1. Whispers of the Past

_**A/N:**__ I haven't written a Zutara fanfic in a LONG time so please bare with me. Also, Special thanks to my beta for doing such a wonderful job on this chapter even though I had to bug her (A LOT) to finish it. _

* * *

><p>The city flowed in slow motion like a breeze. The tall skyscrapers grazed against open sapphire, gold glistening against every inch of every building, senting a bright glimmer throughout the entire city. The people resembled ants scrambling for food as they surged swiftly throughout the streets. Everything still seemed to be moving, bustling even, as the loud train began to screech to a halt.<p>

Katara's eyes remained glued to the window as she watched in shear amazement. A world she never knew existed was staring her square in the eyes, begging for exploration.

A muffled sound began to emerge from the small cluster of people on board as the conductor muttered something unintelligible over the intercom. Before she even knew it, she was the last body in her cabin and an attendant had already began pacing down the long aisle, checking for any unwanted persons.

"This is the last stop, ma'am. I'm going to have to ask you to exit the train now."

The woman's words startled her, breaking the remains of her trace. Naturally, she turned to face the other woman in front of her.

She was a tall woman with physical features almost clique, middle-aged or so, her long, dark, silky hair streaming down her back with a funny looking barrettes stationed at the crown of her head.

Katara's face scrunched up in a look of confusion. "I'm sorry. What did you say," she asked. The question made her sound much more naive than she truly was. The attendant gently sighed, slightly frustrated that she had to repeat herself.

"I said that this is the last stop and that I'm going to have to ask you to leave the train."

"Oh," Katara said, still a bit dumbfounded-most likely because of the lingering daze- her mouth forming a large 'O' as the word ran from her lips. "I'm sorry. I just got a little caught on the view."

The woman smiled tenderly as she watched Katara hastily reached down to grab her bags. She could tell this was her first visit here, and the young girl standing before her reminded her of her own self when she first witnessed the glory of this vast frontier. Nostalgia seamlessly invaded her mind as her green eyes candidly flowed to the large glass window.

"Things haven't been the same since I entered the walls of Ba Sing Se," she murmured blindly, more to herself rather than Katara, her thoughts making their way into the air without her permission.

Katara looked up at window again. "I doubt it'll be the same for me," she said, her words slightly empty in tone, turning back to gather the rest of her belongings. She had filled her things, which consisted of a suitcase, a duffle bag, and a purse, in the neatest way possible so that she wouldn't wobble from uneven weight.

The other woman turned back and smiled wholeheartedly, and then let out a dainty chuckle. It amazed her how much this young girl mirrored her in her earlier years. Even though they resembled nothing of each other, looking at Katara was like hearing the past, seeing the old, and accepting the new.

The woman stepped a little closer to her. "You know, I said the same thing when I first moved here," She began mundanely, yet her eyes started to moon at the skyline, "but destiny is a continuum and this city's filled with it."

Katara absorbed the woman's heavy words as best as she could, but couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable as their conversation transformed into something deeper than originally intended.

She moved awkwardly into the aisle, mostly due to her considerable amount of luggage, then quickly glanced up at the attendant, meeting her tender gaze. "Well, I'll keep that in mind while I'm here," she blurted out, not knowing what else to say as she moved toward the door crudely.

"Good." The other woman gave her a mild smile, then lifted a hand and waved. "Oh, and remember to enjoy your time here as well."

"I will." she called over her shoulder as she stepped off of the elevated platform. The doors shut almost automatically from behind her as she continued on. She stopped and looked around until her eyes found a small exit sign just above a set of stairs. Once she entered the stairwell, a array of sounds ran into her ears as if on cue. Everything was obnoxiously loud as she entered the lobby of the train station. Never in her nineteen years of life had she ever seen so many people in one area all at once.

She headed towards the door that led outside as hastily as her body would let her, snuggling her way through the crowd, occasionally murmuring a "sorry" to those whom she'd hit the hardest.

Once she finally reached the outside, it didn't even seem like an outside. People literally poured from the building. She had always assured herself that she wasn't claustrophobic but for as long as she could remember, she never fancied tight spaces like these.

She moved farther from the building but stayed in eye's sight in case she got a little lost. She then pulled out her blue cell phone and dialed a number, her fingers gliding swiftly from button to button.

