Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Nickelodeon, not me.
Disclaimer PS: Takes place after episode #12 of season three. There be spoilers ahead!
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Zuko lay on his side, staring bleakly at the dirt. He made his breathing slow and easy, pretending to be asleep so he could eavesdrop.
"I don't like it." Katara's voice was low and tight. "I don't like having him here. It's a time bomb waiting to go off."
"Katara, he's doing a great job teaching me firebending," Aang protested quietly.
"He's probably just using you. He's waiting for the right moment, and then he's going to betray us. You especially."
"Katara, do you not like the situation, or do you not like Zuko?"
She was silent for a moment. "Both," she said.
"You've got to look past that. He really has changed."
"I doubt it," Katara scoffed. "He's done too much. And I doubt he's really changed."
"Why?" Aang asked. "He's taught me bending, he carries more supplies than all of us put together, and we don't have to use a flint to start our campfire anymore."
"Aang, it's…it's…" Katara's voice trailed off. "I don't know. I just don't like his attitude. And I still can't forgive him for hurting Toph."
"It was an accident. Accidents happen. Besides, the first time I ever tried firebending I burned you."
"But I healed by the end of the day. It's been almost two weeks, and Toph isn't better."
There was a long pause, and the avatar sighed. "I hope you can look past all this eventually."
"I doubt it," Katara said. "If you're going to get any more sleep, Aang, you better do it now. It'll be sunup in an hour or two."
Zuko listened to the rustle of sleeping bags. He buried his face in the meager pillow. No matter how hard he tried, he would never be good enough to please the water tribe girl. She may be beautiful, but she held a grudge longer than anyone he knew.
He glanced in the direction of the little earth tent. His heart tugged. Katara might not believe it, but he did feel bad about hurting the earthbender. Now that he had been with the group for awhile, he'd come to like and respect her. But she still couldn't walk very much. Usually she rode on Appa, or Sokka would carry her on his back. She didn't let on, but when the group stopped for the night she would always look relieved to lie still. He wanted to help her, but he didn't know how. It made him feel awkward to try to approach her.
With all of his thoughts buzzing in his mind, Zuko dropped into sleep, only to dream fitfully of things he never wanted to remember.
Zuko woke as soon as the first ray of sunlight burst through the clouds. He sat upright, ignoring the cobwebs of sleep crowding his brain, and got up to build the fire.
"Sokka?" Katara yawned, She sat up sleepily, rubbing her eyes and pushing her heavy mane of thick wavy hair out of her face. "Hey, thanks for making the…oh. It's you."
"Yeah," Zuko said. "It's just me."
Katara frowned. "Well, thanks," she muttered begrudgingly.
"Don't thank me," he said. He looked at her out of his bad eye. Her face and form blurred. "Only thank me if you mean it, all right?"
She might have scowled. "Fine," she snapped. She climbed out of her sleeping bag. "I'm going to get water." He didn't watch her go.
Over the next hour, the ragtag group got up, packed, and did various chores. Zuko did as much as he could, but eventually all he could do was sit on the sidelines and brood.
"Is Toph up?" Katara asked. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I haven't seen her," Teo said.
"Oh, someone should get her," Katara said.
"I'll get her," Zuko interjected.
"No, we can get-"
"I'll do it," Zuko repeated. He stalked over to the dirt tent and knelt down. "Toph? It's time get up."
The door fell away. From the shadows he saw her in a half-lying, half-sitting position. "Gimme a second," she mumbled. Zuko sat patiently. She breathed heavily, then drew back the walls of the tent.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she said.
"You don't look fine," he said. "You look exhausted."
Toph rubbed her cheek with the heel of her palm. "I didn't sleep good," she said. She started to stand up, but wavered.
Without saying anything, and before she could protest, Zuko picked her up and settled her on his hip like she was a small child. Toph held herself rigidly, but let him carry her over to the campfire.
"Toph?" Katara asked. "Are okay?"
Toph stared straight ahead as Zuko set her down gently. "She didn't sleep well," Zuko explained tersely.
Katara examined Toph's bare feet. "You definitely can't walk," she said. "Someone'll have to carry her."
"Haru and I carried her almost all day yesterday," Sokka complained.
"Well, you'll have to-"
"I'll carry her," Zuko said.
