A/N: So, here's the second part to what was supposed to be just a oneshot. It keeps growing in my mind, and I can't help myself. Things will be a bit different, there won't be the same structure as the last chapter, and we get to see other character's POV's. Also, dialogue! Yea! Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

The rest of the group may have missed Zuko's abrupt departure from the tea shop, but it did not escape the notice of Iroh. Curious, he slowly crept toward the door, careful not to alert the attention of the others. Peering around the doorway of the front entrance, he watched his nephew angrily preparing his ostrich horse for a journey. After a few minor adjustments, Zuko was gone, riding hard, the dust that the animal kicked up the only thing remaining where he once stood.

Iroh stepped out of the doorway and onto the front patio, brow furrowed, confused and distressed about his Nephew's sudden exit. Zuko was supposed to stay in Ba Sing Se for the remainder of the week, a well needed rest from his duties as Fire Lord. At the end of that time, Iroh was to travel back to the Fire Nation with him, so that he could attend to some business matters. Iroh knew that it wasn't unlike his nephew to make rash, sometimes incomprehensible decisions, but he thought that those days were mostly behind them. Zuko had matured immensely in the last year, and the last six months had certainly saddled him with a great amount of responsibility. Iroh was proud of all that Zuko had accomplished, but knew that he was still very young, and the boy needed a break.

Which made it all the more confusing that Zuko had up and left like that. Iroh hadn't seen him strapping anything to his ostrich horse, which meant he had left most of his belongings here. And he seemed to be headed in the general direction of the nearest port where his airship was docked. Iroh shook his head, bewildered. He turned to go back to the group inside the shop, to ask them if they knew anything about this, when a gleam of light caught his eye.

A trash can had been placed by the front entrance of the shop for the convenience of customers. There, sitting on top of used napkins and other refuse, was an exquisite piece of jewelry. Iroh gingerly pulled it out of the trash to examine it, thinking some poor customer must be missing this by now.

It was a necklace featuring a single flat, round stone made of black onyx. The back and sides of the stone had been dipped in gold, to make the edges shine. A symbol was carved into the front, and the indentations created from the carving were inlayed with gold, creating a striking contrast. The black and gold stone was then attached to an understated, yet clearly high-end piece of crimson silk. It was quite a lovely piece of craftsmanship; Iroh couldn't understand why anyone would throw such a thing away.

But then something in his brain clicked, and he realized that he knew this carving. It was identical to the symbol that hung around Katara's neck, only this was done in the colors of the Fire Nation. Now why, Iroh mused, would anyone want to make a Fire Nation necklace with a Water Tribe symbol on it....?

Oh.

Oh no.

Suddenly it all became clear. It was obvious now that his nephew was not coming back to the shop, and that something very unfortunate had happened that managed to escape the retired general's watchful eye. Iroh had half a mind to try and follow Zuko, and was about to consider this option in more depth, when there was a tap at his shoulder.

Iroh whirled around, quickly stuffing the necklace up his long left sleeve. Standing there, looking oblivious, was the Master waterbender herself.

"General Iroh—?" she started, with a genuine smile on her face.

"Please, dear, call me Uncle."

She smiled again, a little embarrassed at the informality. "Uncle. Have you seen Zuko? There was something I wanted to ask him."

Iroh didn't know what to say to this. How could she not know? Surely that was why his nephew stormed out? Or maybe something else had occurred. He could not detect any strange behavior from her, so she must not know. He would have to investigate this further. In the meantime, he would have to think fast. He wasn't known as a revered former military strategist for nothing.

"I have seen him, my dear. He had to leave abruptly, trouble back at the palace. His presence was requested immediately. Such are the consequences of ruling a nation, I'm afraid."

Katara quirked an eyebrow at this, at little annoyed by this piece of information. "What, he couldn't manage to even say goodbye to me – I mean all of us? We haven't seen him in ages! Oh no, it's nothing serious I hope?" Her anger quickly dissolved into worry.

Iroh put a hand on her shoulder and chuckled. "No, no. But you know how the aristocracy and bureaucrats can be. Zuko has to do his best to cater to them at the moment. They provide a large base of support, and he needs their loyalty. He is managing it the best he can."

Katara seemed to consider this, and found that she couldn't find any fault in this logic. She smiled back up at the general. "Well Uncle, since the mighty Fire Lord is too busy, perhaps I can talk to you. You see, I had heard that you were going to travel back with Zuko to the Fire Nation at the end of this week. Do you still plan to do that, now that he seems to have left without you?"

