I had no idea where I was going. All I knew is that I wanted to get away as fast as I could. I needed to desperately get away from this place. From that man. From myself. So I ran.

I took off the moment we descended down the hill and I didn't stop. I ignored the rain and the freezing wind and Zuko's worried calls in protest as he chased after me. I just kept going forward and did my best to hold in all the emotions that were overwhelming and breaking me down.

However, I didn't get very far. I may be matched while fighting Zuko in bending combat, but when it comes to his agility and brute strength, he has me beat. So I didn't stand a chance when he quickly caught up to me and yanked me back to him.

I opened my mouth and began to scream in protest. The last thing I wanted was to be snatched around. I kicked and flailed and twisted in his grip, but he just held me in place until I finally sank to the mud in defeat. When I glanced up at him, I caught his eye and I just froze. The look on his face was genuine concern. Not anger. Not disappointment. His mouth opened to say something, but at that very moment thunder roared and the rain just poured.

"Come on!" he shouted over the rain. "We need to get away from this place!" I nodded quickly and we took off as fast as the rain let us to the place we left Appa.

When we got back, Appa was nestled happily under the cliff side, snoozing away, but perked up immediately when he heard us approach. Zuko jumped up and swung over the saddle in one quick motion before leaning over and reaching out his hand to help me. Once I was up and ready, he climbed over onto Appa's head and guided the bison into the air.

We were flying through the storm for barely a minute when the wind began to pick up and lightning started to become a threat. I noticed how close a few strikes came before they hit the water in the distance and I quickly climbed over the saddle and sat beside Zuko, taking one side of the reigns in hand. It took all of our effort to keep Appa in the sky while hanging on for dear life. We fought against the wind and rain just a little longer before I gave up and leaned over towards Zuko. The storm seemed like it had become a monsoon in seconds and I was beginning to panic.

"We need to land!" I shouted to my left and he nodded with a determined expression.

"I know!" he shouted back. Zuko pulled the reigns and we took a sharp left dip before descending. Eventually, I could make out a large island just meters away and we nearly crash-landed on its banks.

Zuko quickly hopped down into the murky sand below and then turned to help me. I wanted to protest, but instead I just slid down and let him catch me. When he sat me down, I realized why he had helped. The sand was so wet my feet kept sinking with every step. I kept tripping over myself on the way up the beach so much that Zuko finally turned and laced his fingers around my wrist.

"It's about to get worse," he told me over his shoulder and I let him practically drag me up the hill as we trudged through mud and sand.

Finally, we reached the edge of a small stone path and I could make out the top of a mansion in the distance. I instantly became wary, but Zuko continued forward. Zuko is paranoid about everything. I know that if he thinks it's safe, it just might be, so I let him lead me up the path until we were under the shelter of the mansion's large porch.

We stood there for a moment, just staring at the rain, catching our breaths. I like rain, but weather like this was terrifying. Looking out from the porch, I could barely make out the palm tree right in front of the steps. I noticed that Zuko still had a grip on my wrist and I twisted out of it, causing him to look over at me. He gave me a small look, but then told me to stay put and he ran right back into the storm, snatched Appa's reigns and led him around a wall on the far side to my right.

I watched him go quietly and then looked at my surroundings. The wood that covered the mansion was from an Earth Kingdom tree and it was molded into beautiful pillars that lined the porch. From the way it was built, it looked like it wrapped around the whole house. There was no furniture outside, like Toph's house had, but there were a few broken pots here and there that may have held plants at one point. From the looks of it, this place hadn't been used in years.

With a sigh, I carefully leaned back against the door, only to have it opened quickly, causing me to fall back with a yelp. However, I feel right into Zuko's chest and her peered over me with surprise.

"Come on. It's warm and dry in here," he said as he helped me upright.

He was right. Inside was comfortable and there wasn't a leak in sight. However, dust covered everything and gave the house an intense feeling. We went through the foyer to the main room and Zuko immediately began removing sheets from some of the sitting furniture. I began to cough at the dust, but then gaped at the silk lined pillows that lay in neat circles on the floor. They looked like they were made from rubies and gold with beautiful little tassels on each corner. Zuko motioned for me to sit down and then used one of the sheets to wipe the surface of the sitting table in the middle.

