Author's Note: Hi all, thank you for your kind reviews last chapter and I hope you will enjoy this installment. I've come to the verdict that there should end up being somewhere between 15 and 20 chapters all together. Dig in!

Chapter 10

Sokka went to the hospital after school to visit Aang and Toph and annoy Suki while she worked. With this lucky coincidence, Katara didn't bother to explain who Zuko was or why he was following her home. Gran-Gran was asleep on her recliner and Momo barked excitedly, running around in circles at the sight of Zuko. "Momo, shh!" Katara hissed, checking to make sure Gran-Gran hadn't been disturbed. She slept soundly and Katara led Zuko up to her bedroom, picking Momo up as she closed the door behind her.

"It's very blue in here," he remarked, eyes looking for a different colour on her walls.

"I like blue. What of it?" Zuko just shook his head. "I have the picture here," she said, picking it up in the plastic pocket. At the sound of the crackling plastic, Momo wriggled free of her arms and hid underneath her bed. "He hates plastic."

"I see…" Gently, he took the picture from her hands. "This is really good."

"I wish I could give it to Aang already. I don't want to leave it around for him to find if he happens to wake up either; I have to be the one to give it to him."

Zuko nodded to himself. "You must really care about him."

"I do."

"Do you love him?"

She laughed. "Of course I do. He's my best friend."

"Well that's not really what I meant; I mean are you guys… a thing?"

"A thing?" She cocked her eyebrow.

"Yeah… you know. Like, dating or whatever," he shrugged.

Katara shook her head. "We're not together. Not in that way. He's a great kid, don't get me wrong, but… I just can't look at him like that."

They stood awkwardly for a moment and Zuko put Katara's picture back down on her desk. Her room was clean but cluttered; there was nothing out of place on the floor and her bookshelf and desks seemed to be in some sort of ordered chaos. Her art supplies were spread out on top of a drawer and there was a whole shelf dedicated to holding sketchbooks. Zuko stepped towards them. "How many of these have you filled?"

"A few. And that's only in the past year or so. I left a lot behind in the south, but my older stuff wasn't anything special. I'm a much better artist now."

Zuko reached a hand out towards the shelves and hesitated. "Can I…?"

"Go ahead."

He plucked one gently from the shelf and sifted slowly through the pages, smiling and nodding his approval as he examined every drawing and sketch the book contained. There were at least five completely full sketchbooks. When he pulled the last one off the shelf, he found that it was empty and stared back up at Katara.

"How often do you get a new sketchbook?"

"I always make sure I have a new one or three at the ready. I don't like running out of paper to draw on."

"I can see why." Zuko put the empty sketchbook back on the shelf and opened the half-filled one that Katara had been taking to school. He thumbed through the pictures he'd already seen, leaning carefully against the drawer topped with art supplies. When he found the picture of Aang again, he stopped and shut the book. "I feel like I'm preventing you from visiting him tonight."

Katara shook her head quickly. "No, it's fine. I'd like to go and see him, but I think I'll start going a little crazy if I sit in a room with only a comatose boy for company every afternoon."

He put the book down and rubbed the back of his neck. Nervously, he cleared his throat and made an uncertain gesture with his hands. Slowly, he said, "Would you like to visit him with some more, uh, lively company?" A sheepish half-smile broke through his scowling face as he looked up, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing. But she was smiling and a soft giggle escaped her lips.

"I'd like that." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and fiddled with a lose button on her shirt. "Would you…?" She cut herself short and looked at him properly, seriously.

He smirked. "Only if you want me to."

Biting her lip, she turned to examine herself quickly in the mirror. She let her hair out and tugged a hairbrush through it. Zuko watched her pick out a warmer jacket and change into more comfortable shoes. He stood awkwardly against the door, wondering how her brother might react if he walked in now.

It could be worse, he though. She could be getting undressed and changing her outfit completely. Their eyes met briefly from across the room as she finished adjusting her clothes and Zuko looked away with a blush. Then again, I'd probably like that…

Katara stood in front of him and looked up expectantly. For a moment, Zuko wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself. But when she raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder, he remembered he was standing in front of the door and quickly stepped aside, opening it for her with a quiet apology.

Katara remembered the way to the Intensive Care Unit better than she had the day before and was glad; a stumble like that in front of Zuko would have embarrassed her. She peeked at him over her shoulder and watched the way he walked, slouched over, head down; the gait of an outcast. When they reached the ICU, he hesitated before approaching Aang's bed.

