HEY GUYS!! sorry this chapter took so long, i had the worst writer's block about this chapter...i had to make it right...i'd tell you why, but you'll have to read it...on a more positive note, FELLZOR was my 100th reviewer!! let's give him/her a huge round of applause!! YAY!! oh and an update on my sequal, i 've been thinking of doing a small one-shot in between "Atonement" and the full lenght sequal "Firefly"...i'll keep you posted.

1. I own nothing at all, except Hoshi, Yuuna, and Yori, everything esle belongs to NIck

2. this story is close to being done, i only have 2 chapters and an epiloge left.

3. i l love reviews and i'm not above begging for them!!

4. If you don't like Zutara, don't read this, you wouldn't like it.

5. the next chapter's quote (The thingy under the chapter #) will probably be Hamlet too, blame my professor, he made me read it

Atonement: Chapter 11:

"This above all; to thine own self be true,

And it must follow as the night the day." Polonius from "Hamlet"

Iroh regained some of his strength over the next few days, but Katara forbade any extreme physical activity or any extra stress. He allowed walks in the garden in the early mornings and a few council meetings but for the most part, Iroh was confined to his bed.

"A bold move," Iroh commented as he watched Katara lay down her moon tile on the Pai Sho board. "A bold move indeed." He was teaching her to play and while she was no match for Iroh or Sokka, who turned out to be very good, she was improving with every game. "But not bold enough I'm afraid!" Iroh put down his favorite lotus tile and won again.

"That's three games in a row!" Katara exclaimed.

"Pai Sho is a game of strategy and cunning. You must learn how your opponent thinks and anticipate!" Iroh instructed.

"I suppose I'm no strategist, then..." Katara started to clean up the board as Hoshi came in bearing the afternoon tea.

"How do you feel this afternoon, my lord?" Hoshi asked Iroh as she set the try down.

"Well, enough for a walk. Perhaps you could persuade her ladyship likewise..." He nodded in Katara's direction.

"Oh no, my lord, only Prince Zuko can do that!" Hoshi giggled as she bowed low to her ruler, then to Katara she sent a small wink and then just as quickly as she'd come, she disappeared.

"I swear..." Katara growled taking her seat next to Iron's bed, trying to fight the inevitable blush.

"Come now, Katara, everyone knows about you and my nephew," Iroh sat up and took a sip of the tea.

"Everyone?"

"Everyone within a thousand mile radius," Iroh confirmed with a smile. And no matter how much Katara did not want to smile back, she did so anyway. She took a sip and thought to herself how fond she'd become of Iroh in the past few months. "You don't have to worry about Ursa and myself, we whole-heartedly approve."

"Good to know, except that I will be going home soon. And Zuko will be Fire Lord and no one would approve then."

"Somehow," Iroh looked over at her. "I think you two will find a way. You are opposites, its true, but I have never seen two people who belong together like you and my nephew."

Katara said nothing. He was of the same mind as her, even if she couldn't admit it. If she admitted it, it would make it so much more true and therefore that much harder to leave when the time came.

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Iroh took a sip. "And if you two have anything in common it's your stubborn-ness. I have never seen two people more stubborn in my entire life!"

As if on some unwritten schedule, the door opened and in came Zuko with a sheaf of papers in hand. Over the last few days, this became their daily schedule, Katara would spend her mornings and early afternoons with Iroh; playing Pai Sho or walking with him, often Toph or Ursa or Suki would join them, while Zuko would spend the latter part of the afternoon with him discussing the meetings he'd missed or having papers for Iroh to sign.

"So how many times did you beat her today, Uncle?" He asked.

"Only three," Iroh took the papers and began flipping through them.

"An improvement," Zuko noted with a smirk and he pulled up a chair next to her.

"Very funny," Katara snapped back. "Just you wait, one day I'm going to surprise you and completely destroy you."

"That'll be the day," he rolled his eyes.

"Careful, Nephew," Iroh warned. "Don't get complacent. She has far more patience than you do and just as much determination."

