Chapter Three

A/N: Huge thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review and favorite this story! You guys make me proud to write for you. 3 Here's the moment of reunion between our favorite characters! The fluffiness will increase! As always, I do not own ATLA, rather it is owned by Bryke and Nickelodeon. :)


The airship ride took them four days. Thankfully, the ship was metal, so she could see where she was, but the airsickness had been a problem, as she had feared. She had hardly eaten except for ginger tea and a little white rice and had mostly stayed in her quarters. Uncle, bless his heart, had stayed with her for most of the time, talking to her, brewing ginger tea and regaling her with stories, some true, some mythical. All in all, she decided it could have been worse but she was still relieved when they landed.

Uncle had suggested that she wait onboard for a few minutes, giving her stomach a chance to settle down, since she still looked "a little green."

"You know us Earth Kingdom folks," she had responded weakly. "Always about the green. Or so I'm told."

Now she was lying quietly in her bunk as her stomach gradually realized that solid earth was underneath her again. In a few moments she almost felt like herself again and decided that she had had enough of the airship.


"Uncle!" Zuko's voice rang out as Iroh stepped onto the ramp to disembark. His smiling nephew was standing at the head of a company of soldiers and courtiers, resplendent in red and gold robes, his hair done up in a ceremonial topknot, crowned with the golden flame.

Iroh noticed that his nephew had grown several inches and filled out a bit in the six months or so since they had been face to face. His voice had lowered slightly too, although it had retained its husky quality. Iroh beamed at the man he considered his son.

"Nephew! What a fine young man you have become! How are things?" He reached the bottom of the ramp and enfolded his beloved nephew in a platypusbear hug, which was enthusiastically returned.

"It's so good to see you Uncle! Things have been quite busy but mostly peaceful. It's taken a lot of work to build up good relations with the other nations again. There are still a few pockets of resistance in some of the outlying areas, but we've managed to work it out with the Earth King so that the colonists are allowed to stay in their communities if they wish. I've missed having you around though. You always seem to know the right thing to do." Zuko threw an arm across his uncle's shoulders and began ushering him towards a waiting palanquin, but Iroh stopped.

"One moment, Zuko. I left something on board."

Zuko looked at him quizzically. "Your things will be brought separately Uncle. Whatever it is, I'll make sure it isn't forgotten."

Iroh gave him a mysterious smile. "Patience Lord Zuko. She will be along in a minute."

Zuko only looked more confused. "She?"

At that moment, Toph appeared at the top of the ramp, still looking pale, but walking with confidence, trademark grin on her face. Zuko stared. "Is that… Toph?"

Iroh's smile widened. "Indeed. She has been helping me out around the store for quite some time. I suppose I forgot to mention that she would be coming with me?" He tried to look innocent but Zuko snorted.

"You had neglected to mention it yes. I expected she would show up with Aang and the others. I almost didn't recognize her though. Why is she wearing red?"

"Because she said she didn't care about the color and I thought it looked nice on her. Ah, here you are Toph," he finished as Toph reached them. "Feeling better now?"

She grinned at both of them. "Much, Uncle, thanks." She turned to Zuko and punched him on the arm. "How's it hangin' Sparky? Kingship a drag yet?"

Zuko rubbed his arm ruefully. "Well I see you haven't changed all that much. I'm fine, thank you. Uncle said you've been staying with him, are your parents alright?"

She grimaced a bit. "Yeah, they're fine. Not even bad to be around anymore, just really boring, you know? Needed a change of pace."

"She's been a great help around the place," Iroh added. "I think she's really becoming a tea connoisseur too! I even let her brew tea for the customers now." He beamed with pride.

"It's not that big a deal Uncle." Toph tried to play it cool, but blushed slightly despite herself. "I just let it sit until it smells like yours."

"Huh, so that's the trick." Mumbled Zuko, reddening himself at the reminder that he was a terrible teamaker.

Iroh looked at his young charges in amusement as they both abruptly changed the subject and began talking about plans for the party and when the rest of the gang were expected to arrive. He noticed that Mai was noticeably absent from the welcoming party and he noted with even greater interest the way his nephew kept stealing glances at Toph as though he couldn't quite believe his eyes.


