DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from Avatar. They belong to Nick. I do however own the nickname Katara has and the one she uses for Toph.
A/N: I want to thank my sister, Jas, for giving me the inspiration to write this story, or the push I needed. Sae nai an, sis!
"Seeing With Your Heart"
Toph Bae Fong tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Katara to be finished shopping. The two had been standing at a particularly boring stand for the past twenty minutes and Toph was beginning to get bored.
"Can we go now, sugar queen?" Toph asked, a note of desperation in her voice.
Katara put a gentle hand on Toph's shoulder, ignoring the nickname she used for her.
"We'll go in five minutes, I promise."
Toph gritted her teeth.
"You've been saying that for the past half an hour."
Katara sighed and went back to the dress she was admiring. IT was a light blue with darker blue and pink flowers around it. The sleeves were embroidered with an ocean wave on it. She had been saving up some money for herself and this looked like the perfect opportunity to spend it.
After about ten more minutes, Katara bought the dress and the two sisters went home.
Toph sighed as she sat in the back yard, watching Aang and Katara practice waterbending. Toph enjoyed listening to them practice and giggled at the fact of how blind Katara was to Aang's feelings for her.
But alas, Aang had waited too late and the waterbender had chosen someone else. A person unlike her in every way, right down to her element.
And as Toph thought, she heard sed person coming towards her. She flicked her hands out, acting like she was going to attack.
The person stepped back and then growled when he realized Toph wasn't going to go through with her threat.
"Toph!" Zuko exclaimed, but his voice was not full of anger. He had changed in the last few months that he had joined their family and he had Katara to thank for it. She had seen in him, the good he couldn't see in himself. She had been the one to believe in him and help him change for the better. And for that, Zuko was grateful to her.
"Sorry," Toph said, giving him a smirk through her non seeing eyes. "I had to do it. I couldn't resist."
Zuko glared, but then smirked and he too broke into a laugh.
After the laughter died down, Zuko asked Toph for a favor.
"Do you mind coming into town with me? I want to get my yue something."
Toph nodded. She knew Zuko meant Katara. He had taken to calling her his 'yue, which meant moon, once in a great while.
"Sure. I'll hang with you while you shop for my sister who is hopelessly in love with you."
Zuko went to play swat Toph's shoulder, but she dodged out of his way, making him hit Momo instead. The lemur screeched in surprise and flew out of the way.
"What do you want to get Tara?" Toph asked, using her sister's favorite and normally used nickname.
Zuko shrugged.
"I want to get her something special." Zuko replied. "Something that she'll really like. Something that will tell her I love her."
Toph nodded and pondered this for awhile. She was about to lead the way into town, when Zuko stopped her.
"Wait. I want to tell her where I'm going." With that, Zuko left Toph's side. He walked over to Katara and wrapped his arms around her waist. He gave her a passionate, but soft kiss on her cheek and stroked her hair.
Aang looked away. HE had long since accepted Katara and Zuko as a couple, but it was times like these that made him sorry he didn't speak up sooner. He loved Katara like a friend now and knew she felt the same way. But a part of Aang always wished he could have something more with her. But it was his love for Katara as a friend and little brother, that caused him not to pursue her in any other way. Their friendship meant to much to him.
"I'll be back," Zuko told Katara, still kissing her.
Katara nodded and leaned into his warm touch, laying her head against his shoulder.
"Where are you going, my Huo?" Katara asked, using her own nickname for Zuko.
Zuko smiled upon hearing this. He loved it whenever Katara called him that.
"Just into town. I need to pick up something. Toph's coming with me for company."
"Make sure she doesn't get into any rumbles while you're down there. Protect her, okay?"
Zuko nodded.
"You know I always do."
Katara giggled and kissed Zuko's cheek before they pulled away. This was true. Toph may not be Katara, but Zuko always tried his best to protect the blind earthbender whenever they went on outings together, which wasn't often.
After they pulled away, Katara went over to Toph and patted her shoulder before ruffling her hair.
"Be good, okay, kiddo?" Katara asked, giving Toph a hug.
Toph nodded.
"Sure, Katara. I'll be cool."
Katara giggled, but playfully hit Toph in the shoulder.
"Don't get smart." Katara advised, but she was smiling.
Toph nodded and flashed Katara a grin before leaving with Zuko.
The two walked to town in silence. They talked occasionally, but the only sounds that filled the air were the birds singing and the noises coming from town.
When they reached the market, Toph groaned. She knew it was going to be just like when Katara shopped, but she was badly mistaken. Little did Toph know she was going to be able to teach Zuko a lesson he would never forget.
