The Dragon and The Ocean // Zutara

Walls

Zuko's POV

She breaks away first and looks into my eyes. Her eyes are such a beautiful blue color. And no matter what lighting you see them in, they are always so bright. Even when she is sad, her eyes are still always bright. They are one of my favorite things about her.

"Your eyes are stunning." I whisper to her. She closes them in an almost embarrassed way, which I don't like, because I don't get to see them. I pout slightly as she rests her head on my shoulder. 

"Zuko?" She asks.

"Yes my love?" I reply softly, which causes the slightest of smiles to creep across her face. 

"Do...do you really think this relationship between us can work?" She asks. I don't hesitate with my answer. 

"Of course. You are my everything. Why would you even ask that?" I question. Even I can tell that she is being irrational. All of her emotions are hitting her at once. 

"I... I'm just trying to stay strong for you, but now that I have that incident with Aang to worry about, it has become really hard. And on top of that, it is really hard for me to see you in pain everyday." she replies.

"Katara, you don't have to worry about me. If it is too much for you, then remember, I'm strong. I have been through so much in the past. I've always had to suffer and fight and that has made me strong." I reply, kissing the top of her head. "And I will not hesitate to use all of my strength to keep you safe."

"I'm not worried about needing to be kept safe. I...I'm just afraid that I ruined my relationship with Aang. He's only 13. I love him like a brother, but now I'm afraid that he won't see me that way anymore." She says, her voice shaking.

"Katara," I say to her, lying all the way back and pulling her with me, "you did the best thing you could do with Aang. You were polite and honest while you spoke your opinion..." 

"But what if I can't repair our bond. What if I broke it?" She interrupts. I can tell that she is being irrational and that she isn't thinking.

Aang is not the type of person to not forgive someone. I don't think he can even physically hold a grudge of any sort. He is kind and whole hearted. And he will always do his best to make everyone happy. 

On top of that, he isn't dumb. He saw that Katara was not happy with the one sided relationship he had built. If he really wants to make Katara happy, then he will be the younger brother that she never had.

"I promise you that if all Aang wants to do is to make you happy, then he will keep the bond that you want you guys to have." I reply. 

"But what if..." Katara starts. 

"Listen to me. You did the best thing that you could do and I couldn't be more proud of you for finding the courage to do so. I want you to calm down and stop thinking about Aang right now." I say to her stroking her hair.

She takes a deep breath and I can see that she has closed her eyes. I can feel that she has matched her breathing to mine. That is really one of the only tactics that seems to relax us both, besides healing. 

She stays close to me, entwining her fingers in mine. Her head is still on my shoulder. I can feel and see her breathing has started to become more controlled. I can tell that she had finally calmed down enough to think.

"There. Is that better?" I say to her calmly. 

"It is." She replies softly. 

I'm beyond happy that Katara is finally calm. I am also proud because I can finally be the strong one. For so long, Katara has been keeping a calm face and keeping her head up high for me. Now I can be strong for her.

I know she is holding everything inside herself right now. She is not an emotional person. I don't think she likes to see herself that way either, so she will build up barriers to keep everything in. All of the stress, worry, sadness, she will keep it inside. 

Right now all of that is building up on her and causing her to think irrationally and I can tell that it is starting to have somewhat of a negative effect on her. I wish there was a way that I could just make her realize all of those emotions and reset her mindset, but I myself, know that's just not how it works. 

One day, maybe soon, maybe not, it will all come pouring out. The same thing happened for me just recently with my Uncle. When I saw him for the first time in forever, it just brought everything back. It was the first time that I had cried in a long time.

All I know right now is that when that day comes for her, I need to be there for her. I need to be strong for her. For now, I will just focus on the Katara that I do have. The one who just overcame this episode. 

I kiss her on the forehead and she nuzzles herself into my neck. We stay like that for a while, just appreciating the environment and each others company. I can tell that we are both focusing on the way the other breathes, to keep control.

After a while, I ask her, "Would you like to take a walk around the gardens? There is so much that I should show you." I hope that this will help her take her mind off Aang. Plus, I promised her this tour this morning.

"I would love that." She says with a smile. 

To be honest with you all, I'm not really sure what this chapter is. I felt the need to set up the "situation" on Katara's emotional state and Zuko's take on it so I could use it in later chapters. Plus I had some material from my prewritten discovery chapter that I wanted to throw in. Hopefully this chapter works with the rest of the story. Sorry if it was kind of boring :P