"You'll have to take to turns-"
"I'll carry her all day," Zuko said. He turned to Toph "That is, if you don't have a problem with that."
"I don't mind, as long as I don't have to walk," she said.
"I don't know," Katara started to say.
"Katara," Aang interrupted. "Trust him. All right?"
"Think of it as penance," Zuko said bitterly. He leaned over and slid one arm under Toph's knees and one behind her shoulders, and picked her up in one smooth motion. She was light, much lighter than he expected a twelve-year-old to weigh. Toph sat stiffly in his arms. "Let's get going."
The group started down the plains, heading farther west. Zuko's arms ached, but he gritted his teeth and kept going in the same position. He stayed silent, and so did she. Toph's body sagged. Slowly her head drooped on his shoulder, and her breathing deepened and evened.
She grew heavier with every step, but somehow he didn't mind. He studied her small face, and wished he knew more about her. Surely she had family somewhere who were worried about her. Loving parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters…someone had to miss her.
He sighed. Even though he knew the ins and outs of his family and the depth of their cruelty, he still wished they liked him. His father despised him. His sister tried to kill him. And his mother, although she had loved him with all her heart, had left him at their mercy.
Zuko looked at Toph again, his lips tightening. He could vaguely remember his sister's birth. There weren't any other children to play with in the palace, and the idea of having a little brother or sister to keep him company was exciting. He initially resented the baby when his mother spent most of her time in bed instead of playing with him- he later learned how difficult the pregnancy was for his mother; bearing a firebending prodigy meant a great deal of upheaval- but he was excited when he found out he had a little sister. But he quickly learned that Azula was not the kind of child that made a good playmate.
He followed the rest of the group all day, trailing behind at the end. On occasion he caught Katara turning over her shoulder and glaring at him. He ignored her.
The sun was high in the sky when the others decided to stop. "I'm so hungry," Sokka complained. "Katara, why did you make us walk for this long?"
Katara shot a quick angry glance over her shoulder at Zuko. "We just needed to cover more ground," she said. Zuko continued to ignore her. He sat down carefully on a boulder, balancing the sleeping Toph on his knees. Katara stomped towards him. "Aren't you going to light the fire?"
He fixed his gaze on Toph's forehead. "In a minute," he said. Katara huffed and walked away. Zuko raised the small girl in a semi-sitting position. "Toph?"
Her eyelashes flickered lightly. "Mm?"
"Toph, it's time to wake up," he said softly.
"Oh," she said, yawning. Despite her long nap, dark circles ringed her eyes. She cautiously slid off his knees and sat on the ground. Zuko half-smiled, and got up to light the fire.
He knelt beside the piles of sticks and rearranged them. The airbender might be the avatar, but he couldn't build a decent fire. Zuko set them in the proper formation and breathed deeply.
"Thanks, Zuko," Aang said.
"Hey, did Toph give you any trouble?" Sokka asked.
"No," he answered. "She slept the whole time."
"I know. She kicks."
Zuko shrugged. "She didn't move," he said.
"Lucky," Sokka grumbled, rubbing a large bruise on his arm.
"Where are the girls?" Aang asked.
"There's a shallow creek over there," Sokka said, pointing over his shoulder. "I think they went to go get water." He knelt beside Zuko. "Hey, I know my sister's been giving you a hard time."
"Yeah," Zuko said shortly.
"Don't take it personally. She's really stubborn, and it takes a while for anyone to get her good side," Sokka said in a low voice. "She'll come around."
"I don't care if she does," Zuko lied. "I don't mind what she thinks." He stood up, brushing off his knees.
"All right, we've got water," Katara said cheerfully, strolling up with an armful of dripping canteens. Toph limped along several yards behind her. "Go ahead and drink as much as you want, We can refill them again before we leave." Sokka and Aang reached for them. Sokka took one and tossed it at Zuko.
Zuko, however, was not interested in the canteens. He studied Toph. Her foggy eyes stared at the ground; she limped heavily over to a shade tree and sank down. Quietly he walked over to her. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.
Toph rubbed the heel of her palm against her temple. "Oh, I'm fine," she said. "I'm just stupid. I can't balance all that great with my feet like this, so I fell over and hit my head. It's no big deal."
