Summary: They have had their good times and their bad. The war has ended, and new relationships are thriving. Katara and Zuko are living happily as a married couple. That happiness can only last for so long. Arguments ensue and stress sets in, but love prevails over everything. This is their story…

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, themes, or quotes. Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs strictly to Nickelodeon Studios and its ingenious creators. This story is written only for private entertainment purposes and no copywrite infringement is intended. Thank you and enjoy the story!


***Please note: this chapter is a MAJOR flashback chapter in order to fill in holes in how Katara and Zuko began their relationship. Each flashback is indicated by italic font, and they are separated by a line across the screen so there is no confusion between time periods, as will be the formatting any time I have flashbacks in this story. I realize that many of these flashbacks are directly from the original series, and many of you will immediately recognize them. They are there solely because I believe that they are essential to the Zutara storyline that I have come up with. However, some of them are of my own creation and manipulation, and I hope you enjoy them.***


Chapter 2 – Memories


Katara woke before Zuko slowly, silently. It was early in the morning; the sun was just beginning to show its face through the curtains. She thought it strange that she woke before her husband, but after last night, she couldn't really blame him; he needed his rest. Even still, waking up before a Firebender just didn't seem right to her. She could not explain why.

She turned toward him and saw that he was facing her, sleeping soundly. She took a mental note of his appearance: the covers were pulled up to his waist, his chest moving up and down from his breathing. His arm was bent, serving as a pillow for his head while the other rested lazily against the mattress. His hair was in his face, nearly covering the entire left side of it. The single strand that hung at the tip of his nose moved back and forth in time with his deep breaths, and as Katara noticed this, she smiled. She was genuinely surprised that he had allowed it to grow to this length, unlike his usual, shaggy, un-kept style. She knew all-too-well that he would be getting a trim soon, his way of showing his clear aversion to the looks given to him by his father. Zuko looked so much like him, it scared her at times, but she very well knew that they were on complete opposites of the spectrum.

Katara let out a quiet chuckle at where her thoughts had taken her. As she did, Zuko rolled slowly to his other side, his back facing her. She sighed at his actions. It was as if he subconsciously knew that his appearance was being evaluated while he slept.

Looking back, she had never thought she would be living this life. She was raised as a Southern Water Tribe peasant. How could she possibly be living this life—living in the Fire Nation; married to the Fire Lord; becoming Fire Lady; being best friends with the Avatar… How did that happen?


He was standing there in front of them. They could sense his nervousness. Why was he here? He couldn't be telling the truth. He is the enemy!

"I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore!" he shouted, bringing his hands up in the air and taking a step forward. He stopped when the Water Tribe boy pointed a boomerang at him.

"Either you leave, or we attack," Sokka said.

Zuko closed his eyes in defeat. "If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner." He kneeled in front of the group, holding his wrists out as if waiting for the shackles and chains.

"No. We won't!" Katara yelled, bending a wave of water in his direction. He was forced back, grunting at the impact. He turned to look up at them again, soaking wet. "Get out of here and don't come back. And if we ever see you again—well, we better not see you again!" She could not think of any other threat to give.

He looked up at them in surprise before lowering his head. Without another word, he stood up from the puddle of water and walked away, his shoes making a sloshing noise with every step. Their eyes followed him with angry stares.


They were gathered all together; Aang in the front, Katara on his left, Sokka on his right, and Toph was sitting on a rock behind him. Zuko walked towards them before stopping just a few feet away from the Avatar.

Aang looked down, thinking of the words he wanted to say. "I can't believe I'm saying this but… Thanks Zuko."

Sokka raised his arms up in a hero-like pose. "Hey, what about me? I did the boomerang thing."

"Listen. I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday. I've been through a lot in the past few years and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that—somehow—my father could return it to me. But I know, now, that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world," Zuko said. He looked at Toph and bowed the way a Firebending student would bow to his Master. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild. So as a Firebender, I need to be more careful, and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

Aang thought for a second before saying, "I think you are supposed to be my Firebending teacher." He walked forward a few steps and motioned to the girl at his left as he spoke. "When I first tried to learn Firebending, I burned Katara. And after that, I never wanted to Firebend again. But now, I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love…" He bowed. "I'd like you to teach me."

Zuko smiled and bowed back. "Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group," he said. His smile quickly faded when Aang spoke again.

"Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them." Aang turned, looking at his Earthbending teacher. "Toph. You're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?"

Toph answered from her perch on the rock, "Go ahead and let him join. It will give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet." She punched her hand, smiling. Aang moved on to the next person. Zuko stayed silent.

"Sokka?" he asked.

"Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If this is the way you think we should do it, then, I'm all for it," Sokka said, shrugging. Aang nodded and moved on.

"Katara?" he asked quietly.

Katara looked away from the Airbender and glared at Zuko. Beads of sweat began to run down his face. She closed her eyes, opened them and looked at Aang again. "I'll go along with whatever you think is right," she said, acid in her tone. Aang smiled.

"I won't let you down! I promise!" Zuko said joyfully, walking forward. Katara was the first to turn and leave and Aang followed her. Sokka turned and gently picked Toph up from the rock, carrying her away, leaving the Firebender standing alone.


