Wow, five chapters and I've got...68 reviews? Awesome!

I GOT THE AVATAR MAGAZINE! A little late, yeah, but who cares. If you've read it, did you see the Zutara references? Yay!

The two teenagers made their way back to the house by the long route. They had stopped for lunch at a small bakery-like shop, so they hadn't returned until three. Sokka was suspicious of Zuko until Katara told him to shut up, that Zuko had helped her out.

"He even found my necklace," she said, showing her brother.

"Fine." Sokka looked around furtively before continuing. "Did you get the you-know-what?"

"Of course," Katara replied. "I'll keep it hidden until tomorrow. Oh, and then we're going to visit someone who might know something about Appa."

"You found Appa?" Aang popped his head out from the room he was meditating.

"No, but we heard that someone might have an idea. We aren't sure, so don't get you're hopes too high," Katara explained. Aang nodded.

"Well, I gotta get back to this boring thing they call 'meditating'. According to him," Aang jerked a thumb in Iroh's direction, "I might as well get a head start on the basics of the basics. Geez, and I thought Earthbending was hard." Katara smiled at the young Avatar.

"Well, tomorrow you get the whole day off." Aang did his victory dance.

"I can't wait! Thirteen was a big number for the monks at the Air Temple. Usually, that's when you got the tattoos. Being the Avatar, I got them a little early," Aang said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. Toph, who was sitting nearby, rolled her sightless eyes.

"Go meditate. It's good for Earthbending as well. Heck, it's probably good for Waterbending and Airbending and digestion!" Iroh, who had come out of the kitchen during this conversation, laughed.

"Actually, it is." Toph held her hands up.

"See?" Everyone cracked up. Even Zuko managed a small smile. He noticed Katara's odd look, but since she didn't say anything, neither would he.

Aang woke up a ridiculously early hour, even for Zuko. "Come on! I want to see what I got!" Toph, the first he had woken up, grunted.

"Your presents will still be there in a few hours, Twinkle Toes. As your Earthbending teacher, I order you to go back to sleep! Now!"

"Aw, c'mon Toph! You'd be excited if it was your birthday!" Aang pulled the covers off of his teacher, causing the young girl to mutter obscene words that shouldn't be said in the presence of a monk.

"Fine, I'm up."

"Same here." Sokka's voice was muffled in his reply.

"Chirp!"

"It's kinda hard to sleep when you're best friend is having a spasm," Katara joked from her mattress.

"Chirp!"

"The Avatar is so loud, I heard him from the room behind the kitchen," Iroh's voice replied, dim due to distance.

"Chirp!"

"I hate waking up early," Zuko muttered to his uncle, who chuckled.

"Chirp!"

The chirps were from Momo, who was holding an oddly shaped rock in his forepaws. Aang laughed and took the rock from Momo, who promptly scurried to his shoulder. Aang studied the rock. Some quirk of nature had made it look like the young monk's face. He scratched Momo behind the ears. "Thanks, boy. What about you guys?"

Sokka, hair still a mess, came into Toph's section of the large bedroom/bathroom. He was carrying a large package, wrapped in simple brown paper. "I forgot to wrap it until yesterday, so sorry for the paper." Aang ripped it open eagerly, only to see that the warrior had gotten him…

"Clothes?" Aang held up new robes in a darker shade of yellow, almost gold, and the same pale orange-pinkish color. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Katara made me get them. I bought this for you, as a guy-to-guy gift," he whispered, slipping Aang a bottle of Earth Kingdom cologne. "Use on the girls you like." Aang blushed and muttered thanks to Sokka. Toph groped around with her face still in the pillow for a few seconds, her small hand finally reaching the small box containing the pygmy puma model she had bought.

"Here ya go, Twinkles. Happy birthday." Aang opened the box and studied the puma model.

"It's one of those paint-the-model things! See, it even comes with the paint and brushes!" Sokka looked into the box. Toph pulled her head out of the pillow to feel the sealed jars of paint and the brush.

"Hmm. Didn't even notice that," she murmured. "Looks like the artist likes to promote the arts. You like it, right?" Aang replied with a tight squeeze.

"I love it, Toph! Gives me something to do when I'm bored." Toph let Aang hug her for a few more seconds, then wiggled out.

"Glad y'like it. Hey, Sugar Queen! Get in here! And bring your gifts!"

"Coming!" Katara entered fully groomed and dressed. "Here Aang. This is my gift." She handed him a painting of him, gliding. "Took me forever to do it, but I got it done."

"Oh, wow, Katara. Am I really that short?" Katara laughed.

"That's not all. The three of us pitched in to buy this." She pulled out the ornate box that held the jade bison. Aang smiled and began to open it.

"Thanks…" He trailed off as he took in what had to Appa's likeness. "It looks just like Appa," he said mournfully. Toph sighed.

"Oh, cheer up Aang. Katara and I got an appointment with artist to see if she used a model on it. We're bringin' you and Sokka along, too. We'll find that fluffy fuzzball soon." She playfully punched Aang's arm. "Now, scram so I get dressed!" The others left, Sokka and Aang to get dressed, Katara to make sure that Aang's special dessert was still frozen.