Zuko started to reach for her, then pulled back. "Can I look?" he ventured. Toph nodded slightly. He gently probed the side of her head. Under her thick silky hair he felt a small lump forming. "You didn't break the skin, but it's going to bruise."
"Am I going to be okay?" she asked.
He tried to smile before he realized she couldn't see it anyway. "You'll be fine," he said. "Sit here. I'll get you something to eat."
Zuko stood up and strode over to the campfire. He picked up a plate. "What're you doing?" Katara demanded. "We have to wait for everyone before we eat."
"It's for Toph," he said, and walked away. He placed it in the earthbender's hands. "Sit here and eat this. I'll carry you again this afternoon." She nodded listlessly. Zuko made his way again to join the others and sat down.
"All right, now everyone's here," Katara said. She started handing out plates of food, starting with the Duke and Teo.
"Is Toph all right?" Haru asked.
"She doesn't feel well," Zuko said. "She hit her head on something."
Katara nearly dropped the plate she held. Sokka scrambled to catch it. "She just slipped," she protested. "I didn't think she got hurt. I thought she was okay."
"It's not all that bad," he shrugged. "I'm keeping an eye on her."
Katara wordlessly handed him a plate and hurried over to Toph. Out of the corner of his good eye he watched her kneel beside her and touch her forehead. "I hope she's okay," Aang said.
"Toph's tough," Sokka said, but Zuko noticed him watching out of the corner of his eye too.
Haru, Teo, and the Duke cleaned up, while Sokka and Aang packed. Zuko sat by the fire, staring at it, until finally he put it out. He wondered if his penance was going to do any good.
"Who's going to carry Toph?" Katara asked, standing behind the others.
"I will," Zuko said, standing up.
"Well, I'm sure someone-"
"I told you this morning that I would carry her all day," Zuko interrupted
Katara sighed. "Toph, do you really want Zuko to carry you?" she asked.
"Yeah," she said. Zuko almost relished the look of bitter surprise on Katara's face. He lifted Toph in his arms, and was surprised himself when she wrapped her small arms around his neck.
"Let's just go," Katara said.
Zuko's arms were already sore and tired, but he carried Toph easily as he walked behind the others. "I need you to stay awake for me, okay?" he said. "That's what's best after you've hit your head." Toph bit her lip. He cleared his throat. "Tell me about yourself."
"Like what?" she sulked.
"What's your father's name?" Zuko tried.
Toph was silent for a moment. "Lao," she said.
"And your mother?"
"Poppy."
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Zuko asked.
Toph sighed. "I'm an only child," she said. "But maybe if I had someone else my parents wouldn't have been so hard on me."
"They were strict?"
"Unbearably," she said. Her sea-foam eyes looked blankly at a point past his head. "They wouldn't let me bend, they wouldn't let me go outside by myself. They didn't even tell anyone I existed."
Zuko looked away. "I'm sorry," was all he could say.
"Don't be," she said. "I got out, didn't I? And besides, I know the only reason they did it was because they loved me."
"Lucky," Zuko said without thinking.
"Why?" Toph asked. "Doesn't anyone love you?"
The innocent question stung. "My uncle does," Zuko said finally. "And my mother did, before she abandoned me."
Toph blinked. "I think it's your turn," she said.
Zuko sighed, looking above her head. "I am the firstborn of Ozai and Ursa," he said. "Everyone thought I was going to be some kind of genius like my father, but I didn't catch on fast. I was clumsy. I got hurt all the time. I didn't please my father, but my mother loved me. I spent all my time with her, and sometimes Uncle Iroh and his son Lu Ten would visit. We didn't see them very often, though. They were fighting in the war." Zuko took a couple more steps. Toph lay still, her blank eyes staring in the wrong direction. "Then my sister was born. She was a prodigy. My grandfather adored her, and she became my father's favorite. The only person whose favor she didn't receive was our mother's. Azula was too…too bloodthirsty. Too unchildlike."
"I guess you didn't get along," Toph said.
"No." Zuko readjusted her in her arms. Her head drooped on his shoulder. "She was my younger sister, but she bullied me. My mother would stop her whenever she was there." He took several steps in silence. "That is, until she left."
"Your mother left you?" Toph repeated.