She came up to the door and saw that he was unpacking his things. He had gently picked up a picture and Katara quickly recognized the face of his uncle—General Iroh. She continued to watch him as he smiled at the picture, more than likely remembering something that he had said long ago. His face dropped and she knew that she had been caught; he had felt her presence behind him. He turned and smiled at her, but that smile quickly faded when he noticed the expression on her face.

She was not happy, the acid from before was still in her voice. "You might have everyone else here buying your 'transformation', but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past." She walked forward until she was in front of him, her face inches from his. "So let me tell you something, right now. You make one step backward—one slip-up. Give me one reason to think that you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there. Permanently," she stated flatly.

Katara turned away from him, walked out of the room, and shut the door behind her without another word, leaving the Firebender in silence.


"Wow. Camping. It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?" the Airbender said matter-of-factly. They were sitting around a campfire, talking quietly, finally at peace since Azula's surprise attack from earlier that morning.

"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh…chase you around a while and try to capture you," Zuko said as he tore a piece of bread in half and held it to his mouth, smirking. Everyone around the fire laughed. Katara was the exception.

"Ha, ha," she said in a flat voice, sarcastic. No one had seemed to hear her.

Sokka, who was still recovering from the laughter stated, "To Zuko. Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today, he'd be our hero!" He raised his cup in the air in a toast.

"Here, here!" the group said simultaneously. The rest of the cups were raised as the toast was made. Aang and Toph both gave Zuko a friendly punch in the arm.

"I'm touched. I don't deserve this," he said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Katara said, glaring at him. She stood and began to walk away. She could still hear them conversing behind her as she went.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked, confused.

"I wish I knew," Zuko said quietly. She heard him stand and begin walking in the same direction that she had gone; only slower, more cautious.

"What's with him?" Sokka asked, confused again.


She was sitting on a rock near the edge of the cliff, looking out over the ocean, gazing at the full moon. When she heard him approaching, she turned, looked at him, and glared.

She had stood and begun to walk away when he spoke. "This isn't fair. Everyone else seems to trust me now. What is it with you?" he asked, following her with his eyes.

She turned and looked at him, anger in her voice. "Oh, 'everyone trusts you now'? I was the first person to trust you, remember? Back in Ba Sing Se." She pointed out to the ocean as if to say the city was right behind her. "And you turned around and betrayed me—betrayed all of us."

His face came together in a sneer that quickly disappeared. "What can I do to make it up to you?" he asked innocently, afraid of the answer he was about to receive.

She walked toward him, still angry. "You really want to know? Hmm. Maybe you could re-conquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King—or I know. You could bring my mother back!" she yelled, her face only a few inches from his.

She shrugged past him and walked back to the camp, leaving him alone.


Katara woke quietly, just as the sun was beginning to rise. As she pulled back the flap of her tent to walk outside, she saw a figure sitting directly across from her. It was Zuko. She crossed her arms quickly and sneered at him. He raised his head and looked at her with an exhausted expression on his face.

"You look terrible," she noted, her voice uncaring. She walked around him to retrieve her whale-tooth comb from her bag.

He stood up behind her. "I waited out here all night," he said, rubbing his eye.

She didn't seem impressed. "Well, what do you want?"

"I know who killed your mother. And I'm going to help you find him," he said in a serious voice. Was he kidding? Why would he want to do something like that?

Katara turned around from combing her hair to look in his eyes. The seriousness was there, too. But why would he want to help her find her mother's killer? Why?


They were standing in front of the door. Water enveloped her hands and arms. She was ready to do what she must. She had no fear.

"This is it, Katara. Are you ready to face him?" Zuko asked in an intense voice.

Without a word, she brought the cloth down from her mouth and sent the water rushing at the door, breaking it down. Zuko quickly jumped in front of her and dodged the oncoming flames.

The man in armor jumped back when Zuko sent flames at his feet. "Who are you?" he asked in an angry voice.

Zuko remained in his fighting stance. "You don't remember her? You will soon. Trust me." Another flame came from his fist, directed at the man who turned around, blocking it. As he spun around, fire started at the end of his fist, but was quickly diminished when his arm suddenly became rigid and began moving on its own accord—like it had a mind of its own.

"What's—happening to me?" the man asked as he was brought to the ground. Katara stood in a familiar stance, controlling the blood in the man's body—Bloodbending. He was now her puppet, her slave.

Zuko stood from his fighting stance and looked at Katara. When he noticed it was she that was making the man do this, his eyes shot wide open, frightened. He quickly recovered and turned back to the man on the floor. When he spoke, his voice was harsh. "Think back. Think back to your last raid on the Southern Water Tribe."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Please. I don't know," the man said, struggling to speak.

Zuko got down on his hands and knees in front of the man and shouted, "Don't lie! You look her in the eye and you tell me you don't remember what you did!" He pointed to the Waterbender who raised her arms in a specific way that made the man follow, raising up on his knees, looking directly at her.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment until, suddenly, the intense look on Katara's face faded. "It's not him. He's not the man," she said, surprised. She dropped her arms and the man fell to the floor.

"What? What do you mean he's not? He's the leader of the Southern Raiders. He has to be the guy!" Zuko said from the floor.

Katara turned, her back facing them. Zuko took the man by the arm and pushed him against the window. "If you're not the man we're looking for, who is?" he asked.

