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“Katara, it’s been over a month, does it really need another healing session?”
“I just want to make sure it’s fine,” she said, summoning water to her hands and lowering them to his chest.
Zuko’s gaze followed her hands to the jagged lightning scar with a confused expression. “The scar looks completely healed.”
“Just because it looks healed on the outside doesn’t mean it’s fine. I can still feel a little internal damage here.” She hoped he didn’t notice her guilty expression as the water began to glow blue around his wound.
He did notice. “You’re still blaming yourself for this, aren’t you,” he whispered.
She retracted her hands and looked into his golden eyes with tears in her own blue ones. “You could have died. You almost did…”
“And I’d do it again. I couldn’t let her hurt you.” He reached out and laid a hand on top of hers. “I had to protect you.”
“But you shouldn’t have had to!” she cried. “I put myself out in the open! It’s all my fault.”
“No, it isn’t. It’s my fault.” Zuko’s voice was firm.
“How-”
He gently put his hands on her shoulders. “I made the decision to take that lightning. And I don’t blame you for it at all. I asked you to face Azula with me, and you were there for me until the end. When she shot at you… I knew I couldn’t lose you. And that’s on me. So don’t you dare blame yourself for it. Blame it on me. Blame it on me, because I love you and I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here today.”
Katara stared at him in shock, before her expression broke. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tight as she cried into his shoulder. “But I can’t lose you either,” she whispered. “Because I love you too, Zuko.”
He buried his face in her hair and gently rubbed her back with his hands, tears dripping from his eyes. “But you didn’t lose me. And I didn’t lose you. We’re both still here.”
A small smile broke through her tears. “Yes, we are.”