A/N: My little sister wanted me to do a collection of oneshots, so here it is! Hope it's alright!

Disclaimer: I own nothing and I can't take credit for the title either, which I borrowed from Shania Twain's lovely song of the same name. :)

I. Friendship

Amicus optima vitae possessio: A friend is the greatest treasure in life.

~Latin proverb

Katara sat outside Iroh's tea shop, letting the night air play with her hair. A crescent moon was sailing across a sky glittering with stars. Absently, Katara let her hand trace circles in the fountain just outside the shop. The water felt cool against her skin and she smiled to herself. From somewhere inside, she could hear Sokka snoring in one of the many guest rooms she and her friends had occupied. She had jokingly told Iroh that after a day of listening to Sokka's snoring, he'd make the Water Tribe warrior sleep outside, but much to her disappointment he the general hadn't. If only he didn't keep me awake half the time, she thought ruefully, as Sokka's snoring grew more pronounced. She smiled at the thought of the others waking up because of Sokka's snoring. Toph would have probably earthbended him clear across the room, but she had had a rather long day and had fallen into a heavy sleep so Katara wasn't surprised to find that the blind earthbender made no comment about Sokka's snoring. Suki and Aang never said anything although Katara swore she saw the Kyoshi warrior telling Sokka to be quieter a few times. Zuko and Mai were a different story. Sometimes, when Katara couldn't sleep and had consequently wandered outside, she had found the two watching the stars or something. Of course they claimed it was Sokka's snoring that kept them up, but she suspected otherwise. She knew that they probably wouldn't do that tonight, though; they had gotten into an argument over something that she couldn't quite remember.

"What are you doing up?"

Katara half turned to see Zuko standing behind her. "Nothing," she answered, turning back and watching the stars again. "I couldn't sleep."

Zuko nodded, taking a seat beside her. "Me neither."

"You sure it wasn't Sokka's snoring that kept you awake," she teased.

Zuko shook his head. "I've been thinking about my argument with Mai."

"Oh."

For a while, neither of them said anything. They just sat in the dark, letting the silence grow around them.

"It seems strange, doesn't it?" Katara said after a while.

"What?" Zuko asked in reply to the vague question.

"This," she said, only confusing the firebender more. "Once, if someone had told me that you'd be on our side, I'd have laughed."

"Oh. I guess I would have too," Zuko said, smiling a little. "I still remember you threatening me. What exactly did you say? It was something about ending my destiny or something along those lines."

Katara laughed. "I remember. I said if you had made one step backward, one slip up, given me one reason to think you might have hurt Aang, you wouldn't have had to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'd have made sure your destiny ended right then and there, permanently.

Zuko grinned. "Yeah. You know, I actually believed you. That whole speech kind of scared me."

She rolled her eyes. "That was the idea."

"Well, it worked, didn't it? I didn't do anything."

"Until three days before the comet when you attacked Aang because you thought we weren't going to do anything."

"Oh."

"I was seriously thinking of ending your destiny then."

"No you weren't."

Katara just glared at him. "How would you know anyway?"

He shrugged. "I didn't and I still don't. But Aang knows you pretty well. He was right."

"About what?"

"Remember when we went after that Southern Raider?" Zuko asked. Katara nodded. "Well, I got the feeling that in spite of everything he said to get you to change your mind, he knew you wouldn't actually kill the guy."

"I wanted to," Katara said, darkly.

"But you didn't."

"Just because I didn't doesn't mean I can't."

"I know. I was just saying," Zuko said, holding up his hands in defense. "But I still believed you'd keep your promise about ending my destiny even after that whole thing had blown over."

"I would have," Katara admitted.

"I know."

"That thing's still in effect, I hope you know," the waterbender added, wryly. "I could still end your destiny any day of the year."

It took Zuko a minute to realize she was joking. "Suddenly," The young Firelord said. "I'm thankful I'm on your side. If we'd still been enemies, I'd probably have been dead by now."

"What makes you say that?" Katara wondered, tracing patterns in the water again.

Zuko shrugged. "You'd probably have bloodbended me."

Katara frowned. "No, I wouldn't."

"Well you hated me enough back then."

"With good reason too," the waterbender muttered. "Sometimes, Zuko, I still hate you."

"Why? Because I keep dragging Aang to those stupid peace meetings?"

She shook her head. "No. Because you always had good in you but you just never decided to use it. Do you know how much it would have simplified things if you had become good sooner?"

Zuko snorted. "Hey, I barely discovered that there was good in me. If it wasn't for my uncle…"

"Yeah, I know."

Zuko yawned. "Better late than never, right?"

"Yeah, but it still would have helped if you had your little transformation long before Azula planned her coup to take Ba Sing Se."

"Well, like my uncle says, destiny's a funny thing," Zuko said. He sighed. "I never really apologized for that, did I?"