"My grandfather was threatening to kill me in order to teach my father a lesson. At least, that's what Azula told me. In the middle of the night my mother woke me up to tell me that she loved me, and that everything she did was for me." Zuko's chest tightened. "When I woke up, she was gone. I haven't seen her since."
Toph was quiet a long time. For a moment he regretted his words. Maybe he was telling her too much.
A small hand rested on his cheek. "I'm sorry," Toph said. Zuko nodded, his throat constricting. Toph's small fingers crept over his cheek. She drew back as her fingertips brushed against the ring of scars. "What's that?"
"My father," Zuko said simply.
She started to reach for his cheek, then pulled back. "Is it-"
"It's okay," Zuko said.
Toph touched the scars low on his cheekbone. She stroked the hard ridges of skin, her light fingertips tracing the rings. Her palm smoothed over the bumps and whorls. She traced the lines and placed her hand over his ear.
"I don't hear very well out of that ear anymore," he confessed.
Toph ran her fingers around the burned skin. "That must have hurt badly," she said. Her mouth twinged. "You must understand what it's like to get burned."
The wry, bitter twist of the child's lips sank into Zuko. Unconsciously his arms tightened around her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so, so sorry. I hadn't mean to-"
"I know," she said. She held her small hot hand against his scarred cheek. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me."
He talked to her for most of the afternoon. Toph interjected periodically with some funny, snarky remark. But slowly she began to drift away. She reacted to the things he said, but she didn't say anything. Slowly her responses became more sporadic, fewer and farther between. Her eyelids drooped over her pale eyes.
"Hey, stay with me," Zuko said, jostling her slightly.
Toph's eyes rolled towards the sound of his voice. "I don't feel good," she said.
He lifted her closer to his shoulder. "Is it your head?"
"Yes…no…I don't know," she said. "I mean, my head hurts…and my feet hurt…and it's so hot."
Zuko looked around. The sun was beginning to set, sending cool shadows over the ground. "Toph, it's not all that hot out here," he said.
"Well, it feels hot," she protested, tugging at her collar.
He shifted her to place her weight on one arm and placed his hand against her forehead. "No wonder. You've got a fever," he said.
Toph huffed in complaint and dropped her forehead against his shoulder. "I really don't want to deal with this," she said, her voice muffled.
"Don't you want to ask the others to stop now?" he asked.
"I'll be fine," she said. "Don't make them stop just for me."
He opened his mouth to protest, but the firm set of her mouth made him swallow his words. She's as stubborn as I am.
Zuko kept walking, careful not to shake her. Toph sat up in his arms, her lips thin, her eye wide open. She was trying her best to stay stoic. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders. Her breathing slowed, becoming thick and labored; the heat of her body seeped through his clothes. An hour passed.
"We need to stop," he said out loud.
"No, no, I'm fine," Toph insisted, struggling back into a sitting position.
Zuko readjusted her in her arms, holding her against him as if she was a much smaller child. "Sokka, Aang. We need to stop now. Toph has to rest," he said.
They slowed for him to catch up. "Is she okay?" Aang asked.
"I'm fine," Toph said through gritted teeth.
"You're not fine," Zuko argued. "You're sick and you know it."
Toph hit her small fists against his back. "No, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm…" She wavered, slumping over Zuko's shoulder. "I just need some water."
Zuko tucked his hand around her neck; it felt thin and frail and vulnerable. "Tell the others to stop. Put some of the blankets over there so she can lie down."
Aang ran ahead to get Katara's attention. Sokka hung back. "Want me to take her for a second?" he asked.
"I've got her," Zuko said.
"No, really." Sokka's clear eyes were serious. "Please, let me."
Zuko stopped. "Hold her while I get my pack," he said finally. Toph leaned out of his arms and reached for Sokka. He lifted her gently and wrapped his arms around her.
He glanced over his shoulder as he walked towards the halted bison. The little earthbender crumpled in Sokka's arms. Zuko swung up onto the saddle, unhooked his pack, and slid down.
"What's wrong with her?" Katara demanded. "What did you do to her?"
"I didn't do anything," Zuko said. He pushed past her.
Sokka held Toph tightly, his knuckles whitening. "I think she passed out."
"I'm fine," Toph insisted, cracking one eye open. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine."