The days flowed into each other, becoming weeks that Katara marked by Iroh's decline. It was a slow but sure process that filled all their thoughts, but they wouldn't talk about "after". "After" meant that the family they'd built, however odd and strange it was, would dissolve; Toph would return to Ba Sing Se, Aang would head off to who knows where and Sokka and his family would return to the South Pole and in all probability taking Katara with them.

But Katara put it from her mind as she and Zuko slipped out one early spring afternoon. Before they left, however, Sokka insisted that they take Yuuna out for some fresh air. It was a shameless attempt on his part to be sure they always had a chaperone.

"I have to hand it to your brother," Zuko told her as they sat under the still bare cherry tree. "He's good," he nodded in Yuuna's direction as she practiced the stances Katara taught her.

"He's so obnoxious," Katara growled. "He acts like he doesn't trust me!"

"I don't think it's you that he distrusts. Especially after last week..." But his smile was anything but apologetic. Last week, she and Zuko had snuck out of Iroh's room while everyone else had gathered there after dinner. Sokka had gotten suspicious and caught them while they were "Spending some quality time together" as Katara explained it to her brother.

"I don't care what you call it!" Sokka had roared like a crazed platypus-bear. "If I catch you again," Sokka poked Zuko hard in the chest. "I will kill you!"

"True," Katara smiled. "But it was worth it."

"You're not getting the evil eye from Sokka all the time."

"Again, true."

Suddenly, Yuuna looked up and pointed at the nearest gate into the gardens. "Look, it's Hoshi!"

Katara and Zuko both stood as Yuuna took Katara's free hand as Hoshi hurried toward them. "What's wrong? Is it Iroh?"

"No, my lady. Ming sent me to get you. She says there's a man here who says he's from the Southern Tribes. He says he's your father."

"What? Dad?" Katara paled slightly.

"Yes!"

"Grandpa!" Yuuna shrieked, letting go of Katara's hand and running in the direction of the foyer with Hoshi running after her. "Yuuna, come back!"

"So, I'm assuming by the look on your face, that you had no idea that your dad was coming?"

"No, I didn't...did you have something do with this?"

"Are you ever going to trust me?"

"After you inviting Sokka behind my back, no way," she replied as they walked into the foyer and standing there was a tall man cradling Yuuna in his huge hands. "Dad?" Katara breathed and stepped forward.

"Katara?" he set Yuuna down.

Katara didn't answer; she only ran to and leapt into his arms. There was nothing quite like a father's embrace, she thought to herself, that could make you forget all the cares in the world. "It's so good to see you, Dad!"

"Its wonderful to see you," he insisted holding tightly to her. He pulled back for a moment, finally seeing Zuko standing a few feet from them. Katara felt the muscles in her father's arm tighter his back stiffen, she looked up to see the cold glare in her father's eyes.

"Dad," She patted his much larger hand. "You remember Prince Zuko, Fire Lord Iroh's nephew?"

"I did." Hakoda bowed

"It has been a long time, Chief Hakoda," Zuko bowed back. "We are honored by your visit." He turned to Hoshi who had Yuuna in her arms. "Hoshi, please be sure to inform the house-keepers to have a room ready for Chief Hakoda by dinner. In the same wing as Lady Katara and Lord Sokka."

Hoshi bowed and ran to do so.

"So, what are you doing here, Dad?" Katara asked her father.

He produced a letter from his pocket. "Fire Lord Iroh wrote to me, he said he had some things to discuss with me. Perhaps I could be permitted an audience with him today?"

"Only if, K-Lady Katara allows it," Zuko replied.

"I don't see why not," Katara assured her father. "He's been doing very well, lately."

Later that night, her father was settling into a room of his own Katara was helping him unpack.

Her father sighed and shook his head at her.

"What?" She asked with a smile.

"You look so much like your mother," He cupped her cheeks. "So grown up and so beautiful."

"Thank you, Dad. You should get to bed, I'm sure your exhausted." She stood on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek and started to leave.

"Katara," he held her arm. "Stay a minute, would you? I need to talk to you."

"About what?" She grabbed a seat on the bed and he sat next to her.

"What are you doing here, Katara?"

"What do you mean? I'm here to help Iroh." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a Healer, that's what I do."

