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Disclaimer: Avatar and all it's characters belong to Mike and Bryan

Voyager in a Storm

-Chapter 2: Interesting-

I

He sighed. He couldn't believe he was still considering his son's words. He had thought about it the whole night and was unable to sleep, and the headache from the previous day persisted. He leaned against the tree like he had done so many times when he was younger, smiling as his eyes stopped on the burnt margin of the small pond.

He had been sure he was doing the right thing when he had thought about it overnight. They would stay in the Fire Nation and hold it together. But after his son had called him a coward that morning, Zuko's stomach had tightened and as much as he tried to shake the feeling away, he couldn't.

A coward.

That's what his son thought of him now. A man incapable of moving one muscle to help his friends, even if that meant leaving his Nation behind. The boy didn't understand. He had worked too hard to mantain peace in the Fire Nation, he couldn't just leave in the verge of a war, it was too risky. If there were rebels in the Earth Kingdom, there were certainly in the Fire Nation, too. He couldn't give them the chance to free Azula.

He shivered at that thought, closing his eyes and feeling the light breeze on his face. He inhaled deeply, touching the rough surface of his scar with his left hand, and placing his right one on his stomach where he felt his other scar beneath the soft cloth of his garment. Maybe he was a coward. Maybe he was wrong, and they did need him in the Earth Kingdom. He slowly opened his eyes as he heard the quacking of the young ducklings. The proud mother swimming around the little ones as they played in the water, ready to protect them at the slightest sign of danger.

Urso had got it all wrong, he wasn't a coward. He was selfish. That was the right word to describe him. He was being selfish in not wanting to go to the Earth Kingdom. He knew he wasn't staying in the Fire Nation only for the Nation's sake. But as he saw the bigger turtleduck so eager to protect the young ones, he asked himself if it was so wrong for a parent to want to protect his only son, even if that endangered the rest of his friends.

The mother turtleduck quacked louder as Zuko heard someone approaching. He looked at the source of the footsteps as the young teen walked towards him, unsure of how to ask him something. He looked at the mother turtleduck again, as she protectively forced the younglings back to the small opening inside the pile of rocks on the oposite margin of the pond.

"Are you here to try to convince me to go to the Earth Kingdom, too, Tom-Tom?" he asked him scratching his scar, gaze still fixed on the small opening of the turtleduck's nest.

"He asked me to, but I know better than to try to convince you of anything. Once you've made up your mind, that's what it's gonna be..." he told him matter-of-factly " No... I'm here to tell you Haru has left yesterday in the afternoon with his fleet taking your letter, I didn't have the chance to tell you with everything that happened to Urso... I'm sorry he overheard us." he added, apologetically.

"It's okay Tom-Tom, it wasn't your fault... I didn't tell him in the first place to avoid him wanting to go to middle of it all." he said calmly, finally looking at his brother-in-law as the boy started blowing his fringe. "What's the matter, Tom-Tom? That's not all, is it?"

"No it's not all... truth is... I'm here to tell you I'm going with Sokka and Suki." he spilled the words quickly, staring at the floor looking worried.

It had to be a nightmare. First Urso and now Tom-Tom. He cared for Tom-Tom as a brother, and he knew as much as he wanted to keep him safe, too, it wasn't in his power to do so. He would go if he wanted to, he wouldn't order him around. Zuko had made that clear ever since the boy had come to live in the Fire Nation.

"When did you decide that?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice

"Yesterday... I spoke to Haru about the situation Zuko, they need all the help they can get. I understand why you can't go, but I feel like I have to. Particularly after what happened to the Kyoshi Warriors, I can't just ignore that! And my parents are in Omashu, I'm worried about them... you won't be able to stop me if you tell me you don't want me to go, but I would rather you say it's okay" he said looking at Zuko.

He looked like Mai almost as much as Urso did. The firelord placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"Of course it's alright... just... be careful"

The boy grinned at him, nodding, before he turned and started to leave.

Zuko looked around the carefully cared garden. He smiled as he remembered his mother playing with a baby Urso in the margings of the now spoiled pond, helping him feed the ducklings as she had once done with him. He pictured Aang's giant smile the last time he had been there as he and Toph competed who could make the best earth sculpture, the children would be the judges, and of course Toph would always win. He then saw Katara looking at them lovingly, the people she loved so much finally safe. She turned her gaze towards him, smiling softly, her blue orbs shining with delight. He was sure he belonged with them.

