A/N: Next, the epologue and then we're done. Isn't this exciting? It's the longest story I have EVER written. EVER!!!!

Chapter 16—Reunion

Zuko studied the small fishing vessel with great criticism. This was the boat that was to take them across the channel to Sweden? The German sneered to himself, hoping the owners of the boat did not see his disgusted face as they bustled about the deck, preparing the boat for launch. The fishing boat was old and rusted, the paint on the hull was cracked and peeling off in areas. Its name, the Singing Arrow, was faded and a few letters were completely unreadable from years of water and wind beating up against its metal hull.

A large hand found a resting place on his shoulder and Zuko turned his head to see Jet standing to his right and slightly behind him, a large grin on his face.

"Well, there you are, Brandt," he said ecstatically. "The last obstacle you will have to face before you see your girl again."

The German frowned at the Russian. "Obstacle?" he queried. "What are you talking about?"

Jet removed his hand from Zuko's shoulder and turned to face him. "The ocean, my good friend, the ocean." He walked towards the dock. Zuko followed him. Friend? The German was pretty sure Jet did not think of him as anything less that the dirt under the soles of his boots. "The sea can be as unrelenting as your former Nazi brethren."

Zuko chose to ignore the small, insulting comment and kept pace with the man in front of him. As they approached the small vessel, he saw Longshot silently but respectfully helping the two fisherman load supplies onto the boat before they launched. He then glanced out over the water to see the small stretch of land faded in the distance that was Sweden. Katara was there, so close to him and yet so far away from him. His heart beat quickly with the anticipation of seeing her again. How long had it been since last he saw her? A week? Two Weeks? A month? It had been so long he had lost track of all time and to him, it had felt like thirty years since the night at the festival when he had kissed her soft lips for the first time. He longed to do it once again, passionately, lovingly, even in front of her brother, Sokka. He was willing to give up everything he knew just to be with her. He loved her that much.

These long weeks apart from Katara gave Zuko time to think. He knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it. He wanted Katara to spend the rest of her life with him and his with her, and he wanted the war to be over. He wanted Nazi Germany to fall and Adolf Hitler to see his last sunrise, to breathe his last breath. The world had already suffered greatly from his rise to power, including those of Hitler's home country, Austria. The man was a hypocrite, and a massive one at that. Aryans as the dominant race? The man wasn't even Aryan himself! He had brown hair and, though Zuko never bothered to check and was not even certain, had brown eyes as well. How was it that he managed to convince all these people to follow him if he was the biggest hypocrite of all time? Not to mention the most obvious. It was a complete mystery to Zuko but one he did not wish to see an answer to. Instead, he wanted to put an end to all of it. Never mind solving the mystery, just get rid of the problem all together. That had been the only solution he had come up with but it was one he rather liked.

He glanced back at the old fishing boat and carefully calculated how long it would take to ferry them across the channel to the other country. If his calculations were correct, it would take close to half a day to get there. He sighed. That all seemed too long to him; he was impatient.

At the sound of his name being called from the bow of the fishing vessel, Zuko was jarred from his thoughts. He ran down the wooden dock, his booted feet making small thumping sounds as he neared the boat. When he arrived, Jet motioned for him to board. When he arrived on board the Singing Arrow, the younger of the two fisherman, a young man around his age named Haru, greeted him and led him down below deck to a small chamber with a little faded couch, several charts, a table, a coffee machine, papers with many calculations written on them and a small chest Zuko assumed had the fisherman's meals inside.

"Sorry for the mess," Haru apologized. "One of the last passengers we had yesterday got terribly seasick and threw up on the couch. My father and I had a heck of a time trying to clean it up."

Zuko rounded on the young man in ecstatic hope. "Who was in that group from yesterday?" he asked with excited anxiety. From all the time they had gained after Alphonse had given them one of his cars for transportation, it was quite possible that they were only a day behind Katara and the rest of them.

Haru looked taken aback at the German's sudden outburst but answered nonetheless. "A few Russians who helped us on the way to Sweden, a couple Jews, I think one was blind, and two gypsies, a brother and a sister." The young fisherman turned to pour himself a cup of coffee. "Why?" he asked. "What does it matter to you?"

Zuko's eyes widened in disbelief. Katara had been here, in this very room, and she was only a day ahead of him. He was close, so close he almost expected to see her walking down the stairs to the very room he was in from above deck. It was only a fantasy, but one that was so very close to being real. "I just, um…" He trailed off, not sure what to say. "They're friends of mine," he said finally. Haru raised an eyebrow at the German but otherwise said nothing about his strange reaction.

"Well, I better get up top," the young fisherman said, setting his half empty cup of coffee down on the table next to the coffee machine. "You can have the rest of that if you wish," he said gesturing to the cup he left. "I don't really like coffee anyway." He then turned and ran back up the stairwell to help his father prepare for the launch.

Zuko sat down on the old, worn couch and stared absentmindedly at the unfinished cup of coffee on the table. Katara was here, she was right here, and he missed her by no longer than a single day. He smiled to himself. They were going to see each other today, he was sure of it.

Leaning back against the couch, he took the coffee from the table and downed the rest of it in one gulp.

