The Flaming Blue Flower

Lonely

I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender

AN: This is an AU, I will explain how the war ended, but Katara did not directly attribute to the end of the war in my story, please let me know what you think!

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The end of the war came to an end with no warning at all.  Zuko eventually joined up with Aang, the avatar and his annoying friends, Sokka and Toph. He missed Katara, the girl he tied up to a pole and held for ransom of the avatar. 

She died just before he joined their ragtag group. Hama had taken it too far.

---Flashback---

"Join me, Katara! We could destroy the fire nation, we could rule the world!" Hama shouted to the girl across the clearing as she swirled a ring of water around her, ready to strike out.  Katara's eyes hardened, there was no way she was joining the psychopath. 

"I will never join you! I believe in people!" Katara yelled at Hama, trying to make her see reason, "There is no reason for us to destroy the fire nation, we just need to end the tyranny!"

"You've made a mistake my dear, if you won't join me then you wont make it through this battle." Hama flung ice spikes at Katara, hoping to impale her.

Katara dodged out of the way, feeling one icicle graze her shoulder. She winced and pulled the water from the trees, like Hama taught her.

"You'll never get anywhere without being ruthless!" Hama screamed over the roar of Katara's hamster wheel of water. Katara thrust her hands out sending a torrent of water at Hama. She redirected it and sent it tearing back towards Katara. They passed the water back and forth, sending it at a higher intensity each time.

"Give in Katara, you won't succed against me." Hama said as the water roared at Katara once again. Even with the moon's light she could feel herself weakening as she threw the water back in the older bender's face.  'There we go' Hama thought as she watched Katara slump, as the torrent came towards her she sent it back at Katara, with ice shards interspersed within the wall of water.

Katara's eyes widened, she knew she couldn't catch and send it back at Hama. Failing to see the ice shards, she let the torrent hit her. A shard of ice imbedded itself in her stomach, another in her arm, and a slice across her left cheek. She gasped and folded over.

Then Aang burst through the trees.

"What did you do to her!" he screamed at Hama. 

"I removed the world of a weakling, who wouldn't take the necessary precautions against the enemy," Hama growled out the words to Aang, he froze.

"You did what!?" He screamed at her.

"I killed her. She won't help destroy the fire nation, and if she won't help, then she doesn't deserve to live in the new world that will be created with their demise," Hama said it calmly, as if she would live to see it too. Aang screamed as he fell down to his knees, clutching Katara's head in his lap. His tears splashed on her forehead as he shuddered, feeling the overwhelming sadness from her loss.

"This is the end." The voices of all the past avatar's left his lips, he looked up and Hama gasped. His eyes and arrow glowed, he looked menacing as he glared at her. Aang stood up slowly, gently placing Katara's head on the ground. He walked over to Hama and drained the air from her lungs.

Her face turned purple as she gasped, begging for air to revive her. He let her breathe and made rock cuffs, wrapping them around her wrists.

"The villagers will lock you up, you won't see the sun or moon again, that will be your punishment for killing Katara. I can't kill you, but I can lock you away for life." He put her in a small rock cage and flew to the village, tears streaming from his, now, regular eyes. He brought them back to gather Hama before holding Katara in his arms.

Three hours later, close to sunrise, Toph and Sokka found them. Sokka flipped out, claiming he would kill Hama. The tear that slipped from the corner of Toph's eye brought him back down to earth. He grabbed the tough earthbender in a hug.

----End Flashback----

Weeks passed after that, their group wasn't the same. Then Zuko joined and they began to heal. The war ended, Aang took his pent up rage at being unable to save Katara then let it go. Aang's forgiveness of her death purified the evil in Ozai. I saved him from being consumed. 

Zuko became firelord. Aang became a living legend. Toph earned her parents respect and started dating Aang. Sokka asked Suki to marry him, and they got married with a kid on the way. Zuko didn't have anyone though, Mai gave up on him. She couldn't deal with his terror from the war. So he was left lonely.

"Zuko, you must relax. Sit, have some tea." Iroh said to his twitchy nephew. It was a year after the war had passed, and they were having a ball to celebrate the success of the last year, to celebrate the end of the war.

"How can I Uncle? The council wants to marry me off to some random noble woman and I have to meet said woman tonight." Zuko hissed out, glaring at Iroh.

"They want too, that does not mean you have too, but nephew, you're lonely. I know you are, 'men of power hold sadness in their souls'" he quoted, surprisingly direct compared to his usual metaphors. "Now, you must prepare to welcome your guests tonight." he said. Zuko walked out so he could put on the formal robes.

Several hours later he walked into the ball room. He was announced, and then he walked down to be greeted by Aang, Sokka, Toph, and a very pregnant Suki.

"How have you all been?" Zuko asked the GAang. They all responded with 'okay' or 'pregnant' from Suki. When they asked the question Zuko stopped. How was he? He was lonely. He wanted someone like they had. He told them he was fine but busy. 

Later in the night they all gathered for a drink in the garden.

"Let's raise a toast to Katara," Sokka said, his eyes welling up. They all nodded, Katara was family, she deserved to be there, celebrating alongside them. And they raised a toast, then returned to the celebration. Around midnight the party ended.

Zuko went up to his bedroom and sat on his bed, holding his head in his hand. He thought over the night, it was a good celebration. 

There was a flicker next to his bed where the candle sat, Zuko lifted his head to glance at the gentle flame, the tip gave to a gentle blue. Zuko leaned over and blew out the candle, he laid down to sleep.

He woke up an hour later to see his candle flickering again. He furrowed his brow and blew it back out. He laid down to sleep again.

An hour later he woke up to a gentle blue light cascading over his room, he sat up confused. He looked around his room to see the candle beside his bed giving off a blue light rather than red-orange.

"What?" he asked to himself. He leaned over and blew it out again, it flickered back on again. He leaped back, the candle flared and swirls of blue flew off. 

"Hello?" a voice sounded from the flame, "Zuko?" the voice said again. Zuko's heart pounded, the voice sounded familiar... and heart-wrenchingly sweet. then the flame bloomed like a flower. Into an actual flaming flower, and a girl, with her head bowed, came out. 

She was small and sitting cross legged on the flower, she wore a flowing dress over her small frame, with her hair framing her innocent face. Then, she opened her eyes, they were cerulean blue, a different shade from the flame. Zuko gasped.

"Katara?" he asked hesitantly.