"You must be looking for Yon Rha. He retired four years ago."

Zuko turned his head and saw Katara walking out of the room, saying nothing.


Lightning flashed in the distance as the rain became heavier, coming down from the now dark-clouded sky—the perfect setting for this moment.

"She lied to you. She was protecting the last Waterbender," Katara stated in an angry voice, looking away from the man on the ground.

He was surprised. "What? Who?" Yon Rha asked.

Anger returned to Katara's face and she looked at him again. "Me!" she screamed.

Katara raised her arms up and the rain around them seemed to float in mid-air. Somewhat of a bubble formed around them and Zuko looked up, pulling the cloth from his face, eyeing the water above him. Katara moved her arms in what looked like a strange dance and the water around them formed into sharp icicles, aiming strait for Yon Rha. He brought his arms up in a poor excuse of a defensive position, readying himself for his punishment. There was a cracking noise, then silence. Yon Rha lowered his arms and looked up in surprise. The ice daggers had stopped in the air, a few feet from his face, some of them already puncturing the ground next to him. Katara stood frozen, her hand out as she held them steady before lowering her arms. The ice returned back to its liquid form and splashed to the ground.

Yon Rha rose up on his knees and began to beg. "I did a bad thing; I know I did. And you deserve revenge. So why don't you take my mother. That would be fair," he said, looking up at Katara pleadingly.

"I always wondered what kind of person would do such a thing," Katara said. Zuko stayed silent behind her. "But now that I see you, I think I understand. There's just nothing inside you. Nothing at all. You're pathetic and sad and empty."

"Please, spare me," Yon Rha said, shaking with fear.

"But as much as I hate you, I just can't do it," Katara said, closing her eyes, ashamed. Yon Rha smiled weakly.

Zuko walked up from behind and looked at Katara briefly before she turned and walked away. He glared down at Yon Rha for a moment before turning around and following her, leaving the man to cry by himself on the ground.


Appa flew overhead as the sun was beginning to set. Katara sat at the edge of the pier, splashing her feet back and forth in the water, thinking quietly to herself. Aang approached from behind—running—and Zuko followed close behind at a steady walk.

"Katara, are you okay?" Aang asked, worried, as he got closer to the girl.

"I'm doing fine," Katara answered in a low voice.

"Zuko told me about what you did—or what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you," Aang said, smiling. Zuko remained silent.

"I wanted to do it. I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but I couldn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it, or if it's because I'm strong enough not to," Katara said, closing her eyes and lowering her head.

Aang tried to comfort her further. "You did the right thing. Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing."

The Waterbender stood and faced her pupil. "But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him." She looked at the Firebender with a small smile. "But I am ready to forgive you," she said, quietly. She walked closer to Zuko and stood in front of him briefly before throwing her arms around his shoulders in an embrace. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight until she backed away. Stepping back, Katara smiled at him again and began walking back up the pier in the direction of the Avatar's bison.


Katara was crying, the tears streaming down her cheeks as she sat on the same rock she had before, looking up at the moon. Her entire body shook as she cried. She heard someone approaching, but did not acknowledge them. She had figured it was Aang, but he was the last person she wanted to talk to.

She was about to turn and tell him to go away when she heard her name being spoken in a deep voice, "Katara?"

She turned around and was surprised to see Zuko approaching her with a worried look on his face. He saw the tears on her cheeks, shining in the moonlight. "Katara, are you okay?" he asked.

She sniffed and turned away from him again. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. He didn't buy it.

"I don't believe you," he said simply. He sat on the rock next to her before she could say any different.

"What are you doing here, Zuko? What do you want?" she asked, turning her head so he couldn't see her face.

"Well, I was sleeping, and I heard you crying, so I came up here to see if you were okay," he explained, trying to meet her gaze. "What's the matter?"

"I said 'I'm fine'. Okay? You don't have to worry about me. Just go away, Zuko," she said.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong," he said sternly.

She sighed and turned toward him, finally meeting his gaze. "I'm a failure. Okay?"

He seemed confused. "How are you a 'failure'?" She didn't answer, only started crying again. "Why are you a 'failure', Katara?" he repeated, genuine concern in his voice.

She sniffed and looked at him again. "Should I have done it, Zuko? Should I have gotten revenge on Yon Rha? Did I do the right thing by not killing him?" she asked, more tears flowing from her eyes.

"Katara like Aang said, you did the right thing. I know you wanted revenge, but, you were strong enough to resist," Zuko said, putting a shy arm around her shoulders. He seemed hesitant, as if he was expecting her to shrug it off and yell at him for touching her. His surprise was obvious when she leaned into him, seeking the warmth and comfort he was offering. When she didn't say anything, he continued, "After doing that, you actually think of yourself as a 'failure'? You're not a failure, Katara. You're anything but that."

She looked up at him with tears still streaming down her face. "Why are you here, Zuko?" she asked.

"Because I know how much you are hurting right now, Katara. I've been through it. And I hate to see people I care about being upset and crying with no one to console them," he said quietly, his arm giving her a light squeeze around her shoulders. "But I stand by what I said: You're not a failure."

"Why did you want to help me, Zuko? No one has ever done something like that for me before, and you are the last person I would ever think of who would want to do something like that. Why?" she asked suddenly. She looked up at him again. The question remained in her eyes, begging for an answer.

