Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever owned Avatar: The Last Airbender. As for the future… well, we'll see.

Dedication: First off, I have to thank my friend Luthi for letting me borrow all three seasons of Avatar from her recently – definitely got me back on the Avatar boat. And… I suppose I should be grateful to my internet. It crashed. Which is probably the only reason I'm here writing fanfiction instead of reading it. So thanks. Thanks a lot! (total sarcasm, there…)

A/N:

If you hate me for my long absence… I completely understand. I'd hate me too…

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The Fire Lord's Ember Island summer house was… clean. Katara wasn't sure that she'd ever seen it so spotless. Surprisingly, it didn't seem quite as cozy as when there were spider-fly webs up in the corners and a liberal coat of dust on the banister and dirt on the floor. Then again, Toph brought her own dirt, so the floor would probably be remedied soon anyways.

And Katara wasn't the only person awed by the pristine nature of the building. Aang was extolling its praises and Toph was downright confused.

"Yo, Sparky!" she called out. "Where's the dirt? I can hardly see a thing!"

Zuko seemed a little shocked by the house, too, but he managed to reply. "Uncle must have sent some people over to clean… otherwise I have no idea."

Aang lit up. "Maybe it was a kind, cleaning spirit come to reward us for being good and saving the world!"

Toph snorted, "You would think that, Twinkle-Toes!" She bended some earth into the house and spread it into a thin layer along the floor, sighing "Much better! Well," Toph continued, "at least we don't have to clean it ourselves…"

Katara shot the earth-bender a look. "While it's nice to lay back and relax, hard work builds character."

Toph's snort was even louder this time. "So does sacrifice, strife, hunger, destitution, and a million other things that hurt! I think I'll stick with relaxation. The worst that can happen is someone gets lazy or gains a little pooch around the middle. Not that I'd have to worry about that, though – I've still got a child's high metabolism. As for you, Sugarqueen, you're getting old enough that you'd actually have to worry about that sort of thing…"

"Hey!" Katara protested loudly.

Attempting to diffuse the situation, Aang clasped the water-bender's shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, Katara. It's not about the outside; it's the inside that counts the most. Even if you were fat, everyone would still care for you. In fact," he rambled on, not seeing the rising anger in his love's eyes, "I'd love you even if you were the size of a tuna-whale!"

Her voice a low angry hiss, Katara seethed, "So you're saying I'm fat, Aang?"

"WHAT?" the Avatar cried out. "NO! No, I… I just meant-"

Katara would have no explanations. No excuses. She deserved the right to rant about it even if someone as guileless and innocent as Aang intimated that she was overweight. How could he say that? How could he ruin her lovely, lovely vacation?

Finishing her five-minute tirade with a resounding, "… and I am NOT FAT!" Katara stormed out of the summer home, leaving a grinning Toph, a head-shaking Zuko, and a bemused, stuttering Aang in her wake.

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Sitting on the beach, Katara had her head in her hands as she rethought her decision to go on vacation. How could she possibly have thought this was a good idea? Toph was up to some scheme or another, you could just tell by the ever-present smirk. Aang was trying to pull together the fragments of their failed-before-it-ever-began romantic relationship. And Zuko…

Zuko. Now she remembered why she had come. Not because I'd be the two of them… together… on a romantic and isolated island for a weeks… Regretfully – no. It had only been a few months since his coronation, yet the new Fire Lord was already sleep-deprived and overworked.

Not only has he been swamped with dull and superfluous paperwork, but he's been undertaking the daunting task of reforming the entirety of the Fire Nation. So much of the economy had been working towards the war that there was now great potential for the economy to go into a sharp decline.

He had to cut back the army and navy without causing veterans-turned-highwaymen to roam the roads. He had to encourage the farmers to cut back on the abundance of their harvest since they were no longer needed to feed the army abroad. He had to reformat the war-factories to create something other than war-balloons and tanks…

He had to teach his nation how to jump back from one hundred years of war.

To be honest, Katara got a headache just thinking of the to-do-list Zuko had. A couple of days ago, she'd gotten dizzy trying to make sense of the cramped pseudo-paragraphs on his weekly planner!

The man needed a break.

Wait… Katara thought to herself. Did I just call Zuko… a man? Not a boy? Well… then again, the burden he bears is hardly one a child could accomplish. But, by that reasoning, wouldn't that make Aang a man, too?