As Zuko browsed through the stands, he smiled when he saw just what he wanted. He picked up a necklace that had the water tribe symbol as well as the fire nation emblem on it. The necklace itself was made from a blue and red chain. As Zuko stared at it, he grinned even wider. In the middle of the pendant was a heart. The heart was connected to the two charms by a wave and flame.
"This is perfect for Katara." Zuko said aloud, holding the piece of jewelry to his heart.
Toph snorted. She could sense Zuko's excitement, but to her, he was being excited over nothing. Growing up in a rich home, Toph had been given countless jewels and none of them meant anything to her. There was only one necklace she treasured and it was the one her grandmother had given her right before she had died. That was the only piece of jewelry Toph held dear. And it wasn't because of what it was, but who had given it to her that made the object special to Toph. The same way Katara's mother's necklace was special to the waterbending master.
Zuko's voice broke Toph out of her thoughts.
"How much is this?" He asked, putting the necklace down for the man to examine.
The man took a look and smiled.
"That will be twenty gold pieces, please."
Zuko nodded and handed the man the money. After the necklace had been wrapped, Zuko turned to Toph.
"All right, let's go."
Toph nodded and followed him away from the stand and towards camp. But as they walked, Toph heard a few girls talking. She stopped to listen in. She did this so suddenly, that Zuko bumped into her. She hastily apologized through touch before shushing him with her finger on his lips.
Zuko nodded and he too listened to the conversation that was taking place just ten feet in front of them.
"I just had to see this dress my friend told me about." The first girl said, a smile on her face.
The second girl giggled and nodded.
"I know what you mean. I never buy something without checking it out first."
Toph scoffed as an evil grin crossed her face. She stomped her foot and a jet of earth shot towards the two girls. As the earth made contact with them, they screamed, dropping the items they were holding.
"What was that all about?" Zuko asked, looking over at Toph.
Toph grinned.
"Nothing. Come on."
Zuko nodded, but he wanted to know more.
"Why did you do that?" He asked, walking beside the blind bandit.
Toph shrugged before answering Zuko's question.
"I did it because they needed to be taught a lesson. Seeing isn't everything. And seeing with your heart is better than seeing with your eyes."
Zuko nodded, amazed by her answer.
"Do you think Katara will like this gift?" He asked, holding the box in his hands.
Toph nodded.
"Tara will love it." She took a deep breath and continued her explaination. "It makes me so mad when people rely on eye sight so much. They are so focused on seeing what's not important, that they don't even see anything at all!" With that, Toph stomped the ground, a jet of earth spiraling towards a nearby building. "They need to look with their heart every once in a while." Toph took a deep breath, trying to calm down. " I know Katara will like that gift you bought her. She'll like it because it came from your heart. It's a symbol of your love and unity and that's what will make it all the more special."
Zuko nodded, glad that Toph had calmed down.
"I've always had people describe things to me. I've never seen them before in my life. Whether it was a stuffed animal, a picture in a book or just what a rainbow looked like, I've always had to rely on people and my earthbending to tell me what things looked like. I can't see like you and Katara can, but that doesn't mean I don't see just the same. I see where others cannot. I see where it counts the most. I see with my heart."
Zuko was amazed. He had always wondered how Toph got by with out eye sight and now he was learning first hand how she did it.
When they returned to camp, Zuko snuck up behind Katara and gave her the gift. He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the cheek.
"I'm back, my yue," he purred into her ear. "Did you miss me?"
"Uh-huh." Katara said, returning the kiss. "More than you'll ever know."
"I got something for you," Zuko told her, starting to stroke her hair gently. "Close your eyes."
Katara nodded and did so. She loved surprises and whenever Zuko surprised her, she loved it even more.
Zuko fastened the necklace around Katara's neck and waited for her to open her eyes, but she didn't. At least not at first.
"Thank you, my huo." Katara said, wrapping her arms around Zuko's neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. "I love it."
Zuko kissed her back, but he had a confused look on his face.
"But you didn't even see what it looked like."
Katara nodded as she fingered the necklace's pendant in her fingers. She suddenly got a real feeling for the way Toph saw things and she thanked the heavens above for giving her the opportunity to learn this lesson. As she traced the intricate designs of the pendant, her smile grew even wider.
After Katara was done examining the necklace, she smiled and nodded in answer to Zuko's statement.
"Yes I did," she said, kissing him again. "I saw it with my heart. And that makes it all the more beautiful." With that, Katara deepened the kiss and Zuko gave into her loving and gentle touch.
THE END
A/N: I hope everyone understood the meaning behind that story. I also hope everyone enjoyed it. I will be writing more zutara stories soon.
Sifu-KataraRose