"You okay?" she asked nervously.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's just a little weird."

"What is?"

Zuko stepped up to her and looked into the peaceful face of Aang, pale and unmoving in his hospital bed. "Knowing that my father is the person who killed his parents."

There was a heavy silence between them as they watched the sleeping boy. Katara sat down next to his bed and pulled his hands into hers, rubbing his fingers gently. "I want him to wake up already, so that I can give him the picture."

Hesitantly, Zuko sat down next to her. "What are the chances he won't wake up?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to think about it."

Zuko shuffled in his seat. "Do you think he'd hold it against me?"

"What?"

"My father killing his parents."

Katara shook her head again. "I doubt it. He's very forgiving. I mean, he was devastated by what happened to them; everyone who knew them was. But he wouldn't blame you, Zuko. It wasn't you." She glanced sideways at him. He stared unblinkingly at the younger boy. "Zuko?"

"Sorry," he murmured. "It was my father. And I never stopped him from doing the things he did. I guess it may as well have been me." He thought of the lifeless boy in front of him. This was no different to what Aang would look like if he'd gotten in his father's way. This was a less-bloody version of what his parents would have looked like after they'd interfered with Ozai and the Red Army.

A cool hand was placed on his arm and he blinked himself out of the trance. "Zuko, it wasn't your fault. Nothing your father has done is your fault."

He stared silently at her for a moment, frowning, before he turned back to Aang. "I know. But I can't help feeling otherwise."

"Come on," she said, standing. "We should go. I'm sorry, I should have known this would make you uncomfortable."

He shook his head as he stood with her. "No, don't be sorry, Katara. Hey, I was the one who suggested I come with you." They stook awkwardly and Katara looked down at her shoes. "I've ruined your night now, haven't I?"

She shrugged. "It's okay. I wouldn't say ruined."

"I messed up. Per usual," he sulked. He took a step back from her. "I'm sorry. I should go."

"Wait," she called, a little more desperately than she'd meant. She caught him by the forearm. "Don't." He looked down at the slender cool fingers and her olive skin against his own fair complexion. Katara fumbled for words, and Zuko felt himself blushing at the prolonged physical contact. "Make it up to me," she blurted out. "Take me out for dinner or something," she said, thinking fast. A moment later she felt herself turn red.

But Zuko smiled at her, lopsidedly, but smiling nonetheless. "Okay."

Her fingers slipped away from his arm and they made their way down the corridors away from the ICU. In the reception area of the hospital, Katara caught sight of Suki in her nurse uniform and had to hide the sudden panic on her face.

"Hey, Katara! Sokka just went home. My shift ends at eight, could you save me some dinner?" she asked as she came over to them. Eyeing Zuko, she smirked. "Who's this?"

"Gran-Gran said she would cook tonight. And I'm not going to be home for dinner." She gave her companion a sidelong glance. "This is Zuko… he's taking me out for dinner."

"Oh," Suki said. "That's okay, Gran-Gran always remembers to save food for me when she cooks. So, Zuko… do you go to our school? I swear I've heard your name before…"

He shuffled awkwardly. "Yeah, I do go to your school. You probably don't see much of me though. I keep to myself mostly."

Suki gave a soft chuckle and winked at Katara. "Well, stop being such a stranger. Katara's told me that you're her new friend so you should definitely come by the house sometime and meet the rest of the family. I'm sure I can convince Sokka to let you date his sister."

"Suki!" Katara squealed, mortified. But her friend only laughed.

"I'll meet you back at the house."

With an indignant grunt, Katara agreed. "Fine… Um, could you do me a favour and not tell Sokka yet? I don't want him to freak out without me there to defend myself…"

She nodded. "Don't worry. I won't say a thing." She smirked smugly between them. "You two behave. Run along now." She disappeared down a corridor to continue her work, leaving the pair to glance awkwardly at each other, faces red and caught somewhere on the verge of laughter.

Author's Note: Some subtle Zutara beginning to hint about there, asking if Katara and Aang are a thing, thinking that he might like it if she got undressed, telling him to take her out for dinner... Even Suki supports Zutara here! Speaking of Zutara, I keep forgetting to tell you guys to JOIN TEAM ZUTARA! See my profile for more info, but I started the Team years ago.

More Zutara goodness to come :) Please leave a review, and if anyone wants to check out a new fic by another pretty cool author, BrooklynSays has just started posting her first fanfic, Reunion, and I reckon she's a pretty good writer. Go and give her your support if you have a spare moment. But REVIEW HERE FIRST!