The water-bender decided to examine that thought more thoroughly. And soon, she had her answer: the two carried different forms of responsibility.

Aang's was to keep the world balanced. And that's easy enough most of the time. Visit a few exotic locations. Maybe have a couple ambassadorial chats. Or if need be, he could get his glow on and intimidate the world leaders to his will. Taking care of Ozai was the exception to the rule. But still, as he traveled and trained, the majority of the people he met wanted him to succeed. They adored having him around. And they venerated the young Avatar who would bring peace to the world.

Zuko's burden was – is – different. No one save those who cared about him as a person gave a damn if he reached his goals unless it benefited them. He had been a fugitive. A thief. A refugee. While the Avatar was sure to rise again from hiding like a glorious phoenix, the banished prince-turned-"criminal" felt the constant threat of losing himself in squalor as though there was a Dai Lee earth-glove at his throat.

And even now that the war was won, the prince-turned-Fire Lord could still see danger at the edges of his vision. The nobility hope to gain favor, wed daughters, or stage a coup detat. Peasants would be willing to rise up in rebellion if the economy wasn't in the clear or perhaps even if a noble family paid the right price…

So many pitfalls and traps for him. And unlike the Avatar, who did his duty to the world and is done, Zuko's responsibility will last until the day he dies. And his duty extends even beyond that, for must he not marry and produce an heir to continue his work?

Aang got the glory, and Zuko the grunt work.

And now, Katara was well and truly depressed.

While she could manage politics, paperwork, and economic theory as well as any girl her age, the sheer load of Zuko's was enough to leave her thoroughly daunted. But… if he needed her help – with any of it – Katara couldn't help thinking that she'd do her best.

With a shadow of a grin, she realized that she'd walk through fire for that man. That is, if she hadn't already.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zuko wondered how it was possible for the Avatar who defeated his father to be such a blind fool. No. The blind aren't that oblivious, as proven by the currently sniggering Toph. She wouldn't make such an error unintentionally.

To insinuate that Katara was fat… The fool! In fact, to even mention that hated "f" word in the presence of any woman was a blunder that – if he was smart at all – he would never do again.

Perhaps the most annoying – and pitiful – thing about the situation was that Aang didn't realize what he'd done wrong. If a man/boy were to make the oversight once, it was acceptable – how else was he to learn these sorts of things, anyways? But twice? No! The first step in not making a mistake twice was by knowing what went wrong.

Where was Sokka with his random pearls of wisdom about women? Agni knows how long he's had to explain these sorts of things to Aang. You'd think he'd have the hang of it by now. Though… come to think of it, Aang still hasn't caught on as to why Katara is moody and achy at certain times of the month.

It's not as though Zuko delved very deeply into the den of secrets that women invariably have. No, living with his uncle, his ambiguous proverbs, and his ever-present flirting meant that Zuko was armed against the average perils that men inevitably fell into when around women.

Of course, whether Zuko chose to abide by the do's and don'ts was another thing entirely…

But pushing all else aside, the Avatar was an idiot.

Laying a sympathetic – though patronizing – hand on his former-pupil's shoulder, Zuko recited a piece of advice that had been handed down from man to man for thousands of years. "Don't use the 'f' word anywhere near a woman, okay Aang?"

Then, his duty done, Zuko trailed after Katara, determined to get her back into a more reasonable mood.

After the Fire Lord exited, Aang wondered aloud, "What 'f' word?"

Toph facepalmed. This was going to be a long vacation…

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A/N:

I'm back in the saddle again! (translation: Yes, I updated. I know. Shocker.)

I'll try not to win your love back with too much super-AWESOME author's notes… even if I enjoy writing those more than I should…

Anyways. Everyone can thank my internet connection for totally shutting me out today. Otherwise, I would've been waist-deep in reading fanfictions rather than updating.

Yes. I know. Everyone is disappointed that I need the equivalent to a red-hot poker shoved up my arse (you know, why not just say it?) – scratch that, ass – to update. That's the way the world works for lazy procrastinating people like me…

Then again, aren't reviews supposed to get people like me on our feet? How 'bout it, people? You couldn't possibly have missed a hint that obvious…

Side Note: Isn't it weird that I finally update and the chapter content is entirely about Aang insinuating that Katara's fat? I totally didn't mean it. Maybe I'm trying to work out my aggression issues with my crashed internet…?