Breath
Part One: Foresight
Chapter One: The Best Agent Of The Fire Nation.
The moonlight gleamed magnificently through the leafy treetops in a small stretch of woods in the Earth Kingdom, where four people were gathered.
"My Princess," A figure draped in grey whispered, kneeling.
The red clad girl's mouth curved upwards lopsidedly, and she spread her arms wide. "Welcome back to your calling." She said, the figure gave an involuntary twitch, it was slight, unnoticeable. "I have summoned you here for a very important mission."
"That's the Fire Nation's best agent?" A pink wearing teenager said, her hands holding her face in excitement. "That's so cool!" But the red clad girl raised a hand to silence her.
"As you must know, the Avatar is back." The figure nodded, he had almost expected it, but he was rather surprised. The look on his face probably gave it away, as Azula then said, "It's not him I want you to kill, you're to avoid fighting him at all costs."
"His friends," The figure understood, "Power through unity."
Azula smiled, and Ty Lee studied the figure. He radiated power, much like Azula, and wisdom too. Something was wrong about him though; he seemed more intimidating kneeling than Azula could ever be even in her fighting stance, maybe it was how he appeared, but something definitely made her skin crawl about him.
"Are you sure we need his help, Azula?" May asked dully, "I don't really think we should sit back and let… him… handle it."
"We're not going to sit back, May. We're going to chase the Avatar, while he chases the avatar's friends." The leading teen explained.
"Aw, not that cute guy, I've got plans for him!" Ty Lee objected, turning to Azula. The cold hearted girl laughed as though her friend had just uttered a funny joke, and spoke to the figure, "You can spare him, he was never a threat in the first place. But I want the water-tribe girl and the earth bender girl dead. Their names are Katara and from what I've managed to figure out, Toph Bei-Phong."
The figure twitched again, this time more noticeably. "It will be done as you request, my princess. On another subject, I've heard that you are a capable fire bender yourself, that you have mastered lightning."
Azula nodded, "Perhaps, as a reward for the success of this mission, you would allow this humble servant a sparring session?"
She measured him for a moment, "We'll see."
000
"I'm going out for a walk." Said Toph, frowning.
The four were staying in a small Earth Kingdom village, Toph has been acting strange for a while, she was distracted, and kept bumping into things, which only made her even more distant and distracted.
"A walk would be nice." Sokka said, stretching his legs, "I'll join yo.."
"No." Toph simply stated, leaving before anyone could react. She knew why Sokka wanted to come with her, he was worried she might get distracted and get herself injured again. But she didn't need his help, she could manage alone.
"Let her go Sokka, she wants to be alone." Katara said, looking sadly after Toph. "Let her work it out with herself."
"Fine, I was just trying to help." Sokka said, sitting down on the floor looking crossed. Aang, who was playing with Momo Shrugged, "I hope she gets over it soon. She's vulnerable when she's distracted, and if we get attacked by Azula again she might get hurt."
"Whatever." Sokka said, rolling his eyes.
000
Toph was walking on the edge of the forest; she was tired of Sokka, real tired of him. She knew he didn't mean it, but he kept trying to look after her. Maybe unconsciously, but she didn't care. She didn't like it, and when she got injured today, because she was distracted, he rushed to try and bandage her wound. Of course, she knocked him clear away with her earth bending, though she kind of regretted it later.
She felt someone walking towards her from behind, not a walk she had ever sensed before, it was steady, like an earth bender's yet loose, like Aang's.
"Are you lost?" she asked roughly, turning around. For a moment, there was no reply, but then, an answer.
"No, I was just hoping to talk with you, Ms. Toph." The person said, Toph raised an eyebrow, she listened closely to his breath, it was perfectly controlled, precise, intervals perfectly spaced.
"You breathe like a fire bender. But either you're just a kid, or a very little man." She stated, ready to assume her combat stance. She knew it was the first option she spoke, since his voice was high pitched and child-like, yet she wanted to rub it in, she wasn't feeling nice today.
"Ms. Toph, you of all people should know that age is no indicator for power." He said sagely, probably inclining his head towards her.
"Fine point, who are you?" The barefoot female asked suspiciously, listening to him, sensing him, he was so still, disciplined.
"Please don't think of me as impolite for not giving you my name, it is simply that I don't have one." Who was this kid?
"You don't have a name." She repeated.
"No, I don't, unfortunately. I see how that may be strange, but I have never been called anything other than boy in my life." The blind girl couldn't tell if he was lying, his breath and pulse were perfectly normal.
She wondered for a small moment what it would be like, to have no name, to have nothing to define him, to have no real identity, no way in which to refer to himself.
"Unlike most of the other fire benders I met, you don't seem to want to send me to the fire nation in a bag." She said, he didn't reply at first, and she had the feeling he nodded, before he said. "I really don't."
Her face fell, it occurred to her that if he was indeed a good fire bender, he'd be able to teach Aang, but his voice broke that illusion. "You've been ordered to, though." She said quietly.
"No I…" Toph knew what he was going to say, "My orders are far more terrible than that." She had the feeling he was looking away from her, he wasn't like other fire benders. He seemed sincere.
"So… why are we talking?" The earth bender asked, her breathing quickened slightly, he took a step closer to her.
"I'm not sure if my orders are really worth it." Toph smiled slightly, "I kind of admire you, Ms. Toph." She felt his leg shift uncomfortably.
"Just Toph," She instructed, blushing slightly, yet unfazed by his words.
