Change of Heart

Chapter 4

It was nightfall when Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki arrived in the Fire Nation Palace City. Appa was tired. Everyone was tired.

They landed in the front courtyard of the palace with Zuko and his family outside the front door. Aang jumped down and helped Toph down first, then Katara. 

Katara was suspicious as to why Aang helped Toph first, but she then realized it was probably because of her blindness, she shrugged her shoulders and turned around to grab the bags Suki throws down.

"Zuko!" Sokka, Toph, and Aang ran toward the Fire Lord as he peacefully walked toward them until Sokka threw him to the ground. "How ya doin' buddy?!" Sokka asked as he helped Zuko up and hugged him.

Then Aang and Toph joined the hug. Suki then walked over and joined the group hug. "I know I said I hate our group hugs, but I kinda missed them." Toph laughed as he punched Zuko in the arm and he flinched.

"Um, a little help would be nice ya know!"

Zuko immediately recognized the bossy, but gentle voice. He whipped his head around and saw Katara carrying everyone's bags. 

"Guards! Please help Lady Katara with the bags." The guards around them nodded and grabbed the bags from Katara's hands.

She gave them thanks and walked toward Zuko. They walked closer to each other and stopped about four feet apart from each other. 

She smirked at him and raised her head high and put her hands behind her back. "Fire Lord Zuko." She bowed to him and he smirked at her back.

He cleared his throat and said, "Master Katara." he bowed back to her.

She almost forgot what it was like being called 'Master Katara'. She was always addressed as 'Lady Katara' or 'The Avatar's woman' they both rose from their bows and looked at each other.

Katara smiled at him first and Zuko was the first to laugh. 

She threw her arms around his neck and held him close. "It's really good to see you again Zuko." He sighed in content and pulled closer to her, one arm on her upper back and one on the small of her back.

Katara opened her eyes to see Aang, looking at her with a 'what are you doing?' look. 

She cleared her throat and regretfully pulled away from the hug. She smiled at him and then made her way to Aang where he lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.

 "It's really good to see you guys. We'll rest tonight then leave in the morning right?" All of them nodded and went inside.

Zuko was getting ready for bed, putting on his sleeping tunic as heard a knock at the door. "Come in."

He thought it was his uncle, about to give another lecture about Katara, but it was the Water Tribe princess that walked in. "Hi. So we both know we wanted that hug to last longer so come here."

She opened her arms and he smiled walking towards her lifting her by the waist and spun her around. She laughed and held on tight to his neck.

As he put her down she spoke up, "How are you?! I missed you Zuko!" 

he smiled as he pulled away to look at her face in the firelight, but he never let go of her waist. "Eh I've just been stressed a lot and everything but I'm great now that you're here."

He looked back at what he just said and corrected himself blushing. "You and the group! I meant you and the group, I mean, of course, I missed you, but I also missed Sokka, Aang, Toph, Suki, Appa and-" 

He was cut off by Katara putting her hand on his scarred cheek.

"I think I get it" she giggled and continued "I missed you too" 

The two best friends just hugged for a long moment, soaking up the hug they needed after a year of being on different sides of the world.

Katara opened her eyes seeing her letters he kept on top of his personal desk. She pulled away and asked with glee "Are those my letters?"

He turned around and stuttered "Uh- yeah I um- I don't why I kept them, but uh I just- did." 

She giggled and said "Don't worry I kept yours too. But you better be careful, Mai might rip them up for you."

She laughed since she was joking while he kept a serious face. "Zuko? What's wrong? Did something happen with you and Mai?" He just nodded. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" He just shrugged at the waterbender "It wasn't important."

She scoffed, "Of course it was! She was your girlfriend since you were what? Six? She was your everything."

Zuko shook his head, "But thing is...she wasn't. Someone else meant more to me than her." 

He finally figured out that his uncle was right, as always, he did have feelings for Katara, he didn't care about anything else but her. He would drop everything anytime he heard a letter came from her. 'I can't just say "Oh yeah I have very strong romantic feelings for you and you should just drop Aang and be with me because I like you." She has a boyfriend idiot.'

"Really? Who?" she asked. 

He unconsciously looked down at her lips, and she noticed. She swallowed thickly.

 "Zuko? Who?" 

He snapped out of his imagination where he kissed her fiercely, and she kissed him back. Where he pushed her against the wall and they didn't stop.

"Um- my mom, and Kiyi. And Uncle. I would choose them over anything." He lied tremendously. 

"Oh. Well, goodnight Zuko. See you tomorrow." She lightly kisses his scarred cheek and exits the room. 

He groans and throws himself on the bed thinking of the connection they had, wishing it could be more.

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Katara rushes to her room and slams her door closed, leaning her back onto it. She thought of the intense, smoldering look he had in his eyes as he looked at her lips. And that's when a dream she had nights ago emerged from her memory:

She was standing on a cliff edge on Ember Island looking out into the horizon.

She felt large, warm hands suddenly curve around her waist and hips, wrapping arms around her middle. She expected Aang, but when she felt the man behind leaning his head on her shoulder, she felt and saw short black hair graze her cheek.

She looks over her shoulder and sees Zuko; locking a gaze with her. "Zuko wha-" She could not finish her sentence as she crashed his lips to hers. And well...she didn't pull away.

She woke from her daze and walked to her bed. She had to go sleep. So not caring she was sleeping in her clothes from that day, she let sleep claim her.