"The truth?" he asked innocently.

She nodded slowly, seriously. "Yes, please."

He sighed. "I wanted to help because I want you to trust me, Katara. I know how you feel about my being here, and I wanted to change that in a good way, I guess," he told her, looking away toward the ocean.

"Well, did I ever say 'thank you'?" Katara asked, straightening up on the rock. Her entire attitude seemed to change in one sentence. Zuko noticed this and quickly became confused.

He looked at her, trying to decipher the tone in her voice. It was unfamiliar, suspicious. "No. You didn't."

Katara leaned forward, and before Zuko could react, her lips brushed his lightly before finally pressing against them in a kiss. It was a loving kiss; not like anything she had experienced before—warm, passionate. She felt as if he was about to pull away when he suddenly came back for more. He began to respond to her lips, pressing his mouth back to hers with the same gentle force that she had, kissing her back. His hands came up to cup her face, and her arms found their way around his neck, holding him there. After what seemed like an eternity, Katara pulled back with a smile on her face, some of the tears still lingering on her cheeks. Zuko wiped them away with his thumbs.

"Thank you," Katara said, smiling a wide smile before pecking his lips again. "For everything."

Zuko swallowed hard, the lump in his throat unmoving, permanent. She knew that the realization had just hit him—hard. He struggled to find his words. "I—I think I should go back to camp," he said, extracting himself from the confinement of Katara's arms.

He began to stand up—awkwardly—from the rock and started in the direction of camp when Katara's hand lashed out and grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked at her face. It was sad again, pleading…

"No. Please don't go. I don't want to be alone," she said, tears falling from her eyes again. When she saw that he wasn't going anywhere, she released her grasp on his arm. Her eyes glued to his, waiting for his reaction to her dejected, heart-broken words, waiting for his next move.

Zuko looked into her eyes for a brief moment before giving up with a sigh. "You really don't want to be alone?"

Katara shook her head (a quick back and forth motion that, when watching from a distance, one might acknowledge her to be one of the mentally insane). "No. Please, no. Don't leave. Please."

Zuko sighed again, "Okay. Why don't you come and stay in my tent with me? That way, I can sleep, and you won't be alone," he said. He paused as if he was reading through his choice of words in his head, and his face twitched momentarily before his eyes returned to hers. He looked relieved when he saw the obvious look of joy on her face. "Really? Can I?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah, come on," he said, offering her his hand.

Katara took his hand gently and noticed the soothing warmth that his skin created. She stood up and followed him towards his tent, wiping her remaining tears on his sleeve as they went. Zuko offered the bedroll to Katara—which she took without another word, just a light smile—and slept on the ground next to her. He fell asleep first—fairly quickly to her surprise—and she watched him silently, thinking over what had just happened; of their exchange out on the rock. Before long, she, too, had fallen into a deep sleep with the Firebender by her side…


They had returned from the play—that horrible play. They were all sitting on the courtyard steps, eating and talking quietly amongst themselves, attempting not to bring up anything about their experience that lasted the previous few hours. The group had finished eating and everyone was all off to their separate rooms of the house for bed. Zuko was getting up to leave as well when Katara stopped him.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, looking up at him from her perch on one of the steps.

He nodded and took a seat next to her. "What's up?"

"It's about the play…" She trailed off, knowing what he was going to say next.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about it," he said, confused.

"I know, but, it's really important," she reasoned. He said nothing, only nodded. She continued after a moment of silence. "I want to talk about what the actors said about, well, 'us'," she said, playing with her hair.

He didn't seem surprised. "Okay. What about what they said?"

"I—I think they were right," she said, looking away from him.

"What do you mean?"

"I think they were right about us having feelings for each other. I mean, think of what happened the other night out by that cliff," she said. She turned to look at him and found that he was staring straight forward, remembering. "Do you think they were right?"

"You know, it's funny, really." He chuckled, a sound she very rarely heard, if not ever. At this moment, Katara realized that she liked hearing it. She liked hearing it a lot.

"What is?" she asked.

He looked back at her, her beautiful face. "I've been thinking a lot about that night and I've realized a couple things."

"Like what?" she pressed.

He stared across the courtyard, as if the answer to her question was hidden there. "I just… I've felt for so long that I needed affection, mostly from my father. You know that. Ever since my mother disappeared, I've wanted someone to show me that they cared about me—how and what I was feeling, what I was thinking, what I wanted, needed…"

"I thought you were with that one girl for quite some time. At least, that's what Sokka said," she whispered, wondering where he was going with this.

He nodded. "Mai. Yes, when I was back in the Fire Nation, we were together. But, there was just something off about our relationship. Like, she would try to be sympathetic and caring about what I was feeling, but in the end, I had come to the conclusion that the bond that we had shared when we were younger had just become stale."

"Oh." Katara's eyes widened. "I'm sorry."

Zuko shook his head. "Nothing will ever compare to the love my mother had for me. I know that. But I still feel like I need someone to show me something. I need to know that someone cares about me."

I care about you, her mouth desperately wanted to say, but she remained silent, listening to his words.

