"Wow it's so different here in the summer," Katara breathed in awe as they flew towards the air temple and everyone's breath was taken away by the green all around and how the temple looked like an antique by how old it was without any care. Except Toph.

Appa groaned and flew faster to his old home.

-

Katara was the first to jump down from the bison as everyone stood up from the saddle, Zuko helped Toph up and lead her down appas tail.

"We should split up taking each side of the temple," Toph told them as they looked around in awe of the temple.

"Aang?!" Katara cupped her hands around and yelled.

"Or do that," she said flatly.

"Katara, why don't you, Sokka and Suki go check that side of the temple and Zuko and I will check this direction," Toph motioned with her eyes closed annoyed.

"Why are You and Zuko going alone?" Suki tilted her head to the side confused.

"He still owes me a life changing field trip," she grinned wickedly.

"If I don't come back with her tell my sons I love them," Zuko said flatly.

"Got it," Sokka gave a thumbs up as he and Suki started to walk away with Katara.

"Please if I was going to kill you it wouldn't be with other people around like this," Toph snorted.

"Is that suppose to make me feel better about that?" He asked unamused following her through the stone halls.

"Nope, i like making people nervous," she smiled proudly.

"Besides if Aang was over here I would feel him through the earth, so we need less people," Toph chuckled with her hands behind her head walking with her eyes closed.

"Could've taken Suki," Zuko mumbled.

"Oh yea and leave you with Sokka and Katara, you'll crack like a rock," she waved him off and Zuko lit his palm to see ahead when it was getting darker in the halls.

"What's that suppose to mean?" He frowned.

"Please, You crack under pressure like no one else, you can't handle it, Sokka is getting nosy with you and Katara, he probably suspected that you two at least slept with each other once, or twice," Toph smirked a little tilting her head towards him.

"So did you guys fuck first or date first?" She had evil in her blind eyes.

"Toph! Dude! No!" Zuko cried out wide eyes embarrassed.

"So you slept with her first?"

"Yea,"

"We just fooled around for a while before we even left the group, a friends with benefits thing," he mumbled looking down.

"Wow! Really?!" She gasped spinning around completely.

"How long before You two took off?" Now Toph was invested with the story.

"Like six months after I got shot with lightning..?" He thought about it.

"WHAT?!"

"How did I not know about this?! I always know when Sokka and Suki fool around!" Toph cried out but Zuko cringed at that.

"We uh... we would go on the saddle when it was off appa, or take very long walks," Zuko rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"It wasn't serious for a long time, we just were pent up, trusted each other a lot and said why not it's one time thing nothing will change... then it wasn't a one time thing and a lot changed," he explained with his cheeks flushed red.

"Do you regret it?" She asked with a small smile.

"No not at all," Zuko gulped a little. She smiled more feeling it was the truth.

"So who's idea was it? And who kept it going," Toph punched his arm with a loud laugh.

"My idea but I said one time thing, but she wanted to keep it going," Zuko smirked back.

"Oh man I fucking missed you sparky," Toph hugged his arm cackling as Zuko smiled, he missed them all too.

"I knew that little hot head dumb ass was still in that over bearing father heart," she poked his chest.

"Youre ridiculous," he pushed her off.
—

"Hey did you guys find anything?" Everyone circled back to the starting point after searching all day.

"Nothing specifically points towards the avatar," Sokka sighed disappointed.

"We didn't find anything either, it seems like this place has barely been touched," Zuko crossed his arms.

"So let's plan out our next target, we're close to ba sing si where Azula is," Toph offered as Sokka went and grabbed the maps again.

"So it's just one place and we're done? That's it?" Katara frowned looking at them.

"We don't have a hundred years to find him Katara," Sokka told her spreading the maps out.

"If we sneak attack we could go from the back of the palace," Zuko knelt down to Sokka to plan.

"We can't forget about the Dai lee, that's what screwed us over during the eclipse," Toph reminded.

"But it-it's aangs destiny to bring down the fire lord to restore peace, it's his duty, we can't be the ones to do it," Katara gulped wide eyes but no one seemed to agree.

"Aang left us, don't rely on someone to magically appear when he hasn't been found in years," Sokka sighed shaking his head.

"After we bring down Ozai and Azula you can find Aang again on your own time," Zuko nodded.

"Aang is our friend-" "Aang was our friend and he left!" Suki was the one that snapped at the water bender.

