Azula opened her eyes. She had dreamed, but the memory was fading fast. Something had scared her, but the object itself—whatever it was; it was already forgotten—wasn't scary: it was ordinary, boring. What was so scary about—?
Today was the day. Dream forgotten, she sat up and looked around her bedroom: ornate tapestry, gilded frames for spotless mirrors, a feather bed. None of it means anything. Today, we'll crush the traitors and stop the Avatar once and for all. The fog and memories of sleep faded away into nothing, and, remembering what had been discussed in previous days, amended her thought: I will stop the Avatar.
Being alone wasn't new. Even when people were around her, there was always a separation between them, and not only because of the difference in status. No, she was different. She thought differently, spoke differently, and acted differently. Where this difference had scared some off like Mother, it caught others' attention like Father's, and drew others closer—as close as they could be, as close as anyone could be.
But, for the time being, Mai and Ty Lee were distant from her too. There was Mai, of course, but Ty Lee had received an urgent message days ago: one of Ty Lee's sisters was having trouble with their parents. "I'm sorry," she said before packing and leaving that same day, though not before being forced to promise a speedy return.
Azula could have stopped her, forced her to stay as she had forced her to come, but as it was, the fight was nearly over. Father had been warned; traps were lying in wait, and soldiers too. It wasn't going to be like Ba Sing Se: here, they had the numbers, the knowledge, and the power. All they needed to do was defend the Capital which, according to historians, had never fallen into enemy hands.
She dressed herself quickly and quietly, taking uncommon care of and pleasure in the fabrics she wore. This was what I'll be wearing when I stop them.
Striding to the door to leave, she glanced in the mirror and did a doubletake. She stepped back and stood in front of the small but ornate mirror hanging on the wall, watching it with suspicion. It was gone now, but when she caught her own eye in the mirror, the reflection didn't belong to her. It was a flash of a golden-colored eye, not unlike her own, yet it was different or appeared that way for that brief moment. Though everything in her knew it could not be, she still waited, expecting to see something other than her own face staring back.
Finally, growing more and more certain it had been her imagination, she left. The thought of another face in a mirror stayed with her as she passed from the small hall leading from her room to the larger walkway that opened up to the inner garden. Deciding against crossing through the garden, she stuck to the covered walkway along its edges.
The Palace was unusually quiet for morning. It wasn't uncommon to see messengers, waiters, and all kinds of personal servants rushing from one place to the next, but most of their masters had fled with the rest of the Capital, and they had dutifully followed.
Emerging from another hall, two soldiers in full uniform passed in front of her without acknowledgement. They were headed for the south entrance of the Palace, the Devoted Gate, named for its short route to the bay but also for having the steepest slope that discouraged all but the most determined traveler.
Rather than heading down to Father, she passed through a walkway and began climbing the stairs to one of the two highest rooms in the Palace. Father could wait; he had his own work that would keep him busy this morning as with every morning these last few weeks. Whenever there was a meeting she was interested in attending, she did so, but he didn't require it.
Reaching the final landing, she stepped to the windows looking out at the Devoted Gate. She couldn't see over the natural volcanic wall to the valley below nor the shore, the lapping waves, or the great Gates of Azulon, but she knew they were there, as were the hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers waiting to receive the invading force. The enemy was coming and the bloodshed would be great, but that was exactly what made her smile.
-o-0-
Aang and the rest of Team Avatar stood on the deck of Sub 3, the most advanced of the three submergers Shan built. All the men assigned to it had come aboard and either descended into its belly or remained on the surface, talking and waiting for the final push-off. Hakoda was the last to board, his expression one of intensity.
"Dad!" Sokka waved and moved to go to him.
His father held out one hand without slowing his pace. "Hold on, son," he said, passing him to go to the porthole near the center of the deck. Then, cupping his hands, he yelled down, "Let's go!" A handful of seconds later, the sub jolted and began moving.