"Why yes, I do. I have business matters to attend to. Some of my best teas come from a local market near the palace, and I find it cheaper to travel there myself from time to time. It also gives me an excuse to pester my nephew. Why do you ask?"

Katara looked down and shuffled her feet a little. "Well, I was going to ask Zuko if there was anything that I could do for him in palace, or in the Fire Nation. I've finished my reconstruction plans with Aang. I was hoping Zuko would have a need for me, and that I could travel back with the two of you." Katara flushed a little bit, still feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, I'm sure that Zuko will always have a need for you," Iroh grinned mischievously, capitalizing on her choice of words, "I mean, in the Fire Nation of course! You are a young woman of many talents, I'm sure that he could use your help."

Katara flushed a deeper color at his double entendre, and laughed weakly. "Well, I guess we'll see about that. So, may I have the pleasure of travelling with you in a week's time? Or do you think I should send a messenger hawk to Zuko first, asking if he needs my help?"

Iroh almost choked. "Oh no! I mean, of course you are welcome to travel with me, my dear. It has been awhile since I have had such a lovely travel companion. But there is no need to tell Zuko you are coming. He leads a very dull life in the palace I'm afraid, a surprise would do him some good." With his hand back on her shoulder, he began to lead her back to the rest of the group.

"Thank you Uncle Iroh! But, may I ask you something?"

"Anything, Master Katara."

"Why were you digging around in the trash?"

It was Iroh's turn to flush. He stopped in his tracks, and said, "Oh, I…thought I lost my lotus tile again! But it turns out that it was in my sleeve the whole time! See?" He pulled the tile out of his other sleeve, brandishing a wide grin, with the strange feeling that he had done something eerily similar to this before.

Back on the safety of the airship, Zuko sighed to himself, grateful for two things.

First, he was thankful that he had chosen the mode of transportation that he did. The ostrich horse had provided a quick and easy getaway. If he had taken the royal entourage, as his advisors had pleaded with him to do, it would have been disastrous. Well, more disastrous, in any event.

Second, (and he couldn't believe he was thinking this), he was glad that he had found out about Katara's relationship with Aang that way. Not that it didn't hurt, the pain was still very much alive, causing a prickling behind his eyes and a feeling of constriction in his chest. But this was far preferable to the alternative. To think what would have happened if he had pulled her aside….

The humiliation would have been excruciating! If he had been rejected like that, he wasn't sure that he would have ever been able to look her in the eyes again. He wasn't sure he would have been able to occupy the same room with her again. Ever. No, this was better. At least this way, he could go on pretending like nothing happened, he could just make up some excuse that the Fire Nation needed him immediately, and everyone would be none the wiser.

Yes, at least this way, he still had her friendship. He had been happy all those times on the Ember Island beach, walking hand in hand with her, or sitting with her by his mother's turtle duck pond, shoulders casually leaning against each other while they chatted. None of that would have to go away, if he didn't want it to. Unless she would be too busy with the Avatar to come and visit. Or unless the Avatar didn't like the way they interacted. Or unless…

Nonsense. Katara was a strong willed woman, and if she wanted to see him, she would, and she would act however she pleased, Avatar or no Avatar. Katara was his friend, and if friendship was all she wanted, well then that was fine. She never needed to know any of the things he was going to tell her, things he was now glad that he had kept to himself.

Zuko stood at the window of the airship, looking down at the ocean. Why, in this moment, did he have to be surrounded by the Agni-forsaken ocean? He sighed again. He reflected on his reaction after he had left the tea shop. He had stopped along the side of an empty road, dismounted from his ostrich horse, and slumped under a tree, both hands cradling his head. At the time, he had felt overwhelmingly disappointed, and indescribably hurt. His tears had been the result of this feeling, plus one of frustration. He was tired of being disappointed, by others, in others, and in himself. Frustration had quickly turned to anger, a feeling Zuko slid easily into due to large amounts of practice. His tears were quickly forgotten as he stood up and began pacing back and forth. He had spent a few moments shouting curses to no one in particular, and then threw a fiery punch at the tree that had recently given him comfort. It did not ignite; instead it only left a black scorch mark on the trunk. He thought automatically that he was glad it hadn't, since Katara wasn't here to put out the fire, scolding him all the while. With this realization, he kicked at the ground pointlessly, hoping that eventually his thoughts would stop leading directly to her.

