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Gaoling was a good way away from the village they had just come from, but that's where they decided to go. With Mai in the holding cell below, they took off for Toph's hometown (A/N: That's really where she's from, I found out. Yay me!). Katara decided she wanted to visit anyway and, with some luck, they wouldn't have to travel far away to find a place to put Mai to work.
This morning was oddly nice. The clouds in the sky were a beautiful shade of a dark pink and purple and the ocean reflected it as well, the tip of the sun that was peaking over the horizon was a deep orange. Katara could've stayed out on the deck all day if it stayed like that, but unfortunately it couldn't. Sunrises were peaceful, sunsets often chaotic. Suddenly, the air was filled with a familiar song as Iroh came up to the deck.
It's a long, long way
To Ba Sing Sei
But the girls in the city
They look so pretty
They kiss so sweet
That you really must meet
These girls from Ba Sing Sei!
"Good morning, Iroh."
"It is a good morning, Lady Katara."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I've seen your smile and that's made my day."
Katara laughed and tried to hide her blush. "Leave the compliments to your nephew. Why isn't he up, anyway? I thought firebenders were supposed to be up with the sun."
"We are." Katara and Iroh turned to see Zuko coming towards them. "And why is the waterbender up so early? I thought you rose with the moon."
"Um, in case you've forgotten, I live with firebenders. I'm used to getting up early."
Zuko smiled and hugged her. Iroh spoke up behind them, "Would anyone like some tea? I've got Jasmine!"
"That would be nice, Iroh."
Iroh ran off to make some tea, leaving the two alone in their hug. She always enjoyed the warmth of his embrace and missed it the short time she was without him. This being a particularly cold morning, it was more welcome. She stepped back, still holding onto him, and looked into his golden eyes. He watched as one of her golden strands of hair came loose and flew about her face in the wind.
"Ready for some tea, my lord?"
Zuko smiled again. "You know I don't like tea."
"Oh, it's good for you. Come on, let's get some tea." She grabbed his hand and he reluctantly followed.
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Sokka woke up to an empty bed that morning. He looked around, hoping to find her getting dressed or something, but she wasn't there. He sighed and got out of bed, heading out to get some breakfast.
"Have you guys seen Ty Lee this morning?" he asked when he saw Zuko and Katara.
"Aw, did she disappear on you?" Katara taunted.
"Come on, Katara, this is serious. I don't know where she is. I haven't seen her at all this morning."
Their faces straightened up and Zuko asked, "Have you tried the bathroom? I thought I heard some noises in there this morning, but I didn't think anything of it."
"I'll try there. If she's not in there, help me find her?"
"Sure thing, Sokka."
Katara and Zuko watched as Sokka took off again. They both had worried looks and hoped everything was okay. Sokka came up to the bathroom and stopped just outside to listen, just in case. He knocked on the door and at the sound of her voice, he stepped in. She was sitting on the floor next to the toilet, pale as a ghost. He ran right to her and tried to help her up but to no avail. He finally gave up and picked her up and carried her back to their room. He gently placed her on the bed and covered her up, by then she had passed out. As quietly as he could, he walked out of the room and took off to find his sister again.
"Katara! Katara! Where are you?"
Katara poked her head out of a door down the hall from where he was screaming. She noticed his hysteric state and rushed to him, leaving Zuko and Iroh baffled as to what was going on.
"Sokka, calm down. What's going on?"
"Something's wrong with her. I found her in the bathroom floor and carried her back to the bed and now she's passed out. I'm not very good at telling when someone has a fever, but she felt warm."
They ran back to Sokka's room and quietly entered, careful not to disturb her unless it was necessary. Katara tip-toed over to the side of the bed and put a hand to her head. She didn't have a fever.
"You said you found her in the bathroom?" she whispered. Sokka nodded. "When was her last cycle, do you know?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" he whispered back.
Katara rolled her eyes. "She's pale. She was probably throwing up in the bathroom. She's probably pregnant, genius. If I knew when her last cycle was, it would be easier to determine."
"I don't remember, I don't keep up with that stuff."
"Then we'll have to wait until she wakes up. For now, let her sleep. Trust me, puking can take a lot out of you. You can stay with her if you want, just so she doesn't wake up alone."
She watched as her brother laid down behind Ty Lee and gathered her up in his arms. She smiled and left to go back to her tea. When she walked in the room, Iroh and Zuko looked up at her in anticipation. She sat down with them and sipped at her tea. Iroh was the first to speak up.
"Well, is she okay?"
"She's fine," Katara smiled.
"What was wrong with her?"
"You'll see in about 8 or 9 months from now."
Zuko and Iroh glanced at each other, then back to Katara. Zuko finally spoke. "She's pregnant?"
"I'm pretty sure she is. I'll have to ask her a couple things when she wakes up, but her other symptoms are similar to mine at the beginning."
