A/N: Sorry for the wait guys. (I'm a college student, I can't help it sometimes I have to stop and do homework). Thanks so much for all the reviews. I'm not going to lie I was having a bad week and your words really made me feel better.

Chapter 41
I'm Sorry

Golden eyes moved back and forth, following every movement of young waterbender moving hurriedly around the room. He almost growled in agitation every time her hand bumped into the avatar's or her shoulder brushed against Kaili's. She knew he was annoyed. His irritation radiated throughout the room and still she ignored him.

Katara hadn't spoken to him since their fight. He'd been so upset over the things she'd said he'd thought to appease her by telling his council to do whatever she suggested. He hadn't won any star points, just given her the perfect outlet to keep her busy enough that she didn't have to talk to him. He had tried again to seek forgiveness by being helpful, however, he'd lost his temper over the fact that she still refused to say even a single word to him that he had stormed out and delegated Iroh to work in his place.

It infuriated him that she was right. He was behaving like a petulant child. He was arrogant and selfish and the more he thought about the last couple of months he realized that he had been turning into his father. It horrified him. It terrified him. She'd been right about so much.

He dreaded to think that her entire speech held truth. Did she really hate him? He hadn't meant to isolate her but he had and he was paying for it. It was torture watching her now. To make matters worse he had made the mistake of asking how she had spent her time in the exile he'd created for her and learning that the majority of it was spent alone with Kaili made him want to burn her guard to a crisp.

He looked out at the setting sun and scowled. It had now been a full day of silence. He wasn't used to this. He was supposed to be giving the silent treatment. He was the Fire Lord. He stood up. She looked up from the table she was working and he sat right back down chastised by the intensity of her glare. He heard his sister chuckle from his right and he turned his scowl on her. He'd been surprised that she didn't hate him now. She'd been a little colder at first but had opted to laugh at his misery over Katara's anger.

"So it's decided. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee will stay here and act as our regents. Keep the fire navy alert, don't attack unless provoked, and if you are provoked try to take prisoners, don't kill anyone if you don't have to. Haru, Teo, Toph, Suki, and Sokka you'll go straight to Ba Sing Se. Start building up a force to overthrow Kawamura. There have to be people who don't agree with his ideas. The rest of us will go to Omashu. We need to retake Ba Sing Se quickly but we've got to do it without giving the people reason to believe that the fire nation is taking over again. Hopefully we can get to Bumi undetected and then come in with an earth nation force. The Ba Sing Se group will have Momo so if you run into trouble send him back to the Fire Nation. Azula if Momo arrives before you hear anything from us in Omashu, order the full scale attack on Ba Sing Se. We'll restore peace for a second time later. Is everyone clear?" Katara asked.

Zuko took his eyes off of her for the first time. He glanced around the room trying to determine which group he was supposed to be in. He'd like to assume he was in the Omashu group but then again Katara clearly didn't want to be around him. He needed to know but he also wanted to live. He wasn't quite sure what would happen to him if he attempted talking to her again. He mulled it over but everyone was splitting up and going to get ready he wasn't really sure what he should be doing.

He felt rather useless and it made him want to kick himself. This is how Katara had felt for weeks. His shoulders drooped and he dropped his gaze down to the floor. What was going to happen to them now? Would she leave him?

Sighing, he decided he should at least get up and pretend he had something to do right now. He managed to limit his jump to a flinch when he looked up and found her standing right before him. He tried to smile at her. She wasn't smiling.

"For whatever agreement we come to in Omashu to be legal and binding you have to be there." Katara said.

He winced at the way she worded it. You have to be there. That hurt. She could have said need so he'd feel less hated or she could have just said you're in the Omashu group but no, she went with you have to be there.

"I guess, I'll get packed." He said.

She didn't respond just turned to leave. His mouth dropped in disbelief. Nothing! She wasn't going to say anything else to him.

"Katara." He called after her.

She stopped. It terrified him how slowly she turned. It saddened him that at last she had perfected her emotionless mask and that she was using it on him. It angered him that it was completely his fault.

"Don't you want to talk?" He asked feeling very awkward.

"Not really." She didn't even pause to think about it.

"Why not?"

"Because! We're not going to talk Zuko. I'm going to verbally rip you to shreds and then I can't even be certain it will stop there. I might go on to actually rip you to shreds because you make me so angry. I just, argh, I can't even stand the sight of you right now so please just go away."