Zuko was stunned. Was this really Toph? She had grown quite a bit in the last two years. Her ebony hair, now worn in a long braid down her back, framed a face with delicate lines and fair, smooth skin. Her sightless, milky green eyes were fringed with dark lashes and her smiling lips were pink and curved. She was a few inches taller too and definitely curvier, (although still growing) filling out her blouse and pants in a way that promised softness. Even her voice was a bit lower.

If it weren't for the bare, dirty feet and her casual manner of speech, not to mention the way she had socked him in the shoulder, he never would have believed she was Toph. She didn't even let her bangs hide her face anymore, but instead had them tucked behind her ears.

What was he doing? He of all people should know that it was rude to stare. And staring at one of his old friends who he had always considered to be a little girl just made him feel… weird. And a little guilty. Nonononononono, this was just too strange. It didn't help that she really did look great in that red color or that Uncle kept on giving him knowing looks.

Needless to say, it was a slightly awkward return to the palace. Toph had requested that she be allowed to walk, since she was still a bit motion sick. Of course Uncle and Zuko had offered to accompany her, so it was also a longer return journey than expected though it was nice to have an excuse to leave the palanquin behind for once.

Toph and Uncle laughed and joked around like old buddies and asked him a million questions about his life and the state of things. Toph was eager to hear about news of the gang and begged to be told about the rebel groups' activities. Uncle wanted to know about his personal life and any changes in court policy or membership.

It was great to be able to talk to people normally again, without all the titles and political niceties. He hadn't really had that since Mai had left on her "journey of discovery" or whatever it was.

He still wasn't quite sure why she'd been so unhappy. He had tried everything he could think of to be a good boyfriend to her, even letting her go off by herself for who knew how long. His offer to go with her had been politely refused.

He suspected that it hadn't really been about him at all, but rather about her family, her time with Azula, and her insecurity about the future. At least, he hoped so. It was hard enough that she had left without much of an explanation, without being saddled with the guilt of (maybe) having pushed her away.

She had written once or twice, to let him know that she was safe, which he appreciated, but there still hadn't come an explanation or any real information. He had missed her dreadfully at the beginning, but as time went on, he had come to suspect that what he really missed was companionship. Having someone around that he could talk to. Someone who knew him well enough to speak their mind to him, even though he was the Firelord.

This had made him feel extremely guilty until he realized that they didn't really know each other as well as they thought they had. He had hardly even had any contact with her during what were arguably the three most important years of his life. And before that, she had always been with Azula and Ty Lee. It had never been just the two of them.

What did they really know about each other? What interests did they share, besides pointy blades and hating the world? (Something which he had grown out of.) When had they laughed together? What made her happy? He had realized with a shock that he didn't know these things. When he had tried to probe her gently for these answers in a letter, he hadn't gotten any reply, nor had he heard from her since.

He had the strong impression that he had been dumped, but there hadn't been any official confirmation of this, so he decided that as a gentleman, he should wait until he could hear her out before taking any action.

Another punch on the shoulder from Toph broke him out of his reverie.

"Hello? Sparky? You stopped responding, something wrong?" Her voice was tinged with a bit of concern, and he forced himself to smile, feeling odd again as he looked at her.

"Sorry. Just thinking about Mai."

"Oh." He heard a hint of something in her voice. Disappointment? No, it couldn't be. "And how is Gloomy these days?"

He looked down. "Gone."

"Huh?" Toph was surprised.

"She left on some sort of journey of discovery about four months ago now and I don't know when she'll be back. Or if she will." He didn't sound pathetic and lonely, right?

His uncle placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you did your best Zuko. I had feared that something like this might happen."

Zuko looked up, shame giving way to surprise. "Uncle? You knew this would happen?"

"I hoped that it would not, but I suspected it might, yes. Mai is a lovely girl but I knew that she had many unanswered questions in her own heart and too much fire not to go looking for the answers. I am sorry, my nephew."

"I just hope I didn't drive her away."

"I am sure you did not. Let us simply pray that the two of you will find happiness, even if you do not find it together."

Noticing Zuko's uncomfortable shift at that last statement, Iroh frowned slightly. "There is something that you are not saying. We can discuss this in private later if you wish."

"Yes, Uncle. Thank you."


"So nephew, what aren't you telling?" Iroh closed the door to his private chambers and ushered the young man to a comfortable seat, pouring him a cup of tea.