She tapped her foot impatiently as she heard the phone begin to ring. She waited a few moments but the receiver never picked up; however, just as the last ring rang before the answering machine, someone sounded from the opposite end.

"Hello?" a voice said in an almost inaudible whisper.

"Sokka, I'm outside of the train station. Where are you?"

There was a little ruffling on the other end before he spoke. "I got caught up in a meeting. I don't know really know how long I'll be-"

"How am I supposed to find your apartment? This city is enormous!" she exclaimed, waving her arms up in the air as she spoke her last sentence, collecting glances of confusion in the process.

There was another pause and she could hear the muttering of voices in the background but couldn't quite make out any of the words. After a few more seconds, her brother's voice emerged again.

"Alright. Well, right now you should be on Nigata Street."

It wasn't a question, but more of a statement based on fact, yet perplexion still crossed her face as her eyes quickly scanned the plane around her in search of a street sign. "Umm . . . Nigata Street? . . . Yeah? . . .Yeah, I'm on Nigata Street."

Sokka sighed gently. It amazed him how his own baby sister needed to check that, as if he were lying or something. "Okay Katara," He took a deep breath, "Walk down to the light, and then make a right onto Inzai Avenue. Walk a little ways, then turn left on Annaka Ave., then right on Muroto Street. My place is third on the right; 335."

Katara stood idly for a few seconds, trying to take in all the information she had just been given. "Right onto Inzai, left onto Annaka, right onto Muroto, third house on the right, 335?"

"Exactly. Well, I have to go but call me in case of an emergency otherwise I'll call you as soon as I can," his words completely rushed into one long sentence.

"Uh, okay," she replied with apprehension. Her idiot brother had really expected her to find his apartment in a city like this.

Katara pushed the device back into her pocket, shifted the weight of her bags to either shoulder, and headed down the street.

* * *

><p>An hour had passed since Katara had reached Muroto Street and yet Sokka still hadn't called back. She sat on the lumpy, grey couch in his small apartment. There was absolutely nothing to do.<p>

Her bags were already placed in the spare back room. She had already examined the small area. There was his room, which seemed to be a complete mess, partially because he was a natural slob and partially because his girlfriend was planning on moving in sometime soon.

The living room was a quite boring area. Just the ugly couch with a matching love seat, and a television, which was supposedly the only entertainment that occupied the entire quarter, yet it did not possess cable. There was a small barrier between there and the kitchen area, which consisted of normal appliances and light wooden cabinets arranged in a rectangular form with one side open as a doorway.

Katara sighed impatiently. Who knew how long it would be until Sokka came back? She had an entire city to venture and yet she was stuck in her brother's crammed apartment.

Without thinking, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. She made sure to seize the spare key Sokka had given her awhile back, and then closed the door tightly behind her. She headed down the three flights of stairs, her heeled boots making a loud clanging noise each time they hit the metal.

Sokka's apartment seemed to be in a central area of the city, where taxis streaked the streets like bumble bees in the summer; where lights seemed to be their brightest.

She headed farther and farther away from the complex, not paying much attention to how far she was actually travelling. Everything was so fleshed. Cars screamed back and forth at each other. It had been a bit overwhelming at first but the entire city began to have an intriguing effect on her.

She wanted to visit every shop, every store, everything there was to visit. She wanted to see every corner; turn over every stone that ever lie in these streets.

She kept walking, admiring every inch as if she'd miraculously been dropped into an urban museum. Cars occasionally sounded as she walked, nearly hitting her at least twice, but she was too consumed in the fathoms of the complexes of the city.

Soon however, the buildings began to shrink and the cars began to thin out as the sounds of the city began to whisper quietly.

An interesting looking building caught her eye. It was small, but the design was ever so delicate. It was a three-storied structure, built out of brick, varnished in glossy ivy as a supple moss hiked up the left side, hugging the building with its long arms. The door and windows were lined in a dark emerald with intricate golden designs placed elaborately around the frames. A large dragon lay silently just above the entry. Its body was embellished with golden scales that shinned like little stars under the faint street lights, but its eyes were the true work of art. Blazed in a heavenly jade, perfectly contrasting its skin, they looked almost, as if not, real. They were all-seeing; it was as if those eyes watched the entire world, commanding dignity and respect with its glare, yet also with complete peace and compassion.

