I was thinking and I realized that to have a scar, there has to be an injury first. Zuko's injury probably would've cost him his vision in at least one eye. Since Zuko is obviously not blind in canon, I have given him the same amount of vision I have without my glasses. That is, he can see an arm's length away in complete clarity, but past that, it's mostly just colors and shapes. Vision in his scarred eye is a little blurry no matter how close he is to the object he's looking at. Mild Toko.

Katara approached Zuko in a different color dress than she usually wore. They had been shopping in a nearby village because Sokka's last excursion into the woods around the Western Air Temple hadn't exactly been successful, and Katara and Suki had decided that they all needed new outfits. Zuko and Toph hadn't given much input beyond what types of fabric they liked best, and Zuko had chosen the colors for his, but he wasn't entirely sure what anyone else's looked like.

"How do I look?" the Waterbender asked.

"I thought you didn't like me. So why do you want my opinion?"

"Just tell me if I look nice."

Zuko shrugged.

Katara made an annoyed sound and flung her arms into the air. "Do. I. Look. Pretty."

The fire prince shrugged again and made a noncommittal noise. "The color is nice."

The Waterbender growled. "So I don't look good."

"I don't know!" Zuko yelled in exasperation. "I can't see past the tips of my fingers!"

All motion in the room seemed to stop and Zuko clapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that. Some of the group had come closer during the beginning of the exchange, but now Zuko could feel all eyes on him.

"Really?" came Aang's curious voice.

Zuko nodded slowly. "I can see clearly about an arm's length away, but beyond that I just have colors."

"But how do you fight?!" Sokka half-yelled, half-asked.

"I use my bending."

Toph sounded excited. "Like me?"

"Not really. I can sort of… sense the heat other people give off, and I can see colors."

Toph made a thoughtful sound. "What are colors like?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Tell me about colors. Please?"

"Okay. What color do you want to know about?"

"Green. People always say the grass is green, but I don't know what green is like. And I should be able to imagine the color of my element right?"

Zuko thought for a moment. He wasn't sure how to describe it without using visual terms. "Green is like… the sound of birds chirping at the beginning of spring. It's the smell of an old turtleduck pond and the feel of a komodo rhino's skin. It's the feeling of a light wind brushing over your face, carrying the scent of new blossoms. It's one of the colors that seems a little… sharper than the rest."

Toph nodded happily. The rest of the Gaang looked a little surprised at the eloquence of the description. Toph told him to describe blue next.

"Blue is like putting your hand in a cold river and feeling the water run through your fingers. It's the feeling of old satin on your skin and the smell of expensive soap in a warm room. Blue is the screeching of a tsungi horn in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to play it and the squeals of children playing games outside."

"I think I like blue," Toph said. "You should do red now."

Zuko seemed hesitant. "Um…"

"What's wrong with red?"

"It's the color the Fire Nation army wears. I'm not sure how to describe it without it sounding bad."

"Try," the Earthbender said encouragingly.

"Okay. Red is… holding your hands over a campfire, and it's music floating through a dining hall as a couple dances in the middle, and it's picking up a knife and accidentally cutting yourself. Um… Red is the smell of flagstones on a scorching hot day and it's your heart racing so fast you're sure everyone else can hear it. It's lavish parties with decadent food and it's people drinking until they drop without a care for the rest of the world."

Toph hummed softly and Zuko was unreasonably nervous as he wondered how she would react. Finally, she spoke. "I think that's my favorite color so far. Do yellow."

"O-oh. Alright." Zuko was glad she liked his descriptions. "Yellow is the sun shining down on you as you lay in an empty field, and sand scattering everywhere in the wind. It's people with deep voices laughing and it's people talking as they hurry by in the streets. It's… the smell of roses in the heavy summer heat, and it's running your hands through the hair of someone you love as you both fall asleep."

"Can you do me now?"

"What?"

"Describe me like you describe colors. I want to know what I look like."

"Okay, uh, you'll have to come a little closer so I can see you clearly." The Earthbender did so without hesitation.

"Now tell me how I look."

Zuko found himself drawing the kanji for Toph's name on the ground as he spoke. "You have black hair—black is icy water battering against metal in the middle of a cold night—and very light skin, almost lighter than mine. Your eyes are white—white is… fog—with blue and gray undertones. Gray is hot air that's heavy with smoke, and it's thick liquids flowing over a smooth surface. I know you don't try to, but you carry yourself like you were born into wealth and privilege, and like everyone else is a half-step below you. It can make you look very intimidating when you first enter a room. And you have a certain air about you that makes everyone look at you. Not in a bad way, of course!" Zuko added when he realized how that sounded. "Is that all?"

"Almost. What are you drawing on the ground? I can feel you doing it, but I'm not exactly sure what 'it' is."

"Oh! It's the kanji for your name."

"My name?"

The fire prince hummed the affirmative.

"Draw it again. I want to remember how to write my name."

Zuko obliged, writing 'Toph Bei Fong' several times on the stone.

Toph made a noise that he couldn't place. Suddenly, she flung her arms around the ex-prince. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I feel like I can see the colors you told me about. Now I'll understand a little better when Sokka tells me what color something is. And I know what my name looks like! I thought I would never be able to know how to write my name."

Zuko was flustered for a moment before he hugged back, allowing himself a slight smile. He was glad to give Toph a friend who could understand her situation a little better than the rest of the Gaang. And Toph understood him so much better now. She dragged the hug on for longer than was necessary before Katara called to tell them that lunch was ready. Both were grinning stupidly through the entire meal. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.