A/N: A post-finale Zutara friendship fic. Ouch! (rubs head) There's Kataang too! Don't go all spiky on me! Gosh! Leave your comments with that wonderful button below labeled 'Go.' It's magnificent! You should try it sometime!

Lounging comfortably in a cushioned wicker armchair and sipping from a china cup filled to the brim with bracingly warm tea, Zuko relaxed on the balcony as he watched the sun set in a glorious wash of pastel colors.

Just as peace had come to the world, peace had seeped slowly into his mind, washing away all the worries and pain he associated with his 'messed up childhood.' He was the Fire Lord now, and he could set everything right that his forefathers had done wrong. All those years in exile, struggling within himself to discover some way he could regain his honor, had prepared him for what was ahead. Instead of simply his honor, it was now the honor of the entire Fire Nation he needed to reassemble.

Facing him was a feat never attempted by a Fire Lord in the history of his country. It would be a long and tedious road, but Zuko had confidence in his nation and in himself that together, they would pull their broken country together and would once again be a proud and worthy people.

Zuko took a deep breath of the crisp evening air, settling deeper in his chair. From inside, he could hear his friends squabbling pleasantly.

"If you don't like my artistic skills, then I'm sure you would love to do it yourself!"

"Sokka, I can't draw in the slightest, but I guarantee that even Toph could do better than this!"

"Guys…"

"Oh yeah?"

"Guys…"

"Yeah!"

"Hello, Earth to Sokka and Katara…"

"Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind demonstrating!"

"Okay. Toph! Will you come over here?"

"Seriously, guys, can't we just…"

"No, I'm not going to try to get in between you two!"

"Ha! See…"

"GUYS!!

Zuko chuckled into his tea cup. He shook his head with an amused sigh. Once a peacemaker, always a peacemaker.

"WHAT?!" Sokka and Katara roared.

The Fire Lord could just imagine the exasperated look on the Water Tribe siblings' faces. Their indignant expressions were probably very near identical, and Aang was probably holding up his palms in a gesture that said, Calm down before you do some serious damage to someone's eardrums. Zuko tipped his cup up to drink.

"Please, you two, calm down before you end up doing serious damage to someone's eardrums, will you?"

The firebender sputtered with laughter. I knew it.

"But, Aang…"

"No, Sokka," the airbender's voice was firm. "No more arguing. Mai is upstairs trying to sleep, and Toph and Suki are on their way up as well! You should be getting some rest, too, with that leg of yours! Do you want to let it get infected?"

"You're starting to sound like Katara!" There was a pause, and Zuko assumed either his sister or Aang (or both) was glaring at Sokka pointedly. "Fine, fine, I'll go!" the warrior grumbled, and Zuko could hear the distinct squeal of the chair as he pushed it back and stood up. Grabbing his crutch, Sokka tried to make a huffy exit, only to fail miserably when he lost the grip on the wooden aid, tripped over it, and crashed unceremoniously to the ground.

Zuko heard the stifled laughter of the other two as they moved to help the embarrassed warrior to his feet, as well as his dark mutterings as he gathered what was left of his dignity and stalked clumsily out of the room.

"Poor Sokka," the Fire Lord heard Katara mumbled to Aang, and Zuko could almost see the sheepish expression that must've appeared on the Avatar's face. The waterbender continued. "Do you think I was too hard on him?"

"He'll be over it by morning," Aang assured her with what was probably one of his characteristic grins, "Don't worry about it."

"I guess you're right," Katara replied, and Zuko noticed that their voices were becoming louder.

The pair emerged on the balcony, shoulder-to-shoulder.

In addition to the green and gold kimono Katara wore, a green silk cloak was wrapped around her shoulders, and cupped in her hands she held a steaming mug of tea. Aang wore his newly mended orange and yellow Air Nomad top and breeches, and from just below the knee and down, his legs and feet were bare, leaving his blue arrow tattoos shimmering against the paleness of his skin.

Zuko was so wrapped up in his observing that he failed to observe that the waterbender had turned to stare at him.

And when Katara's gaze fixated onto something beyond him, Aang, naturally, turned to see what it was. When his indigo gaze met the firebender's, Zuko was almost shocked to see his eyes darken.

"Oh. Hey Zuko."

The Fire Lord felt a note of surprise jolt in him when he picked up the slight disappointment in the Avatar's voice. But, dismissing both these signs as probably a case of over-analyzing on his part, he just lifted his free hand in a gesture of greeting.

A biting breeze wafted over the trio, and Katara tugged her cloak a bit closer and unconsciously shifted closer to Aang as she apologized, "Sorry, we didn't know you were out here."

"Are we bothering you?" Aang questioned earnestly, "Because we can go back inside, if you want."

Zuko smiled. "Don't mind me. I'm just enjoying the fresh air."

