Chapter Text
“I’ll see you when I see you,” Katara smiled, reaching out to squeeze his arm. “I’ll be okay.”
“I know you will,” Zuko replied, smiling back. “Write to me, okay?” Katara nodded, feeling oddly choked up, even though she knew she would be seeing him again soon. He pulled her towards him in a tight hug that lasted longer than normal, and yet not long enough for either of them. Finally, she boarded the ship and took off.
She wrote to him for the first time a week into her journey.
Dear Zuko,
I’m writing to you as promised with a quick update. I’ve finally reached the northernmost village that we had mapped out on my route. To summarise quickly, they’re suffering from drought in their farmlands and I think I might be able to help if I can reroute a blocked dam from a reservoir nearby. Fingers crossed.
I assume you’re back at “work” by now! Is your speech ready? I hope you’re not working too hard. Say hi to Uncle for me!
-Katara
She struggled with the sign-off, “ love” and “ yours ” feeling a bit too intimate. She often wrote to Zuko over the past six years, but something felt different now. Something had changed, and she couldn’t place exactly what it was.
She felt a bit giddy sealing the letter with the royal seal, knowing it was a privilege that no common person had ever been offered. She dropped the letter into a postbox instead of at a post office, not wanting to draw any attention to herself.
It was a few days later that her response arrived.
Dear Katara,
Uncle and I were glad to hear from you- he says hi back. So do I.
Good luck on the mission, let me know how it goes. I wish these cases reached my table and weren’t filtered out by the council. This needs to change and I’m going to ask Sima how we can go about doing so.
“Work” is going as well as usual. Yes, you’ll be happy to know that I have your speech memorised now- Uncle was most impressed by the final draft and knew immediately that you had helped. He has advised that I should send you my next one- I told him you have far better and more important things to do.
Talk soon!
Take care,
Zuko.
Katara smiled into her pillow as she read the letter and then tucked it into her satchel before getting ready for the day. She replied eight days later, when the work on the dam was finished and she was about to spend her last night at that village, exhausted to the bone.
Dear Zuko,
I spoke to the village council earlier this week and they listed other villages they know of that need help too. It’s a long list, which should surprise me but I suppose it doesn’t… a hundred year war has hurt a lot of people. Speaking with Sima would be a good idea- getting through all these villages would take me half a decade. Which I’m not opposed to- it would just be nice to get some help (*picture me winking*)
I was elated to read that Uncle approved of my speech. You are very welcome to send me drafts of your upcoming speeches. I’m sure I’ll find time between journeys to help you out. I would love to in fact.
The dam project was a success and the village has water running to their farms now. It was hard work but it paid off. Tomorrow I will travel to the first village on the list I got this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Take care,
Katara.
Zuko responded two weeks later, with:
Dear Katara,
Please excuse my late reply… one of the elders of the council passed away a week and a half ago and things have been chaotic since. There have been many disagreements about who should replace him… Somehow people want fire sage Mon to take his place but Uncle and I are well versed in how many of his ideals lined up with Ozai’s.
Anyway, I was happy to hear about your success at the first village. Sima said that as soon as this mess with Mon is cleared up, we’ll start assembling a team that will handle the villages and towns that are in need. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help right now…
I have taken you up on your offer- you’ll find a draft of a speech with this letter. There’s no hurry- it’s for a conference in November- so there are four months left. But even if you can’t get to it, don’t worry!
I hope you’re doing okay. Don’t forget to take care of yourself while taking care of others.
Yours
From
Zuko.
Katara could see she wasn’t the only one struggling with sign-offs, and it pleased her. So there was something different. It was three weeks till she had the chance to reply again.
Dear Zuko,
I’m sorry to hear about the passing of the elder. Any luck with the Mon situation?
Thank you for talking to Sima and having plans to work on a committee- I know it will help so many people. When I’m back at the Fire Nation, I’d be happy to help advise based on my experiences on my travels. Not sure how your council would take to a Water Tribe girl involving herself in your business though…
I only say this because I’ve hit a roadblock… The village after the first was also welcoming of my aid and I was able to help them with a forest fire situation. The village after that though… Zuko, I didn’t think my help would be turned down. I figured there would be a situation where I wouldn’t have the knowledge or ability to help- but I didn’t think that I would simply be rejected by the village people entirely.
