Work Text:
The Blue Spirit caught - or at least, tried to catch - The Painted Lady running through Fire Lord Zuko's City, now Katara is a healer at the Caldera Hospital. Among other things.
After the health minister set Katara up at the Caldera Hospital, the waterbender's days are occupied sunrise to sunset. There is no fixed schedule, but every time a new ship of repatriated soldiers came, there also comes a handful soldiers seeking her consultation or immediate care. Katara feels there will never be a dull day here. Which is why she put it upon herself to slow down and breathe every now and then.
She since decided that a visit to the orphanage is in order every few days or so. The children aren't the definition of slowing down, of course. The first time she went, the children were running around and one girl pushed a boy into the shallow pond of the compound. But she enjoys playing with them and helping prepare their food and tucking them into their shared beds.
She enjoys the time even more when Zuko joins her visits. Katara knows from the children that a man with a scar visits and brings them gifts. Sometimes a bag of clothes, sometimes sacks of rice, other times just his presence. The first time she hears of him from the children, it's from a boy whose father and mother died serving in the forces attacking the outer walls of Ba Sing Se. "Katara, I think the war hurt the man with the scar too. They must have taken his parents away too."
Katara sadly smiled down at the little boy. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Kaito."
Since learning of his visits, Katara came up to Zuko and agreed with him that they should visit together sometimes. But sometimes became oftentimes and oftentimes became all the time. Now whenever he is due to visit, he comes by the hospital and waits for her to be done with her current patient. Or when she plans to go early in the morning, she patiently watches over his ritual morning bending. Over the months the children become accustomed of Zuko and Katara coming together. If one of them arrives alone, they will look for the other.
One day Katara comes back to the palace quite disgruntled. She heads to Zuko's office and as soon as he sees her he worries. "Katara what happened?"
"Kaito… Kaito called me Mom."
He pauses, seemingly contemplating. It takes a pause before he says, "The other day he called me Dad."
"Zuko, why didn't you tell me? This can't continue! We're not his real parents!" Katara feels tears well up in her eyes, her breathing starting to constrict. "We're not… We'll never be. Just like I really wasn't Mom to Sokka…"
He walks towards her and envelops her in a hug. "Katara, I'm sorry."
She is fully sobbing now.
"I didn't know I could hate this war more even when it's over."
"We're trying to make it better, I promise you. You already make several things better. And we'll think of some way to make it clear to the children we're not Mom and Dad, yeah? After all, we're just young orphans of war too…"
A single tear escapes his good eye, too, and Zuko hugs Katara tighter.