A/N: Wow! Thank you all so much for your reviews! I'm glad you're liking the story so far, and I hope you like Chapter One even more than the Prologue, haha. I absolutely loved writing this chapter. There's lots of cute Zutara goodness, though nothing especially big yet. But don't worry, we'll get there. :) If you have any free time, I recommend going to livevideo and looking up Zutara Lessons for the Intellectual Dummy. There's about twenty-one in all, I think, and they really enforce our ship. Plus, the Zutara moments are fantastic. You'll also find that some of the points the creator has in her videos made it into this story. Anyway, enough of my rambling! Here is Chapter One of Shaping Destiny!

Shaping Destiny

by: RupertLover09

Summary: Destiny is a funny thing, you never know how things are going to work out... Things change and people change.

Chapter One: Information

Katara shuffled through the crowds of people in the market little less than a week after her talk with Zuko. She hadn't heard from Aang in three weeks, and it was really starting to wear on her temper. The heat wasn't helping much, either. The silky red Fire Nation skirt and top she wore kept her as cool as possible within the throngs of people, but she still felt too hot. The Fire Nation was a warm place and Katara was born thick-blooded. She was so used to the cold of the South Pole that she never strayed far from the cool confines of the palace because the heat got to her so fast. Trips to the marketplace weren't things she necessarily looked forward to.

Stopping for a moment, Katara pulled a crimson ribbon from the basket she carried and tied her hair back, noticing that she was attracting looks of curiosity. She blushed, though she was used to the stares. A few months of living here hadn't changed the way people would look at her, unashamed of their blatant stares. She stood out and she knew it. People weren't used to seeing a water tribe girl wandering around their market. Her tanned skin and vibrant blue eyes stood out in harsh contrast to their own pale skin and amber eyes, but they'd probably also noticed her with Zuko over the past few months. The young Fire Lord had accompanied her everywhere, showing her around the city, taking her to points of interest, and trying hopelessly to blend into the crowd with her. The blending in thing had never worked; they'd stood out to much. He because he was the nation's leader, she because of her physical differences.

Mai had never come along with them, and Katara knew the fact that she was often alone with Zuko had started some rumors; but she also knew those rumors weren't true.

The Firebender was currently holed up in a dark conference room somewhere in the palace, poring over maps and scrolls, desperately trying to pinpoint the exact place his mother was at. He'd apologized repeatedly to Katara about not joining her on her day's excursion and he'd given her a hug before she'd left.

Our friendship's really progressed, Katara mused to herself as she began walking again. And to think, two years ago we were about ready to kill each other! But things have changed so much. Zuko's not the person he was back then; none of us are.

"Did you hear?" An old lady was saying to her companion as Katara approached a kiosk.

"Hear what?" The other, much older-looking lady replied.

The Waterbender braced herself as she looked over some trinkets, preparing to hear some sort of rumor about herself or Zuko. With the way the old ladies were staring at her, Katara was shocked when the rumor wasn't about her at all.

"The Avatar is arriving tomorrow!"

Katara whirled to face the women. "What?"

"Oh yes," the first woman replied, not even blinking at the fact that Katara had been eavesdropping. "He's coming in all the way from Ba Sing Se, I've heard, with a little Earthbending traveling companion. Rumor has it that they've been helping out that devilishly handsome king Bumi."

"Devilishly handsome?" The other old woman broke in. "I think not! He's about as loony as your first husband!"

The rest of the argument never reached Katara's ears. Clutching her nearly empty basket close to herself, Katara dashed through the crowd as fast as she could. Three weeks of not hearing from Aang, and this was how she had to find out he was going to be in the Fire Nation tomorrow? By word of mouth?

The two old women watched as Katara dashed off, shock registering on their faces.

"Say," said the first, "isn't that the Fire Lord's girlfriend?"

"I think you're right!" replied the second. "She's a Waterbender, if I've been hearing things correctly."

"Pretty little thing…"

"Indeed she is. But why do you suppose she wanted to know about the Avatar?"

The first one gasped. "Scandalous!"

Zuko was in the middle of trying to figure just where exactly Bear Island was on one of the many maps laid out on the table before him when Katara burst into the room. There was an angry look on her face and her cheeks were flushed. Her brown locks were falling out of a crimson ribbon tied at the base of her neck.

"Katara-"

"Did you know?" Her tone was accusatory.

"What? Katara, what's going on?" Zuko stood up and crossed the room to where she stood.

Katara slammed her wicker basket down on the table, upsetting the maps and scrolls. She was breathing heavily. Zuko grabbed her wrist, pulled her over to a chair, and sat her down.

"Katara, calm down."

Her expression softened as he knelt in front of her. "Did you know, Zuko?" she repeated, her voice quieter. She looked on the verge of tears.

Zuko smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Know what?"

"That Aang is going to be here tomorrow."

The Firebender was completely taken aback. "He is?"

"You haven't been corresponding with him?"

Zuko shook his head in dissent. "No, I haven't heard from him in weeks. Katara, who did you hear this from?"

"Two old ladies were talking about it in the market. The one said that he was arriving tomorrow and that he was bringing an Earthbender with him. I can't believe he didn't even bother writing!" Katara slammed her fist down on the arm of her chair. "Don't I at least deserve a letter? I haven't heard from him in three weeks, and this is how I have to find out where he is and what he's doing?" A sob escaped Katara's mouth and she buried her face in her hands.

