ZuTara: Bond

Zuko looked down at the face of his girlfriend. She looked so peaceful, so beautiful. Almost as if she were sleeping. But he knew that couldn't be further from the truth.

Lying in the casket, Mai's lifeless form looked just like it had when she was alive. It almost looks like she could sit up at any minute, Zuko pondered, and be with me again. I just can't believe she's gone. He reached a finger down and caressed her face...so cold. So stiff. I'm so sorry, Mai. His shoulders sagged as he was hit with the full realization: Mai was gone.

Katara was standing next to Zuko, looking into the casket. She hadn't known Mai; they had only met a couple times, and always it had been a fight. But still...I know that this girl meant a lot to Zuko. This must be so hard on him. She looked to her right, at the face of her friend, her brow knitted in concern. He just stood there...emotionless, as always. Trying to hold up the tough exterior, and not show what was really going on inside. When she saw a tear sliding down from his scarred eye, she felt her heart break right along with his.

Katara put her hand on Zuko's shoulder. He turned his face away from her, but she took a breath and asked softly, "Are you okay?"

A long moment passed; he kept his head turned away from her. Finally, he turned his face to her, and she could visibly see just how hard he was fighting to keep up his composure.

Zuko shook his head; whether this was an answer to her question or an attempt to clear his head, Katara was uncertain. Then he spoke: "I..." His voice broke, and he stopped.

"Do you wanna go outside and talk alone?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Their eyes met for a second, and Katara could almost physically feel the pain she saw in those golden orbs. "Okay then, let's go somewhere we can talk."

Together, the two walked out of the room and down the hall a bit, to an empty, quiet room, where they sat on a bench.

Once they were seated, Zuko focused on the floor. He knew Katara wanted to help him, but he wasn't really sure where to begin.

"Talk to me, Zuko," Katara said. "I know that you're hesitant about showing your emotion, but it's just me. You can talk to me. And I promise, what goes on this room, will stay in this room."

Zuko lifted his head, and looked her in the eyes. Then he completely broke down. He hung his head in his hands and began weeping.

Katara knew that he needed to let it all out, so she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and let him cry.

After a few minutes, the sobs subsided. He lifted his head and took a few breaths, but remained silent.

She reached for his hand and intertwined his fingers in hers; it was meant completely as a supportive gesture. "Zuko, I know you miss her terribly. And I know that you may be thinking you'll never be happy again without her." Katara was suddenly filled with memories, and two or three solitary tears snaked their way down her face. "I know how you're feeling, because I went through the same thing when my mom died. But..." She paused to search for the right words. "I know it hurts right now. I understand the pain and emptiness you're feeling. No words can describe it. But I can promise you, with enough time, it will fade. You will be happy again." She squeezed his hand.

Everything Katara said rang in Zuko's ears; he could hear the emotion in her voice, and he knew there was truth in every word. He made eye contact with her. "I do miss her. I don't..." a wave of emotion rolled over him, and he took a shaky breath, then continued. "I don't know how I'll go on. And I never saw any problems when she was alive, but now that she's gone...I don't think I loved her as much as I should have."

"Why do you think that?"

He sighed heavily. "Our relationship...it felt good. I mean, we both had feelings for each other. We have since we were kids. But it...it never really felt...deep."

"What do you mean, Zuko?"

"Well...you know that affectionate feeling you get when you like someone? Isn't a meaningful relationship supposed to run deeper than that? That was all I ever felt for her. She's liked me since we were kids. And I liked her back, but now I'm beginning to realize that it was partly just obligation."

"What do you mean, obligation?"

"Like I said, she liked me for as long as I can remember. And she was always my friend. I don't know if Sokka ever told you this, but she saved my life in the Boiling Rock. She was put in prison because of it. I guess...I did like her. I really did. But I partly just felt that I owed to her. And now...I feel awful. I never really gave her the deep relationship she needed. And I feel awful saying this about her, now that she's gone, but..." he hung his head and groaned. "She never really gave me anything deep either. Our whole relationship was just a childhood crush. It never had any substance."

Katara didn't know what to say. She could see that he was genuinely troubled. She suddenly realized that their hands were still intertwined, and had been this whole time. She looked down at their fingers, and felt a sudden warmth at the feeling of his hand in hers. She smiled, squeezed his hand tighter, and with her free hand reached around to pull his face to look at her. Once their eyes met, she spoke. "I'm sorry your relationship didn't work out like you thought it would. I guess she wasn't the right one for you. But she's at peace now."

At this thought, his face lit up. "I know that she's in peace now. And I'm happy for that. But still, is it normal to feel like I'm obligated to her?"

"I think it is normal. When you see a good friend save your life, despite the great personal cost to them, it's normal to want to do something back for that person. I would know; I'm speaking from experience."

Zuko knew what she was referring to, and he smiled.

Katara's heart melted at the sight of his smile, but she smiled right back and kept going. "Ever since you took Azula's lightning blast for me, I have felt like I need to always be here for you, and to love you. But you know what?"

"What?" He replied, still smiling.

"It's not because I'm obligated to. It's because I want to."

Without thought or hesitation, the two leaned forward, and shared a kiss. After a bit, they pulled away.

Katara still had a grip on Zuko's hand. And now, with his free hand, he grabbed hers. She blushed.

Their eyes met, and rich golden flames were melded with deep blue pools. In that instant, a deep, unbreakable bond was made. They each knew that they had found a deep connection.

I never expected this to happen, Katara thought.

All the pain Zuko felt, for a while, was wiped away. He knew he would still have to get over his loss, but he and Katara would do it together. This is it. This feels deeper than anything I ever felt with Mai.

They still hadn't broken the bond in their eyes. Katara looked into Zuko's handsome golden eyes, and Zuko looked into Katara's beautiful blue eyes. And both knew, no matter what happened next, they would always have each other.