As he snapped back to reality, he felt a pang of guilt bursting in his chest. He was sure Aang would understand. He would probably think it was the right thing to do. Suki had thought it was a good idea, too, and so did Sokka. Toph would be annoyed by it, she loved teasing him, and he missed her the most, but she wasn't one who held grudges for a long time. But the reaction he worried the most about was Katara's... he had betrayed her once in Ba Sing Se, and had fought to conquer her trust again. And now he was betraying that trust.

Katara knew how to read people better than anyone he knew, except maybe his uncle. He could hide behind the excuse he was staying in the palace for the Fire Nation alone. Aang, Sokka, Suki and even Toph would accept that. But he knew Katara wouldn't. She would know that wasn't completely true, she would know he was staying to protect his son from danger. And although he knew she would never hold it against him, and although she would never admit it, she would feel betrayed by him again.

"Tom-Tom?" he called the boy, who was just crossing the entrance of the garden back to the palace.

The boy turned around questioningly as if asking if he had changed his mind about letting him go. He made his way towards the boy quickly, stopping right next to him.

"Can I trust you with a letter?" he asked the boy quietly.

"I thought you had already sent a letter to Aang with Haru yesterday..." the boy asked confused. "but sure, if you want to send another one, I'll take it" he shrugged.

Zuko nodded. "I'll have it ready by the time you leave... you should go get ready Tom-Tom" he said, following the boy as he walked out of the garden.

--

--

II

"So, you're not talking to uncle Zuko because you want to come with us, and he won't let you? You are such a kid Urso..." the girl told him as she played with the small drops of water.

"Whatever, Tajah..." he mumbled. Of course she didn't understand. She couldn't, she wasn't in his situation. She was going to the Earth Kingdom to see Aang, she couldn't care less about what he felt.

"Come on Urso, we promise to write!" Kano teased him, kicking his leg lightly.

He hadn't been able to sleep that night thinking of how he would convince his father to go to the Earth Kingdom. His head still ached from the fall the previous day, thanks to Tajah's sneak attack, and if it things couldn't get worse, the only company he had had, Tom-Tom, was going with Suki and Sokka to the Earth Kingdom.

He was in a horrible mood. He always ended up in a foul mood after his arguments with Zuko. And what didn't help him this time was he was feeling not only angered, but also guilty. He had called his father a coward. Not that he didn't think of his father as that, because he did. He was hiding inside the palace while his friends were out risking their lives for the world. But to voice his opinion like that, to call him a coward to his face, it was as if the wall of Ba Sing Se had fallen on top of him.

He had thought he would feel relieved to finally let his father know what he thought about him, but it had only made him feel worse. As if there was something inside him that didn't agree, but he didn't know why. He had regreted the words as soon as they came out. And even after all the acusations, Zuko had still decided to stay in the Fire Nation, and his friends would be leaving in a few moments.

They had been sitting on the floor of his room talking for most of the morning about the war. He had thought Kano and Tajah knew about it more than he did, and they did, but not as much as he thought they knew. After they tied the information they all had, they only knew three certain facts: the Kyoshi Warriors were missing, and they hadn't heard from the Island for some time; The rebels were preparing to attack, and would sure be doing that soon, and that had Uncle Iroh worried... that was never a good thing; And Tajah and Kano and their parents, and the rest of his friends, were all going to gather up in headquarters called The Under, though Tajah and Kano didn't know exactly what it was.

He looked at Tajah, who was still playing with the drops of water, bending them to ice and then back again, and making them dance around her hands' movements, her light blue eyes the same colour of the ice. She moved her gaze from the water to his face raising an eyebrow and then throwing the droplets of water at him.

"What's the matter with you, flamethrower? You're acting all strange..." she asked him as he patened his red tunic trying to evaporate the water.

"Here" said Kano, bending the water out, before he had the chance to dry himself "I don't want you burning your clothes in front of my sister..." he said, grinning as Tajah blushed

He exhaled fire. He really wasn't in the mood for Kano's teasing. He got up from the floor, running his fingers though his hair and made his way to his desk, looking at a painting of his parents that rested near scibbled parchment. He was sure that if his mother was around she would talk to Zuko and tell him that what he was doing was wrong, and that he should help his friends. But she wasn't. He had never met her. He was the reason his mother wasn't alive.