"Two old ladies in the market, huh?" Zuko said, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Katara, did you ever stop to think they were just gossiping? And that maybe their information wasn't exactly accurate?"

Katara sniffed and looked up at him, her eyes watery with unshed tears. "Three weeks, Zuko?"

Zuko reached up and wrapped her in a hug, feeling a small piece of his heart tear open as he did so. "We'll figure out what's going on, Katara," he whispered. "I promise."

She flung her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "You don't have to do that, Zuko."

"I know I don't have to. I want to," he replied simply.

Katara chuckled. "You're so cheesy."

Zuko pressed a light kiss to her temple just as somebody in the doorway cleared their throat. The two benders leaped apart from one another. Zuko noticed Katara blushing profusely and looking slightly guilty before he turned his attention to the man in the doorway.

"What is it, Wu?"

"I've looked on all the maps you've given me, sir, and I can't seem to find this island you're looking for."

"All the maps?"

"Yes, sir. I can't locate Bear Island."

Zuko groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "I can't believe this."

"Bear Island?"

The young Fire Lord looked up at the sound of Katara's voice and nodded. "That's where my mother's supposed to be, but by the looks of things it doesn't exist."

"Of course it exists!" Katara exclaimed, standing up and walking over to the table where the maps sat. "It's in the South Pole, though. And it's so small that nobody has ever considered labeling it on a map."

"You know where it is?" Zuko queried as he followed her to the table.

"It's about a day's journey from my village by boat," Katara replied. She placed her finger on an inlet of land labeled Southern Water Tribe and traced a line westward to a speck of ink not too far away.

"That's an island?!" Zuko exclaimed, looking closer at the map.

"What did you think it was? An imperfection in the map?" Katara said, sounding amused.

Zuko chose not to answer her question. "You know how to get there?"

"Well, not from here, but I could certainly get you there from my village."

He looked into Katara's eyes. "Katara, do you think you could…"

Katara smiled brightly at him. "Sure."

Zuko let his face break out into a grin as he gathered the girl into his arms, spinning her around, and shouting, "Prepare a ship," to Wu who was still standing in the doorway and looking slightly confused.

"Yes, sir," Wu said, ambling out of the room, casting a look back at the pair and shaking his head. He'd thought that the little Waterbender was the Avatar's girl. And hadn't the Fire Lord just ended his relationship with that eternally bored girl? What was he doing spinning the Waterbender around in circles?

Zuko set Katara back on the floor and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You're the best, Katara."

Katara blushed. "Well, I wouldn't say that…"

Zuko just laughed and hugged her tightly.

Katara was sincerely happy. For the first time in weeks, she was happy and it wasn't just some sort of façade. She stood next to Zuko on the deck of the Fire Nation ship that evening, watching as the palace faded slowly from view, followed shortly by the land on which it sat. Touching the necklace at her throat tenderly, Katara turned from the view and observed as the ship's crew set about making tracks for the Southern Water Tribe.

Zuko smiled down at her warmly. "I'm glad you could help, Katara."

"It's the least I could do," Katara said, waving off his thanks. She clutched the pendant on her necklace once the motion was complete.

"Can I ask you a question?" Zuko said as they sat down on the deck of the ship, making sure to stay out of the crew's way as they did so.

"Of course."

"Your necklace… It holds some sort of significance to you, to your people."

"It's an engagement necklace," Katara said, noticing the look of displeasure that crossed her companion's face. "It's customary in my tribe that when a man proposes to a woman, he presents her with a necklace of his own craftsmanship."

"You're engaged?" Zuko didn't know how disappointment crept into his voice or where it had come from, but it was confusing the hell out of him.

Katara's blue eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. "Of course I'm not!" She untied the necklace from around her neck and held it out in her palm so he could see it more clearly. "This necklace was Gran Gran's. She passed it on to my mother, and my mother passed it on to me."

"Oh," Zuko murmured, reaching out a finger and tracing the wave design on the pendant. He could feel the near-perfect etching beneath his finger. "This must have taken a long time."

Katara nodded. "Depending on the design. Each one is unique."

Zuko grinned and took it from her, tying it around her neck once again. "Well I think it's really pretty. It suits you, Katara."

She smiled at him and looked shyly down at her hands. "Thanks."

Okay, I don't know about you, but I liked the whole "Scandalous!" thing with the old ladies. And, of course, the Zutara fluff. I just liked the whole thing in general.

I'm going to try to answer some questions that might pop up in reviews before I get them.

Q: Is the Aang thing important?
A: Of course it is! How could it not be?

Q: Why is Katara so angry about the fact that she hasn't hear from Aang in three weeks?
A: I like to refer to this as Katara's Mother Complex. She's worried herself sick over the fact that she hasn't hear from him in three weeks because of the fact that he's the Avatar and he's trying to spread peace around the world. Plus, have you ever noticed how much Katara acts like a mother who is worried sick about her child when it concerns Aang?

Q: Will the necklace come back into play?
A: Quite possibly. I'm not sure yet. The idea of what it represents probably will, too.

Um, that's really all the questions I can think of that won't give away huge aspects of the story. If you have any others, I'll try to answer to the best of my ability.

Please review!