Katara couldn't sleep. From the moment her head hit her pillow, she knew it was pointless. She looked over to where Toph was just visible in the shafts of moonlight coming through the window. Judging by her shallow breathing, she was obviously not asleep either.

While they both had been offered separate rooms, Katara was glad they were sharing; the rooms here were way too large and empty for just herself, they just made her feel lonely. Besides, sleeping together made it feel a little more like old times. A smile crept onto her face as she remembered how she and Toph had argued when they first met, it seemed like a lifetime ago though, everything was so much more complicated now. Although she still lived like a nomad with Aang, never staying in one place for long, it really wasn't the same without the rest of the group. She missed them so much; she missed the safety of belonging to a group. She often wondered what she was missing out on, how her life would have been if she and Sokka never met Aang that day in the ice. Of course, she didn't regret anything, and she always dreamed of getting away from that isolated village to see the world. Still, she couldn't help sometimes fantasizing about the normal life she could have had. Being around her brother and Suki again intensified the feelings, and it made her see she really yearned for, to find her own path. Everyone around her was building their own lives, establishing their place in the world. But she would be left behind and stuck, and that thought terrified her more than she could say.

Her thoughts once again returned to Zuko, and she wondered if he truly wanted the life he had been handed. Or did he feel just as trapped as her? And why did she even care so much? Sure they were friends, good ones at that, and at one point, she had even hoped their relationship would grow beyond that. She smiled at that notion now, it had been a childish dream before Sozin's comet, and it had quickly been crushed when Mai and Zuko got back together, probably for the best too. She was sure Zuko didn't even know about it, and she didn't intend to ever tell him, even though he and Mai broke up long ago. Shaking her head irritably, she resolved that the only way she would be able to stop overthinking this would be by talking to Zuko. Until then, sleep would evade her.

She looked over at Toph again, and seeing that her eyes were wide open, she made up her mind and whispered into the darkness, "Hey, Toph?"

"Hmm?" she ventured, non-committedly.

"I've just... I was just wondering if you've noticed anything unusual with Zuko. He seems off, don't you think? I mean, I thought you might know something since you probably see him the most out of all of us" Katara did her best to make her question sound casual.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that too actually," Her voice sounded softer than usual, maybe she was worried about him too. "Well, I can't claim to know much, he doesn't really talk about himself. He did say he was struggling to get through to the other nations, he tried to make it sound like it was all about the politics, but I know he's lying, I can tell. Or at least, I know there's more to it."

"Yeah... I figured it could be something like that," Katara paused, not really knowing what else to say. She supposed there was only one thing to do now. Reaching for her robe, she swung her legs out of bed, her bare feet tingled at the touch of the cold stone floor as she quietly padded towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Toph asked from her bed.

"I can't sleep," Katara said simply. She didn't want to tell her she would try and talk to Zuko, not wanting to make it seem like something it wasn't.

She closed the bedroom door behind her and started walking towards where Zuko's quarters were. Her way was lit by the oil lamps on the wall, and she found the smell of burning fuel oddly comforting as she made her way through the palace. Everything looked different in the flickering light of the lamps; the ceiling seemed so much higher, the stone walls rougher and unforgiving. Katara felt utterly alone in the world as she walked what seemed like miles. How large was this place?

By the time she found the door she was looking for, she was cold to the bone, clutching her robe around her. She knocked quietly on the heavy oak door before she had time to second guess her decision. After waiting a few moments without an answer, she knocked again, slightly louder this time. Still no answer. She sighed heavily, Zuko must be asleep then, now what? She was just about to give up and return defeated to her room, she would just have to deal with a sleepless night and see what she could do in the morning, when she turned to see light shining through the crack of an open door. As quietly as she could, she crept to the door and glanced through the gap, but all she could see was a cluttered desk lit by a few burning candles. The room seemed deserted; someone must have left the candles burning. Katara looked up and down the corridor, but no one was coming, so she opened the door and entered the room to blow the candles out. Instead, she found herself looking right at Zuko, where he sat on the window ledge, his glassy eyes trained on her.

Katara froze, all her words, her careful plan escaped her as she looked at Zuko. He who had once been so strong and defiant looked completely broken now. "I... I'm s-sorry Zuko. I-I didn't mean to walk into, I shouldn't have come in here," Katara stuttered, her words tumbling out before she even knew what she was saying.

