Disclaimer: Hmm... nope, still not mine, but maybe if I concentrate REAL hard...


Chapter Four: Reunion

Aang's POV: I tapped her shoulder again, this time slightly harder. Very lightly I shook her a bit. This was hardly the skunk cat-nap she promised that she was going to take. This was more like an out-like-a-log hibernation type thing.

"Katara." I whispered in her ear. "Katara, wake up, we're here." I shook her lightly some more and finally she groaned quietly and crinkled her nose in annoyance, looking as beautiful and innocent as ever.

"We're here?" She asked, sleep still obvious in her tired voice.

"Mmm hmm." I replied. She sat up quickly, looking much more awake.

"Think they'll still be awake?"

"They didn't do as much travelling as we did, so I bet they would still be awake."

"Jet lag sucks." With that, she rubbed her eyes one more time and jumped off Appa, looking as excited as a person who is tired as hell could look.

She opened the door just as Toph turned around to face us. Both girls squealed and Katara ran over to wrap Toph in a hug. I took a second to survey the barn. Zuko and Mai were asleep in a corner of the barn, lying on a pile of clean straw. Mai was tucked under Zuko's arm, using it as a pillow and pressed tightly to him. I could feel Teo slowly getting up from leaning against the barn wall, and Ty Lee already on her feet, trying to join in the hug.

Teo walked over to me and waved; smiling widely. We shook hands before hugging briefly. When that ended, we looked back to find that the girls were still wrapped around each other in hugs.

"How long do you think they'll stay like that?" I asked. Teo shrugged.

"We may just have to wait a few hours." I snickered into my hands as Katara glared at me over Toph's shoulder. "Anyway, something's going on with Sokka." Teo continued.

At the mention of Sokka's name both girls abruptly ended the hug and I straightened up. He is one of my closest friends.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Toph moved aside and, in another pile of straw, there was Sokka, lying down, flashing an array of colors; several that have yet to be identified. Katara lightly gasped.

"Is he…"

"He's not hurt." Ty Lee said, cutting Katara off. "Our best thought was that there was some kind of disturbance in the Spirit World and Sokka, being as connected as he is to the Spirits, picked up on it."

"Why haven't I heard anything from Roku? Usually if something's happening, he'll come to me in a dream." I asked, although the question was fairly pointless, none of them would know any more than me.

"I don't know… maybe Roku's busy!" Ty Lee answered in a bubbly tone. Toph gave her a look.

"Yeah!" Toph replied in a voice mimicking Ty Lee's. "Don't worry Aang. Roku'll get a hold of you right after he's finished having tea with Kyoshi!"

Ty Lee glared at her, and Toph glared back. I smiled; thoe two were back at it again, just like old times.

"I'm going to contact Roku through Sokka." I announced, deciding not to wait until Roku comes to me. If this is serious, then we need to know as soon as possible. A thought occurs to me. "By the way, will I find him in the Spirit World?"

"Nope, he's sleeping now, but he's still here." Toph said, shaking her head.

I sat down and started meditating, waiting for the quiet calmness to overtake me. After several minutes I feel everything fall away around me. I reach out and touch Sokka on the forehead gently. That slipping feeling comes over me, just like it does all the time before I go into the Spirit World.

Then I opened my eyes and found myself sitting in the middle of a blackened forest.

Katara's POV: I ignored the exhaustion slowly creeping around me and choking my lungs like heavy smog. All I could do is catch up with my best friend. I hadn't noticed how much I missed Toph until I saw her again. We sat next to Sokka, and I was cradling his hand. According to Ty Lee, he was dimmer when he fell asleep.

Looking around, I saw Zuko and Mai cuddling together, asleep. Shortly after Aang crossed into the Spirit World, Ty Lee and Teo grew exhausted and fell asleep in another bed of straw, in a similar position to Zuko and Mai. They looked so happy together.

I lay Aang down in a mound of straw near Sokka. Then it was just Toph and me. We must have spent hours catching up and sharing stories of what had happened.

"Just after the six month anniversary at Ba Sing Se, Sokka decided to take me somewhere, but he wouldn't tell me where. It took much longer than usual because we couldn't take a rock wave, but we made it there in two months time." Toph said to me.

"Where did you go?"

"Believe it or not, he had found the letter from my parents, and decided to take me to go see them. He said that he wanted me to smooth things over with them. I was terrified at first. We reconciled, and did all the hugging and mushy crap. All the while I was tapping out SOS's to a laughing Sokka. They said they wanted me to come home and go back to the way things were."

"WHAT!?" I whisper-shouted; it came out sounding like a loud hiss.

"I know! I told them no way, then left. At least this time we were on better terms. I promised them that I'd write."

"Well, that's nice that you buried the hatchet with your parents." I said, smiling.

"Yeah." She said distantly. "So, tell me about the rebellions! That sounds like much more fun than 'oh pookie! I missed you so much! Why did you wait so long to visit?!' I'd prefer rebellions to reunions any day!" I rolled my eyes.

"As you know, Aang and I went undercover as Fire Nation Loyalists. He had to go around wearing hats for forever. We would find out who the leader is, then figure out the plan, report it to Zuko, then get some soldier's help to take it down from the inside. We must have taken out eight major rebellions, then a few smatterings of tiny rebellions that we could take down just the two of us." I summed up.

"Nice."

"Not really, kinda got boring, being forced to listen to spiel after spiel about how amazing Ozai was, and how Zuko is incompetent and a Traitor to the Nation."

"Yeah, I can see that getting annoying." Toph agreed as she pawed her fingers through the dirt floor. By lantern light, I could easily see how dirty and unkempt she was. Same old Toph.

"Forgive me for saying, but you're kind of a walking mud puddle. You know what? After this is sorted out, all of us girls should go out for a ladies night. Y'know, spa, dancing…" I was cut off by Toph's obvious groan of annoyance.

"Thanks Katara! Way to unmake my day!" I laughed. She hadn't changed a bit.

I heard another familiar low moan and turned to see Aang sitting up, completely glow-free. Sokka also started to fade from his color spasm until his skin was regular again. Aang got up and we went over to him. Sokka remained asleep.

"So Aang, got anything to make this day even worse?" Toph jokingly asked.

"How about the end of the world?" My breath caught as he said those words. I could tell in his expression that he wasn't joking in the least. Toph bit her lip.

"Knew I could count on you!"


Duh duh da duh! Da da da DUHHHH!

In the next chap. I'm gonna specify some more, don't worry!