He had gotten back on his ostrich horse, and began to ride again. The anger had slowly dissipated, only to be replaced with a general numbness. During his ride, he kept repeating phrases over and over to himself, like mantras, like prayers. Just friends? Ok. With the Avatar? Well, ok. NOT with me? Ok, I guess….

It wasn't working. He was looking forward to arriving back at the palace, where he could bury himself in backlogged paperwork. He would even jump at the opportunity to sit in meetings with his boring advisors. He just wanted anything to distract him from how stupid and vulnerable he felt inside.

His thoughts were interrupted by a slight knock at his door.

"Your Highness? We are preparing to arrive in the capitol in approximately two hours time."

Finally. All Zuko wanted was to get back to the palace and forget that this had ever happened.

The remainder of the week at the tea shop had passed quickly. Katara slowly bid her friends and family goodbye as they left at different intervals throughout the week, all needing to get back to their lives, but happy for the opportunity to reunite. Sokka and Suki were headed to the South Pole for a quick visit before returning to Kyoshi Island where they currently resided. Toph, not wanting to return home just yet ("or ever", as she had stated with a grin), had decided that she would accompany Aang on his visit to the North Pole to help settle some trade agreements between the Northern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom.

At the end of the week, it was just Katara and Iroh, and it felt empty without the others, quiet without the laughter that could previously be heard coming from the main room. Katara felt a pang of loneliness, already missing her friends. But then she thought about how she was going to the Fire Nation to see Zuko, and she immediately brightened.

The excitement grew as she helped Iroh close up the shop to prepare for the time he would be gone. Before she knew it, she found herself on the deck of a Fire Nation trade vessel, enjoying the ocean air. They would be arriving at the capitol within two weeks time, and she was a whirlwind of emotion. She had not been back to the Fire Nation since the war had ended, and was anxious to see how it had changed. She knew, of course, that there would still be considerable damage, and hoped that she could be of some help. She was concerned, as well, as she knew that although the war was over, there was still some unkind sentiment toward non-nationals. Katara wanted to help bridge the gap between the nations that still lingered by offering her services to Zuko's people.

Katara stood at the railing, and thought about her recent travels with Aang. She was glad that she could help him, and was pleased to be able to travel with some sense of leisure now that they weren't constantly being pursued. She felt a bit guilty for not staying on with Aang longer, as there was still so much to do, but Katara was beginning to grow weary of being rootless, of not staying in one place for more than a few days at the most. She wanted some stability, and a bed that she could call her own, at least for awhile. When Toph had offered to tag along with Aang on his next series of travels, Katara had been glad, and her guilt had been considerably lessened. She secretly hoped that Toph would help him to get over the feelings that he had harbored for Katara for so long.

It's not that Katara wasn't flattered by his feelings, or that she didn't love Aang. She just didn't love him the way that he wanted or needed. She had thought, long ago, that her feelings for him might go that direction, and had even tried to force herself to feel something. But doing so made her uncomfortable, as though she were wearing an ill fitting dress that constricted her movements. It just didn't feel natural. What was natural was her need to protect him, to take care of him, just as any other member of the family. But that was all she could ever feel for him, if she were honest with herself. It had turned out that the stupid play they had seen had been accurate about some things after all. She just hadn't been able to admit that to herself at the time.

What she had finally admitted to herself were her feelings for Zuko. She couldn't quite put a name to the feelings, but she knew that when she left the palace almost six months ago, she regretted it. Again, not because she didn't want to help Aang, but because she missed her daily routines at the palace, her nightly walks with Zuko. Katara was very fond of Zuko, yes, maybe that was the word. They had come a long way together, and had a rather sordid history, but that was all in the past. He had worked hard to redeem himself in her eyes, and she respected him for that. He could have just as easily trained the Avatar and avoided her until the end of the war, but he was persistent in his efforts to make her trust him again. And she was glad that he had.

Being angry with him had been a burden. It was almost a relief to forgive Zuko, she found she could finally relax once she had. Not that he didn't deserve her anger; he had certainly earned her wrath in many ways. However, even she could tell that she was getting out of control. She had just felt so stressed, with the pressure of the war, Aang's feelings, and taking care of everyone, all on top of traumatizing memories that kept coming back from her past. When Zuko joined the group, she was already angry with him from past hurts, and it was so easy to just release all of the pent up frustration that she had felt onto him. She regretted being so harsh with him now, although she knew that it was all water under the bridge, so to speak.