"Urso, are you okay?" Tajah asked worriedly.

If he looked the way he felt, he surely wouldn't be able to lie about it. He shifted on his stance running his finger through his hair again, thinking. Who could possibly convince his father that what he was doing was wrong?

There was a knock on the door and Suki emerged from the other side. She was dressed in her full Kyoshi Warrior uniform, face paint included. She looked beautiful. Urso had always imagined if his mother was still alive, if he had known her, if she would act towards him the way Suki acted with her children. Even strangers could tell she loved them very much.

But as Suki entered the room, he couldn't fight the feeling of dread that was taking over him. His friends would leave soon, and he would be alone again in his cage.

"Mom, you look beautiful!" Tajah squeeled, running towards her and hugging her. "Can't you paint my face? I want to look as pretty as you when I see Aang again" she pleaded, smiling brightly at the thought.

"You are a little too young, sweety..." Suki laughed, as Tajah's smile disapeared, disapointment showing on her face. "Everything's ready for us... let's get going?" she asked them, smiling.

"Are we taking the war balloons again?" asked Kano, excitedly. As Suki nodded, smiling, Tajah's face, which had had a healthy shade of pink, became instantly white.

"Ok Tajah... think about Aang, think about Aang..." she whispered to herself looking desperate, her breathing uneven as she blinked nervously.

Suki opened the door again so her children would leave the room and then she turned to look at him. He was staring at her, and by the serious look on her face as she looked at the floor, he could tell he looked really sad. She moved her gaze to his face again, smiling lovingly, as she did with her own children.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" she asked him sweetly.

"I'll be there in a minute, aunt Suki" he nodded, as he tried to keep his voice from sounding so broken.

She took a deep breath before nodding back and turning to leave. She glanced back at him before closing the door behind her.

He sighed.

He would probably see his friends again in a year...

His golden eyes flickered on the objects on top of his desk. Next to the picture of Zuko and Mai, on top of the scribbled piece of parchment, was a blue paper weight in form of a penguin. It had been given to him by Katara when he had first learnt to write. He remembered being completely taken by the stunning material it had been made of. She had explained it had been carved out of a rare gem waterbenders used to carve engagement necklasses, and she had carved it herself. It was the same material of the pendant she wore around her neck.

It was then, as he remebered Katara, her ice blue eyes and her caring smile, that something connected inside his head. Of course. It was as if he had figured out how to bend for the first time. If there was one person who could convince his father he was wrong, who could put some sense inside his head, it was her.

His heart hammered in his chest as a new hope grew inside him.

He needed to be fast, or they would leave without it. He opened the first drawer of his desk and pulled a yellow piece of parchment, laying it on top of it. He quickly got his quill and wrote the words as fast as he could, trying to spill ink while he did so. After he finished, he blew softly on the letter so the ink could dry faster, then carefully tied the scroll, and bursted out of the room.

That letter was certainly the last hope to convince his father of going to the Earth Kingdom. He always listened to what she had to say, and he always accepted her judgement. He smilled confidently, as he sprinted down the hallway towards the front gates of the palace. He was surprised he hadn't thought about that in the first place. Of course she would convince him to go.

As he arrived at the entrance of the palace, trying to catch his breath as he walked towards Kano, he shot his father a deadly glare.

Zuko just ignored him. He was saying his goodbye to Tom-Tom, and giving him directions on something. He didn't care, so he wouldn't waste his time trying to listen to their conversation. He quickly walked towards Kano, who stared dumbly at the war balloon in front of them. He shifted his gaze from the aircraft to him as he realised he was there.

"Hey, you look a little more cheery, what happened? Are you coming with us afterall?" he asked him as he elbowed his arm.

"Shh! Could you try to be more quiet, please?" he asked him, whispering "I need you to do something for me..."

His heart was racing in his chest. A smile he tried to hide playing in his face, enthusiasm bursting out of him. He knew as soon as that letter reached her hands, she would do something to help him.

"What is it Urso?" Kano whispered quizically "What's the plan? I sneak you in the war balloon?"

"I have thought of that, but as soon as they found out they would send me back..." he said as he handed him the scroll.

"What's this? A love letter?" he mocked him.

Urso sighed, trying not to roll his eyes. He considered taking the scroll back and giving it to Tom-Tom. But his uncle was clearly focused on his father's errands. Kano would have to do.