This is it, thought Aang. He gripped his staff a little tighter and looked up to see Appa flying overhead, decked out in his new armor brought over by the most recent ship.
"Ready?" Hakoda had returned to them now that they were moving. He looked each one of them in the eye.
"As I'll ever be," answered Sokka enthusiastically.
Zuko nodded once, and Katara said, "I am," with more confidence than she had been able to muster about anything in the past few days.
Rubbing her bare feet against the metal body of the ship, Toph said, "Yeah, I am. I just wish we didn't have to travel in the worst way possible."
Finally, Hakoda's gaze fell on Aang, and he answered better than he felt capable of: "I am ready to fulfill my duty."
He nodded once. "Good. I don't need to tell you what depends on this working. Keep your eyes open. We're going to a place where there's no such thing as 'safe,' so I'll just say: be careful. We'll be entering dangerous waters soon enough; come below when you're ready." Nodding again, he left and descended into the sub.
"We should probably go too," said Sokka, who was already starting to follow his father.
"Um," Aang said just as Zuko interjected with something similar.
Sokka stopped. "What is it?"
Speaking first, Zuko said, "I'm going to stay up here for a while." He rubbed the back of this neck. "I'll be okay. I just don't want to be there longer than I need to."
Aang met Toph's sightless gaze and offered a nervous smile. His heart fluttered in his chest at the thought of what was coming. "AndIneedtotalkwithKatara," he blurted, not looking at Katara and detecting a small smile from Toph.
"I'll join you, Sokka," the earthbender said, and the two of them left without a retort from anyone.
"I'll be over there…trying to meditate…and stuff," Zuko said. Aang was pretty sure he pointed in a direction, but he was too focused on Katara and his prepared words.
The weight of her gaze bore down on him as Zuko left. "Katara I…" he started, but his nerve was already failing him. Still, he needed to reassure her. "I want you to know that no matter what happens out there, I'm not going to run. I'm sorry I did that before, and I was serious when I said I wouldn't do it again. I'll do my duty as the Avatar."
"Thank you," she replied quietly and with a small, sad smile. "I didn't doubt you, Aang. I know you'll do the right thing when it counts. I'm sorry if I made you doubt yourself."
"You didn't!" was his hurried reply. "I know I'm the Avatar and I'm supposed to know what to do, but most of the time I feel like me: Aang." He shrugged one shoulder and kept his eyes on the ground. "Just a—Just a kid who doesn't know enough."
Silence immediately greeted this remark, but then Katara made a light hm sound and took hold of the staff in his hand and shook it. He glanced up. Looking back at him were the kind, blue eyes he had missed. "Aang," she said, "we've been through so many things together, and I've seen you grow up so much. You're not that little goofy kid I found in the iceberg anymore. I guess…I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm really proud of you." Then, as if knowing the final action that would put his heart in grave danger, she smiled, a full smile this time and a happy one at that.
Without conscious decision, he found himself moving forward. His hug caught her by surprise, judging by her small gasp. "Aang!"
It wasn't enough to stop him. "I can still care about you, Katara, can't I?" he said by her ear. Retreating without a word or a glance at her reaction, he took a step back, threw his staff into a glider, and hopped on for a swift escape.
He had said what he wanted to say. If he were honest, he probably said more than that. All of it was the truth: there was no hope for anything beyond what he already had with Katara; his duties as the Avatar would not allow it, and he couldn't allow her to be used against him, plain and simple. This knowledge didn't make it easier nor did it do anything to dry his tears.
-o-0-
The ocean breeze felt good on her hot cheeks, and Katara closed her eyes to soak in the dwindling moments of peace before the invasion. That didn't stop her mind from racing, though. Aang still likes me, doesn't he? She shut her eyes tighter like that would close her thoughts.
A splash sent a wave of cold rain on her that left her shivering. She opened her eyes and retreated from the edge. The other men must have had the same thought, as the rest of the deck was clear save Zuko. He was waiting by the entrance to the sub.