"Put her down," Zuko instructed, pointing at the pile of unfolded sleeping bags. Sokka set her down gently, but she yelped as her small feet together the soft cloth. Zuko knelt down next to her. Her tiny feet were swollen and blistered; the burned patches were white around the edges. Toph lay on her back, hand on her stomach, breathing heavily. His stomach tightened. "Who's been tending to her burns?"
Katara blinked. "What?"
"I said, who's been tending to her burns?" Zuko said, his voice tight and quiet.
"I have," Katara said, crossing her arms.
"Well, good job. They're infected."
"What?" Katara demanded. "I'll have you know, I'm a water healer. I'm very good at what I do."
"I don't doubt that, but you don't know how to treat extensive burns like this," he said. Unconsciously he traced the line of scarring on his cheekbone. "I do. Let me care for her."
Katara lunged. "You pompous-"
Sokka grabbed at her. "Katara!" he snapped. "He knows what he's doing. And Toph needs him."
Zuko glanced back at Toph. Her cheeks were flushed from fever, and she was completely still save the heaving of her chest. "I can help her," he said.
Katara threw her brother's hands away. "Fine. Let him take care of her," she spat bitterly. "Let him kill her. See if I care." She stormed away.
Zuko shoved the sting of her words away. "Get me water and something I can tear into strips," he said. Aang nodded, grabbed Haru, and ran off. Zuko knelt by Toph's head and gently unpinned her headband.
"What're you doing?" she demanded without looking in his direction.
"This band is hitting the pressure points behind your ears," he said. He tugged it away, set it aside, and fingercombed her long thick hair. "This'll help you relax." Zuko gathered her hair over one of her shoulders and tied it securely with a thin string from his pocket. Then he moved to her belt and unfastened it.
"What're you doing now?" she asked, trying to smack his wrists.
"I'm going to take off your outer robe. You'll be cooler," he said. He gently lifted the sleeveless yellow robe away, leaving her in her short green robe and pants. She unconsciously sighed in relief. Her clothes were damp.
"I've got water," Aang said, setting the clay bowl down beside him.
"We couldn't find many bandages, but here's some," Haru added.
Zuko dipped a large square of cloth in the cool water, wrung it out, and folded it. He hesitated. "Here," he said, handing it to Sokka. "Put this on her forehead. It'll help bring her fever down." Sokka took it eagerly and pressed it to Toph's hot skin. She sighed again.
Zuko knelt at Toph's feet. He placed a hand gently on her ankle, thoughts milling around in his head. "Toph," he said finally. "This is going to hurt a lot. Do you want Katara to sit with you?"
Toph shrugged, but Sokka gazed in her blank eyes. He looked up and nodded.
"I'll be right back," Zuko said. He got up and followed Katara.
She sat by herself in a copse of trees, her face buried in her hands. She dashed at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "What do you want?" she whispered.
"Hey," he said. "I need you."
"What?" she whispered.
"I need you," he repeated. "Toph needs you." He held out his hand. "Come on."
Katara stared his extended hand. "Okay," she said at long last. She let him help her up, but pulled away as they walked back.
Toph turned her head towards them. "Are you there?" she said. "I can't…I can't tell."
Katara sat down next to her and took her hand. "I'm here," she said. "I'm right here, Toph."
Zuko pulled the enamel jar of burn salve out of his pack. "This is going to sting," he said. "Katara and Sokka, make sure she holds still." He dipped a rag in water and touched it to the bottom of her foot.
"Oh!" Toph yelped. She gripped Katara's hand. "That hurts!"
"I know," he said. "But your feet can't heal until they're clean." He touched the water to her soles again. She cried out again. Zuko set his teeth against the sound and kept on washing the dirt away from her feet. Toph clutched Katara's hand, whimpering.
Zuko unscrewed the lid off the enamel jar. The all-too-familiar scent of rosemary pierced his nose, bringing up memories of the first few weeks and months after the agni-kai. "Toph, this is going to hurt," he said. "Lie still, all right?"
She nodded tensely. Zuko scooped up a dab of the salve and rubbed onto Toph's foot. She screamed this time, screamed in earnest.
"Be careful, her feet are sensitive," Katara scolded.
"I am," he said. "It's going to hurt, but it's the only thing that's going to make it heal." He deftly wrapped a strip of fabric around the ball of Toph's foot.