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Two days later
"Oh, I'm so excited! I haven't seen Toph since the biggest day of our lives. I wonder how her parents are treating her since she's been back."
Zuko held Katara's shoulders to calm her down. She had been jumping around the ship all morning.. literally, jumping. "Katara, take it easy. You're going to have a heart attack if you keep this up," he joked.
She stopped and looked at him. "That's not funny, you remember what happened-"
"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. It's been so long, I guess it slipped my mind. At least she hasn't had one since, right?"
"Yeah, my Gran Gran was always strong like that."
She turned her attention back to the sea under her and the fast-approaching land in front of them. Her stomach started jumping again without her and a smile spread across her face. Her body was tingling with excitement and soon found herself jumping around again. Zuko laughed and moved as quickly as he could to sweep her off her feet. She screamed before she realized what was happening, then suddenly she was very cold as she hit the water.
He threw me overboard!
She surfaced quickly and drew her arms around her, the water swirling up and lifting her back onto the ship. Of course, now she was on the other end because she ship was moving. She saw Zuko walking towards her with a childish grin on his face and she just couldn't be mad at him. She didn't even bother bending the water from her clothes, she just ran up and hugged him, soaking him as well. That was her plan. She laughed as he jumped back, his entire front side dripping wet. He glared at her and steam-dried himself as she bended the water from her clothes and sent it back into the ocean.
"That wasn't even close to payback for throwing me off the ship, you jerk," she smiled. She couldn't help but smile, the look on his face was priceless!
"I'll be watching you, peasant," he replied. They often threw in their old names for each other into their fake arguements.
Katara giggled and walked back to the front of the ship to watch the land get closer. When they finally reached it, they docked and she bounded off the ship. Everyone behind her was watching her like she was crazy, but inside they were all just as excited to see Aang and Toph. In all honesty, Sokka thought she was acting more like a child now than she did when she was a child. He watched her jumping around and twirling and singing and grinning like a fool.
Zuko left guards and crew members behind on the ship to watch over and feed Mai until they knew where they were going to take her. He just wanted Toph to bend an earth prison cell and keep her in that until she died, but he had to let Katara pick her punishment.
"Katara!"
The voice made Zuko jump out of his thoughts to see Aang running at them fullspeed. He was happy to see him again, but not so much to see that he was still as hyper as ever. Toph trailed behind him, smiling.
Aang tackled Katara with a hug, then airbended them back up to their feet. He ran around hugging everyone and stopped when he got to Zuko. Zuko looked down at him, surprised that he didn't get attacked as well.
"You don't like hugs, so I'm just saying hey."
Zuko put his hand on the boy's bald head and shook it. "I can endure a little hug from my little brother."
Aang smiled and hugged him, but only briefly. He did say a little hug. Soon, they were all being led back to Beifong Manor, where the chefs had made a luxurious feast at the request of Toph's parents. They hadn't taken the news the way she had expected and was glad for that.
"Firelord Zuko, Firelady Katara, welcome to our home," Toph's mother greeted them as they walked through the door. "And the great retired General Iroh, we are happy to have you all here." Katara watched her eyes as they walked past. She actually looked more scared than happy.
"I hope that we may become good friends with you as we have your daughter, Toph," Zuko stated once they got inside. "I don't have many friends in the Earth Kingdom and your family, I've heard, is a powerful one. Perhaps you could help to convince everyone that the Fire Nation is truly searching for peace. We already have the friendship of the Water Tribes, the airbender, a just a few earthbenders and Earth Kingdom citizens, but no one else seems to take us seriously."
"Perhaps we could discuss this over dinner." Toph's father, Lao, had come down the stairs to greet their guests. He held his hand out to his side, inviting them into the dining hall. Set before them was indeed a feast. Sokka's face lit up at the sight where Ty Lee was nauseated by food. They took their seats, Toph's father sitting at the head. Sokka, being the pig that he is, immediately dug in while everyone else stared at him. Ty Lee turned away and held a hand to her mouth to keep from being sick.
"Sokka!" Katara whispered loudly to her brother. He stopped and looked at her, then looked at Ty Lee.
"Are you feeling okay? Do you need-" He stopped short when she nodded her head fiercely, hand still over her mouth. "I'm sorry, do you have a bathroom?"
Toph's mother stood and led them away, Sokka helping Ty Lee along. Everyone else cautiously returned to the meal. Sokka, much to his displeasure, was gone the entire meal helping Ty Lee hold her hair back. Toph's mother stayed with them for just a little bit to make sure she was alright and left after Sokka told her the situation. She came back for a second with some pills for her before going back to the meal. He seriously thought about asking her to bring him some food, but returned his mind to the sick girl hanging halfway in the toilet. He got her a glass of water and had her take the pills and after about an hour or so, the nausea went away.
