Canon deviation #1. Zuko and Toph's conversation. I personally thought these two had an in-show OOC moment. There has always been in a change in the characters if Aaron Ehasz is writing them or if DiMartino does. For reference, Aaron is the one responsible for some of the shows most key character oriented episodes. (Zuko Alone, Crossroads of Destiny, Bitter Work, and The Storm to name a few). He also wrote Sozin's Comet Part 2. Whereas DiMartino focused on the plot and action of Avatar, most of the key moments that formed the backbone of of our favorite characters were written by Aaron.
So when Toph unexplainably opens up randomly to talk about all her feelings (a bit OOC for her, but still maybe not if given the right circumstances) and Zuko gives her the Mai-like response that is written in the show, I cringe every time. It was played off as a joke and it could've been a great moment for both of them. But, as DiMartino seems to focus on humor and action, the character moment was pushed to the side. So...my fanfic...my rules. Changing that. :)
The first hint of sunlight instantly woke Zuko from sleep like it always did. He blinked as his brain caught up with him. He leapt from the bed. Today was the day. They were leaving Ember Island. They were heading to the air ship field to stop his father from destroying the world. You know, the usual stuff.
He and Katara had promised to do one final spar early that morning. Zuko quickly pulled on his pants and grabbed his shirt, not even bothering to put it on before racing out of the door and down the steps.
"Shh!" Katara hissed. She was already waiting for him in the sitting room and looked anxiously over at Aang and Sokka's bedroom door. "Keep making that kind've racket and you'll wake the whole house. I do not want this morning's spar interrupted!" Maybe it because he might die in a few days. Maybe it was because his brain wasn't fully awake yet. But a lot of critical thought did not go through what came out of his mouth next.
"Why? What did you have planned?" His tone and smile implied everything he intended and it got the desired result. Katara blushed crimson and she turned her gaze away from him.
"Nothing" she mumbled. "Just put on your shirt and let's go."
"I'm just going to take it off again" Zuko pointed out.
"Whatever! Let's go!" Katara huffed. Zuko followed her out, in spite of everything, he had a small smile on his lips. She would never admit it, but Katara had a temper that was so firebender. Once they were in the courtyard, Katara pulled off her robe and assumed a stance, but Zuko shook his head.
"We can do a short spar at the end, but this needs to be a reminder for both of us. I want to go over the weakness of every Fire Bender and I want you to focus on using them to neutralize me" he told her. Katara's eyes widened a little and she nodded. "Do you feel my heartbeat?" He asked her quietly. Katara closed her eyes and nodded again after a moment.
"Yes" she said.
"If you can follow my bloodstream you might be able to feel my energy paths as well..." Zuko mused. Katara opened her eyes.
"I can feel chi paths when I'm healing someone. I have to be closer, though" Katara said. She took a step forward closer to him and reached out a hand tentatively. There was no time for awkwardness and Zuko stepped forward and grabbed her hand, pulling it to his chest and letting her palm lay flat. Katara looked startled and looked up at him blushing red again.
"Katara, just focus" he said. "I'm focusing on my inner fire right now. I can feel my energy burning through me with every breath. I want you to feel it too. Because if you can feel it, maybe you can stop it. Maybe you can stop me from bending internally" he mused. Katara nodded and turned attention to the pound of his bloodstream once more.
"You're talking about a sort of chi blocking. But if I can use my bending to do it, I could block someone from firebending from a distance" Katara said. She searched for the energy paths he was referring to, but try as she might, she couldn't feel anything but the continuous pounding heartbeat. She shook her head after a moment.
"It's a good idea, but if I don't figure it out right away then I don't think we should waste our time on it. We don't have a lot of time" she told him. Zuko sighed. Sensing a heartbeat was one thing, but being able to control anything, especially without the help of the full moon, was another.
"I do have another idea" Katara offered, sensing his disappointment. She took a step back and motioned at him. "Come on. Firebend at me. Big old punch of fire. Let's go."