"Stop it, okay?" he cut him off "Take this to aunt Katara... and don't you dare loose it."

--

--

III

She wasn't sure.

When her daughter questioned her why Urso couldn't come with them and why she wouldn't attempt to convice Zuko, she had started thinking about it. After some time she asked herself what were the true reasons Zuko didn't want to leave the Fire Nation. And every single thought of hers reached only one conclusion.

But she couldn't understand that. If he was scared for Urso, and he wasn't telling them, why wouldn't he take his son to a place that was unreachable? The Under was unreacheble. Toph was the only one who could bend metal, or was she?

Yes, she was.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. She was doing the right thing for her children. She was protecting them in the right place. And she decided that her thoughts about Zuko staying in the Fire Nation to protect Urso didn't make any sense. He was staying for his country as he had said. And she agreed with him, and so did Sokka. She had no idea why she was giving it a second thought now.

She leaned over the water basin, throwing the warm liquid on her face. She closed her eyes as she felt the water running down her cheeks washing away the paint she had worn that morning. After repeating the action twice, she slowly opened her eyes and stared at her reflexion on the mirror opposite her. She couldn't recognize in that defeated face the warrior she really was, the fierce woman she had become. Her eyes flickered at the door as it creaked open, then quickly returned to examine the dark hollows under her eyes.

He walked towards the place she stood, the water from her face starting to drip down her clothes. His arms were cold in comparison with the bathroom temperature as they snaked around her waist. She could feel them even with the thick cloth of her Kyoshi outfit between their skin, the waind was probably fierce that night, maybe it would help them get their boat faster to the Earth Kingdom.

Her husband gently kissed the exposed base of her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder and smiling tiredly at their reflexion. Who would have have thought the first time they met she would end up married to him?

She smiled as she remebered teasing him, dressing him as a Kyoshi Warrior, claiming he didn't fight half as good as they did. Her reflexion frowned and she saw tears were forming in her dark eyes. Something really bad had happened to them... to her home. Her heart tightened in her chest, as she blinked and a silent tear ran down her pale cheek.

Sokka turned her around, embracing her, and she sobbed harder on his shoulder. She couldn't stop thinking about them. When she had been separated from the girls and locked in the Boiling Rock, she had known they were somewhere else. In prision too, but somehow safe.

This time things were diferent.

"It's fine... they are fine, you'll see..." he said as he caressed her cheek lightly, hugging her tighter.

"You don't know that..." she whispered. She had been acting confidently in front of her children for too long, and was just breaking completely for the first time since Kyoshi Island had failed to comunicate.

"Of course they are Suki... as soon as we get there Aang and I will go to Kyoshi Island and sort things out. We'll bring them all back to the headquarters, I promise you" he said consolingly.

"Don't promise what you don't know you can keep, Sokka!" she growled, punching his shoulder and struggling free "You don't know if their even alive! The information Haru had was that last he had heard, the rebels weren't keeping prisioners..." she continued angrily, as she walked out of the small, warm bathroom.

Of course Sokka was worried. He was worried about the girls too, but she knew he was mostly worried about her. She hadn't been acting like herself ever since she had heard about the comunication problems with her home.

She always held her chin up high as she always did, trying hard not to let her children see the distress she was in, she wouldn't want to worry them. She didn't want them to notice the hope she had always had was slowly dying inside her, as if something was telling her to expect the worse.

She could fool them with her act. But she could never fool her husband.

Sokka followed her out of the bathroom into their room. The wooden floor of the ship made a creaking sound as he walked towards her shaking form. He tried to hold her again but she dodged him and moved near the bed.

She sat on the edge of the cushions, running her fingers on the silky fabrics of her nightgown, which laid next to her pillow. Ty Lee had given her that nightgown. She smiled at the memory of the bubbly girl. She had also never thought that Ty Lee, the girl that once had been their enemy, the girl who had captured them with Azula during the war, would end up joining them.

There were a lot of things that had happened in her life she would have never imagined when she was younger.

"You can't loose hope, Suki... they are strong, they'll survive this..." he said as he sat beside her, sighing.

She eyed the razor fans that rested on the small table near the bed. Sokka was right. She wouldn't give up hope. Even if there was only the slightest possibility they were alive, she would hold that wish with all her strength.

She felt his hand tentatively running the line of her cheekbone, whiping the wetness out of her face. She closed her eyes holding his hand and kissing its rough palm.

