Chapter Text
Although ten years had already passed since the end of the war, Katara had never met Fire Lord Zuko face to face.
And perhaps that is why, the moment they met, neither of them recognized the other.
When Aang awoke from his hundred-year slumber, it was Zhao who appeared at the South Pole.
When they made their way toward the North Pole, it was Zhao who pursued them, always staying close behind.
When they reached the Earth Kingdom, Azula became their main enemy.
When Ba Sing Se fell, it was because of Azula.
When they failed to defeat the Fire Lord on the day of the invasion, Iroh appeared at the Western Air Temple, offering his help.
When they received an anonymous message about the Fire Lord’s plans for the day of Sozin’s Comet, Iroh decided that stopping the airship army was their top priority.
When Katara, Sokka, and Toph tried to stop the airship army, they discovered that half the ships hadn’t taken off at all because they’d been ordered to remain on the ground.
While Aang was fighting Fire Lord Ozai, Prince Zuko entered Caldera, making his first public appearance in over three years.
While Katara was tending to Aang on the outskirts of Ba Sing Se, Prince Zuko declared himself Fire Lord and declared the war was over.
When Aang felt well enough to travel to Caldera, it was Azula who confronted them and told them outright that they had no business being there. Negotiations with the Southern Water Tribe had already been concluded; the Hakoda had already sailed south. Katara and Sokka, though they were his children, held no real political standing, and thus had no grounds to request an audience with the Fire Lord, who was busy anyway. Besides, Azula did not want her enemies to meet with her brother, who had only just ascended the throne.
While Aang (and Toph, who insisted on accompanying him because she could detect all lies) spoke with the Fire Lord, Katara and Sokka spent their time bored in the Fire Palace.
When Aang and Toph returned, Azula practically threw them out of the palace, ordering them never to return.
While the Fire Lord and the Earth King were negotiating, Katara wasn’t invited to the talks, since, once again, it wasn’t her business and she shouldn’t meddle in it. This was incredibly demeaning, and she tried to protest, but no one listened to her.
When Iroh invited her to Caldera, to his newly opened tea shop, Katara never even had the chance to get anywhere near the palace. Every time, she could feel the stares of the palace guards, who clearly didn’t care for her.
When, a year after the war ended, a conflict over Yu Dao broke out, Katara wasn’t around because she was busy dealing with a sudden epidemic in Ba Sing Se, and she only learned about the conflict after it had been resolved.
When the United Republic of Nations was formed, Katara’s name was never mentioned in discussions about who should govern it - she was only fifteen years old and didn’t know much about politics. Once again, this was a bit unfair, because Katara had helped stop the war… but she simply had no connection to the United Republic of Nations; she wasn’t part of its founding. Besides, as Azula had told her, it was a matter between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom.
When, half a year after the Yu Dao conflict, her romance with Aang naturally ended, Katara moved to the South Pole to help her tribe thrive and - perhaps - to train new waterbenders, should any were discovered.
When, two years later, she received an invitation to the wedding of Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Mai, Katara planned to attend, but that same year she discovered new waterbenders from the South and simply didn’t want to leave them.
When she learned of the birth of Crown Princess Izumi, she received an invitation to the celebration.
By the time she arrived in Caldera, the celebration had been canceled due to the assassination of Fire Lady Mai and heightened security measures. Only Aang and Toph were granted permission to see Princess Izumi.
When Lady Mai’s funeral took place, Katara was not invited. Once again, for security reasons, the guest list had been severely restricted.
While Fire Lord Zuko was implementing new reforms in his country and negotiating the future of the Republic, Katara traveled briefly to the North Pole to improve her waterbending. She realized there were still many things she didn’t know, things she simply hadn’t been taught, even though Pakku had declared her a Master. But Katara had actually had less than two months of training; it was physically impossible for her to have learned everything.
When Princess Izumi turned one, Katara returned to her tribe to pass on the knowledge she had gained.
When, two years later, Sokka volunteered to become their tribe’s Ambassador, Katara just sighed and said that he should do whatever he wanted.
