Sokka, Aang, and Iroh's eyes trailed Katara as she stepped back into their ring.

"How did it go?" Iroh asked softly.

She folded herself up next to Sokka. "I don't know." She replied softly. "I tried."

"He's very stubborn." Iroh said sympathetically and handed her a steaming cup. "But I find it's easier to deal with him when you have a cup of tea at hand."

She took it gratefully. "Have you been with him ever since he was… banished?"

Iroh nodded.

"Has he ever thanked you?" Sokka asked dryly. Katara nudged him. "What? It's just a question."

"Well… Zuko has his own way of thanking… Most of them are subtle and mostly unspoken." Iroh grinned. "He actually has a very sweet disposition." He glanced at Katara when he said that.

Aang laughed softly. "I don't think we've ever seen that part of him."

"He's willing to give, but he doesn't know how to receive." Iroh sighed.

Aang nodded. "I'll agree with that."

The group lapsed into silence, all contemplating the complexity of a certain prince, except Sokka, who was wondering what Momo would look like with a green tail.

Zuko appeared from the gloom of the forest and all eyes alighted upon him. He shifted under their gazes and finally took a seat.

"Aang…" he muttered. "I'd like to join you."

He raised his gaze to meet the startling blue of Katara's. She smiled approvingly.

Iroh handed Zuko some tea.

"Let us all drink to this official bonding of avatar," Iroh gestured to Aang, "And Fire Nation."

Zuko stared deep into the liquid in his cup and then took a deep swig of it.

"Fire, water, and air." Aang noted. "This is a momentous occasion."

"Yeah… I'm tired. See you all in the morning." Sokka rolled away to curl up at Appa's feet.

"He is simply entertained." Iroh noted wryly.

"That's Sokka." Katara smirked. "If he's got food, sleep, and his boomerang, he's happy."

"Sleeping does sound like a good plan." Aang yawned. "You're all welcome to curl up with Appa. He's used to company."

Zuko wrinkled his nose. "Sleep… with the giant bison?"

"Yup." Aang replied and fell next to Sokka.

Katara joined her brother and Aang in slumber beneath Appa's shadow, and Iroh discovered the use of Appa's tail. Zuko, however, laid down next to his fire and watched it until his eyes finally drooped.

xxx

Katara couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more at ease. In the dawn of her waking, she realized that for once she had nothing to fear, nothing to escape from. The prince that had been plaguing her conscience for months was finally… beside her. He was a part of them now. Azula was locked away in her own ship, and at least they'd been given a few days of head start. The calm that had settled over Katara's heart was reason enough for her to close her eyes for a few more moments…

She felt a nudge at her shoulder. She opened her eyes to shoo Momo away and let her have her peace, but his green eyes were not what returned her gaze.

Zuko knelt next to her, gesturing her to follow him. He stood and began to walk into the waking sun's rays that fell across the forest. He whirled back around to gesture to her.

Katara glanced around her, just to check on Aang's condition. She found that, lately, she'd been more concerned with his safety and well-being than even her own. Upon finding that he was still curled into a ball next to his fluffy, giant of a friend, she unfurled herself from her sleeping bag and followed Zuko.

The pair walked side by side. The only sound heard was the squishing of their shoes in the mud beneath them. Katara's mind was buzzing with grogginess and confusion. What in the world could he possibly have to say to her?

Finally, Zuko came to a stop and turned to face her.

"Thanks for coming," he said. His voice, to her, seemed less sharp, and she caught herself in her amazement that he could, in fact, be direct without being harsh.

His eyes searched hers for a moment, then he focused in the other direction, finding it hard to face the hollow feeling that had overtaken him upon meeting her gaze.

"Sure." Katara acknowledged, cursing herself for ruining such a sincere moment with such a dim-witted response.

Her comment didn't seem to faze him, and he continued, "I've never been able to face who I was. Even to myself I was a failure. It's hard to live with yourself when you see yourself that way." He paused, taking a breath.

Katara resisted the urge to look around her. Part of her wanted someone to see this; Zuko was being honest! The other part wanted no one to see; this moment was her and Zuko's and theirs alone.

"I always thought that I had to impress everyone else. I had to please them. My life was not my own." He swiveled his gaze to her once more. "That's how I've always felt, until last night. What you said made a lot of sense."

Katara nodded. "Your life is your own to live."

"I'm going to do that now." Zuko straightened his shoulders. Katara was reminded of the proud prince that had crushed his way into her village so many months ago, but this time she wasn't frightened. She was just as proud of him.

"I wanted to thank you for what you said." Zuko murmured. "I haven't felt this way since my mother was around."

"Well, I'm glad what I said had some affect." Katara shrugged.

Zuko's eyes pierced hers for a long time. He wasn't sure she understood the impact she had made, or the sincerity he was trying to convey. Finally he found her jovial expression soften into something almost matronly, and he knew that she understood, but was too conscious of his feelings to draw this moment out any further.

"This is the second time you've thanked me in two days," Katara teased.

He smiled. "It should probably be a lot more."

"Probably."

He drifted off into staring at the landscape. She joined his view.

"The mist…" she whispered.

"The earth was hot yesterday." Zuko whispered back, but unsure why their voices were hushed. "The rain last night cooled it off quickly."

She neglected to tell him that she probably could've figured that out herself and having him voice the science of the scene was kind of a kill-joy. She gave him a glance. He caught it.

"It's pretty." He shrugged.

She chuckled. "Yes. It is."

Together they watched the mist rise into the canopy, and this time the scene that met their eyes was beauty to them both.

xxx

A/N

Oh. My. God.

One, I finished a story properly. I stress the finish and the proper part, although I do realize how short it is. As patient as I've been throughout the whole thing, I finally gave up with details that wouldn't make sense anyway (much like this author's note, eh?).

Two, I actually made the title fit in with the story! At first I just took that title because it popped into my head and sounded cool, but I actually made it make sense!

Three, just in case there is a mad onrush of angry comments "You made a Zutara end like THIS? You wuss!" I am making a sequel, okay? It'll be the one that says 'sequel to rising from the mist', hopefully called the Aftermath. If not, just keep checking into my account to see what I'm up to.

I also may update these chapters. If something happens in the REAL series, and it disproves anything (especially the part about Jeong Jeong being the General to whom Zuko spoke out against… I'm surprised that hasn't stirred more controversy…) then I'll change it around.

Thank you to all my avid reviewers! I love you all, and I hope to catch you in the sequel ('the Aftermath' is what it's called, and it's up and ready now). You've made this trip loads and loads of fun!