The official Chapter one has come. To avoid confusion I'll just name it several months later…Anywho….I do not own Avatar you guys The long italics is a big flashback. I figured it be easier to do that then have Zuko say the whole thing.
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Several Months Later
Zuko looked past the two people clad in Earth Kingdom garb as he stepped into a neighborhood on the west side of the huge city he was in. From the looks of the place, this west side was the rich side. If the address he had been given was correct, the one he sought was here. He hoped it was the right address.
He looked up and down the rows of houses. He was getting funny looks from the other people. Despite the end of the war, it was still an oddity to see the red robes of the Fire Nation on someone who wasn't trying to attack. Zuko ignored them and continued to count houses.
Five…six…seven.
There it was. And it was even more beautiful than the man at the docks had described. It looked nothing short of a mansion. But a modest mansion. It was a two story green house. It had a tiled roof and giant windows on either side of the door. There was a garden in the back and Zuko could see panda-lilies growing from behind the wooden fence. He looked into the window and saw who he had been looking for. He gathered up his courage and knocked three times.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
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Katara put down the water she had been bending in a little bowl on the counter. She wondered who would be here to see her so late in the day. It was close to moon rise after all. Her question was answered when she opened the door and saw Zuko standing in her doorway.
Anger and sadness rushed to her heart as she said bitterly, "Oh. It's you. Where's Mai?"
As she asked for Mai, her head began searching behind Zuko, "And where are your guards? The Fire Lord shouldn't be walking around without guards."
Zuko smiled. It sounded like she was reprimanding him, just like the old days.
"Katara, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And Mai is in the Fire Nation," Zuko answered her as he stepped inside and shut the door.
Katara gave him a strange look then went into the kitchen, which was adjacent to the living room to get them both something to drink. While she was away, Zuko looked around the room. Unlike the outside of the house, which was completely Earth Kingdom, the inside looked like it was straight from the South Pole. There were beautiful small ice sculptures that donned the windowsills. And the chairs and tables had small delicate carvings of people waterbending.
"Zuko, can I ask you something?" Katara asked as she came back into the room.
"Sure." Zuko said.
Katara sat down and Zuko did the same. Katara looked down, "After all these months, you come to see me now. Why?" she looked up when she asked why.
It was Zuko's turn to look away, "You married the avatar."
"That I did!" Katara said. She looked straight at Zuko when she said this. And tears started to form in her delicate blue eyes.
"Do you love him?" asked Zuko who was still looking away.
Katara looked into her glass of water. A single tear dropped into it and she saw the ripples it made…so soft…so small…"You know the answer to that." She said quietly.
"Then why?" asked Zuko.
Katara looked up and she still had tears coming down her face, slowly, but slowly. "Because you chose Mai! What was I supposed to do? Wait for you while you went off with the love your life since childhood?"
"Katara it's not like that. I had no choice." Zuko said as he placed his water down on the small blue table between them.
"Oh." Said Katara as she stood up, "I guess I just imagined myself there when her name crossed your lips instead of mine. But then again I should have known."
Zuko stood up also and stared into the face of Katara. She looked so upset and hurt, and her tears were falling at a steady pace. He knew it was because of him. He had hurt her beyond his betrayal at Ba Sing Se. For there he had betrayed her and Aang. Here he betrayed only her and her heart. This time she no one to lean on. All she had was herself. He wondered for how long she had been waiting to let her tears flow.
"Should have known what?" he asked.
"That I was good enough for the banished prince. The guy with nothing to lose and nothing to gain. I was the war time girl. Nothing more. But Mai…" she looked down and let more tears fall and her hair, which was down covered most of her face, "Mai is good enough for Fire Lord Zuko. The man with the country and respect. The man with everything to lose. So when she comes around I get the boot as if I were Appa dung!"
"Katara…" Zuko said as he made his way towards the weeping waterbender, she moved away so he wouldn't be able to touch her, "You don't understand."
"Then clarify it for me. Why did you choose her?!" Katara asked.
