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"This will be the last time I will ever see this place again." Katara picked her head up off the lawn to see the building of the high school right across the road.

"The school, or the town?" Zuko flipped himself over, his back facing the ground and his face staring at the sky.

"The school, though I probably won't be able to come home for many holiday's."

"Do you regret picking a college overseas?"

Katara's hair dragged on the ground as she turned to face Zuko once more."I regret picking one that is more than three thousand miles from you."

"We won't always be a part."

"Just for four years." Katara said, a frown lacing her lips.

"I could always visit you."

"Not all the time, that would cost to much."

"I've got plenty of money to share."

"Your father put you in his will?" Katara's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"My father didn't make a will."

"So everything went to you."

"The house, the cars, the money. Maybe I should be happy that I had just turned eighteen by the time they got everything sorted."

"So what you're saying is that I have a rich boyfriend that can take me anywhere in the world?" Katara leaned over Zuko, her hair brushing his face, a joking smile spreading on her face.

"And where would you want to go, assuming I was allowed to tag along." Zuko pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"Paris."

"Maybe one day, after college."

Sighing, Katara laid her head down on Zuko's stomach. She felt his fingers gliding through her hair as he played with the strands. "Why do things have to end?"

Zuko stayed silent, not having an answer.

The black gown hung over her shoulders as she placed her gold tassel cap on her head. She smoothed the hair that hung in her blue eyes behind her ears.

Heat was already starting to build up underneath the gown as the temperature for the day started to climb into the high eighties. She felt sweat gathering on her legs and shoulders, feeling glad that she had decided to wear shorts and a tank top under the robe.

A summer breeze blew in from Katara's open window, ruffling her gown and swinging the tassel into her face.

It was a good day to have graduation, maybe too hot, but at least it wasn't raining. Katara peaked out her window, smiling to herself when she saw squirrels running along the ground chasing each other. It was truly summer. The cascades were singing with their summer music.

The summer haze had started. She heard sprinklers from near by lawns near by. She looked over at her clock wondering if she had time to take a quick dip in the shower but resolved against it when she saw she only had thirty minutes to get out of the house and to school.

She picked her head up when she heard a familiar screeching of a car. Zuko's uncle was pulling into the driveway to Zuko's house. She saw Zuko open the door with haste, he was not quite ready. Katara laughed to herself as it looked like from her distance that Zuko had just woken up by the way he did a cat stretch over his head with his arms.

Katara was going to call to them from her window, if her voice could have reached the distance, but decided against it when she saw him and his uncle embrace.

She left the window, leaving it open so her stuffy room could get a breath of fresh air for the day.

She went back into the bathroom, taking one last look in the mirror. Her light shade of makeup was still on and the humidity in the air hadn't made her hair frizzy just yet.

Coming out of her bathroom, Katara dug around in her closet for her high heeled boots. Her head bumped into the wall as she lost balance but quickly righted herself. She picked up her boots and her cap that had dropped off her head in her rummaging. Her hair quickly fell back into her eyes, making Katara sigh as she fixed her hair back to its usual spot and placed her cap back on.

As she stumbled back out of her closet, Katara's eyes landed on a picture of her mother. She let a small soft smile grace her lips, wishing that her mother was here to see her off but knowing she could never bring her back.

With one last look at her room, watching the sun make shadows on all her knick knacks, she closed the door knowing that soon she would have to start packing up everything. Her stomach dropped at the sudden thought but knew college was the direction for her as was the school she chose.

Her grandmother and Sokka were down stairs waiting for her. Sokka's cap was haphazardly thrown on the ground as he hugged his grandmother. The click of Katara's shoes interrupted them, causing them to turn.

Gran Gran clapped her hands together. "Katara, dear, you look wonderful. Your mother would be so proud."

"Thank you." She fled into her grandmother's waiting arms, a small tear trickling down her face. "I'm going to miss having you there for me."

"Don't worry. You will do fine in the big world, I'm counting on you."

Her grandmother released her from the hug, and Katara made her way over to where her brother Sokka was lazily sliding his feet across the floor, an attempt to distract him from the prospect of crying.

"It won't be the same." Katara said, nervously playing with the ends of her hair.

"Yeah, it will be weird to not have someone to constantly look after."

"You can come to my dorm in England and help me beat off the guys that don't understand that I am not available."

"You're still staying together?" Sokka said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. We'll make it work out."

"I love you sis." Sokka scooped her up into his arms.

Katara let out a strangled cry but wrapped her arms around him. "I love you too."

There was a click of the camera causing Katara to turn her head to see her grandmother poised to take a picture. Her finger just lifting off the button. Katara suddenly felt her eyes glossing over as she thought of what the impact of graduation would have on their small family.

