Sacrifice

If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were.

- Kahlil Gibran

Zuko walked across the balcony and stood by Katara's side. Her cheeks were faintly blushed, and a smile played on her mouth. Yet it all instantly disappeared the moment she saw him – her eyes clouded with worry and her mouth pressed into a thin, nervous line. Her fingers drummed tunelessly on the balcony railing.

The night sky is now darkening, the sun has finished setting and the stars are beginning to come out. Zuko paused, trying to bring all of his feelings about what happened into a well-constructed sentence that is both rational and believable. But Katara was the first to speak.

'Why did you do it?' Zuko saw her hands grip the railing so tight that her knuckles turned white.

Zuko knew he couldn't tell the truth, but he couldn't lie, either. Suddenly he had to remind himself how to breathe. He was completely torn, he telling the truth was impossible, but he owed Katara at least that.

Then he reached his decision.

'You're my friend,' he said. 'That's all it was. I was helping a friend.'

Katara visibly relaxed, and the corner of her mouth twitched. 'I think jumping in front of a bolt of lighting constitutes as a little more than 'helping', Zuko.' Her face softened. 'You saved my life.'

He looked down. 'I would've done the same for everyone else.'

'Zuko, I know I would've died there if it wasn't for you. It was coming so fast,' she glanced sideways, 'and there was no time for me to run – but you got there. You found a way.'

He shrugged, as if it had been no big deal. 'It wasn't that hard.'

Katara's forehead creased. 'But what about Iroh and Mai?' You'd have left them behind.'

'There wasn't any time to think about it.' Zuko looked out towards the horizon. 'Even after it hit me, I didn't regret it. Firebenders can't heal. Waterbenders can – that's what I kept telling myself, anyway.'

Katara sighed, it wasn't a happy sound. 'I'm sorry,' she said quietly. 'I should have expected that Azula would've done something like that.' She glanced once to meet his gaze. 'I'm sorry you had to be hurt that way.' Her eyes dart once to his chest, where, underneath his clothes, an ugly scar marks him forever.

'It didn't hurt that much,' muttered Zuko. Katara looked at him disbelievingly. He smiled. 'Well, maybe a lot. But you fixed it.'

There was silence. Katara's eyes had suddenly become all shiny, and to his horror, Zuko realized that she was going to cry.

'Did I really?' she murmured.

He nodded. Of course she fixed him. Everything's fine now.

Even without Toph next to them to confirm the truth, they both know that he's lying.

AN:

Ugh. I really, really hated writing this. It's too short and boring and the quote I chose doesn't really explain what I'm trying to get across here: Zuko and Katara love each other, but aren't willing to do anything about it. So they lie to each other - and, primarily, themselves - so that everything seems fine.

Meh, I hope the next one is slightly better.

Disclaimer: AtLA is property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. No profit is made from this story.