"Oh…" After all the things she had shouted at him yesterday he should have been prepared for that but he wasn't. It cut him deep to hear her say those things. He wished it had just been the silence. She turned on her heels and left him there. He wanted to cry. In all his life, he'd never felt so crushed by mere words.

He walked slowly back to his room. He hadn't noticed how cold and empty it was without her. Her mother's necklace wasn't laying on her bedside table. There wasn't a fire crackling beside the bed because there was no need to heat the room when she wasn't there. Her vanity table was spotless and ever piece of jewelry he had ever given her sat neatly on top of it. He didn't even have words to explain the pain that coursed through him at discovering even the engagement ring he had given her lay there. When had she taken that off?

He picked it up and tucked it in his pocket. He turned noticing a few servants had come in behind him and began placing items on his bed to await his approval to be packed. He drifted over there and sifted through, picking the things that were lightest since they'd be traveling on Appa and then probably on foot.

His hand brushed over her pillow and he couldn't resist raising it to his face. It was faint but her scent still remained there.

"Now that's just pathetic Zuzu." Azula drawled, leaning against the doorway.

Zuko would have loved to tell her to go away but after his behavior the previous day she was fully entitled to any taunting.

"Azula…" He started.

"Yes, I forgive you."

He frowned. "Why? I haven't even begged yet."

"Because…I'm just that good of a person." She gave him a serene smile.

He didn't know if was supposed to laugh or continue to stare at her like she was out of her mind. A small smile lifted the corner of her lips.

"Alright beg me. I haven't had anyone groveling at my feet in a while and I do kind of miss it but you better remember that you're only about to be forgiven because I'm so full of love and forgiveness for the jerk that is my brother."

"Azula, I really don't deserve your forgiveness. I can't believe you're really not upset about that. I was…I was…"

"A jerk." She supplied.

"A royal jerk. I hurt you. I hurt Katara. I'm just like fath-"

"Stop right there! I said grovel not lie. You're nothing like our father Zuzu. You just got caught up in his legacy for a while. I'm the last one who ought to hold that kind of thing against you. How many times did I try to kill you exactly?" She asked. She gave him a fond smile. "You did hurt me but you also saved me. You were right, you could have killed me a long time ago but you didn't. You loved me, you believed in me before anyone else did and so no matter what you do that's more than enough for me. With a father like we had we're allowed to be a little screwed up."

"No, I hurt people. Azula, I killed people."

"Mmm, yes, poor Zuzu. Everyone will hate you now. No one's ever managed to regain their friends after such a thing. Well, unless of course you're me. Then you make friends." Azula said laughing.

"Azula, I'm serious. Katara…"

"Is hurt and angry-"

"She hates me."

"That too."

"What?"

"What do you mean what?"

"You need to work on your comforting skills. You're supposed to deny things like that and say things like 'of course she still loves you.'"

"But that would be a lie and good people don't lie."

"You really think she hates me."

"Let's put it this way, if you weren't the Fire Lord you'd probably be drowned in some river. Unless of course she was feeling really sadistic and decided to drain your body of its water and watch you slowly die of dehydration."

Zuko stared at his sister horrified. "She wouldn't do that would she?"

"I would."

"Azula!"

"Honesty is the best policy. Lucky for you, Katara doesn't actually hate you."

"I thought you said Katara does hate me."

"Well right now she hates the thought of you but if she really, really hated you I'm fairly certain you'd be dead right now and since you're still breathing she must still kind of love you."

"So what should I do?"

"I hope that was rhetorical as I don't know the first thing about love. I'm just assuming that if were her and you treated me like that I would have killed you by now except for the fact that you're my brother and I love you. If I come up with something, I'll let you know." She grinned, smacking him on the knee. He winced, she'd hit him harder than was necessary and he was certain that was part of his punishment so he took it without a word.

"Hey Azula." He called after her as she turned out of the doorway. She turned and stuck her head back in the door. "I really am sorry. I love you. I have a horrible way of showing it but I do."

She smiled at him then turned and left without a word.

A/N: I'll warn you in advance that it might be a while before I can post again (I've got a couple of papers and a project that I've been neglecting but I'll be back). I'm once again taking suggestions. Are there scenes you want to see before this story ends? Do you have an idea of how Katara and Zuko should make up? How should she tell him about the baby? What do you think should be done with the Earth Kingdom situation? I'm open to anything (I've got some ideas but I love new ideas and since I lost my flash drive forever ago, I don't have all that stuff prewritten any more), you're opinions and suggestions are important to me so please let me know what you'd like to see in this story.