He carried her out of the bathroom because, after throwing up what little she had eaten, then dry-heaving for almost an hour, she was very weak. Someone was waiting just outside the bathroom door to show them to the rather large den, where everyone was laughing and having a grand ol' time. Iroh stood when he saw them enter and walked to them.
"Is she okay?"
"For now. She's about to pass out though."
Lao spoke up from behind them. "Mili can show you to your room for the night." He stood and gestured to a young girl standing next to the door.
"Thank you," Sokka replied before following the girl down the hall and into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and whispered to her, "I'll check on you in a little bit. Right now, you rest."
Her semi-concious eyes glanced at him and nodded before sleep enveloped her. Sokka made his way back to the den, but the laughter had died down.
"It will be a while before they're ready to start any of that, but planning ahead of time is kind of a habit for me."
"How long?"
"At least five years. She should be plenty old enough to leave by then, right? And it's not like she's going onto the streets. She'll be safe with me in the palace and I can even have guards on her if it would make you more comfortable, although I believe she's perfectly capable of defending herself. And it's also for a good purpose. I mean, I know the honor that comes with teaching an Avatar an element. Of course, I was more like training with him, my uncle did most of the teaching. But still, it's a great honor to teach an Avatar. And Toph can say that she lived to teach three! She will be in the history books for not only that, but helping in the fight with my father to end the war."
Lao sighed. He hadn't known all the details of that fight and quite frankly he didn't want to because it frightened him, but it never surprised him. After seeing his daughter in action, he knew she was perfectly capable but refused to accept the fact that she wasn'tthe fragile little girl he wanted her to be. "Well, it is five years away. She'll be old enough to make her own decision by then, but if it means anything, I approve."
Toph was happy that her father was finally learning to be a real father. "Thank you so much, I'll make you proud."
"You already do, Toph."
"Then it's settled. Toph, in about five years, you'll be coming with Aang to live with all of us in the Fire Nation to teach our new little Avatars earthbending."
Aang was watching between them all, hardly paying attention to the conversation, when a thought occured to him. Well, more like a memory of the monks played into his mind. "Hey guys, when I was told that I was the Avatar, the monks said that the Avatars aren't told until they're sixteen. The only reason I was told early is because they felt the war was coming. Are you really going to tell them that early?"
"Well, it's a known fact that children's minds pick things up much easier the younger and more often they're exposed to it," Katara explained. "If they knew they were the Avatars at a young age, they could pick up on all the elements and their minds would absorb the information easier. They could be masters in no time!"
"Well, I guess you're their parents. If you want to tell them, it's your decision to make."
The room was silent for a few minutes, with the exception of the crackling fire in the fireplace. Finally, Sokka spoke up. "Um, hey, just wondering, but do you know of a coal mine or some place like that where we could leave a prisoner?"
"Oh yeah," Katara gasped. "I almost forgot about Mai."
"Who?" Lao asked.
"She was friends with Princess Azula and has tried to kill us on several occasions. When I killed Azula, she wanted revenge and came after my children. Luckily, I caught her and when we finally got her locked away, she befriended another prisoner and they both broke out and kidnapped me. That's actually why we were out this way. Do you know of any place around here that would take her, like maybe a prison where they have to work outside all the time in a coal mine or something like that? Something heavily guarded."
Lao thought on that for a second, then said, "I know the perfect place."
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"We would be more than happy to take your prisoner, Firelord Zuko."
"Thank you, General Shiyu. Keep a close eye on her and make sure she works hard every day and gets dirty. If she gets too out-of-hand, stick her in an earthen prison for a couple days with no food or something like that. She needs to be dealt with harshly. If she escapes and comes after my family again, she dies."
"Don't worry, my lord. She will be.. well taken care of."
The man looked at Mai, who in turn looked at her feet and muttered something under her breath at the cruel tone of voice he used. At least Earth Kingdom soldiers aren't as harsh as Fire Nation soldiers, or soshe thought.
General Shiyu turned to Lao and bowed before taking the chains that held Mai and jerking her along, causing her to stumble over her feet. Zuko turned to Lao and smiled.
"Thanks for your help."
"It's no problem at all, Firelord Zuko. Is there anything else you needed before heading back to the Fire Nation?"
"No, I think we're all set, Lao. Thank you again for cooperating, and please see what you can do about the tensions between our nations. I've tried before to make peace, but nothing is working."
"I know the exact people to talk to," Lao said, heading back for his carriage. "Just leave it to me."
With those final words, he was on his way back to Gaoling with Toph.
"Now that everything is taken care of," Katara started, "let's go home to our family, Zuko."
Zuko smiled, hugged her, and kissed her on the head. "Sounds like a plan."
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Okay, everyone. There is only ONE more chapter after this and I'm making it take place about 5 or so years after this.. then this story is done and my new story will have all my time. You know what to do! R&R!
For those of you who want to read my latest story, the first chapter is up now. The link should be in my profile. Yay for happy endings and new beginnings!
Jenn