A/N: thank you so much for the reviews and favorites and alerts, and I'm sorry for the wait! I hope you enjoy!

Part V : The Return

o

Appa met Katara just beyond the forest, in the field outside of town where they had first landed him all those months ago. She was more than surprised, confused even, until she spotted Kala fluttering around the bison's head, her little hoot-mew becoming louder and more excited the closer the waterbender got. Catowls are touched by spirit world, Katara remembered as she buried her face in Appa's soft fur, the bison groaning happily in greeting, and a feeling of warmth, relief, home flowing through her at the familiar sight and smell and sound of her best friend's animal companion.

They made good time, soring over the Earth Kingdom. Appa knew where he was going and seemed to also understand that there was no time to spare – the wind whipped through Katara's hair, untangling it from its braid only to tangle it again in knots. Katara didn't care, her joy at this feeling of freedom almost overtaking her worry for Sokka and filling her till she thought she would be flying herself if not for the warmth of Kala purring in her lap weighing her down to the saddle.

The sun was almost disappeared beyond the horizon when Appa began his descent towards an estate outside a mid-sized town. Aang spotted Appa first, his orange clad figure jumping up and down as only and airbender could, waving with one hand and using the other to shield his eyes against the sun. As they came nearer Katara saw another figure beside him, a small girl in green who stood with her arms crossed, not even looking up until the very moment that the bison touched down.

"Katara!" Aang had her swept into a hug before her feet even hit the ground. "So that's where Appa went – I can't believe you're really here!"

"I can't either." Katara pulled back to look up at him – had he been this tall the last time she saw him? – and turned serious. "Where's Sokka?"

Aang nodded and grabbed her hand to lead her towards the house – mansion, really. "He's inside. Toph's parents called the best physicians in the area, but picken pox aren't very common here and they've only been able to do so much."

"Toph?" Katara looked behind her and saw the girl in green trailing behind them, misty eyed and barefoot. "I'm sorry, I…"

The girl waved her off. "Proper introduction can wait until after you've seen to Snoozles."

The waterbender wanted to ask who Snoozles was, but by this time they had reached the first floor guest room-turned infirmary and all thoughts that weren't centered on Sokka and healing were pushed aside

o

Katara spent the next week at Sokka's bed side, meals delivered by Aang between purportedly brutal training sessions with Toph Bei Fong, the delicate teenage daughter of the richest family in the area (or hellion bending prodigy, depending on where you got your information). The earthbender herself wasn't allowed in the room for fear that she would catch the disease. Little did her parents know that she had in fact caught it and recovered weeks ago – those itchy red bumps were passed off as mosquito-ant bites and the elder Bei Fongs had demanded that she be inside and hour before dark from then on. It was best to humor them, Aang told Katara, and let them go on thinking they had at least some control over their willful, duplicitous daughter, who was much stronger and better traveled than they would ever be willing to imagine. But the story of how he and Sokka met Toph, and how they managed to convince her parents to allow her to train, was best left for Sokka to tell once he was fully recovered.

Because he would be okay, they wouldn't allow themselves to entertain any other possibility.

Luckily Katara has arrived in time, and with the combination of water tribe remedies passed down through generation and a healthy dose of her "magic glowy healy water", as Sokka always used to refer to it, she was able to see him through the worst of the fever, and by the end of the third day her brother was well on his way to a full recovery.

Katara sat by his bedside that night, as she had since she arrived, tired and relieved. "You had me worried there, big brother," she whispered. He cracked an eye open a grinned – she should have known, really, he always snored when he was really out.

"All part of the plan, sis. Had to save you from that blue monster somehow."

She laughed, ignoring the stab of something that shot through her heart. "That was your plan? Nearly die so I would have to come rescue you?"

He shrugged as best he good, laying down as he was. "It worked didn't it?"

Katara leaned forward on her elbows, forehead in her palm, and sighed in exasperation. She was smiling so widely her cheeks hurt. She shifted her head just a bit so she could look at her brother, searching for something to say, when there was a soft knock on the door.

She raised her head to address the knocker, but Sokka beat her to it.

"Come in!"

The door blew open to reveal Aang with the evening's meal on a tray.

"You're better!" the younger boy said happily as he zoomed in, nearly spilling the soup in his excitement but making a last minute save with the aid of his waterbending. "I knew you'd be fine once Katara got here."

o

They spent the rest of the evening around Sokka's bed, joined much later by Toph, once the rest of the household was well asleep and she could sneak out of her room and downstairs. Even though Katara had read about most of them in their letters, she let them tell her all over again about their adventures, the sound of the boys' voices washing over her like the first rain after a drought, while Toph's interjections and interruptions brought to mind the descriptions of her from the letters and filled in the blanks.

