No Time To...

Saying goodbye

"Hey can we talk before we leave?" Zuko whispered finding Katara packing food for the mission.

"Yea, of course," she nodded seeing he was serious.

"Aito told me he knows, I just wanted to let you know," he sighed softly crossing his arms.

"Zuko I'm sorry, I didn't tell him but I promise I'm not going to act on it, they're still your boys," Katara inhaled deeply defending herself.

"I know, I'm not upset, I just didn't think it would be this soon, especially now that aito is a water bender," Zuko said calmly and she nodded already knowing.

"The deal stands, I'm still taking my boys home after this, I know they'll have questions about you in the future but that's for them to decide, and if they ever want to reach out to you too it's their choice," he looked down as if he was convincing himself more.

"But theyre just kids, my boys are literally children, four year olds, i don't want them worrying about that kind of stuff so young, they don't need to think about why their mother doesn't want to be their mom, or if there was anything they could've done to have you stay, kids don't need to think like that," he ended in a whisper. Katara looked away as she didn't realize she was tearing up.

"Is that what you thought with Ozai?" She sniffled a little crossing her arms.

"Yea," Zuko didn't bother to hide it.

"I've worked so hard to give them the best childhood they could have with the given situation, all I'm asking it to let them just be kids," he looked at her softly.

"The deal stands, I'm not looking to be their mother still," Katara nodded.

Zuko knew that's what he wanted and what she wanted, but it still hurt in a way, they had a relationship, he was in love with her... and now she wants nothing to do with him, or the boys. It's a feeling he's had to push down for years of not seeing her but now that Katara is here again... maybe he didn't bury that feeling as far down as he thought he did.

"Is that it?" Katara raised a brow.

"Yea. That's it," he nodded walking away without looking at her.

Katara wiped a tear that almost escaped with her palm and turned her back to hide her face. She felt awful, she was suppose to be better but she had to do what was best for those kids, even if she couldn't be there for them she had to do what was best. Zuko raised them so amazingly, she hated that he was here and that life they had before was more than likely never going to be the same.

But she had to act heartless so she didn't look back. She had to pretend she didn't care about the man she use to love or the children she never got to hold. To feed. To love like she always dreamed of loving for a child of her own.

she was trained all her life to be a responsible mother.

And she failed at that.

She was always the motherly figure and now her own children that she birthed don't even know.

She didn't even realize she was crying.

"Fuck," she sobbed into her hands and went to find somewhere to hide.

"It's your own fault don't be so dramatic," Katara looked up at the sky as she wiped her tears away.

"Damn, after a few years who would've thought I'd still be so emotional," she sniffled wiping her nose.

"It's okay to be emotional," Toph over heard her and Katara screamed not realizing the blind girl was in ears reach.

"Leave me alone toph," Katara sniffled against.