"Uncle!" Nine year old Zuko ran to his only uncle happy he's returned safely from the war.

"Hello prince Zuko," he smiled sadly at his nephew.

Zuko gulped with tears in his eyes and wrapped his arms around the man's belly and iroh immediately wrapped his arms around the boy.

"I'm sorry about Lu ten," Zuko sniffled a little.

"I'm sorry about your mother," iroh whispered with tears in his eyes. Zukos grip tightened around his uncles uniform.

"It's going to be okay, it'll be okay," he felt a tear run down his cheek but quickly wiped it away before anyone could see.

"I miss her so much, I miss Lu ten, I missed you," Zuko buried his face.

"I'll miss my son so so much, but his memory and your mother's memory will always be with us and in our hearts, they live within us," iroh smiled down at him as he made his nephew look up at him.

"And that's with everyone we will lose in life, we grieve because we love, and we loved our lost ones so so much," he tapped the top of zukos head to keep his eyes up at the older man.

"How is your sister doing?" Iroh sighed a little.

Zuko looked down and shook his head.

"She's terrible, she makes fun of me for missing mom and doesn't even care!" Zuko stomped his foot down.

"She cares, everyone is different when they lose someone, Azula... is just different than we are," iroh tried but Zuko didn't believe him.

"I'm going to go speak to your father, I just came back from ba sing se and must find him," he patted the boys shoulder walking forward.

"He's in the throne room, he's been in there since grandfather passed away," Zuko stayed put. Iroh paused and assumed the worst of his younger brother betraying tradition.

Zuko felt tears run down his face as soon as he was left alone again. Everyone always leaves. They always leave him. He just wished he could stop it from happening or know why...

Zuko gasped awake as his eyes snapped open, bolting up with a cry holding his shoulder.

"I knew you'd wake up soon," a voice teased close by.

"Commander?" Zuko groaned confused as his head was foggy, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Mmm sure, commander Toph," she grinned.

Zuko grunted in pain as he scooted to lean against a tree to hold himself up. He looked over seeing a large bison and the blind girl from before.

"Where am I?" Zuko glared at her.

"Uh close to a valley somewhere in the earth kingdom, you've been out for a day," Toph sat on a rock above.

Zuko was quiet as he felt hot and woozy still, but he was under the trees shade and saw no one else was by them except the animals and the girl.

"Katara, she's our healer, she helped the burns, should heal in a week or so with little to no scarring I think?" Toph told him as she was eating nuts from a baggy.

The water bender?? He was prisoner of the avatar? He got captured by the damn avatar?!

"Chill out, Aang and Katara are training or something so they'll be back soon, apparently I was to mean to twinkle toes during training," Toph could feel him getting worked up again.

"You had a bit of a fever last night so just rest dude," she sighed but perked up hearing Katara and Aang returning.

"Oh look, grumpy guss is finally awake," Katara glared over at the injured teen. Zuko didn't look pleased but stayed silent, his gold eyes burned into the avatar.

"Does the burns still hurt?" Aang asked curiously seeing her was looking straight at him .

Zuko kept his mouth shut.

"Oh, so it's going to be like that? Not even a thank you after saving your life twice?" Katara hissed walking up. No response.

"Ease up I don't think he has full consciousness yet," Toph waved them off while Zuko kept his eyes down.

"I'm. Fine." Zuko growled.

"he speaks," Aang clapped happily.

Zuko snarled at Aang making the monk squeak and hide behind Katara.

"Ugh I knew we should've left him behind, he's a barbaric fire nation soldier," she spat storming off alone while Aang stood there awkwardly.

"Wow and you thought pissing me off was bad, she's way worse," Toph snorted.

Zuko laid back down and turned his back to them.

"I don't think he likes you guys either," Toph whispered to Aang with a small laugh.

"We aren't exactly friends," Aang nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"I mean we're pals, right Zuzu," Toph smiled brightly. Zuko immediately sat up turning to her wide eyes of anger.

"Don't call me that!" He barked making Aang jump behind Toph this time.

"That crazy blue fire girl did?" Aang defended.

"She's crazy, don't listen to her," Zuko scoffed.

"Who is she?" The monk asked. Zuko glared at him with hate.

"The princess of the fire nation, Azula," he finally said and aangs jaw dropped.

"How do you know her personally?" Toph titled her head to the side.

"She's the one that put a fucking bounty on my ass," Zuko glared at them.

"Why?"

"Cause she's a blue fire psycho," he said flatly.

They all were quiet as Aang rocked on his heals awkwardly with his hands behind his back. Zuko glared at him darkly making the avatar even more uncomfortable.

"Sorry about the north with zhao," Aang offered.

"Sorry isn't going to do shit!" Zuko barked.

"Hey if You yell at him again I'll reverse that burn right now!" Katara yelled over by appa as she watched them.

Zuko flipped her off from his tree.

Katara flipped him off back fuming.

"Oh this is going to be fun," Toph grinned deviously.

"Do you want food or water?" Aang asked carefully.

"Get him an apple, I owe him one," Toph chuckled a little as she shooed Aang away and went to sit next to Zuko on the ground under the tree.

"You didn't say you traveled with the avatar," Zuko mumbled to her.

"You didn't mention how much you seem to hate the avatar," Toph snorted.

Zuko touched his shoulder at the burning pain as he was quiet again.

"Then I'll let you know now, I want to capture him and deliver him to the fire lord," he told the bender calmly. Toph didn't have a reaction.

"Even with his daughter putting a bounty on you?" She raised a brow.

"Because of that, I can't let her win this time," Zuko nodded.

"Interesting, well can that wait? Katara will literally kill you and your not in a position to fight, and I'm sure I'll fight against you too blah blah war stuff blah," Toph waved him off as Zuko glared at her.

"Like give it three days after your healed so we can have a fair start and it's not like in our sleep, I feel everything and sneak attack won't work," she smirked at him like it was a joke.

Zuko pursed his lips but took off his bandage on his shoulder to see his wound, he hissed a little at the feeling and saw the burn was almost healed after only a day. He frowned a little and unwrapped the wound.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Katara cried out seeing her work was being undone and ran over.

"The bandaging is bad," Zuko told her flatly.

"My bandaging is fine!" She huffed but he correctly put it on and tightened half of the bandages with using his teeth and one hand.

"It was sloppy," Zuko told her tucking the ends in.

Katara glared at him as they had scowls looking at each other challenging. Zuko didn't seemed amused as he leaned against the tree exhausted.

"Try anything to hurt Aang, I'll make sure you'd wish that princess finished you off compared to what I'll do to you, got it?" Katara growled at him as Zuko didn't break his eyes away.

"I'd like to see You try," he spat.