Hello! This is ForgottenAir!

To be honest I was about to give up on this fanfic but thanks to wonderful people in my life I decided to come back into fanfiction. Thank you all who read this fanfic up to now. It really means a lot to me.

Reviews are always welcome! 3

1.

Katara

It's been four years since Toph's disappearance(ed).

It's been four years since Toph vanished without saying good-bye.

She happened to be gone right after Zuko announced his engagement with Mai. Something told me there must've been a connection to all of this, especially when Sokka told off Zuko right after Toph left.

Even if we sent out a professional league of a search party, Zuko's and Mai's wedding still took place.

It was a huge (grand) ceremony; There were fireworks everywhere, nonstop music, joy and laughter for one week straight, just because the Firelord found a Firelady. Sokka was the only person who didn't attend the ceremony for the full time; he told us he was already sick and tired of everything.

Despite Sokka's bad mood, the rest of us, Aang, Suki, and I had a lot of fun, but it felt so empty without Toph.

For the past four years, I could've sworn I kept hearing Toph's laugh everywhere, but Aang told me it was just paranoia and he also heard it too. He told me it's because we missed Toph so much and that we would worry about her everyday.

Sometimes, I would get sleepless nights, just to think about where she was and if she was eating well and if she was fine….

It's been so long since I'd seen her, I would be surprised if she grew up so fast. Maybe she even changed too….

Speaking of changes, a lot has happened to all of us.

Two years after Toph's disappearance, Suki and Sokka got married. They would've done it earlier, but Suki had the mission to train and pick a new leader for the Kyoshi Warriors. She decided to stay with Sokka in the South Pole, as he's the newly leader of the Southern Water Tribe.

My sister tribe has given us great prosperity and growth to the South Pole. For the past years, the South Pole looked more like a rich town than a couple of icehouses. The population grew to a city and there were many waterbenders who came and was born. Because I requested for equality, the girls had a choice between waterbending or healing. I taught waterbending in the South Pole.

As the population grew, so did the family. Suki and Sokka had a set of boy twins, two years old each, Kyo and Kai. They seem to resemble Sokka a lot, from personality, but their looks were from Suki, except for their eyes and dark brown hair. The fourth year after Toph's disappearance, they both got a daughter, Taiyu, who was more like her mother. They would always fight and their sibling fights reminded me of the fights Sokka and I used to have when we were kids….

And Aang….

Aang became my fiancé, but after he had discovered a chance that some airbenders might've been alive in the hearts of the mountain, he decided to take a journey and seek out. He left three years after Toph's disappearance and said he'll be back a year later. Promising before he left, he gave me a kiss and I saw him, Appa, and Momo gone in the hearts of the sky.

It's devastating, but getting a letter is rare. I understand he's trying his best to search, but from a few letters he gave me, it's hard to send letters from the mountains (the messenger hawks would never come back and get lost).

It's been five years since the war ended and four years since Toph left. A lot of the nations have changed overtime.

The peace between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom still held grudges, even if many people from both nations want reunification. From what I've heard over tea, Iroh told me some people are still stubborn and persistant with their position and power that they would still not except the war being done. Many cruel officials and people of high statuses were stripped from power by Iroh so they can be given a chance to start all over again, but of course, many of them did not appreciate this.

"They are just being stupid to cling on to their past," he said. "Such people were already given the easier chance, but didn't take that and made the worst consequences."

The Water Tribe and the Central Lands are still suspicious of the Fire Nation, after what they have done to them. Yet after the new Firelord has done great deeds to help reunification, just as giving out huge deposits of donations to rebuild, and exclude the corrupt from their statuses, the trust between nations started to loosen up.

A year after Toph left, Mai found someone else that really, truly bought something Zuko couldn't give her. She told Zuko to have a divorce. He didn't take it lightly; instead, be became depressed, trying to figure out what was wrong with him and what he was missing that Mai was saying he was. In the end, both of them divorced. Zuko told us it's because he loved Mai and he wanted her happiness to be esenctial for her. If she wasn't fully happy with him, it would only hinder him and make her more unhappy. Mai thanked Zuko for loving her and thinking about what was best for her all this time. But when Zuko asked why she was leaving him, she said these words: "In your eyes, there was always someone else. Whenever you told me you loved me, it bothered me that it seemed as though you were saying it to someone else. When I saw my reflection in your eyes, I saw someone else. It wasn't me you were in love with, Zuko. Because of that, it hurt me so much. Now, you know."

Zuko is now a struggling Firelord, with no one to be next to his side when he was in trouble with himself or he just needed some comfort. Whenever the gang and I saw him, he's gotten thinner and weaker, but wisdom was all over his face (not to mention stress and bags under his eyes).

I still asked him if he needed his scar to be healed. He said it was unnecessary because the scar was something that made him to who he was and he was keeping it to remind him all of what happened in those years during the war and what had changed him into the man he was today.

Sokka still had a grudge on Zuko, and after hearing the news and Mai's last words before departure, he almost beat Zuko up for marrying Mai in the first place. There was a huge fight going on and everyone tried to calm Sokka down; we had NO idea why he was pulling such a tantrum, but Zuko wasn't angry; he was calm and quiet with guilt.

Under his breath, he quietly said "I'm sorry" too many times. But it didn't look like it was meant for Sokka but rather for someone else.

Since then, Sokka and Zuko weren't well kept in much touch. The person who talks to him most in the current situation of the gang is me, but he hasn't replied a letter for a couple of months. He must be busy, considering there are numerous revolts and groups going against him in both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdoms.

In times like these, I just wished Toph was here; she was the person who backed everyone together on their feet.

