Kyoshi Island was nice, no one could argue against that. With its crystal clear sky, the glassy blue lake, and the lush green forest, it was like something out of a fairy tale, like a dream come true, straight from the pages of the tattered book that Katara used to beg their mother to read to them. He still remembered the ratty pages, filled to the brim with tales of lost kingdoms and ancient benders and magical places, just like this one.
Sokka couldn't deny it was beautiful, and it did have its perks. Suki was here with him, for Spirit's sake. But it was missing something, something big. Someone big. His friends, his family, weren't with him. They were off doing their own thing, having their own adventures. Busy leading their own lives.
Granted, some of them had no choice. Aang was the Avatar, after all, and it wasn't like he could just take off for weeks at a time. Occasionally he would drop in for a day or two, but never longer than that, and his visits were filled with rushed conversations and worried tones. Katara almost never came with him; she had to stay on Air Temple Island with their children, and to make sure the place didn't fall apart while her husband was gone. That didn't mean that Sokka didn't miss her. He hadn't seen her in almost four years, since Kya was born. He hadn't even met Tenzin yet.
Then there was Zuko, who had his own case. It wasn't like he could just leave, but being the Firelord meant that sometimes, if he gave enough notice in advance, he could leave the nation in the hands of Mai, who was very capable of running a country all by herself and by far the best Fire Lady they had ever seen. He would stop at Air Temple Island to visit with Aang and Katara for a while, then he would come by Kyoshi and share their news with him and Suki, who were always anxious for stories about their family. Finally he would head for Republic City, where Toph spent her days.
Toph was a whole other story. She didn't have any ties holding her down, other than the police force, and Lin. But she could easily take a week or two off and let her second in command take control for a little while. Lin was about Tenzin's age, and they were both over one year old, so he didn't see what was holding her back. She was the one he missed most of all. Like Katara, he hadn't seen her since long before the birth of her daughter. Sometimes, for no reason at all, he would ponder what she looked like now. It had been almost four years - was she older looking? Did her hair have streaks of gray? What about Lin? Did she look like her mother?
He shook his head of these thoughts. He would find out soon enough, he was certain. If he didn't just give in and go visit them all himself, he was positive his sister wouldn't be able to stand it any longer. She grew very anxious when it got to be over a year since they'd all seen each other.
Sure enough, one rainy morning on the Island, a messenger brought him and Suki a letter. He snatched it up before she even saw the return address, hiding it from her view. He laughed triumphantly, expecting her to try and grab it, but she just glared at him.
"What's wrong?"
She sighed. "Just...do you always have to do that?"
"Do what?"
"That," she said, and stared at him expectantly, like that should clear everything up. He faltered and she bit her lip.
"Never mind." She put on a false smile. "What's the letter say?"
He looked at her suspiciously, but tore open the envelope and scanned it quickly. His eyes brightened. "It's from Katara. She...she wants us to come and visit!"
"Really?" Suki said. "Let me see."
This time he didn't hesitate to give her the letter, almost shoving it into her hands in his haste. She rolled her eyes and read it, her face falling with each word.