"Thanks for staying," she called, walking up. "I think we're the last ones."
"We are," he replied, rubbing his hands in the cold.
"I thought firebenders didn't get cold." She answered his questioning frown with a pointed look at his hands.
The rubbing stopped, and he clasped them behind his back. "Oh. Right. Go ahead."
"Will you be alright? I know you don't like—"
"I'll be fine."
It was painfully obvious that was not the case and that he only spoke the first half of the true sentence, I'll be fine because I have to be.
"We can get Appa for you to—" she offered but was cut off again, this time by the wave of a hand.
"No, I can do it."
Why's he so stubborn? It was like he was pushing himself where he didn't need to be pushed. But there was no arguing with him, and she could imagine the headache that would arrive from Dad and Sokka for delaying the sub. "Okay," she said, and climbed down first. Moments later, she heard him following.
-o-0-
The submerger wasn't the worst place Toph had been in, but, spirits, it was bad. Metal covered most everything, which was comforting in some respect, but the water, the whole ship was encased in water! Who thought this was a good idea?! Though the metal allowed her to see most of the ship and its contents, her view stopped short where the sub's walls curved around to form the rounded ceiling and floor.
"You don't look good," said Katara beside her.
A chill passed through Toph like it did when she was sick. The knot in her stomach was getting worse, too. Swallowing hard, she managed to get out, "Really? You don't say," before having to focus on keeping breakfast down.
"I can get you some water."
Through clenched teeth, she ordered, "No. Water."
Breakfast made an appearance a minute later, but after that and after Katara gave her some water to rinse out her mouth, she felt much better. It allowed her to observe what else was going on: waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe were propelling the sub forward, and the others, the fighting men and two female healers, sat around. Except for the waterbenders at work, there was an unnatural stillness to everything and everyone. Conversation was infrequent and quiet despite their pounding hearts. It was rare to see such energy being constrained; usually fast hearts were a hint that some kind of action was coming. I suppose it is; it's just delayed a little more.
On infrequent but regular occasions, the ship rattled and creaked, shaking everyone in it like an earthbender had just thrown down a boulder and it tumbled down a mountainside, each impact shaking and changing the earth and which also interfered with Toph's seismic sense. The next time the sub shook, someone's spear hit the floor. The sound and vibrations propagated outward, and she saw where Zuko was. "Katara."
"Feeling better?"
"You need to check on Zuko." She pointed, though, knowing there were several objects in the way of Katara's line of sight, quickly stood and led Katara to a hall cluttered with crates and other miscellaneous items. Then they came to a sheltered corner between two support beams and the side wall of the watercraft. The space was large enough for Toph to lay comfortably down in, but Zuko sat cross-legged, facing out. She assumed he was trying to meditate based on his posture, but his breathing came in uneven and forceful bursts, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when Katara spoke: "Zuko."
His old voice, the voice of an angry prince, snapped at them. "What?" For all the anger that word held, it was erased with another: "Sorry."
"We still have another hour to go before we surface for the last time," Katara said.
He nodded. "I'll make it." It wasn't a lie, but it didn't quite feel like the truth.
Kneeling beside him, Katara asked, "Is it because you can't escape? Or because we're underwater? Can I do—?"
"There's nothing you can do—" He shook his head, then he did a doubletake at something to his left which was the continuation of the narrow hall they were in. There was no one there, but it didn't leave out the possibility something was written or an object was flying through the air.
Katara followed Zuko's gaze. Toph tensed, ready for anything—not that she could do much about it while stuck in a metal tube—but Katara only wondered, "What is it?"
Zuko turned away and faced Katara and Toph again. "Thought I saw something," he mumbled.
"There's no one over there," Toph informed him, still confused, "not until you go past the doorway and into the hold. There's a whole bunch of people around there."
"There was no one there," confirmed Katara.
Breathing slowing from its erratic pace, Zuko leaned back and rested his head against the side wall. "Good to know."
"Did you want to sit with us?" asked Katara. "Sokka is around here, too; I can try to find him."