Zuko raised his eyebrow at her but did as she said. He slid into a stance, and Katara summoned water from the fountain. It spun around her as she watched Zuko's every move. He extended his arm to throw the fire, but before he could loose one spark from his fingers the water was on him. It froze instantly around his form and when he instinctively tried to breathe out to melt through, he found his chest was compressed too tightly to allow enough room to do his breath of fire.
"You can't melt through" Katara said proudly. Zuko nodded, realizing she had pulled this trick on him before. She was just quicker at it this time. A second later she melted the ice and it released him.
Zuko took a deep breath once the compression was gone from his chest. "Well that is definitely useful if you can time it right."
"You inhale right before you bend. If I freeze you up right before the first sparks release, I have a better chance of stopping you" Katara explained.
"You've been watching me closely" Zuko said with a barely concealed grin. Katara stuck out her chin and grinned back.
"Maybe I have" she said. The sun was streaming across the surface of the ocean as it peeked its head over the horizon. Zuko turned and twisted two blades of fire together. Katara tensed into a stance until she realized he wasn't attacking. She grabbed some water and pulled it alongside the fire. They had danced this dance before. Gradually, they pulled their two elements together to form a circle around them.
They stepped closer and closer until they were back to back, answering each spin and swirl of one with a call of the other. Steam started to fill the area, clouding the entire courtyard.
"Ready?" Katara asked. She felt him shake as he nodded his head behind her. The fire and water collided head on, ending the display. Zuko lowered his hands, palms down, as Katara did the same. The steam cleared away with one wave of her hand. The session was over. Katara felt a hole in her chest. She did not know if she would get another with him.
Zuko was thinking the same thing. He knew what would happen today. They would make breakfast for the team together one more time. Then they would pack up and leave Ember Island, leaving the peaceful place behind, perhaps for good. So he decided to screw boundaries. This place could do with one more good memory.
Katara jumped a little when Zuko's arms closed around her middle. She turned and surprised him when she returned the hug with twice the enthusiasm.
"I'm going to miss this place" she whispered in his ear. Zuko gave her a squeeze and nodded, his head buried in her shoulder.
"It beats the last time I was here...by a long shot" he told her.
"What did happen then?" Katara asked. Zuko paused for just a second. He hadn't felt comfortable talking about his past a ton. The last time she had asked he hadn't felt comfortable sharing. But things were different now. He didn't fear judgment for his past mistakes from her any longer. He pulled his shirt back over his head and threw her robe over to her.
"Let's start on breakfast and I'll tell you."
The whole story of Azula and the vacation on Ember Island came out. Katara bounced in between almost crying for him then laughing at him.
"Chan? The guy that hit on me at the carnival? That Chan? You wrecked his house?" she laughed, not fully believing him.
"Yeah. I had some rage issues" Zuko said sheepishly, putting his hand up to rub the back of his neck.
"Had?" Katara teased. Zuko frowned.
"Its funny" He said, brushing past her comment "Azula and I got along fine if we were destroying something together. I know she wants to kill me and all, but I still feel like my sister is still in there somewhere. The feisty but still innocent little girl that would chase me down these very beaches" Zuko said. Katara put a hand on his back.
"Maybe if you can get her away from your father. Maybe that would help?" She offered. Zuko could only nod. His sister was an issue that would need dealing with soon. The thought filled him with anxiety and want all at the same time. He was tired of running. He both dreaded and yearned for the inevitable final confrontation.
When the others woke up and came into the kitchen for breakfast, Katara was surprised, but not totally shocked when she didn't see Aang. She brushed it off. He had run off angry the other night. He would come back when he had cooled down. He always did.
"We need to have all our stuff packed up before lunch" Zuko told the others as he filled their bowls. "It's going to take a bit to make it to the Fire Nation air strip. We also need to draw up a plan to attack the airships and my father. We need to organize a coordinated attack. We have our best chance of winning if we attack the evening before the comet arrives."
"I've already got a bit of a plan" Sokka said as he sat down with his bowl. Katara smiled and Suki sat down next to her.
"He's already been telling me about it. I think it's a good idea" Suki told Katara.