---

Katara left the small cottage they were staying at and walked across the grass-covered meadow to the edge of the cliff overlooking the beach and vast waters of the sea. She grasped the edges of a blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders like a shawl. The purple gypsy dress she had worn at the beginning of her travels billowed around her legs from the wind as she walked.

They had been at the cottage in Sweden for only a day and already Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak had left for Russia. Only she, Sokka, Toph, Suki and Aang remained at the cottage. The owner of the small cottage did not live with them, but lived in an apartment in the city nearby. When she had left them at the cottage the day before, she had told them that she would come and check up on them once a month. She would bring with her food and other such supplies the group needed when it was necessary and if they needed anything, all they had to do was pick up the telephone and call her. Her number was written on a piece of paper next to the telephone.

The young gypsy was alone when she neared the cliff side. She had come here the day before after they had settled into their new home to watch the waters for any sign of Zuko. She had waited there, her feet dangling over the edge, until night had fallen and her brother had to come out and get her. Katara had been disheartened when Zuko did not show but told herself that it had only been half a day. Surely he would come soon.

Today, she did the same thing she had the day before. Having just eaten a late breakfast, she made her way out to the cliff and sat down, her fingers absentmindedly pulling up blades of grass as she stared out over the ocean. She could see Haru and his father's fishing boat making its way to the middle of the sea for their fishing as well as many others. In Helsingor, fishing was competitive. There were so many fisherman and so few clients to sell the fruits of their labor to.

She had not been sitting long when she heard her brother's voice sound from behind her. "Katara?" He asked her name as if he were afraid she would not answer him.

She turned around. "Yes?" she asked.

He seemed nervous, unsure of what to say. He scratched the back of his neck in thought. "I…I am sorry for what I did in Auschwitz," he began. Katara raised an eyebrow. After all this time after that incident, he finally decided to apologize? "I was so blinded by who Zuko used to be I could not see who he really was. I'm sorry, truly, I am."

Katara stood up and walked over to her brother. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He flinched, thinking she was going to cause some bodily harm to him. Instead, she pulled him forward towards her and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a warm embrace.

"I forgive you, Sokka," she said after she released him from the hug. "I had forgiven you a long time ago. I just couldn't bring myself to tell you until now."

He looked at her in a brief moment of shock. "And I have regretted my actions since the moment we saw the Nazis dragging Zuko through the camp. I'm so sorry, Katara. I know how much he means to you."

She smiled at him and turned back to face the edge of the cliff again. Strange, Haru's fishing boat was getting awfully close to shore. "I'm still angry at you for what you did," she said absently. She was too curious about the boat to pay attention to her words. "But that does not mean that I don't forgive you." She heard her brother sigh with relief behind her but she paid no attention to him. The fishing boat had now stopped where it had the day before when it dropped off her and her friends and a long boat was being lowered into the water.

She ignored Sokka as he continued to talk as if she were listening, but Katara was too interested in what was happening down at the beach to pay any attention to him. Edging closer to the cliff, she squinted her eyes in the sunlight to see the unmistakable outline of Haru in the long boat with three others. Could it be? How was it possible?

Ignoring all instincts to stay on the cliff and wait to see who it was in the boat, Katara bolted from her place near the edge of the cliff and ran for the steps carved into the rock at the side of the cliff a few hundred meters south of the landing area on the beach. She could hear Sokka yelling for her, asking her what she was doing and where she was going but he knew the answer to that. To the beach, where else?

More voices joined her brothers and she assumed Toph, Suki and Aang had emerged from the cottage and were running after her just as her brother was. She did not hear what they were saying and she did not care. Zuko was coming, she knew it. He was rowing towards the beach at that very moment. As she bolted down the stone steps, her brother, Aang and Toph followed, not knowing what was going on. Katara's heart beat rapidly against her chest with anticipation. Her thighs burned from running down the stairs and her calves hurt from the effort of sprinting across the sand. She could see them, see the boat beach up on the sand and the four men climb out. She recognized Jet and Haru right away. Longshot was not hard to distinguish either but the man who she assumed was Zuko looked quite a bit different than what she had remembered. He was thinner, his skin pale and the bones in his fingers more distinguished. He had his back to her but there was no mistaking the matted brown hair that covered his head. It was Zuko. He was here, he was safe.

He came back for her.

Her legs seemed to lose all momentum when she neared the group by the boat. Stopping her running, she stood in the sand, the fine grains filling the empty gaps in her shoes as her toes buried themselves in the coarse material. She had long since abandoned the blanket she had earlier and felt the sudden chill of the ocean air as it nipped at the back of her neck and passed easily through her thin dress.

Without even thinking, without even knowing what else to say, she yelled out his name. "Zuko!"

At the sound of his name, he turned around to face her. She gasped when she saw his face. It was horribly disfigured from a scar that covered his left eye and stretched all the way back to his ear. His time in Auschwitz had really done a number on him, and not just on his health, but his appearance as well. What had he endured that gave him a scar such as the one he sported now? She did not know but she did come to realize that it made him strangely rugged and handsome. He was not the same, charmingly handsome man who had saved her from getting rapped by an ugly old coot in Poland, but the scar did seem to suit him. It matched him, it made him Zuko.