But when they had finally become friends, they were good friends. They shared so much in the short time that they had been together. She was shocked with herself the first time that she had reached out to hold his hand. She felt certain that he would yank his own hand away, and that she would be humiliated. But Zuko hadn't reacted negatively, and she liked the way it felt. What was at first a gut reaction became a habit, something she took for granted but noticed if it were absent.

Katara knew that she was privileged in that she got to see a side of Zuko that most people were not privy to. His voice softened, as did his expressions. He actually smiled for her, and occasionally laughed. He was still socially awkward, but that was endearing. She had been amused by the fact that this prince, the one who had intimidated her for so long when he was chasing them, and who was brought up in a world of manners and protocol and trained to command people, would trip and fumble over words when around her.

She had been growing to like him more and more as time had passed before the war. On the night of Sozin's comet, she had been shocked and horrified when he risked his life to save her. The thought of losing him had been unbearable, and had given her the strength and focus to defeat his lunatic sister. She knew then that what she felt for him was not within the boundaries of normal friendship. She had wanted to express this to him, but she couldn't. After all, he had a girlfriend that was waiting for him in prison somewhere. Katara knew that no matter what she felt, she couldn't come in between them, it wasn't right.

As much as she hadn't wanted to leave the palace, (and Zuko), it had been strange when Mai had come back. Katara felt like an intruder at times, watching the two of them interact. Although, she noticed that Zuko often shied away from Mai, or made excuses to be away from her. She thought at the time that this was strange, but then again, they were an odd sort of people, perhaps that was just their way. When she had heard on her travels that Zuko and Mai were no longer together, suddenly their interaction made more sense. Zuko had never really talked about her with Katara, so she wasn't sure how he had felt about Mai before, but it was clear to her now that the behavior she had witnessed between the two of them had not just been the result of unusual personalities. She had been witnessing the end of whatever had been between the two of them.

After the news, her want to go back to the Fire Nation had intensified. She missed his smiles, his hands in hers, the warmth of him next to her.

Ok, maybe "fond" wasn't the right word.

But whatever it was, it felt good, and she was happy to be going back. She stood at the railing, watching the sun dip down below the horizon, and decided to return to her cabin for the evening. She was one day closer to being back at that pond, and back with Zuko.

From the other side of the deck, Iroh watched the young Water Tribe woman as she stared dreamily off into the distance. Iroh was old, and therefore wise, and he knew that look. He had seen it on countless teenagers before. Iroh knew that whoever she was thinking about, he was a lucky boy. And he had a feeling he knew who she was thinking about behind those unfocused eyes and that slight smile. But, he wanted to play it safe, and investigate this situation a little more before he proceeded. It was best to talk to Zuko first before he made any moves or insinuations. Smiling to himself and stroking his beard, he too decided to retire for the evening.

The days on the ship passed far too slowly for Katara. She tried to keep busy, falling into a routine of having tea with Iroh in the mornings and playing Pai Sho with him in the evenings. She was a beginner, and he almost always beat her, but she found that she was getting better at preparing strategies and occasionally could outmaneuver him. It was a good way to pass the time, regardless.

On the day of their arrival in the Fire Nation, Katara felt like she might jump out of her skin. For all of her pining, she was nervous. She was certain now that it was a mistake not to warn Zuko that she was coming. He was very busy, what if he was upset with her for barging in and expecting him to accommodate her? More than anything, however, she was nervous about seeing him. She planned on just acting normally around him, to gage his reactions to her. She didn't want to reveal anything about these feelings she was having, whatever they were, until she could make sure that nothing had changed between them. After all, she hadn't gotten to spend any time with just him at the tea shop, and then he had left abruptly without even saying goodbye to her. No, she needed to be sure that they could at least fall back into the old routines before she said anything.

They arrived at the palace, and Katara had been a little embarrassed about riding in the royal procession that Zuko had sent to pick up his uncle. It was clear that Zuko had only known about Iroh's arrival, as she had to cram herself into the palanquin with Iroh, and some of the soldiers had to be demoted to package handlers in order to accommodate her possessions. She hadn't had much when she arrived in Ba Sing Se, but in their last day there, Iroh had insisted that they go shopping. She had tried to tell Iroh that this wasn't necessary, but he insisted. After all, he had said, you will be seen by members of the aristocracy and high court, you must look the part. They are vipers, the lot of them, so you must present yourself accordingly as to not arouse their vicious natures. She had finally agreed, not wanting to embarrass herself or Zuko by appearing in her simple attire. She had been exhausted by the end of the day, having tried on enough dresses to make her head spin. The one time that Iroh had caught her looking at the price of the clothes, he had gently rapped her on the hand, making her drop the tag. He mock scolded her, telling her that it was not for her to worry about the price of things. She swore she heard him mumble something under his breath about "Zuko" and "worth it," but she couldn't be sure.