"And Appa has been relaxing for over a month now" Toph said, picking some dirt from her toes before grabbing her bowl. Katara made a face at her. "He should be in perfect flying condition. We'll make good time. As long as we leave today we should get over to the air strip by late tonight."
"And that gives us the whole day to sabotage the air ships, leaving the evening before the comet to defeat the Fire Lord! Operation Team Avatar ultra-stealth is a go!" Sokka said excitedly around the food in his mouth. After breakfast, the whole group pitched in to clean up and pick up the kitchen. The only sign that they had been there at all was the broken stove and blackened floor boards from the little fire earlier that month. Katara took one last look around the little kitchen. She was going to miss it.
It was back to cooking over campfires for the next couple days. She ran upstairs to grab her clothes and belongings from her room. She held up her blue water tribe dress and wondered if she should change into it yet. No, they weren't ready to go. She folded them neatly and tucked them into her bag. Her eyes darted to the bed stand. Her brush and feather pin were the only things there. Katara took the feather gently in her hands. She had wanted to wear it to the play, but she had wanted to avoid a discussion with Aang about the animal that donated said feather. In all the time they had traveled Katara had not really been able to take anything with her to mark her travels. The feather didn't take up much room and the fact that it was a gift made it even more precious. She gently tucked it beneath her clothes in her bag, making sure it wouldn't get wrinkled or get bent during the journey.
It took her only a few more minutes to get everything together. She paused and went over to the large wardrobe in the corner. Her Painted Lady costume was hanging in the corner. The long dress was a bit tattered from the night she had spent gliding across the rooftops with Zuko. She had tried to clean it as best she could, but the dress would forever bare the markings of that night.
And Katara would treasure the memories of that night forever. She reached her hand up and touched her lips softly. The kiss she had shared with Zuko flared back to her mind and she felt her cheeks starting to grow warm. She only reminisced for a moment before closing the door for the last time and running back downstairs to pack her bags on Appa.
Zuko saw her run downstairs and turned his attention back to packing up his things. He tied his bag shut and slung it over his shoulder. Suki had already gone downstairs as well and he was alone. He quickly walked over to Katara's room. His mother's room. Katara had left it just as she found it. She had even pulled the sheets back over the furniture. Zuko walked over to the balcony and stepped out for a minute. The wind ruffled through his hair, and for a minute he could swear he stepped back in time. He was barely tall enough to see over the railing. His mother's skirt swept around him in the wind while she laid a hand on his back. His two bright and happy eyes looked out towards the sea, excited and unmarred.
Memories were beautiful and cruel.
"I'm going to find you" he whispered into the wind. "I'm going to survive the next few days and I'll find you. I promise." With that he turned and headed down the steps to load up Appa. Suki was doing a final sweep of the house and the others were outside. Zuko came out and tossed his bag up to Sokka.
"I'm all good" he said.
"It's going to a be a little strange traveling again after sitting here for so long" Katara remarked as she pulled her fingers through Appa's fur. She had yet to load her bag. That would mean this little vacation was over for real. Zuko nodded in agreement and pulled over some hay for Appa.
"It's not a good change" Toph grumbled. She walked past them and sat down on the edge of the old fountain. She hadn't heard Aang all morning and her feet didn't pick up his light footsteps at all. She was waiting for someone to say something about the lack of the avatar in the general area. But everyone seemed busy. Toph's things were already loaded on Appa and she leaned back to pick at her nails. Suki came outside and tossed up the last of supplies.
"Okay, that's everything" Sokka declared, fastening down the supplies.
Seriously? Toph thought No one else has noticed?
"No it's not!" Toph exclaimed, sitting up. "Where's Aang?" The others looked at each other in sudden realization. Aang never came to breakfast. No one saw him while they were packing. Toph facepalmed while the others scattered around the area.
"Aang? Aang!" Zuko called.
"Come on Lazy Bones!" Toph called, hoping the Aang was just exhausted and was just napping somewhere "Let's go!"
A quick search brought up no avatar. He wasn't in the house. But Sokka did find his staff on one of the upstairs balconies. There was still food and candles sitting on a little table. Zuko put his hands on his hips. They didn't have time for this. Sokka shook his head, remarking how strange the whole situation was.