It was a long, arduous process. He rubbed the salve over her soles and wrapped them in bandages. Toph lay limply on the ground, crying out when the thick spicy-scented paste made contact with the swollen blisters. He had barely gotten started when he realized there weren't any more bandages. "I need more," he said.
"That's all we have," Aang said, his lips white.
Wordlessly Zuko pulled off his shirt and tore it into narrow strips. It was softer than the rough bandages, anyway, and he had two others. He dabbed the salve onto a large blister. Toph howled. Zuko recognized the sound of a breaking point being reached, and sure enough, she began to cry- really, earnestly crying.
"Oh, Toph, it's okay," Katara soothed, holding Toph's small white-knuckled hand against her cheek. "It's okay, you're going to get better." Sokka could only stare at her, his eyes dull and sad.
Zuko went as quickly as possible- dab, rub, wrap. Toph lay on her back, completely surrendered, sobbing. His blood boiled. She's just a baby. She needs to go home. She needs her mother. She needs…
He remembered their earlier conversation and the matter-of-fact look in her eyes.
They didn't even tell anyone I existed.
No, Toph's parents weren't the kind to spend time coddling and soothing their daughter. He remembered his own childhood illnesses, of spending time in bed alone, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the servants to bring the next meal. And as he looked at Katara holding her hand and Sokka smoothing her forehead and Aang standing guard with a solemn face, it dawned on him.
They are her family. And now I'm a part of that.
Zuko tucked the ends of the last bandage under. "I'm done," he said.
Katara pressed Toph's knuckles against her lips. "You hear that? It's all done," she said.
"You don't have to cry anymore," Sokka entreated.
Zuko knew he was going to walk away. He knew he was going to give up and leave her in their care. But his body and his heart had other plans.
He leaned over her, his forehead touching her hot one lightly. "It's all right," he whispered. "You're going to get better. You made it through." Toph's mouth trembled. "You're tough. You're strong. But you're only a little girl. Go ahead and cry." Without realizing what he was doing, he gathered her into his arms. "You're okay. You're okay."
Toph buried her face in his chest, wrapping her small arms around his neck, sobbing as if her heart was broken. Zuko rocked her slowly. "Little sister," he whispered in her ear. "It's all right, little sister. I'm here. I'm right here." Toph cried steadily, from pain and weariness and relief. She stroked her tiny hand against the remains of his ear. Zuko tangled his hands in her hair. The others drew back.
Zuko sat for a long time, holding her tightly. Toph's sobs slowed to small heaves, then tiny whimpers, then finally a slow, labored breathing. He set her down gently, her body drooping in exhaustion.
Sokka placed a hand on her forehead. "She's still warm," he said. He picked up the cloth, dipped it in water, and touched her face gently. Toph sighed in her sleep. Sokka tucked a blanket around her.
"She'll be fine," Zuko said hoarsely. He drew his arm over his eyes and walked away.
"Hey."
He turned around. Katara looked at the ground. "What do you want?" he asked.
"You did…she seemed…" Katara sighed. "Thank you so much for taking care of her. I hadn't…I hadn't meant to hurt her."
"I know," Zuko said. "I know you love her."
"She's like the little sister I never had," Katara said.
Zuko looked down at his shoes. "Yeah," he said. "She's like the little sister that…I always wanted." He swallowed hard. "
Katara touched his arm lightly. "Welcome to the family."
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Author's Note:
Big Brother!Zuko and Little Sister!Toph for the win! Really, how cute are they?
And for all you Aang fans, notice how I finally involved him? You're welcome. Although admittedly that's only because I find Haru and the Duke more annoying to write. I love Teo, but he gets lumped in with them for the moment. Notice how useless they are in the episode. "Hey, you guys are about to have a moment! Let's take this opportunity to convienently explore the temple!"
This episode showcases one of my favorite Toph quirks. When Zuko first appears to talk with them, Katara, Sokka, and Aang are all like "INTENSE!" And then Toph is all "INTENSE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!" I love it. I need to play with that quirk of hers more often.
Lao and Poppy are canon names; listen to the audio commentary for "The Blind Bandit" if you don't believe.
Anyways, Zuko and Toph as pseudo-siblings are adorable. That's probably going to reappear in my tales of Avatar goodness.