"No, that's okay. Thanks. It's not much longer now."
"Can we sit with you?"
"You want to sit with the crazy person seeing things?" He gave a bitter laugh that was cut short by the turbulent sub.
In an instant, Katara reached out and took his hand. Toph hadn't been paying attention before, but Katara's heartrate nearly matched that of Zuko's. "It'll be okay. We'll stay with you."
After a brief hesitation, Zuko nodded. "Thanks." Though each of their heartbeats remained steadily fast, they were slower than they had been a moment ago.
Initially not knowing whether to stay or go, Toph finally chose to stand and leave them alone together. Before she left, she said, "I'll see what Sokka is up to." She felt a grin creep up her face. "I'll, uh, let you two lovebirds know when we're close."
"Okay, thanks," was Katara's distracted reply. Then, realizing what Toph had said, added, panicked, "Wait, what did you call us?" but Toph was far enough away that she could pretend she didn't hear Katara, though her accompanying laugh wouldn't do much to support that claim.
-o-0-
"Five minutes out," reported a tribesman.
"Prepare to surface," replied Hakoda. The man bowed slightly before turning and leaving to deliver the message to the waterbenders.
To his left, Bato muttered, "Just in time, too. Getting a little warm in here."
"Weird," his son said to his right, rubbing one side of his face.
"What is it?"
"My ears popped, just like when we take off on Appa."
"Hm." It was interesting, but it wasn't the moment to discuss the reasoning behind it. That would come after they won the war. "Come with me." Hakoda jerked his head, and the two men followed.
After exiting the map room they had been staying in for most of the five hours they were underwater, they followed a short hall that opened up to the main bay. It housed the waterbenders controlling the ship but also the fighting men preparing for battle. Raising his voice, he called out, "May I have your attention for a moment?" About 75 sets of eyes looked back at him.
"As mentioned, we'll be surfacing once to refresh our air. This will happen in about five to ten minutes and will last about fifteen minutes. We will not be at the Capital. Feel free to stand on the deck while this air refresh happens, but do not be there when we close the hatch. Once it's closed, it won't be opened again, so when we tell you to leave the deck, you better get down here as if Ozai were here all by his lonesome." A few chuckles.
Hakoda clapped his hands together. "Right! I'll let you know when we're ready to open that hatch. Until then, don't crowd the halls or the entrance; some of us need to work while you have all the fun outside." There was another wave of appreciative laughs as Hakoda turned and left to return to the map room, Bato and Sokka following.
"Sokka," he said when they got back, "why did I tell them they had fifteen minutes when it actually takes closer to thirty to refresh all the air in this ship?"
Sokka grinned, and Hakoda could tell a joke was coming: "Because no one does what you tell them?" Bato barked out a laugh and tried to cover it up with a cough, and Sokka maintained his goofy grin.
"Good one," Hakoda replied with a good-natured grin of his own before returning to his initial, expectant expression.
"Probably because it takes a lot of people a lot of time to do something," answered Sokka. "Even though Team Avatar is a small group, it seems we never keep to our schedule. Something always comes up to slow us down, and we can't afford to be late on this."
Bato nodded his approval and Hakoda did too. "Good. Before I forget…" Hakoda reached into a pocket and fished out a small pouch about the size of a finger. Made from tigerseal leather and lined with intestine, it stored the powder the Northern healers had mixed. He had been tempted to put poison in it, but thought better of it. He wouldn't lie to Sokka, not now that he was a man—not that he lied to him much when he was a boy.
Sokka took it gently and tied the small, leather strips to his belt.
"Don't lose it," advised Hakoda. Like he doesn't know, he thought to himself and inwardly smiled.
His son nodded.
"The hatch will be opening in another minute or so; make sure you get a chance to breathe in that fresh air before we dive again."
"If it's okay, Dad, can I stay with you?"
