“Zuko…I-I…”  She stammered, placing a hand over her heart. Zuko looked worriedly at her, his eyebrows creasing. “I have to go!” She said, jumping off her balcony seat.

“Katara, wait!” He yelled, trying to catch up with the water-bender. Zuko sighed, giving up hope.

“Sifu Hotman, is that you?” Zuko spun on his heel to be greeted by a hug.

“What are you doing here, Aang?” He asked, trying to escape the grasp of the man.

“Uh, hello, does the title ‘Avatar’ mean anything to you?” Asked Aang, pointing to the cyan arrow tattooed on his forehead.

“True. So, is Miss.Befong here?”

“Over there,” Aang said, pointing to the Earthbender who was talking to Zuko’s uncle. The Fire-lord smiled.
“Holy Spirits, did Fire-Lord Zuko just smile?!” Aang asked, flabbergasted. Zuko snorted. Then his mind wandered, and a worried expression found its way to his face.

“Aang, I have to go.”

“Why?” He asked, tilting his head in question. The Fire-Lord sighed.

“I… I have to take care of something.”

“Fair enough,” Avatar Aang said, shrugging. “If you need me I’ll be with Toph.”

~

Katara’s legs ran has fast as they would allow her, stopping only to catch her breath. Panting, sweating, and calves burning, Katara stopped running, and stared at a large sign.

Jasmine Dragon

Katara sighed, and walked into the small Bed and Breakfast. “Hello! Welcome to Jasmine Dragon!” A warm voice greeted.
Katara nodded, pushing a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. “I’m Mimi! How can I help you?”

“I need a room. One night, please.” The elderly woman announced has Mimi nodded.

“Just fill out this form, dear.” Katara did has told, and received a brass key that had a note attached to it.

“Room one-thirty,” She breathed. “Thank-you!” She said, bowing slightly.
~


Zuko ran through the streets of the Fire-Nation, calling the name of a certain water-bender. “Katara! Katara! Katara, come back!” His desperate calls caught the stares of the ‘common folk’ in the market. He knew that they were wondering why he was calling for a waterbender, but he didn’t care. Not tonight.


~
Katara plopped down on the soft-feathered bed, sighing contently. She heard a desperate voice ringing outside of the hotel
“Katara! Katara, where are you!?”
She groaned, and placed a pillow across her face.
“Leave me alone, Zuko.” She mumbled, rolling on her stomach. Then she heard a ruckus in the lobby. Her ears perked up.

“Excuse me, but have you seen a girl, a woman, named ‘Katara’?” His voice was urgent. A long pause came from the lobby before the elderly woman replied

“Yes, yes, I have seen a female named ‘Katara’, recently.” Zuko groaned in frustration.

“Might she be staying here? Please, this is urgent.” Mimi sighed. “Room one-thirty is where you’ll find her.”


A rapping knock sounded on Katara’s door. Zuko heard a loud groan. “Katara, Katara, are you in there?” He asked.

“Go away.” She rasped. He knocked harder, pushing his thigh to the door in an attempt to push the door open. The woman sighed. She wouldn’t get Zuko to leave him alone anytime soon. She got up slowly.

“Zuko, get off of the door. I’m not paying for any damages.” She hissed, opening the door. The FireLord lost his footing, and ended up in the arms of Katara.

“An accident, I swear.” He said, backing off her.

“I’m sure. Anyway, Zuko, what do you want?”

“Well, firstly, I want to know what’s wrong.” Katara looked stung by his words.

“Wait, Katara!” He pleaded. “Katara, please, tell me what’s wrong!” Tears filled her eyes. “Katara…”

“Zuko,” She sighed. “If you don’t already know… You don’t deserve to know.”

“Katara, tell me what’s wrong!”

“Zuko, we both discussed this.” She said, closing the door, “Good-night, Fire Lord Zuko.”

Zuko put his hand on the door, trying to push it open.
“Katara, open the door! Katara, tell me what’s wrong!” He cried, trying to knock the door open.

“Excuse me, sir.” Mimi said, giving him the evil-eye, “Please leave. You are disturbing the other guest.” She pointed to the doors along the hall. Zuko just looked at her. “Excuse me, sir? You need to leave.”

“No.”

“Sir, you have to leave.”

“Does the title ‘Fire Lord’ mean anything to you?” He asked, pointing to his Fire-nation hair ornament.

Mimi looked flabbergasted. “Now, if you’ll please leave.”
The elderly woman nodded quickly, retreating to the front desk. Zuko grasped the door-knob, and to his surprise, it opened with ease.

“Katara, are you there?” He called as his hair whipped in the wind. Thinking nothing of the wind, (and the fact that air-conditioners weren’t invented back then,) he began his search. He looked under the bed, in the bathroom, in the closest. The he began to notice little things. Like the bed hadn’t been touched, the sink wasn’t wet; her shoes weren’t on the floor…
His head snapped to the side, and he prayed that she didn’t do what he thought she did.
His stomach lurched as he moved closer to the window.
His fingers caught the drapes that were freely waving in the wind. “Katara, where are you?” He breathed, looking out into the open window.


And that was the last time he saw the woman he loved.