The Burning Isle
Synopsis: He wanted redemption, but could she give it to him (ZukoxKatara)
The cool feeling of the wet sand between her toes did nothing to quell the crashing of the waves before her. The sun's warmth surrounded her, only making the push and pull of the tide worse. Her knuckles were white and buried in the sand, as she watched the sunrise.
He rises with the sun…
She hadn't slept the night before, as she was unable to find any comfort in the moon's silver glow. The sun should serve as a reminder of her lack of rest, it's shine should feel harsh against her weary eyes. Yet now the sun warmed her, enveloped her, seemed to caress her. As well as fuel her anger.
The sound of shifting sand told her she was no longer the only one on the shore.
He remained silent as he sat down next to her and she continued to stare out at the sea. She could feel his eyes on her, and knew what he was going to say as he turned his face towards hers.
"Katara, you need rest."
"Sokka."
"Look, I know you don't want to keep hearing this, but you need to forgive him. He's changed Katara, and I can see what it's doing to you. I'll be the first to admit that I hated him and never trusted him, but he's earned it." Sokka paused, awaiting her reaction. Her eyes never wavered from the sky, and he gave a soft sigh. Placing an arm around her, he squeezed her shoulder gently.
"I get it. You're scared. But you know what he did? He told me he'd wait for you. He meant every word too, you know how he is with his whole honor and serious talk. I can't say I reacted as maturely…"
He noticed she was looking at the waves now, each one rolling over the next. He rose slowly, placing a kiss on his sister's forehead. As he left his sister's side, he whispered, "You should go to him."
Her whisper was too soft to reach his ears as he made his way back their camp.
--
"Don't look so worried. My uncle is an excellent teacher."
Katara glanced over, her eyes stern as she responded snidely to Zuko's observation.
"It's not your uncle I'm worried about. It's his sparring partner that I'm not fond of."
He ignored her as he shrugged off his robe and walked into the clearing, his hands already aglow with flames.
--
She plunged her hands into the warm stream, lifted them back out and froze the water.
"I'm pretty sure the fish don't appreciate you taking out your feelings on them…" The earth bender commented offhandedly from her spot a few feet away. Katara stared at her friend for a moment, then walked over to her, the water's current once again flowing.
Toph had her feet planted firmly in the dirt in front of her, as she sat on one of the rocks near the bank of the stream. She held a small teacup in her hand, nearly empty.
"Uncle Iroh was just here…"
"Yeah. He brought me a cup of morning tea."
"That's a nice cup. Must have been an expensive set."
"It's the one the Blue Spirit had given him. And when I say given I mean stolen. And by Blue Spirit I mean Zuko." Toph drank the last of her tea, a grin on her lips. Katara admired the tea cup silently, glad that Toph couldn't see her face at the moment. Not that she needed to see to know how she was feeling.
"Not you too Toph. I just-"
"You know, If Iroh wasn't with Zuko right now, he would be offering you a cup of tea. Come on, I'll pour you one, you sure could use it Katara." Her tone left little room for argument.
As Katara walked away from the stream, the delicate cup of tea in her hands, she tried to feel annoyed with the blind girl for bringing up Zuko. She couldn't however, and was grateful when she realized Toph hadn't called her by her nickname.
---
The water was dancing around her as she continued to practice, cutting into the bark of the trees on the bank of the river. Several daggers of ice were scattered along the branches, their ends starting to melt slightly. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to cool the water around her. The splash as someone jumped into the river broke her concentration, and she turned to the source.
"Don't you have anyone else to go bother?"
"Like who? Your brother is raving about some type of food to my Uncle, who is busy brewing tea for Toph. I'm not sure where Aang is…"
"What a surprise, why don't you try and find him, it seems to be a natural course of action for you." Katara saw his jaw visibly tighten, before addressing her.
"He's improved in his fire bending. Let him enjoy his break."
She ignored him, and continued her bending. She couldn't help but smile as her water whip caught his ankle and pulled his feet out from under him. He took that as an invitation for a match between them. Throwing aside his drenched robe, he assumed a fighting stance and closed his eyes. The droplets that clung to his skin evaporated as he breathed out slowly.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to spar in a river with a waterbender?"
He raised an eyebrow in response.
"Don't you underestimate me, you arrogant-"
"I'm not. I want you to give it your all. I wouldn't expect any less of you. Besides, you don't really want to hurt me…" his face held the slightest hint of a smile as he waited for her reaction.
She stood there, lips parted, as his words sunk in and she noticed his smile. His soft laughter only made her cheeks redder as she gathered most of the river's water into a wave and aimed it at Zuko, who for a moment, had made her hesitate.
--
Her hands glided over the pot countless times as they warmed from the moisture. She did not hear Aang approach as she focused on bending the water over the flames.
"Katara."
Her motions stopped as he sat down beside her, and turned his face toward hers. She let out a sigh and the water spilled downward, putting out the fire. Frowning, Aang waved his hands over a few of the remaining embers and Katara watched as their glow brightened.
"You're here to tell me to see him aren't you?"
