Living For Her

As Zuko said those words he felt guilty. Guilty for the fact that he never got to know her, never gave her a chance to, and that she wouldn't be able to give back him the feelings anymore. Iroh was shocked when he heard this. His shocked face slowly turned into a very sincere smile with tears glistening in his eyes. He put a hand on Zuko's shoulder making him turn to face him. He smiled at Zuko, tears still stinging his eyes.

"Zuko, i'm sure she felt the same way." He said that in a very assuring voice but it didn't work on Zuko. he looked Iroh in the eyes.

"How do you know that uncle? You weren't even there and you don't know what she was thinking at all." Zuko bursted out when he said. Iroh just looked at him as he has before, with a sincere smile.

"Zuko, I don't need to be there to know that she feels the same way as you do. I just knew it the first time I chatted with her to know that she feels the same way. When she talked about her problems I just couldn't help but think that you two were very alike." As Iroh said that Zuko looked at him curiously.

We didn't have anything in common, so how would you know?" Iroh laughed.

"You never really listened to her, have you?" Zuko looked guilty as he shook his head. Iroh's sincere smiled came back onto his face.

"You both had problems with your families, Zuko. Her parents hid her from the world and your family was a bit off. You both also had pain too, but one thing's for sure, she acted on it while you ran away." Zuko was shocked when he heard that last part. He was starting to get angry but calmed himself and politely asked what his uncle said again.

"How are we different about that?" Iroh shook his head then sighed.

"She has told her parents who she really was but they didn't care but you, you never told your father or sister and you hid in their shadows for too long. But that time that you talked in the meeting did not count as telling the truth about what you are really feeling about your family, Zuko." Zuko thought about that. He realised that what his uncle said was true. He stood and walked to the door, heading to bed.

"Thank you uncle... for everything." As he said that he left. As he walked to his room he still thought about Toph and how she tried so much for him but he was always so stupid to notice them. Everytime he thought about the timed with Toph he would always feel guilty.

As he opened the door to his room, he noticed that he didn't shut the windows. He moved towards the window to shut them but as he gazed up at the stars he just couldn't help but think about Toph again. She was blind and couldn't see a thing but she always held her head up high and never got down from it. That was one of the very many things that he liked about her. He shut the window doors and went to sleep.

He tossed and turned all night and couldn't close his eyes at all. Everytime he closed his eyes he saw nothing but darkness, not any dreams. 'I would even have a nightmare that not having to dream at all.' Zuko thought this to himself as he tossed again for the tenth time that night.

The next morning Zuko got to the kitchen with puffy, red eyes. Iroh could tell that he was crying. Zuko sat next to Iroh.

"Zuko, why were you crying?" Zuko looked at him then back to his food.

"Was I crying that loud?" Iroh shook his head, disappointed at how tired and worn he sounded.

"Zuko, please, don't change the subject." Iroh said that with so much care and concern that Zuko had tears falling through his eyes.

"I don't know what to do anymore uncle. I just want to die and be with Toph already. I bet that's so much better that dying every day feeling guilty and not dreaming at all." Iroh shook his head sadly then looked him deep down in the eyes.

"Don't think like that, Zuko. Toph would not have liked it if you died for something as meaningless as that." Zuko shook his head then spoke.

"What do you think I should do then uncle?" Zuko looked at him with hopeless eyes.

"Keep on living. Live on for her until your time has come, Zuko. Don't disappoint her. Try." As Iroh finished that last word he stood and left. Zuko sat there with tears in his eyes as he heard the word again. That was one of the three words that Toph has said to him in the spirit world. His tears were now tears of content. He has finally found the answer to his problem.

Try. That was the one thing that Toph always did for him. It wouldn't hurt him to do the same to her. He wiped his tears and laughed a little as he imagined how mad Toph would be to suddenly meet him in the spirit world. She would have sent him through the whole process of getting into the spirit world again.

"I'll try, Toph."