"Aang's not in the house. Let's check the beach" Zuko suggested. It was the only place they hadn't looked. Once they got down there, a quick glance to the right then left confirmed the fears. Aang wasn't down there either.
"Look, there's his footprints" Sokka said, pointing to the damp sand "The trail ends here." It was like Aang had just walked straight into the ocean.
"So...he went for a midnight swim and never came back?" Suki suggested. Toph could've punched Suki right then and there. What kind of suggestion was that?
"Maybe he was captured?" Katara suggested. Toph could've growled. Even Katara sounded too calm with another really bad suggestion.
"I don't think so" Sokka said, looking at the prints again "There's no sign of a struggle." Toph bent down to the sand and rested her elbows on her knees. She knew Aang. He hated any sort of confrontation and had danced away several times when a challenge arose or if he thought he knew better than the rest of them. It was an annoying trait.
"I bet he ran away again" Toph said. She was only saying what everyone else was thinking. Sokka shook his head.
"Uh-uh. He left behind his glider and Appa!" Sokka pointed out.
"Then what do you think happened to him, oh sleuthy one?" Toph asked dramatically with a hand flip. Sokka stood up.
"It's pretty obvious. Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle? He's definitely on a Spirit World journey." Sokka said brightly. Everything was fine. There was a perfectly logical explanation for this situation.
"But if he was, wouldn't his body still be here?" Zuko asked. Sokka immediately deflated. Ok, so less logical.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that" he said, disappointed.
"Then he's got to be somewhere on Ember Island" Katara said, glancing over at Zuko "Let's split up and look for him." Before she could suggest pairing off, Toph jumped up from the ground and latched firmly onto Zuko's left arm.
"I'm going with Zuko!" she exclaimed happily. Zuko blushed at the sudden attention. "What?" Toph spat out. "Everyone else got to go on a life-changing field trip with Zuko. Now it's my turn!" Katara smiled at Zuko, who was still blushing, and shrugged.
"Ok, I'll go into town with Suki. Sokka, you take Appa and do a circuit of the less populated areas of the island near where we trained the other day. Fly low and try not be seen" Katara ordered. Everyone nodded and Katara followed Suki back up the hill so they could head into town. She shot Zuko one more glance and he gave her a small wave before turning and walking the rest of the beach with Toph.
Zuko's nerves started to buzz as he watched the sun rise higher into the sky. They didn't have time for any of this. Aang had better show up quick, or he would be doing hot squats for the rest of his life. At first, Toph was quiet as they walked towards the populated part of the beach that was lined with houses.
"Zuko, if someone tried to send us a message by messenger hawk, would there be any way for us to actually get it?" Toph asked suddenly. Zuko thought about it. The hawks only went from one roosting place to the next. They were mainly used to send updates from islands to the mainland or from outgoing ships to report posts.
"Probably not. Whoever sends the message would have to know exactly where you are then send a hawk that would know to come to the nearest communication tower. Then you would have to know to go pick up the message" Zuko explained. Toph looked very downcast at this revelation.
"So...if we sent a message with a hawk that we happened to buy in a random Fire Nation village, then the hawk probably wouldn't know to fly to the Earth Kingdom and deliver it..." Toph deducted. Zuko stopped walking and looked down at her.
"No, it wouldn't. The hawk would probably just fly back to wherever you purchased it. It would need to be trained to go somewhere else" he said. Toph looked dejected.
"Well, don't tell Sokka that" Toph said, trying to laugh it off. "We totally lost Hawky for no reason then." Zuko didn't laugh. His mind was putting some puzzle pieces together. He remembered the discussion they all had on the rooftop after the carnival over a month ago. Toph was the only one who hadn't talked openly about her family in the Earth Kingdom, though he gathered from Katara that both her parents were still living and that Toph had run away from them.
"I'm sure your parents would send you a message if they actually knew where you were, Toph" Zuko said suddenly. Toph looked startled but didn't immediately rebuke him for the statement. Her face softened as they walked alone the beach.
