Don't Look Back, You're Not Going That Way - Zutara

Chapter 1

"It's okay, Katara," Zuko said as an attempt to comfort the girl guiding the bison they were on. "I'm proud of you, you ended up doing the right thing. Killing him probably wouldn't make you feel any better; only worse. You were strong today." He tried to convince her.

Katara turned around, not daring to look him in the eye. She couldn't handle that right now. He'd seen enough of her weakness today, she decided; he didn't need to see her now red eyes, too. "But what if it wasn't that I was too strong to not do it, or too weak, Zuko?" She questioned, though she felt as if she knew the answer.

"Katara, I know, and you should too, that you're strong." He argued. Little to her knowledge, he hated when she thought so little of herself. Especially since she was quite the opposite of her words. He'd come to know that he felt this way since Ba Sing Se.

She felt her salty, warm tears start to stream. That couldn't be true. Her and Zuko set out on a journey where she was supposed to get revenge for her mother, but was too weak to even get said revenge. Katara looked at Zuko, though she didn't know why. She didn't know what she wanted from him, what she thought she'd get from that look.

Zuko saw her tears traveling down her face, and couldn't fight his urge to comfort her any longer. Before he could register his actions in his mind, he was on the head of Appa, with her.

"Zuko, what-", Katara started in a hoarse voice, but was cut off by her new-found friend.

"Shh, it's okay, Katara.", he grabbed her chin and tilted her head to face him as he sat beside her. With his sleeve, he wiped her still actively-flowing tears.

"I'm sorry, you s-shouldn't have to see me like this." Katara stated, but was quickly quieted by Zuko.

"Here, let me take the reins, just, let it all out. It's okay, you're okay now. We're here and now, not there and then." The Fire Nation enemy told her as he hugged her, half expecting her to shove him away, and tell him his place. He was not her friend. She hated him; at least that's what he thought.

So, when Katara gladly accepted his embrace, his eyes widened with surprise.

Katara was glad he was at least acting as though he cared, but she wouldn't put it past him if he was only acting. Not only has he had trouble in the past doing the right thing, she wasn't the nicest to him recently; even if she thought it was well deserved. After all, he betrayed her in Ba Sing Se, even after they shared that intimate, fragile moment together. Or that's how Katara pictured the moment. The waterbender was brought back to present as he started to continuously comfort her with those 'shh, shh,' noises.

And for once, she thought it would be okay for her to cry. There wasn't any chore to be done at the moment, no food to cook, nobody to misbehave or cause mischief.

Katara dove deeper into his embrace, practically in Zuko's lap, which she felt all her blood rush to her face at the thought.

Her body was curled up against his, her face in the crook of his neck, where it fit perfectly; as if they were made for each other (yet another thought the girl had to shove to the back of her mind, or else she'd blush even more). He held her, knowing she needed it. It struck his mind and he became curious, when had Katara last gotten comfort. Especially like this? When had she last been held? Hugged?

Katara sobbed. Not only about her weakness today, but about everything. The way her mother died, and how if it weren't for her and her bending, she'd still be here. She cried because there was that what if, what if Yon Rha took her instead, which she sometimes thought about how that would've been so much better. For her, and for everyone else, at least she thought so. About how after this, she'd have to see Zuko and know he saw her in a vulnerable state- again. And last time, it didn't end so pretty for her, or him she supposed. Having the fire lord as a father must not be nice. She cried because she was so selfish, she only considered her side of Ba Sing Se up til that moment. She hated herself for that. She cried because she knew when she got back to camp, she'd have to go back to playing mother. Cooking, cleaning, nurturing. And she cried because though she knew someone needed to do her job, which was vital to the gaang's survival, they'd never see her as fun. She couldn't join in on their laughter, fun, and games. They didn't want her there, anyways. She always ruined everything fun, according to Toph; but she knew Toph didn't mean it so bitterly. Even though she felt it was so. She cried because she was so weak, she couldn't even take that from her friend (even though she felt as if she wasn't Toph's friend sometimes- a lot of times). She cried because she couldn't help herself in this moment, she was a big cluster of emotions; and Zuko shouldn't have to deal with that. She hated herself for that, too.