Zuko hesitated for a moment, staring at the cup in his hands, and then it all came pouring out. The worry, the feelings of helplessness as he watched Mai slip further and further away, the confusion and loneliness, the guilt, and finally his revelations about their relationship.

"…but the worst part is that I don't really miss her, I just miss having someone around to relax with." Zuko finally ended. He hadn't raised his head during the whole tirade and Uncle hadn't said a word, waiting patiently for him to finish. Then Iroh sighed, rumbling deep in his chest.

"That must have been difficult my nephew. I am sorry that you suffered through that alone, although I am quite proud of you as well. I believe that you have come to the right conclusions, and you have handled yourself with honor. However, I do not think that you are bound by that honor to wait for Mai's return, if indeed that should ever happen. She has gone to make herself happy; I do not think it is right for you to remain unhappy for her sake."

Zuko finally looked up, relief written all over his face. "Thank you Uncle. You always say just what I need to hear."


'Huh. So Gloomy is gone.' Thought Toph as she lay on her bed in the quarters that had been assigned to her.

She wasn't quite sure how she felt about this news. She was sorry for Sparky, but at the same time she had never quite gotten comfortable around Mai. And now she wouldn't be the only odd one out once the rest of the gang arrived.

She immediately felt guilty about that last thought. What was with her these days? Rejoicing about her friend's misfortune and heartbreak? And speaking of which, what was up with Sparky?

His vibrations didn't feel heartbroken and depressed in the same way that she remembered them feeling back in the old days; mostly he just seemed tired and embarrassed by the whole thing. But she could feel his heart rate accelerate intermittently when they were together. Mostly when she spoke to him, or he was near her. Was he sick? Did she make him nervous or something? It was weird and it worried her a bit.

It almost felt the way Snoozles' heart used to feel around Suki. Or the way Twinkletoes used to feel when Sugar Queen gave him private lessons… whoa nononononono, there was no way! How weird would that be? Besides, he probably still thought she was a kid.

Resolving that she was going to forget about ever having that thought, Toph left her room to see if she could find someone to spar with before dinner.


Hours later, after dinner and a good workout, during which she had carefully kept her mind blank, she got ready for bed. Now that she was at court, she supposed she had better wash her face and brush her hair.

Grimacing as she worked through the tangles by touch, Toph realized how different she must have looked to Zuko. She knew she was taller now, and starting to be shaped like a woman. On top of that, she now wore her hair in a braid instead of a bun. No wonder his heartbeat had sped up, he must have thought she looked like a stranger! Deciding that was definitely the reason and not that other crazy thought she had had this afternoon, she wondered about Zuko himself.

What did he look like? He must be muscled, being a fit young bender, as well as a swordsman. His tread felt heavier than she remembered and his voice came from higher up than before, although it was hard to tell by how much, because she had also grown. The pitch of his voice was lower as well.

He was eighteen soon, basically a man. That thought made her feel strange.

What did his face look like? She knew he was touchy about his face, having been pretty badly burned from what she could gather. She knew there was a scar at least, on the left side of his face. Katara had told her that much. But she didn't know how big it was, or what the rest of his face looked like. It had been so hectic by the time Sparky joined the gang, that she hadn't had much chance to ask him about himself.

What color and shape were his eyes? Did he have a long nose or a short one? His hair hadn't sounded swishy today, did that mean he wore it up now or was it just really short? Was it brown? Black? Blond? What shape was his jaw? His mouth?

The only way she could find out the color was to ask and the only way to find out shape and texture was to feel with her hands and she was pretty sure she'd rather be fed to angry hogmonkeys than ever ask for such a personal thing. She hadn't even asked it of Sugar Queen. Why was she even thinking about this? Gah! Time to sleep!

She crawled into the huge bed, her face hot, and tried to settle down. Meditating on her breath and clearing her mind, the way Uncle had taught her, she finally relaxed.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, a drowsy thought swam to the front of her brain.

'He smelled nice.'


A/N: So Toph and Zuko "see" each other again after a long time apart! Heart pounding ensues! The next chapter will be even more heart pounding and fluffy! Once again a huge thank you to everyone who's commented, reviewed, favorited and followed this story! You guys are awesome! 3