"You think?" she asked. There was a tinge of hope in her voice. Zuko nodded.
"But they had to know I was in Ba Sing Se this spring. I mean, the whole world heard about the Avatar spending all those weeks at the capitol. My parents knew I was with them. They could've sent a message then! Instead, they sent two crazy, money-grubbing earth benders to put me in a cage and take me home. I'm sure they knew about that" Toph suddenly burst out, skepticism winning out. Zuko didn't have an answer for her right away.
His eyes scanned the beach continually but he didn't spot Aang at any point. He sighed and turned to Toph.
"Toph, your parents haven't gone about things the right way, I'm guessing." Toph nodded and Zuko continued. "And you're angry at them and they're probably angry at you." Toph shrugged. She got the Beifong attitude from somewhere. She was guessing it was secretly from her dad.
"Probably" she responded. That brought Zuko to his point. "But, Toph, they still wanted you back, wanted you home. They protected you because they loved you in their own way. It wasn't the right way, but it was love nonetheless. They care for you...and they would never hurt you" he explained. Toph was quiet, absorbing his words and reading between their meaning. Aang had told her Zuko had a scar, but he never talked about it. "As someone who has never sincerely been wanted home for who I am, I think you're lucky Toph. Things are tough now, but you still have a chance to make it right again" Zuko finished.
They walked out onto one of the wooden piers that wrapped around a corner of the beach. As soon as their feet hit the wood, Toph reached and reflexively grabbed Zuko's hand as soon as she lost sight of her surroundings. Zuko accepted it without a word, and gave her a hand a small squeeze while they walked the pier.
"You know, you can be pretty wise, Sparky" she said finally. Zuko chuckled.
"It's not me. I learned everything from Uncle" Zuko said, his voice betraying the fondness he felt for his closest family member. "He was like a father to me."
"Your real father hurt you, didn't he" Toph said quietly. "The scar. It's from him, isn't it?" Zuko's eyes widened and Toph felt his hand tense. She knew she was right. Zuko was stunned. He hadn't even told Katara about how he got his scar. In his experience, when people knew things about you they used it to hurt you. He was starting to learn that wasn't always the case, but he still defaulted to keeping things close to his chest. Apparently, if someone who cared about you actually listened to what you had to say, they could figure out when you were hurting or hiding.
"Don't...tell the rest of them" Zuko stammered as they reached the end of the pier. Once they were back on the sand Toph started to take her hand back, but Zuko held on. She relented and wordlessly walked closer to him. There was a sad note in his voice. Her friend was hurting and even though she knew she wasn't the best at handling these situations, she could at least hold his hand and stand close beside and listen if he wanted to talk. It's what Sokka always did for her.
"I won't" she responded. "But don't expect me to not kick your dad's butt before Twinkletoes even gets a chance at him. I've got your back."
Zuko smiled. "Thanks Toph."
"Hey, it's what family does" Toph said, repeating one of Katara's favorite phrases. Zuko recognized it and thought of Katara then. Should he tell her about the most traumatic experience? What good with that do? It would build trust, he decided. And trust was the foundation of all relationships. He was running out of time to do that.
"We're family?" he asked. His voice posed the phrase as a question.
"Yep. To be honest, you're like what I always pictured a big brother was like. And I think I play the part of the annoying smarter little sister quite well. You know, everything Katara isn't, except for maybe the annoying part. Who knows, I might be looking for a place to stay after the war. I could maybe stick around...if you want" Toph said.
"I'd like that" Zuko said honestly. "And I think Uncle would too."
~0~0~0~
As they walked up the path to the center of the town, Suki turned to Katara excitedly.
"Ok, spill" Suki demanded. "I want to know everything and don't leave anything out."
"Everything about what?" Katara asked, eyeing her friend nervously. Suki rolled her eyes.
"Boys. Aang and Zuko. Don't think I missed all the drama that happened last week. Who made the moves? How did it go down?" Suki demanded.
"Who said anything about Zuko? I didn't..." Katara sputtered.
