I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, or any of the names or characters of the show. I merely control them for my own twisted pleasure from this point in the story on.

Chapter 31: Goodbye

Katara awoke on her stomach. Her memory came back in a panicked rush and she realized quickly that she hadn't been dreaming.

She was on her feet within a moment and winced when her head suddenly pounded hard enough to make her plop right back on the ground. That hurt, whatever it was. She reached around her head and touched the bump at the base of her skull gently.

"It's a nasty bump, but there should be no lasting damage." Katara looked up at the sound of Iroh's voice and looked over to the sound, slightly surprised to see Iroh and a motionless Hanae.

They were sitting across from one another, the fire between them, drinking tea. At first Katara was confused; they'd left all their stuff behind when they'd gone to save him, including Iroh's tea pot. It must belong to Hanae.

Wait… Hanae?

"I'm not going to hurt you," the firebender said and placed her cup on the ground by her crossed legs. Katara looked over at Iroh with a worried glance. The old man nodded his head and took another sip from his cup. Katara relaxed; the old man's sad smile gave her hope.

Of course it had been an act. Hanae and Iroh seemed to have been friends for years. Katara knew that friendship like that ran deep and couldn't easily be broken.

The thought made her look around for her own friends and she saw Aang first. The small boy was asleep on his stomach with a heavy blanket laid over him with care, and she knew that Iroh had tucked him in. Katara sighed in relief when she saw Zuko laying on his side close to Iroh, a lighter blanket covering him from shoulders to toes.

When she stood up and walked over, the old general put up a hand. "There is something you must know firs-"

"How good of a healer are you?" Hanae's interruption caught both of their attentions.

"Why?" It was an automatic response.

"Iroh told me that you're a wonderful healer." Katara turned to her and put her hands on her hips. No matter who she was to Iroh, Katara wasn't about to heal the wounds the women had gotten in her fight with Zuko. No way. "I want to know if it's true, by your own admission."

"Hanae," Iroh's voice was full of pleading but the tall woman ignored him. Katara became confused by the general's voice. What was wrong? Hanae stood and walked over to Zuko's still form, leaning down and drawing the blankets away from his body.

The sight that lay underneath sickened Katara so much that she covered her mouth to keep the cry from pushing forward. What was that? Why was his skin… Suddenly, she knew why, and she couldn't keep the acid from her stomach down long enough to take a deep breath.

The tone of Hanae's voice was both desperate and angry. "Are you strong enough to heal this?"

"Zuko."

Her voice surrounded him much like the water he awoke in. He could feel both softly embrace him as he drifted into consciousness. Opening his eyes, Zuko looked up into Katara's. The air around him was colored blue.

She smiled brightly down at him, and his relief was evident by the smile that mirrored her own. She was okay. Awake. Standing. Able to speak.

He moved to reach up and touch her cheek, but when his arm didn't move, he become confused. He eyes started to move down to look for a reason why. Before he could see anything, Katara's hand come up to his chin and held it in place, keeping him from moving any further.

"Zuko, don't look, okay?" her smile was gone, and Zuko was suddenly very worried. "Not until I'm done. I don't want you see… not now."

Katara leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips before she placed a hand on his bare chest. He hissed in pain at the wet contact against the burn he could feel there. Katara closed her eyes to concentrate and because she'd told him not to, he didn't look at what she was healing, even after the pain became too much to bear.

He just closed his eyes and felt power all around him.

A soft touch brushed across her forehead, waking her from a sleep she didn't remember slipping into.

"It must have been bad," Zuko said as she opened her eyes to gaze up at him. She was lying on his lap, nestled into his warmth. She jumped up into a sitting position and pulled open the shirt she knew he'd found in a nearby tree. No wounds. No scars. A perfect healing.

She sighed in relief, finally letting the tears she'd been holding back flow freely; she'd been so worried that she'd passed out before the healing could be completed. So worried that she'd leave him with more scars. She sagged against his chest and listened to his heart beat, just to make sure.

She felt him chuckle and she blushed. Pulling away and scooting a few inches backwards, she stuttered, "I was just trying to--" she stopped talking when she looked back at him.

