This was originally intended to be a one shot. This has also been rewritten and updated a little. The story is still the same. Enjoy! I don't own Avatar. If I did, Katara and Zuko would be together. LIKE THEY SHOULD BE! :D

I liked writing this a lot, and I hope to keep writing it. And yes, carving with fire might not be logical, but that sucks for you because it's kind of a sweet idea.

The war was finally over. In theory at least. Within the nations, there was still civil unrest. In the Earth Kingdom itself, trust was sparse and barren. Corrupt Earthbenders had been given a bad name with their tyranny. Fire colonies still wanted to rule their little towns with their iron fists.

The Water Tribe had their share of distrust and anger towards the Fire Nation. They were a bitter people now, holding a grudge against the Fire Nation for their sins and torrents of black snow. Even the Earth Kingdom had their own share of distrust towards the Fire Nation. Everyone had their grudges.

The Order of the White Lotus was having difficulties finding peace between the nations. The Fire Nation, though still willing to follow the Fire Lord, still believed in the 'old' ways. The ways of Zuko's father.

Something had to be done.

Peace could only last so long in a world that had been ravaged by war for a hundred years.

Pakku and Iroh had been sitting through lengthy discussions together. As had the others, but they had been working on a plan that would help mend the damages done. They wouldn't like it, that much was very clear. But if one took a look at the state of the world, something needed to change. They needed to find balance once more. Even if it meant sacrificing the freedom to choose for two very important people.

If they were lucky, this would work. If they were to join two nations together in peace, then maybe they would have a fighting chance.

They already knew that there was something wrong. Not everyone seemed happy about the end of the war. Aang sat in their large home, watching the sky from the windows. Watching the little birds flit through the sky without a care in the world. If only people were more like birds, they didn't care about the things that divided them, only the things that kept them together.

Katara walked up beside him, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the window, telling him that dinner was served and they should all eat up if they were going to think about what they should do.

What neither expected, as they walked hand in hand to the kitchen, was Master Pakku taking off his long traditional blue coat, hanging it on a hook on the wall. Karata let go and walked over to greet him, exchanging friendly 'hello's before they got to business. Katara couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in her gut as she sat down between Aang and Zuko, who had arrived early this morning from his position as Fire Lord. Iroh was pouring tea for everyone, looking grimly cheerful.

Something was up. Something big. Something that they might not like, judging by Pakku's even more grim expression.

They all sat down to eat, eating in a strange slow silence. As the meal was finishing, Pakku exhaled a long breath. "I'm sure you are all aware of what is going on."

No one had to say anything to know that, yes, something was going on. Civil unrest was always a bad thing.

"The nations are divided" Iroh began, his voice soft, his expression and body language reading less than his good-natured advice to a more serious tone. One that needed to be listened to and obeyed. Katara chewed her lip as he continued. "And it is our duty to reunite it." His head dropped, and Pakku continued for him.

"The Fire Nation and the Water Tribes are the most divided. And though I wish that there was another way, the White Lotus has come to a conclusion."

"And what's that?" Zuko piped up, arms crossed over his chest. Looking cool and collected and rather uncaring, but the curious, and eager glint in his eyes told that he was indeed ready to hear it.

Katara couldn't say she felt the same, she had a bad feeling about it. She knew she wasn't going to like this one bit.

"We need to settle the unrest within the Earth Kingdom. Aang, your superior knowledge of peace and friendship will come in handy. Are you willing to travel great lengths to accomplish this? Toph, Sokka, you are both welcome to go with him as well" Pakku's voice was harder than Iroh's, as if whatever point he was getting at was difficult for him to swallow himself.

"What about Zuko and I?" Katara inquired, this is it, this is the bad news her mind raced.

Pakku sighed heavily. "The two of you have another duty, to both your people and the world."

"And what is that?" Zuko answered, a small sense of unnerve in his voice now.

"Katara, you have just turned fifteen, correct?" Iroh asked, waiting for her to nod before continuing. "In order to show the world that the difficulties between our worlds have passed, we need to arrange a marriage"

Katara's eyes widened, her hand gripped Aang's much tighter under the table. She had been hardly aware that she had been holding it in the first place.