Zuko knotted his fingers, twiddling his thumbs, doing everything possible to avoid meeting her gaze. "And then, the other night, I got a glimpse of what it felt like to have someone hold me, and tell me that they cared about what I did, even thanked me for what I did—you."

Katara swallowed. "Me?"

He finally looked at her. "Yes. And seeing that scene in the play—though as untrue as it was—made me think about how I felt that night, when we were out by the cliff, and when you slept in my tent…"

Katara blushed. "So, you do think that there's something between us?" Katara was shocked. She didn't know what else to say. The fluttering in her stomach was becoming too much.

She found him leaning in, and just when his mouth was inches from hers, he whispered, "Yeah. I think so." He leaned in further, finally pressing his lips to hers softly.

She responded to him almost immediately, pressing her lips to his with just as much force. When his warm hands came up to caress her face, her thoughts wandered to a certain person—Aang. The image of his face came to her mind and she pulled away.

"What?" he asked, confused by her sudden retreat.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the Avatar's image. "I can't," she whispered.

"What do you mean, 'you can't'?" he asked, furrowing his brow. "I thought this is what you wanted? I thought you wanted…" His voice trailed off and Katara's heart almost broke at the sadness in his voice.

"Yeah, I know. It's just… Aang." She had trouble finding the right words to explain.

"What about Aang?"

"He has feelings for me, too. And tonight, at the play, he kissed me. And he seemed really upset about what the actors said about our relationship. But it's the truth," she said, ashamed.

"He did?" Zuko asked. When she didn't respond, he tried a different route. "Did you—I mean, you know. Did you feel anything? When he kissed you?"

"No. See that's the thing, Zuko. I don't feel anything for him. The play was right. He's like a brother to me and nothing else. What he feels for me… I don't feel for him. I feel for you," she said, shaking her head again.

"So, what's the problem? I'm confused," Zuko replied honestly. His voice was a mere whisper.

"Aang. He's the problem. I want to be with you, Zuko, but I can't hurt him. I can't," she said, looking down.

"Oh, okay. I get it. You want to be with me, but you don't want to hurt Aang's feelings, right?" he asked, standing up. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Yes, but Zuko I—"

"It's okay, Katara. I understand," he said, interrupting her. "I'll just go to my room and pretend none of this ever happened, okay?" He turned his back to her and began walking in the direction of his room.

She tried to stop him. "No. Zuko…" Her voice faded and tears fell down her cheeks as the realization hit her. She was too late. He was gone.


They were both fighting quite well, determination in both of their eyes. The power of the Comet had given them the unmatchable strength that they now held in their bodies. The flames around them were both frightening and beautiful. But they were not created for entertainment, nor beauty, but for violence. Their sole purpose was death.

She watched him, pleading with the Spirits that he would win this battle. She did not want to lose him. He was too important to her. Please, Spirits, please, repeated in her head again and again with every motion they took.

His next move was unsuspected by his opponent, and she was knocked to the ground, gasping for breath.

He mocked her for her obvious weakness. "No lightning today? What's the matter—afraid I'll redirect it?" He moved his hand outward in a defensive position, as if to show his superior strength.

This seemed to anger her even more. "Oh. I'll show you lightning!" she screamed.

She brought up her hands and created the electrical stream aggressively in lieu of her usually graceful and precise technique. Zuko readied himself for the blast, breathing in and out evenly—calmly, showing no fear. Azula looked back and forth between her brother and the Waterbender that stood just a few feet behind him. She made a quick decision and sent the lightning in the direction of the girl. The determined look on Zuko's face quickly vanished—replaced by a look of horror—as he noticed what was about to happen.

Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion. Without thinking, he turned and ran in the direction of the Waterbender, jumping in the way of the electrical stream. It hit him dead center in the chest. "No!" he screamed, just as the lightning had made its strike.

He was knocked to the ground, writhing in pain as he clutched at his chest while the electricity ran throughout his entire body. A sharp bolt of lightning shot out into the blood-red sky. Katara looked on, shocked. The lump in her throat plummeted to her stomach like a large stone, knocking the breath out of her.

"Zuko!" she screamed, running toward him. She brought up her hand—already engulfed in water, ready to heal—only to be thwarted by an oncoming blast of blue flames, followed by the maniacal laughter of the Fire Nation Princess.


Katara tightened the chains even harder—if that were even possible—making sure the princess could not move from her spot. Azula gave a grunt of pain as the metal tightened on her wrists. Katara stood from the ground and made her way over to the boy in the middle of the courtyard.

She was happy to see that he was still alive, but just barely. He lay on his stomach and she assisted him to turn onto his back before she reached for her water-skin. She covered her hands in the liquid quickly and pressed both of them to his chest. The water glowed as it healed. The look of anguish diminished from his face slowly and his body seemed to relax under her fingers. She took notice of his even breathing and smiled.

Zuko struggled to speak. "Thank you, Katara."

Tears filled her eyes before falling down her cheeks. "I think I should be the one thanking you," she said.

His hand slowly moved to her face, a feeble attempt to stop her tears. "Don't cry."

His voice proved to be the opposite of helpful and her tears came faster now. "I'm sorry. I'm just so happy you're okay." She managed a quiet chuckle.

"So, can I ask why you're crying, then?"

Katara chuckled again. "Honestly, I don't know." She bent down, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. When he went to return it, he groaned in protest, and she pulled back, remembering his wound. "I'm sorry!" she said, giving an apologetic smile.

