Fire Heart

Chapter 44

"She's what?" Aang asks in shock.

"She's pregnant." Katara repeats.

"Again? But she just had Masumi. Isn't there like a time period where she can't get pregnant again after birth. For maybe like four months or something?" Zuko freaks out.

"Nope. I can check again if you want. But I could definitely feel another life source in there." Katara says. I smile happily.

"Zuzu! We're gonna have another baby!" I cheer. Zuko let's go of his previous fear as he moves over to me and hugs me closely, kissing the top of my head lovingly.

"But we really need to land soon cause I have to pee." I say. Aang laughs.

"Okay. There's an island up ahead. We'll spend the rest of the day and night there." Aang tells us. We agree and Aang gets Appa to land. I hurry off of Appa and run to a private area to pee. Once I finish with my bathroom break, I notice a few plants with fruits on them. I walk over to them and my eyes widen when I see papayas, mangos, kiwis, and red apples growing. I start looking for ripe ones. By the time I pick about 15 fruits, the sun is in the middle of the sky. How long have I been gone? I make my way back to camp and see Zuko pacing by a tent, which I'm guessing is ours.

"Everyone! Look what I found!" I exclaim. Zuko looks at me and sighs in relief. The team walks over to me and I put the fruits on a blanket.

"Where did you find this!?" Rin exclaims excitedly as she grabs an apple and takes a bite out of it. I grin.

"Well after I took my bathroom break, I saw a whole bunch of fruit plants." I reply.

"Please tell me your hands are clean." Sokka pleads, gagging.

"Yes they are. I'm not stupid Sokka." I laugh. Sokka grabs a mango and an apple before going off with Suki.

"I'll make tea." Zuko says. He goes off to prepare it.

"I suppose I'll cut up some fruit." I say and grab one of each fruit. I sit on a rock and start preparing the fruit. Toph walks over and sits beside me.

"So. Another baby. You know, Katara could tell you the gender of the baby and such. But I can tell it's emotions." Toph says. I raise an eyebrow.

"How come she didn't mention that when I was pregnant with Masumi?" I ask.

"You weren't around much." Toph replies simply. I shrug and continue cutting the fruit.

"Wait. Where is my daughter?" I ask worriedly, as I realize I haven't seen Masumi since we were on Appa.

"Oh. Zuko put her down for a nap when he set up your tent." Toph tells me. I sigh in relief.

"Okay. At least I know she's safe." I say. Toph smiles.

"You may not be able to see it yourself. But you're a great mom." Toph tells me. I smile slightly at her.

"I guess. But most of the time I feel like I'm doing everything wrong." I reply.

"All parents make mistakes, Ivy. And out of the parents I've known throughout our journey and when I was growing up, you're one of the best. All though you might have competition with Sokka and Katara's dad." Toph says. I laugh softly.

"Thanks Toph. I really needed to hear that." I say gratefully. She smiles and punches me in the shoulder.

"You're welcome." Toph says. "And maybe you should show Zuko some appreciation. I mean, he's an amazing dad to Masumi. And he's also a great husband to you."

"Yeah. I'll talk to him about it later when we're going to bed." I agree. She nods. I finish cutting up the fruit. I place even amounts in bowls for everyone.

"Dinner is ready!" I call as I realize it's almost at the point of sunset. Everyone come to Toph and I. We sit in a circle as Sokka places a piece of wood in the center. I shoot a small amount of fire at it. Causing it to start burning. Zuko and I hand out the tea and bowls of fruit. We sit side-by-side. Toph is next to me, munching on bits of apple. Aang starts a toast for Zuko, which causes me to tune everything out as I stare softly at the wonderful man next to me.

"I really don't deserve this." Zuko says kindly and smiles at his cup of tea.

"Yeah. No kidding." Katara says before getting up and leaving.

"What's with her?" Sokka asks. Zuko watches Katara leave.

"I wish I knew." Zuko replies, he stands up and follows Katara.

"What's with him?" Sokka asks. I roll my eyes at him before going after my husband.

"What's with her?" I hear Sokka ask. I roll my eyes again. Always the jokester. I see Zuko and Katara talking by a tiny cliff that leads to the ocean. I stay hidden and try to listen. But they're talking too quietly. Until Katara looks ticked.

"Or I know! You could bring my mother back to me!" Katara yells before slamming her shoulder into his as she storms passed him. I frown. Why would she connect her mother's death to Zuko? I hurry to my husband.

"What happened?" I ask. Zuko looks at me.

"I don't get it! She connects all of her anger from her mother...to me! I just don't know why!" Zuko exclaims helplessly. I take his hands in mine.

"Sweetheart. If you want to find out what happened to her mother. You should ask Sokka. He was there too." I say softly. Zuko's eyes widen.

"Why didn't I think of that? Thank you, Darling!" Zuko exclaims gratefully and kisses my cheek before hurrying off to find Sokka. I sigh and go to our tent. Masumi is in her makeshift cradle, fast asleep. I smile and follow suit. Plopping down on the large sleeping mat and falling asleep.