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Katara said, looking at the moon. "I still haven't forgiven you for that."

"Fair enough. I know it probably wasn't easy after that whole battle in the catacombs."

"It was anything but easy. Aang died. He would have stayed dead too, if I had used that spirit water on you."

"But you didn't," Zuko pointed out.

"But I came really close to using it."

"You did?"

Katara nodded. "For a second, I actually felt sorry for you."

"That's odd."

"I'm not totally apathetic like your girlfriend," Katara snapped. "Speaking of which, you'd better work things out with Mai. She's moody enough as it is; I don't want to know what she's like after you two get into a fight."

Zuko sighed. "Yeah, well…"

"What were you guys fighting about anyway?"

He shrugged. "I don't even know anymore."

"Wow."

He scowled at Katara's response. "Sometimes, you're as bad as Sokka."

"It runs in the family. But seriously, you're going to make up with her right?"

"Yeah, of course I will. She's my best friend."

"Really?"

"What?" Zuko demanded, meeting her gaze. "You thought I didn't have any friends?"

"No I didn't. It's just that I never would have guessed Mai was your best friend. I always thought…"

"Well, given everything that's happened, she's the only one who really knows me and who has known me the longest."

"Is she your only friend?"

"What do you think?"

"Just checking," Katara said. "Sometimes I think if it were up to Sokka, we wouldn't be friends. He absolutely refused to let you join us after the invasion."

"From what Aang told me and what you said, neither did you."

"I had a reason."

"Which was what exactly?"

"You captured me and used my mother's necklace to track us down. And in the North Pole, you captured Aang."

Zuko grimaced. "Not my finest moments."

"You can say that again. I'm just glad this stupid war is over."

"Lots of people are."

"I just wish the adventure part didn't have to end."

"I could still chase you guys around the world if you like," Zuko offered. "In my free time, that is."

Katara smiled. "Do that again and I will permanently end your destiny."

They laughed.

"You said you'd do that only if I hurt Aang. But I can chase you any place without hurting anyone."

"Yeah right. What about Mai?" Katara teased.

Zuko shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think she likes me..."

Katara just blinked. "Are you stupid?"

Her question caught him off guard. He hadn't been expecting her to say something like that. "What?"

"Are you stupid?" Katara repeated. "After everything that's happened, you don't think she likes you?"

"I was going to say I don't think she likes me enough to be hurt if I left."

"You are stupid," Katara said with conviction.

"How?"

"She stuck with you even after you supposedly dumped her. And even if you're not speaking, she's still with you."

"I don't get your point."

"I can see that," Katara muttered. "She still likes you even if you're a complete idiot who has no idea."

"Thanks," the firebender grumbled.

Katara grinned. "Any time."

"Well," Zuko said, getting up. "I'm going to bed. And maybe I will take your advice and make up with Mai."

"You mean you weren't going to?"

"I was, but when we fight, we usually don't talk for at least couple of days before we make up. It's a weird way to make up, but it works. Although sometimes, I feel like we lose our friendship when we fight."

"You know what they say: A friend is life's greatest treasure."

Zuko grinned. "Has Aang gotten to you? You sound like a monk already."

Katara blushed. "What? Not at all."

Zuko smirked. "Right. Good night, Katara."

He was answered by being soaked in water.

Katara remained outside, wishing someone else would come. She suddenly felt bored without someone to talk to. Her conversation with Zuko had been interesting, though she would have much rather preferred a certain airbender to talk to. Her wish was granted almost immediately.

"Katara? You're still up?"

She turned to find Aang behind her.

"I couldn't sleep," she explained.

"Sokka?" Aang asked, sitting beside her.

"Sokka," she admitted. "And the usual round of insomnia. What about you?"

"Sokka. And Zuko wasn't exactly quiet when he came in. He slipped."

"On what?" Katara laughed.

"Water. According to him, you bent it over him. It was collecting in a puddle and he slipped."

Katara giggled. "That probably was my fault. Oh well."

"What were you two doing up anyway?" Aang wondered.

"Just talking. He seems to think I've suddenly become like you."

Aang raised an eyebrow.

"I said something that apparently sounded like you," Katara explained.

"What?"

"I said I friend is life's greatest treasure and he suddenly thought I sounded like you."

"The monks used to say that every time the little kids got in a fight. I never understood what that meant until…"

"Until?" Katara prodded.

"I went to the Eastern Air Temple," Aang replied, knowing his answer wouldn't make much sense to Katara.

"I didn't understand until after Ba Sing Se," She said quietly, gazing at the city that spread out before them. Everything was dark except for the occasional lamplight that flickered on and off in an unknown house.

Aang grinned. "A friend is life's greatest treasure, especially when they're the person you love."

Katara just smiled. "True. But you already knew that."

Thanks for reading!

~Cassidy Alice