"It's okay. Here, help me up?" he asked, leaning up on his elbows.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Zuko began to sit up and Katara put a hand to his back in an attempt to offer assistance.

"Do you think you can stand?" she asked, glancing at his legs, still sticking straight out.

"I—I think so." He bent his knees one at a time, testing to see if it would cause any pain.

Katara watched him warily, still holding his back for support. Her eyes roamed over his face, searching to see if he was all right. He winced a little when he tried lifting his arm and gave no protest when Katara brought more water up to heal its scratches. The glow of the water subsided and when she looked back into his eyes, he nodded. Katara braced her arm against his back, lifting with her legs, helping him come to his feet.

When he finally stood, she kept her hand on his back, steadying him. She followed his gaze to the writhing girl on the ground. Zuko breathed deeply, his face an emotionless mask. Katara looked down and closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the image of the insane princess as she twisted herself back and forth, blue fire erupting from her mouth. Azula continued to thrash around as tears fell from her eyes. Katara and Zuko just stood and watched.

"We should get going," Zuko said.

She sighed. "Okay." She gestured to Azula. "What should we do?"

Zuko spared a quick glance around the courtyard before he seemed to find something in the distance and he gave a sharp nod. Katara followed his gaze and found one of the sages bowing his head.

"She's taken care of," Zuko said simply, seemingly uncaring. "Come on." He took a step forward toward the direction they left Appa, and winced.

"Zuko? Wait!"

He turned to look at her, a questioning look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"You probably shouldn't be trying to walk by yourself just yet. You're still pretty injured."

He shook his head slowly. "Katara I'm fine. See?" He took another step and winced.

"No, you're not. Come on," she said, wrapping her arm around his waist for support. "Is there anywhere I can take you? You need to lie down…"

"Uh, yeah, my old room. I'll tell you where to go," he said, leaning on her.

She nodded. "Okay."

They started heading toward the main building of the palace, their pace rather slow due to his wound, leaving the girl in chains behind them, forgotten.


"This is it," Zuko said, gesturing to the large door.

"Okay. Can you lean on the wall so I can open the door?" He nodded, shifting his weight to the wall, hissing in pain as he tried to hold himself up.

Katara opened the large door, wide enough to fit the both of them through. As she glanced into the room, she was surprised to find that everything was exactly the way she hoped it would be. Even in Zuko's absence, the servants had kept his room clean and tidy, the bed still made perfectly, the floors clean. She gave a nod of approval, turning back to the boy outside.

"Ready?"

"Yeah," he replied, his voice raspy.

Katara replaced her arm around his waist, leading him into the bedroom, careful not to go too fast. She gave a stiff nod toward the bed, and they began to make their way there. She helped him sit on the edge of the bed before moving his legs so that he was lying down. She made her way back over to the door, closing it. Katara's eyes glanced around the room before finally resting on Zuko.
"Water?" she asked.

"Washroom," he answered, raising a weak arm to point in the direction of a small door on the other side of the room. Katara nodded, making her way over to where he had indicated.

The washroom was small, but like everything else in the palace, everything was very intricate, from the walls all of the way down to the flooring. If she were taking a tour, Katara would have been able to stay in there for hours, studying the elaborate carvings and engravings on all of the shelves and counters, but there were more pressing matters to attend to. She grabbed the small basin out from underneath the faucet, and ran the water, filling it.

When she returned to the room with the water-filled basin, she found Zuko on the bed, appearing to be dozing. She placed the basin on the floor, just to the side of the bed and sat on the edge next to him. As the bed dipped with her added weight, he didn't move. This worried her a little.

"Zuko?" She was relieved when his eyes blinked open, watching her. "I'm going to try to heal you a little more. Do you mind trying to take off your vest? I need to try to get better access to the wound…"

He glanced down at his ripped clothing briefly before meeting her eyes again. "Sure." He didn't move. "Sorry, but I think I might need a little help?"

"Of course," Katara said, nodding. She moved to peel away the burned fabric, glad that it hadn't stuck to his skin. Zuko sat up, making it a little easier as she removed his outer vest, leaving him in his dark red shirt.

"Okay, here comes the hard part," Katara said, gesturing to his shirt. She felt a little twinge of hope as he gave her a slight smile. "Ready?"

He took a deep breath. "Yeah."

Katara took hold of the hem of his shirt, ready to yank it over his head. "On 'three', raise your arms, okay? I know it's going to hurt." He nodded. "One… Two… Three!"

Zuko lifted his arms above his head and Katara pulled the shirt off as fast as she could. He hissed in pain as the fabric brushed against his chest and as soon as it was over his head, he dropped his arms, flopping back down onto his back.

"Ow," he grunted, gritting his teeth.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Katara shook her head, throwing the shirt to the side. "You okay?"

Zuko's breathing was heavy as he gave a stiff nod. "Fine." His eyelids drooped a little, a sign of his exhaustion.

"I've got some water here and I'm going to try to bring out the rest of the burn, okay? I got the majority of it out before, but you still have a lot of heat channeling through there," she said, her healer instincts kicking in.

"Okay," Zuko replied weakly.

