AN: Oh boy… man I am so, so sorry guys. I don't even know if this author's note is worth it because I'm sure that you've all lost interest in this fic..

Stress with piano, dance and school combined with my stupid laptop breaking have kept me from updating. I'm really, really sorry and I hope that you guys can forgive me for the long wait.

This isn't my best chapter and it's pretty short, but I decided that I needed to post it anyway. I didn't even send it to my beta first.

Hope you guys like it.

ATLA ATLA ATLA

The world seemed to spin by as Katara watched, confused and unaware.

Toph's voice buzzed in the background, infused with the husky, deep tones of Zuko.

"You don't need to hide it Sparky, I know the truth."

Katara heard a short, quiet laugh from "Sparky."

"I'm not hiding anything. You're just crazy."

"Oh come on. It's totally obvious that.."

Katara turned her head and let their voices fade into the background. Her eyes shifted to where Aang sat, her vision blurry and her thoughts muddled.

Aang resided on the far end of the room, his long legs pulled up to his chest. His gorgeous, stormy eyes were narrowed.

Normally, she would get up and go talk to him. Instinctively, she felt the need to protect him. He was like her little brother, in a way.

But this time she could only stare. She felt her head tilt to the side as she analyzed his posture. She saw the furrowing of his brows his frowning lips. She could even see the tension in his shoulders. His bare toes curled and uncurled periodically.

"Aang," She muttered, not quite loud enough for anyone to hear. Yet, somehow, his eyes tilted up to meet hers as if he'd heard her. They stared at each other for a few moments, expressionless. Her mouth opened, as if ready to ask a question, but nothing came out.

Finally Katara broke the contact by standing up and walking away.

She journeyed down the hallway mechanically. Her feet carried her to her room without instruction. Her hand reached out on it's own and grasped the cold doorknob. Before she could even register what was happening, she was in the room and curled up on her bed.

Katara's mind was swimming with thoughts. Zuko, it whispered. His face flashed behind her eyes, so handsome and mysterious.

Her heart began to beat irregularly. Somewhere inside her, something was shifting. Zuko's face spun around in her mind, brightening and morphing until it was almost unrecognizable.

Something was changing.

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Zuko lingered by the window, watching the car drive away until it was out of sight. As he leaned his forehead on the window, he noticed that with each breath he took, a perfect circle of moisture appeared on the glass. It was truly winter. He lifted a slender finger and drew a capitol "Z" in the circle.

A pair of arms wrapped around his middle and he felt a head fall to onto his shoulder.

"Alone, finally." A voice mumbled into his black cashmere sweater.

Zuko turned around and slipped his arms around her body and over her arms.

"Hey Suki." He said softly, leaning down to peck her on the mouth.

She smiled, revealing her perfect white teeth. "it's so great to not have to pretend."

"I know," Zuko agreed. "When everyone is around I find myself over analyzing everything I do around you. I ask myself if giving you a simple hug is too obvious, or if not hugging you is suspicious. I jump between talking to you and ignoring you. It's so…"

"Stressful." Suki finished his sentence with a small smile. "I know exactly how you feel. When can we tell them? We've kept it a secret for long enough."

That was a good question. Zuko toyed with the idea as he ran his fingers through her short, auburn hair. Why was he so adamant about not telling anyone? Something was nagging him at the back of his mind. Something refused to let him give in and tell.

"Let's just wait a bit longer," Zuko suggested. "Please? I don't want to stun them too much with the news, you know?"

Suki sighed and rested her chin on his chest. She looked up at him with those huge, blue-violet eyes from under thick lashes, mesmerizing him with their beauty. She bit her lip in thought.

"Okay, I guess so."

Zuko smiled and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Thank you, I won't make you wait much longer."

Suki's arms slid up until they were around his neck. "Well in the mean time, let's take advantage of this moments when we're alone." Her voice was low and coy.

And with that, the distance between them diminished into nothing.

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She leaned against the doorway.

He didn't notice her.

What's happening? She thought as her eyes followed his hands move back and forth across the page. His black pen stained the white park with hard-pressed words, hastily written in neat, beautiful handwriting.

Almost as beautiful as him.

His back was completely hunched over, curled in on itself. It seemed as if he was folding himself in, trying to be one with the page.

His hands were stained with ink.

She pushed herself up from the doorway and took another step forward.

