The Art Of Finding Each Other (Zutara)

Remember Me

Katara's epiphany couldn't have come with better timing.

That morning everything felt a tad different as if the slightest little ray of hope had clung to the atmosphere. The warmth of the tropical air brushed through every last bit of surface on Hira'a. The sunlight-filled sky appeared welcoming yet intimidating even amidst all the green from the mountains. The expectations were inevitable. Zuko was sure everyone could sense it. It was about to happen, a wild guess to an even wilder situation.

In just mere hours they would try to get his mother's memories back.

Much to his surprise, Ikem had agreed to his terms. He would let them try and get his mother to remember as long as she was kept out of any risks. Zuko understood. He would never take a gamble on his mother's safety.

The group was scheduled to meet at Ikem's place at noon. There they would try their best to stabilize his mother for the procedure. It wasn't as if any of them had much clue of what on earth they were supposed to do, but it could work.

Still, a hint of hope was all they had. And they were sure going to run with it.

"Hey," a familiar voice knocked out the Fire Lord from his mind. "You alright, Sparky?"

Zuko tilted his head to find Toph standing right beside him. It was more than unusual to see the earthbender up so early.

"Good morning," he muttered. "I'm okay, just taking a moment to think."

"Nervous about today, huh?" she said as she sat by his side. "Trust me, you're not the only one. I just stumbled into Katara doing what it seemed like the weirdest of meditations right behind her tent."

"Did she seem okay?" he asked, holding out a breath. "I'm sorry for dragging all of you into this."

"Oh, for Spirits' sake, don't be stupid. We would all be dying to be here anyway," Toph exclaimed before letting out a sigh. "And Katara was alright, I think... Her heartbeat was remarkably steady."

"Thank you, Toph. You've been a great friend to me."

"Same goes for you." Without any kind of notice, the girl elbowed him on the ribs. "So, when were you planning on telling me about you and Sugar Queen finally making a move, huh?"

"What?" Zuko blinked. "How do you-"

"Please, even Twinkle Toes is onto it now. I'm a little hurt that you didn't tell me."

"Toph, I'm sorry, you know I wanted to but Katar and I agreed to keep it an actual secret." He rubbed the back of his neck as a realization hit him. "Wait, what about Aang?"

"Let me just say he suspects something is going on between you and the so-called former love of his life."

"And you know this because..."

"Because two nights ago, when you stormed off after fighting with Azula, Katara attempted to go after you, but Aang stopped her. It wasn't very pretty. Sugar Queen almosts buried him in icy water. And don't even get me started with how he straight-up asked her if there was something she wasn't telling him."

"Agni, this happened in front of everyone else?"

"Only Azula missed it, much to your good fortune." The earthbender shook her head. "Zuko, I'm serious, you two should come clean before this gets any messier."

" Come clean ?" he grimaced, exasperation visible through his voice. "But it's not like we committed a damn crime! We don't even have time to talk about what on earth we actually are. And we're supposed to explain it to everyone else?"