"What don't you get Katara?! We knew this eight years ago and nothing has changed! We came here thinking we'd hear something from All those villages we stopped at and we got nothing! Everyone thinks he's dead!" She clenched her fists tightly.

"So enough thinking we'd actually find someone that doesn't want to be found, move on, we all have," Suki scoffed as Katara took a step back wide eyes.

"You moved on?" She looked at them.

"For years, why do you think I joined dad?" Sokka nodded.

"We searched but he is no where kat, You don't have to think he's dead but you have to understand he doesn't want to be found," Zuko stood up and walked over to her.

"He has to come back sometime," tears filled her eyes.

"Let's go for a walk," Zuko whispered softly as a few tears slipped down her face. She nodded not bothering to fight back as Zuko lead her away.

"He's going to come back, he has to Zuko," Katara sniffled wiping her tears quickly.

"Maybe he will one day, but not when Ozai is here, he won't be there for that," Zuko put a hand on her shoulder.

"You've been on this mission for a long time kat, it's going to drive You insane, you need to accept maybe Aang won't come back for a while," he said in a gentle tone that was all to familiar.

Katara covered her mouth as more tears spilled down her face but Zuko knew she was starting to come to terms about it. She grieved for her best friend that she cared for so much, she missed him, they all missed him.

"It's going to be okay, I promise," he said calmly but she sobbed into her hand closing her eyes.

"It's not, nothing ever going to be okay," Katara hiccuped a shaking sob as her shoulders shook when she tried to breathe.

"I don't even know why I'm still trying but I want to see him again, he was our only hope and he left us," Katara cried harder.

Zuko finally wrapped his arms around her and pulled Katara close to him as she cried into his shoulder gripping his shirt tightly.

"I keep failing everyone, and they all leave," she sobbed as Zuko held her tightly as he brushed her hair softly.

"You did everything you could," he whispered to her ear.

"Why would he do this? Doesn't he know we need him? The world needs him?" She shook against him.

"Your strong Katara, when have you ever relied on a man to do a job? If you want it done right your going to have to do it yourself," Zuko smiled down at her as Katara closed her eyes shaking her head.

"But I did everything right," she cried a little more.

"You did, but sometimes the outcome isn't always what we think," he wiped her tears with a sad look.

"Why?" She trembled.

"Life's just a cruel joke like that," he held her face gently.

"Your not talking about Aang.. are You?" Zuko whispered as a few more tears dropped of her chin.

"I'm a healer, i keep people safe, why couldn't I have saved her?" Kataras jaw trembled as she held onto zukos wrists.

"It's not your fault," Zuko whispered.

"I couldn't do anything," she cried as Zuko pulled her back.

"We couldn't have done anything," he felt tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I left you with the twins, I'm so sorry Zuko, I'm suppose to be a mother and I failed again," Katara hugged him tightly and his arms tightened.

"I'm suppose to take care of everyone and I can't do it anymore, I can't be like who I use to be," she sniffled.

"You don't have to take care of me kat, we were partners, I would've taken care of you, I wish you didn't have to hold all this in," Zuko told her quietly and she still felt guilty.

"You did so great Zuko, I'm so sorry, those boys are so sweet, your boys are perfect you did such a good job raising them I'm so sorry I wasn't there, I shouldn't have left you like that," she buried her nose into his shoulder.

"That's all I wanted to hear, I forgive you, we turned out alright," he smiled sadly at the apology.

"We have to move on though, you've been grieving for her for to long," he kissed the side of her head kindly.

"after this why don't you visit our daughter, I think she'd like to hear her mothers voice again," Zuko brushed her hair out of her face and took a step back.

"Do you see her often?" Katara sniffled trying to stop crying.

"I see her when I think the days are the most beautiful, I feel like she had a part in those days, I like telling her about her brothers," he smiled looking down embarrassed at how it sounded outloud.

"I sometimes needed to get away from the kids and I'd always end up at her grave and I'd just sit with her sometimes, silence a lot but I feel like something is still there," he rubbed his neck keeping his eyes down.

"I'd like that a lot, I think I need to visit her," Katara touched her stomach a little. She's felt so empty since the babys were born. She needed closure.

"We should head back, we need to plan out the next move, okay?" Zuko asked to reassure her. She wiped her nose and brushed the tears out of her eyes.

"Does it look like I've been crying?" She asked with a shaky laugh.

"Yea," he chuckled.