The rest of the way there, Sokka, Suki, and Hakota marvel at my bending skills on Zuko for a bit, but Zuko and I keep to ourselves in the steering room. We do what we did before we left: listening to music, sparring, talking. We arrive back at the Temple the following night.

We land the huge balloon-boat in one of the courtyards we haven't been using, but Katara, Toph, and Aang come running anyway.

"What are you guys doing in this thing?" Katara exclaims as we walk down the ramp onto the stone. "What happened to the war balloon?"

"It kinda…" I glance at Zuko, asking with my face how much we should tell.

"It kinda got destroyed," Zuko finishes for me.

"And Zuko's scar is gone!" Katara seems unable to believe it.

I flex my fingers. "Did you know that Time benders can heal almost any wound?" I ask the Water bending healer.

"Sounds like one crazy fishing trip," Aang smiles.

"Did you at least get some good meat?" Toph asks.

"I did," Sokka starts in on his prepared speech. "The best meat of all: the meat of friendship and fatherhood."

That is Suki and Hakota's cue to join us on the ramp.

Katara has tears in her eyes. "Dad!" She leaps into his arms. "How are you here? What is going on? Where did you go?"

"We kind of went to a Fire Nation prison," Sokka tells her. Hakota pulls him into their family hug.

"Seriously," Toph interrupts the moment. "You guys didn't find any meat?"