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Description
The frigid breeze tousled Katara's hair as she stood on the sparkling shore of the Southern Water Tribe. She had to do this. She had to do this NOW! She tied her hair back in a tight braid and gingerly took off the pendant that was strung around her neck. An engagement necklace… "Don't get me wrong…" she thought, battling with her conscience.
"I love Aang, but he's just too…. too." Katara struggled with the words as she gritted her teeth. She filled up her water canteen for when she would reach dry land. "Too young?" her conscience retorted. Katara sighed. "Well, that's part of it." She admitted out loud, clipping shut her leather shoulder bag. She groaned when she realized how crazy this all seemed.
"Okay, I'm hearing voices in my head and I'm talking back to them!" she said out loud, giggling with hysteria. "Is it?" her mind questioned. "Is it what?" Katara thought angrily. "Crazy to care for your own happiness?" Katara grimaced. This was not the right time for an inner conflict! Katara had to leave before she could feel sorry for Aang. She softly set the necklace on the pearly ice of the shore and slid the black bandana over her nose and mouth.
"This is the only way." She thought decidedly, taking one last lingering glance at the hut Aang was now sleeping in. She didn't know how he'd react when he wakes up in the morning to the cold, empty space beside him. She hastily wiped a tear away and focused on the horizon as she waved her hand across the water, causing it to freeze. "I'm sorry, Aang." She whispered, closing her eyes in anguish as she lifted the frozen platform across the waves.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~
A flash of blue covered the skyline. But Zuko knew that something wasn't right. His sister was cackling manically and he turned his gaze back to Katara. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Not her! Not Katara! His heart was breaking and he only had a millisecond to act. He shifted his weight to throw himself into the lightning. But nothing happened. He couldn't move. When he craned his head to look at Katara, her eyes were mirroring his in pain and horror.
The lightning made contact with her heart and she crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "Katara!" he yelled, his voice breaking. But before he could do anything, the dream shifted and it showed an older Zuko and Mai, both of their faces somber as they posed for a family portrait. A small child was sitting in front of them and he had tears in his eyes.
The dream changed slightly and it showed Mai embracing their son stiffly in a dark room and she walked out, without looking back as the boy's eyes filled with tears and swam with questions. The dream changed again and it showed Katara and Aang, looking blissfully happy under an orchid inlaid arch with their fingers entwined. They were both smiling and when, Hakoda, Katara's father and the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, said the key words, they both leaned in and kissed passionately. They embraced each other and started to mingle with the congratulating crowd.
Zuko walked up to them, smiling, but the smile didn't meet his eyes. He tried to give her a hug but an invisible barrier was keeping him from away. "Katara! Katara!!!" he yelled, punching at the barrier and trying to express his gratitude. But she just turned away. She couldn't hear him. She couldn't see him. She went back to Aang… and as he held her in his arms, Aang asked "Where is Zuko?" Katara looked up at him, a surprised and confused look on her face. "Who's Zuko?" she asked, sincerely puzzled. Aang chuckled and leaned in giving her a soft, lingering kiss. Zuko was snapped back like an elastic and he shot up in his bed, a raspy yell filtering out into reality. "Katara!" he bellowed, his eyes wide and frightened.
Mai stirred slightly beside him and shifted her position so she was sprawled across the bed. She snorted slightly and grumbled something unintelligible. Zuko gingerly inched out of the bed and sat on a nearby chair. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. That was the fifth time he'd had that nightmare since he got the wedding invite. But that was the first time it showed the actual wedding. Has Katara really forgotten him? He shook his head and smiled. No… no, that was ridiculous.
It had only been three years! Could that much have changed? He decided to make that a rhetorical question and sighed. He looked back at Mai, who was tangled in the velvet sheets. She was almost unrecognizable beneath the frizzy black seaweed mass of hair. Normally he would have gently brushed away a strand and softly kissed her cheek, but he that was a few years ago. Now, he didn't know why she bothered to see him at all. He was always too busy with the civil wars that were sprouting up all over the Fire Nation. Mai needed attention, she always has.
"I miss the Earth Kingdom servants. Having to do all this work is soooo tiring." She said casually, playing with a strand of Zuko's hair while they lay entwined on the couch. Zuko stiffened and sat up. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What? I hate having to file all these papers that are just filled with everyone else's problems!" she groaned, then she smiled seductively and curled up closer to him, messing with the gold tassel on his robe.
"Besides… if I don't have to do all this work, then we have more time together." She purred and tilted up her chin so that their lips were barely an inch apart. Zuko moved away and stood up. He walked over to the balcony and put his forehead in the palm of his hand. Mai stared after him, wounded and angry. "Fine! Then why don't you do all the work!" she said. She then threw up her arm, causing the papers on the coffee table to scatter, and stomped out of the room.
He knew then where Mai's heart truly lied. After that, they still stayed "together" but that only consisted of fake smiles and shows of affection. He sighed again and walked out of the room. His footsteps echoed on the hardwood of the corridors and he decided to go to the only person he thought could help with his nightmares. "Iroh…" he said quietly to himself.

