Hey guys! I can't express how excited I am to put up my second story on the website! Remember to review: it gives an author incentive to write more chapters; if you catch my drift.

This is a Zutara story. The devlopment will be a little slow so they won't be making out by the second chapter. Gotta love that development.

Read and REVIEW!

-Iason

Inuria

Chapter 1

It had been four years since the War had ended, and so far everything was peaceful. The Fire Nation had had a rocky start, suffering under the demands of all of those which it had destroyed and oppressed.

Eventually, the Avatar and his best friend, Firelord Zuko had pulled through, establishing a new set of laws within the new nation and the beginnings of a new belief system.

Everywhere all over the Fire Nation, kids were being taught about the balance of the elements and of the world as a whole. With the help of Iroh and his odd, annoying, metaphorical teachings, Zuko was beginning to create a whole new age.

While Zuko and the Avatar were establishing a new peace and order within the nations, the children of Hakota were helping their father build up a stronger Water Tribe society. With the story of their grandparents in mind, Sokka and Katara were firmly arranging a new system of order between the sister tribes. They even found a way to get waterbenders from the Northern Tribe to aid them in building a stronger Southern Tribe.

Suki was . . . well, Suki. She was leading her band of Kyoshi warriors in the ways of the teachings of Avatar Kyoshi. Peacefully and firmly protecting their island from any unwelcome visitors.

Toph was still Toph, although she held quite a bit more power and was working on creating what she called the "world's greatest sport." Oh, and she was building a metalbending school at the request of Aang. Boy had that taken some thinking. And talking. And some pretty darn vicious earth bending.

Needless to say, Team Avatar was spread out, yes. But they still kept in touch through messenger hawk. Sokka more than anyone else due to his fascination with the simple birds.

It was a wonder to all of them that they'd all be gathering together in the Fire Nation capital in just a few weeks with the rest of the world's greatest personas for the annual War anniversary. To take a break from all the work, stress and expectations was like a dream come true.

But, though they were going to celebrate the end of a War and the beginnings of peace, they were still in the throes of danger...

"-speech to the whole Nations, then the Avatar will come out and you two will do the customary bow and greeting before -"

Zuko sighed and sunk down in his chair, on hand on the arm rest, the other rubbing his left temple. Could being royalty be any more boring?

"Then," the short diplomat instructing Zuko on the propriety of the celebration paced back and forth, doing minuscule imitations of what he was expecting, "you and the Avatar will wait for the rulers of the other Nations to come up -"

Zuko zoned out once more, barely holding back an eye roll. He'd done this three times before flawlessly and the small diplomat looked as if he'd just completely improvised the whole thing. Which was partially true, but the original plan was just...boring.

He looked out the tall windows in the small meeting room, and watched the trees blowing softly in the autumn wind. Zuko wondered absentmindedly about his friends.

He knew that Aang had gone off in a haste, saying something about a new herd of bison that he had found. Zuko knew Aang wouldn't miss the celebration for anything, even air bison. Zuko's diplomat, well he had less faith.

The man stopped and scowled at Zuko and the Firelord nodded and smiled. It seemed to do the trick and the man nodded and began pacing again as he continued his instructions.

Zuko groaned inwardly. They were just now getting to the rules of the ballroom dancing.

Toph wouldn't dance if her life depended on it, Zuko thought smiling fondly. The small earthbender was more than capable with her unmatched skills, but it was enough of an injury to her pride to walk out dressed nicely, hair done differently, and to behave like a proper noblewoman.

Sokka and Suki would be all over the dance floor. Zuko knew this from experience. The two warriors were just meant to be together and if Zuko had to complain about anything, it was that they never left each other's side. Gosh Sokka just needed to propose already.

Zuko's thoughts wandered to the Avatar. As of late, the young man had been moving from country to country. Zuko knew that as much as his best friend loved what he did, he wanted rest as much as anyone else. But Aang was a social butterfly. He'd dance with whomever came to him.

Zuko frowned to himself as the diplomat began to list all of the songs that were to be played, stressing that Zuko must be aware in case anything "goes wrong". He then almost laughed aloud when he remembered why the man was going through this now.

Two years back, Zuko and Toph had gotten so tired of the classical Fire Nation music that they went to the conductor of the orchestra and with some persuasion (i.e. Toph rocks), changed the set list to some more "funky stuff" as Sokka put it later.

