ZW: Secret

The scars did nothing to him except made him hide more. He was still the same as he always had been. Maybe that's what made his father furious even more. The fact that the scars were supposed to teach him a lesson and they didn't. Maybe they weren't big enough, strong enough to teach a lesson. So, Ozai decided to really teach his son a lesson by burning a mark on his face. A permanent disgrace for everyone to see the beast he was. Yet, that did nothing. Sure, Zuko was embarrassed to have those scars and half his face burned to a crisp, but he did nothing different.

It was then Ozai realized nothing could be done to fix his son. He banished his son to an abandoned island where no one could ever see him. Ozai told Zuko it was for his own good, that people would see the scars and become afraid, that people would think of him as a beast. But really, it was because Ozai grew sick of looking at his deformed son. Ozai couldn't allow anyone to see this beast that came from him. Zuko no longer fit the role of perfect son in the perfect family and had to be eliminated because of it.

Months turned into years on that island by himself except a tutor and a cook. One blind and the other had been with Zuko since he was a child, there was no point in hiding who he was. Anything Zuko could ever want was either there on the island or brought to him as quick as possible. All he had to do was send a messenger hawk. In the beginning, he asked for the most expensive, randomest things he could think of to see if his father actually would deliver them. Months after this, he stopped asked. The one thing Zuko wanted more than anything was to come back home, but he would never get that.

It wasn't until Zuko was sixteen did his father sent a note saying someone was coming to stay with him. It turned out during a recent raid a few members of the Water Tribe were caught. There was one young girl in particular who was stubborn and fought back at any chance she had. Ozai thought it would be funny or ironic if she was stuck with the monster on a deserted island. Zuko knew what Ozai was trying to do. Stick the girl with the beast so that she would conform to what he wanted. Maybe even scare the girl into obeying the Fire Lord, or believing the Fire Nation was supreme.

Zuko didn't know what to do or how to act. He hadn't seen a girl or anyone for that matter in such a long time. Not only that, but he was deformed now. He couldn't let anyone see him the way he was. So, he found an old cloak and wore it so his face, his body would be covered. He made it his resolve he would stay away from this water girl as much as possible. He might even just let her escape if she could. He wasn't his father; he would never be his father. But that all changed when he saw her.

It was at night she came, guards holding onto her. She still tried to fight them, tried to escape from their grip. But it was futile. The guards were firebenders and she wasn't a master of her element. She was stuck on this island, in this house, unable to escape. Zuko felt regret on the fact that she had to stay there though she didn't want to. Even though she was beautiful. Even though she was passionate. Even though she was exactly what he needed.

Later, after she started to calm down in her room and the guards left, he came to her door wanting to say something. He opened his mouth and closed it, unsure of what to say to her. 'Hi, my dad is the reason why you're here. I hope you're happy now.' No, he couldn't. He couldn't say anything to her. He started to turn away but stopped when she opened the door.

"What do you want?" she spat out at him. "Are you here to take me away? Do something to me?"

"No," he said, finally finding his voice. "I wanted to welcome you here."

"Welcome me? Why would I want to be welcomed to this prison?"

He hung his head as she yelled at him. Maybe she didn't know who he was. Maybe she just assumed some pervert wanted her. "It's not the best place to be, but as far as a prison goes, it's not bad. You can go wherever you want, you can eat whatever you like. There are no guards here. There'll be no one to stop you." There. He told her she could leave whenever she wanted. Maybe she would go and leave him alone like he was before. Like he would be for the rest of his life.

"How do I know you won't stop me?"

He held his cloak closer to his face, closer to his scar as she walked towards him. "You don't, but I won't. I'm stuck here as well and there's no point in having two unhappy people when one of us can break free. I'm used to being alone."

She wanted to touch his face, to see what he was hiding and she reached out her hand but he pulled back from her and stayed in the corner far away from her. "Why do you hide? Why won't you let me see you?"

"I'm a monster," he said as he fled.