His playful smile made her clench a fist. But as she looked at him, she knew that she couldn't bring herself to hit him, even teasingly. She threw her arms around him and landed half on top of him, and swore she'd never let him go as long as he'd have her.

"Is the Avatar okay?" he asked, and she pulled back to look at him in surprise. "I'm only asking because I knew you'd be worried."

"Yeah," Katara said softly. "Hanae told me what she did to him, and she said he'd be all right. He should wake up soon." She looked at him, and recognized the hard look in his face. But then, he gave her a look of sad understanding, and she tilted her head.

"So, Hanae was on our side all along." The statement confused her. Why did it sound like he had knowingly changed the subject from Aang to Hanae?

"Yes. " Katara said and laid her head back on his chest. "She said that Sho came for her, knowing she'd want revenge for our 'escape'. She couldn't say no because that would have made her look 'suspiciously out of character', so she came along hoping to use it as a chance to help us."

"You've been talking a lot since earlier today haven't you?" It was a question, but when Katara looked up at him, she knew he wasn't expecting an answer. But his calm tone worried her. It was almost like he was avoiding something.

"Uh," Katara said, and smiled despite her worry. "Hanae also brought back all of our stuff, from the first ship." When Zuko just looked at her, she began counting then off nervously, "My water pouch and Aang's staff. My brother's weapons, all of our supplies-"

Zuko quickly wrapped his arms around her and shut her mouth with his. It felt so good to have him holding her and even better to feel the warmth in her heart at his kiss that she didn't even think to resist him when he deepened it. What bothered her was that he pulled away as quickly as he had initiated it.

"Katara," he said softly, "I want to thank you." The look on his face was of guilt. He didn't need to thank her, being alive and whole was enough. She didn't need anything else. She shook her head, and suddenly knew what had been bugging her about the whole conversation. Zuko was being too calm, too quiet. Like he wasn't telling her something. Something important.

"Katara," the prince's voice was colder now. Katara placed her chin on his chest and looked at him. He wasn't smiling anymore, and when he pushed her gently away to look at her face to face, she knew something was wrong.

She felt it in her heart.

"You have to continue your journey with the Avatar." He said with no emotion in his voice.

She shook her head to clear it. "What?"

"I know you already said you were going to, but I have to say this: you are so important to me that I don't trust anyone else to protect you." He took her face in his hands as she stared blankly at him.

Why was he doing this now? She grabbed onto his arms, and held on tight. Why now, after all that had happened? If he'd asked her to, she would have stayed.

"He cares for you as much as I do, and that's why I know I can entrust you to him."

"But--" she sputtered and he smiled sadly at her before silencing her with a kiss.

"I've finally gotten to a point were I can read your face, Katara. I know what you're thinking and you can't stay." His face grew dark and she tightened her grip on his arms.

"I almost killed Sho, Katara," he said and she made a desperate noise of disbelief. Even after hearing the story from Hanae she hadn't believed it. Zuko may be a bit over aggressive, but he could never kill. Zuko wouldn't kill anyone.

"I almost killed him because he hurt you. What kind of person gives in to those urges? Everyone has them, but what kind of person just follows it through?"

She had no words to console him, but she tried anyway. "Zuko-"

"He could have died, Katara. Because of me. If I can't handle that, I'm not mature enough to handle us." He looked down at her and she felt her whole world tumble down around her. "I was like a child having a tantrum. A tantrum that almost killed someone. How can I call myself an adult if I can still lose control like that?"

"No!" she said and pushed him away. If he was going to hurt her, she wasn't going to let him try and make her feel better by holding her while he did it. She glared at him, not sure whether she wanted to hit him or cry.

"Katara," he said pleadingly but she just shook her head.

She knew what he was doing. She knew, and couldn't find a way to stop it from happening. When he grabbed onto her, she stood up and tried to pull away, but he was strong and held on to her tightly.

She struggled against him, wanting to run away.

"Katara, please, you have to understand-"

"I do understand!" she yelled, and the look on his face hurt her. She tried lowering her voice, but her fear and anger weren't easily masked. Anger made her lash out at him, and she hit at him with her fist, not really wanting to hurt him but still wanting to do something to make herself feel better. "Zuko, I do understand, but I don't want to. Not anymore!"

