging him long enough', she nuzzled further into his warm chest. As Zuko finally broke the spell and pushed her to arm's length, she saw the warm smile on his face and saw that look of ultimate tenderness in his eyes that she just knew was reflected in her own
- - - oOo - - -
It was at that moment that the two young benders, born of opposing elements, realised a fundamental truth of human nature: That just because you live in a building doesn't make it a home. Home truly lies where your heart is. Gazing into each other's eyes, they knew that as long as they were together, that they would always have a home.
OH GODS THE FLUFF. Remind me NEVER to write something this purely fluffy again... it's almost painful to read. I was totally going to do something silly with this prompt, but then I was in my grandmother's kitchen, and I saw the cross-stitch that hangs above her stove, saying: "Home is where the heart is". And, of course, this made me think about how Zuko/Katara's heart's have changed from where they were at the start of the series (hers in the SWT, his in the FN), and that prompted this. Not my best work, but hey – it's a Zutara, so it's alright. See you soon!
P.S. Credit where it's due:
Arctic-Hippos (if not canon) are from Sharkflip's wonderful Zutara fanfic Each Other (seriously, if you like Zutara, WHY AREN'T YOU READING THIS)