Katara had never seen something so magnificent in her life. The natural aura that poured from the building was intoxicating, absolutely impossible for anyone to resist.

She hesitantly mounted the steps, her eyes untied with the creature until her fingers grazed the golden knob. She twisted her wrist and took a step inside.

The sweet aroma of tea saturated the air as warmth gently stroked her skin. The outside deceived itself. The inside was actually quite large... The lights shinned shyly, allowing the street lights to flush the room with a dusky tangerine that skidded across the tables and booths.

Everything flowed amicably together, giving the large room a more intimate feel. There were only a few customers scattered about, which seemed very strange to Katara.

_How could such a beautiful place be this empty?_

The fact that it was 30 minutes to closing never crossed her mind.

She ambled her way towards the front counter, peering intensely at the complicated designs against the russet wall.

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. How may I help you?"

Katara's eyes circled to the girl in front of her. She had short brown hair, big green eyes, and a smile that any man would love to wake up to.

"Umm . . .," Katara replied, moving her gaze to the large menu mounted on the wall above. It was hard to choose; there were so many different things she had never heard of and couldn't even pronounce.

After a few seconds she decided on the Oolong Tea and a sandwich, then handed the girl the appropriate amount due. As the receipt printed out, the girl reached down to grab a number in a plastic holder. She then ripped off the receipt from the machine and handed them both to Katara.

"Here you go. Just place this on your table and someone will be out soon with your order."

She thanked the girl politely, and then quickly decided on a two seated table next to a side window. She sat down and took a deep breath, finally able to take it the real essence of the room.

She stared in awe at another golden dragon, who's body seemed to wrap around the entire room, each scale illuminated in brilliance just as the one outside, yet as her eyes followed the body, she felt a strange intuition that someone was watching her.

She looked over towards the register to see a man—she could quite tell his age since his back faced her—brewing, tea just adjacent to the register, which was now unoccupied.

His raven hair hung carelessly against his broad shoulders. His crimson long-sleeved t-shirt and dark wash jeans lay behind his green apron. He was somewhat slender, yet still it was obvious that he possessed a considerable amount of muscle.

She discarded the feeling and continued to scan the room, but the feeling came once more; however, when she looked up, he seemed to be preoccupied with other tasks.

She turned to the window and watched the street outside, but the feeling never left. She turned to him one final time and yet again he still wasn't looking her direction. Her intuitions never had failed her before so why would they now? And so she continued to stare at him, hard, waiting for him to look her way again.

"Good evening," a voice said from above in a friendly tone with a hint of brazen authority.

Katara's heart skipped a beat as she turned to see another girl standing in front of her. Their eyes connected and she fully understood why she used that defined tone, but it wasn't like that at all.

The girl placed a large cup of tea and a saucer against the table.

"I'm Jin, and I'll be your sever for today. The rest of your order should be out soon, but in the meantime, just call for me if you need anything."

She thanked the girl generously and in return, she gave her a quick nod then sashayed away.

Katara turned her head down to the tea in front of her as she watched the liquid ripple from the vibrations of a large vehicle passing outside.

Jin was an average looking girl with her ash brown hair twisted into two strands on either side of her head, but there was something about her eyes. Something that was oddly familiar as if something out of a dream she couldn't remember.

_Jin . . . ?_

No, it couldn't be . . . .?

_It just __**couldn't **__be._

She shook the notion from her mind immediately but involuntarily, she looked over towards her.

Jin stood leisurely next to the boy, muttering something into his ear while looking over in Katara's direction. Katara looked back at the tea quickly, pretending to be occupied in the unimportant physics of tea.

She had a strangle feeling that Jin wasn't just talking about the order.

The boy nodded his head and whispered something back to her, then they both looked in her direction. Katara shifted uncomfortably in her chair as they kept talking. Finally, Jin went into the back and the boy returned to brewing tea.

Katara sighed and looked down at the tea once more. She didn't even want to be there anymore. Who knew what they were saying about her?

She self-consciously smoothed down the top of her long wavy hair.

Minutes later Jim had come back with the rest of her order. She placed it parallel to the still untouched tea, then stared down at Katara for a few seconds.

