How tragic.

Everything seemed so perfect, I was sure it was going to happen. There they were, gazing at each other, she with tears in her eyes, he with incomparable gratitude and compassion in his. He had just sacrificed himself for her, and she had brought him back from the brink of death, what more can you ask for! Zuko and Katara, two people so different, yet so obviously destined for each other...

Or not, according to Avatar screenwriters.

Yes, the series finale of Nickelodeon's "Avatar: The Last Airbender" came and went without a trace of the fated Zuko and Katara pairing. To say that I was disappointed is a horrible understatement. I was furious, livid, grieved, and utterly stupefied. I took some solace in the Zutara hub on deviantart, yet it wasn't the same as having it actually happen right then and there on the screen in front of me. True, we Zutara fans were a bit daring in our presumptions, but in all honesty, we really thought that fateful kiss, that beautiful couple, would happen.

Some people (my sister, a diehard "Katara & Aang" fan, included) have asked me why I'm so bent on seeing Zuko and Katara together. The answer is unclear, even to me. I've always liked the odd couples, the ones who never seem to belong together, yet are so compatible it's as though they were made for each other. Such unions stand as proof that yes, there is a chance for a happy ending, even if prince charming isn't quite the man expected. I also want to believe that differences can be breached, prejudices can be forgotten, and even the worst of enemies can banish their hatred in favor of love and happiness. For me, Zuko and Katara stood for all those things. Their union would have meant an ultimate peace of two very different worlds (elements, if you will.) That, to me, is something that would have been a fantastic addition to an already supreme and excellent show. So go ahead and gloat all you want, Kataang fans. Deep down, you know that Zutara is the way the show was meant to be.