Description
The frigid breeze tousled Katara's hair as she stood on the sparkling shore of the Southern Water Tribe. She had to do this. She had to do this NOW! She tied her hair back in a tight braid and gingerly took off the pendant that was strung around her neck. An engagement necklace… "Don't get me wrong…" she thought, battling with her conscience.
"I love Aang, but he's just too…. too." Katara struggled with the words as she gritted her teeth. She filled up her water canteen for when she would reach dry land. "Too young?" her conscience retorted. Katara sighed. "Well, that's part of it." She admitted out loud, clipping shut her leather shoulder bag. She groaned when she realized how crazy this all seemed.
"Okay, I'm hearing voices in my head and I'm talking back to them!" she said out loud, giggling with hysteria. "Is it?" her mind questioned. "Is it what?" Katara thought angrily. "Crazy to care for your own happiness?" Katara grimaced. This was not the right time for an inner conflict! Katara had to leave before she could feel sorry for Aang. She softly set the necklace on the pearly ice of the shore and slid the black bandana over her nose and mouth.
"This is the only way." She thought decidedly, taking one last lingering glance at the hut Aang was now sleeping in. She didn't know how he'd react when he wakes up in the morning to the cold, empty space beside him. She hastily wiped a tear away and focused on the horizon as she waved her hand across the water, causing it to freeze. "I'm sorry, Aang." She whispered, closing her eyes in anguish as she lifted the frozen platform across the waves.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~
A flash of blue covered the skyline. But Zuko knew that something wasn't right. His sister was cackling manically and he turned his gaze back to Katara. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Not her! Not Katara! His heart was breaking and he only had a millisecond to act. He shifted his weight to throw himself into the lightning. But nothing happened. He couldn't move. When he craned his head to look at Katara, her eyes were mirroring his in pain and horror.
The lightning made contact with her heart and she crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "Katara!" he yelled, his voice breaking. But before he could do anything, the dream shifted and it showed an older Zuko and Mai, both of their faces somber as they posed for a family portrait. A small child was sitting in front of them and he had tears in his eyes.
The dream changed slightly and it showed Mai embracing their son stiffly in a dark room and she walked out, without looking back as the boy's eyes filled with tears and swam with questions. The dream changed again and it showed Katara and Aang, looking blissfully happy under an orchid inlaid arch with their fingers entwined. They were both smiling and when, Hakoda, Katara's father and the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, said the key words, they both leaned in and kissed passionately. They embraced each other and started to mingle with the congratulating crowd.
Zuko walked up to them, smiling, but the smile didn't meet his eyes. He tried to give her a hug but an invisible barrier was keeping him from away. "Katara! Katara!!!" he yelled, punching at the barrier and trying to express his gratitude. But she just turned away. She couldn't hear him. She couldn't see him. She went back to Aang… and as he held her in his arms, Aang asked "Where is Zuko?" Katara looked up at him, a surprised and confused look on her face. "Who's Zuko?" she asked, sincerely puzzled. Aang chuckled and leaned in giving her a soft, lingering kiss. Zuko was snapped back like an elastic and he shot up in his bed, a raspy yell filtering out into reality. "Katara!" he bellowed, his eyes wide and frightened.
Mai stirred slightly beside him and shifted her position so she was sprawled across the bed. She snorted slightly and grumbled something unintelligible. Zuko gingerly inched out of the bed and sat on a nearby chair. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. That was the fifth time he'd had that nightmare since he got the wedding invite. But that was the first time it showed the actual wedding. Has Katara really forgotten him? He shook his head and smiled. No… no, that was ridiculous.
It had only been three years! Could that much have changed? He decided to make that a rhetorical question and sighed. He looked back at Mai, who was tangled in the velvet sheets. She was almost unrecognizable beneath the frizzy black seaweed mass of hair. Normally he would have gently brushed away a strand and softly kissed her cheek, but he that was a few years ago. Now, he didn't know why she bothered to see him at all. He was always too busy with the civil wars that were sprouting up all over the Fire Nation. Mai needed attention, she always has.
"I miss the Earth Kingdom servants. Having to do all this work is soooo tiring." She said casually, playing with a strand of Zuko's hair while they lay entwined on the couch. Zuko stiffened and sat up. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What? I hate having to file all these papers that are just filled with everyone else's problems!" she groaned, then she smiled seductively and curled up closer to him, messing with the gold tassel on his robe.
"Besides… if I don't have to do all this work, then we have more time together." She purred and tilted up her chin so that their lips were barely an inch apart. Zuko moved away and stood up. He walked over to the balcony and put his forehead in the palm of his hand. Mai stared after him, wounded and angry. "Fine! Then why don't you do all the work!" she said. She then threw up her arm, causing the papers on the coffee table to scatter, and stomped out of the room.
He knew then where Mai's heart truly lied. After that, they still stayed "together" but that only consisted of fake smiles and shows of affection. He sighed again and walked out of the room. His footsteps echoed on the hardwood of the corridors and he decided to go to the only person he thought could help with his nightmares. "Iroh…" he said quietly to himself.