Chapter Text
Katara left Zuko's room, fuming. She couldn't understand why Aang agreed he could join them. The only reason why she went along with it was because Zuko was the only firebender they had come across who could teach Aang. Also, everyone else already said yes, there was no point for her to say no.
She sighed frustratedly, she had to be ready in case - no not in case but when - Zuko betrayed them. She needed a plan for when it would happen. But she needed the others on her side. Toph was already on his side, she rolled her eyes at that. Zuko burned her feet, and she was on his side. Her feet! Her feet are what Toph uses to see the world, her feet are what she uses mostly to earthbend. Toph had to be carried around everywhere because of him, but she was still the one who said he should join them from the get-go.
She needed to convince Sokka and Aang. Aang would be a bit harder, but Sokka, she could easily convince him to come up with a 'Zuko messed up' plan with her.
As Katara paced back and forth in the hallway, her mind raced with thoughts of how to approach Sokka about her concerns regarding Zuko.
She found him in their designated camping spot. She sat down beside him, taking a deep breath to gather her thoughts.
"Sokka, I need to talk to you about something important," she began, her tone serious. Sokka looked up from the map he was studying, immediately noticing the gravity in Katara's expression. "What's on your mind, Katara?"
"It's about Zuko," she replied, watching Sokka closely for his reaction.
Sokka's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "What about him? Is he causing you trouble?" The Fire Nation Prince had only been with them for 10 minutes he highly doubted that Zuko would go through all that trouble to let him join only to then do something stupid shortly after.
Katara shook her head. "No, but I can't shake this feeling that we need to be prepared for when he does. We need to come up with a plan, just in case."
Sokka realized Katara didn't trust him, but he couldn't understand why she was this against Zuko. As much as Sokka didn't like the Fire Nation Prince, he didn't despise him. He certainly wasn't in the mindset of strategizing for a hypothetical betrayal by Zuko. Katara was the only one who was convinced Zuko would even do that.
"Katara, I understand your worries, but we can't jump to conclusions," Sokka said, attempting to reassure her. "Zuko might surprise us. People can change, right?" Sokka grabbed a nearby apple and bit into it.
Katara sighed, her frustration evident. "No, Sokka, we can't afford to be naive. We need to be cautious. I mean, the last time I trusted Zuko, he joined Azula, who managed to kill Aang!"
Sokka nodded along. He didn't understand why Azula shooting Aang had anything to do with Zuko. Even if Zuko had joined their group back then, Azula would have still shot Aang. "Okay, let's hear your plan then. What do you suggest we do?" Sokka said and Katara was glad he finally understood how dire the situation was. But if she had listened a bit more closely she would have heard the undertone of skepticism in his voice. Katara paused, gathering her thoughts before outlining her proposal to Sokka.
"We need to establish safeguards, Sokka," she began, her gaze unwavering. "Firstly, we should limit the information we share with Zuko. We can't afford to disclose details about our plans to him." Sokka nodded along. He was quite interested in how far his sister would go. "Alright."
"Secondly, we need to constantly be on guard." Katara declared, deeply in thought, while Sokka continued eating his apple. "Also, we need a place to put him after he betrays us. He claims he's the Fire Nation traitor, we could easily dump him in one of their jails." Katara declared darkly.
"Yeah, that's a brilliant idea! Let's give him back to the nation that he is the Prince of. I'm sure they'd greet him with loving arms and cake." Sokka grumbled. He wasn't going to go along with Katara's plan anyway, but he wanted to humor her for a bit. But this plan was crazy.
"Are you being sarcastic? Sokka, this is no time for jokes!" She yelled at her brother. She was trying to keep everyone safe, but Sokka was only thinking about how funny he was.
Sokka shrugged. "Well as the plan guy, all I'm saying is that your plan could use some work. If you truly think that Zuko would do that."
Katara's frustration boiled over at Sokka's seemingly dismissive attitude. "Work? Oh, I'm sorry, Sokka, I didn't realize safeguarding our group against an ember-minded traitor needed to fit your standards of entertainment!" Her tone dripped with sarcasm as she emphasized the insult she had crafted for Zuko.
Sokka raised an eyebrow, taken aback by Katara's biting remark. "Hey, I'm just saying, we can't jump to conclusions. Besides, Zuko might not even be that bad," he replied defensively, although his voice lacked conviction.
Katara scoffed, unbelieving. "Not that bad? Oh, forgive me for not feeling reassured by the company of a firebending royal who's already switched sides once!" She shot back, her frustration palpable.
Then a sound was heard from one of the many hallways. "Did you hear that?" Katara asked as she looked around, her waterskin already prepared to attack.
"It was probably just Momo." Sokka brushed it off before standing up and walking up to his sister. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Katara, look, I get it. Zuko's past isn't exactly squeaky clean. But Aang sort of trusts him, and maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for now."
Katara shook the hand off her shoulder and glared at her brother, her frustration boiling over into anger as she recoiled from Sokka's attempt at comfort. "Benefit of the doubt? How many chances are we supposed to give him?" she snapped, her voice laced with bitterness. "I won't stand by and watch him betray us again, Sokka. I won't let history repeat itself!"
Sokka sighed, his own patience wearing thin under the weight of their disagreement. "Katara, I understand you're upset. Zuko may have made mistakes in the past, but people can change. Aang believes in him, and maybe we should too." he reasoned, trying once more to calm the raging storm within his sister.