I KNOW I can help them! They’ve got a severe drainage problem, which is poisoning their water supplies. I can draw out the toxins and reroute the drainage and fix this for them, at least short term till we can get reinforcements from the palace next year. I can help them, Zuko! But they won’t let me anywhere near them- all because I’m not from the Fire Nation. It’s not like I can pretend I am because as soon as I start water bending, I’ll be found out… I’ve spent a week camping on the outskirts of their village, hoping someone will see that I genuinely want to help. But the chief came with a band of people a few hours ago and warned me that if I didn’t leave, they’d have to use force. Spirits know I would never fight back. So I’m leaving at dawn tomorrow. I just feel defeated… But there’s nothing I can do.
I was tempted to use the “I’m the Firelord’s best friend, look at my royal seal” card but after six years of the “Avatar’s girlfriend” card being forced upon me, I decided against it.
I hope to have more luck in the next village.
Sorry for the rant!... I just haven’t had anyone else to talk to about this.
I hope you’re doing okay.
Take care,
Katara.
Zuko’s reply came only days later, a messenger hawk landing at the window of the little inn she was staying at. She lit a lamp by her bedside table and sat down.
Dear Katara,
Unfortunately Mon got elected in… he’s now on the council, which poses a lot of problems for us.
I’m in a mad rush at the moment so I can’t reply to you at length, but I still wanted to write, even if it's just a few lines. I’m sorry about your roadblock. Yuri did warn us about this, I was just hoping it wouldn’t be the case. But don’t give up hope, okay? You’re Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, and from what I know- she never gives up, especially not on the people who need her. So go to other villages for now, help the people who are willing to be helped. And those who aren’t, leave them be for now and try again another week, or another month. You have got this. Don’t let the situations where you weren’t given a chance to help overshadow the situations where you’ve helped so many. Take the wins, and return to the losses another time.
I know you can do this. Don’t lose spirit. I’ll write to you longer as soon as I have the chance.
Yours,
Zuko.
Katara extinguished the candle and lay down, pulling the letter close to her chest, feeling choked up with gratefulness. The next few weeks found her swept up in action and it was a whole month before she replied to him.
Dear Zuko,
Forgive my late reply and please know how much your last letter meant to me. It gave me a much needed confidence and energy boost and I’ve taken your advice on moving forward with my wins and returning to my losses another time.
You’ll be happy to know that I’ve finally met Doctor Marina Tei. She’s one scary woman but spirits, does she know her craft. I’ve never met anybody who knows more about medicine and healing than she does, and I feel incredibly grateful everyday that I get to shadow her. She agreed to take me on two weeks ago and I’ll be with her for the next two months, travelling between villages to tend to the ill. It’s been tough work so far already, and we’re only just getting started. But I’m looking forward to learning.
How are you? How are things at the palace? I was shocked and upset to hear about Mon, but I know you and Uncle and your close team will be able to figure this out and handle what’s to come. You can do it, Zuko, I believe in you. Don’t worry if you get too busy to reply- and don’t worry if I don’t reply myself. It’s probably going to be hectic these next weeks. But I’ll write to you with an update as soon as I get an opening.
Take care of yourself.
Love,
Katara.
They wrote to each other back and forth for the six months that followed, as Zuko did his best to help his nation from his throne and Katara did her best to help the nation from the streets. Katara was surprised to find that with each letter, her heart grew fonder and fonder for her friend. She wondered whether he felt the same, if her letters brought as much warmth to his heart and butterflies to his stomach as his did to her. She hoped.
It was during the seventh month that she read a letter that made her yearn to go home. And she was startled to find that by home she meant to him. She didn’t know how that had happened, and whether it made any sense, or whether she should shake herself out of it, but it was there. These two entwined words. Zuko. Home.
Dear Katara,
I’m glad you and Doctor Zen have been getting along so well. I’m sure that you both are changing a lot of lives out there, and I can’t wait to hear about it all in person.