"I am going to miss you guys so much." Katara said, wrapping her arms around her two out of three favorite people in the world.

Sokka groaned. "We are going to be so late." He said, causing small chuckles to be let out from the rest of the group.

There were chairs lined up in front of a makeshift stage resting on the football field. Parents of the graduating class found themselves to be seated in the bleachers as their children ran around looking for their friends before the ceremony started.

Katara kept her hat tucked under one arm, not quite wanting to put it on in the sweltering heat. Her robes were already sticking to her legs as she moved swiftly in and out of masses of people looking for someone.

She found him standing next to Iroh.

His back was to her so she was out of his peripheral vision. Katara's boots stepped quietly on the grass, trying as little as possible to make a sound. She placed her hat down by her feet. She caught Iroh's wink from behind Zuko, a sign that Iroh had seen her but Zuko still had not caught on.

"Uncle I-"

Katara pounced on Zuko's back, her arms hooking around his neck to steady herself. Zuko let out a startled cry, trying to figure out who was now attached to his back. Her hair falling into his face, and her laugh along with his Uncle's clued him in. His arms found her legs, grabbing them so she wouldn't fall off.

"I almost couldn't find you." Katara told Zuko.

"Well I'm glad you found me though I could've done without the heart attack."

"If I gave you a heart attack you would not be standing right now."

"I'm going to go and find seat. Congratulations, Katara!" Iroh said with a smile on his face as he watched his nephew interact with his girlfriend.

"Thank you." Katara's breath was tickling Zuko's neck.

"I'll see you after the ceremony, Uncle."

They watched Iroh walk away, choosing a seat farther up in the bleachers where no one had started to file in.

Katara's eyes scanned the rest of the crowd. From Zuko's height she could see over the caps of most of the students. A big grin spread on her face as she saw to people, not wearing a cap and gown, standing off to the side of the bleachers.

"Oh!" Katara exclaimed. "I see Toph and Aang. Walk that way."

Zuko obliged, picking up her hat on the way and placing it on her head. One of her arms left him as she tried to steady the cap on her head before it had the chance to fall off again.

Zuko weaved his way through the throng of people, trying not to bump anyone out of the way. Aang and Toph were standing right next to each other. Toph's hair was up in its usual bun and Aang was wearing his usual shirt with his beanie. Their eyes wandered around looking for someone, that someone being Katara and or Sokka.

Katara hopped off Zuko and ran to Toph and Aang, enveloping them in a big hug.

"Congratulations, Katara!"

"Thanks guys."

Toph looked over Katara's shoulder. "Come here Zuko."

Zuko shuffled slowly forward, not knowing what to expect. Toph grabbed the sleeve of his gown, pulling him into their group hug.

"I can't believe you're actually leaving." Aang said after they broke apart their group hug.

"I won't have a girl to hang out with anymore. All I'll have is this dork." Toph punched Aang's arm.

"It's not like I will be gone forever, I will come back to visit."

"We know you will." Toph said with a reassuring smile. "Now we have to go and congratulate your goof ball of a brother." Toph started to drag Aang away before he tried to hug Katara again, not wanting her to leave.

Katara called out to them as they walked away. "I'll come find you after the ceremony."

She turned back to Zuko, lacing her arms around his neck, placing a small kiss on his lips. "We better find our seats."

He placed a hand on her cheek. His lips caressed her, tenderly and passionately at the same time. Her hand curled around the open end of his jacket as she pulled his closer. His thumb rubbed circles on her cheek in a rhythmic motion.

As Katara pulled reluctantly away, a tear slipped down her face. "I'll miss you."

"Not as much as I will."

"I'm not sure if we should make this a bet or not."

Zuko chuckled, his fingers playing with a loose strand of her hair. It was almost five o'clock, the sun was still in the sky but the feeling of the evening had started to settle onto the day. Though it had been an unbelievably hot summer, that day was cool. One of those rare cool middle of August days.

Zuko had helped her pack for the last week, already having sent three boxes over seas to be there when Katara arrived. In return Katara had helped Zuko pack, though he wasn't going to be traveling as far away as she was.

"I'm going to be late."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Katara pulled him back into another kiss, a quick one that lasted less than five seconds. He pulled away this time, resting his forehead on hers.

"We will see each other again. We'll call and write almost everyday." Zuko bent down and picked one of Katara's last bags up off the grass.

Placing one last kiss on her lips, he tucked the bag into her arms.

The heat of his touch lingered on her lips as she stepped into the car, not daring to look back.

I am back:) This was a very hard chapter to write, possibly because I have never been to a graduation ceremony so I am not exactly sure how they work out besides the obvious. One more chapter for this story and then it ends! I should have that one written and posted by next Friday which is good:)

I would want to be from the Fire Nation.

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