"I'm sorry, Sokka..." she told him, as he cuddled her against chest. He held her like that caressing her hair, for what could have been hours.

She held tighter to her husband clutching his blue tunic as she tried to calm down. He kissed her left eye tenderly, and she couldn't help but smile. She was lucky to have Sokka. He helped her lay down on the soft sheets and laid beside her, facing her, so that their faces were only inches apart.

"Do you think we are doing the right thing?" she asked him, weakly, stroking his loose hair.

He tried to hide his worry, but his blue eyes didn't let him. He exhaled calmly. It was so strange to see Sokka trying to control his features in an attempt to make her less worried. If she wasn't worried she would probably be laughing at the unsuccessful outcome.

He hesitated before he answered.

"Yes Suki... we are helping our friends. That is the right thing to do. To fight for our freedom. I know you are worried about the kids' safety, I am too, but I assure you The Under is the safest place there is right now." he said, eyes locked with hers.

She nodded. That wasn't the time to have second thoughts about their decision. Kano and Tajah would be safe as long as they were with them, wherever they were. She knew that either her or Sokka would give their lives for their children if needed.

"Everything is going to be fine... I never promise something I can't keep, Suki, and I promise you... everything is going to be fine" he told her fiercely, looking intently into her eyes, his sapphire orbs burning all her doubts.

Her heart eased and hope spread inside her as Sokka cupped her face in his hands capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. She grasped his hair as he let go of her face and pulled her body closer to his.

They were going to conquer peace again, she knew it.

--

--

IV

"Alright, I'm coming with you..." she told him in her bossy tone, hands on her hips while raising her eyebrow at him.

He sighed.

In many ways she still treated him like a child. It didn't matter that they had been in a relationship twice, it didn't matter that he now towered over her, and it didn't matter that he was the avatar. Her motherly insticts would never cease.

"What do I get in return if I agree?" he asked her teasingly, though he was sure that if she pressed him too much, she would end up getting what she wanted.

"Ha ha ha" she started in annoyance "It isn't funny Aang! You had agreed to wait for Sokka... you said you two were going together!"

He sighed again.

Katara, Katara, Katara. He should have acted on his instincts and sneaked out without her knowing as he had originally planned. He had to deal with her now that he had woken her up and explained his dream to her.

"But Kyoshi hadn't asked me to help them back then... she said I must go now Katara..." he said, remembering Avatar Kyoshi's every word.

"Then... I'm coming with you, and that's the end of it!" she stormed, fire in her blue eyes as she glared at him.

"No, you're not." he told her calmly "You are staying here. Soon Sokka and Suki will be arriving and you'll need to guide them from Omashu"

It had been decided that Katara would be the one to guide her brother's family to the headquarters and he had decided to go with her, worried about her safety. But Kyoshi Island was in need of him and so she would have to do it alone. His stomach turned at the thought of her being caught by the rebels, and he shrugged.

"Someone else can go..." she told him decidedly.

"You would let your brother, sister-in-law, your niece and nephew being guided by someone else? What if they need a master bender with them?" he asked her raising and eyebrow questioningly.

He knew this was his chance to make her give up on the absurd idea of Kyoshi Island. He knew that was cheating, but as long as it convinced her that she should go meet her brother instead of going with him, it was worth it.

"Well... if they need a master bender, they'll have the Firelord I guess..." she said, unconviced of staying.

"Oh! Haven't I told you? Zuko's not coming..." he smiled apologetically as he scratched his bald head. "He thinks it's best for him told hold things together at the Fire Nation... he's worried about rebels trying to free Azula..."

She blinked twice, as the words sunk in. She hugged herself, leaning against Appa's furry side, breathing deeply, disapointment showing on her face as she nodded once.

Her sapphire-like eyes closed and she rubbed her temples with one hand as she thought. Her dark brown hair was braided as it used to be when he first met her, and she wore her water tribe tunic. He couldn't but notice she seemed tired. Everyone was tired those days. Tired and Worried.

He missed her so much. After the war, they had started a relashionship that didn't last long, as Katara returned to the Southern Water Tribe to help Master Pakku as he transformed it and it beacame even more beautiful than the Northern Water Tribe. He had missed her back then, but he knew they were only separated for a matter of time. And when they saw each other again on Sokka's wedding to Suki, he still remembered how dazzling she looked with her hair tied up in a bun and dark blue robes, they had started from where they had stopped.