"The Order of the White Lotus has decided that you, Katara, the only Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, needs to marry Fire Lord Zuko of the Fire Nation."

"Zuko, in order to convince the world, you must obey the Water Tribe customs. You must carve Katara a Betrothal Necklace."

A heavy silence hung in the room, Katara's cheeks felt warm and her ears were heating up. She found it difficult to breathe, she had always thought that Aang would be the one to give her that – not someone like Zuko. Though he had earned her trust, respect, and friendship, he had not earned her heart as Aang had.

Zuko stood up so suddenly that the table nearly tipped, his cup of tea rolled and clattered to the floor, splashing its contents across the table. Katara stared numbly forwards as he stormed away, slamming doors on his way.

Pakku opened his eyes, smiling sadly. "I know what you must be thinking, Katara. But it is essential that you do this, this is the only way to settle the Northern Water Tribe's unrest."

"Well can't someone else do it?" She said suddenly, on her feet with both hands coiled into fists. "Why does it have to be me? Why can't you find someone else to do it?"

"Because you were the one who restrained Azula!" His voice had become gruff, the others around the table sat in shocked silence. "Anyone who has ever been harmed by the Fire Nation knows your name! Even more of them know that they took your mother from you" His voice was becoming lower. "It is a declaration of peace, trust, and the ability to move on. I will not have you stand idly by and watch you let your people continue to suffer. Do you know what they are saying? They are talking about an invasion on the Fire Nation. Now, if you want to be responsible for the death of more innocent lives, then you can refuse. Let it be known that it will fall upon your head."

Katara was stunned. She had not expected to be reprimanded by him, she had not known that her sister Water Tribe had been in such turmoil.

She turned on her heel and dashed off, hot tears forming in her eyes. She ran through the streets of Ba Sing Se until her legs screamed in protest and she finally slowed, finding herself at a small pond, collapsing to her knees in front of the water. Her tears running fast down her cheeks, gripping the hand carved necklace that had been passed down through her family hard, the edges cutting into her soft palms.

The evening sun looked beautiful when she finally rose her head, looking at the pale evening light casting long shadows. Sadly, she waved her hand across the water, creating ripples and bringing up a small sphere of it. Cradling it in her palms sadly.

She would give anything to change this - but she hadn't known what Pakku had told her. That made this decision even more difficult. Her heart raced at the thought of marrying Zuko, who, for a long time, she had hated. Then she had admired him, he had proven himself, he had stood unblinkingly by her side, he had taken Azula's attack to save her life. She always admired him, but marrying him?

He was an attractive young man, there was no doubt about that. But what about Aang..?

Katara was surprised that he hadn't come to find her yet. After a few more minutes, she stood up and dusted her clothes. She didn't want to do this. She had always expected that her and Aang would.. but they still had a long time before they would have to think about that. She didn't know the customs of the Air Nomads, but she knew her own well. She was lost in thought as she made her way back to their rather large home. Toph was standing by the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You need to do this, Katara" She said evenly. Katara said nothing. "I know you may not like it, but you can't let your people suffer. If the Water Tribe is thinking of an attack, I can only imagine what the Fire Nation is thinking. Remember the Ember Island Players? They portrayed the ending like they did because they had been brainwashed to be loyal. You need to show them that their loyalty needs to be placed in a brighter future, not a twisted past."

Toph didn't stick around long enough to hear the bitter retort bursting on Katara's tongue. She had wanted to insult her, tell her off for trying to tell her what to do. But her shoulders slumped, Toph was right. Toph was an intelligent young woman, she always had been. Katara waited outside for a few minutes before finally surrendering.

She inhaled deeply as she walked inside, her nose felt stuffy from crying. Briefly, she checked Aang's room for him but saw only an empty bed. She sighed gently and went to her own room, letting down her hair and examining the pretty carved stone at her throat. She couldn't imagine any other one on her neck, this one was perfect. It had been in the family for so long. She just couldn't... do this.