Katara sat awkwardly beneath her eyes, but mustered up enough courage to speak.

"Is there something wrong," she asked as non-offensively as she could.

Jin shook her head apathetically. "No, no. It's just…you look like a friend I use to know from a long time ago. "

_No, no it can't be . . ._

Her mind and heart were at war. It was like her mind didn't want this to be true, in fear of getting hurt like the many years ago, but her heart knew that this was real; that this was Jin, the same Jin she had lost and was never able to find.

"What happened to her?" she blurted out with pure animation like a child waiting for the climax of a bedtime story.

Jin sighed; there was an almost tangible pain in her eyes.

"She saved me from getting hit . . ."

"By a car," they retorted in unison, their voices forming a perfect harmony.

Katara stood up and placed both hand on either side of her shoulders. Her blue eyes began to water as she looked the other girl in the eyes and the whispers of the past swirled around, filling the air with old, forgotten memories.

"Jin . . . Jin, it's me."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__Well how'd you like Chapter 1? Comments concerns, constructive criticism? Leave me a review and tell me what you thought also whoever leaves the best review will get the next chapter dedicated to them so hurry! What are you waiting for!_


	2. Early Dismissal

**A/N:** _As I mentioned in the last chapter, I will dedicated each chapter to a reviewer so this chapter is dedicated to **Melon Lord**! Thanks so much for your support and encouragement it really did help motivate me to first writing this one. As always R&R!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

Katara stood up and placed both hand on either side of the her shoulders, her blue eyes began to water as she looked the other girl in the eyes and the whispers of the past swirled around, filling the air with old forgotten memories.

"Jin . . . Jin, it's me."

"K-Ka-Katara?"

"Yes . . . yes it's me."

And their arms were around each other. Jin's sobs could be heard throughout the shop, her body shaking vigorously. She kept murmuring, "I'm sorry," through her tears, almost inaudible to Katara, but she had known the girl for so many years that the sound of her voice was almost anticipated.

However, this was a side of Jin she had never known, never seen, never even heard of. It was almost . . . . repulsive. The bright smile that she once stamped everyday on her face was now gone and her natural vivaciousness had vanished as well. The old her was broken, shattered if not, into pieces that seemed to not even exist anymore.

It didn't matter though. This was her friend, her best friend, and no matter what she'd always try her very best to be that for her. Always. And so, she held her as tight as she could, a complete armada of tears lining her eyes.

It didn't feel real to either one of them.

_This wasn't happening._

After awhile, Jin gradually let go, subconsciously realizing that it was time to share this glorious discovery. When she finally raised her head up, Katara did the same, noticing how the other girl's face was scorched and how puffy her eyes were.

Katara then looked up to find a pair of ember eyes gazing down at her. It was the guy from before but he was different now. There was a large scar that encircled his left eye that she had never noticed before. It prominently contrasted his alabaster skin, almost as if someone had deliberately painted it on his handsome face.

It intrigue her greatly and she suddenly wanted to know how it emerged and why but the way his eyes flickered, the way the orange light colliding with his irises, the way it danced through them as if a transparent color then shined within and blazed outward like a volcano blasting fire from its peak, struck a spot in her brain similar to the way Jin had done earlier but this, this was different. It didn't just strike her mind; it struck her heart and the bottomless caverns of her soul, sending a deep pain she had never felt before throughout her body. It was as if someone had taken a lightning bolt and surged it through her veins, the jolt violently threatening to paralyze her right then and there.

Her muscles cramped as she attempted to take a step closer to him but her body failed to listen. She just stood in front of him, her body desperately wanting to plummet. Their eyes were still linked, a link so strong it would almost hurt to break, which was primarily the reason why Katara's face wasn't pressed against the ground at that time but as she looked deeper into his saffron eyes, air stopped moving into their lungs, their hearts refused to thump, and the world around them froze in an instant.

She then knew exactly who he was, even if his physical appearance was slightly altered. The tears finally began to descend down her cheeks as their bodies crashed together, his shirt becoming more and more socked by the second.

"Oh Zuko," she breathed hoarsely into his shirt through the tears. Now her heart pounded so loud, so fast, she nearly fell in his arms but he was there to catch her before she could even move an inch. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms tighter around her, leaving absolutely no space between them, partially because he feared she would fall and partially because her body had become so foreign to him after all these years.