Until Katara had ended their relationship again.

He had been devastated. She claimed that she loved him, but she wasn't in love with him anymore. He had tried to convince her that she was just confused, because that was what she had been back then. Of course she was in love with him. After everything they had been through, after planning their future together, after they promised each other nothing would ever come between them. But he knew deep inside him that she needed time.

They were very young at that time. And though they weren't together anymore, they had kept their promises that nothing would come between them. They had never been parted again, even after that day. She would always travel with him and help him in whatever he needed, and so would Toph. Truth was, he had never lost hope that they would be together again.

"So I'm guessing Aang's not going to have the honour of your presence on his trip afterall, right, Sugar Queen?" said the earthbender, who he thought had been sleeping for the past hour, bringing him back to reality.

"And I had thought you were sleeping..." he told Toph, as she emerged from Appa's head, where she had been sleeping or he had thought she was.

"Oh, please... how can anyone sleep with your arguments? You guys should learn how to lower the volume of a conversation like this... I wouldn't be surprised if the rebels had found the location of the Under thanks to you..." she said as jumped down from the bison and landed next to him. She bended a metal ball out of the floor and kicked it. "So... Zuko's not coming? That sucks..."

He nodded in agreement. If Zuko had come, he wouldn't worry about Katara being the only one to protect Sokka's family in case it was needed. It wasn't like they could send a lot of people, it was supposed to be low profile. He moved his eyes from Katara, who had now opened her eyes and was staring at Toph, to the younger woman beside him, who had become an inch taller than the waterbender.

Toph, who was dressed in clothes that resembled Suki's Kyoshi Warrior ones, except hers had shorts instead of a skirt and no war paint on her pale face, didn't seem or sounded worried like everyone else. The only thing that clouded her glassy eyes was boredom. Since she was the only metal bender, it was up to her to control the entrance of The Under, and ever since she had created it, she hadn't left the place. Sometimes she would go out and walk around the surface, but she was frequently needed and so those surface trips were rare.

He worried about her. Toph wasn't the kind of person that liked being locked up in one place. She had clearly shown them that when she ran away from home on order to help him, teaching him how to earthbend. But The Under had been her idea, and she knew it was for their safety.

"Why isn't Zuko coming again?" Toph asked, scratching her head absentmindly

"You heard him, Toph..." Katara shot at her before walking towards him. "Fine, I'll stay Aang... happy?" she said crossing her arms.

"Yeah sure... I'm gonna ask Haru to go with you, I don't like the idea of you going to Omashu alone..." he told her protectively.

Katara stared at him in disbelief as Toph burst in laughter.

"I'm a master waterbender, Aang!" she snapped at him "I'll be fine... It's you I'm worried about, you shouldn't be going alone" she added.

"He's the avatar, silly, here to spread joy and fun..." Toph mocked him "Sorry, couldn't resist, Twinkle toes" she added before laughing again.

"I know you can't see, Toph, but I'm giving you a death glare right now" he told her, annoyed. At least one of them was having fun. Toph grinned at him before giving him a one arm hug.

"Take care, Aang. Try not to do anything you would do with me" she told him as she let go and he smiled slightly at the memory of Toph's schemes.

He turned to look at Katara who was bitting her lower lip and still had her arms crossed. He locked gazes with her. She was scared for him. If he wasn't as worried about her safety, her saddened look would have made him ask her to come with him. But he knew this was something for the Avatar to do alone.

Before he could think, he took Katara's face between his hands and kissed her. She pulled back, eyes moving to the floor, as she shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"Aang, I..." she started, but he cut her of by placing his index finger on her lips. Her blue orbs returned to his face, moisture forming in them.

"It's just in case" he whispered, grinning.

Her brows furrowed and she blinked a single tear before she hugged him tightly.

"I don't like when you talk like that" she said against his chest.

He hugged her back and caressed the base of her neck tenderly. He could feel the fabric of his clothes getting wet because of her tears, but he didn't care. He loved to have Katara in his arms, it was where she belonged. They belonged together, and he was sure they would be together in the end.

"Arram... I'm kind of... here... guys" Toph murmured "I can't see... but I kind thought you guys knew my feet can by now..."

Katara let go of him whipping her wet face with the back of her sleave before looking at him again.