Katara moved the water out of the basin, bringing it over to his chest. As it touched his skin, it glowed brightly, filling the room with light. "You're probably going to have another scar. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do about that…" she said, eyeing his face.

He lifted his shoulder in a weak shrug. "It's not like I don't have any others."

"Zuko, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"It's okay, Katara, really," Zuko said, lolling his head to the side, watching her.

Katara offered him a weak smile, returning her attention to the task at hand. She flexed her arms and fingers, stretching the water over the entire surface of his chest. "I can't believe you risked your life to save me like that. Why would you do something like that?" she asked, not really expecting a reply.

He took a deep breath, answering anyway. "Because I care."

Katara smiled, her hands moving gently over his skin. She strained to find any remaining heat from the lightning blast and removed it, leaving his skin its normal temperature. When the excess heat was gone from his chest, she moved to his arms and shoulders, banishing the extra heat from his skin. She stole a glance back to his face and found his eyes closed.

"Zuko?"

His eyes blinked open, fluttering with fatigue. "I'm tired," he said, his voice quiet.

"I know," she leaned forward, kissing his cheek lightly. "I promise, once I'm done, you can sleep. I just need to make sure you're awake and okay as I do this, all right?" she asked quietly. He nodded.

The light from the glowing water was starting to fade and Katara sighed. She strained to get that last bit of remaining heat from his muscles and let out a sharp breath when she finally felt it release. Most of the water had absorbed into his heated skin, and Katara quickly splashed the remains back into the basin. She moved her hand up to Zuko's forehead, happy to feel that there was no extra heat there, either.

"All done," she smiled.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, his eyelids drooping again.

"I'm glad," she whispered. Katara leaned forward, gently pushing her lips to his. He didn't respond at first, still too tired, but eventually, Zuko's lips began to move. His heart seemed to beat faster, stronger against her hands, now lying against his chest. He grunted in pain and she pulled back.

"Sorry! You're still going to be sore for a while…" she said, giving a slow shake of her head.

"It's fine," he answered, smiling crookedly.

She pressed her lips to his again, only more softly than before, so as not to hurt him again. Zuko responded quickly this time, his lips moving with hers. After a few heartbeats, he pulled back.

"What about Aang?" he asked. His voice remained quiet, a whisper.

She shook her head. "I'll talk to him. You don't have to worry about that right now." She kissed him again—another short, sweet kiss. "You can sleep now. I can tell you're exhausted." She moved to stand from the bed.

Zuko frowned. "Where are you going?"

Katara bent to pick up the small basin off the floor, feeling Zuko's eyes on her as she did. "I'm going to poor out this water and then I'll be right back. Sleep, Zuko. Please?" she said, her voice quiet. As she saw his eyelids close, she made her way back into the washroom to dump out the remaining water. When she returned, Zuko was breathing deeply, finally asleep.

Katara walked back to the bed, lowering herself slowly back onto the edge so as not to wake him. She watched him sleep, happy that he was okay, overjoyed that he was alive. She had almost lost him and Katara didn't know what would have happened if that were so. She couldn't stand him walking away from her again.

Katara smiled at his face, now relaxed with sleep. She raised her hand gently, moving to stroke his cheek gently. She leaned closer to his face, her lips only slightly touching his. She pressed a short kiss to his lips before pulling back to whisper in his ear.

"I love you."


Katara walked down the palace hallways in search of the Firebender. She had been pointed in the direction of where he went by one of the many servants and she hoped that she was almost there. She saw a large door coming up on her right and she wondered if this was where he was. She was about to walk in when she started hearing voices in conversation. She easily recognized Zuko's voice and that other girl that was friends with Azula and Tai Lee—Mai. She slowly peaked around the corner to see Mai wrapping a robe around Zuko's shoulders and tying it before resting her hand lightly on his chest.

"…and it doesn't hurt when the new Fire Lord is your boyfriend," Mai said, turning to stand in front of Zuko again.

He looked at her, smiling. "So, does this mean you don't hate me anymore?"

She blushed—the pink tint looking odd on her pale face. "I think it means, I actually kind of like you," she said. She brought his head down and kissed him.

Katara's heart was clenching and she hoped this was just a dream. Tears came to her eyes and she began to turn to walk away when she heard Zuko's voice again. She peaked around the door again to see what was happening.

"Mai, I can't. I'm sorry," he said. His voice seemed upset, like he didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings.

Katara heard Mai sigh. "It's that Waterbender, isn't it?"

Zuko's voice sounded shocked. "How did you know?" He took a step back and his eyes widened.

"I saw the way you looked at her when you guys came here. And I heard about what you did during the Agni Kai," Mai said, shrugging her shoulders. "I know you, Zuko. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't take a bolt of lightning for anyone unless you cared deeply for them."

Zuko stood there, looking at her with wide eyes. "I—I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I completely understand, Zuko. I just want you to be happy and I can tell that she makes you happy. Trust me. You love her and she loves you, and I only hope that I can find a love like that someday…" Mai continued, looking in his eyes.

Zuko sighed. "Thank you, Mai." He wrapped his arms around her in a friendly hug that she returned kindly. "Thank you for understanding."

"You're welcome, Zuko. And don't worry; you're going to be a great Fire Lord."

Zuko's brow furrowed and a second later, he smirked. "How did you know I was worried about that?"