Her words seemed to trigger Zuko into action and, he quickly stood up and turned his back to her, his sleeve shooting up to dry his nose. He coughed, clearing his throat before speaking, "What do you want?" His voice was icy and distant, and he wouldn't even turn to look at her.

His words stung her, they were supposed to be friends, so why was he trying so hard to shut her out? It wasn't fair. "I was looking for you!" She burst out, she couldn't stand this any longer.

Zuko turned now, his exhausted eyes flashing in the candlelight, "Well, you found me. What do you want?" His voice was harsh and bitter.

"What I want is for you to talk to me!" she exclaimed, her voice feeling raw in her throat. "What's going on with you, Zuko?"

Zuko turned away again, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Just go back to bed, Katara!"

"No! No way. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why you're pushing us away."

A shaky sigh left Zuko's lips, and his voice sounded constrained and on the verge of cracking, "Please, Katara, just go."

Katara judged that it was safe to move closer now, his anger seemed to have burned out, and with it, all his power left him. She closed the gap between them, her bare feet slapping the floor in the silence. "Come on, Zuko," She said, taking his hand in hers, "look at me." Her voice was soft and low.

He raised his head, his golden-brown eyes found her blue ones and katara saw the first teardrop fall. She didn't hesitate, she pulled Zuko into her strong arms, holding his body hard against hers as sudden hard sobs racked his body. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, Zuko's body convulsing with every sob that washed over him until finally, they stopped, and his body went limp. She still held him, uttering soothing words until his breathing calmed and his muscles relaxed. Then she loosened her grip to dry his face softly with the sleeve of her robe.

"I'm sorry, Katara," He sounded weak and ashamed, and he tried to turn away from her again.

"Don't you dare turn away again, Zuko. You can't shut me out, and you know it. You know how Toph says we're all bonded for life? Well, so are you and I," she gently touched the middle of his chest where she knew the scar was, "We always will be."

A feeble smile crossed his lips for a second. "I guess," he admitted.

"Come on, sit down," Katara said, gesturing to the window ledge where he sat when she came in, and they sat down together. "Now, don't you bother lying to me. I'll know," she warned, and Zuko believed her.

"Okay, okay, fine," he sighed, his hands clasped hard in his lap, fidgeting. He never thought he would be admitting this. "I'm just... I just feel so lost. Ever since we defeated my father, I've been doing everything, every single thing I could possibly think of, but nothing works," His voice cracked. Still, he kept going, everything he had been bottling up inside of him coming rushing out in a torrent. "I have no idea if what I'm doing is right or wrong or even making a difference at all. They are still terrified of the fire nation, of me! Every place I visit is the same, they think I'm a monster, that I'm there to attack them! I don't fucking know what to do. I feel like I'm going crazy!" He buried his face in his hands.

Katara was stunned. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but now she found herself lost for words. "Why... why didn't you tell anyone, Zuko? I had no idea..." She finally managed.

"Because everyone has moved on, Katara. Everyone has their own life now, their own problems, and their own people they care about. I just, everyone is happy, and besides, there's nothing they can do."

Katara sighed and shook her head slightly, "We might not be able to do anything politically, but we can still help you, Zuko. But not if you push us away. We are your friends, and you need to trust that we're here for you, I'll do anything I can to help you, Zuko."

Zuko looked up, "I wish I'd told you sooner, I wanted to, but you seem so happy, and I just, I couldn't bring myself to ruin that." He sighed hard, "It's honestly been so hard living here alone, I feel so isolated from the rest of the world, from you guys."

"I can't imagine what it's like for you, Zuko. But you know what? I know it will get better, you should go and see for yourself what a difference you've made already. You should see my village in the southern water tribe, we have a school now, and waterbending masters from the north teach the children. And it's all thanks to the restoration act you passed two years ago. I don't think you can fully appreciate the difference you've already made, not when you're stuck here alone."

"You might be right.." He still didn't look convinced, though.

Katara clasped his hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. "Zuko, you'll get through this, I know you will. The good you're doing will overpower the damage your father did, and soon. I promise. You're a great leader, and the rest of the world will soon realize that too."

Zuko finally smiled weakly, giving in to her calming words, "If you say so." He let anxiety leave him, if only just for a moment.