"It happened the night before, as I was carving your necklace." Zuko said.
"You were making me a necklace?" asked Katara, and Zuko was pleased to see her wipe away her tears.
"Blue cloth, red pendant." Zuko said and saw Katara smile, "Anyway…It started that night….
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Zuko walked the halls of the palace with a grin on his face. Tomorrow was the day he would take Katara for his bride. He had been waiting for so long that the day seemed as though it would never come.
He pulled out the necklace he had been working on for Katara. It was a blue silk material. He had had to look everywhere for that scrap of fabric. It seemed as though every piece of cloth was red in this nation. He looked at the red pendant he had been carving. There was a small flame inside a bigger wave in the center, and the sun and the moon were combined at the top. He hoped Katara would like it.
He passed by an open door when he heard, "Surely Lord Zuko will pick Lady Katara as his future Fire Lady. I've heard rumors of their relationship."
Zuko smiled to himself. So they were that popular huh?
"And what of Lady Mai. I've heard that she and Lord Zuko also share a past relationship." Said another voice.
"Lady Mai is
nothing but a traitor to Lord Zuko's crown. And traitors must be
dealt with." Said the first voice.
"Lord Zuko does not consider Lady Mai a traitor." Said the same second voice.
"No, but she is. I have others that agree. And it has been decided that if Lord Zuko does not choose Lady Mai as his wife," Zuko took in a deep breath, "she will be dealt with."
"Surely Lord Zuko would not approve." Said the second voice.
"It matters not. What Lord Zuko does not know will not hurt him." Said the first.
Zuko looked down at his necklace. What now?
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"So you see? I couldn't choose you. Not if it meant killing Mai." Zuko said.
Katara's tears had stopped as he told his story. "Why couldn't you do anything?" she asked.
"From how the first man was talking they had followers who would never admit to such a thing." Zuko said.
"So this is why?" asked Katara.
"Yes. I don't love her. I simply care for her." Zuko answered. He pulled out the same necklace he had been carving, "This is for you. It should have been yours many months ago."
He placed it around her neck and tied it as she moved her hair out of the way. "I see Aang did not make you a necklace." He pointed out.
"No. He felt a ring would be better suited." She said as she held up her right hand to show him the ring.
"I think it's best to retain the woman's customs." Zuko said, "by the way…where is Aang?"
"He's in the eastern Earth Kingdom, helping the rebuilding effort there." Katara answered.
Zuko looked up. A crazy thought came to his head.
"Katara?" he asked.
"Yeah?" she said.
"Let's have this one night to ourselves." He said as he looked into her blue eyes that he had always loved for their passion.
"Zuko…I do not want to do anything I will regret." Katara answered but her eyes did not falter away from his.
"We are both married to people we do not love, and serve a world which could care less. If you do not regret that, then you regret nothing." Zuko answered.
Katara considered what he said for a few moments. The silence was tearing Zuko's heart apart bit by bit. Then, finally she said, "You're right. We should have this one last night."
Zuko smiled as he took her to the bedroom.
"I promise I'll be gone by sunrise." Zuko said
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The sun seemed to have come up too early for Zuko. He turned towards Katara and hugged her for what he knew would be the last time.
"I love you." He whispered and then he got out of the bed.
"Leaving so soon?" Katara asked as she held up the sheets to her chest.
"I promised I'd be gone by sunrise." Zuko said. He stared at her dark skin and thought about how much he was going to miss mornings like this. "Don't ever forget me." Said Zuko.
"I won't." Katara answered.
Zuko nodded. Then he put on his red robe and left without another word.
"And I won't forget you." He said as he closed the door behind him.
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WHEW! That was a doosie. Now I had already stated that I do not write smut, mostly because I don't know how nor would I if I did. But it is still rated T for a reason! Sexual themes are present people! Anywho…I hope you guys know where I am going with this. So all comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome through reviews. Remember it is also on deviantart if you would rather leave a comment there. Till then this is MisfitGirl13 signing off.