When she found out that his ambassadorship had taken him to the Fire Nation, she sighed again. It wasn’t hard to guess that Sokka had decided to move there because Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors were still helping to protect the Fire Nation Palace (for some reason, they’d decided to go there some time earlier).
And when Princess Izumi turned five, Katara went to visit Toph, who had opened a second metalbending school there.
And it was there that Katara met a man named Lee.
Looking back, the signs were there from the very beginning.
When Lee introduced himself to her, he used a fake name.
(but Katara knew it was a fake name; Lee never hid that fact. She herself was using a fake name, and they’d both agreed not to tell each other their real names)
Lee was a widower whose wife had died shortly after the birth of his daughter.
(but that wasn’t unusual; so many people were widowers)
His daughter’s name was Izumi.
(but after Princess Izumi was born, that name became so popular)
Lee was from the Fire Nation and held a fairly important position in the government.
(but how was she supposed to know he was the most important person in the country?)
Lee covered half his face with a bandage, as if he were ashamed of it. Later, when they got to know each other better, Katara realized that behind that bandage lay a terrible burn scar.
(she knew that the Fire Lord’s face was marked by a large burn scar. But during the war, so many people had burn scars, including on their faces. Lee’s scar was huge and looked painful, but Katara simply didn’t connect it to the Fire Lord’s scar. Besides, Katara had always thought that his portraits were slightly exaggerated and that the Fire Lord certainly didn’t have a scar that big)
Lee, just like his daughter, was a Firebender.
(but that wasn’t surprising, so many Fire Nationers were Firebenders)
Lee knew Uncle Iroh and treated him like a member of his own family.
(but Iroh knew so many people. Everyone called him “Uncle”)
There were many clues.
Katara saw them all.
She just chose not to put them together.
Her first encounter with Lee ended with her finding herself in his bed.
It was supposed to be just a one-time fling. Katara and Lee agreed that it wouldn’t mean anything.
And it probably wouldn’t have meant anything, if it weren’t for the fact that three weeks later, she ran into him again, this time in the Republic City.
Katara needed something to do. To contribute something. To do more than just sit in her little igloo and play in the snow. So when Aang suggested she move to the Republic City for a while and help with educational reform, Katara figured she might as well do it.
And that’s how she ended up in the Republic City, trying to make a difference, to be someone.
She hadn’t expected to run into Lee again, and she certainly hadn’t expected to be here for an extended visit.
She quickly, however, connected his arrival to the fact that the Fire Lord was in town-
(she should have realized then who he really was; she really should have figured it out, how many burned Firebenders could there be with a daughter named Izumi?)
-and she took the opportunity to spend some time with Lee.
Being in his presence was simply pleasant. Lee understood her, in some strange way that Aang had never been able to understand her. He, too, had lost his mother at a young age because of the Fire Nation.
“I don’t know what’s happened to her,” he said. “I have no idea if she’s alive or not. She just disappeared. Neither 'Zula nor I were able to find her.”
(his sister’s name, ‘Zula, was another clue as to who he really was)
“I’m sorry,” Katara said. “It must be awful, right? Not knowing.”
“I think I’d rather she were dead,” Lee confessed quietly. “At least then I’d be able to mourn her, knowing she’s gone, rather than that she abandoned us. It’s been over ten years since the war ended; if she’d wanted to, she could have come back long ago, couldn’t she?”
Katara understood his pain.
“At least your daughter has a wonderful father,” she replied, unable to find the right words to soothe his pain.
“I’m not enough,” Lee objected. “Izzie needs a mother; I know that, but…”
He sighed quietly.
Katara didn’t offer to fill that role. She wasn’t interested in doing so. This was only their second meeting.
Since she couldn’t comfort him, she brought her lips close to his, letting her actions speak for themselves.
It was supposed to end after that second night.
It didn’t end.
Two days later, it was Izumi who spotted Katara. The girl took an immediate interest in her and wanted to say hello right away… and before Katara knew it, she was accompanying the girl and her father on their journey through the Republic City.
