"You're sure this is going to work?"

"Absolutely."

"Positive?"

"Of course not!" Sokka snapped "When it comes to an entire invasion, even my plans aren't fool proof!" Golden eyes swept over the plans for the invasion of the fire nation once more.

"I know, it's just… this seems a bit flashy" Zuko muttered. Sokka snatched the plans back, his mouth tense.

"Yeah, well we needed a distraction." There was a pause before Sokka relaxed and gave his cocky smile one more. If you didn't know him, you would not have noticed that there was wasn't anything behind it. "Bit late to question the plans at this point anyways. Besides" he crowed "when Team Avatar fights we do it up big!" He turned to the rest of the Invasion Strike Team "Right guys?!" When he got a few halfhearted sures and a "Hell yeah!" from Toph, Sokka deflated just a little bit, collapsing beside Suki; one hand griped his sword while the other sought out his love's.

The room lapsed into a tense silence, the air growing heavy and brittle. Unable to calm his nerves, Zuko looked to his companions for distraction. As a whole, the Avatar team seemed remarkably calm as they waited for the signal to begin what could be the last day of their lives.

But Zuko knew better.

Despite all this flaws, that a certain someone hardly hesitated to remind him of, he was always observant. Sokka and Suki where whispering almost feverishly, weapons cast aside and forgotten and they lost themselves in the other's touch.

Toph was leaning against a stone wall, making sure every piece of uncovered skin touched her beloved element. From the way her hands jerked and curled so often and her shoulders tensed, Zuko could guess that she was listening to the movement of the troops, the sounds of each soldier's footstep multiplied by his brother's.

Aang was understandably solemn. He was staring out of a small hole he had carved in the wall. Zuko could swear his already white knuckled grip on his glider grew tighter with each passing moment of silence. And Katara…

Katara couldn't stop looking at Zuko. And he had no idea how to respond.

Whenever she thought he wasn't looking she would raise her head with a contemplative expression on her face. Once she had opened her mouth as if to say something only to snap it shut, her gaze hitting the ground has Zuko tried to catch her eye.

"You know what Sparky" Toph suddenly said "I bet the tension in here would be cut in half if you and Sugar Queen would just go off somewhere an-"

"You guys! The first wave just attacked"

As Aang's voice tapered off there was a pause before the tiny room burst into a flurry of motion. Aang widened the hole in the wall a bit as Sokka rushed to his side, giving them both a clear view of the clashing troops in the valley below. Sokka stared out for a moment, his face tight as Water Tribe warriors spill from their boats. He ducked his head, one hand pressed to his heart while the other hung clenched at his side. When he looks up again his expression is smooth.

"The second signal is coming soon. Toph!" he barked "Be ready to blow this wall on my word and Aang be ready to fly." Taking a deep breath he finished "If we stick to the plan everything should be fine. It has to be". As the distant sound of fighting forced its way up, Zuko slowly made his way to Katara. He wasn't one for cheesy life of death confessions but as Katara looked up at him, lips slightly parted and eyes wide, he knew he had to say something.

"Katara I-" he stared out before his mouth grew too dry to talk "I-" they both jump when Sokka's voice rang out.

"Alright gang on my count!"

Zuko suddenly felt terror squeeze his heart. He wasn't ready. He wasn't' ready to face his father or Azula. He wasn't ready to face his fellow countrymen, burning and destroying in the name of the greater good. And most of all he wasn't ready to say what needed to be said. But right now this could be his last chance to do it.

"10!"

"Katara we might not make it to the next sun rise" he blurted out. Katara was distracted as she tensed in anticipation of the coming fight but still managed to give him her attention.

"I know" she said quietly

"9!"

"And I was just thinking… If one of us doesn't make it… not that I think that will happen… but just in case I wanted to tell you I…" Zuko ripped a hand through his hair, nostrils steaming and hands shaking in frustration. "Damn it why didn't I do this sooner!"

"8!"

Katara gently touched his face, her numerous water skins shifting with the movement.

"It's my fault too" she sighed "I could have said something sooner as well".

"7!"

Zuko stared. Did that mean she felt the same way?

"6!" He grasped the hand that still rested on his face and pressed it tightly, allowing her hand to fully touch his scar, a prodigious sign a trust. His reward for his boldness was a soft smile as she understood the message.

"5!"

Time seemed to suddenly speed up. He needed time that he didn't have. "Katara I-"

"4!"

Her gaze was unwavering as observed him. Had her eyes always been so startlingly blue?

"3!"

Impulsively Katara's hand landed on the other side of his face, pulling him close for a searing kiss, completely overwhelming Zuko as he was caught off guard. It all handed so quickly that he hardly even had the time to reciprocate. She pulled back and touched her lips with a faint blush "I'm sorry I just… I just had to know what it was like. Before we leave." She whispered.

"2!"

"Took ya long enough" Toph grumbled and was utterly ignored by both parties. Zuko once again tried to speak.

"1!"

"You don't have to say it" she murmured with wisdom beyond her years. He swallowed hard and looked at her desperately.

"GO!"

"I know"

A/N: So. Who do you guys think said the last line? But I never wanted the three special words to be said by either party because you know what? Not everyone gets to say them before a parting in real life.