Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Avatar: the Last Airbender.
The next morning the gaang prepared to set off. From his spot atop a pile of blankets, Aang watched his friends go about.
"There's Katara," he murmured softly, watching the girl he loved use the water from the fountain to sweep the floor for any trace that the group had stayed there. He blinked dreamily at her before a frustrated shout from Sokka got his attention.
"FINE! If you're so smart, why don't YOU arrange our packs on Appa!"
"Because, Snoozles, I. Can't. See!" Toph waved a hand in front of her unseeing eyes, "Hence, you get to do it. Look at Sparky here! He's not complaining!"
The firebender in question winced slightly at his new nickname but let the corner of his mouth crook up into a faint, one sided smile. The younger children really were quite amusing when you weren't too focused on trying to capture them and ruining their lives.
Sokka humphed, picked up a bedroll, and chucked it haphazardly into the saddle, nearly missing Aang.
"Watch it, Snoozles!"
Aang grinned and called down,
"I'm fine!"
Toph rolled her eyes. "You're always fine, Twinkletoes,"
Katara walked over and petted Appa lightly before seizing two handfuls of his fur and hauling herself up next to Aang.
"Come on! We have to get going," Katara urged, then lightened her words by adding, "And Toph, try not to annoy my brother too much, okay?"
Toph grinned in response to Katara's happy mood. The perceptive earthbender knew exactly what recent reconciliation had caused that happiness and decided not to ruin it and just go along.
"Sure,"
Toph allowed Zuko to boost her up into the saddle, raising her eyebrows in surprise when he didn't make a single protest as her hands clenched in faint fear of leaving her element around his hair. This new, willing to please, quick to apologize, with a slight sense of humor Zuko was going to take some getting used to.
After she clambered up, Toph felt Zuko's light vibrations as he landed in the saddle. The Sokka-pressure disappeared from the ground as the Water Tribe boy leaped onto Appa's head.
"Appa, yip-yip!"
The air bison grunted and with a few slaps of his tail, sent the crew up into the sky.
*******************************************************
"Ugh," Toph flopped down in the middle of the saddle, "We've been flying for days and nothing's happened!"
"What are you talking about?" Aang asked curiously.
"I know what you mean," Sokka said, leaving Appa to steer himself as he joined the others to relax in the saddle, "No pirates attacking us, no Fire Nation barricades, no crazy, firebendingpsychopaths or their brothers trying to kill us, no-" Sokka stopped abruptly.
Zuko sighed and rubbed his temple with the heel of one hand.
"It's fine. Really. But you actually miss everyone attacking you?"
Toph stayed silent, allowing the scarred teen to mask his hurt with skepticism and a change of topic.
"Well...yeah. It's boring without them,"
Katara looked up from the waterbending scroll she was reading. As she tucked a strand of hair whipped loose by the wind behind her ear, Zuko marveled at how graceful her hands were.
"You guys are all crazy," Katara stated, a wry grin on her face. The gaang burst into laughter and even Zuko managed a small grin that no one noticed.
At least, that's what he thought.
Katara noted the smile and felt a sense of accomplishment that Zuko was making progress in his healing. Then...Katara spotted a column of smoke behind them. Azula.
*******************************************************
3 days later
*******************************************************
"Shut up, Sokka," Toph muttered in her sleep as she finally snagged a bit of rest.
"I didn't even say anything!" an indignant Sokka sat bolt upright, scowling.
"What...?" Toph mumbled groggily as she roused herself awake.
"She was dreaming, Sokka. I can't believe I'm related to you," came Katara's scathing comment.
Sokka began to respond but stopped.
"You dream about me?"
Toph flushed but hid it as her eyebrows drew down in a fearsome scowl.
"I dream about you annoying me,"
Sokka glared and turned away, his elbow ramming into Zuko's side.
The firebender didn't make a single sound of pain, but the sleepless nights and stress of Azula back on their trail were getting to him too and he snapped.
"Watch it," he growled.
Sokka was stressed too.