I have to tell you… I was in a meeting yesterday and… I might have thrown a fireball at fire sage Mon… We were discussing what we should do for the seven year anniversary of the end of the war, and Mon suggested a statue of Aang and me in the market centre. “To pay tribute to the two people who saved the world” he said. You can imagine that this made me a little bit angry. I said that it wasn’t just us, it was also you, Sokka, Toph and Suki, amongst many many others. He replied that “they dont matter on the large scale of things. People want icons to believe in. You and the Avatar are those icons. One defeated Firelord Ozai and the other defeated Azula”. AGAIN… you can imagine I was a bit irritated because it’s common knowledge that it was you who defeated Azula and not me. In fact you saved my life and the only reason there IS a Firelord Zuko is because of you, Katara. So I argued. A lot. It got very shouty and angry. Mon doesn’t back down from his ideas- and alas, neither do I. He kept insisting that you weren’t important and I finally snapped at one point and threw a fireball at him. Not AT him- but just… in front of him. At the table. It may have caught fire.
Uncle Iroh was not pleased, but he was less pleased by Mon. We needed to do some damage control of course. I’m embarrassed by my uncontrolled emotions, but I’m not apologetic for them. You and Toph and Sokka and Suki are as much heroes of the war as Aang and me- in fact more so. I wasn’t going to back down from defending you all. That’s not who I am.
Anyway… that was the most eventful piece of news for you in the last week. How is it going in Nami village? Say hi to Zen for me, he used to be our family doctor when I was young. Treated me many times for overdosing on fireflakes… good times?!?
I hope you’re taking care of yourself. Do you know if you’ll be taking a break any time soon? I look forward to seeing you again, Katara.
Love,
Zuko.
It was after her ninth month working that Katara decided to visit her family in the Southern Water Tribe. Doctor Zen told her it would be a good idea for her to take a break after working almost non-stop for nine months and while she wouldn’t have minded carrying on, she had to agree that a break would be nice. She boarded a ship the next week and two days later, she had reached.
As she disembarked, she was hit instantly by the freezing cold winds and she had to shield her face and squeeze her eyes shut. She wondered if Sokka remembered she was coming and debated sprinting to their house. But she wasn’t sure the light robe she was dressed in would be enough to save her from catching her death. Maybe calling someone at the docks for help would be the best option. She lowered her arms to look around and that was when she was pulled into a very familiar embrace.
Her brother held her close and she nestled into the furs of his coat, breathing in deeply and feeling her eyes sting. She had missed Sokka.
He pulled away, a grin on his face and quickly helped her put on her own fur coat, the one that belonged to her mother. She hugged it close and smiled gratefully at him.
“It’s good to see you, sis,” he said, squeezing her shoulder.
“Katara!” She turned to see her father and grandmother hurrying up towards them and she was pulled into yet another warm, comforting and familiar embrace. And then another as her father passed her from his arms to her grandmother’s.
“Welcome home, Katara,” Gran Gran smiled and that’s when the tears spilled down Katara’s cheeks.
“It’s good to see you all,” Katara said, swiping at her cheeks. “I missed you.”
“We missed you too, Katara,” Hakoda said, clapping her on the shoulder. “But from the sounds of it, you’ve been having quite the adventure. You must tell us all about it.”
They walk to their house together, her arm linked with Sokka’s. Everyone she passed waved joyfully at her and she remembered how close their community was- that despite its societal flaws, there was a whole load of love.
Just as Hakoda was opening the door, he turned to Sokka. “Did you tell her?” he asked sharply. Katara turned towards Sokka, who paled and began stuttering but Hakoda had already opened the door. The person waiting inside had already shot to his feet. Katara had already seen him.
“Aang’s here,” Sokka supplied, quietly and guiltily. Katara froze, arm tightening around Sokka’s.
“Hi, Katara,” Aang spoke nervously, waving, the corner of his lip turned up hesitantly. Hakoda and Gran Gran entered the house and slipped away.
“Hi, Aang,” Katara replied, still rooted to the spot. “W-What are you doing here?”
“I’ve actually been staying here for the last two months,” Aang replied, exchanging a quick glance with Sokka, who nodded at him reassuringly. “I needed some space and time away from all the politics and travelling. I just needed to stay in one place for once, you know?” Katara nodded numbly because she did know. “Sokka and Chief Hakoda offered for me to stay here and I accepted gratefully. I- I’m sorry that you didn’t expect me. I will stay out of your way.”