Her head was spinning. She put her hand on her head and closed her eyes for a second. When she did, her sense of hearing flared to life. She could hear the harsh, sharp sounds of his pen marking the page with arcane words.

She swayed on her feet a little. The sounds of his writings were the melody and her body longed to be it's dancer.

She forced herself to open her eyes.

He was watching her.

"Katara." He said. The melody came to a holt as he set his pen down on his bedside table.

"Zuko."

The room was robbed of sound. She could feel her heart drumming in her chest.

Ba boom, ba boom. The beating thundered in her ears. Surely he could hear it too?

When their eyes met, a ice-cold bolt ran down her spine and caused her to shake involuntarily. Her hands curled into fists and she had to look away.

She felt sweaty and uncomfortable. Her eyes darted around the room wildly, registering little items around the room- a hasty sketchy done by Toph here and there, a pack of chips, one of Sokka's missing socks and an odd half-finished poem. Those poems. There were piles and piles of papers marked by arcane, hard-pressed words written in bold black ink.

"How come you never let me see your poetry?" She asked.

He looked down at the paper again. "No one sees it. What are you doing here?"

Katara glided across the room and found her way to him. She sat next to him on the bed.

"I came to apologize."

He said nothing.

Katara's throat slowly dried until it felt like sandpaper when she swallowed.

Her eyes drifted down to the paper in his hand.

He caught her and quickly shut the notebook with unnecessary force.

"Sorry." She chocked out.

Zuko tossed the notebook onto his desk and stood up. "Okay, sure. It's fine."

"I, but-"

But he was already up and walking out the door.

Katara scrambled to her feet and hurried after him. She followed him down the hallway and into the living room, desperately trying to get his attention. He ignored her until he got to glass sliding doors that lead to the porch. He slipped through the doors and ventured out into the chilly winter air.

Katara, though poorly dressed to face weather, followed him without hesitation.

They stood together on the porch, two lonely people underneath a starry sky. Both were frozen by the beauty of the stars for a few moments. For once, lights from their Upper Ring neighbourhood didn't drown out the light from the night sky. They could see the stars perfectly clearly.

"Look, there's Ursa Major." Zuko said flatly.

Katara broke out of her trance and stared at him. "Zuko, please. Let me talk to you."

He sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair.

She never understood that- the shaggy hair. Zuko was always dressed so immaculately. He was flawless with his perfect skin and expensive dressing. His hair, on the other hand, refused to be tamed. It always looked out of place on him.

"What is there to talk about?"

Katara hesitated, trying to find the right words.

"About what's been going on. About what I said to you. And, you know, what Azula said."

"Then talk." His voice abruptly sharpened and he turned to her, his tawny eyes blazing like the sun. They looked unnatural underneath the starry night sky.

She chocked on the words, stunned by his fierceness.

"Well, let me start by telling you what Azula said…"

Katara went on to explain everything that Azula told her that night at Sozin. She watched Zuko's face grow darker and darker as she quoted his sister.

When she finished, he was fuming.

"And you believed her?"

Katara felt her cheeks flush with shame. She should have known.

"I didn't know what to believe Zuko!" She jumped into defence.

Zuko stepped closer, towering over her threateningly. "You should have believed everything you knew about me! That I'm not that kind of person. But then, maybe you don't feel that way."

"No!" She protested, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "I'm so, so sorry. I know who you are. You're a great guy who's friendship I don't deserve. At least, not anymore."

Katara's hand burned on Zuko's arm.

Zuko looked away, unable to face the dangerous depths of her ocean-coloured eyes.

"Say something." She whispered, her heart beat increasing rapidly with fear.

His eyes dropped down to the hand resting on his arm. "I don't know. You hurt me and I can't say that things are completely back to normal but... I forgive you. I really do."

Katara smiled gratefully and let her hand slide down his arm and into his hand.

"Thank you. And I truly am sorry."

She gave his hand a squeeze.

"Do you want to know the real story?" He asked her quietly.

"Okay."

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"Oh Zuko."

Katara wrapped her arms around her friend. She sniffled, failing to keep the tears from leaking out.

"I can't tell you why those things had to happen to you." She whispered in his ear.

He hugged her tightly, crying silently into her shoulder.

"But," she continued, "If I knew, I would tell you in a heart beat."

Looking back, Zuko had no idea what that even meant. But at that moment, in that special frame of time, those words means the world to him.

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