Iroh led Katara to the room that she would be staying in, the same one that she had occupied on her last visit. She stood outside of the room and chatted briefly with Iroh while the servants brought in trunk after trunk of clothing. She felt silly about having them do this for her, and at the sheer amount of items that were being brought in. She had tried to help, but was scolded again by Iroh, who smiled and told her to relax and let them do their jobs.

After the servants had finished, Iroh told her to get settled in. He had apologized for the fact that Zuko was unable to greet them, but that they had arrived during a very important meeting that Zuko couldn't miss. Iroh told her to wait here and get unpacked, and that he would come to call on her when dinner was served.

Katara went into her room, glad to be off the ship and finally here. She was still a bundle of nerves, however, and was feeling restless. Determined to work off some energy, and distract herself from her feelings, she gladly undertook the daunting task of unpacking all of the trunks that had been left in her room.

Zuko was bored. Really bored. He was sitting on the throne in what was once the war room, surrounded by his economic advisors. He had since had the room redecorated, so that some of the harshness was missing. He had not liked the wall of flames that his father and grandfather had used to sit behind (what was that for anyway? Who could see what was going on behind all of that?) and instead had replaced this with large ornate vases that were lit with flames on either side of him. The only downside to this change was that now his advisors could actually see him, and he fought to stifle his yawns as one of his men droned on about trade agreements.

Zuko was relieved when the meeting was finally over, and he could take a break before the next meeting began. He waited until everyone had left the room before sighing loudly and rubbing his temples. Being Fire Lord was certainly a lot…different than he had expected. Not that he wasn't satisfied with it, it was what he was bred to do. But after all of the excitement and freedom of the last few years, this highly structured life and stifling schedule were a bit hard to get used to. Getting up off the throne, he began walking toward the door to get some fresh air, when suddenly a familiar face appeared in the doorway.

"Uncle! You've arrived! I thought someone was supposed to notify me?" Zuko said, approaching his uncle to embrace him warmly, a little disgruntled that he hadn't been informed.

"Yes, Lord Zuko, but I told the servants that I would be happy to wait outside for you. I did not want to interrupt you or your advisors."

"I wish you would have, Uncle," Zuko said, pulling back from his Uncle and smiling.

Iroh smiled back, but cautiously. "Zuko, I need to talk to you, preferably in private. Do you have the time to have some tea with an old man?"

"Of course, Uncle. I have an hour before the next meeting starts, and I can have someone bring some tea to my office. Come, follow me. Although I'm sure you know the way." Zuko smiled and the two of them walked through the halls of the palace.

They arrived at Zuko's private office and Iroh shut the door quietly behind him. Zuko offered Iroh a seat, and then sat down behind his desk. Zuko pulled the Fire Lord emblem out of his hair and set it gently atop a pile of paperwork. He reached up and released the top knot to let his hair, which had gotten longer since the end of the war, hang down about his ears. No matter how many people bowed to him and called him all sorts of pompous titles, he always felt a little silly in that role around Iroh. He shook his hands through his hair a few times to get it to lay right, and then looked up expectantly at his uncle.

"So what is so secretive that you wanted to talk to me in private Uncle? Is everything alright?" Zuko asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Well, nephew, I was going to ask you that," Iroh said, as he produced a necklace out of his sleeve. He held it in the air, and looked at Zuko, waiting for a reaction.

Zuko was stunned. This was not even remotely close to anything he thought he would be discussing with his Uncle. He stared at the piece of jewelry and unconsciously sat back a bit, as though it was a dangerous thing that might harm him.

"Uncle," Zuko started, all the feelings that he had been trying to forget flooding back to him. "Where…where did you get that?"

"I found this lovely necklace in the garbage at my tea shop. I couldn't just leave it lying there, it was far too lovely. It's obvious that this was carefully crafted. A lot of time went into this exquisite piece. I knew that whoever dropped it would most certainly want it back. Do you know who this might belong to, Lord Zuko?" Iroh looked at Zuko pointedly.

Zuko looked away, frustrated and embarrassed. He thought he had made a clean getaway, but he should have known that his uncle would notice that something was amiss. Nothing ever seemed to get by the old man.