It felt almost like home.

When Katara started to cry the others chalked it up to exhaustion. Toph and Aang led her to another room ("We have more guest rooms then a Ba Sing Se has spider cathouses" said Toph, reveling in the incongruity of the filthiness of her statement and the grandness of her home) and left her to sleep. The bed was too large and too soft, and her tears too raw where they caught in her throat, but hours must have past because when she opened her eyes again the false dawn was already peeking through the east facing window, where Kala was tapping insistently. Without thinking Katara rose from the bed and went to the window to let her in – the animal hadn't been seen since they first arrived at the Bei Fong estate. The girl struggled with the pane in her sleep-fogged state, but finally figured out the latches and pushed it open. Kala flew inside and settled into her arms with a pathetic sounding mew, nuzzling against her chest. Katara smiled a little to herself and scratched her behind her ears as she went back to bed, knowing full well that the catowl could be a deadly predator when she chose. But with Katara she was a kitten, loyal and harmless.

o

Weeks passed. With Sokka fully recovered, and Aang immersed in training with Toph, the water tribe siblings had little to do aside from avoid the ire of the earth bender's hoity-toity parents. Katara found her thoughts returning to that mysterious ship and the blue demon more often than she would have liked

"So, he really just let you go?" Sokka asked, for what felt like the thousandth time, one afternoon as they lounged outside by the manmade pond, the sound of Toph's acerbic laughter and barked orders in the background.

Katara let the tiny ice sculpture she held in her palm melt and splash to the ground.

"Yes, he really just let me go."

The tautness of her voice was not lost on Sokka. "Katara, whatever happened… you know you can talk to me, right?"

"There's nothing left to tell." Katara flicked the water dripping from her hand towards the wand, making it hit the surface with a smack. "I was treated kindly. And. when I showed the Spirit Aang's letter, I was told to leave."

Sokka sighed. "Look, sis, I'm just worried. We're worried. Me, Aang, even Toph and, well, she's Toph – plus she only just met you."

The water bender's shoulders relaxed, and she turned and smiled at her brother. "I know I've been kind of distant, Sokka. I'm sorry, I just…"

She was cut off by Aang's voice. "Katara! Sokka! Guess what!"

"What is it Aang?"

"Toph said I've almost mastered earth bending!"

"Not so fast Twinkle Toes," came Toph, laughing and running after, "I said you were on your way to mastering it – you still have a long way to go."

Aang stopped at the edge of the pond and turned round to stick his tongue out at her and Toph barreled right into him. Together they fell into the pond, peals of laughter following and water splashing in Sokka's face.

"Sorry, Snoozles, didn't mean to get you wet, too."

Another jet of water nailed Sokka, who was now truly soaking.

Aang grinned. "But I did!"

"Katara," the Sokka whined, "Aren't you going to do something about this?"

The waterbender, who had already delicately removed herself from the splash zone, shook her head.

"Nope, I'm staying out of this," she laughed, not wanting to ruin their fun, but also wanting to make herself scarce before one of the Bei Fongs' servants heard the racket, or worse the Bei Fongs themselves, and raised a tizzy over what a horrible influence the Avatar was on their gentle, refined little girl.

She made her way through the garden paths, thinking she would go check on Appa, when Kala flew past, dropping something at Katara's feet before rounding back and landing on the back of a bench, cooing proudly.

Katara crouched down to examine Kala's gift – a sunrose, much worse for the wear. She picked it up gently, but even so several shriveled petals fell off.

Footsteps came from she had just come and Katara gripped the stem in panic, pricking her skin and dropping it to the ground. She sucked on the pad of her index finger where the blood welled up and swiftly, urgently, grabbed at the bloom and shoved it in her pants pocket then quickly gathered the petals that had fallen off and shoved them in after.

"Katara?" It was Aang.

The waterbender turned around to face him, smiling. "Yes, Aang?"

"Just wondering where you went off, too, is all."

"Just for a walk - didn't feel like getting pulled into a water war." The words came out too fast and too loud, even though they were the truth. "I'd decimate you all anyway." Her laugh came out forced.

Aang cocked his head, sizing her up. He then spotted the catowl grooming herself on the bench.

"Hey, Kala's back! I haven't seen her in days." The animal raised her head at the sound of her name and luxuriously stretched out her wings and yawned before finally lifting off to circle the avatar twice and land on his shoulder.

"I wonder where you went," Aang said as Kala rubbed her head against his cheek affectionately.

"She was probably just hunting," Katara said, it coming out a little more defensively than she would have like. "Not everyone's digestive system was designed for vegetarianism, after all."

