A/N: A new Avatar is coming! A new Avatar is coming! Is everyone excited for it? I am…

Still, doesn't help the Zutara fans… but a brighter tomorrow, right? So, I wrote this while looking under the Avatar wiki page and saw something along the lines of the Harmony Restoration Movement and Zuko backing out of it for a while. And I became inspired. I wanted to see how Katara would handle the situation alone. And forewarning, if the characters are a little out of character, I'm sorry! And this isn't a Zutara happy ending. Unfortunately… I didn't want to write one…

All characters belong to their respective owners. Or else, I wouldn't have to write stories… but that is a tale for another day.

He walked out of the Harmony Restoration. She knows him better than that, so there has to be a reason. He couldn't be retreating to his past self again. She won't let him.

"I'll go talk to him," Katara states calmly. Aang shoots up out of his seat. Sokka watches her calmly and Toph scowled at her.

"Not by yourself!" Aang argues. Katara smiled at him and shook her head. "I won't allow it!"

"You don't dictate me, Aang," Katara states. Katara rises from her seat and watches her brother throw her a pack. She catches it and nods her thanks to him. He smiles. "I'll be back within one month."

She walks out of Ba Sing Se toward the Fire Nation. It takes her two weeks to get there by boat and foot.

.

Standing at the palace walls, Katara glances at the guards. One approaches her hesitantly, but she gives him a comforting smile. "Ma'am, the Fire Lord is not receiving guests today."

"I am here to see Lady Mai, not the Fire Lord." The guards smile in relief and let her in. Katara nods and has one escort her to Mai. She notices the disarray of servants rushing and the gardens not being tended. The maids are whispering to themselves in one corner and she narrows her eyes. "He's seen his father, hasn't he?"

"Everyday, ma'am," the guard whispers back. She nods her silent thanks and he knocks on Mai's door. The huge red doors open and a tired looking Mai smiles at Katara.

"This is a surprise, Master Katara." Katara bows to Mai and Mai nods in return. Katara is ushered into the room and she notices how bare it is. "We haven't seen each other in so long."

"We both know why I am here, Lady Mai. Lets drop the formalities, please." Katara puts her pack on the floor and a maid rushes to get it. The maid looks at Katara questioningly. "The same room I was in last time, please."

Mai crosses her arms and scowls at Katara. "Then he will listen to you. He doesn't listen to anyone anymore. He is becoming increasingly paranoid and angry. Almost enough to make me want to leave him."

Katara nods and walks toward the secret passage way. She looks at Mai once again. Mai waves her off with a flick of her wrist. Katara walks through the dark passage way. She opens it and immediately senses him. His study is a mess. There are papers everywhere and the stench of old food fills her nostrils.

"No one is allowed in here," he growls from behind her. She tenses slightly, but cannot react as he throws her against the wall. She feels the breath being sucked out of her and she puts a hand on his arm. There is a glaze in his eyes that she does not like. It is the same one she saw in Azula's eyes.

"Zuko," she rasps. His eyes meet hers and his hand loosens. She immediately reaches out to touch his cheek. He lets a tear run down his cheek. "I know, Zuko, I know."

He quickly backs away from her and slams into his desk. She walks toward him. His eyes are filled with helplessness now. "I won't let them hurt you, I promise."

"Nothing makes sense," he mutters. "Nothing. I… I want to die, Katara. Everyday people come and I can't trust them. I can't…"

"It's okay," she states firmly. She walks toward him. He is leaning on his desk now, with tears running down his cheeks. She hugs him. His arms lay by his sides for many long moments. She's happy that when he hugs her, he doesn't kill her.

.

She is looking through his paperwork a little later. He is sleeping on his bed. She notices every time he flinches in his sleep or tries to mutter something. Her lips purse and her blue eyes blaze in fury at what he has become. But she knows it is a long way for him to recover. And she isn't willing to let him do it alone.

She fills out the paperwork to the best of her ability. She sorts out the different papers on the floor and in the drawers. By the time he starts to awaken, his office is a neat sanctuary again. She walks to his bed and sits down on the side of it. He takes one of her hands and brings it to his cheek. "We can't be doing this every time you have a nervous breakdown, you know."

"Then stay this time," he says. She watches him kiss her palm and bring it back to his cheek. "Please stay. I need you more than I realized."

"You need the idea of me, Zuko." She knows she cannot afford to lie to him. But saving her heart from him is the only defense she has left. She went down this road before and will not have it again. He stiffens below her and drags her across his bed. They roll until he is on top. She sees the beard starting to grow on his face. His eyes, now clear of the craziness, gaze at her calculatingly. He is trying to figure out how to seduce her. As if he needed any aid in that area.

"… Things have changed so much," he states sadly. She nods and his head rests near hers. She gently rubs her hand up and down his back. He cries into the bed. She holds him throughout it all. "I didn't want to ask him for advice. He was the only one close enough… I didn't know…"

"Let them go," she states. She watches his head rise and his eyes lock with hers. She smiles at him and he shakes his head. Her eyes glare into his and he finally gives a nod.

"What happens next time?" he asks. She gets up from under him. She reaches for her necklace. She takes it off and hands it to him. He looks at her confusedly. She laughs at him and ties it around his wrist.

"You have a part of me, Zuko," she says. She kneels down before him and tears stream down her cheeks. He wipes them away with his hands and goes onto the floor with her. He holds her close and hums. "You'll always have a part of me."

"You took my heart the first time I saw you," he admits. He laughs bitterly. "I guess I'm going to lose to him again."

"You'll never lose to him. He is pure and needs to be protected. He isn't corrupted like us." She states. She feels his hand trail down her arm and back. She smiles and shakes her head. "We can't. You know that."

"At least… at least we'll have those memories." His face grows impassive and she shakes her head at him. Her cheek is put to his chest and he gazes down at her thoughtfully. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"You're going to live. You're going to move your castle from this emotional death trap, marry your fiancée, and have tons of firebending babies." She shakes her head at that statement. He laughs softly and puts his head down on hers. "And you'll remain clearheaded when you go talk to that idiot Earth King."

"How do you know I will?" She smiles in response and points toward the necklace. He nods and kisses her gently. "This is the last time, isn't it?"

"For a long time, my love." She states it sadly. He nods and they get up together. He gazes down at her and a silent understanding passes through them. She reaches up to touch his cheek and he brings his hand to touch hers. "I love you."

"You will be with me always. And I will be with you." He gives her his dearest possession: his mother's comb. She nods and puts it in her robes. He hugs her closely again and lowers his voice. "Next lifetime, you're mine."

"Next lifetime, you won't get away." She steps back from him and smiles. He nods and she leaves him. He closes his eyes and feels the spirit restored to him. He yells for his staff to come to him. He has some moving to do.

.

Seventy years later…

She has no regrets. Her children are beautiful and strong willed. Her life was filled with many adventures. Including training the newest Avatar. She smiles warmly at her village and they in return. It is only time now.

Her fire sparkles as she gazes into it. She starts humming a tune beneath her breath when she looks up. He stands before her. He smiles in peace. She nods. She begins to sleep.

She never awakens.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Review if you want!