Katara seemed to unfreeze at that. She shook her head slightly and swallowed some spit to wet her dry throat. She sucked in a breath before shaking her head again more firmly. “That’s okay, Aang. I’m just surprised, is all. You don’t have to- you know- stay out of my way, or anything. I just need some time to settle back into things and then- and then we can see.” Aang nodded and she nodded back before turning to Sokka. He smiled guiltily at her before pulling her along to her room.
“I’m sorry,” Sokka said once they were safely inside her room. Katara sighed and placed her bag onto her bed before running her fingers across the fur blankets. She grew up in this room, her safe haven when everything felt like it was falling apart.
“Don’t be,” Katara replied, turning to her brother. “How is he?”
“Better,” Sokka answered. “His initial shock gave way to sadness and then to anger because he didn’t understand why you would do that to him, and then once that anger wore off- I think he began to understand. He’ll probably want to talk to you and maybe even apologise- would that be okay?”
“A few months ago I would have said no, but I think now it will be,” Katara said honestly. “I missed you, Sokka. Truly. Thank you for letting me leave and thank you for never pushing me to come back.”
“I know what it feels like to feel trapped, Katara,” Sokka said softly, running his hand through his hair. “I know what it feels like to think that you have to be somewhere but your heart wants to be somewhere else…”
“ With someone else?” Katara guessed quietly. Sokka raised his eyes to meet hers and even though he didn’t reply, she knew.
***
“Hi.” Katara forced herself not to freeze up and glanced up to see Aang standing by the sofa awkwardly shuffling his feet. Katara closed the notebook she was writing her letter in.
“Hey,” she replied quietly. He continued to shuffle nervously until she gestured to the empty seat beside her. “Do you want to sit?”
“Yeah- yeah, I’d love to,” Aang said, sitting down on the edge of the cushion. “Erm- I don’t know if you want to talk, but- I feel like there are things I want to say. But if you don’t want me to say anything at all, that’s okay too.”
In the past, Aang had almost always spoken over her and had rarely been mindful of her personal space. Which is why perhaps this time, she was okay with him wanting to say something.
“You can go ahead, Aang,” Katara said, nodding, but pulling the pillow behind her back into her lap, just to have something to hold on to.
“I think- more than anything else, Katara, I want to say I’m sorry,” Aang started, eyes downcast. “I won’t say that your leaving didn’t hurt me because it did- I wish you had stayed and I wish you had talked to me about your feelings.” Katara bit down on her lip, not wanting to answer or start an argument. But to her surprise, Aang’s next sentence left no need for either of those things. “But the truth is that maybe even if you had- if you had stayed and if you had spoken to me- maybe even then, I wouldn’t have understood. I wouldn’t have said the right things.” He runs a hand over his scalp in slight frustration. “I didn’t see you, Katara.” He looks up at her then and she thinks that maybe, finally, he could .
“Or I did see you, but only through the lens I’ve been seeing you in since you found me in the iceberg,” Aang said. Katara found herself inexplicably emotional. Because finally, finally , Aang was understanding. “I put you on a pedestal, but I also put you in my shadow. Sokka kind of explained that part to me,” he added, looking a bit guilty. “Toph too, when we saw her a month ago.” He sighed heavily. “It seems that everybody knew what I was doing except me.”
“I should’ve said something,” Katara said quietly, feeling a bit of guilt creeping in. She hugged the pillow to her chest. “I should’ve- I don’t know- it was my fault too, stringing you along for so long. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Katara, you’ve taken care of me since I was twelve,” Aang said. “You got so used to it and I got so used to it, that even if I thought something was wrong- I probably wouldn’t have wanted to have that conversation. Maybe the only thing that would’ve stopped it was you leaving the way you did. After I stopped being upset and angry about it, I had some time to really think about it.”
Katara swallowed hard and nodded, sucking in a deep breath through her nose and releasing it slowly. “I’m sorry about how I left, Aang, but- I think I just had to. I don’t think I regret it, but I’m still sorry.”
“I think if it wasn’t that day, it would have happened soon after,” Aang said, smiling weakly at her. “I’m sorry I forced you to be my forever girl.”
Katara breathed out a soft laugh, tears springing to her eyes. “I’m sorry I went along with it for so long.”
“Are you happier, Katara? Are you… doing better?” Aang asked sincerely. “Because that’s all I ever wanted, truly. Even though I lost sight of how to do it.”
