A/N- This chapter is an oopsie on my part, because the first paragraph was exactly what happened to me after publishing Chapter 42. Enjoy and review! Even if you're anonymous! Review, please!

Gyatso and Kara: Prodigies of an Avatar

Chapter 43- Forgotten Part One

Appa hadn't been in the air for three minutes when Topaz turned her head around the look at everybody behind her. Her green eyes darted from one person to another, silently taking inventory on the passengers. Gyatso . . . Kara . . . Kuzon . . . Katara . . . Iroh . . . Li . . . Kyoshi . . . Me . . . TWS cuddling with Kuzon . . . oh crap. No Rika. No Roku.

"Um, Iroh." She said, nudging his foot with hers-thanks to a quick healing session from Katara, she had been able to move her feet with only a bit of pain in her back when she stood- to get his attention.

"Yeah?" He responded, kicking her back playfully. He looked down at her to see a worried expression on her face. Her full salmon colored lips were slightly frowned and her eyes told him that what she was about to say was serious.

"Where are your brother and Rika?" She whispered.

"Oh, crap. . . " Iroh mumbled to himself as he slid the two of them up closer to Appa's reins. He took them in his hands and changed the bison's path.

"Where are your poems and my sketches?" Topaz spoke on, her voice wavering as she trembled against Iroh's chest. He leaned onto her, resting his chin in her hair softly.

Topaz was the only person besides Rika that knew of his secret passion. She had found out when they were young, a year or two before the war started, when she roomed with him during a visit to the palace. Iroh had trusted her with his secret, knowing that she would keep it because they had been best friends for over three years on account of Iroh living with Topaz's family for almost a year. In this period of time, they had become the closest of friends, sharing everything with each other. The five years that they spent apart didn't change that bond at all . . . or at least, so far.

"Guys, why are we turning?" Kara asked, moving up to them.

"We left Roku and Rika at the base," Topaz said quietly wiping the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She wasn't a crying girl at all, but the thought of losing her precious sketches, and Iroh his poetry broke her down.

"Oh my gosh, that's horrible!" Kara gasped, her gray eyes widening. "Hurry up then!"

Both Iroh and Topaz rolled their eyes over to her in disbelief, but soon got over it, realizing that Kara was just being herself and they loved her for it. They sighed and shook their heads with small smiles on their faces.

Because Appa hadn't gotten too far away from the base, be Iroh was able to arrive there in as little as two minutes. Gyatso and Kara jumped off of the air bison as soon as he hit the ground and waited for Iroh to come down with them. He slid away from Topaz slowly, trying not to cause her any pain. She moved with him, about to stand up and try to help get the two missing people, but he stopped her by placing his hand firmly on her shoulder.

"Stay here and keep watch for us." He said softly.

"What? Why?" She asked pushing his hand off of her. "You can't just tell me what to do. . . I want to help you guys." Her eyes filled with fire, but she wasn't angry at Iroh for doing was he said to her. She just wanted her sketches.

"Topaz," Iroh mumbled, taking her by the shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes. "I promise to you that everything will be fine, all right? I'll get Roku and Rika, our stuff, come right back here, and give you your drawings."

Topaz nodded, conforming to her friend's wishes. She sat back down and looked at her hands.

"I trust you." Was all that came from her mouth.

With that, Iroh slid off of Appa and joined Gyatso and Kara in their rescue mission.

. . .

"Where do you think they are?" Kara asked once she and the boys got into the base unseen by the barely there guards.

"They're probably in your room. Rika definitely is." Iroh whispered, starting to walk in the direction of the girls' room.

"Wait!" She called out, "What if Roku is in the boys' room?"

Iroh twisted around with a light chuckle. He raised his eyebrow and smirked, shaking his head.

"If Rika's in the girls' room, Roku is definitely in love with her."

"Oh. . . so, what you're saying is that because a boy is always with a girl, he's in love with her automatically?" Kara questioned, slightly offended at her friend (enemy)'s comment.

Taken just a bit aback, Iroh looked to the right and to the left quickly. So this is how we're going to fight today . . . over a freaking joke. He thought taking a deep breath.

"You were the one that said that, and to tell you the truth, I'm not here to argue with you. I'm here to get my brother, our friend, and me and Topaz's valuables which are all in the girls' room. If they, being Roku and Rika, are in fact not there, I can still get the rest of our stuff and find them later, all right?"

Wow, maybe this will just blow over, Gyatso thought with a relieved sigh, ready to walk with Iroh to the girls' room. Just when he persuaded himself that everything would be fine, Kara went and messed it up for them.

"Hm. . . I guess I deserved that, didn't I?" Kara said sheepishly, following them on. "But I just have one question- why are your valuables, whatever they may be, with Topaz's? Why did you leave them in her care?"

"Um. . . I. . . I don't really trust anybody else with them." Iroh replied, immediately after realizing how bad the comment sounded.

"Oh." Was all that escaped Kara's lips, and she continued walking towards the room next to her brother.

Ugh. . . I don't even care anymore. Iroh thought, taking a deep breath. Everything that I say to her is wrong, so why bother?