When he was done, he dropped the blanket and just stared at me with a very unreadable expression. I just stared back for a moment, trying to decipher what he was thinking, but he dropped his gaze, huffed awkwardly and shifted his weight.

"I-I'll make us some tea." And with that, he was off through a door on the far wall.

I hate to admit it, but I didn't like that he just walked away like that. The room felt cold now. It felt empty. For the last few hours, I've been pushed forward by adrenaline and Zuko. Now Zuko was in another room, making tea and being strange, and my body was beginning to calm itself. My emotions had the chance to catch up with me again, and they were taking the opportunity.

I…I almost killed a man…

The thought made my stomach clinch and head spin. It just kept echoing in my mind and I shut my eyes against it. I never wanted to think about him again. I never wanted to feel like this. I was so lost. I didn't know if I did the right thing. The events from earlier began to replay in my mind and I felt nauseous. I was disappointed and scared. I was angry, but also relieved. But most of all, I was confused. I was frustrated because I was so confused, and I just sat there in that dusty, empty, dark room all alone with all those emotions just pushing me back and forth, and I felt so…alone.

Tears began to blur my vision, but a loud crash from behind the far door made me jump. I quickly cleared my mind and concentrated on the sounds of the house. Another crash and then a sound of frustration. I quietly got up and made my way across the room and gently pushed open the door.

On the other side I could make out a large kitchen in the dark with marble countertops and scattered pans. There was a small fire pit in the middle and in the corner to my right was a giant tub that looked like it was once a washing station for clothes. I let the door swing closed behind me and the sound caused Zuko to jump up from behind the counter holding a really old looking teapot.

"What are you doing?" I asked and he gave me looked at me almost innocently.

"I was, um, trying to find something to make tea in, but then I couldn't find any…tea…" he trailed off, and then looked down at the teapot as if he had just something wrong.

I quickly stepped over to him, took the pot from his hands and set it down on the counter in one smooth motion. He glanced at it for a moment before turning his gaze towards me and gave me a concerned look mixed with confusion. I stared back, trying my hardest to imitate the way he stones his features to show no emotion, and then he did what I least expected.

He slowly reached out and ran his soft fingertips across my temple, tucking a wet strand behind my ear. It wasn't that he did it that surprised me; it was how. It wasn't sympathy. It wasn't pity. It was tenderness. There was such tenderness in that one touch. The same kind of tenderness that a friend would give another; the kind a couple would give each other; the kind a mother would give a child.

I crumpled then. All the emotions, all the lost anticipation, the emptiness and confusion. Everything just rose to the surface right then and brought me down. I reached out and Zuko caught me with ease. He cradled me to him as he lowered us the rest of the way to the floor and didn't make a sound as I cried into his chest. He just held me close and ran his fingers lightly over my back in comforting motions. I can only remember staying like that for the rest of the night while the stormed thundered outside.

A/N: Hello again everyone! I'm not dead…I'm so sorry for the long wait... There's no excuse. But I've been inspired and I'm ready to finish this bad boy and even add the many chapters I've redone. Anywho… it might be a while before the next update because I'm directing a show and graduating in just a couple of weeks.

As for the chapter:

I really was afraid to write this one. In the show, we never really see the aftershock of TSR and I wanted that to be something completely thought related. I've been depressed before, but I've never had the absolute need to take another life to feel relieved and justified. However, when depressed, the body is subject to thought a lot more and your senses become much more aware of things, i.e. your surroundings, desires, feelings, and I feel as if Katara would have experienced that before finally realizing that she really just needed someone who had her back. I wanted the "atmosphere" of this chapter to have an empty, solemn feeling to it. I hope I did well because this was my seventh rewrite.

Anyway, I hope you guys haven't left me and that this makes up for my lack of responsibility, haha. Until next time :)