Izumi was an energetic child. She wanted to know so much, she wanted to do so much. Although both of her parents were Fire Nationers, she didn’t have the arrogance that Fire Nation citizens sometimes displayed. Instead, she was curious about the world, eager to learn as much as possible about other nations and cultures, and incredibly fascinated by Katara’s waterbending.
(which, in hindsight, made the whole situation ridiculous. Lee knew that “Kya” - as Katara had introduced herself to him - was a waterbender from the South Pole, but he didn’t connect that to Katara, the Avatar’s teacher)
(in hindsight, they were both idiots for not recognizing each other right away)
(the signs were there from the very beginning)
Katara… Katara hadn’t planned to spend the day with her lover (could she even call him that, when they’d only spent two nights together, yet at the same time shared their pasts and gotten to know each other a little better?) and his daughter.
But somehow, that’s just how it turned out.
This time, their meeting didn’t end in bed. It ended with friendly smiles and a promise to meet again, even though they both knew it was incredibly unlikely.
When they met three days later, Katara began to suspect that either the Republic City was terrifyingly small, or she and Lee liked the same places, or someone had set the whole thing up.
Either way - they met up. And they spent an incredibly pleasant evening together, which made Katara feel as though the boundaries between being friends and being lovers were starting to blur a bit.
This time, they decided that three meetings in the same place couldn’t be a coincidence, and they promised each other they’d meet in two days. Lee was only supposed to be in the Republic City for two weeks; after that, the Fire Nation representatives were supposed to leave. It was surprising enough that the Fire Lord had stayed here this long.
“The Fire Lord feels responsible for the people here,” Lee explained. “He wants to make sure everything is moving in the right direction. Besides, the Avatar is supposed to arrive in a few days, and the Fire Lord wants to meet him.”
“I see you know quite well what the Fire Lord wants to do,” Katara remarked.
“I work at the palace, Kya,” Lee replied with a smile. “Besides, it’s common knowledge. If you’d read the newspaper, you would’ve found out.”
“Hmm…” Katara pondered. “You’re probably right.”
Over the next two weeks, they met up whenever they had a little free time.
Lee was busy; he wasn’t able to make time for her every day. But despite that, he tried to find a little time for her.
“My friend really insisted that I learn to delegate responsibilities,” he explained. “‘Don’t overdo it; don’t take everything on yourself. You need to rest, too; you won’t be any use to anyone if you drop dead,’” Lee sighed quietly. “That’s one of the reasons I brought Izzie along. First, when she’s around, I have to take care of her, so I can’t work nonstop. And second, I feel better when she’s with me.”
Katara glanced at the little girl, who was currently playing in the sand.
(after a while, she noticed that whenever she met with Lee and Izumi, they were often accompanied by guards, hiding somewhere nearby)
(Lee loved his daughter and didn’t want anything to happen to her)
“Are you afraid something might happen to her?” Katara asked.
A shadow passed over Lee’s eyes.
“Her mother was killed because of my position.”
(Lee was always very cautious when it came to Izumi. Although he had no problem being alone with Katara, Izumi was a completely different story)
(Katara knew that if she hurt the girl, Lee wouldn’t hesitate to attack her)
Katara placed her hand on his shoulder, looking straight into his golden eyes.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, though she was convinced there were a thousand other, better words she should have said in that situation. “But it’s good that she has a wonderful father, someone who will take care of her. Someone who will be there for her.”
Those shadows still lingered in his eyes, shadows that told her he still loved Izumi’s mother, whoever that woman might have been. He must have cared for her, even if years had passed.
Katara suspected that their first meeting was probably meant to be a way to forget about that woman, that she was supposed to be nothing more than a distraction. But that was okay, because back then, when they first met, he was just a fleeting romance to her, someone she was never supposed to see again.
But now they’d seen each other again, and Katara realized she was starting to take an interest in him, that she was beginning to see him as a friend.