I really did miss her.

Iroh

It's been a while since I've met young Toph during those long years she went missing.

Just because I tell this to everyone didn't mean I haven't seen her for a long time.

In truth, I did see her… hm, let's see….. two years after she disappeared.

If I recall, it was raining that evening. The downpour was hideous, and I haven't had such small amounts of customers for a day.

It was almost closing time, and I saw my last employee run in the downpour. After I closed my door and decided it was time to enjoy my own brew of tea, I heard a desperate knock on the door. I hurried to see who it was.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by a beautiful young woman, her long black hair drenching in rain, and her bangs covering her eyes. She seemed as though she was running in desperation. Her clothes looked dirty as if she was with the earth all this time. I let her in. I brew a cup of tea for her to warm her up.

The carriage to my house arrived. I remembered her trying to get in the carriage: she struggled trying to get in, as if she was blind. She told me she was alright; her voice sounded so familiar.

At my house, I told my maid to wash her up and get her a batch of new clothes. After she did, I was shocked to see who was in front of my eyes.

It was Toph.

I was wondering why I haven't notice it was her. She was taller than I was, and she let her hair loose all the way to her waist. The comfortable green dress didn't hide how much of a woman she'd grown into. Her face was full of wisdom and experience and her eyes looked more alive, no matter if she was blind or not.

"Hey, Iroh," she called out. Her voice changed more sophisticatedly too. She was now a true woman by heart.

Young Toph and I discussed her adventures over tea. I did not ask why she disappeared, because I knew her journey was not something to be questioned upon. She told me how she traveled alone, trying to be more with the earth, and wanted to see what it was like to truly be the Blind Bandit.

She even told me how she had met with the Earth Spirit.

"He's shown me the wisdom of the earth and the full understanding of what earth is. It's a bit difficult to explain, plus, I promised him I wouldn't tell what the secret of the earth was."

"He has given you great honor and respect, Toph," I answered. I was very proud and shocked of her.

"He's cool," she smiled. "And now, I discovered earthbending like never before! I could bend wood, plants, sand, mud, and also change the physic of any mineral!"

"That's incredible!" and it was a very incredible thing to accomplish. Never in my whole life have I seen such great achievement from an earthbender, especially a beautiful, blind one.

She also has told me how much she had to encounter with the search party who was after her.

"They're good sparring partners. Of course, they always fail to catch me,"

"Don't you think it's time to settle down and go back home?" I asked her.

Toph had given me a gentle smile. "Yep," she replied. "But I think I'm going away for another few more years," she told me. "There are some things I'm not ready to face yet and I want to master all my new skills."

"Remember, Toph," I told her. "If you're running away from something, it is best to face it headstrong and solve it right away before the solution seems too beyond your reach…"

She took another cup of tea and told me she understood. She stayed another night and left at dawn without notice, only to write with what looked like earth-based ink.

It said:

Dear Uncle Iroh,

Thank you for letting me stay. And thanks for giving me some relaxing advices I kind of needed to hear for a while. Please do not tell the others about me. I'm on a journey and I want to accomplish it alone. And thanks for packing great stuff in my travel bag!

And I also have to thank you for getting me new sparring robes; they're better than the other ones I had. I'll make sure to pay you back!

-Toph

p.s. the tea was pretty good, as always. Thanks.

And I promised myself I wouldn't interfere with her journey.

But something also seemed as if she was running away from a person she knew.

Yet, I think I did know who that person was.

It was my nephew, Firelord Zuko….

A couple of days later, he decided to make a personal visit to see his beloved uncle.

"Hello, Uncle,"

"My, my, Firelord Zuko. Welcome. I'll escort you to a reserved room…."

For all time flew, Zuko and I discussed about his job as the Firelord and asked for many advices over some relaxing Ginsang tea.

"Uncle," Zuko asked, "Do you have any news about Toph?"

I accidently spewed some tea on my nephew.

"I am sorry, Zuko," I apologized. "I haven't seen young Toph either… It seems as though everyone doesn't know where she is right now." I took another sip of tea. "But I may remind you again, Zuko, Toph is a very strong young woman. I think she's capable of being independent for a while now…"

"I still think it was wrong not for her to say good-bye…" Zuko narrowed his eyebrows and stared at his cup of tea. He seemed very upset and disappointed.

"I think she HAD a reason for not saying good-bye, Firelord Zuko,"

Zuko looked at me as if I were an insane old man.

"Uncle, I think she didn't say good-bye for the fun of it and have us all worry our heads off!"

I stayed silent for a while, listening to my nephew rant on about ridiculous reasons why young Toph would've not said good-bye. Finally, my patience has declined.

"Firelord Zuko," I stated. "You seem angry at Toph for no apparent reason. Why are you so angry all the time? Why are you blaming young Toph for not greeting you before she left?"

It took a while for Zuko to calm down and take deep breathes.

"She may have her reasons, Zuko. Women are more sensitive than men; you need to understand she may have reasons that YOU may not understand very well…."

"Uncle, you don't understand,"

"Oh, I think I perfectly understand, Firelord Zuko," I put my cup of tea down and stared down my nephew. I already knew why Toph left, even without her explaining; I have lived too long.

Young Toph was in love with my nephew, but my blind nephew decided to break a woman's heart. Now, he carried the anger of a man who regrets breaking her in the first place. But why was he stupid not to realize by now?

But because of that, Toph set off on a journey to discover who she really was and what elements she was destined to master. But that still doesn't recover a maiden's heart.

"Look, Uncle," Zuko put down his cold cup of tea. "It was great talking to you. I'll be going now…."

I didn't stop him from leaving.