In his room, Zuko was a mess of tumbled thoughts and emotions. He wasn't blind, he knew the unrest that was happening in the Fire Nation. No one really knew what to do, they were restless, they had believed for so long that his father had been right and true. With him gone and a scarred prince in his place – they were up in arms waiting for some kind of command.

He sat down on his bed. Though this was his room, there wasn't much in it. He spent half of his time in the Fire Nation. Being friends with Aang and his bison was helpful, it meant that travelling was only a few days. Appa liked him, and he liked Appa right back. Appa and Toph. They were the ones that believed in him from the beginning.

But now - Katara.

She flooded his mind. Her long hair, the fire in her eyes, the icy cool of her fingers. The softness of her skin, the way she used her skills to make Waterbending look like the perfect art.

Sure, he was "with" Mai, but after he had come back from travelling, he just didn't feel the same way anymore. Of course, she expected to become Fire Lady one day. But..

Zuko had to trust his uncle. He had never pushed him in the wrong direction. After he had stormed off and heard Katara leave (he watched her run out of the building from his room), his uncle had knocked politely on the door. Zuko said nothing, Iroh opened the door and set a tray of tea on the table beside the bed, walking up behind Zuko and pressing a hand to his shoulder gently. "I know you will make the right choice, Fire Lord Zuko."

His uncle left, closing the door behind him.

He sat on the bed, watching the setting sun. Watched Katara slowly walk back up to the house, even from here he could see the pain in her eyes. He could only imagine what she was thinking. He had seen her more than enough times cuddled up to Aang to know that they were together.

He heard Toph speak, heard Katara try to argue, watched her expression fall. It was then that Zuko grabbed the teacup and heated it with the palms of his hands, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He heard Katara enter her room as well, they were right next to each other, weren't they?

Katara didn't see Aang for a few days. It had her worried, she hadn't spoken to Zuko at all, Pakku had left and her father had arrived. Taking his daughter into his arms and telling her that he knew she would do the right thing, be it another solution or taking this step.

When she did see him, his eyes were hardened. He didn't speak to her, or respond to anything for most of the evening. It wasn't until when the sun was beginning to set that he finally pulled her aside. They climbed to the roof, sitting beside each other in silence.

"... Aang-"

"Don't, Katara. We both know that you have to do this. It's for your people, it's for the peace of the world" His voice was hard, the words were difficult to get out. "You have to marry Zuko. It's the only way. Sokka, Toph and I are going to head out soon to spread the message of peace. You should go with Zuko, Appa will fly you wherever the two of you need to go."

She almost wished he would cry. He seemed so firm in his decision, as if it didn't really bother him. She wanted to see him protest, she wanted nothing more than him protesting so that maybe she'd know that all of this, their fighting to finally be together, would have been worth it. But he sat beside her, accepting it. "A-Aang" her voice trembled as water came to her eyes, he shook his head and stood.

"I'm sorry, Katara. But you two need to do this. I know you do." It was there that she saw the pain in his expression, even though he was facing away from her. She heard the pain in his voice. She bent her head and looked away. "I'll always love you, Katara. I'll find you again in the next life. Maybe then everything will be different."

Then he was soaring off, flying through the sky. She broke into sobs again, hiding her face in her knees and hugging them to her chest.

The only one who hadn't told her to do it had been Sokka. But he had simply frowned, shook his head and said he didn't like the idea at all. That there had to be another way to find peace.

He really hadn't been much help.

After what seemed like forever, she climbed back to the ground and climbed into her room through the window. Curling up on her bed and tugging the blankets around her tightly.

Zuko had spent a long time searching the shops for what he was looking for. He knew that Katara didn't like the idea.

A part of him was warming up to it. His heart had softened since they had been travelling. He had admired her, respected her, cared for her. He took her to find the man who took away her mother, he held her hand quietly on the journey back. He remembered hugging her when they got back, she had flung her arms around him, her skin had been cool like water and her body seemed to turn to liquid and press against him perfectly.