"No. I'm not here to tell you what to do…"
Katara looked down at the hand that covered her own. The touch was comforting, but it would not help her.
"I'm not ready yet."
"I know. I also know what Sokka told you. It's true Katara and we can all see how he's changed-"
"How can you say that so easily after all he's done?"
"He earned it Katara. He came to me, not as a banished prince, but as someone who finally accepted his destiny."
"He betrayed his own uncle, for his supposed honor!" He remained quiet, his eyes watching hers. She looked away, unable to endure the pity in his gaze.
"He also begged for his forgiveness. He worked hard for ours. He went against his own blood, against the father whose acceptance he wanted for so long. Katara, he saved my life. As the Blue Spirit, as the banished prince, and as Zuko. "
She whispered to him then, the softest of things, and he let go of her hand gently. He stood and made his way over to his glider, preparing to take flight. Gripping the handles, he peered over his shoulder.
"It's always hard to forgive the ones you love."
She would have turned to him then, but the gust of wind told her he was already gone.
--
The cool night air felt wonderful against her flushed cheeks, as she dropped to the ground, the blades of grass tickling her feet. With a flick of her wrist, she returned the water back to the pond. She lay there quietly, watching the stars as she relaxed.
She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until something soft brushed against her cheek, startling her awake. He was lying next to her, resting on an elbow as he brought a fire lily to her cheek once more. His amber eyes met her cerulean gaze, and still she laid there, hardly breathing. He leaned towards her, his lips barely touching her ear…
"I've missed you."
He had been helping Iroh train with Aang all day, having left at sunrise and only arriving after sunset. She had been busy, but he had never strayed too far from her mind. She closed her eyes as he whispered. He took her hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers.
She surprised him by pushing him away. She was already walking away by the time he stood up. He ran after her, caught her arm and pulled her towards him. Her hands were against his chest, defensive, as he embraced her closely, both hands at her back.
"What is it Katara?"
She couldn't tell him how his hands over hers reminded her of pirates and stolen necklaces. She couldn't tell him that his scar kept reminding her not to forget Ba Sing Se and their confessions. His betrayal. She couldn't tell him the things that would hurt him most. She couldn't trust herself to trust him, no matter how much she loved him.
"Peasant."
"Excuse me?
"It's what you always call me isn't it?" Zuko's confused look shifted and his eyes narrowed as she felt his body tense at her words. He remained silent for a moment and the expression he wore as he looked down at his hand over hers, was one she would never forget.
"Enough. You do this to me each time I try to get close. I've made my mistakes, but how dare you keep throwing them in my face like this? I've done everything I can to make it up to all of you. Especially you…"
She looked away with shame, as her eyes began to water.
"I know that it's hard to trust me after all I did, but I am trying. I want to show you how I'll make everything right, but I can't if you won't let me. I don't care how long it takes, but I will redeem myself in your eyes." She shut her eyes, ignoring the slow rolling of tears down her cheeks. He cupped her face between his hands, compelling her to look at him. His thumbs traced her cheeks tenderly and she closed her eyes as his lips caressed her eyelashes. Those kisses that carried such promise…
"I love you, Katara and I know you love me. I will never make you regret that, I swear…"
Her tears were left forgotten as his lips crashed down upon hers. All she could think of was that he had set her ablaze, and she clung to him, hoping to burn away her bitter memories.
--
It was nearly sunset when she went to him.
"I kept trying to tell myself that you haven't changed. That night you promised to redeem yourself, I told myself your words must have meant nothing. But they meant everything. I was scared to let myself go because I had trusted someone before… and they deceived me the entire time. I didn't want to hurt again, and I didn't want it to be because of you. I thought, that if I didn't let you in, then it wouldn't hurt when the time came for you to betray us. To betray me. But you never did…"
She closed her eyes, willing her tears not to fall. She wouldn't cry. Not yet.
"You knew I loved you, and no matter how much it hurt, you kept pulling me back. I'm sorry to have pushed you away, I was so stubborn, but I guess it's something we have in common…"
She gave the saddest of laughs, and tears fell, unable to be held back.
"You kept your promise. It was a promise you never should have felt that you needed to make. You redeemed yourself in my eyes the moment I heard that you stood up to your father. I only wish I had told you this sooner… ."
Katara made no attempt to wipe away the tears that blurred her vision, as she kneeled down onto the soft dirt. She gingerly placed a fire lily on top of the small mound before her. Crying silently, she brought her hand to her wet lips, kissing them softly. She then carefully traced the curves of the blue mask that lay next to twin broadswords. She closed her eyes for a moment, as her hand rested over the mask's left cheek.
"I love you Zuko. I'll always love you and I will never regret loving you…"
As she opened her eyes, the last glimpse of the sun sank into the horizon and night fell.
She did not leave until his swords gleamed from the moonlight and she had whispered all that was unsaid
The End
Author's Note: This was a Christmas gift fic done over at avatarexchange. The 'themes' included redemption, moonlight, the beach and the pairing of Katara and Zuko.