Chapter Twenty – six:

-Katara-

"Alright this is how it's going to work so you three don't have another yelling match and scare Katara" the young girl began after she introduced herself to me as Toph, the Blind Bandit and greatest earth bender despite being blind. After she promised to explain more later on she got all three boys to sit down on the floor in front of my bed as I was finally able to sit up without having to lean against the wall for support. "Twinkle toes and Snoozles as I call them will begin by asking simple questions one…at…a…time" she enunciated the last part. "Zuko here will stay by Katara for any support needed. No arguing with me and I will say when one may speak. Am I clear?" She was answered with the boys grumbling a yes. "Good then we shall begin. Twinkle toes you first?"

"Hey why does he get to go first?" the older boy complained.

"Do you want me to take you outside and earth bend you into the ground where you can stay for the night?" Toph shot right back. Zuko snickered quietly beside me; for he was sitting right by my feet on the ground.

"Please no!" he whined.

"Then I suggest you hush up!" with that she asked the young boy with the blue arrows to go.

"Um, Katara" he started nervously, "just so you know I am really, really sorry for scaring you earlier. I was just excited that we had found you after three months of searching. Can you forgive me?"

He seemed so innocent, which reinforced the thought that he was a couple of years younger than me at least, that I couldn't help but give him a small smile. "I forgive you. Just don't ever do that again ok?"

"I swear I won't!" He took a second to catch his breath. "So, do you know my name?" I closed my eyes then shook my head no. "It's Aang." Aang got it.

The older boy spoke up then after Toph confirmed it was his turn. "Do you know my name?"

C'mon Katara…and… "No, but can't I just call you Snoozles?"

His jaw dropped. "No! My name is not Snoozles its Sokka!"

"Chill would ya?" Zuko mumbled slyly. I smacked him lightly. "What?"

Sokka started laughing until Toph smacked him a little harder in the back of the head than I had with Zuko. "Not so funny now is it?" she snickered.

For the next few hours it kept up like that. Aang or Sokka would ask me a question that I wouldn't know the answer to and someone would usually make some kind of comment; more Sokka towards Zuko and vice versa which would result in one or both of them getting a light smack from me as far as Zuko was concerned and Sokka cringing from Toph's threats (which she seemed to enjoy around him).

"We're not getting anywhere with this" I complained. "I can't remember anything you have asked me." Pulling my knees up to my chest I sighed, "It's hopeless. I'll never be able to remember."

"Katara don't talk like that" Zuko ordered. He left his spot on the floor to sit by me and wrap a comforting arm around my shoulder. I leaned into him for support. "Don't you remember what Han said? He told you it's going to take time. Your memories aren't going to return automatically just because your friends have suddenly returned. So don't stress yourself out. Maybe you just need a break and you can try again later."

"Sparky has a point" Toph commented.

"Sparky?" Zuko asked somewhat in horror.

"Well you needed a nickname and you have a bit of a temper so I have deemed you Sparky."

Zuko growled. "Nothing I can do to change that is there?"

"Nope!" Toph exclaimed smug. "Now since Katara needs a nickname as well and she seems like the total opposite of me as far as personality is concerned she will now be known as…Sugar Queen."

"I guess there's no changing that. So I'll go with it" I consented.

"Good you don't have a choice anyway. But before we get further side tracked I do have an idea that could possibly help with Sugar Queen's memory, but only if you're willing to try."

I looked to Zuko to see what he thought. He squeezed my shoulder, not having to say anything. I smiled. Turning back to Toph I said, "I'm willing to try."

"Alright then, now everyone listen up." Everyone turned their attention back to Toph. "Now we've all noticed that just by asking questions we are not getting anywhere with Sugar Queen. So I believe we need to try a different approach. I suggest one of you need to try to show her something or do something that only she would know about."

"Oh so you mean like a trigger of some sort?!" Aang shouted excitedly.

"Exactly Twinkle toes. So you need to think long and hard about it before you just blurt something out." She brought her gaze over to Sokka's general direction, "That means you!"

"I resent that!" Sokka shouted. "But I agree with what you want to try."

"Any suggestions?" I asked out loud.

"Maybe we should have you kiss Aang" he said slyly, elbowing the younger boy. "I'm sure that would bring back memories."

My eyes went wide as did Aang's. I noticed Zuko's grip on my shoulder increase in strength. "I stand by my observation that you don't think before you speak" he growled. "That is the worst idea you could come up with! Do you want to scare your sister further?!"

"I agree with Zuko" Aang mumbled embarrassed.

Toph came up to him and flicked him on the side of his head. "Try again Snoozles."

Sokka rubbed his fingers underneath his chin in thought. "Hmmm…oh I know!" With that he walked over to me, explaining that he wasn't going to do anything to hurt me, as he kneeled down in front of me and carefully pulled out two thick strands of my hair and pulled them in front of my face and held them so that they would appear to look like they curved and would be attached to the tiny bun I had in my hair. I raised my eyebrows. "They're your hair loopies."

Everyone was staring at him like he was crazy, me included. "I don't feel anything." And with that I took my hair back and tucked the strands behind my ear.

"Ok, from now on, Sokka should just stay quiet for the next few minutes" Toph concluded. "Now Katara I want you to be honest. Is there anything you actually do remember?"

"Well," should I say what I saw Aang do? "Sometimes I get these brief flash backs, but they don't always make sense."

"What's one of them?"

