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A single tear escapes his good eye, too, and Zuko hugs Katara tighter.
For several moments they remain in each other's arms. When Katara's sobs quiet down, she looks up at him. She did not expect to see his tear-stained face. "Thank you so much, Zuko. For fighting for peace, for working so hard to keep it."
He sighs and pulls away, retreating to his desk. He glances worriedly at the small mountain of scrolls."We've barely begun the work…"
"You said it yourself, some things are already turning out well. The hospital, the orphanage…"
"And yet there's so much more left to do. There's not enough jobs in the capital, even if we subsidize food they're still ridiculously expensive, Fire Nation citizens in former colonies are stuck in a legal limbo!" His voice starts rising. "Ah, I didn't mean to shout. I think I'm too tired."
"We can talk about it tomorrow. I'll head to bed now," Katara says. She quickly crosses the room and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You should go rest soon, too. Good night, Zuko."
She makes her way out of the office but pauses before sliding the door. She turns around to face Zuko again. "Come to think of it. I'm sorry to put it this way - but you're not actually orphaned, are you? Ozai is imprisoned, yes. But Lady Ursa, didn't we hear rumors that she might be alive?"
He sighs again, more deeply this time. "Add that to the things we have to talk about tomorrow."
When tomorrow comes they do talk about everything they intended to discuss, and more. And so comes a plan, or several plans.
They write to Uncle Iroh, asking him to come as an advisor and transition into regency so that Zuko himself could search for Ursa. He writes back, saying he will be sad to "leaf" his tea shop behind in Ba Sing Se but will gladly come back if it's for his nephew's peace of mind.
After they decide that they will finally go, Zuko visits Azula in her secluded quarters. She bitterly states that their mother already left and obviously doesn't want to be found.
They write to their friends, asking if they're willing to go on a not quite dangerous adventure. They receive a reply only from Aang, "Going on an adventure is quite easy with a flying bison. Meet us at Ember Island!" By 'us', they assume that the Avatar will be making stops in the South Pole, Gaoling, and Kiyoshi Island.
Before they head to Ember Island, they visit the orphanage, telling the children they will be traveling and they may not see their big sister and big brother for a while.
When they leave the orphanage together that night, Zuko feels almost relieved. The Fire Nation is in Uncle's capable hands. Mai and Ty Lee are coming to visit with Azula. Their friends are on their way to meet them. And Katara has been by his side the entire time and she says she will always be.
As they walk back to the palace, she says it again. "I'll always be here for you, Zuko. And we'll find your mother. I found the Avatar in an iceberg and you tracked us with just my necklace, I'm sure together we can find your mom!"
On some days, her optimism is the only thing that keeps him going.