Iroh met her at the kitchen. "The Avatar is…perky for a thirteen-year-old. I remember my nephew couldn't be dragged out of bed for the world at his age. He still doesn't enjoy getting up too early."

"Really? He said something about rising with the sun one time," Katara remembered. Iroh nodded.

"It is a Firebender's nature to get up at sunrise, but most Firebenders don't have the nightmares that often plague my nephew," he said softly, making sure Zuko couldn't hear.

Katara nodded understandingly. "I need to check on Aang's birthday dessert."

"Of course."

Several hours later, after lunch and Aang's frozen ice cream sculpture (made by Katara, of course), everyone prepared to go to the university.

"Miss Katara, can I speak with you for a moment?" Iroh pulled Katara away from tying her necklace. "It's obvious that my nephew dislikes staying here for too long, so could you…"

"Take him with us, as an escort or something?" Katara finished. Iroh nodded. "Hey Aang! Mind if Zu…er, Lee, escorts me to the university?" Aang looked at her.

"Sure. If we run into anyone, it's always good to have an extra somebody hanging around. What about you?" The birthday boy turned to Iroh.

"Walking too much makes my old bones hurt. I'm quite content here," Iroh assured them. "I'll go tell my nephew that he is to accompany you." Iroh ambled off to tell Zuko and to help him look decent.

"Uncle, I'm seventeen! I know how to make myself presentable," Zuko muttered. Iroh shook his head.

"Yes, but you…you…you don't do it right! It's a small wonder you don't attract as many young ladies as you could!" Zuko blushed furiously at his uncle's comment. He's worse than a mother or an aunt or a grandmother, the poor Firebender thought. He sighed and got dressed.

"It's the university, Uncle. I'm not going on a date again," Zuko reminded Iroh when he tried to slick Zuko's hair back. He found Katara waiting for him outside the kitchen.

"Hurry! We have to be there at one hour after noon!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Sokka and the others are waiting!" Boys…she thought disdainfully.

Girls…Zuko said to himself. He'd never understand them.

"Oh, the young girls from the sculpture garden. I can't remember if you gave me your names." The professor, Gan, met the group outside the university.

"I'm Katara and that's Toph. The other's are Sokka, my brother, Aang, the Avatar, and Lee, my escort," Katara said, introducing each person. Gan looked at Lee, as if sizing him up, then nodded.

"You're in luck. She just finished that spirits forsaken mural." Gan began to lead them to a back wall.

"Mural?" The word was a little strange to the group of teenagers.

"A gigantic wall painting the size of an elephant koi. Happened to be of an elephant koi," Gan added as an afterthought. "Anyway, don't be surprised if she asks to sketch someone. She's borderline obsessed/scatterbrained." With that, he brought them to a brightly colored wall.

A young girl about twenty or so was covered in orange and black spots, blue streaks, and white blotches. The only unpainted part of her was her burnt brown hair.

"Finally! Ona is going to be happy that I captured those annoying large fish perfectly. 'Course, like I'd do anything else," she exclaimed. She then realized that Gan and the others were behind her. "Oh! Professor!"

Gan laughed. "Your sister is going to like what you've done. Ano, these young people want to talk to about a piece you did a few weeks ago."

"Sure. Let me just find something not so badly paint-splattered and I'll be right with you. I'll bring my paper and brushes; I've never seen a scar like that, or a necklace even comparable to those." Zuko's hand flew to his scar and Katara instinctively touched her necklace. Gan chuckled.

"I told you she's obsessed and little scatterbrained. I keep telling her to add an 'S' to her signature so it reads 'Silly Art Student At The University' or to add a 'P', for possessed."

Toph muttered to Katara, "So that's what 'Asatu' means. Creative." Katara nodded in agreement.

The artist, Gan had called her Ano, came back. "So, what can I do for you guys?"

"You made this jade bison, right?" Aang asked, holding out his present. Ano looked at it and nodded.

"Yup. Took me forever, but I did. Never spent so much time with Ona in my life. What about the bison?" Ano started sketching something.

"How did you carve it?"

"Well, I'm an Earthbender, so it wasn't too hard, just had to restart when I dropped my first model…"

"No. Did you use a picture or an actual bison?" Toph clarified. Ano looked offended.

"I'm not the type of artist who relies on pictures that could be inaccurate. Ona let me into that giant bison's pen. Poor thing, had him tied down so he wouldn't fly off. Ticked Ona off, let me tell you, what with her animal rights and civil rights and all that." Ano continued to sketch.

"You used a real bison? Where are they keeping him?" Aang asked, excited. Ano nodded towards the university.

"Ask Ona, she's the one in animal sciences. I'm horrible with maps and places. I still get lost in the university."

Zuko spoke up for the first time. "Where can we find Ona?"

"Prob'ly in her room, studying. She won't mind a break though, trust me." The group nodded and started to leave. "Oh, here." Ano handed Katara her sketch. "Maybe later you can get someone to paint it, but it has to be a perfect color match." Katara smiled her thanks and took the drawing. Blushing she handed it to Zuko. He studied the picture before silently groaning.

It was picture of the two of them, hand in hand, in a glade with a waterfall in the background.

Sneaky little artist...making a picture of Zuko and Katara in love...hehehehehehe