"Sweetie. I have eyes. I have ears. And I might have had a candid conversation with Zuko a few weeks ago. I pinned him down. He didn't have a choice" Suki said bluntly. Katara's ears burned. Ok, well no use hiding it from Suki then.
"Aang kissed me the night of the play" Katara admitted. "He wanted me to explain what we were and if I liked him back the way he liked me..." Suki waited expectantly for her to continue. "And...I told him I was confused and that I didn't know and that the timing was wrong" Katara explained. Suki nodded. Good answers. If they were true.
"And what about Zuko?" Suki pressed. Katara sighed. Zuko? How much time did they have?
"He...is infuriating" Katara began. "And I don't feel like I know enough about him. He's a walking mystery to me."
"Well, what do you know about him?" Suki asked. Katara thought about it and her chest grew warm. She couldn't help but smile, Suki observed.
"He scowls when he's deep in thought. He scratches the back of his neck whenever he's nervous or uncertain. His voice gets higher when he's telling a lie. His favorite tea is Ginseng, just like his uncle. His least favorite is ginger. He's awkward but so sincere. He's always ready to help me. He listens not to respond, but just to listen and help. He still loves his sister even though she wants to kill him..." Katara continued and Suki's eyes grew wide. She let Katara continue, but she had already made her deduction. Katara was head over heals for the fire prince. And here she was, acting like there was a decision that hadn't been made yet.
"His uncle means the world to him and he's still drowning in guilt from his past. He's brave and stubborn and a fantastic kisser" Katara abruptly stopped and her cheeks turned a deep red.
"I knew it!" Suki said triumphantly. "When did it happen? It was that night you guys went out on that mission, wasn't it?" Katara nodded.
"But Suki, I can't be in a relationship?" Katara sputtered. Suki looked at her strangely.
"Why not? Sokka and I are? What's wrong with that?" Suki asked sharply. If Katara was going to judge her then she might as well just come out with it.
"Zuko and I aren't Sokka and you" Katara said, trying her best to explain. "Not to mention I'll be breaking Aang's heart, and I can't do that to him. Not now." Suki nodded. She understood that part at least.
"We both have so much that we need to work through personally. I'll be honest. I'm not ready for a relationship. With anyone. Is it selfish for me to feel like I want some more time for myself? To just focus on me. I haven't been able to do that in so long...But I want to" Katara admitted. Suki put an arm around Katara and hugged her close.
"That's not selfish" Suki said "That's normal. But it's still ok to admit you love someone. That doesn't automatically mean you're in a relationship."
"Love?" Katara asked. How could Suki think that? She and Zuko had only bonded for a little over a month. Now it had been quite the month, and they had spent every free moment together, but love was such a treasured thing to Katara. She wouldn't throw around that word carelessly. She wanted to have the time until she was absolutely sure that's what she felt. But that was before, when they thought they all had more time. They had only two days left now.
"You're telling me you notice all that about him and you don't love him?" Suki asked. Katara paused.
"I wasn't trying to notice all that. I just...did" Katara admitted.
"Love sneaks up on us, Katara" Suki explained with a smile as they walked up the steps to to the town. "Whether we want it to or not."
"Do you love my brother?" Katara asked. It was Suki's turn to blush, but she answered immediately and honestly.
"I do, Katara. I really do." The two girls shared a smile, but their conversation was interrupted by the chants of a nearby crowd.
"Aang! Aang! Aang!" they chanted. Suki and Katara looked at each other in a panic. They ran forward and pushed their way through to see who was standing at the center of attention. Two actors from the Ember Island Players were putting on a show and Suki and Katara grimaced. A quick tour of the town told them what they suspected. Aang was no where to be found.
It was lunch time by the time everyone made it back to the house. Toph and Zuko were the first ones there and they walked the courtyard quickly for the others. Toph reached down and picked up a bag that was left sitting by the fountain.
"That's Katara's" Zuko said, taking it from her.
"Everyone seems to be forgetting everything but their own heads" Toph exclaimed. They needed to shape up quick if they had a chance of survival in the next two days. Toph walked to the front steps plopped down on the steps with a grunt.