There was nothing else Sokka could have said that would have made Hakoda feel as honored as he did. He had made many mistakes and had many regrets in his life—maybe this invasion was one of them—but it was moments like this which made him realize how much this path he was on was worth it, despite the difficulties that came with it.
"That's fine, son; just fine. We'll go up together."
-o-0-
"Ready?" Katara asked Zuko.
They were on the far end of the sub's deck near its bow, looking out at the ocean extending in all directions. Zuko's face was pale despite the bright sunlight, and he, like many of the other men, had already begun to sweat through his clothes. Katara had hoped returning to the surface would help his anxiety, but it seemed it only shifted from one thing to another.
Zuko replied to her question with a tight nod.
"It's…" It's going to be okay, was what she wanted to say, but it was wrong to have what were possibly the last words she would ever say to him be a lie. Instead, she said, "It's okay. I'm scared too."
His eyes flicked to her. "I'm not s—" he insisted under his breath, but he stopped short and looked away. His wide eyes and flared nostrils betrayed his attempt at a calm demeanor as anything but.
She hesitated a second and looked around. They were not alone and were, in fact, in the presence of several tribesmen, her dad, Bato, and Team Avatar—except Aang—crowding the deck. They didn't have the luxury of being alone and there was a chance they never would again.
Why was she hesitating? "There's a chance we won't see each other after this—"
Annoyance ebbed into his voice: "I know."
"Zuko," she said softly, hoping only he could hear her. "I just want you to know that I—" Her breath caught as she thought about who he was quickly becoming in her mind and heart, and how quickly it could be snatched away, and soon. She lowered her gaze so that she was looking at his upper chest and the pendant she knew lay beneath. How could she ever tell him?
But there might not be another chance to try. She looked up again to meet his eyes, but his expression was unfocused, lost again to anxiety. Taking a step forward, she felt the heat radiating off his skin and through his clothes. The part of her mind always on the lookout for signs of injury and illness warned her of a fever, but she knew it was just Zuko. For some reason, that thought comforted her.
His hands hung loose by his sides as he looked on, a thoughtful and worried frown etched into his face, and his eyes remained fixed on the horizon.
She wouldn't lose him yet.
Katara took his hand in both of hers, causing Zuko to start at the sudden touch. "What're you doing?" His question was answered as she kept her eyes on their hands: callused and white; cracked and tan. He followed her gaze and relaxed. It didn't matter that their hands were hot and slick with sweat: when she squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back.
"Zuko," she whispered again. If only he could hear how much she cared and feared for him. If only he knew. She broke their grip and embraced him in a hug. Then, standing up on her toes, she let her head hover by his ear. She took a shaky breath, words quietly perching on her tongue.
When the first sound left her mouth, a thought severed her vocal cords: Should I say anything? Will he then be too distracted when the fighting starts? Will I endanger him because I'm afraid of what may happen? "B—Be careful," she fumbled, her voice sounding unusual to her ears: strained, weak, disappointed for losing her nerve.
Is that what you want to leave him with? Before she lowered herself back down, she gave him a peck on the cheek. "For good luck," she told him and herself, but her pounding heart said otherwise. Stepping back out of their embrace, she cleared her throat and tried to be conversational, but she couldn't meet his eyes and the feeling of his rough skin against her lips lingered like an itch: "Be careful, okay? If you need help—"
"I have you," he finished, his voice low and unquestioning.
She dipped her head to confirm but felt her face flush with heat. "And them." She nodded toward Sokka and the others. Her gaze went back to his, and it was clear his eyes had not left hers.
Despite wanting to appear strong before him, Katara couldn't stop herself from adding hurriedly, "If you get hurt, fall back to the ships—"
"Katara!" he protested.
The order was selfish, but why shouldn't she ask—of all things—for him to live? The dam holding back all her pent-up worries broke open. "No!" she replied, allowing no room for argument. "Don't keep fighting. Don't die. Please." To her surprise, it didn't take much to stem her tears; maybe it was too important to mess up. "Please," she repeated.