"I'll be back before you know" he said before he bended the air beneath him and landed on Appa "I'm ready, Toph"

With a quick movement, the earthbender opened the ceiling above them to reveal a cloudless sky. The stars shown above him as he patted Appa's head and the bison stood up. Katara and Toph walked back in order to look at him. He was still lost in the waterbender's eyes when he looked at the full moon shinning brightly.

"Appa, yip yip!" he finally called

He would be back. If only to look into those eyes and kiss those lips one more time. Katara would give in, he knew it. They would be together again, where they both belonged. And he would be the happiest man in the world.

--

--

V

Excellent.

She heard and felt the rock crushing at the metal wall beside her before she sat on the floor of her masterpiece. He feet had never seen something so wonderful. Of course, it was no surprise to her she was a genius, or to her friends. Sokka was incredibly proud of her in his letter, she couldn't wait to see him and his son, they would want to know exactly how everything in The Under worked.

Things would definetly be more fun around their headquartes with the family's arrival. Katara had left the previous day, it shouldn't take them much time to get there. It wouldn't be as fast as planned since Aang had taken Appa, but it wasn't like The Under was that far from Omashu anyway.

Soon she wouldn't be bored anymore. She only wished Zuko would have come with them. She missed her friend more than anything. Zuko had always been the more fun to tease since it was in his soul to take every single thing seriously. She truly enjoyed driving him crazy. Though Katara still held the record of angriest person alive when it came to teasing.

Staying in the Fire Nation for the Fire Nation. Yeah right. She knew him too well, and she certainly could tell a lie from the truth. She shook her head. He was trying to protect his son, she knew it. Except he was doing it in the wrong place. She would write to him when she had the chance, or maybe she wouldn't. Maybe writting to him would only make matters worse. Once the Firelord made up his mind, trying to change it was a waste of time. It was easier for him to convince himself in time.

She sighed.

At least she would have company in The Under. It annoyed her to stay locke in the metal abode the whole day, and since she was the only one who could allow people in and out, she had no choice. She hadn't thought about back when she had had they idea for the headquarters, she had only thought of her friends safety, and it really was all that mattered to her.

She kicked another rock and felt it being stopped by the person who had just walked in her room. The girl bended the rock safely towards the floor landing it softly on the metal beside a smaller rock.

"Good job, kid... I've been training you well" she said, grinning at the teen as she walked slowly towards her. The girl was tiny for her age but was very powerful.

"Thank you, master Toph..." the girl said, shyly, sitting beside her. Toph could hear the girl's heart hammering in her chest and her fast breathing.

She still couldn't believe that girl, sitting beside her, had been delivered by Katara before she had even joined them. She still couldn't believe Katara had convinced her to be the girl's earthbending master after running into her parents one day and they told her the girl had earthbending abilities. It turned out there was nothing the Sugar Queen couldn't do.

"Something wrong, Hope?" she asked her pupil.

The girl had always been careful with her emotions around people. But no one could lie about their emotions to her. The girl was tense.

"Shouldn't Katara had come back already?" she questioned her, an edge of worry touching her voice.

"They'll be arriving tomorrow... don't worry, I'm sure they are fine..." she told the girl patting her knee. "I hear Tom-Tom's coming with them..." she added casually.

Hope's heart skipped a beat and she smiled to herself. Right guess than... it could've been Kano.

"I don't know what you're talking about, master Toph... Tom-Tom and I are just friends..." she told her instantly, getting up. Hope knew better than to stay and be questioned by her, even if it was a poor attempt of keeping her crush on Tom-Tom a secret.

"Don't worry, I won't say a thing!" Toph shouted after her as she ran out of the room.

That was going to be more fun than she'd thought it would be. With Hope's crush on Tom-Tom, Katara and Aang's awkward moment before he left, Tajah's funny attitude towards Aang, and of course, Kano's teasing to help her own, it would definetly be more fun than the previous weeks in The Under.

Interesting... very interesting...

Grinning to herself and in a much better mood than she had been in a long time, she young woman got up from the metal floor and made her way out of her rock decorated room.

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Hey Guys !!

So... I'm not sure about this chapter... I kind of feel like it's a little rushed, what do you guys think ?

I hope you guys liked it anyway, and I hope you review... yes, please review! It will only take 5 seconds of your time and you'll make a person extremely happy today

Please Please Please Review, Please!

Thanks for reading,

Zelda Fanatikah AKA Bee-Bee