Chapter Text
Katara is walking along the surf of Ember Island with her youngest child collecting shells. There is a small bucket in her hand that rattles with their finds. Izumi wanders ahead, considering her selections carefully, small fingers dipping into the water to rinse away sand and inspect each object. Occasionally, she returns to her mother, proudly showing off the shell before adding it to the bucket. Behind them the din of her family on the beach backing the peaceful crash of waves. The sounds make happiness bubble up in her chest. It is so loud, with Kya, aunts, uncles, and cousins playing loudly. The details are just different enough that she does not recall the scene from her dreams years ago. Not until there is a sudden warmth at her back and gentle hands rest on her hips.
“Hello, my love,” Zuko whispers in her ear as she halts mid-stride to settle into his embrace. She tips her head back and leans up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw.
“Hello, my love,” she echoes. Katara’s heart races as she recognizes the moment for what it is, a destiny she had been shown in part, the details altered by her own choices.
“I found a crab!” Izumi shouts, and picks the creature up, sprinting off to show her brother, and Katara and Zuko turn as one to watch her return to their family spread out on chairs and blankets. The sight before her is so much fuller than what the spirits had promised, but Zuko’s love remains a constant.
“We made a pretty good life, didn’t we?” she asks him.
He drops a kiss on the top of her head. “Better than I could’ve ever dreamed.”