Well...I know its been awhile, so hey ya'll! I did lose my muse, and I am very sorry about that...but I kinda have it back now, so lets see how this works. Major cliffhanger chapter here.

By the way, I did see the new episodes, but I think I'm just gonna continue these as they were...I don't think too much will change, but who knows. xD

Also: Quick note. If you like my writing and my work, look me up on some of my other sites (Check my profile for info). I'm trying to get my name out, and there's not much better than the Fanfiction community, so please! Don't be shy! xD

Thanks guys, and sorry I don't have a quote for this chapter. Just kinda happy its up, aren't you guys? Much love!

Sun, Moon, and Starlight: Marry Me

Chapter 7-Run to You

When all you know has ended, it can be the new beginnings that call you home.

It was kind of scary...this entire scenario. She wouldn't lie. Here she was, walking through the streets of the Fire Nation Capital, surrounded by people wearing red...

Scratch that. This was really scary.

She had donned special clothing for the occasion, suggested by Leesu and Iroh. It was a simple white dress that fell over her body, tied with a red vest that revealed her bare arms, each bearing a golden cuff. The skirt was tied with a purple skirt, and her mother's necklace shone at her neck. She was the beacon of peace between the two, the absolute icon of neutrality.

Breathe, Katara. Breathe. Just keep smiling, and breathe. As much as Katara continued to remind herself of this, it was difficult. The crowds of people were all red, all red and gold and staring at her with heated eyes, curious, judging. She was terrified. One wrong move, what would they do? The idea of their laughter caused her to tremble slightly-hah, how amusing. Here she was in a place where she could be killed in an instant, and she was worrying about embarrassing herself.

The crowd was murmuring. More than simply talking or cheering, they were looking at her and whispering amongst themselves. People cheered for Zuko, and there was the occasional applause for both of them, but those were instantly smothered. The guards surrounding them were tense, ready for anything.

Quietly, Katara stole a glance over at Zuko, still astonished by how regal the Firebender looked. Once again, it was as if the night before had never happened. He had donned the robes of a Firelord, the small crown resting atop his head. He seemed stiff, chillier than usual with the formal clothing on, and somehow even his scar looked colder with the addition of the formalities... Somehow, this man beside her seemed more the Zuko she used to know then the one she was supposed to know now.

A deep breath. Behind her she heard Iroh and Suki walking, discussing amongst themselves and after a few moments attempted to adjust her hearing to their conversation. It was difficult. The only point of this had been to let the Kingdom see her for the first time, and thus they had to walk through as dignified as possible.

"The City is very large..." she murmured, looking over to Zuko as she spoke. The Firebender glanced over at her, but turned his face forward again, solemn as ever.

She heard Iroh's voice reply. "Yes, it is quite large...But I believe it only seems larger because we are walking..."

Katara was amused, and she looked over her shoulder at Iroh with a slight smile on her lips. "Is it Fire Nation ritual to walk everywhere...?"

"No." The three of them looked over to see Zuko, glancing back from Katara to the front, then again. His voice was quiet as he spoke. "But it seems better to the people..." There was an odd tone to his voice as he spoke, and Katara found herself outright gazing at him in a strange curiosity.

Do you see me...? Cause I think I see you...

Suddenly a call interrupted them all and the four of them and the guards looked over. A woman stood at the edge of the crowd. "Firelord Zuko! Salvation, salvation! You are great, Firelord!"

One of the guards nearby moved as though to subdue her, but Zuko held out a hand quietly. The woman wasn't a threat, and he didn't see any reason to have her be hurt.

The woman, energized by the movement, continued. "You will be far greater than your father, Firelord Zuko!"

There was twittering of disapproval as the crowd watched with waited breath. Of course, he knew what they were expecting...She spoke out. If it were any other Firelord, she would have been taken away immediately. They were waiting for him to prove himself to be like the rest.

Quietly, Zuko allowed a soft smile to slide onto his face, a gracious, a gentle smile, and he gave a slight nod. "Thank you," he said simply, pausing and giving a slightly deeper nod to her before turning back and continuing on his way.

He could feel Katara staring at him.