Zuko ran a hand through his hair and slumped his shoulders, looking defeated. He looked out the window and mumbled, "I wasn't actually going to give it to her…"

"What was that Nephew?" Iroh inquired.

Zuko ignored this question, and said instead, "I supposed you want to know why I left."

"You did leave rather quickly; I was worried that something was wrong. Please, enlighten me."

Zuko did not know where to begin. He was not excited about reliving this again, but it didn't look like his Uncle was just going to let this go. He knew he had no choice but to confess. "I don't know what I was thinking. I – I had been getting closer to Katara when we were travelling together, you know that. But I didn't want to say anything to her at the time, we both had so much on our minds with the war. After it was over, and after she had left the palace, I started thinking that I had made a mistake letting her leave like that. I thought that maybe I would talk to her in Ba Sing Se. But just as I was going to do so, I saw her kissing the Avatar on the patio! I didn't know what to do, so I just left. I wasn't going to give it to her anyway though."

"Why not Nephew? It really is beautifully done."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I couldn't just propose to her Uncle!" he said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "I didn't even know if she felt the same way. And clearly she doesn't. I just had it with me for courage, to remind me that I didn't want to go home without telling her how important she is to me. But I couldn't even do that." Zuko leaned back in his chair, feeling that constriction in his chest once more. He started fiddling with things on his desk in order to distract himself.

Iroh studied his nephew, remaining silent for a few moments. He had spoken offhandedly to Katara about Aang while they were travelling, and she had made no indication that she was involved with the boy, she spoke of him as a friend and as a brother. She did, however, seem to get that funny look in her eye whenever the old General mentioned Zuko. Iroh was shocked to hear that she had kissed the Avatar, but he had a feeling that it was not as it seemed. He then looked Zuko straight in the eyes, and said seriously, "Zuko, Katara is not in a romantic relationship with the Avatar."

Zuko stopped rearranging the papers on his desk. He was sure that he had misheard this. He sat very still for a moment, feeling his heart lift a little, feeling a little bit of hope. But it didn't last. He became irritated, saying "How can you say that Uncle? Didn't you hear what I said? She was kissing the Avatar on the patio! How do you explain that? There wasn't any cactus juice in the tea you were serving, so I know I didn't imagine it!" He slammed down a stack of papers he had been holding.

"Zuko, listen to me. I know what you saw, but I don't think that it meant what you thought it did."

Zuko crossed his arms, and turned his head to the side, as though he were pouting. "I don't know how you could possibly know that Uncle. Look, can we just forget about this? I really don't want to talk about it anymore." He started gathering his hair back up into a top knot, and slid his crown into place. "I'm sorry Uncle, if you'll excuse me, I have another meeting to attend to. Will I see you at dinner?"

Iroh agreed and stood, following Zuko out of the office, but not until he had deposited the necklace on the Fire Lord's desk. Zuko glanced briefly at his Uncle before heading down an opposite hall toward a room that would by now be filled with impatient advisors.

Zuko settled into his place into the meeting, and tried to listen to his counsel discuss matters of education within the Fire Nation, but he couldn't concentrate. How could his Uncle even think those things? He hadn't been there, he hadn't seen it. There was no evidence that Katara was not in a relationship with the Avatar. But somehow, his mind and his heart couldn't help but hope.

The meeting ended, and there was still some time before he would be called to have dinner with his Uncle. Zuko needed a break. His body felt heavy, and he just wanted to be alone somewhere where he could relax for a bit. Even though it often brought up memories of Katara, he found that there was no other place in the palace that brought him peace like his mother's turtle duck pond. He headed there, anticipating the relief of sitting next to the water and closing his eyes for a bit.

But as he approached, he saw a figure already occupying his favorite place by the pond. Aggravated that someone was going to spoil his tranquility, he was about to call out angrily when the figure turned toward him. He stopped in a jerky motion, almost tripping over his long robes, and stared. His brain seemed to explode with a medley of emotion, and he gaped at what he saw. Pulling himself together, he said in a voice not much louder than a whisper:

"Katara?"

A/N II: I swear to you, I didn't want to end it there, but if I didn't it would have been prohibitively long. So clearly, there will have to be one more chapter at least. I know that the Iroh taking Katara shopping is overdone, but I think Iroh is so charming, I just had to. Also, did I mention I'm a psychology student? That could be the reason for the lenghty jaunts into character's feelings and such. Hopefully this adds to the story and isn't distracting, I just can't help trying to get into their heads! Please R&R! I love to hear what people think, good or bad.