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Ignition

Chapter 3: Embers

Katara fell to her knees as she reached Zuko. The tearing of the scorched fabric of her tunic was irrelevant. Nothing mattered, nothing at all, except for him. Katara reached out and brushed his shaggy black hair out of his face, tears welling up in her eyes once again. "This is not happening. You're. Not. Leaving." she muttered angrily. Her voice softened as she added, "Please..." in a barely audible whisper. She reached up and brushed away the tears that had managed to escape and were now coursing down her face leaving tracks in the dust that clung to her skin. She watched as his chest rose and fell ever so slightly and muttered a small prayer of thanks. "Still breathing...come on Zuko, fight..." she muttered as she reached for the small flask of water at her hip. It wasn't Spirit Oasis water, but it would have to do. She extended her hands over Zuko's chest, the region where the burns were the worst. Water flowed from her fingers as she worked. At first, there was no change; Katara almost gave up. She had never healed such extensive damage without water from the Spirit Oasis. One glance at Zuko's face silenced such thoughts: his eyes had fluttered for a moment. Can't give up just yet Katara... she thought. "Don't give up on me Zuko. I won't let you."

With that, she went to work. It seemed to take hours, even days. Katara watched as the skin finally healed, a livid scar the only outward evidence of what had surpassed. Katara had a few seconds to notice that it resembled a red arrow before she collapsed at his side breathing heavily. The healing had been exhausting, it took almost everything she had. She opened her eyes and looked up at the blood-red sky, her vision blurring occasionally. Katara did not know for how long she remained in that position, gaining and losing consciousness beside Zuko. All she could remember was the formidable sky and Azula's anguished cries.

Katara opened her eyes and blinked several times before sitting up. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness before she realized where she was. She turned around and glanced around to confirm; yes, it was definitely the arena. It was silent now, and well past dark. The moon had risen and the stars were shining brilliantly. All of the fires in the arena had been extinguished, leaving the battle field pitch black. The memories of the Agni Kai returned to her all at once and her thoughts immediately turned to Zuko. the water bender spun around, hoping he had been healed and was alright. Her face fell as she saw him lying down in the exact position in which she had left him. Katara drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly, peeking over them to stare at Zuko. She had failed. He saved her life, and she failed to save his. Emotions washed through Katara in waves: bitterness, sorrow, anger, pity, self-loathing, guilt, and a heart-wrenching pain she felt she could barely endure and could not explain. "How c-could you do this t-t-to m-me?" she demanded. "It isn't f-fair...I-it isn't r-r-right Zuko, p-p-please..." she begged. "I c-can't d-do this..." Sobs shook her small frame and tears flowed freely down her face, but she could not bring herself to look away from his face.

His face was flawless; he even looked calm, peaceful. Katara merely stared at him through her tears. When she could bear the angle of his body no longer, she took to rearranging it. She placed his arms at his sides and straightened his legs. She brushed the wrinkles out of what remained of his tunic. Bending at the waist, she tried to draw together his tunic where she had torn it in order to heal him. Before doing so, she paused. The water bender reached out and brushed her hand across the scar and his chest; it still felt abnormally warm, no doubt due to the immense amount of heat that created it. "You f-fought so bravely..." she whispered. "I will never f-forget what you d-d-did. I will n-never be able to thank you..." Katara hesitated before leaning forward until she hovered above his face. "I treated you horribly...I'm so sorry..." she whispered before kissing him lightly on the forehead.

Katara rocked back onto her heels and sat down tearfully. She looked up at the sky now devoid of Sozin's Comet, a change she had not previously noticed. The night was beautiful, a fact that Katara found insulting. How could anything be beautiful on such a night? The universe itself seemed to dishonor the memory of Prince Zuko, her enemy turned friend. It left a bitterness and a weight in her heart which she vowed never to forget. A noise to her left distracted her from her reverie and she looked down in shock. Zuko's eyes fluttered for a second before they opened completely.

He attempted to sit up and would have been successful if it had not been for Katara. She threw herself against him, knocking him down once again. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, her head on his chest. The tears which had finally been slowing down now flowed once more, completely unrestrained. After a moment's hesitation, Zuko placed his arms around Katara and pressed her against him. He buried his face in her hair and she moved closer to him, burying her face against his neck. Katara sobbed openly.

Zuko held her tighter, quite unsure of what was going on, least of all what he was supposed to do. It was a new experience for him; no one had ever needed him before. He had little experience with managing his own emotions, let alone those of anyone else. He placed a hand beneath her bent knees and one around her back beneath her arms, and lifted her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her once again and began whispering to her. "Katara, Katara it's alright…I'm not going anywhere…I promise…please…" he said, his voice breaking slightly. He had no idea what was going on or why he felt the way he did. All he knew was that nothing else was important beyond comforting the water bender in his arms.

He barely heard some indistinct muttering that he scarcely recognized as speech. He held Katara closer and bent to hear what she was saying. "What was that?" he whispered, his voice softer than it had ever been.

She lifted her head slightly and looked straight into his eyes. "Promise." she repeated, staring intently back into his golden eyes.

She looked so pitiful, but at the same time so beautiful and so strong, Zuko could not manage anything beyond, "I promise." before his voice cracked again. For the first time he realized he was struggling not to cry. They looked at one another for several seconds, each taking in the features of the other's face.

Zuko reached up to brush a fallen strand of Katara's dark hair from her face and she closed her eyes. His touch felt incredible. Katara smiled weakly.

"What?" Zuko asked, confused.

"Nothing." she replied. It felt like lightning… she thought to herself.

Zuko's hand rested at the nape of her neck. After a moment's hesitation, he brought his hand forward to gently cup the side of her face. They paused, each one staring at the other for a moment before Zuko leaned forward. He brushed his lips lightly against hers. "Thank you Katara." he whispered, his lips grazing hers as he spoke.

Katara merely stared up at him. "No, thank you…you saved…" she began, but was cut off when Zuko kissed her again. He pressed his lips against hers, and instantly her mind went numb. Soon she found herself kissing him back. After a few seconds, she pulled away and looked up at him. They looked at each other in silence before she leaned her head against his chest again. He leaned back against a pillar and rested his head atop hers. The odd pair fell asleep that way beneath the stars in the arena. Fire Lord and Waterbending Master. Truly, fire and ice.

Author's Note: Well there you have it. I had to finish this chapter before I went anywhere, it was bugging me. So...yeah. I'm sorry it's rather short, I'm not exactly done yet. Reviews much appreciated! Thanks again to all of you who subscribed/favorited/reviewed/read/whatever. hands out muffins Muffin for you...muffin for you...muffins for all of you and your awesomeness! :D Love of the most appropriate sort is most definitely in order.