In the end, he found her a beautiful pale blue ribbon, thick and silky to the touch. The ends decorated with a fine red line. This would do, he supposed. He couldn't carve, but then, he had never tried. But he had spoken quietly to Katara's father about it, asking him what kind of stone.

He bought a number of them, knowing he would fail the first few times. It was a pretty blue stone, as well as a few other colours, too. A soft purple, a light pink, a few yellow ones.

Zuko was going to impress her. The more he thought about it, the more calm he felt about it. The only thing that nagged his mind was the fact that her heart belonged to Aang, not him. He was beginning to realize that he wanted her heart to belong to him, even if it hurt Aang.

As he walked back, his bag filled with his new items, he felt almost.. ashamed. Here he was, essentially planning to steal the Avatar's girl. As he got back to the house, he saw Katara slip in through her window. He watched the window sadly for any sign of her before walking in through the front door. He met Aang there, who looked upset.

"Take care of her, Zuko" He said softly. "Take Appa and go back to the Fire Nation tomorrow. Bring her too. You'll need to announce it to the world. I can send Appa again later to bring the two of you to the Northern Water Tribe"

Zuko chewed his tongue. "She hasn't made a choice yet." He cautiously reached out to place a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Give her a few more days, please. This... is hard on both of you"

Aang looked almost broken. He squeezed his shoulder.

"Okay. I.. guess."

If she accepted there was only a year left.

He went into his room and started on the plain blue stones, trying, and failing, to carve something that she would be proud to wear. Too much pressure cracked the stone, making it useless. Not enough only scratched the surface. All of his blades were too awkward to try to use to carve. He wound up with a number of cuts and scratches on his hands.

In the end, he decided to try a different technique. He went outside into the cool darkness of the night. It was still a early in the evening, the light shining pale blue as he placed the stone on the ground. Could he be this exact with his Firebending? Could he use the heat to carve?

Zuko spent a long time outside, carving into a pale purple stone.

Katara woke up thirsty. Her throat was dry and rubbed raw from her silent sobs, but she dressed into something she could wear to sleep and made her way to the kitchen area. She noticed on her way that Zuko's door was open a crack. She didn't think she could face him just yet.

In the kitchen, she noticed light coming from the backyard. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, she had fallen asleep somewhere while she had been crying. Her mind was foggy. She walked outside hesitantly, finding Zuko standing and shooting fire at something. Her first thought was to be alarmed, but she just didn't have the energy to. "What are you doing?" She asked, her voice dry with a full glass of water in her hands.

Zuko stopped his bending, looking over at her in shock and quickly grabbing whatever he had been shooting fire at.

Zuko was a Firebender, he was no stranger to heat. It didn't hurt him. But the heat from the carved stone was shocking and slippery, he moved so fast to try to hide it that the stone slipped from his fingers.

Even through the drowsy haze of sad sleepiness, her reflexes were sharp and the water from the glass was suddenly swept towards the stone, encasing it in ice. Steam rose from it as the ice melted. Curious, she pulled it towards her, letting the water fall onto the ground and the slightly warm stone falling into her palm.

She blinked, she knew what it was. It wasn't complete yet, she could tell. But she could see the outlines of fire and a moon with what could have been ocean waves, smoke, or ships. She couldn't tell. Quickly, Zuko snatched it from her hand, turning away. "It's not done yet" He protested, head bowed.

Katara watched him, then breathed out a heavy sigh. "Zuko.." Her voice trailed off, she didn't really know what to say. There were a million things she could mention, none of them seemed right. But, it was pointless to cry about it, wasn't it? She was beginning to understand that this wasn't going to be so bad. Her people needed her – Katara would never turn her back on someone who needed her help. In this case, there were thousands who needed her. But making that final call was more difficult than she could imagine.

She walked passed him to sit on the bench, bringing her fingers to her throat play with the fabric of her current necklace. Zuko slowly sat down beside her. "It's hard." He started softly.

"It is" She agreed quietly. "Nothing will ever be the same. I don't know what to do."

"Do what you want to do" He said gently, and made a choice. From his pocket he pulled out the ribbon he had found, holding it in his hand. He half offered it to her, and her fingertips hesitantly found themselves brushing against it. It was soft and lovely to the touch, it must have been pricey.