Zuko's thoughts finally landed onto Katara. The beautiful waterbender had been mentioned many times over the years. Her reputation had grown as a master bender, healer, wise woman, and a beautiful, composed young woman. Zuko couldn't have agreed more with all of those. Though he would've added a couple more adjectives to the list. He absentmindedly rubbed his upper arm where she had nailed him in a sparring match the year before.

Last he had heard, she and the Avatar were ending their relationship on the basis of time spent away from each other. But when Zuko had written a letter to her with questions, she had writing him back with a short, curt, two sentence reply completely avoiding the questions he had asked.

Zuko understood the awkwardness and uncomfortableness of a relationship ended. Mai had broken up with him a year-ish ago saying he was getting too happy. Zuko had laughed and she had scowled as if her point had been proven. The weak argument was made to be a simple excuse later down the road when Zuko caught her sitting under the tree by the small pond in his courtyard with an off-duty guard. Both of them had looked awfully cozy under there and Zuko had only been relieved Mai had found some sort of solace.

"Mr. Gunjo, I do believe my nephew is ready for a break. Perhaps a nice cup of tea and a few minutes outside will be good?" Uncle Iroh's voice came from the doorway of the room.

Zuko sat up and greeted his uncle with a surprised smile. "Uncle!"

Iroh smiled back and Gunjo the diplomat fumbled with the hem of his robes at being addressed so informally. "Oh, um . . . of course. Sir." He looked at Zuko and bowed low. "Your Highness." Then he was gone.

Iroh chuckled. "Your mind seemed as if it were drifting elsewhere, Nephew. Anything I should know about? Or perhaps you really want a cup of my tea!"

Zuko rubbed his temples with his fingers. "Uncle, I am so glad you came. He wouldn't stop talking about all of this stuff and I couldn't help but not listen."

Iroh nodded. "We both know how fond Gunjo is of tradition."

Zuko grumbled under his breath as Iroh took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly and contentedly.

"I think a nice cup of tea would be nice. Nephew?"

Zuko nodded. "Of course, Uncle." He glanced out the window.

Iroh noticed and patted his tall nephew on the shoulder. "The celebration starts in a week. They will be here soon, I'm sure. Probably early if they want time to spend with you away from people."

"I can't stop thinking about them. Before them, Uncle, I don't think I've ever had a real friend."

Zuko stood up and stretched, wincing as he felt his spine pop. "Yes. Some tea would be nice. And maybe a walk outside. I think I saw some fish in your new lily pond just yesterday..."

"Can this thing go any slower?!"

"I told you before, Toph, a boat can only go so fast before we begin to use up more fuel than we want."

Toph leaned on the railing on the side of the boat and groaned. "I'm fine with metal but I want some dirt! We've been here for so long!"

The captain cleared his throat. "It's been a day."

Toph sniffed in indignation.

Eventually the captain left her to her thoughts and let her steam undisturbed. The crew had learned early on that to suffer the wrath of Toph Beifong was to suffer the wrath of death.

Oh how she just wanted to be in the Fire Nation already. And not just to be in the dirt.

Her friends would be there. Just like Zuko, Toph had never experienced true friendship until she had met Aang and the Water Tribe siblings. Even then, it had taken so long for her to trust that they would be able to be her friends.

She stuck a finger in her ear and itched it a little before ungracefully wiping her finger on the hem of her robe.

At Zuko's request, she was arriving to the Fire Nation shores three days before the celebrations were to begin. That meant she had left home a week before the celebrations.

Darn Zuko and his country. Why couldn't they just make a giant land-bridge? Toph tilted her head to the side. That actually wasn't a bad idea.

Note to self: make land-bridge.

The years had treated Toph well. Her parents had of course chewed her out once she had returned, but once she had yelled some sense into her father, he had backed down with some grumbling apologies. Still, Toph, as punishment, was to go through a noble woman's education.

Toph was now fluent in three languages, knew seven different types of dances, could recite two different scrolls of tradition, walk in a dress and heels (though those lessons had stopped as soon as possible when everyone realized Toph didn't like it when her feet weren't on the ground), and let's not forget her vast knowledge of laws, politics, and courting.

Oh, the courting. How she hated the courting. Not that any of the men her father had sent her way had lasted long at all. Most of them ended up in random caves or buried halfway under ground.

