Disclaimer: if i owned avatar we would not be having this conversation b/c mai would not exsist and zutara would have happened way back in the 1st season.

A/N: alright the promised story. i was gonna have the ch be longer but 4 now i couldn't get the 2nd part where i wanted it. and 4 those of u who r not familiar w/ my work and even those who r. this starts directly after my drabble peace which is 1 of my favs considering my own writing. i don't thik it's nesscary 2 go and read it but if u want go ahead. again sorry 4 the lack of content but i will try 2 update soon no promises here. and as always reviews make me oh so happy, elated, any kind of happy take ur pic : )

Katara awoke groggily. She was now only beginning to feel the after effects of the fight and her exertion from healing. After rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked around. The covers had been pulled over her shoulders. It was darker than before. She rolled over towards the window and saw the sky was lit by the moon. Out on the balcony ledge was Zuko with his back turned towards her. She sighed softly observing him wondering if he had gotten any sleep in the past few days. If he had it wasn't much.

Zuko stood looking out over the damage to the capital. It was a shadow of its former self. Although most of the royal palace looked fine from the outside it looked much worse inside. He still couldn't comprehend that it was all over. Now he was without his sister and his father. Light footsteps caught his attention, breaking him from his thoughts. It was Katara, he didn't have to turn around to know that.

"You really need to sleep you know," she said leaning her elbows on the ledge next to him.

"So says the girl who fainted from exhaustion."

She smiled, "I guess I am a bit of a hypocrite, but I also know that you really do need to sleep."

"How can I sleep after what happened?" he countered a hint of anger in his voice. He didn't know where that was coming from. He should be happy that it was all over. Yet he wasn't.

However Katara still managed to remain calm. This of course was after many weeks of being around him. Although many of the times in the beginning were spent fighting sometimes she just didn't want to fight and had to keep her cool.

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't rest," she replied her voice gentle but firm.

They both looked out onto the city in silence. Zuko reflecting on the past of what used to be the most ruthless nation and his home, while Katara looked to the future of its inhabitants and how she could help them recover. She looked over to him and could see his jaw tense.

"You can talk about it you know," Katara offered. "I am willing to listen."

"It's complicated," he muttered.

She nodded slowly, "I know but I'm here if you need me."

Zuko didn't say anything his gold eyes still trained on the city below. Now was not the time he wanted to talk about anything.

"Well I'm going to go check on some more patients," she said standing up straight. She realized she wasn't going to be getting anything out of him today. Plus she had already wasted enough time to sleep instead of healing people. "I want you to at least try and rest. Doctor's orders," she smiled.

He didn't respond.

"I'll be back in an hour to check on you."

After Katara left Zuko's thoughts turned from his deceased family members to the small band he had come to know over the past few weeks. They had accepted him reluctantly, but he couldn't blame them. Toph had been one of the first to reach out, in her own way. He suspected it had something to do with her own lie detecting skills. Zuko had a sneaking suspicion his uncle had some influence as well.

The Avatar, Aang, had come next but still not as much as the banished prince would have liked. He knew the motivation was from a strategic point in order to do what had been done. Sokka to this day had a suspicion about him. It didn't help when Katara had decided to forgive him in the process bringing them closer then the warrior would have liked.

The waterbender was his saving grace in terms of being accepted. She was the sole reason he had joined. He had wanted her forgiveness. Finding that it was a difficult feat to obtain. It had taken a lot of convincing gestures culminating in his rescue of Iroh. From that point on Katara had been quite warm to him, although hesitant for a week or so. Their relationship was a solid friendship now. The mental image of Katara mad during their last spar made him smile. She was his favorite person to fight with, and in some ways he doesn't ever want to fight with her. Hell hath no fury, as they say. It was funny how the tables had turned from the day they had "met".

Finally Zuko turned back into the bedroom. The red sheets were still rumpled. The image of the waterbender in the red fire nation sheets seemed to stay in his mind. She had slept so well. He didn't have the same hopes for himself. He anticipated nightmare upon nightmare to plague him for months, maybe even years. But somehow the image of Katara seemed to calm him.

Once he laid upon the disheveled bed he could feel the faint remnants of her warmth, and the soft scent that was only Katara. It was oddly comforting. And before he knew it he had fallen asleep to images of blue eyes and dark skin beneath crimson sheets.