Katara raised her cup to her lips and sipped before speaking. "Well, a few minutes wouldn't hurt. It's such a lovely evening, anyway."

The Fire Lord nodded in agreement. "The moon's full tonight," he stated.

Katara left Aang's side to sit on the stone bench adjacent to Zuko's chair. A moment later, the airbender followed her lead, settling on the bench beside her.

"I thought so," the waterbender glanced upward toward the star-strewn sky, noting that the firebender's earlier conclusion was correct. "No wonder I feel so wide awake."

Zuko stifled a yawn.

Aang smiled, commenting good-humoredly, "I guess it has the opposite effects on firebenders."

Zuko cupped a hand over his mouth, nodding. "Well, then," he said after his yawn had dissipated, "How does it affect you then?"

The airbender shrugged. "I don't know."

"That's an interesting thing to look into, Aang," Katara commented conversationally, "Now that we've got more time on our hands."

"All the time in the world," Zuko added, with a shake of his head. "It feels weird."

Aang and Katara agreed.

The waterbender drank the last of her tea, and with a disappointed sigh, she set the empty mug beside her on the bench. Noticing the two boys' looks, she said with a self-conscious laugh, "I can't get enough of your uncle's tea. It's addicting."

The firebender made as if to stand, asking, "Do you want more? Because I'm sure…"

"I can do it," Aang cut in, already on his feet. Zuko settled back in his chair with a nod. Katara gave her cup to the airbender, smiling gratefully.

Turning on his heel, the Avatar walked toward the doorway.

"Uh, Aang?"

The airbender stopped, and turned. "Yeah?"

"Could you…?" Zuko held up his cup.

"Of course," Aang nodded, a tight-lipped smile forming on his face as he took the mug that the Fire Lord held out. "Be right back."

Katara glanced toward Zuko as soon as she was sure Aang was out of earshot.

"Does he seem…I don't know…off, to you?"

The Fire Lord smiled. "He's just defending his new position."

"What?"

Zuko's eyebrow rose. "Come on, Katara. We all saw what you two were exchanging out here earlier."

Katara's face flushed a bright red. "Uh…"

Zuko crossed his arms and smirked. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but hiding something in plain sight doesn't work that way."

The waterbender flushed a deeper color, and glared at him from beneath it.

The Fire Lord smiled knowingly. "I'd say I hit the nail on the head."

Katara didn't break her glare, and regaining her ability to speak, threatened. "I'll hit you on the head," she muttered, staring at him with a half-hearted glower.

Zuko nodded solemnly. "I don't doubt it for a second."

"You'd better not."

"I haven't." After a pause, he added, "Besides, being friends with you is way easier than being enemies. No more being swept away by enormous tidal waves or frozen in spheres of ice."

The two shared a lighthearted laugh, but suddenly Katara's expression grew serious.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," she murmured darkly, her eyebrow arching upward.

Zuko laughed.

Katara did not.

The firebender stopped and stared, his eyes widening slightly. "You wouldn't…"

She shrugged. "Actually, you're probably right. I wouldn't. But I wanted to right then, for about…four seconds."

Zuko smiled, stifling another yawn.

Katara shifted on the bench, crossing her ankles. Her blue eyes seemed to glow under the moonlight. "Tired?" she asked.

Absentmindedly reached up to rub his good eye, Zuko replied sleepily, "Yeah. It's amazing how sleepy you can get when there is no threat of ambush or attack in the night."

Katara stifled a giggle. "Touché."

That next moment, in a whoosh of air, Aang reappeared, with two steaming cups of tea. Hastily handing one to Zuko, he scooted across the balcony and settled beside Katara on the bench, carefully giving her the second one, in such a way so he wouldn't spill any.

The firebender in the chair a few feet away stuck a finger in his mouth with a yelp. Aang and Katara turned to regard him curiously.

Zuko removed his hand sheepishly, rubbing it with a wince on his pant leg. "Splashed some on my hand." Katara put a finger to her mouth, hiding her amused smile, and the airbender beside her looked on impassively.

"Aang," the waterbender turned to the boy beside her, "Would you go get one of those cloth napkins for Zuko? That burn looks like it hurts."

With a nod and a slight frown, Aang got up and disappeared inside.

Zuko sucked on his finger once more, commenting knowingly, "You've got him wrapped around your finger."

Reaching up to rub the back of her neck, Katara smiled and shrugged. "He's too sweet. He'll do anything you ask him to, within reasonable standards, with no complaint whatsoever. I like that about him." She flushed.

Suddenly feeling strangely protective of the young airbender, Zuko stiffened. "You better not lead him on," he warned, "He really does like you, you know."

Katara straightened indignantly. "I'm not leading him on. How could you even say that? I…"

Before she could finish her statement, Aang reappeared, handing the napkin more carefully to Zuko. "Here."