"You watch it, Scarface!" Zuko stopped dead and his cold mask slid smoothly back into place, as if it had never left. Katara suddenly felt an intense urge to strangle her insensitive, idiotic brother.
"Never. Call. Me. That,"
Sokka was about to summon a suitable insult retort when Aang's placating voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Guys, I know we're all stressed, I'm tired too, but we can't fight each other. The monks once said that scattered, squabbling individuals may easily be defeated, but a unified group, no matter how small, is strong,"
"You and your stupid proverbs," Toph muttered.
"Hey! The monks were wise!"
Toph snorted.
Aang opened his mouth as if to reply but then shut it and took a deep breath.
"Look. Let's just land and rest for a half day. Appa needs to anyway,"
"LAND!" Toph yelled happily.
"Fine," Katara sighed. At least someone's good mood was restored.
Ten minutes later, the gaang had landed, but a new squabble had broken out. Appa had quietly snuck off to huddle at the edge of the clearing and had promptly fallen asleep with Momo curled atop his head. The five children stood in the center of the clearing, yelling at each other.
"You irresponsi-"
"UGH! You're so ann-"
"Well you're a stuck u-"
"Excuse me!?"
"You are getti-"
"Hey! What is your prob-"
"Why am I even talking to y-"
"Jerk!"
"How can you be so irrita-"
"I am not!"
"Well," came a man's amused drawl from the edge of the clearing, "Its relieving to see that all the stands between the Fire Nation and victory is a group of bickering children,"
The gaang's argument stopped and each face turned slowly towards the sound, each body sliding easily into a defensive stance. Standing with his large, beefy fist wrapped around an enormous scimitar, was a very, very, very muscular man. His arms were easily the size of both of Katara's legs and almost every area of available skin had been tattooed. A thin, jagged scar ran down the length of his exposed barrel-like chest; a testament to some past fight.
"What do you want?" Sokka yelled, his face carefully formed into a mask of calm but anyone who knew him well could see the underlying panic.
"What I want..." the man pretended to mull the question over before his face turned steely and his eyes cold and hard, "Give me the Avatar and I'll give the rest of you a quick death,"
"You've just gotten yourself outnumbered," Toph said as she easily raised a short wall surrounding the group to prove her point.
"Outnumbered...hardly," From the shadows emerged six men, equally as large and as fearsome as the first. Each one wielded a different weapon and each wore a vicious, snarling grin.
Zuko growled low in his throat, drew his dual blades, and stepped in front of everyone else.
"Go!" he ground out harshly, "Get on Appa and leave; I'll hold them off for as long as I can,"
"No! We're not leaving you! You're part of our group now, Zuko. We don't abandon our friends!" Katara spat. A lump grew in Zuko's throat as he realized that Katara's fierce loyalty to her friends finally applied to him as well. No one had cared for him every since he had been younger than the Aang, and now he suddenly had five people he knew actually would be saddened if he died. But that realization only made it harder for him to push her, them, away.
"No, you have to go. None of us will escape otherwise,"
"Sweetness, he's right. We have to go," Toph said. Katara closed her eyes as if fighting a breif internal struggle. Her blue eyes flashed open with steely determination in them.
"Fine," she spat, "We leave,"
****************************************************************
"The Prince! I am truly honored to be in your presence," the man swept Zuko a mocking bow.
Zuko's only response was to glare.
"Hmm...I was sent to seize the Avatar, but in the state the Princess is in right now, I think there'd be more reward in bringing back you," the man grinned wolfishly at Zuko.
"Seize him!"
All seven men charged him at once, and as Zuko leaned backwards and propped himself up on his hands, whirling his legs around to create a wide arc of fire,
he shouted,
"GO!"
And the four children ran for Appa. Sokka leaped straight onto Appa's head and as soon as Katara and Toph had helped Aang into the saddle, they were off. Only when they were a good distance away, did Katara allow herself to question what she had just allowed to happen.
Author's Note: Wow, this is a long chapter...for me at least. Review please!! I feed on reviews. :D Tell me what you think about how I'm handling the Zutara-ness!!