title Empty Hands Full of Regret
fandom; character Avatar; Zuko/Katara
rating 12A
prompt 048. Footsteps
an Kinda works after Burning Snowdrops and Fear & Honeyed Words, in that sort of order. Also, I apologise for the shitness of the title. :( My mind is horrendous today.

summary Katara cannot bring herself to trust him.

Teri dil ko bhi tujhse shiqayat hogi
Even your heart will have complaints against you

Her eyes want to trust him but her heart is too heavy. She stares at his outstretched hand, her own itching to take it but there is something strange happening inside of her. Dread is seeping through her veins and she's not sure if she can take his hand.

"Trust me," his words are soft and longing and she wishes she could. She honestly wishes she could so that she'd be able to bury herself in his arms and dissolve into him but she cannot.

"I don't... I thought I..." the words begin but she can't seem to end them. She can't seem to tell him what's happening inside of her.

"I can't," she whispers and he frowns. There is a strange acceptance in his face and she hates how normal it looks.

Gently, he pulls his hand away and it rests by his side. Her eyes still stare at his hand and she wonders how they'd have felt in her own.

His heavy sigh catches her eye and he looks hard at the floor. His gaze snaps upwards to meet her own and her breath hitches in her throat. He spins around on his heel and begins to walk away.

His retreating back causes a sob to lodge in her throat. She sees him pause and take a deep breath before he vanishes out her view.

The wind tickles her, trying to console her and her breaths become heavy as she tries to will away her panic. She shouldn't have sent him away, she shouldn't have sent him away, she shouldn't have...

She closes her eyes tightly and wonders how long she's going to be here, when the others will realise where she is, how long it'll take him to forgive her.

"Katara?" Her eyes snap open and she sees Haru stare at her with concerned eyes. "Do you want some help?"

Her voice catches in her throat so she nods with shining eyes. He lifts his arms up, waiting to lift her off of the cliff ledge but she hesitates.

"She's hurt her leg," he says and she lifts her head up to see him standing some way back, half-hidden by a tree.

"Oh," Haru nods and steps towards her. He shifts into a bending stance and pulls up the earth to make a set of steps to reach up towards her. "C'mon," he says with a smile and she limps forwards slightly, wishing his open arms were someone elses.

Haru grunts slightly as he hoists her in his arms, and her head lifts up automatically as she loops her arms around his neck. Her gaze meets the hidden boys' gaze and his eyes are strange and golden and full of regret.

"You okay?" Haru asks her and she hates how his voice is in her hair.

She nods slowly, her gaze still on the boy as Haru begins to turn around and walks away. She closes her eyes tightly and rests her head on his chest, all the while pretending his scent is different.

Her eyes open slowly as they slow down and she tries to peer up to see if he's still around but he's not behind them at all. "What's going on?" Her voice is thick as if she's slept for the past one hundred years, missing all the wars and loves and hopes that had passed.

His voice talks over from a few yards away and she can still hear the chill in it, "You can't walk over those rocks. Haru, you're going to have to create a walkway."

Haru nodded and turned down to look at the girl in his arms. "Are you okay to walk?"

She thinks for a second and then nods, "I should be okay."

He nods again and sets her down again, her feet gently finding the ground as she tries to put her weight on her leg. Haru's arm holds her up and she shakes her head and shoos him away. But as soon as he's a few feet away, she stumbles backwards and the scarred boy flies towards her and catches her before she falls. Staring into his eyes, she thinks it would have been better if she had fallen; her head would have cracked open and she wouldn't have to look at him again.

Without a word, he lifts her up and carries her tightly in his arms. Unsure of what to do with her own arms, she tenatively wraps them around her neck, confused at how comfortable she feels here.

His eyes remain forwards and she swears that she can see his regret and hopelessness in the corners.

He rocks her gently as they walk over the walk-way Haru had created over the rubble. Her heart follows his and she soon falls asleep in his arms.

When she awakens, his face hovers right aboves hers and for a second the vision seems quite familiar and calm before she realises that it shouldn't be. Her head snaps around and she finds herself on her bed in her room, his one hand on the side of her waist, the other under her head.

"You should get some rest," his voice is close and gravelly and she thinks about how it would feel to kiss it.

His hands gently loosen away from her and her head thumps onto her pillow. "Goodnight," he whispers but he doesn't move, except to clench his fists.

His head lifts up slightly and he looks at her slowly, his eyes piercing her own. She nods and in a dry voice wishes him goodnight. His eyes dart away for a second and then he slowly leaves her room, shutting the door behind him.

Her wide eyes stare up at the ceiling and she sighs as she hears him pause between his footsteps. She wonders why he's stopped and her breath tightens.

It doesn't release even after he's walked completely away.

an To make it clear, Katara was outside the temple, looking for Sokka and Toph who had gone out hunting. She stumbled over some rocks and awkwardly landed on her leg on top of a steep hill. Aang had sent Zuko to look for them all, hoping that they'd become friendlier with each other. Zuko found her here and offered his hand out to help her and then this ficlet happened.

- khushiyan