Aang nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's okay, Kala, I understand. Come on, let's go see Appa. Do you want to come, Katara?"

Katara fidgeted, her hand ghosting over the pocket hidden under her dress.

"Um… yeah! Sure. Let's go see Appa."

That night Katara sat up in bed listlessly flipping through the book of spirit tales, the same that had been in her room aboard the ship; she had discovered that it was included in the pack Iroh gave her the morning she left. As she turned the pages, one after the other, a blank scrap of parchment feel out. Katara frowned and flicked to the area it seemed to have fallen from, trying to find what page had been marked when Kala flew in through the open window. She announced herself with a soft, drawn out hoot and landed on top of the open book.

Katara frowned in mock annoyance, but with only the light from a single candle it was too dark to bother straining her eyes to actual read. So when the catowl blinked at her and started purring the waterbender couldn't help but to smile and scratch behind the creature's ear. Kala preened, soaking in the attention, her eyes closed in what looked like the feline-version of a smile, before opening them again. Her green eyes glowed, staring directly into Katara's own. Then she blinked, and turned her head just an inch towards the table by the bed; a reflection of the candle's flame flashed in Kala's eyes making them appear almost gold and Katara felt her heart restrict for a painful moment before she followed their gaze with her own eyes.

The sunrose. She had tried to salvage what was left of it, swiping a vase from an end table in a little used hallway and using her bending to bring back to life as well as she could the petals that remained attach. It wasn't perfect, but it was still one of the most beautiful flowers she'd ever seen.

Katara wiped at her eyes with the heel of her palm and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She needed to do something.

Kala sat up and swatted at the girl's wrist where she still wore the leather bracelet the stall owner had given her the day that Sokka and Aang had gone exploring. Katara blinked dumbly, once, twice, then suddenly understanding pulled off the bracelet, and looked back to Kala, a question in her eyes. The catowl rubbed her head into Katara's hand.

"Okay, then." The waterbender wrapped the bracelet around Kala's foreleg, taking care that it was secure and wouldn't fall off. "You know where to go, girl."

And Kala was off, back out the window and into the night.

o

As spring arrived and settled the Bei Fong garden came into full bloom, which meant the groundskeeper was increasingly annoyed by the… damage incurred during Toph and Aang's training sessions. It was on the eve of the girl's 16th birthday – the age at which young men and women were traditionally considered to have reached adult hood in this part of the Earth Kingdom - that she declared Aang to be "reasonably competent" in earth bending.

It was this same day that Kala returned, dropping a pai sho tile in Katara's lap where she sat watching the two younger benders practice, clapping at the appropriate times and being generally encouraging.

"Is that that bird thing again?" Toph asked, pausing in her bending to cock an ear in the direction of the catowl's flapping wings

"Her name is Kala," Katara corrected gently, pocketing the tile so she could examine it later when she was alone.

The earthbender huffed. "Sorry. Thing just makes me twitchy – always hovering around and never sticking to the ground. It's almost as bad as Twinkle Toes." She quickly shifter her right foot, blocking an attack from Aang, who was trying his very best to be sneaky with his earth bending, a combination he hadn't quite mastered yet.

"Speaking of twitchy – where's Sokka?" Aang asked.

"He's in town getting my present!" Toph chirped, sending an attack that Aang just barely dodged.

"Toph!" Aang pouted. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Less dodging, more blocking!"

With a huff the boy sent up a wall, effectively blocking Toph's attack.

"Good one, TT."

"Yes!" Aang beamed under the hard earned praise.

"So… how long do you think it'll be until Aang's mastered earth bending?"

"How long did it take him to master water?"

Aang groaned. "It took me over four years."

"But you weren't training as hard then as you are now," Katara quickly pointed out. "I mean, it might have been difficult at first, but you've made great progress with earth, hasn't he Toph?"

Aang looked at Toph, eyes big and hopeful. She just shrugged, nonchalantly, before finally cracking a grin. "He's reasonably competent."

Katara sucked in a breath.

"Then, maybe we should start thinking about looking for a firebending sifu."

For a long moment neither Aang nor Toph responded.

"But, I'm not done with my earth training yet… am I?" he turned to the earth bender, almost fearful of her answer

Katara hurried on. "Toph can come with us. Her parents can't force her to stay here once she's 16, and I don't think she'd mind leaving, would you?"

Toph sat down on the ground and leaned back on her hands. "No question there, Sugar Queen. I'd love to get out of here."

"And," Katara continues, "It's not going to be easy to finding someone to teach you, not with how hostile the fire nation's been to towards the other nations lately. We need to start looking as soon as possible."

Aang rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Silence sat amongst them as the three benders, broken only by the fluttering sound of Kala's wings as she rearranged them while grooming herself.