The German stared at her in shocked disbelief when he laid eyes on her. Is wide eyes soon narrowed in a joyous smile as he walked across the sand towards her. The anticipation was killing her. She wanted to hold him now, she wanted to feel his strong arms wrap around her shoulders in a tight embrace and have him never let go. She ran for him and jumped into his arms. He held tightly, leaning back to compensate for her sudden weight against his. Her eyes welled with tears of joy when he spoke her name.

"Katara, I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," she said in return. He set her down on the sand and let her look up at him. "I thought you would be executed when they caught you."

He shook head. "No, my sister would torture me into insanity before she had me executed. That is her way."

Katara was perplexed. "Your sister?"

Zuko nodded. "She was warden at Auschwitz. It's because of her I am still alive and am able to see you once again."

Her hands went to his face and felt the scar that covered half the skin on his face. He flinched from her touch but did not pull away. Instead, he closed his eyes and let her feel the wound that would forever stay with him. It was a mark of his past and the people he left behind to start over.

"Did your sister give you this as well?" Katara asked.

He grabbed her hands and pulled them away from his face. "Yes," was all he said before he saw Sokka and the others run up behind Katara, stopping to catch their breath. Katara could see the anger in Zuko's face when he laid eyes on her brother behind her. Releasing her, he stepped passed her and stalked up to Sokka. She watched as her brother stood up straight and squared his shoulders to face the German just as Zuko drew his fist back and punched the gypsy as hard as he could across the face. She gasped in shock as Sokka stumbled and fell to the ground, his hand covering his face as he gasped and cried out in pain. He coughed a few times before regaining his baring and looking up Zuko. Katara could only assume he was staring at her brother with utmost malice hatred.

"I guess I deserved that," Sokka said with acceptance and defeat as he attempting to stand. Katara watched as Zuko clenched his fists in anger for only a short moment and then relaxed them and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yes," he said, anger in his voice. "You did deserve that. You turned me over to my sister and left me to rot in that hell hole for near two whole weeks! Look!" he cried, pointing to his face. "Look what I sustained because of you!" He paused only to turn around and pull up the back of his shirt, exposing his back to the four he addressed. Katara walked over to see what he was showing them.

She gasped in horror at what she saw. Scars, long, thin gash marks covered his entire back. Scar tissue had just begun to grow over the wounds creating long, thick train tracks across his back. What on earth had he done to deserve such torture?

"Look what I had to endure just to survive in there! My sister, my own twin sister was the one to take whip in hand, chain me to the wall and slash open the flesh on my back!" He lowered his shirt again and turned to face Sokka who had slumped back down on the sand. "This scar on my face is a permanent reminder that my family will never think twice about murdering me. My sister smashed an oil lamp in my face as we were escaping. She chained me to the wall everyday while I was there and whipped me relentlessly until I was too weak to move or fell unconscious." He stopped for only a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "I have endured far worse things that you will ever know. I just cannot see how you could bring yourself to condemn a man to such torment."

His voice had relaxed by the end of his rant. Katara felt overwhelming sadness for the man she loved. What had he been through? She dared not ask but walked up beside him and took his hand in hers. She smiled up at him when he looked at her and to her surprise, he bent his head low and rested his forehead on her shoulder, his shoulders shaking as if her were crying but no sobs could be heard from him.

Katara lifted his head and made him look at her. Without even caring about who was watching, she kissed his lips softly to let him know that there were people who cared for him. He would not be hated the rest of his life.

When she pulled back, there was a long silence before Zuko said four words that made her heard skip in her chest. "I love you, Katara."

"And I you," she said in return.

"Well isn't that sweet," Toph said sarcastically. Everyone turned to look at her, Katara growled. "A touching reunion that you seeing people might get a kick out of, but really, what's in it for me?" She turned to Aang who stood next to her. "Do you think we could ever get action like that, Twinkletoes?"

She was completely sarcastic, everyone knew that, but Aang still blushed bright red when she said it.

By now, Sokka had gotten to his feet and a large bruise was beginning to show along his jaw line and Jet and Longshot had arrived next to the group completely unaware of what had just occurred aside from the yelling they had heard earlier. Haru was already rowing the long boat back to the Singing Arrow and had missed the whole thing.

"Well, let's not lollygag around on the beach," Jet began, ordering the rest of them up on their feet. "Let's get up to that cottage. We've stories to exchange."

Katara smiled when Zuko took her hand. They walked together up the stairs carved into the stone and Sokka even let him leave his things in Katara's room when they arrived at the cottage. Since their group had grown, the small cottage that had comfortably housed just the five of them now was cramped and crowded. That night, Jet and Sokka made a large fire by the cliff and cooked dinner outside. They all ate around the fire and stayed up until well passed the fall of night talking and telling stories.

Katara smiled all night. For the first time since the beginning of her journey, she was truly happy.

A/N: Yeah, kinda gets a bit cheesy towards the end cause I go treally lazy. To be honest, I'm a little sick of this story. At least it's almost over. Hope you liked.

Review please! =D