"Yes," Iroh said from behind them. "It does seem better...More humble, really." Zuko felt a rush of gratitude at his uncle. The idea was new to his people, being on the same level instead of above. In many ways it was an attempt to show the people that things were changing...in other ways it was...it was an attempt to impress Katara.

He glanced over to Katara to see her reaction, but instead of meeting her gaze he met the back of her head. Katara was looking over to the crowds, where, looking over her head, Zuko saw a little girl straining through the crowd, trying to reach out for a small dog-like creature who held a doll in its teeth. The rest of the crowd was ignoring the girl completely, and the little girl was close to tears.

Katara began to move forward and Zuko reached out a hand, catching her arm. She looked back at him, and the glance was so unnerving... In it was gentle determination, but it was clouded by a level of compassion he had never seen in her eyes before. She gave a soft sound and a reassuring smile, and Zuko found himself releasing his grip on her arm.

The guards tried to follow, but Zuko once again held up a hand. Every person seemed to pause, all eyes on the Water Tribe Queen as she approached the little animal carefully. Quietly she bent down and murmured a few soft hands, as the furball looked up at her. It meandered over to her, sniffing at her feet, then began to wag its tail. Katara smiled and scratched its head, before gently loosening the doll out of the creature's jaw.

It was silent. All eyes were upon her. But Zuko could see Katara hardly noticed. She was dusting off the doll carefully, fixing its dress, before her eyes turned to the little girl. Kneeling down, Katara gently reached out and handed the doll to the wide-eyed, staring girl.

And everything happened so quickly.

Run...I will run to you...

Someone screamed, and the words rang in Zuko hard, making a pit appear in his stomach as he felt the world turn black and white, everything slow. "Water Tribe Bitch!"

There was someone leaping out of the crowd, hands alight-

There was Katara, slowly turning around with wide eyes-

He dashed forward, in front of Katara as her sheild, his arm up, waiting the flames-

He heard them whisk forward, felt the heat pound his face, and waited for the burning-

But the burning never came.

He heard the guards flying forward to capture the man, heard him cackling-

And saw, with a pit in his stomach, someone else with smoldered skin falling to the ground. On scream radiated through the people, a hoarse yell filled with more agony than the world had ever heard from the throats of a Firelord, as though the very dragons themselves were dying in the heavens above...

The wind that I chase just leads me back to you...

"UNCLE!"

And I'm still...so still...

"Let me in!"

She was beyond furious. If she was a Firebender, she would be on fire right now and she knew it. The guard was staring at her, bewildered and looking shocked, but he wouldn't move from in front of the hospital door. She snorted, her eyes narrowing and her stance growing fiercer.

"I'm sorry, Lady Katara, I can't-"

"Don't you dare lie to me!" She screeched at him, her hands clenched into fists. "I will be Firelady of this place and I can't even get the guards to do what I want?! Let me in, damnit! I can help!"

"I'm sorry, I have orders-"

"Screw your orders!"

Maybe this entire situation could have been avoided if Katara wasn't a passionate person, or if someone had stopped her early. But unfortunately, Suki was doing damage control, Iroh was in the hospital, and Katara was left to boil in her passionate self. Recipe for disaster.

The door behind the guard flew open and out walked a tall, rigid man with the makings of a snob all over him. He took one glance at Katara and looked over her head, his calloused and cold exterior only making Katara more enraged. The water inside her was boiling.

"Lady Katara, if you wouldn't mind I am running a hospital. Please take your temper tantrums elsewhere."

Katara's eyes narrowed into slits. "Let me in. I'm a healer, I can help."

"I'm sorry, Lady Katara... But here in the Fire Nation, we use medicine to heal...not water..." With that the door slammed shut in her face.

Katara was stunned, shocked for a moment, before she turned slowly, looking at the nearby guard-who looked terrified enough to produce his own water at any second. Walking up to him, she had her nose right up against his chest as she stared up at him. "Take. Me. To. Firelord. Zuko."

"R-r-right away, m-miss."

Run...I will run...I will run to you...

"Zuko!"