"So," said Toph at last, "Who wants to break the news to my parents?"

Katara and Aang's eyes darted to Toph, than to each other. Even Kala had stilled, sensing the sudden tension.

"Not it!" all three said in unison.

"Hey guys, what're you talking about?" came Sokka's voice from a distance, and Toph grinned evilly.

o

It would be a bit cruel to her parents to leave the moment she was of legal age, Aang had argued to Toph, so after some discussion they decided they would leave in a week. It was also finally decided that it should fall to Toph, not Sokka, to break the new to the elder Bei Fongs. Katara was a little reticent about this – the younger girl was far from the most sensitive or diplomatic person – but they were her parents after all, so she should know how best to handle the situation.

Katara was in her room packing her few possessions the night before they were set to leave. She paused when she came across the pai sho tile as she sorted through the few simple hair ornaments and other small frivolities she allowed herself .

It was the boat, a piece she had been fond of employing in her matches against the spirit, often to her detriment as it made her somewhat predictable. Katara ran her thumb over the cool polished stone feeling the pattern of the ship, the carving worn smooth from use.

She bit back a sigh and hastily put it away when she heard a rough knock at her door, whoever it was barging in before she had the chance to ask who it was.

Sokka of course.

Katara huffed. "Will you ever learn to knock?"

"Sorry, just checking to making sure you're ready." He at least had the decency to school his face into an expression that he probably thought passed as contrite.

"I'm pretty much all packed, here," she said, closing her travel satchel

"Okay, good, cause we're going to be headed out in couple hours."

Katara stopped what she was doing and turned her to him. "Couple hours? I thought we were leaving in the morning."

"Change of plans. Toph talked to her parents, and apparently they thought it'd be best to leave tonight."

"They thought?"

"Look," Sokka said with a shrug, "When it comes to her parents, Aang and I have learned that it's best just to follow her lead and not ask questions."

Later Katara would nag it out of Toph that she hadn't spoken to her parents at all, opting instead to leave them a letter explaining everything. It was just easier that way, she claimed, and besides, she was an adult now and was in no need of a second mother, so Katara could go sprinkle her sunshine somewhere else.

The waterbender was beginning to understand what Sokka had meant in his letters when he had said Toph was a little difficult.

"Appa, why are you landing? You aren't tired already, are you?"

Katara blinked blearily at the false dawn that greeted her as she pulled herself from sleep.

"Come on boy," came Aang's voice again. "Can't you go a little further, just to the next town over or something?"

Katara now sat up, rubbing at her eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked, failing to hold back a jaw cracking yawn as the words left her mouth.

Aang looked guiltily back at her. "Um, well, we weren't going to stop here, but, Appa seems to have other ideas. I don't know what's gotten into him."

Katara used the edge of the saddle to pull herself up onto her knees and looked past Aang to where Kala was keeping pace right beside Appa's head.

"It looks like he and Kala are conspiring about something," she mused, still sleepy.

"Are we landing?" came Toph, roused from her own fitful slumber. "Thank earth, flying on this thing is awful. No offense Appa."

Sokka snorted, still fast asleep, as the bison landed.

"Time to wake up, sleeping beauty," said Toph, giving Sokka a swift kick before jumping to the ground.

"Puh, wah? What's happening?" Sokka sat up, hair a mess and a red indent on his face from where it had pressed against his pack.

"Appa decided it was time to stop…" Aang looked apologetically towards the older boy.

"Wait, we aren't…?" The look on the avatar's face was apparently all the answer Sokka needed.

Katara frowned. "What's going on, guys? Where are we that's so awful?"

The boys shared a look, silently debating who should break the news. Finally Aang spoke.

"This is the same village we were staying in when, well… the whole spirit demon ship… incident."

Katara blinked, and then looked around. Sure enough, there was the village, right over there, and this was the field they had left Appa in. Which meant that somewhere within that forest that edged towards the town…

She quickly shoved down her feelings. "Oh, so it is," she said briskly, sliding down Appa's tail to the ground. "Well, come on, we can go get some food while Appa rests."

Sokka and Aang hesitated, sharing another look.

"Come on, I'm hungry!" yelled Toph from yards away, already half way to town.

o

A/N: At least it didn't take me as long to update as it did last time, right? I'm finished with school and I'm not allowing myself to work (too much) on any of my original writing projects until I have this finished, so the next and final chapter shouldn't take more than a week or two – especially since I've been really looking forward to writing it!

I'm sorry about the lack of Bluetara/Zutara in this chapter, it's just a necessary transition segment.

I really appreciate reviews so I know my readers are still with me after all these delays. Thank you for reading!