"Thanks, Aang."

The airbender inclined his head. Then, he glanced at Katara, and then back toward Zuko. For a moment, he looked conflicted, but the expression soon passed, and he yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "Well, I think I'm going to head to bed," he announced through the yawn. "You two have fun. I'll…see you in the morning."

Then, the airbender left.

Zuko whistled, marveling at Aang's self control. He glanced slyly toward Katara, who was staring after the airbender, likely wondering if she had hurt him in any way. "That took courage."

The waterbender blinked up at him. "Huh? What?"

"That took courage," the firebender repeated. "For him to do that."

"Do what?"

Zuko explained. "For him to leave. He knew he was interrupting. So he strategically removed himself so he wouldn't intrude."

"Oh." Katara's lips formed a perfect circle. She said nothing more.

Zuko's eyes narrowed, glinting maniacally.

Katara half-stood, suddenly nervous. "What?"

Zuko's eyebrow rose. "What were you going to say earlier?"

The waterbender frowned. "Nothing. I wasn't going to say anything."

"You were!" the firebender leaned forward accusingly, realization lighting his amber eyes triumphantly. "You were going to say you loved him!"

"No I wasn't!" Katara protested weakly.

"Nice try," Zuko laughed, feeling strangely giddy. "You can't deny it. It's obvious!" His voice lowered substantially. "When will you begin to realize that it's not a little kid's crush Aang feels for you?"

Katara stood, defiance radiating from her. "I know that!" she almost shouted, "I've known that for a long time!" Reaching up to tug self-consciously on a lock of her long hair, she went on in a voice only slightly above a whisper. "But I didn't believe it. I thought it would pass…I thought it was just a crush that would go away. Almost…I almost hoped it would go away." She stared at the ground for a long while.

When she finally looked up, their gazes met. "Do you know what it's like to lose someone you love?" She let the question stretch out for a moment. Zuko bowed his head in acknowledgement, his heart in his throat.

Katara went on, hot tears flooding her eyes. "I do. After Aang was killed at Ba Sing Se…and after the water from the spirit oasis brought him back…all the time before he woke up…I was terrified. It was more than just fear." She let her cloak slip from her shoulders to the stone floor. The wind toyed with her hair, and she lifted her face, looking out beyond the Jasmine Dragon's courtyard, to the landscape beyond, shrouded in blue moonlight. "I felt sick. I felt sick for days…weeks. It felt like a part of me had been ripped away. Aang was alive…I thanked the heavens for that…but he wasn't there. He was somewhere else. Somewhere between life and death, some place horrible where I couldn't go and bring him back. Day after day, I became more and more afraid that he wasn't going to make it…that he was going to die despite everything I had done and tried to do. It felt like I was losing my mom all over again…but this time was different. This time, I had been able to do something about it. And I was afraid that even that wasn't enough. And this time, it wasn't my mom I was losing. I was losing the world. I was losing any hope for peace. I was losing Aang." She stopped, sniffling and trying in vain to regain her composure as tears streamed down her face. "It had been nearly a month before he woke up. When he did…it was unlike anything I had ever felt before. He…" she managed something that was intended as a laugh, but sounded more like a choked sob. "He thought he'd been captured…we were hiding out on a captured Fire navy ship that my dad and his warriors had stolen. Aang…you should've seen the look on his face when from out of nowhere, Momo hopped right there in front of him. And when he saw the rest of us…I guess it was just too much." Her voice softened. "I've never seen him look so relieved and confused at the same time in all the time we've traveled with him. Or…" she paused. "…or as weak." She sniffed, smiling at the memory. "He passed clean out on the deck, and Sokka had to carry him back to the cabin."

Zuko wasn't expecting the abrupt end of her tale, and when she spoke no more, he looked up. Her expression was one of reminisce, and he saw as it suddenly morphed into one of sorrow. She met his gaze, rubbing the tearstains from her face. "I'm sorry I dumped all of this on you," she gave a hollow chuckle, "I know I can be over-emotional sometimes."

"I didn't mind at all," the Fire Lord replied kindly, "It was actually kind of nice. I'm glad I can be someone you can talk to. I know you'd do the same for me." He stood up.

Katara wiped a tear off her cheek with the heel of her hand and smiled at him. "That means a lot, you know," she said, getting to her feet with a final sniff. After a brief pause, she stepped forward, hugging him tightly.

He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.

Separating, she inclined her head, blinking her crystal blue eyes gratefully as she straightened the wrinkles in her dress with a tug. "'Night, Zuko."

She gathered her cloak about her shoulders and strode off the balcony and through the archway, into the building. Turning, he watched her receding figure until she turned the corner and was gone. Lifting his face, Zuko gazed at the bright moon that hung so large in the sky. His lips twitched upward in a smile.

"Goodnight."