Day 5-Innocence

Zuko waved to his best friend, Sokka, as he approached Sokka's house and the boy dashed out the front door, but groaned when he saw two girls trying to catch up to them.

"Hurry, to the fort," Sokka said and dashed past Zuko to the oak tree in front of Sokka's house. Zuko followed him to and up the rope ladder before Sokka could pull it up so the girls couldn't follow them.

"No fair," seven year old Katara whined when she and her friend Toph reached the tree trunk.

"Boys only!" Sokka called down to his sister. "Girls have too many cooties!"

"Better get away or we'll have to fire upon you!" Zuko called down, eyeing the nerf guns he and Sokka had brought up as well as the bucket of water. Sure, it had some leaves and bugs in it now, but it would work. As a last resort, of course. He didn't want to get in trouble again.

"I'll tell Dad!" Katara whined, but Sokka just grabbed one of the nerf guns and pointed it at the girls. Katara just pouted and started pulling on Toph's arms. "Come on, we'll go play with Aang. He won't be mean." Toph blew a raspberry at them before Katara pulled her away and Zuko just sighed.

"Sometimes I wish she could just grow up," he said to Sokka and the nine year old nodded in agreement before they sat down and started playing cards.

Six years later, a sixteen year old Zuko sat in the tree house, waiting for his best friend to get off from his part time job. He needed to talk to Sokka, he didn't know who else to turn to. His father wouldn't help him, his sister would use it to tease him indefinitely, and his uncle would just spout nonsense. He heard a creak as the rope ladder went taught and he took a deep breath to control his emotions and quickly wiped his face. It was not becoming, even between guys, for a guy to be seen crying. He turned, expecting Sokka, but was surprised to find Toph.

"Get lost, Halfpint," Zuko sneered.

"You ok?" Toph asked, walking to sit near him on the ledge of the tree house.

"Of course I'm not! Now get lost, I don't want to talk to a kid!"

But his scowls and yells just seemed to make her smile more and he groaned in despair. Though he admired Toph, she was just too young to understand. Too innocent.

"So, your girlfriend broke up with you, what's the big deal?" Toph asked.

Ok, so maybe not too young, but she would never understand. "I. Said. Get. LOST! You're too young to understand this."

Toph just smirked and punched his arm gently. It still hurt, but he knew it wasn't as hard as it could have been. But, he was not in the mood. "Geeze, will you just grow up already?! I said get lost!"

"Fine," Toph replied with a shrug. She got up, but surprised him by bending down and quickly placing a butterfly kiss on his scarred cheek. "But one day I will grow up, and then you won't want me to get lost."

He was too stunned to speak and just watched her walk to the ladder and start heading down. She smiled once more at him, not a smirk, but a real smile as her words finally sunk in. "At least that's what my mom keeps telling me. Later, Sir Grumpy!"

Zuko groaned and heard Toph chuckling as she walked away. Once he was sure she was gone, he gently touched the spot she had kissed. A smile came to his face slowly. Maybe she was right; maybe it wasn't such a big deal.

Nawww, she was still too young and too innocent to understand a broken heart.

To be continued…