She struggled against him when he pulled her closer, but he stopped fighting her and she got free. The moment his fingers weren't touching her anymore, she felt like someone had punched a hole in her stomach, and realized pulling away had been the wrong thing to do.

But that was okay, because she knew he'd come after her. He always came after her. She waited to feel his arms around her, to turn into them and feel better, but they never came. She turned around when she'd stormed a few feet away, but Zuko was still sitting there, just looking at the ground.

"I'm not good enough yet." He whispered so lightly she almost couldn't hear him. "There are still… feelings inside of me that take over sometimes. I can't let one of those feelings take over and hurt you."

She shook her head, and couldn't find it in herself to walk back over to him. She was still too angry. "You could never hurt me, Zuko."

"You're wrong," he said, looking up at her. There was no emotion on his face but plenty in his eyes. "I can hurt you, and…I'm too afraid that I will. I have to change that, and the only way I can both change and keep you safe is to send you away."

"I won't leave."

"Then I will."

It killed him to say it, but if this was what he had to do to make her go, then he would do it.

"What!" she screamed it at him, and he died a little more. "First you want me to stay with you forever, and now you're the one leaving?! Make up your mind!"

"I have. It's best this way." He was telling himself that more than her, and he knew it wasn't making either of them feel better. He wanted to get angry at her for doubting him, but that was what he was trying to get her to do. To hate him and leave. To protect her.

"Fine, you coward!" she said and made a movement as if to swing a fist at him, but they both knew she was too far away. "Then I've made up mine too! I never want to see you again!"

Zuko watched her run away and immediately got up to follow her. He wouldn't let her out of his sight, no matter how much pain it caused him. He had to make sure she got back safely before he left. Had to make sure she was with the Avatar before…

When she did get back to camp, he stayed in the bushes and watched.

She stormed around, much to his uncle's dismay. "Katara, are you alright?" His uncle's voice was full of concern, but she ignored him. After she'd gotten their things together, she made her way over to the Avatar.

The boy looked up blearily and rubbed his eyes. "What's going o-ah!"

"Come on Aang," she said forcefully and pulled him to his feet by his upper arm. "We're leaving."

"So soon?" Hanae's voice was both surprised and sad.

"Yes, so soon." Katara said and threw at full bag at the Avatar. He caught it, and looked like he was going to drop it. Zuko was surprised he didn't fall over. "You can thank your beloved prince for that," she finished bitterly.

"Zuko hurt you?' The Avatar asked hotly. The question surprised Zuko so much that he almost came out of the trees to deny it, but then he realized that it was a reasonable assumption, and stayed were he was. After all, hadn't that been the point of all this?

"No. Don't worry about it. Let's go find Sokka and Toph."

"But…tea-"

"I don't care about tea!" she yelled at the boy, who shrank back. "I want to see my brother!" she gasped and then stopped moving. Slowly, she turned to his uncle and bowed. "I …I'm so sorry; I didn't mean it that way. I do like tea, and I'm really grateful for all you've done for us. But I can't stay anymore. Goodbye."

She bowed again to Iroh and then to Hanae before taking the boy's hand in her own and pulling him off into the tress on the other side of the clearing.

Zuko watched as Hanae turned to face where he was and Zuko got the feeling she knew he was there. She started to get up, but Iroh placed a hand on her arm.

"Hanae, stop," Iroh said "He needs to be alone."

Zuko took a step backwards and shook his head. He didn't need to be alone. He needed Katara, but he was afraid he'd never have her again.

He done the right thing; she would be safer now. He'd done the right thing.

He'd done the right thing... for her, but not for himself.

Zuko just fell to the ground and wrapped his arms around his knees. He didn't have the strength to stop the tears when they came.

This is where my Author Notes go...Enjoy.

So, this IS technically the last chapter. There is an epilogue coming, but this is about it for When the Mask Comes Off.

I'd write a huge thing saying how much you guys helped and thank for the encouragement, but I'm sure you want this as soon as possible. I've already keep you waiting for like six(ty) hours.

I'll write all that stuff next cha…or well… in the epilogue. T.T

Bye-bye for now.

And stay turned for the SEQUEL!!! The first chapter should be out by next week. So don't forget me T.T or Chii.