~~

She should have fled then and there. He was letting her go, she could bend water. There was nothing stopping her from going. But his words echoed in her mind. 'I'm a monster.' If this was the Fire Lord's son, like she assumed and heard, he was different than she expected. Curiosity got the better of her and she had to stay. At least for a little longer. At least until she figured him out or saw his face, saw what he was trying to hide.

She could hear the shock he had when she was still there the next day. Though she didn't see him before he came in the kitchen, she heard him walk in and stumble right back out. She thought it odd to hear him trip so much, but he was trying to hide who he was. He didn't expect her to be there and walked without his cloak. She wanted to see what he looked like without anything hiding him, but all she saw of him was his back running back to his room to hide himself.

Later on, he apologized for the way he ran out. He said it was because he didn't expect her to stay. He thought she would have left. She shrugged and said she was curious. That ended their conversation and they didn't talk much for a while after that.

A few weeks went by and she didn't mind staying as much. He made her laugh. Zuko. He made her happy for a change. Even though she wanted to rip his cloak off and see what was so horrible. Once she found out he was a firebender, she began to challenge him to duels. She wanted to improve her waterbending and she wanted a good partner who would help her improve. He was hesitant of fighting her but after getting a blue spirit mask, he agreed to a duel. Every day after that, they spent most of their time fighting and improving their bending. Teaching each other what they knew and using techniques from each other.

They continued like this for a while – fighting together, talking and laughing afterwards. The more they talked, the more they learned about each other. She told him about her mother and he mentioned about his. She promised him they would find her one day. She found out about his crazy sister and harsh father he still felt compelled to love. Soon, even though she could easily leave at any given moment, she refused to. She couldn't leave him alone or maybe it was she couldn't leave him. Either way, she stayed with him.

It was months before something changed. Before she changed. She didn't notice at first, but there was something different. She felt different. She longed for the days when she would talk with him, be with him. They could do absolutely nothing and she was happy as long as she was with him. It took her a while to figure it out, but she finally did. She fell for him. Even if she couldn't see his face. She fell for him. Maybe that was why she argued all the time for him to remove his mask, for him to show her who he was. It was years since she first came, it was time for him to let her see it.

"Zuko, just show me. There's nothing wrong with whatever it is."

"You don't know that. You haven't seen it. I'm a monster."

"I know you and I know you're not a monster. No matter what you look like or think," she said, pleading with him.

Maybe that was what he needed to hear. Maybe it was just the timing. Or maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, he didn't back down when she came close and touched his cloak. Her hands traced the edging of his long, red and gold cloak, starting at his chest. She paused when she reached his neck area, waiting to see if he would stop her like he usually did. When he didn't, she moved her hands around the hood to move it back.

"Wait," he said, stopping her before she pushed his hood back. "Wait a moment." He took a step back towards the candles that lit the dark room. "If you want to see me, I want you to see me completely."

His back was still towards her as he removed his cloak. In the light, she could see the muscles on his back and wondered if he was as built everywhere else. He stood with his back to her for a few minutes and she was able to take everything in she saw, enjoying it all.

"Are you sure you want this? You want to see me?" he asked. "Once you see how hideous I am, there's no turning back."

"Show me."

He turned around to face her, his scar bright as day. It was the first thing she noticed - the rough skin, and discolored patches around his eye. "I'm a monster," he whispered.

She shook her head. "No. No you're not," she said, walking closer to him. "You're the most beautiful man I have ever met." She smiled, tears in her eyes.

His good eye widened at her statement. Out of everything she could have said, this was not what he expected her to say. "Katara…"

She silenced him by placing her lips against his for a passionate kiss. It was then she realized how long she wanted to do that, no matter what he looked like. "I love you Zuko. You will always be beautiful to me. Always."

He smiled. "You have no idea what that means to me Katara. I thought I would always be a secret my father wanted to hide. A hideous monster no one would want to love. I thought you could never love me the way I love you."

"You will never be a secret anymore. Not for me. Not for anyone. You'll be mine."