Toph's lip curled upwards as she remembered the sad fate of the last young man her mother had "discreetly" set her up with. The poor young man was probably having nightmares about mud and rock right now.

The thought of earth successfully killed her small smile and she draped herself over the side railing of the boat again.

Toph ran a hand through her hair, loosely braided in a crown braid before hanging freely around her shoulders in an attempt to keep it out of her face. Her mother had this thing about "never cutting your hair and trying new styles" that Toph was just about done with.

She wondered how Zuko was faring with his duties and traditions. Toph chuckled as she imagined Zuko's sour voice, full of irritation. It was better to be a rich noblewoman than a Firelord.

The sound of a hawk sounded overhead and soon Toph felt the talons of a messenger hawk land nearby on the railing. She tilted her head and recognized the bird as Katara's.

Ah yes. The Sugar Queen. And ex-girlfriend of the Avatar. Boy had that episode caused an uproar.

"You've got a messenger hawk!" The captain called from his post above the deck.

"No! Really?" Toph pretended to blindly look around. "Where?"

The captain, by now used to Toph's behavior calmly and patiently chuckled.

Toph unstrapped the note and waved it around. "Well are you gonna stand there and laugh at my disability, or are you gonna read this for me?"

The captain took the steps down two at a time and snatched the scroll from Toph's fingers with unnecessary flare, and Toph kicked him lightly in the shins.

"I'm reading!" The captain cleared his throat before reading:

"Toph,

I'm setting out today for the Fire Nation. Zuko apparently wants us there three days early just to have time to see us! I think that's nice. Though, I'm not too sure how my dad will do without Sokka and me to help. He's stressed enough as it is. Of course he made me go.

I'm nervous about seeing Aang again. It's always a little weird to see him now. But at the same time it isn't. It's like seeing my brother after an awkward situation.

Suki wants me to find someone else. I think I'm taking it slowly and having some me time for now.

Please stay safe. I know you hate boats, but if you make the boat sink, you'll be stuck floating at sea without one.

I'll see you soon,

Katara."

The captain rolled up the scroll and handed it to Toph. She took it with a smile, her irritation with the boat and the fact that they were surrounded by water forgotten.

"You know, someday you're gonna have to show Katara your voice impression of her."

The captain snorted. "Master Katara would hold that over my head for the rest of my life and you know it."

Toph grinned and lightly flicked her finger, sending a small shard of metal from the railing into the captain's thigh.

The captain winced. "I take it you're still angry about the sea."

Toph shrugged. "Someone has to have some sort of power here."

"For a sixteen year old, you're surprisingly difficult." The captain walked off shaking his head and laughing as he pulled the shard out of his pant leg.

Toph faced the open sea again and closed her eyes - not that it did much. The wind blew her hair around her and she smiled to herself.

Standing here like this, well, she could almost imagine herself standing in the warm, yet nicely breezy gardens of Zuko's palace, drinking tea with Iroh and listening to Katara and Suki catching up.

Toph sighed and opened her eyes - not that it did anything.

She stomped her foot and the boat lurched. There was a two second pause before someone screamed and there was a large crash heard from below deck.

Ah yes. Just what she had wanted. Toph chuckled to herself. She loved catching men who were using the chamber pot.

Katara didn't know how her brother had ended up flying overboard. All she knew was that he had. And frankly, she wasn't surprised in the least.

"Darn it, Sokka!"

She leaned over the side railings of the boat and peered down below to see her brother's fuzzy warrior's wolf-tail bobbing up and down with the motion of the water.

"I'm okay! Just . . . do some amazing waterbending action and get me out of here, will ya? It's really cold . . ."

Katara snorted. "You fell. I can't help you with every single problem just because I'm a waterbender, you know."

Sokka opened his mouth, then sputtered when a large amount of sea water entered his mouth. "Okay! I'm sorry I made you cook, and wash, and build, and pull my sled, and take care of dad's new seal-penguin, not get me out!" He was now pleading with her.

Katara smirked to herself. "I don't know, Sokka. I think the life of a fish suits you. Wandering, eating, sleeping . . ."

Sokka made a sudden, sharp, high-pitched girl-like scream that made Katara wince.

"A LION-SHARK!"

One of her father's soldiers stopped by Katara and frowned as he looked down at Sokka.