Katara scoffed. "Of course, you'd say that." Katara then started walking away. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked his sister, but the girl remained quiet.
"Katara!" Sokka called after her, though Katara ignored him and continued walking. If Sokka didn't trust her where she was concerned, no one would.
Chapter Text
When Zuko and Katara were returning to the camp after confronting Yon Rah, Zuko got an idea of where they could go. His family had a house on an island that had been deserted for years now. They went to pick up everyone else, and Zuko led Appa in the direction of the Ember Island beach house.
Once they unpacked their things, they decided to have a little campfire, the flames crackling in the silence of night.
Aang and Toph had already fallen asleep, and Sokka and Suki carried the two kids into the house so they could sleep on beds. So only Zuko and Katara remained on the beach.
"Why didn't you kill him?" Zuko broke the ongoing silence. He had been wondering that ever since they left him. It was the main reason for their trip, but then, when it came down to it, she refrained from going through with it.
Katara wasn't sure. She wanted to. It would have been so easy. All she had to do was let the ice shards pierce his body, and it would be over. But...she couldn't.
Katara stared into the flickering flames as she contemplated Zuko's question. She took a deep breath before answering.
"I don't know," she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Even though he deserved it, even though it would have been justice for everything he's done, I couldn't bring myself to take his life."
Zuko listened closely to her explanation. "Maybe...maybe because it wouldn't have changed anything. Killing him wouldn't bring back what he took from me."
Zuko nodded slowly, understanding the weight of her words. "I get it," he replied, his tone softening. Memories of his own mother flooded his memories. "But you had every right to."
Katara felt a lump form in her throat, the memories of her mother's final moments flooding back to her. She swallowed hard, pushing the memory of her fear-stricken face away. "I know," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "But...I couldn't let myself become like him."
Zuko reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're not like him, Katara," he said earnestly. "You're better than that."
Tears welled up in Katara's eyes as she turned to look at Zuko, surprised by the sincerity in his words. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
Katara was stunned at how helpful this short conversation was. "You're a good listener." She proclaimed.
"Even for an Ember-minded traitor?" Zuko asked with a raised eyebrow. He watched as Katara's eyes widened in realization. It took her a second to figure out why Zuko would call himself that.
The conversation she had with Sokka the day he joined them flooded her memories. How she claimed that they needed to make a plan for when Zuko would undoubtedly betray them. Zuko was there, he had overheard everything. She had a slight memory of a sound that Sokka brushed off as Momo.
"You...you heard me..." her voice trailed off as shame filled her chest. He had heard everything. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, feeling exposed and vulnerable under Zuko's scrutinizing gaze.
Zuko's expression softened as he saw the distress in Katara's eyes. "I did," he admitted quietly, his tone surprisingly gentle.
Katara stared at his eyes, apologetic. She thought that it was a private conversation she was having with Sokka. She wasn't aware he was listening.
But if she was being honest to herself, if she knew Zuko was listening in, she would just assume he was spying to gather information and would be glad he overheard the distrust they had in him. But now she just felt shame. She realized Zuko had truly changed. Sokka was right. And she felt completely guilty for everything she said that day. And knowing now that Zuko had overheard...
"I am so sorry, Zuko. I...I didn't mean for you to hear that. I was just...worried about Aang, about everyone." Katara admitted, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze, her embarrassment weighing heavily on her.
Zuko's gaze softened even further, his hand still resting gently on her shoulder. "Katara, it's okay," he reassured her, his voice gentle. "I know I haven't exactly been the most trustworthy person in the past." There was an undertone of hurt in his voice following that admission. And Katara couldn't believe how blind she was. Toph's right, she was the one who was actually visually impaired in the group, but the earthbender was the only one who saw Zuko for who he truly was from the start. She trusted him, and she was right to do so.
Katara gazed at Zuko and realized how remorseful Zuko looked. Suddenly it became clear as day to her that he was mad at himself for joining Azula back in Ba Sing Se. That realization didn't sit right with her.
Taking a deep breath, Katara finally met Zuko's gaze, her eyes reflecting a mixture of guilt and understanding. "Zuko, I'm sorry," she began, her voice trembling with sincerity. "I've been so focused on my own fears and doubts that you would betray us again that I didn't even consider that you might regret everything, that you might be upset over what happened."
Zuko's expression turned slightly puzzled. "It's okay, Katara," he replied, his voice gentle. "I know I've made mistakes, and I've been trying to make amends since. But hearing your doubts...it hurt."
Katara's heart ached at the pain she had caused him, her own guilt weighing heavily on her conscience. "I never meant to hurt you, Zuko," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was just...afraid of history repeating itself, of trusting someone who might betray us again."
"I understand," Zuko said softly, his eyes filled with empathy. "But I want you to know that I'm not the same person I was back then. I'm trying to be better, to prove that I can be trusted."
Katara nodded, a sense of relief washing over her at his words. "You have proven yourself, Zuko," she said sincerely, her voice filled with newfound trust. "And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it." Katara then reached for the Prince and hugged him, Zuko hugged back after a couple seconds. They stayed like that way into the night until the two could barely keep their eyes open.
EtInScr on Chapter 1 Wed 10 Apr 2024 09:22PM UTC
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Booboo3773 on Chapter 1 Mon 09 Dec 2024 07:44AM UTC
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Huni_obri on Chapter 1 Mon 09 Dec 2024 09:12AM UTC
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