"Katara . . . you're . . . alive," he whispered into her ear, not fully believing the words that drifted from his lips but the longer he held her there, the more real it began to feel and although he didn't show it, little droplets dampened his eye lids as well.

She never wanted to let him go again.

Never.

His presence to her was like sunlight to a dying rose, like an illuminate to a moth, like water to her parched aching soul.

They held each other for awhile and Katara finally found the strength to look back up at him, her blue eyes waxed with tears. She let out a short raspy laugh and he smiled back her.

The pain was gone now and she no longer felt his arms around her but the hold of pure happiness.

_This is real._

_This is actually real._

* * *

><p>After the last customer had left and the open sign exposed its other side and the shutters had skidded over the windows, they all seated themselves around the largest table, which was stationed just left of the middle of the room. They formed a semi-circle around it as Katara sat alone on the other half, forcing all eyes to be fixed on her.<p>

There was Iroh, who had recently been introduced as Zuko's uncle, next to him sat Jin, eyes still shining bright with tears as she stared in amazement at Katara. Next to her was Zuko, who hadn't even attempted to soothe Jin, paying little to almost no attention to her at all and two other workers intrigued by the entire situation, who stayed after for all newborn excitement. Katara still hadn't met them yet but she could tell they were close family friends to Iroh.

Nothing had really molted in yet. It had all happened so fast, like a faint dream when she really thought about. It was like she had watched it all happen from afar, like this entire ordeal had happened to another Katara and not herself.

She still felt slightly lightheaded and the headache that had submerged from all the crying didn't make it any better.

They all seemed to be staring at Katara, waiting for her to say something, anything really, to truly get to the bottom of this phenomenon but she never did so Iroh took the initiative and had begun to open his mouth but Jin suddenly spoke before sound could be brought to his lips.

"Katara . . . I thought . . . " Jin began to chock out, tears forming under her eyes again "I-I-I thought . . "

Iron began to consul her, rubbing her back gently and handing her a small handkerchief. She dabbed her eyes and tried to speak again but she just couldn't, her words were forced between the chambers of her throat.

Zuko looked at her for a moment, instantly knowing what she wanted to say. His eyes seemed darker now as he fixed them slowly on Katara.

"We thought you were dead," he uttered impudently, his words lying stiffly in the air. The only sound that could be heard was a sniffle of Jin as she turned to Zuko, silently thanking him for speaking for her yet a small part of her wanted to scold him for saying it so damn blatantly.

"Dead?" Katara questioned as if she'd been insulted. "I ended up in a hospital bed. I broke a few bones and lost some blood but I was fine. "

He raised an unexpected eyebrow at her.

" it-it-it was in the newspaper. We saw the blood in the street . . . so we ran . . . we'd know what else to do . . . " Jin blurted out, her thoughts getting the best of her as she recalled the horrific events as a child.

Her tears were cascading faster now and there was a visible change in her demeanor after she had said this. Katara noted this and attempted to allay her.

"Jin, I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you-"

"No! I was stupid! I was a coward and I left you out in the street to die! The car was headed for me, Katara, **me** and i deserved to get hit. It's my fault you got hurt," She paused for a second, struggling to catch her breath, "I'm sorry. . . I'm just so sorry . . ."

She trailed off as she wiped her face with the handkerchief again.

Katara reached out across the table and met her hands. She took them into her own and caressed then tenderly.

"It wasn't your fault-"

"Yes, yes, it was and it still is." she confessed, her voice short and raspy.

Katara slightly clenched her teeth.

She could never blame someone for what happened that day. Truthfully, everyone was at fault back then but she would never admit that to anyone, not even herself.

She looked down at their hands one last time before speaking again.

"I don't care what you say, I don't care what anybody says; It wasn't your fault," She stated firmly, her eye intense and stern. She looked back at Zuko, "it wasn't any of our faults."

Jin's eyes plunged to the table as Zuko's did the same.

She was right and he knew it. Although he was not stricken with guilt the way Jin was, he still felt some form of it as the image of a red car consuming a young Katara flashed before his eyes.

He closed them tighter as a small amount of air seeped out between his slightly parted lips.

_She's right, you know._. He reassured himself then opened his eyes to find her again.