“I know, Aang,” Katara said, reaching out to squeeze his arm before withdrawing back to her pillow. Aang seemed to relax a bit, finally moving from the edge of the sofa to sink properly into the furs. “I’m doing well,” she said honestly, unable to hide a relieved smile, “I’m doing what I love and exploring the world and- and I’m happier than I have been in a very long time.” She looked up at him and asked tentatively, “And- and you?”
“Well it was really hard at first- to finally take a good look at myself in the mirror and realise everything I was doing wrong,” Aang said, cracking his knuckles nervously. “And it kind of… opened up a lot more issues. I think I had never stopped to think and feel since the war ended. I just- went along with the celebration and enjoyed the feeling of people admiring me, as shallow as that sounds.” Aang looked embarrassed, but Katara didn’t see it as shallow, nor did she feel embarrassed for him or disappointed- she felt relieved. She felt relieved and proud of him.
“And then I started thinking about why I enjoyed being admired, and why I couldn’t stop myself from running from event to event, from city to city. I don’t want to bore you with all my discoveries but- it was a lot. And honestly, I’m still figuring everything out and learning things about myself that maybe I never wanted to learn before.”
“I’m really proud of you, Aang,” Katara said softly with feeling, with so much feeling that it surprised Aang. He looked up with questioning eyes. “I think self-discovery might be one of the hardest journeys. But it’s going to get so much better after this- after you slowly learn about yourself. And you don’t have to do it overnight, and you definitely don’t have to do it alone.” Katara’s mind flashes to Ember island, and Yuri, and the guards, and then to Zuko. “Sometimes you just have to stop running to find out what it is you are running from.”
“That’s another thing,” Aang said. “I’m tired of running. I’m tired of chasing happiness in different cities and kingdoms. I think because we’ve been on the run since I came out of the iceberg, I don’t really know what it’s like to be in one place with myself.”
“Have you thought about staying in one place for a few months?” Katara asked.
“I have an idea,” Aang bobbed his head, “but I need a few days to think about it, and then I’ll let you guys know and you can tell me what you think.”
Katara nodded, smiling at him. “Sounds like a plan.” They fell into a small silence, though not uncomfortable, and Katara finally said, “Aang?” He turned to her. “I’m really glad you wanted to speak to me.”
“I’m really glad you were ready to hear me,” Aang said. “We’re going to be okay, right?”
“We already are,” Katara promised him.
***
“So, you and Zuko are getting pretty… close , huh?” This is how Sokka started a conversation with her the next evening after dinner, and Katara was mortified that their father and grandmother were at the table with them.
“What?” Katara choked out, throwing a furtive glance at the bathroom door, hoping Aang couldn’t hear them. “How do you know that?”
“I made an assumption and you just confirmed it,” Sokka grinned like a Cheshire cat, leaning back in his seat, looking positively gleeful.
Katara’s cheeks flushed a deep red and her father took pity on her, “I tried to stop him from saying anything.”
“But there’s nothing going on!” Katara protested, but wondered if that was true when her cheeks remained burning. “What would give you that idea, and why did it warrant a conversation between you all about it?” She throws another glance at the bathroom, but Aang has luckily not emerged yet.
“You aren’t the only one who Zuko writes letters to, you know,” Sokka said.
And against her better judgement, the question slipped out of Katara’s mouth, “Did he- did he say something about us?”
“No,” Sokka replied, that wild grin still on his face. “But he never failed to mention you in every letter he wrote- even all the ones he sent us while you were travelling. He was bursting with excitement about your journey and when I wasn’t sure if I was correctly reading between the lines, I took the letters to Gran Gran.”
“I’m not saying anything,” Gran Gran spoke up quickly, taking a sip of water. Then she paused and spoke with a smile hidden behind her glass, “but if that boy isn’t in love with you, then he really needs to pay attention to the way he writes his letters.”
Katara flushed even further and wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. “There’s nothing going on there.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure-”
“Sokka, leave her alone,” Hakoda admonished him lightly and Katara shot a grateful smile at her father. “You don’t see her going after you about destroying your chance to be with Suki by staying here.” Sokka didn’t see that coming, and his head whipped in his father’s direction.
Aang had reappeared at the table and sat down beside Sokka, opposite Katara. He clearly heard Hakoda’s last sentence because he too was looking expectantly at Sokka.