"Katara." He took her hand in his, no doubt trying to calm her. "I have to do this—this is what I want. Stopping the Fire Lord means more than my life. If dying means it'll help—"
"No. No. It—" She choked down a lump forming in her throat. "It can't be for nothing. Saving you. Caring for you. Caring for them. Everything we've been through. It can't—It can't end like—like…" That possible future was one that was always an option for all of them, and it had always lurked along the periphery of recent conversation. Katara had also promised him she would die before being captured; it was only reasonable that he had made his own decision long before she did.
But none of these things appeared to be of particular importance. The looming battle felt close at hand, but the reasons why they were fighting seemed less so. Why did it have to be them? All of them? Everyone she knew and loved could die in a day. Today.
"Don't," she whispered, knowing it was a futile plea.
"Everyone here has made the same commitment," he replied. His hands remained over hers, providing a false sense of comfort: a lie without words, promising warmth until he left and making her feel colder than before.
"But…" What could she say? What could change his mind?
Shifting his weight, he said, "Let me make this second commitment to you, though: I won't throw away my life; I'll do my best to survive and return, but," he paused, and Katara looked up, "you need to do the same, okay? Nothing has happened yet. No one has been lost. Don't lose hope." He squeezed her hand. "Okay? Don't lose hope."
Seeing and feeling his hands, false comfort or not, did bring comfort, his words more so. "Okay," she said. "Just…be careful, okay?"
The worry in his features hadn't disappeared, but his focus remained on her. "Thank you."
A noise, the groan of an animal, sounded behind Katara, and she turned to see Appa descend on the sub. He wore a dark metallic armor specially created by Earth Kingdom metalworks. They were not metalbenders like Toph but still masters of their work. It took a minute for the twenty or so warriors on deck to move out of the way, but Appa eventually landed, accompanied by a deep, growling sigh. He took up much of the open space, in addition to the more than healthy amount of room the men gave without complaint.
Aang won't be too far behind. Katara shielded her eyes and squinted to see him.
"Where's Aang?" Zuko asked as if knowing her thoughts.
"He'll show up. It's the last time we'll be together until after the invasion." She made sure to stress that last part. They'd see each other in a few hours at the latest. Katara's and Zuko's eyes met, and the same thought passed between them: Hopefully.
Choosing to move from such thoughts, Katara moved away from Zuko went to Appa. "Ready?" she asked, patting the exposed fur around the air bison's face. She would be riding him into the battle helping Aang take out some of the turrets they knew were guarding the docks.
He snorted his reply then readjusted his stance, causing the armor covering the rest of his body to clink and rub against itself. It wasn't a perfect fit, but Sokka's measurements were surprisingly close.
The other members of Team Avatar came up to Appa and greeted him, scratching around his ears and face and all the other places he had a hard time reaching. Sokka took the time to admire his designs of the armor, and Toph leaned against Appa's front leg. She hadn't heard him follow, but Zuko stepped out from behind Katara and laid a hand on Appa's side.
Hakoda and Bato stood on the far side of the metal deck. Sokka had left them by the hatch to join in welcoming Appa. Not much conversation was happening between the two men except sparse comments too faint to make out while the ship continued to his, releasing and replacing the bad air. Bato broke off from their conversation and shouted, "Five minutes!" but no one immediately moved to leave.
This was it. It might be the last time they—I can't think like that, Katara chided herself. I can't. If I do… She continued to pet Appa, focusing on his coarse fur and how it felt against her skin.
"Twinkletoes is here," Toph announced. "Almost didn't feel him."
Katara looked up.
"Hey guys." Behind her and closing up his glider, Aang seemed to have appeared mere steps away. He glanced at all of them and offered a weak smile. "Sorry I'm late."
Sokka asked, "Where were you—?"
"You're just in time," returned Katara. It wasn't time to bring up why he left.
