ARC 4: They Built A Path To Be Together

DAY 22: Sea

Maybe six months ago she could have been sitting around that fire and laughing off the giddy relief that comes from knowing you're going to live for one more say. Sokka toasts Zuko and it's all Katara can do to choke out her own ha-ha.

Zuko has the audacity to smile. He almost died.

In that split second that she had to panic, arms reaching up to catch him, she couldn't but imagine a world without Zuko. Not just a daughter without a father, but herself living, breathing, and surviving when he did not.

It turns out that near-death experiences really work wonders for relationship problems. Katara doesn't have time to fight; they could all die tomorrow. Life is too short to freeze him out. Too short to putter around him or to focus on herself.

Katara sets her tea down and walks away from the fire. Suki, holding the baby, glances at her, but nobody says anything (except for Sokka, but he doesn't count).

It's windy that night, the smell of sea salt thick in the air. Katara breathes in deeply, sitting on a grassy hillside. Their island is tiny, right smack dab in the middle of nowhere. It's easier to breath out here, away from her friends; there is nobody to watch her cry.

"Katara?"

Except Zuko, of course.

"Go away." She says.

He sighs. "I thought you were going to give me a chance to—

"I'm not mad at you right now! Just leave me alone!"

He pauses. "Are you crying?"

Silence.

"Katara?" he says.

She sniffles. She turns to face him, scrubbing at her face.

"I've just had a hard day, okay?" she says, "Don't worry about me."

Zuko hesitates, then sits down beside her. "I care." he says awkwardly.

"I know," Katara whispers, "But when you fell…."

She trails off, then laughs unexpectedly.

"A few weeks ago, I would have been happy to see you plummet to your death," she says, "But when you did…my heart stopped. I was so scared that I would never see you again and I would never have a chance to make things right between us."

"Katara, I'm always going to come back for you and Aikka."

"I know," she says, "I know. But it was the first time I'd thought about it and I realized that life is too short to hate you. Or even to hold you at arm's length."

She looks him in the eye, "Zuko, I love you and what happened in Ba Sing Se doesn't change that."

He blinks, staring at her. "You do?"

She takes his hand, "Yes, I do. I don't just want a father for Aikka, I want you back. I want what we had before."

Zuko looks away, "I'm not the person I was before. I've changed."

"I know," she says, "We've both changed so much. But being with you, even if it felt wrong, was just so right. You're right."

The lapse into silence, smiling at each other. Zuko takes her hands and tugs her closer.

"I know we didn't talk about Ba Sing Se yet," he says, "But—

Katara shakes her head. "Last night, right after everyone went to sleep, Sokka came and…we talked about it. I know why you did it. I was mad because you were so wrong to act the way you did, but I understand."

"I tried to protect you," he says, "Even if I wanted to go home so badly I would have sacrificed everything for it. I just couldn't give you up."

She hugs him, tearing up from the sheer familiarity. Katara throws her arms around him and squeezes.

"I've missed you." She whispers.

Zuko smiles and kisses the top of her head. They rock together, silent and warm and safe. The moon drifts on, the clouds blow by. Katara sighs and feels as though she could die right here and now.

"Why did you name her Aikka?" Zuko asks, "Why a Fire Nation name that means…love song?"

Katara blushes. "A few days after giving birth, I found my father rocking her to sleep and I don't know where he learned it, but he was humming that song about two lovers," she says, "I remember realizing I loved you on the night I told you that story and it seemed fitting…especially since…since—

"Since what?" Zuko asks.

She holds her breath for a moment, exhales loudly. "Especially since the war had torn us apart by that point."

He can't help apologizing (part of him suspects that he'll be apologizing until the day he dies). Katara doesn't respond, only buries her nose in his chest and inhales deeply. Zuko is struck with a ridiculous idea.

"She doesn't have to represent a war that tore us apart," he says, "She can be the monument to our love. A child that will grow up in a peaceful world…where we all live together."

"I like that." She says and he can hear the smile in her voice.

"You know that's still really cliche, right?"

Suki steps carefully down the slope, clutching a sleeping baby carefully. It's late and she'd like to pass Aikka off so she can go to sleep (with Sokka, but that's not the point). She hears a murmur down towards the bottom; Zuko and Katara must still be talking. But she can't see them, her view hidden by a large pair of rock pillars (the entire landscape is dotted with them).

She rounds the corner, calling Katara's name softly and screeches in alarm. A half-dressed Katara shrieks and Zuko doesn't even bother, resigning himself to a lifetime of embarassment and failure (spirits, he shouldn't even try anymore).

"You were doing what to my sister?! I don't care how cool you are, serious bro code violation! Ah, hey! My ear, Katara, stop! I'm sorry, ah!"