A/N: This is a fanfic that I had originally posted on deviantArt, but now I'm going to finish and repost it here! This is kind of the prelude, so the other chapters will be longer. Enjoy!

Four years.

How short it seemed to Katara. She rolled onto her side to gaze at the full moon. I swear I can see Yue's face up there, she thought as she thought of her ill-fated trip to the sister-tribe. Sokka still loved her, she knew, but at least he had Suki now. And, of course, his little Yuki. Just as clumsy as her father, but as fierce and beautiful as both Suki and Yue. She was growing up so fast! It felt like only yesterday she had been helping to deliver her, and now she was almost a year old! The whole Gaang had been invited to her big party, and Toph, Bumi and Flopsie, Piandao, Gran-Gran and Pakku, and all of the Kyoshi warriors, including their new leader, Ty Lee, had already arrived. The only ones not present so far were Arnook, Aang, Iroh and-

No, she hissed in her mind. Stop this. He's nothing to me. I don't feel anything... She concentrated on stopping the tears from trickling down her face. She felt her heart ripping gently again, but this pain was nothing compared to the first time...

There was a soft whisper outside her tent flap. "Katara?" Suki's calm voice was hesitant. "I'm sorry to wake you, but we're expecting the Northern Water Tribe Chieftain soon, and new accommodations are needed..." Her voice trailed off and Katara raised her head slightly. "Well, I would ask Master Pakku, but he is a guest, and, well, you see..." She could almost hear the blush rising in Suki's face. Of course, a Water bender would be involved in those kind of activities on the night of a full moon. Well, at least she would have the moon to help build the new ice house for Arnook and whoever else he had decided to bring along.

She didn't move for a few minutes. "Katara?" Suki called again, softer and more pleading than before. "Please, we really need you, otherwise I wouldn't ask-"

"Don't worry, Suki," Katara said, her voice so awake and cheerful that it made Suki jump. "As soon as I throw on my boots and coat, take me to the build site."

"Oh, thank you so much Katara!!" Suki exclaimed as quietly as she could without waking the whole village. Katara smiled as she pulled back the tent flap.

"Hey, it's the least I can do for my niece's first birthday." She smiled, and Suki grinned back. The deep blue of her overcoat made her violet eyes truly sparkle.

"Come on, it's right over here," she said, grabbing Katara's wrist and dragging her along.

They came around the corner of another ice-house to see Sokka, Hakota, and Bato standing on a rather large, barren path of snow and ice. They (probably Sokka, judging by the quality) had outlined the projected house's outer walls. As the two women approached, the men turned. Sokka stubbly chin hairs made him look much older than 19, and much more of a chief. He saw who Suki was dragging along, and his face split into a large smile. "Thank goodness she brought you, 'cause i don't know how we would finish this any other way."

Katara bowed exaggeratedly. "I would do anything for my chief," she said, adopting her most theatrical voice. "Consider it a present for Yuki's birthday."

Sokka blinked twice. "Why in the world would she want a house for her first birthday?" he asked, thoroughly confused. She shook her head.

"Is this going to be the same as the others?" she continued, eager to return to her room. The men nodded.

"Make sure there's an extra bedroom, though," her father put in. "He brought a friend," he added, winking. Katara looked at him blankly, feeling like she was the butt of a cruel joke.

"Why can't he just have the place I already made for..." She trailed off, unable to finish.

Sokka didn't notice. "The Chief of the Northern Water Tribe needs more room than the Fire Lord who is also my best friend! Besides," he added turning back to face the building site, "I already told you. Arnook is bringing a friend, and as far as I know, he doesn't share his bed with other men."

Katara sighed. "Alright, this should be easy with the moon to help." As she got into position, Sokka grinned from ear to ear.

"That's the spirit!"

30 minutes later, Katara was back in her large tent. She preferred it to the ice homes she constructed, and besides, it was easier to not burn pelts than it was to keep ice from melting. Even for a water bender. She was sitting as her small desk with a small drawer under the writing surface. She inhaled deeply through her nose, and let the air out of her mouth slowly. Opening her drawer, she shifted aside the letters and scraps of parchment to find a small golden handle. She lifted it and pulled out the flat bundle of blue cloth. Placing it gently on the desk, she continued to pull apart the corners until the object hidden within was completely expose in the soft light of the moon.

The black silk was of the highest quality, with strands of black hair woven into the fibers. It was just long enough to tie tightly around her neck. Hanging from the exact middle was a glowing white carving. What it was exactly, Katara had no idea, but she assumed it was a type of rare rock. Carved into the otherwise flawless surface was an insignia: four crashing waves surrounded by a flame.

Our insignia, she thought, smiling through her tears. She formed an icy mirror to tie the necklace around her neck. She pressed the tips of her fingers to the somehow-warm surface. "I fully understand the meaning of this gift. Please, let me know that you feel the same way. Don't lie to yourself..." Closing her eyes, she thought back to that one horrible, yet beautiful day...

They had all been at Ba Sing Se. The day before Sokka had 'captured the moment' in one of his little scribbles, and her lips still tingled from Aang's kiss. Now it was time to part ways, but this time for good. She was standing apart from the group, just watching. Sokka and Aang were playing another round of 'Air, Fire, Water, Earth,' and Mai and Suki were still arguing about which was a better weapon; knives or fans. Toph was talking to Iroh in his office about some important issue, and: wait, where was-

A hand flew around the corner and grabbed her waist, flinging her against the wall. She was about to break the man's nose when she saw the scar. "Zuko!" she hissed, her heart hammering in her chest. She was mildly annoyed, but not as much as she should be; her feelings were scaring her. "I was going to break your nose!! Why did you-"

"We need to talk." He cut her off, his voice thick with... with what? She couldn't tell, and couldn't think clearly enough to try to puzzle it out. "I-" He stopped, and turned his face away. "I- I just wanna say-" He heaved a sigh. "Don't hit me please," he begged, turning to face me again. She stopped breathing, she was so lost in those golden eyes. He leaned forward, but hesitated. Before she knew what she was doing, the electricity from the touch of their lips was coursing through her body as she wrapped her hands in his hair, pressing him closer. He pushed her into the wall, his lips hungry on hers. He pulled back reluctantly and sighed. "I knew it," he breathed. He kissed her again, but only for an instant. "If only we could be together," he lamented, resting his forehead against hers.

"What was it you wanted to tell me before?" she asked, trying to forestall their inescapable good-bye. He locked eyes with her, and before she knew, she was above him. Or he was below her. She didn't know, or care, so long as the eyes would never release her. Her slid a smooth, silky object into her hand. She torn her eyes away from his to look at it. "I fully understand..."

She never heard the rest of his speech until later, right before they had left. Mai had come looking for 'her' Zuko, but Katara had known that she would always have a part of him that Mai could never touch.

"Forever, I will love you."

Those had been his last words to her, breathed into her ear as they had embraced for the final time. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking hurriedly to clear her blurred vision. As she felt the water on her checks, she fell forward, letting the sobs shake her to sleep, her greatest secret still exposed.

That was how Suki found her the next morning...