Aang lowered his gaze but accepted her words with a small nod. "I was just flying around, and then I saw Appa down here and knew you were getting close to leaving again." He closed the distance between them and stepped up to Appa. "You're a good boy, aren't you?" he said, rubbing his fur. Appa rumbled appreciatively.
Katara looked on, watching the two old friends together. One last moment before battle.
She thought about Team Avatar and went through the reasons for each of them being there. She knew why and the significance of what was to come, but her desire to act was split between fighting and—to a lesser degree—fleeing, the latter being fed by the hope that they would all be alive for a little longer because what was so bad about that?
Everything, she knew, while dread weighed her heart down to her stomach.
"Time's up!" Dad called.
Katara started, her hand lifting from Appa's fur and breaking the gentle lull she had put him into, and he shook himself and shook Toph off in the process.
"I guess I'm going back down," the earthbender said, taking one step to leave but not going any further. She turned back. There was a moment of hesitation before she said, "You know I can't see stuff flying through the air, right?" The seriousness of her tone demanded attention.
Aang as well as Sokka and Zuko had stopped petting Appa and walked around to Katara's side just as she replied, "Yeah…"
"And I can't see over long distances unless there's a huge crash like that meteor."
Where is she going with this? "We know."
"I know you do, but you guys forget sometimes. You can't forget this time."
Katara remembered something else she and everyone else seemed to have forgotten: though Toph didn't act like it, she was the same age as Aang. She was a girl fighting in a war against an empire, and rather than running and crying, Toph—the greatest earthbender in the world—her only request was that her fellow warriors remembered her weaknesses.
"I won't," Katara replied.
Sensing the solemnity of the moment, Aang nodded once and echoed Katara: "I won't."
"I won't either," said Zuko.
Last, Sokka said, "Me too."
A warm smile crept across Toph's face but it faded fast. More men were descending below and it would soon just be them on the deck.
Aang stepped forward. "We just need to make sure we watch out for each other out there."
"Yes," agreed Katara, followed by everyone else agreeing in their own way.
"One last hug?" Aang asked, then added, "Before we go, I mean."
"I'd like that." Aang met her eyes, and Katara smiled. We have to be okay now. Everything can fall apart after today, but now, before, we need to be okay.
Toph started to ask, "Do we have to?" but before she could finish, Katara was hugging her small frame. Aang then hugged the two of them, and Sokka joined in. Unsure, Zuko set one hand on Sokka's shoulder and the other on Aang's: not quite a hug but close enough. That was until both boys pulled him in, and the three of them surrounded the two girls. Nearly sisters, Katara thought.
"I love you guys," Aang said. "Whatever happens…"
The statement stood as it was. Whatever happened, they were there, in that moment, together. Destiny was hurtling towards them, but it hadn't quite arrived. Katara squeezed Toph a little tighter, yet she didn't complain. She even gave a little squeeze back before relaxing, letting her know that she was done.
The group separated, and Katara saw that the last of the surrounding men had retreated into the sub except Dad who waiting by the hatch. She climbed onto Appa and saw Aang leap into the sky, once again sailing on the air. Dad waved his farewell which Sokka copied before they both turned and disappeared from view. Conversely, Toph left without another word or gesture; apparently everything that needed to be said had been. Zuko once again looked nervous but not as much as before, and he gave Katara an equally nervous wave as Appa lifted off the ground and began to follow Aang.
Dad's was the last face she saw before he shut the hatch and the waves engulfed the metal basking in the summer heat. His face held a hard expression that was difficult to read, full of thought and worry.
She took a deep breath and let it out. The wind chilled her. No matter what happens, I'll have hope. No matter what.
Katara would keep her promise if that was the last thing she did.
-o-0-
The memory of her kiss remained with Zuko long after the feeling of it left his cheek: soft and fleeting.
He had heard her anxious breath in his ear, her fear matching his own. There was the intake of air that signaled she was going to say something, but it stopped short. She couldn't say the words, whatever they were; she couldn't say what they both knew.
There was nothing more to consider. It was what it was, and they had no more time.