"I could just tell your father he jumped in and refused to come back."

Katara gave a small giggle as Sokka screamed again and ended up swallowing copious amounts of salt water.

"Okay, okay. Sokka, stay still!" Katara gracefully bended a giant ball of water with her brother suspended within the center. He glared at her, air stored in his cheeks as he held his breath. Katara gave a sweet innocent smile as she bent the water five feet over the deck, her arms moving fluidly, until she dropped her arms to her side.

Sokka fell to the deck with a dull thud and groaned as he curled in a ball, clutching his head.

"Geez, Katara. A little gentler next time, huh?"

Katara bent the water off of her brother, leaving him dry and send the water off the side of the boat with a flick of her wrist.

"There won't be a next time, Sokka. Because if you do fall again, you're finding a way back on the boat by yourself."

The soldier who had spoken earlier snickered. "Lady Katara has a point. You have fallen three times today already."

Sokka frowned as he slowly stood up, wincing as he twisted his back until his spine popped.

"I get it. Let's gang up on Sokka! He can't bend an element and is too awesome with his boomerang and impressive wolf-tail." Sokka finished with an impressive pose and a smile.

Katara frowned. "You're so full of it. It's a good thing you're not chief for a while."

Sokka made a sound of indignation then turned around with a "Hmph." He marched away mumbling something about a lack of appreciation from his own family.

The soldier chuckled then dismissed himself with a bow and left when Katara smiled at him.

She turned around with a sigh. Her brother was nineteen for goodness sake. He should act like it.

Katara looked at the horizon in hopes of seeing the Fire Nation shore, knowing full well that they weren't due to arrive until tomorrow.

Katara put her elbow on the rail and rested her chin in her hand. She was ready to see her friends again. She smiled fondly as she remembered the last time they had all been in the same place at the same time. That had been last year's celebration.

Zuko and Toph had bribed the conductor and the band, Aang had managed to accidentally let Momo onto the buffet table, Sokka and Suki had been kicked out by Zuko once they had begun to get too intimate (she was glad the Firelord had done so...), and she herself had managed to insult three lords and a prince. It wasn't her fault she wasn't looking for a husband. Plus, who began courting after talking for a couple of minutes on the dance floor.

At one time she had believed she and Aang were to be together. Katara sighed. It wasn't meant to happen. And surprisingly, she was fine with it. She had plenty of things to keep her busy, and the freedom to do whatever made her more at ease.

Sokka was planning on proposing to Suki soon. The only people who knew were her and her father. Katara was excited for her friend and her brother. They deserved it. It's honestly long overdue.

Katara's brow furrowed as she thought a little bit. What happened to Zuko and Mai? The last thing she had heard was that they were still courting, if not a little distantly, but still.

Zuko had written her about her breakup with Aang. She, in a flurry of emotions after being sick of everyone asking her if she was okay, had writing a short, curt message back. Katara had regretted it as soon as the hawk had left.

Half of her wanted to die in embarrassment, the other half knew that Zuko had forgiven her.

A small smile made its way to her face. Zuko had eased into the life as Firelord pretty smoothly. With Iroh's patient guidance and the freedom to finally be able to speak what he believed and shape people for the better, Zuko was obviously more relaxed. He was actually so much more relaxed, that Sokka last time they had seen each other, had complained about how much Zuko smiled and joked now.

Granted, Katara knew that Zuko would never admit to her brother that he was right. Zuko's pride was still there. He still managed to get short tempered and sour, but Katara had seen his control in diplomatic missions and when he had come to visit the Southern Water Tribe for some document signings.

Actually, Katara didn't mind his smile. It made him look younger. Like the fears and anxieties of the haunted prince were nothing but a distant dream, and the burdens of Firelord were non existent.

His search for his mother was ongoing, and his father and sister were safely contained; Katara knew he visited them even though he hadn't said a word about them.

It was in his eyes. Those amber eyes that said more than the tall, dark, handsome, quiet man ever had and will.

Katara blinked and mentally shook herself. She hadn't seen Zuko in three months. And she was already thinking about him as if they'd been apart for years.

This was interesting . . . Katara absentmindedly began to bend the water beneath the ship to make it go faster on the water.

She wanted off this ship and she wanted to see her friends again. Even if it meant bending this ship all the way there.

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