“I don’t- that’s not what it is,” Sokka said, and Katara wanted to show some pity and change the topic, but equally she knew how important this conversation was. And it needed to be had. She just never thought it would be her father who would bring it up.
“Sokka, you’ve been miserable here,” Hakoda said softly and Sokka turned his eyes down to his empty plate. “And I was selfish enough to let that continue for all these years because I wanted to be with my children, I wanted to lead the tribe with you by my side. But seeing Katara here and hearing about her travels,” he met his daughter’s eyes and smiled at her, “it reminded me that my children are meant to be out in the world. If they weren’t, the spirits would never have chosen them to find the Avatar.”
He met Sokka’s eyes again, “Sokka, I’ve kept you here too long. I should’ve let you go a long time ago-”
“Dad, that’s not true,” Sokka replied firmly. “I chose to be here.”
“Yes, but don’t think I haven’t realised why ,” Hakoda said and Sokka met Katara’s eyes nervously. “I love you both, and I am so incredibly proud of you and your mother would be too. But maybe living here isn’t your destiny-”
“Dad, we’re Southern Water Tribe,” Sokka interrupted him gently. “We belong here above everything else.”
“Just because you were born here, doesn’t mean you have to stay here. And choosing to leave wouldn’t make you any less part of the tribe. This is your home,” Hakoda said firmly, “and it will never stop being your home. But sometimes, you need to carry your home in here,” he tapped his heart with his fist, “and leave to find your destiny elsewhere.”
He dropped his hand and looked at Katara, “I have never loved you any less, and I have never stopped being proud of you just because you left to find yourself. I have never held it against you and I never will.” He turned to Sokka, “And the same would go for you. Go to Suki, go to Kyoshi- find what you really want and don’t waste any more time feeling tied down by your home.”
“I can’t leave you, dad,” Sokka said, speaking honestly for the first time in years. “I can leave the tribe but I can’t leave you or Gran Gran.”
“We’ll be okay, Sokka,” Gran Gran replied, smiling kindly. “We’re tougher than you think, you know.” She winked at him and then Katara but her grandchildren still felt the heavy weight on their shoulders.
“We know you are,” Katara said, “but we’re family. We look out for each other, we take care of each other. We can’t just leave you here.” She knew that it’s exactly what she did, she knew she left Sokka no choice but to stay when she left, but she decided just then that if her brother wanted to go to Kyoshi- and he should- she would stay for their family. “If Sokka leaves, then I can-”
“What if I stayed?” Katara’s head whipped towards Aang, as did everyone else’s. “Katara, remember I told you I had an idea? About where I wanted to stop and learn more about myself? Just somewhere I could stay for a while and call home?” Katara nodded. “I was thinking about staying here. You both were the first family I ever knew,” he says to his friends. “And I always envied your bond with your tribe, and with your people. Since Sokka and I arrived here a month ago, I’ve just started thinking that it might be nice to put my roots down here for a little while, maybe for a year or so. I don’t know if I’d be overstepping-”
“You wouldn’t,” Hakoda interjected gently, firmly. “Aang, I think I speak for our whole tribe when I say that you would be very welcome to stay here. As long as you don’t mind the cold.”
“I actually find the cold very peaceful,” Aang admitted with an enthusiastic smile. “That’s what drew me to the idea of staying.”
“Then by all means, Aang, we would love for you to stay with us,” Hakoda said, returning his smile. He then turned to his kids, “See? Now we won’t be alone and you have nothing to worry about. Aang’s going to be here. So please, Sokka, go. No more feeling burdened or guilty about leaving your family,” he turned to Katara, “you too. No more. Your grandmother and I are more than capable of taking care of ourselves- and now Aang is here, so we’re all going to be okay together.”
Katara wrote two letters that night. One to Doctor Zen, telling him she would be extending her break a little more before returning to his training. And one to Zuko, telling him she would be at long last returning to Ember Island.
***
“You look excited,” Sokka said, dropping onto Katara’s bed while she flitted around the room packing her belongings.
“I am,” Katara answered, shrugging.
“Because you’re seeing Zuko again?” Sokka asked. She glanced at him and didn’t see the cheeky grin she had expected. He smiled at her softly, expectantly.