She sucked in a choked breath and reached behind her neck, untying the necklace with shaking fingers. She held it between her fingers for a moment, looking at the soft lines. The carving had been worn down over the years, it wasn't as defined as it had been once upon a time.

"Z-Zuko.." Quietly, slowly, he brought both ends of the blue and red one around her neck to replace the old one. Her head was bowed, it made it somewhat difficult to tie. He placed both ends over her shoulders and pulled her hair to one side. It was soft and smooth, even if it was a bit messy. She must have been asleep.

Slowly, he tied it around her neck. She had given him silent permission, his heart was racing. Once it was tied, he made to pull away. Instead, her head came forwards and pressed against his shoulder.

In the end, he just held her. He didn't know if she was crying or not. He didn't care. She smelled like sleep and soap and something pleasant he couldn't name. "I'm sorry, Katara" He said softly. But was he? Or was this what he wanted all along? He didn't know anymore, all he knew was that his heart was racing in his chest as he held her. Breathing in her smell, soaking in her stunning beauty, just holding onto her in a way that felt like he wasn't doing anything wrong.

After awhile, they parted. Katara looked resolved. "Can we go to the Northern Water Tribe first?" She asked, her voice wavered but her expression remained calm.

"Yeah" He said softly. A small part of him almost felt lucky for everything to have worked out like this. He tried to smile but it came out more sad than anything. He knew that she must be hurt. Hell, he hadn't even told Mai yet. He pulled the stone from his pocket, holding it in his palm. "I don't think I'm carving it properly" He said softly. "But I'm doing it in my own way. I.. hope this works.."

"It will" Came her soft reply. The soft and almost muted tones of that soft ribbon around her neck set off her beauty even more.

He stood slowly. "I'm going to finish this" He said softly. "Uhm.." He absently scratched the back of his neck. "Did you want to.. stay with.. me?"

She simply nodded, Zuko nodded in return and turned away from her, placing the stone where it had been and working with the fires he had used for so long.

By the time Zuko was finished, the sun had already started rising and he picked it up in his hands, turning to Katara slowly. With a wave of her hand she circled a stream of cool water over the pale purple stone, steam rising from it slowly.

The carving was complete. A moon, the same that stood for the Water Tribe itself, and a rolling flame. In the background of the fire and the moon were the ripples of the ocean. It was simple, and it was beautiful. For a moment, Katara wondered if maybe it hadn't been a mistake to say yes as he knelt in front of her to attach it to the ribbon.

Her necklace was complete. She looked.. almost like a different person now.

He rose slowly to his feet. "I know you're supposed to wait until you're sixteen" He said softly. "But I.. wanted to show you that I am capable of taking a step to create peace."

She turned to him, her fingers resting on the new necklace. It seemed so strange, and she nodded softly. For the first time in a few days, there was a small smile across her lips. He turned to her, chewing his tongue. They faced each other in the morning light. "Are.. you sure about this?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I know what I have to do. It wasn't what I had in mind, but it needs to be done."

In that instant, he saw that girl again. The powerful icy fire that he had admired so much. He pressed his fingers against the fire-carved stone, stepping hesitantly closer and bending down to kiss her.

Zuko didn't really know what came over him, maybe something he had known all along - but had only just started to realize completely. Her lips were soft and delicate, cool and warm at the same time. Perfectly smooth compared to his own rough ones. She didn't pull away, but she didn't respond either. His heart was thudding against his ribcage and he felt like it would burst out of his chest.

Then she stepped back slightly, he pulled away looking apologetic.

"This is just for peace, Zuko. We should.. leave it at that" Her voice stuttered as if she were unsure, her hand fell into his as she pulled away, walking backwards for a moment and turning around to move back into the house. Quickly.

Once in her room she pressed herself against the door, her hand pressed over her chest to still her fluttering heart.

Aang didn't know why he was awake that early. But he had seen him down on one knee, attaching something to her neck. His heart had sunk into his heels - he knew what it was. The Betrothal Necklace. The one that sealed their fate. He had been hoping that maybe he could still hope to love her on the side. The marriage just a formality, then he could still have her.