Mai shrugged, her voice smooth, almost sweet. "Like I said, I know you too well... Now, I don't want to be holding you two up any longer than I already have. I know you have to talk about a lot of things," she said quietly, backing out of the hug.

He seemed confused. "What are you talking about?"

Mai glanced at the door where Katara stood, listening. Zuko followed her gaze, noticed the girl in the doorway, and smiled.

"I'll leave you two alone," Mai said, turning and walking out of the room. She smiled at Katara as she passed.

Katara looked at Zuko briefly before taking a step forward and walking into the room. The smile remained on his face as he watched her. She gave a shy smile back, her cheeks flushed, proof of the embarrassment for being caught eavesdropping.

"Hey," she said quietly, as she continued forward until she was standing in front of him.

"Hey," he replied. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough," she said. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" he asked innocently.

"Is what Mai said true? Did you save me because you love me?" she asked, looking at him.

Zuko swallowed, his hand coming up slowly to scratch the back of his neck. "I heard what you said the other night."

Katara furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean? When?"

He kept scratching his neck. Katara figured that's what he did when he was nervous. "Uh, when you healed me in my room? I was just starting to fall asleep when you whispered in my ear—"

"—that I loved you," Katara finished. Her eyes widened in shock and she began fiddling with her hair. "You heard that?"

Zuko nodded slowly, a small smile creeping to his lips. "Yeah, I did. And you know what?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

It was Katara's turn to swallow. "What?"

He smiled a bright, face-cracking smile that made Katara go weak at the knees. "I've never felt happier than how I felt when I heard you say those words," he laughed. "I'm not usually one to say this but, I actually felt my heart skip a beat…"

"Really?" Katara squeaked.

He nodded. "Yeah, and you know what's even more crazy?"

"What?"

Zuko shook his head. "I never thought I would feel this way about anyone. But when it comes to you, I feel the same way." He smiled again, another smile that only Zuko could deliver. "Funny, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation falling in love with a girl from the Southern Water Tribe…" he chuckled. "Uncle did always say that Destiny is a funny thing..."

"You—" Katara inhaled sharply, struck by his words. "You love me?"

Zuko said nothing, just stepped forward and captured her lips in his. She wrapped her arms around his neck (gently, as she didn't want to disturb his wound) and his hands came up to rest on her waist. She responded to his lips almost immediately and sighed into the kiss. He pulled back slowly and whispered in her ear, "Does that answer your question?" His warm breath sent a shiver down her spine. She nodded and smiled.

His voice continued at a whisper, "I love you."

Katara giggled, kissing his lips again.

Zuko broke the kiss, taking a deep breath. He pressed his forehead against hers in an attempt to keep close contact.

"Stay with me?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"Here? In the Fire Nation?" she asked, dumbfounded.

He nodded against her forehead and pulled her close. "Yes," he breathed.

"But, what would I—"

"Please?" Zuko pressed, his voice still a whisper, his eyes staring deep into hers.

Katara tightened her hands around his neck, weaving her fingers into his hair, and smiled. She pressed her forehead back against his, kissing his lips quickly. "Yes."

His head snapped back as if her words electrocuted him. "Really? You'll stay?"

Katara laughed. "I'll stay."

"I love you so much…" His voice trailed off as he leaned in closer to capture her lips once again with his own. She smiled against his mouth, happy that the war was over and that she had found someone to love her…


Zuko took a deep breath and snatched Katara back into the present. He was still facing away from her, lying on his side. She smiled. Katara wanted to let him sleep, but the sun was showing even brighter now than it was before, lighting the room's red walls, creating the illusion that they were on fire. It was late and he needed to wake up.

Katara leaned forward, rested her forearm along his shoulder, and kissed his cheek. "Zuko, wake up," she whispered. He groaned in objection and she tried again. "Zuko, come on. It's getting late. You have to wake up." She shook his shoulder and he sighed. He turned slowly onto his back, and Katara sat back up, watching him.

Zuko opened his eyes slowly and gazed at his wife. "Hi," he whispered.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "Do you have anything to do today?"

He paused, thinking. "Just the continuance of that Earth Kingdom meeting that didn't get settled last week," he said, stretching his arms over his head.

"I thought that was last night," Katara said, raising her eyebrow.

"No. That was just the Earth Kingdom Generals. Don't make me remember how that meeting went. Anyway, today, the Earth King is supposed to be there, too. But it's a dumb meeting anyway. I swear, how hard is it to rebuild Ba Sing Se's outer wall? It's been four years since Azula and the Dai Lee brought it down, and they still haven't gotten it done? It was made out of rock! They're Earthbenders for Spirits' sake! I understand they want help from the nation that brought it down, but still…" he ranted. Katara just smiled, watching his facial expressions.

"Ah, the life of a Fire Nation Royal. Isn't it great?" Katara asked sarcastically, chuckling.

He brought his hands up and covered his face. "Completely," he mumbled, his voice muffled by his hands.

She laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "So, when does the meeting start?"

He moved his hands from his face and looked at her with tired eyes. "Not for a while. Why?"

She smiled. "Enough time to go feed the turtle-ducks?" she asked.

Zuko smiled at her childish request and took her hand, kissing it. "Of course."


Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are appreciated.