Zuko held Katara as they sat on the couch in the sitting room of their shared apartment. She'd been jittery and began panicking once they'd come inside and after several failed attempts to calm her down he finally just picked her up and sat down with her in his lap, she'd protested but he'd finally succeeded in quieting her. Now he sat in the corner of the couch, with her sitting in between his legs, and he had leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
After a few minutes he felt Katara tracing a finger along a small scar that ran along the edge of his jaw line, her touch sent chills along the length if his spine, but he didn't dare move.
Her touch was so gentle as she caressed the skin, and when she took her hand away Zuko considered letting her know that he was awake. But before he had the chance, he felt her lips press against the small mark. His breath hitched in his throat and he allowed his eyes to open when he felt her head rest on his shoulder. He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and she looked up at him through her thick brown eyelashes, her eyes as blue as the ocean and searching his. He felt that if he didn't look away he would drown in the cerulean deaths, but he couldn't tear his gaze from them.
So instead he leaned down slowly, inching closer to her face with every passing moment. His nose brushed against hers and then he gently pressed his lips to hers. It was only for a few moments, but when Zuko pulled back his head was spinning from dizzy happiness. He had cared for so few people in his life, but she was by far the most important person in the world.
"Don't let your feelings for my sister, stop you from saving the world."
Sokka's words attempted to take root in his mind, but he forced them out, determined that if he was going to die then he at least wanted this moment to let her know how much he cared about her.
He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, "I love you, Tara," he whispered, "And no matter what happens, I want you to know that."
He felt a hand on his cheek and opened his eyes to see that she wore a small smile, "Thank you, Zuko."
He hadn't expected her to say it back, whatever she'd been through in the past had scarred her. And he understood that, he might never get to hear her say it to him; but, he would love her endlessly.
"Don't let your feelings for my sister stop you from saving the world."
No. He wouldn't accept that. He would protect her and be able to complete their mission, it was their mission. They would complete it together. No matter the cost.
After a while, Katara fell asleep in his arms. He slowly moved out from behind her and got up. He still had one more thing to do before the left the next morning. He made his way out of the house and to the prisons. After making up an excuse to get the guards to let him in, he found himself, once again, in the cell of the archer.
She sat with her back to him in a lotus position, she gave no indication of knowing he was there but Zuko knew otherwise. He moved over and knelt on the other side of the bars.
"Why are you here, my lord?" She finally purred.
"I want answers," he stated rigidly. She turned to look at him with flashing amber eyes and crawled over to the bars and knelt on the other side, putting her arms through them and moved her hand to touch his face. Zuko didn't stop her or move away and he felt her cold slender fingers tracing the edges where his gruesome scar once was.
"Don't we all?" She asked with a teasing smile as she pulled her hand away and grasped the iron bars with both hands.
"What is it that your masters are afraid I'll do?" He asked undeterred by her playful attitude.
She let out a sigh and her smile vanished, "You'll destroy everything they worked to achieve," she said blandly.
Zuko was becoming increasingly frustrated with her elusiveness, "But what is that? What did they do that they don't want me to ruin?"
The women chuckled and looked and him with a gleam in her eyes, "Not "ruin", Dragonborn. It's what you are going to fix."
"What? What will I fix?!" He asked raising his voice. She suddenly grabbed him by the shirt and pulled his ear to her lips, "Destiny," she hissed, "The Avatar should have lived on, the Avatar should have defeated the Fire Lord many years ago. You should never have become an Ignis Furiis, you should have been banished and then later joined the Avatar in defeating your father. My masters have toyed with fate, and now you will be their downfall."
Zuko ripped himself away from her, images of things that never happened spinning uncontrollably through his head.
"I think you are suppose to be my fire bending teacher"
"But I am ready to forgive you"
"I have to defeat the Fire Lord before Sozin's Comet"
"If you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, there won't be a world left to save anymore"
Zuko looked back at the women in horror, and for the first time, her face was completely solemn, "You see? The world should be living in a time of peace. But, my masters infiltrated the palace and invented an order of assassins, an order that you would one day join. With you out of the picture, they easily slayed the Avatar, and the world fell out of balance. But your destiny is to restore things to the way they should have been."
"But how can I do that?! I can't turn back time, I can't just bring the Avatar back to life!"
"No, you cannot. But it is said that your destiny is to save the daughter of ice, and restore peace to the nations, is that correct?"
"Yes," Zuko said, not understanding.
"I did some research, Zuko. I found the original prophecy. It says that you will 'restore peace to the nations by saving the daughter of ice'."
"I don't understand," he answered in frustration.
She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder as a gesture of comfort, "You will when the time comes, but you will lose her, Zuko."
Zuko glared at her, "You said that I would save her, how is that losing her?" He saw the women's face contort in anguish.
"There are worse ways to lose a lover then to death."