He sighed and looked down. "I know about you and Prince Zuko...I know you two are involved..."

"Did Sokka tell you? No, don't answer. I know he did! He treats me like a child!"

"Yes, Sokka did tell me, but he did it for your own good."

"Really?" Katara asked sarcastically. "I can't wait to hear his spin on this? Did he tell you that Zuko is a bad influence on me?"

"Katara, have you forgotten what these people did to us? How they took your mother, my wife, away from us? He did that to us!"

"No, he didn't!" Katara shot back. "His father ordered that attack! His father continued this war! His father is the one who killed Mom! Not Zuko!"

"He is his father's son!"

"He is nothing like his father; he's proved that to us, time and time again..."

"Have you forgotten what he put you and your brother and Aang though? He let his sister nearly kill Aang! He chased you all over the world!"

"No, I haven't forgotten, Dad, but it has nothing to do with us now. We've moved past all of it. This is the only way we are ever going to get over this war..."

"I just don't understand how you can be in these people's presence...sit next to them..."

"They're people too, Dad. They live and die just like us. Iroh is dying and...I can't save him. Just like I couldn't save Gran-Gran or Mom..." Katara felt a tear or two spill over her cheek. "And Zuko, he has all this responsibility to deal with and he doesn't confide in anyone but me..."

"Do you love him?" her father asked quietly.

Katara looked up at her father for a moment. "I think I might."

"And does he reciprocate the feeling?"

"I don't know...we haven't talked about it. Everything has been so crazy lately..."

"So, no offers of marriage?"

Katara shook her head.

"Good."

"Good?"

"Nothing. I'm just not ready for my little girl to get married."

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad, I'm twenty-one. I'll be twenty-two in a couple of months." She rolled her eyes.

"I know, you're all grown up and I missed it."

"Dad," She whispered, placing one hand on his cheek. "We have all the time in the world to make it up."

"One thing I am grateful for," her father patted her hand. "Iroh's wisdom is rubbing off on you."

"Very funny Dad, goodnight..."

It was a stroke of luck that Hakoda came when he did, because not a week after he arrived, Iroh caught a fever that he couldn't shake. The days leading up to the Spring Equinox blended into the nights as Katara, Zuko, Toph and Aang took turns sitting up with him.

Katara realized, as the days dragged on, that this is it. The end for Iroh, time had finally caught up with them. What kind of a world was this? She asked herself, where a man as wonderful as Iroh had to suffer like this before he died?

Late one afternoon, the day before the Spring Equinox, Katara dipped a washcloth into a bowl of cool water scented with jasmine and fire-lilies, both plants noted for their calming and healing properties. When it was cool, she picked it up, wrung it out and laid it back on Iroh's burning forehead.

Zuko leaned forward on Iroh's other side. "How is he?"

Katara looked him in the eye and shook her head.

Suddenly, Iroh's eyes opened and saw Zuko first. "Lu Ten?" he rasped.

Zuko shook his head. "No, Uncle...It's Zuko...your nephew. Lu Ten has been gone a long time."

Iroh sighed. "Ah, Zuko...forgive me...The light is playing...tricks on me."

"There is nothing to forgive," Zuko assured Iroh taking one of Iroh's hands in his. Zuko looked up at Katara. "His hands are cold."

"I know..." Katara took the washcloth off, it would do little good now. "Can we get you anything, Iroh?"

He shook his head slowly. "There is no pain now...But...Zuko...When I am gone, promise me..." Katara saw his chest rise and fall far too quickly for this...time was up.

"Anything..." Katara could hear the unshed tears in Zuko's voice and it tore at her heart. She could not stop this; just like she couldn't stop the sun from falling from the sky as it was rapidly doing now.

"Remember...who you are now...that is who you are supposed to be...My son..." And his eyes fell close, his chest stopped rising. Katara put her hand over her mouth to stop the scream that wanted to come out. The Dragon of the West had passed into the Spirit World.

I know you guys are all sad...im sorry, but this had to be done for the puposes of this fic...don't worry the story doesn't end here, i still have two chapters and an epiloge to do...please review...i love them!! much love!!