Immediately I began rubbing my hands together. "My hands being burned…by Aang." I regretted saying that because Aang looked down to the floor and held his head in his hands.

However Toph jumped on that. "I want you to think and concentrate on that. Maybe that way you will be able to catch more than you had before."

Zuko took my hand as I slowly nodded my head in consent and closed my eyes in concentration. Slowly the image appeared and I once again saw the flames headed for me as I brought my hands up as my only form of defense. I cried out in pain and opened my eyes. Everyone was staring at me with worry written all over their faces. Did I cry out loud? "I'm sorry. The memory was just too painful for me to relive."

Zuko pulled me close to him and hugged me tightly. "I think that's enough for today."

Before anyone could protest Iroh returned back from work and found us all in mine and Zuko's room. "Good evening everyone" he greeted in his usual cheerful way. It just seems like nothing can affect his mood. "Miss Katara, how are you feeling?"

"Better, but I'm just really tired now" I answered truthfully.

"How about I make you some tea? That should help you sleep. We still have a little of the herbs left over from Han."

"Sounds good."

"Then I will be back shortly." He turned to leave but spun around to face us again. "Before I forget I found a small animal trying to scratch his way in for the past few minutes." He stepped out of the way and a blur of something black and white flies past us to Aang.

"Momo!" he shouted excitedly. "Sorry buddy! I didn't realize we had left you alone for so long!" The animal chirped at him repeatedly until the animal's eyes caught sight of me. Then it flew over to me and sat on my lap. Aang saw the question before I voiced it. "He's a flying lemur." The animal, Momo, stared at me with innocent eyes that I couldn't help but smile. Without hesitating I scratched him behind his ear and he began purring. "He's really missed you."

Momo stayed on my lap, even after Iroh gave me my tea and I had finished it. I could feel it starting to take its effect on me slowly, but I could still hear Iroh talking to the others. "You are all more than welcome to stay here for the night" he had said and the others agreed. Everyone claimed their spot of the room as I started to slip more into sleep. I knew I would be fine with them, but I still wanted Zuko close to me. As he started to lean me back so I could lie down I held onto his hand and squeezed, asking him silently if he would stay close by. Thankfully Zuko understood so he moved so that I was leaning against him with my head on his chest as he leaned against the wall by the bed. I continued to hold his hand as I fell asleep with Momo curled up in a ball on my lap.

-Zuko-

Sokka was not too thrilled with the idea of me sleeping so close to his sister. After Toph and…Aang had gone to sleep (Toph being rather close to Sokka?) and you could hear Uncle snoring rather loudly in the next room he was still trying to stay awake holding his boomerang in hand; trying to look menacing. You know what, you scared your sister, and I at least give her a sense of safety so go to sleep already and deal with it! I ignored him the best I could as I kept my eyes closed; still feeling his gaze on me.

"You watching him won't change anything" Toph murmured as she sat up and scooted over closer to Sokka.

"How did you know?" he grumbled, oblivious to the fact that I was listening to them.

"The constant tapping of your foot was driving me insane." Sokka growled under his breath. "Chill, Snoozles it's not like he's going to disappear with your sister in the middle of the night."

"I don't know that!"

"You're paranoid."

"Toph this is the first time I've seen Katara in three months and she's with two fire benders. How do you expect me to feel?!"

"Keep it down" she shushed him. "You'll wake up everyone if you keep raising your voice like that. And as far as Katara is concerned aren't you glad that someone found her so she wasn't wandering around the woods lost that entire time?"

I stiffened a little at that because Katara was basically doing that in a way until I found her. I peeked my right eye open just enough to see that Toph was sitting right next to Sokka and that he had relaxed to the point of setting his boomerang on the ground; the truth behind what she said finally starting to sink in.

"Listen Toph, I know you're right. But you got to understand my view of things. After we joined Aang, Katara was the only family I had with me. Our father is with the rest of the men of my village trying to protect us by fighting in this war. We left our Gran-gran behind to take care of everyone else. And I've already lost two people in my life that I really cared for. I didn't want to have to add Katara to that list as the third person. She's been taking care of me ever since we lost our mother" I briefly stopped breathing when I heard that because I was reminded of Katara's nightmare. Now I know for sure that was a memory, and a painful one to say the least. "But it's always been my job to protect her. I've been going out of my mind. I just couldn't risk the thought of losing my sister for good."

"I know Sokka. But you do realize that you haven't lost her" Toph tried to reassure him.

"But I have at the same time. She doesn't remember a thing. She didn't even know that I am her older brother."

"She won't be like this forever. It will just take time." I peeked again just in time to see Toph punch Sokka in the arm. I had to try so hard not to laugh out loud. "So stop moping."

"Fine" he conceded. Then he, unconsciously it would seem, laid his arm across Toph's shoulders; slightly pulling her closer to him. Toph was blushing like crazy. I knew it. She has a crush on him, I thought smugly. "Well, on a positive note, if everything starts to turn for the better we should be able to leave Ba Sing Se by the end of this week and we'll have Katara with us."

At that my heart froze.

I never heard the rest of their conversation, if they even did continue to have one or they just fell asleep holding each other. My mind was racing and my heart started to beat rapidly once it 'unfroze.' Leave?! End of this week?! Katara?! No! They can't…

They can't take her away from me!

Oh boy! What is Zuko going to do? You'll have to continue reading each Wednesday to find out. Please review! Until next Wednesday!