But he had seen him kiss her. He had quite nearly swallowed his tongue in an attempt to stop himself from crying out. He only watched long enough to see that she hadn't pulled away before he hid back inside, bumping into Iroh in the hall, who was returning from the kitchen looking happy until he saw the Avatar. His expression changed, he patted the top of Aang's head. "Everything will work out in the end." He assured him, walking into his room and closing the door softly.

They hadn't spoken much. The necklace at her throat told them all they needed to know. In a year, she would be Fire Lady alongside Zuko. She had spoken to Iroh, and it seemed as though it was unusual not to marry within royalty. But times were changing, these things had to be done. She figured that Aang hadn't spoken much because of the pretty purple stone - she was almost glad for that. It was difficult to look at him now.

They were packed quickly. Her and Zuko were heading to the Northern Water Tribe. Iroh had decided to join, he was the closest to family that Zuko had. It took some time to get there, but when they did Zuko shivered. Unused to the chilled temperatures of the icy terrain. Their arrival was expected, when the three of them climbed off of Appa, there was a rush of both applause and silence. They didn't know what the announcement was, but one of them was expected to make a speech. Pakku nodded in approval as Katara and Zuko stepped up. Zuko wore his Fire King crown and robes, Katara a new set of clothes - a royal purple coat. She had never worn the colours of royalty before.

Appa left early the next morning to be reunited with Aang. The announcement had been received with both shock and cheers. Mostly shock. It wouldn't take long for the news to reach the Fire Nation. Zuko sat in his room, wearing a large coat that had been borrowed.

Katara had been quiet during breakfast, as she had been the whole time. She was probably outside with friends and people she knew. He finally stood and exited his room, there were a lot of things that they had done, a lot of people they had to speak to. Then, the thing he had mixed feelings for - the wedding preparations. To show his loyalty to both her and their peace effort, they had decided to hold here instead of his own home. They toyed with the idea of two, but he didn't think he could handle that. A wedding in one place, then the other was far too complicated.

Besides, it was just a formal marriage. There was nothing else there.

Which was a difficult idea to swallow.

Katara had been seen heading to the Spirit Oasis. He knew where it was - but not how to get there through walking. He wasn't about to swim again. Iroh sent him in the right direction, and after a wrong turn he found himself in the pool. Katara was curled beside the little pond, the two glimmering fish swimming in circles around each other.

He didn't say anything, he just sat down beside her. She was absently making the water move in slow ripples with her fingers.

"Zuko" She greeted after what seemed like a long time. "I still.. care for Aang" She said softly. "I wish I didn't have to hurt him." She said gently.

"You could.. still see him?" He stated gently, hesitantly. His stomach twisted in knots, it pained him to suggest it.

She sighed. "I thought about it." She admitted. "But I can't, if we were ever found out it would be a disaster. It would ruin my name. It could ruin what we're doing" Her head was bowed for a moment before she sat up and turned to face him on the ground.

They said nothing for awhile. Finally, she spoke again. "They're like us." She stated, looking at the moon and the ocean swimming in circles. "Opposites."

"We are a lot alike" Zuko mused. "We will both fight to the death for what we believe in. We're both ready to sacrifice everything to help our nations."

With a nod, Katara pressed her chin in her palm. "This isn't where I thought I'd be" She said.

His heart raced in circles - he grabbed her hand and held it in his warm ones. "Me either" He replied, his voice dry.

She squeezed his hand, her heart was racing too. It was strange - this was stronger, hotter, than anything she had felt with Aang. This was a rush, he had so much heat it seemed like he could burn her. Instead, she made a bold move and scooted closer to him and his heat. Pressing herself against his side. The two fish swam faster around each other as he cupped her cheek in his palm and tugged her close, hesitating at the last moment.

Their lips just barely brushed each other, he hesitated and worried that he had missed the moment. But Katara pulled away again, looking shy and uncertain. Instead of leaving, she stayed beside him. Zuko needed to stop trying to kiss her.