He groaned inwardly as he heard the banging on the door, though on the outside his face was a stone statue. Silence. That's all he was hearing since he had been thrown out of the hospital and forced to leave the care. And now, it was her voice that broke the silence. He rubbed his temples, sitting on the edge of his bed, for a moment wondering if she would just leave if he ignored her. Wearing a pair of loose Firebending shorts with just a black vest over his shoulders, with his shaggy hair loose around his face and a mess, he was hardly presentable.

Everything seemed surreal. The air had turned to liquid and he was swimming, walking on the bottom of the sea as the entire universe fought to push him backwards.

There was a cry, then a dead silence. Zuko stopped, then gently looked at the door. He heard a soft gurgling sound, followed by several 'whooshes'. His eyes widened and he stood, striding forward and grabbing the door, swinging it open. "Yes-?"

To receive a splash of water right in the face and chest.

He groaned, keeling over for a second before looking through his soaking wet hair at Katara. From the monstrous slash on his door, she had been carving away at it.

"I can heal your uncle. Get me in. Now."

He blinked at her once, before he turned his face in a different direction, spitting out a mouthful of water. "Can't help you." He looked at the guards who were slowly standing up, obviously unsure if they should arrest her or just stand there. They, like Zuko, were all soaking wet.

Katara shoved forward and there was such a venom in her eye and voice that Zuko was momentarily astonished. "You are the Firelord. You get me in there. Now. You got me?"

Zuko looked at her with a blank expression on his face, before he spoke again, this time his voice steadier and pointed. "I said, 'Can't help you.' No one is allowed in there now, so sorr-"

He was cut off by the fact that Katara of the Water Tribe, the future Firelady and his future wife, had just slapped him across the face.

He blinked once, twice, and three times, before slowly turning his head back to look at her incredulously. The guards were staring at him, obviously uncertain if they should step in.

Katara had tears in her eyes. "Look! Don't you get it? Iroh saved my life! I don't care if you did too, you're not hurt, he is, and I have to help him! I can help him! I can heal, Zuko! I can heal! Don't you get it, I can make him better!" She was sobbing, hysterically sobbing as she stared at the floor, tears flying down her face. Obviously she had been holding these tears in forever, because they were pouring down like rain.

Zuko stared at her, uncertain what to do or how to help. Katara was shaking, trembling like a leaf as she stood there with her hands clenched at her side.

"I have to help him! Please Zuko, please! I have to help him!" She suddenly looked up at him, and those crystalline, azure eyes of hers were pleading with him, begging him. Her eyes were so expressive...how strange...the last time he had seen them, they had borne all the hate in the world, and before that, all the kindness he could imagine.

Unsure, completely unsure what he was doing, Zuko reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, expecting her to flinch, to pull away, anything. She didn't. She was still, calmed and steadied by his touch. "Look Katara...they won't let you heal him tonight...it just won't happen...But I can promise you, the healers know what they're doing...and as soon as I can, I'll try to get you in to see him...That's the best I can do...I'm sorry..."

Katara stared at him, the tears never ceasing, and for a moment Zuko thought he could see her soul. Looking at her, it felt as though he could see everything about her, everything in her that she held towards this world. The betrayal towards him and her friends, the love for her people and the world, the hatred, the bitter passionate hatred towards herself for allowing Iroh to get hurt. The guilt...the undying guilt and the shame...

He tightened his touch on her shoulder. "It'll be alright..." he murmured, feeling uncertain about his words, not knowing if they were a lie or the truth. "I promise..."

Katara spun and ran away from him, darting down the hallway.

The world stood still for a moment, before Zuko lifted a hand to touch the mark he could feel on his cheek, the tender skin sore from her slap. Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of his guards shift and heard him chuckle. With a venomous glance, Zuko spun on his heel and slammed his door shut.

Only the stars would see the two people lying face down on their beds that night, sobbing into the silence and praying the world would never know.

So I'll run to you...All these things I want to say, I can't... But I'll run to you...

Credit to The Rocket Summer for the inspiration. Thats not exactly how their song goes, but its similar. Anyways, review peeps! New chapter already in progress, so lets see how long it takes me to update!