Katara sighed and sat down beside Sokka. She twisted her fingers into the furs beneath her. “The last time I saw him… something just felt different. But I wasn’t with him for very long on Ember Island, so I don’t know what could have changed so suddenly.”
“That wasn’t the first time you met him, Katara,” Sokka said. “You’ve known him for almost eight years. You’ve seen him grow into the person he is today. You know him. Answer me this, and answer me honestly.” She turned her attention from the fur to him. “If things had been different and Aang had never claimed you as his forever girl, and you had never felt the duty to be with him,” Sokka said, putting it so bluntly that Katara had to cringe, “would you have felt something for Zuko?”
Katara barely had to think about it, because she had done so already amidst the dozens of letters she had exchanged with him over the past nine months. Because it may have been seven years, but the sight of Zuko jumping in front of lightning for her may perhaps be etched clear into her memory till the end of time. She had never felt more scared in her entire life when he had fallen. She had never felt more relieved in her entire life when his eyes had opened once more, his head cradled in her arms. She remembered feeling something, and then she remembered pushing it all away. And perhaps those few days together on Ember Island, and those dozens of letters which they had signed Love, Katara and Love, Zuko was all it had taken for her to find something she had lost a long time ago.
“Should I say something when I see him next?” Katara asked quietly, instead of answering him.
“That’s up to you,” Sokka smiled, reaching out and squeezing her hand. “Katara, your world is now yours and yours alone. You were never meant to be the side character in someone else’s story. You get to decide what happens next, and you get to do it on your own terms. You aren’t running anymore, so take this at your own pace, and do what your heart says.”
Katara swipes at her eyes with the back of her free hand before smiling at her brother, “When did you get so smart?”
“Age makes everyone wiser, Lady Katara,” Sokka said in his best impression of Uncle Iroh, bowing deeply to her. “You’ll get there someday too.”
“What are you going to tell Suki when you see her next?” Katara asked, tightening her fingers around Sokka’s.
“I’m going to ask her to marry me,” Sokka replied, so simply, so straightforwardly, that Katara’s breath got caught in her throat.
“Really?” She breathed, her other hand finding his other hand and squeezing.
“Yes,” Sokka said. “I love her, I’ve never had a single moment of doubt about that, not ever. And I don’t care where we are in the world, or what we’re doing. As long as I’m with her, I know I’ll be home.”
Aang insisted that Katara and Sokka take Appa to their respectful destinations the next week. Hakoda and their grandmother hugged them tightly, held them close, and asked them to promise they would be safe. Sokka hugged Aang, and then Katara followed, and something in the way that Aang waved at her goodbye told her that he was finally letting her go.
Sokka dropped Katara off first, and when Katara asked her brother if he’d like to come see Zuko too, Sokka winked at her and replied, “Another time. This one’s just for you.” He flew away, and Katara watched and watched the sky until the bison was entirely out of sight.
She then took a deep breath and began walking up the shoreline, and as she got closer and closer to the Ember Island house, her heart thumped louder and louder in her chest. When she finally saw it, she saw him. He was waiting on the swing, her swing, which had been dragged out onto the beach once more.
When Zuko saw Katara, he was on his feet before he even realised it. And he isn’t sure who started running first but within moments they were crashing into each other, the perfect collision of red and blue, the sun high in the sky and the waves crashing at their ankles.
She pressed her face into his neck, fingers digging into his robes and his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and lifting her up till she was laughing and then so was he. Finally, her feet found the sand once more as he lowered her slowly and she pulled away to look at his smiling face.
“Hi,” she said softly, her heart hammering so exhilaratingly that she wondered if this is what it was supposed to feel like, if this is what differentiated duty and destiny.
“Hi,” he replied. She wondered if he was feeling the same way as she was, if his heart was beating wildly too, if he had also thought about the lightning from seven years ago and hiding feelings for the sake of duty, and rediscovering them once more through moonlit oceanside picnics and kisses on cheeks and letters evident with unmistakable fondness.
And when he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead, let it linger there a long moment while her eyes fluttered shut and so did his, she decided not to wonder any longer. He leaned away, met her eyes and then caught her hand with his before walking with her towards the house.
Jee Yun, Lok and Jason were at the front porch, waving and grinning. Yuri appeared through the front doors and held her close and said, “Welcome home, Katara.” Zuko’s fingers found hers once more.
Welcome home.