"I chose to push you away. I knew what I was doing so don't think for a second it was your fault. There was nothing we could do then and there's nothing we can do now."

Iroh wisely shook his heads in agreement as the others around the table did the sane mentally.

She moved one hand from Jin to Zuko, motioning for his hand. He gently placed his hand in hers, slightly hesitantly. She gave him a small comforting smile as Jin placed her other free hand on the table, waiting for Zuko's.

Their hands touched and they were all connected.

"All that matters is that we have each other now, that we found each other after all these years."

She gave both of them a tight squeeze and a bright smile. They knew she was right. There was no point in changing the past because there is no way of doing so. One must only accept what is old, know it, learn from it and move on because tomorrow is another day, another opportunity at life.

* * *

><p>It was getting late and the other two workers had already retreated home for the day when the excitement seemed to have finally sizzled<p>

"There are a lot of details we still need to fit into this puzzle but it's getting late and I'm sure you are very tired after a long trip to get here and then all of . . . 'this'."

Katara let out a small laugh. It just dawned to her that this grand event all had happened on her very first visit to Ba Sing Se.

"Heh, yeah I guess you're right," she said looking down to her caramel boots.

"Do you need a ride? I'm sure my nephew or Jin wouldn't mind driving you to wherever you're staying." he offered with a pleasant smile.

"Sure, that'd actually be . . . great really. I'll call my brother to tell him I'm on my way back," She replied, returning the smile.

He nodded his head then journeyed over to Zuko as her hands searched her pockets and then down to her purse when she suddenly realized that Sokka had never called her back.

_I hope everything's okay_, she thought to herself as her fingers grazed the small device. She pulled out her phone but to her surprise the screen read "8 missed calls" She raised her eyebrows and saw that they were all from her brother. Confusion ran across her face and she dialed his number back as quickly as she could. This time he instantly answered the phone.

"Katara, where the hell are you!"

"Sokka, calm down." she replied leisurely, a bit turned off by his affirmative tone, I'm with Zuko and Jin. I found them, after all these-" Her voice was getting higher with every word she said as she realized the truth in what she was saying however Sokka instantly cut her off.

"You're with **Zuko**?" he roared with pure disbelief and disgust.

"Yes, and Jin. We found each other! Isn't that just-"

"What are you doing with Zuko? Who told you where he was? Why did you even leave the apartment in the first place? God, Katara! This is your first day here and you just decide to wonder off like that? You know what, I'm coming to pick you up right now. Where are you?"

His voice was loud as ever, the loudest she had ever heard him before. It almost resembled thunder. He was so loud that everyone within a 3 meter radius could hear. Their conversation was no longer private as all eyes wandered to Katara as well as dumbfounded looks who patiently waited for her next move.

"Excuse me for one moment please," she told the room politely, grabbing her bag and walking towards the main entrance.

She stood in front of the shop, right facing opposite of the large glass window. She didn't quite pay attention to it though as she began to speak again into the phone.

* * *

><p>A good twenty minutes or so had passed and Katara was still outside.<p>

Jin had began whipping down the tables as Zuko was all about the room with a broom, searching for unwanted particles, and Iroh had began calculating the day's profit at the register, each one of occasionally looking up at Katara through the window as she paced back and forth, throwing her hands up in the arm ever once in a while.

They couldn't hear what she was saying though, an investment Iroh had made so that the noises of the loud city wouldn't interfere with the natural serenity within his shop however it was clearly obvious that things weren't going well.

A few more moments passed and everyone seemed to almost forget about her for awhile until she finally emerged through the doors.

Her azure eyes were bloodshot as tears viciously poured from them. The broom dropped from his hands as Zuko immediately went to her, the others soon following.

"What happened," he asked urgently, scanning het body as quickly as he could, searching for any signs of mistreatment.

She attempted to speak but her voice was so fluctuated that she could form the words in her mouth. Realizing she could not say what she wanted to, Katara tried her best to even her breathing as their eyes stared at her in dread.

"I . . . I'm .. . I-I-I'm grateful for today; I really am but I just need to get my things immediately. I'm leaving Ba Sing Se."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** _How'd you like Chapter 2? Leave a review and you might just get a Chapter 3 dedication. Also, thanks again for reading; I really appreciate it more than you know!_


End file.
