So this is it. Short, I know, but thats the point right? Zutara friendship, because I knew all along that they'd be great friends and I'm just happy that's how it turned out. I was rewatching The Old Masters when I saw everyone sleeping on Appa. Zuko and Katara were next to each other, and this is what I came up with.

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Sleep eluded Zuko for the longest time.

He wasn't doing much to help it out though, twisting and turning on Appa who was lying beside the ruined wall of the Earth Kingdom capital. He was to face his uncle, whom he had betrayed and insulted a lifetime ago, before confronting his father, before joining the avatar, before he had found his true purpose in life.

But those were nothing on the apprehension scale compared to the huge sense of foreboding he was experiencing now. A thousand scenarios flashed through his mind, some very prominent and distressing.

Iroh laughing at him for having the nerve to show his scarred face at their gathering.

Iroh screaming at him, his face red with anger.

A slap across the face.

A shove to the ground.

A punch in the gut.

All these paled in comparison with the last nightmarish vision that followed: his uncle turning away without a word and walking out of sight. The identical action that had been performed by Zuko in the crystal catacombs.

He sighed and turned onto his back to see the stars in an attempt to block out the image his tortured mind had just presented to him. The sky was clear and Zuko stared at the bright lights, thinking of the destruction the vast universe was going to bring upon them the next day. The day where everything they've been fighting for will matter the most. Their final stand, their last battle and their only chance.

None of this was helping him fall asleep.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A soft voice penetrated his reverie and Zuko jerked his head round to see Katara lying in a position that matched his own, watching the stars.

He turned back to the vast dark space in front of him. "Yes, it really is."

They paused for a moment, taking in the sight, breathing in the cool crisp air that was blowing into the dark city from the ocean far away.

"I ran away," Katara broke their silence with a voice that was barely louder than a whisper. "After mom died, I was so confused. Suddenly, I had to do everything right after losing my mother. I lost my way."

Zuko turned to look at her when he heard that. It was a feeling he knew well, but listening to someone else saying it out loud was a confirmation that there was another person that understood. She was still staring at the stars, their light illuminating her face with a faint glow that made her look like a spirit that was guiding him.

"I blamed everyone for what happened. The soldier, obviously. My father, for not being there. Even Sokka was at fault at one point. Most of all, I blamed myself for not helping her, for not saving her. My dad tried to talk to me about it one day but I lashed out at him. 'Why weren't you faster?' I screamed at him. 'Why couldn't you save her?' He drew back, shocked and hurt, so hurt. I saw the raw pain and grief in his eyes, threatening to spill over without warning. I couldn't handle it, especially when I had caused with questions that had actually been directed at me, so I ran out the door and didn't stop until I couldn't take another step."

She paused drew in a sharp breath, as if reliving the day it happened. Zuko wanted to comfort her somehow, but realized that her confiding in him was her way of comforting him.

"I collapsed and started weeping uncontrollably, lying there on my own surrounded by the ice and staring at the endless night sky. My idea was to go to the Northern Water Tribe to learn how to fight, but I had lost all my motivation. Eventually, Dad followed my footprints in the snow and found me. I heard him coming and thought he was going to send me away, or shout at me for being so spiteful. Instead, he took me into his arms and held me, whispering that he loved me and that he was so, so sorry about what I had to suffer through. In that moment I knew nothing would ever be the same again. Mom wouldn't be there to tuck us in at night or cook our dinners and there would always be that empty space in my heart where she used to be. But it would be all right."

Without thinking, Zuko got up, reached out and hugged his friend to let her know he understood what she went through and how she still felt. He knew what it was like to have his mother stolen away, to blame himself for what happened to her. He had been there too, and now he was here for her. "Thank you, Katara," he murmured into her ear before he pulled back and settled down into Appa's soft, warm fur. Zuko drifted peacefully to sleep, knowing that the people who loved you would understand and will forgive you when you hurt them.

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Reviews would be appreciated as I am trying to be a better writer and I know this isn't all that great.