Two weeks passed surprisingly quickly, and Lee had to leave the Republic City to return to the Fire Nation.
They decided to stay in touch. Katara gave him her address, and he gave her his.
(it was the Fire Nation’s Royal Palace, how could she have been so stupid not to realize it?)
They promised to write letters to each other.
Katara wasn’t expecting miracles.
She expected him to forget about her.
But that didn’t happen, and some time later, she received a letter from him.
She smiled to herself and reached for a pen to write back.
For several weeks, they wrote to each other. The letters grew longer and longer, and they confided more and more in each other. Of course, they didn’t tell each other everything; there were things neither of them mentioned to the other or simply left out. Lee never wrote exactly what he was doing; and Katara also had to refrain from mentioning her friends’ names.
But that was fine.
Katara liked this anonymity, the fact that Lee didn’t know who he was talking to; the fact that he wasn’t looking at her through the lens of Katara, the Master Waterbender. Or worse, Katara, the Girl Who Dumped the Avatar (even though Aang had dated other girls a few times in the ten years since the war ended, somehow the label “the Avatar’s Girl” had stuck to Katara. As if she belonged to him, as if her worth depended on him!).
The anonymity was fine. Katara was starting to like it.
She knew Lee was hiding something from her, too, but that was fine as well.
From the very beginning, they both knew that neither of them was being completely honest with the other.
Somehow, they just started seeing each other.
Katara wouldn’t call it dating, not exactly… but at some point she realized she didn’t need to look for a man (not that she ever needed a man to be happy), and Lee kept popping into her mind.
They met from time to time, whenever they had the chance. Lee often traveled to the Republic City - the Republic’s transitional period was just coming to an end, which meant that power was to be fully transferred to the people living in those lands (the agreement between King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko stipulated that the transition would take place peacefully, over the course of several years. Consequently, for the past ten years, the United Republic had been governed by an international council that included both the Earth King and the Fire Lord).
But now, the transition period was coming to an end, and both the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation had committed to minimizing their presence in the region.
Ironically, this led to an increase in visits from foreign dignitaries, as both King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko wanted to ensure that no incidents would occur after they withdrew their forces and ceased to be involved in the Republic’s affairs.
For Katara, this meant many new responsibilities and numerous meetings with important figures from all the nations. Literally all of them, because Aang often dropped by the Republic City, always making sure to talk to her for at least a moment.
The upside was that Katara had the opportunity to see Lee more often.
Sometimes, when Lee left Caldera, he would write her a letter about it - and then they would meet, sometimes in Ba Sing Se, sometimes in Omashu, once even in Gaoling.
They met whenever they could.
Sometimes their meetings were short, sometimes long. Sometimes they ended up in bed, but often they just talked, got to know each other, and enjoyed each other’s company.
Sometimes Izumi was with them, but often she wasn’t.
After a few months of meeting like this, Katara decided to ask him directly where they stood and what they meant to each other.
After a long conversation, they decided they would date, that they would be faithful to each other, and that they would support one another. Katara wondered for a moment whether she should tell him her real name, but she decided against it. Maybe she just didn’t want him to know that yet. Besides, she wasn’t ready for Lee to know just how much she was hiding from him. She knew that people tended to panic when they found out she was friends with the Avatar (and Toph Beifong, who was practically a force of nature).
So, she’d decided to officially date him, fully aware that she didn’t know his real name.
It might have been silly, but the arrangement suited her, so she intended to keep it that way.
Of course, sooner or later, secrets had to come out.
Katara didn’t think, however, that it would happen on an ordinary afternoon while she was having lunch with Lee and Izumi.
They were sitting in a rather pleasant restaurant, chatting about ordinary, everyday topics, when Katara heard a voice behind her that was surely part of the underworld’s nightmares.
“Sugar Queen, Sparky!” she heard. “What are you doing here?”
She turned in that direction.
Aang and Toph Beifong were heading toward them.
And Katara realized that this wasn't going to end well, because they both, of course, knew her real name. She had to silence them.
The only problem was how.