Author's Note:

These short stories were my contributions to Zutara Week 2013. I should be posting one a week for 7 weeks, to cover all 7 days.

Each chapter fits the theme of the day, and is not necessarily chronological, but they are all pieces of a greater, over-arcing story that I have extensively planned out in my mind. I very much enjoy this couple and hope to stay as true to them as possible.

Reviews are welcome, if you are so inclined.

"If Not for the Voices" (Voices) – July 16th Tuesday

Since arriving back at the palace, things had been more tense between Zuko and Katara. The ease with which they'd conversed on the voyage overseas had been stifled by a demand for "appearances." Katara was meant to be a liason, not so comfortable with the Fire Lord as she was.

Mai left, thankfully, soon after dinner. Katara could barely poke at her meal with Mai's glares coming her way. Worse, she still couldn't tell if the cold looks across the table were from jealousy or were typical of Mai. Katara imagined jealousy and felt unreasonably guilty. Mai had broken up with Zuko, she reminded herself. Mai was still a prominent political figure in the Fire Nation and Katara tried to ignore the sense of tension. Mai had nothing to worry about; Zuko and Katara had been friends for years. Regardless, the atmosphere had eased a bit with exit of Zuko's ex-girlfriend.

Until, of course, five minutes later, they were swept into a meeting of public relations between the Fire Nations and the developing Colonies. Even five years past the decision to build Republic City, there was still peace to be made between rival political groups. Zuko and Katara had to maintain professionalism and formality.

When Katara just began to feel her eyelids drooping, the meeting drew to a close. She had mentally prepped herself for a week of business but, after several days traveling, she was exhausted. Her mind dragged and her unwanted emotions began to swell. A small part of her missed Aang, though she knew looking back on that relationship would do her no good. That was part of the reason she'd come. She needed to get away from him. He probably needed a break from her. Even the most reasonable of break-ups needed a healing period.

Katara was surprised when the Fire Lord himself waited to escort her to her quarters.

"Fire Lord Zuko," she curtsied. For "appearances."

"Lady Katara," he replied. They left the room surrounded by Kyoshi warriors that Zuko promptly sent to begin their nightly patrols. The Earth Kingdom girls faithfully accompanied Zuko, unless he personally dismissed them. With them gone, Zuko and Katara finally had some space to breathe.

"Are you ready to sleep?" he asked quietly when the warriors were out of earshot.

"I'm getting there," Katara said, flexing her arms into a stretch. "Do you think you'll be able to sleep tonight?"

He was silent for a moment. Both of them knew Zuko never slept well in the palace. Memories and nightmares and old family ties tended to haunt him on the nights he spent in his so called home. "I think so."

"If you need anything–" she trailed off, unsure of what to offer. Her company? Her ear? Instead, she left the suggestion open ended.

Zuko was quick to fill in the silence. "Did you feel the meetings tonight went well?"

"I did. I think I'll be able to contribute more the rest of the week. It was hard to go straight to work after just arriving." She skipped over any mention of Mai. Zuko confided in her occasionally, but she still wasn't positive he was past the break up.

She refused to let her mind wander back to Aang.

"It's taken some getting used to." Zuko said. "I attended two war meetings while my father was in power and you know how that turned out. He was very... politically minded. I've had to learn to be patient."

"With meetings or in general?"

"In general," he admitted. "Patience was not my strong point."

"I had no idea," Katara narrowed her eyes to tease him.

What Katara thought was a long hall at first, seemed so much shorter at the end. She glanced back to see how far they'd come, but the stone walls were drenched in shadow and the turn off was no longer visible.

"What is it?" Zuko asked, peering into the darkness with her.

"It's just... dark."

"Do you need light?" Instantly a swirl of light flared up in his hand.

Katara smiled at the little flame. "It's fine. I was just noticing."

He let the light dim slightly, but kept it smoldering over his palm. He looked down and away from her. "Well, this is your room anyway."

Katara bowed her head. "Oh, thank you for walking me. I guess I'll see you in the morning?"

"First thing," he added. Then, once she turned away, he called sheepishly, "Katara?"

Her braid swung over her shoulder as she quickly spun back. "Mhmm?"
"I'm sorry if dinner tonight was awkward. I didn't know how it would be to face her again and I didn't know how she would act. I'm just sorry you had to be there for the first confrontation. She seemed a little bitter."

"As opposed to...?"

"I guess I just knew her well enough to know."

"Oh," Katara said, blushing. "Right. Of course. I mean, I understand why. She lost – er, gave up – the Fire Lord."

For a moment, the unspoken truth hung between them. Mai may have given up the Fire Lord, but Katara had given up the Avatar. Both of them lingered, averting their eyes.

The hanging silence left Katara seconds too long with her thoughts and unbidden tears began to well. She didn't want to cry. She didn't even feel like she needed to cry. She just cried.

Zuko's eyes widened when he noticed. She tried to force a smile and step into her room but, instead of letting her escape, he pulled her into an embrace with his free hand. She easily crumpled into his chest.

He said nothing. She said nothing. They just stood there. Katara battled the sobs until finally she choked them down and stood there in his arms feeling too tired to move. She didn't really want to move. His friendship was comforting.

After minutes passed she finally murmured into his shoulder, "It was the right decision." She said it for his sake and hers. She wanted to be told it was right. So she believed it instead of wavering back and forth.

Instead of replying, he held her tighter and rested his lips on her forehead. Katara felt her face flush again and was grateful he couldn't see. She could hear her heart pounding louder as she waited for an answer.

From the distance, female voices drifted down the hallway. Though Katara still couldn't see through the shadows, she recognized one of them: Suki.

Fear suddenly gripped her that Suki would see the apparently intimate embrace and report it back to Sokka. She didn't want her older brother thinking that there was anything between her and the Fire Lord. More honestly, she didn't want to find herself thinking that there was anything between her and Zuko. Friendship was all she could handle right now and surely friendship was all he had in mind.

"Voices!" she hissed to warn him.

Zuko pulled back and looked toward the invisible source. As soon as his arm left her body, she felt a twinge of disappointment that the voices had interrupted. She had felt comforted. And comfortable.

Now she felt hurried. "Goodnight Fire Lord Zuko," she said quickly. She tried for her room again.

"Katara." He caught her hand. Reluctantly, she let her eyes meet his again. "It was the right decision."

Just before he left, he planted a kiss on her forehead. What Katara had assumed was unintentional intimacy suddenly became vividly real. The voices kept growing closer. She could already imagine the rumors flying about the humble girl from Southern Water Tribe and the Lord of the Fire Nation.

"Goodnight," Zuko whispered, parting fingers with her and fleeing down the hallway, leaving Katara to collapse on her bed in confusion.