"Heart to heart aside, that was an extremely boring field trip" she commented to Zuko. "I'm gonna require a redo on that one." Zuko shrugged and sat down just as Suki and Katara walked up.
"You left your bag in the courtyard earlier" Toph told Katara. Zuko handed it to her and Katara took it gratefully.
"Well, Aang definitely isn't on Ember Island anywhere. I'm going to change before we go" she said. She headed back into the house leaving everyone else on the steps.
"You didn't see anything?" Suki asked Toph.
"Never have, never will" Toph replied without missing a beat.
Twenty minutes later Sokka arrived on Appa. Katara was sitting next to Suki and they were all glumly picking sand off their clothes.
"Judging by the looks on your faces, I'm guessing you guys didn't find Aang, either" Sokka deducted as he hopped down from Appa's head.
"No. It's like he just...disappeared" Zuko said. The timing of this little act of Aang's was extremely inconvenient. Toph suddenly sat up and crossed her arms.
"Hey, wait a minute. Has anyone noticed that Momo is missing, too?" she exclaimed. Sokka turned around to Appa and gasped dramatically.
"Oh no! I knew it was only a matter of time!" He yelled as he jumped down to the bison "Appa ate Momo!" Sokka lifted up Appa's mouth and dove straight in. "Momo, I'm coming for you, buddy." Katara rolled her eyes and looked over at Suki who was watching her boyfriend stick his head into the mouth of the giant bison.
"Sokka," Katara said dryly "Appa didn't eat Momo. He's probably with Aang."
"That's just what Appa wants you to think" Sokka hissed back at her before resuming his climb into Appa's mouth.
"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka. We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only two days away." Zuko said in exasperation. How did he lose to this group of kids so often? And how was Suki not saying anything about this? Katara looked up at him and shrugged. That's right. She'd been dealing with this sort of nonsense for much longer than he had.
"What should we do, Zuko?" Katara asked. Suki turned to look at him as well as Appa spit out Sokka onto the ground. Zuko stood up.
"I don't know" he said, surprised at the pairs of eyes that had turned to him. "Why are you all looking at me?"
Because our master plan maker is drenched in Appa drool, our avatar is missing, and I think I'm going to go crazy if someone else doesn't take charge for once Katara thought. She didn't know what to do. But she trusted Zuko explicitly at this point. "Well, you are kinda the expert on tracking Aang" Katara pointed out, encouraging him.
"Yeah, if anyone's got experience hunting the avatar it's you!" Toph exclaimed. Behind them, Sokka slipped on the Appa drool and fell flat on his back. Zuko sighed. If they wanted him to take charge then he would take charge. He walked down the steps and motioned for the others to follow him.
He helped hoist Toph in the saddle before turning to a sopping wet Sokka.
"Go jump in the ocean. We'll pick you up" he told the water tribe boy sternly. Sokka's eyes widened and he nodded. Suki climbed up next to Toph and Zuko took Katara's bag from her and threw it up to Suki.
"Do you have a plan?" Katara asked. Zuko thought for a moment. It was already lunch, and the first thing he had thought of was not them looking for Aang, but something else doing the job for them. He nodded at her and was rewarded with a loving smile.
"I knew you would" Katara murmured. With that she turned and climbed up Appa. A few minutes later the whole team was loaded up and was leaving Ember Island in the distance. Katara watched it disappear. That little place would always hold a special place in her heart, along with the Fire Bender who had inched his way into her heart while they were there.
"Zuko, I don't wanna tell you how to do your job," Sokka said after the first hour of flying. "but why are we heading towards the Earth Kingdom? There's no way Aang's there" Sokka pointed out. Zuko was seated on Appa's head and stared straight out to sea, one destination in mind.
"Just trust me" he said simply. No one responded behind him and he narrowed his eyes and focused on the scenery below him. He hoped he was headed in the right direction. There was a brush at his side and Katara settled onto Appa's head beside him, not caring for the moment what the others thought.
"I do" Katara said softly. Zuko turned to her.
"What?" he asked, not understanding.
"Trust you" Katara repeated.