Thank you guys so much for the reviews and for following my story! It makes me feel so happy! Ok, read and review pretty please! I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Obviously.

The moon shone down on the patio. A few people milled around it and they all bowed when they saw that their Fire Lord had joined them. The night was quiet and the sound of the party and the music was muted by a pair of heavy wooden doors. Katara let go of Zuko's arm and walked up to the railings. She basked in the moon and she felt it's power seep through her veins. Zuko let her go and watched her relax. She spun back to him wide a wide grin on her face and then she fell into a deep curtsy.

"Your Majesty," she said in deep mocking tone. "You do me such an honor by granting me a private audience." She broke off and started giggling. "I can't believe I got replace the living ice. I thought Master Pakku would do it, but he and Jong Jong were insistent that Toph and I should make the offerings. I'm sorry that your Uncle Iroh couldn't join them here. I guess he and Bumi had too much to do. We should send them something to commemorate their involvement. I know Iroh must be so proud of you right now."

"Ya, I'm sure he is. Listen, Katara," he murmured, taking hold of Katara's wrists. "Thank you for all this. I didn't expect a party or anything. You went through a lot of work. I… I spent my childhood dreaming of what this moment would be like and I spent the last few years thinking it would never happen. You made it special and I'm so thankful and -" Katara had pulled her hands away from him. She was used to the knew Zuko that she trusted. She had gotten used to laughing with him and jumping into battle with him, but she had seen something new in his eyes. She had seen a vulnerability and a tenderness that she had never noticed before.

"It was no trouble. We all wanted to help." She didn't stop and let Zuko elaborate on his gratitude. She forced a cheeriness into her voice. "You and Aang were in meetings all morning! What's the next step for my favorite kings of the world?"

Zuko paused. He couldn't understand the reason behind Katara's awkwardness. "Well, we want to go and liberate the Fire Nation colonies of course and then Aang wants to put some work into protecting and renovating the old Air Temples. I'll also have withdraw a lot of Fire Nation troops and make reparations for a the damage I've done." He raised his hand to push his hair out of his eyes. "It's going to be a lot of work, but of course we're going to have plenty of help. Toph is going to come with me to the Earth Colonies as an ambassador, but diplomacy isn't exactly her strong suite. You'll come with us, right?" The trusting look was back in his eyes and Katara was ready to say yes. She stopped herself. She sensed that touring the Earth Kingdom with Zuko and no Sokka and Aang could be dangerous for her. Why did she use that word? dangerous. Zuko would never hurt her. He was her closest friend, but she did have other obligations.

"I can't." Zuko's face fell and his sad expression pierced her heart. "I can't quite yet, I mean. Pakku is going to the North Pole for a big reunion between the water tribes. We have our own problems to sort through. Sokka, my dad, and I are going to join him."

"Of course," Zuko murmured. He couldn't be selfish. She had her own people to take care of. Her responsibilities didn't lie with the Fire Nation. "I guess you'll be meeting with your grandmother again."

"Yes! I miss Gran-Gran, so much!" Her fingers rested on her necklace.

"You always touch your necklace when you talk about your grandma, but it was your mother's right?"

"It was my grandmother's first. It was Pakku's betrothal necklace to her. She passed it on to my mom, who passed it on to me."

"You give necklaces? We give rings."

"I know. I like the necklaces better. The groom picks out the stone himself and polishes and carves it. I think it's more personal. The groom is supposed to carve something he thinks represents his love or their relationship." Her smiled fell into a momentary grimace. "Sokka used to say that if I could ever convince a man to propose he would carve something like a pig or pile dung to represent me." Zuko had to smother a smirk at that. He could just imagine a awkward and gangly Sokka pulling at a tiny Katara's hair and teasing his baby sister.

"I'm sorry that you have to leave."

"I'll be back soon enough. Don't completely fix the world without me!"

"When are you guys leaving?"

"First thing in the morning. Pakku is desperate to get back to Gran-Gran as soon as possible. Sokka will probably have to drag me from bed. I am most definitely not a morning person."

"No, you most definitely are not," he laughed, remembering all the morning where Katara groggily left her tent after the rest of the group had already been up for several hours and begun their day.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for a few moment, but it wasn't long before several people came out and dragged Zuko back to the party. His last view of Katara was of a lone woman in blue. Her hair waved in the warm night air and her head was tilted upward. She stared dreamily up at the moon and he was left wondering what she could be thinking of.

Zuko woke up early the next morning, but apparently not early enough. When he got down to breakfast he found notes on the breakfast table addressed to each one of their group.

Good Morning Zuko!

I'm sorry that I couldn't stay to say good-bye. Like I told you, Master Pakku is really desperate to be leaving. Sokka says to try not to be too grumpy while we're gone. He'll be back to fulfill your desperate need for humor soon. Dad says he was pretty impressed with you yesterday and he says that he thinks you are going to do a good job. Of course I could have told him that I know that you are going to do really well! I just wanted to wish you good luck! The next few months are not going to be too easy for you. Remember that you aren't defined by your upbringing or by your past actions. You've learned so much recently and grown so much! Keep your uncle's consul close. Never hesitate to bounce ideas of me, but his advice might be more valuable. Stay positive!

Much Love!

Katara

P.S. Will you help Toph with her letter? I wanted to leave her a message too, but I haven't yet figured out how to leave her messages.

Zuko read over the words twice and then lay his fingers over the words "Much Love!". He smiled to himself and put the short message into his inner pocket. His friends joined him at the table before too long. Aang was ecstatic that Katara had written him a note and very upset that she had left without seeing him. Suki's note had apparently been written by Sokka and her face glowed a deep red before she got to end of it. Zuko read Toph a message about being calm while touring the colonies and not throwing rocks at anyone. The note ended with the signature, "with hugs and kisses" which made Toph smile and then punch Zuko for noticing.

Zuko spent the rest of the day preparing for his trip to the colonies. By the end of the day, he had packed three trunks and a tight schedule laid out in front of him. He couldn't believe that a trip took so much preparing. He had spent the last three months living out of a knapsack, but everyone insisted that he would need everything he had packed. They would be leaving the next morning for Gaoling. Toph had asked him if she could go see her parents before they started their tour of the colonies. He had agreed as a favor to her, but his advisors - once they had gotten over the shock that the blind foul-mouthed rapscallion was a Bei Fong - all agreed that meeting with the Bei Fong's and gaining their approval could only be positive for his reign.

He glanced out his window and saw to moon shining high in the sky. "I wonder how far Katara's gotten," he wondered.

Katara sat in the cabin of the ship and stared at the metal walls. The day had been boring. Master Pakku, her dad, Sokka, Katara, and all of the water tribe soldiers had piled into the hulking ship while it was still dark out. Katara, as the only girl on the ship, had gotten the cabin. The moment she got on the ship she had climbed into her bunk and gone to sleep. When she had woken up she had stumbled around the deck for a couple of hours. Sokka was having the time of his life. He got to be right by his dad's side all day and all the soldiers were looking up to him. They wanted to hear all about the battle and they kept asking him to help them with one task or the other. Katara had never been very close with the soldiers. She was just Hokada's little a girl. The serious little princess they all tried so hard to spoil. That little girl had grown up now and they didn't know how to act. The older men tried to coddle her and found that she didn't want it and the younger men were intimidated by her.

These were her people and she felt so separate from them. It was so strange to think that she felt awkward around from the men from her own tribe, but last night she had sat in comfortable silence with the man who had once been her very worst enemy. She climbed out of bed and looked up at the moon. She wondered where Zuko was now and whether he was nervous about his arrival to the Earth Kingdom. You're going to be fine Zuko. They are going to love you so, so much.