"I've been living in the Earth Nation for a while now, since most of my… um, missions take place here. And I've been watching you for a while now. The Blind Bandit, you're amazing." His stance wavered slightly and his breath became unsteady. "People think that because you're blind you're a pushover, but you're the most powerful earth bender I've ever seen. And I've met some of the mightiest Earth Kingdom Generals. You've been an inspirational figure." His voice was steady though, he was determined to speak his mind, be the cost what it may be.
"I don't need compliments; I know who I am and what I can do." Toph said, frowning again. She could sense by the shift of weight on his legs that he gave a small, apologetic bow.
"If only we had met under other circumstances…" He suddenly said sadly.
"You don't have to do this." Toph said, now taking her stance, he didn't move.
"I have no choice." The boy answered, assuming his stance now.
"There's always a choice."
"Not for me."
"Let's just get it over then."
"Let's," Toph listened carefully, expecting a change in his position, a shift of his weight. But nothing came. Why wasn't he attacking? Then quickly, an exhale, the sound of a cackling flame, he knew air was her weakness. She quickly raised a rock barrier in front of her, but nothing collided with it. He was bending the fire around it. She attempted to surround herself with barriers, but before she could stomp the ground to raise them, the fireball had hit her, sending her into the air, where he caught her with three powerful strikes, sending her crashing into the ground.
She never made contact however, as a geyser of flame suddenly erupted out of the earth, burning Toph's back and lifting her into the air once more, where she suffered from another powerful blow, sending her crashing into the ground again. She felt weaker than she ever had, his blows were too powerful, she felt broken.
He lifted her up in the air slowly by the throat, "Put me down you coward!" The green wearing bender protested. He didn't answer.
"You know why the Fire Nation considers me their most powerful agent? Why they took away my parents when I was little? Because I've discovered a certain technique of fire bending which they never thought of," He told, "You see, fire is merely energy, as is lightning. Energy is all around us, in the air, in the water, in animals and humans. All we need to do is know how to bend it. I've found that all benders share one strength, the breath. Water benders, earth benders, fire benders and air benders all need the breath. I found that the breath, when combined with a human's energy, can grant me power… So long as I hold it…" He finished.
"What're you talking about? You're crazy!" Toph yelled.
"I'm talking about this…" He said, and suddenly Toph felt his lips press against hers, forcing her mouth open. Her eyes widened as she felt the heat and power fading away from her, being replaced by a freezing sensation. She couldn't move, not to mention bend, it was like she was dead; he was sucking the breath away from her, and with it, her energy and warmth. When he had finished, he dropped her to the ground. She couldn't hear him breath anymore, but she could feel a rumbling sound as he lifted a great deal of rocks from the ground, he bended the rocks, and held them above her. Then he dropped them, saying, "I'm sorry Toph."
000
"Hey Aang…" Katara said hours later, approaching him as he sat on the rooftop of a building. "Have you seen Toph? She's been away for a long time, and I'm a bit worried."
Aang shrugged. "No, I haven't seen her, but I think you're right, she's been away for too long. Let's split up and look for her." Katara nodded and they left in separate directions, after ordering Sokka to stay put.
Several minutes later, Katara began asking people about Toph, giving them her description. She was talking to a rather rude woman when suddenly a nearby child said, "Hey, is she an earth bender?"
Katara nodded, "Yeah she is, have you seen her?"
"Yeah, near the forest, she was doing this cool thing with some rocks. I can show you there if you want, but we should go quickly, my parents expect me home anytime now." Katara stared at him for a moment, then back to where she came from, trying to decide whether to try and find Aang and Sokka.
"Okay, let's go." She said, a girl talk, that's what Toph needed. She hoped…
The child led her out of town, "You know it's really nice of you to show me to her." She said conversationally.
"Actually… I was rather hoping that since you know her, you might introduce me, you know…" He blushed slightly. Katara smiled warmly at him, he seemed about Toph's age.
"I'm sure she'd love to meet you, though I don't know your… Toph! What happened to you?" For it was in that moment when Katara noticed an injured, burned, shaking, yet living Toph.
"He's Fire Nation." Toph said quietly, and without warning stomped the ground, sending a rock blast at the boy.
"What?" The boy said, before getting hit dead on by a protruding, diagonal rock spire, knocking him in the air, and straight into a tree.
"Toph! What are you doing?" Katara shouted, "You might have killed him!" She ran over to him, "Oh no…" She bended the water out of her pouch and unto her hands, sending an angry glance at Toph.
"Katara no, I'm telling you, he's Fire Nation!" Toph said, moving over. But Katara lashed at her with a bit of water from her pouch, holding her back.
"Toph are you crazy? He's just a kid! And what happened to you?"
"He did! He got me with his fire bending, and then he… he kissed me and tried to bury me under a pile of rocks he bended!" Toph pointed at him fiercely.
"Only the avatar can use more than one type of bending discipline. You know that!" Katara was desperately trying to heal the boy, who was very still. "I bet you were just ambushed by some fire benders, and they hit you over the head or something, but what can a kid like this possibly do already?"
"Yeah, what could a kid possibly do, not like we know any powerful benders who happen to be young, do we? Oh like, I don't know, that Toph and what's his name, the one with the arrow on his head, oh Aang! That's right!" Toph said sardonically, though her voice was shaking with indignation. "And thanks for healing me up, I appreciate it." At that she left, weary, upset, and hurt. Tears were streaming down her face as she walked away from Katara, tears both of sadness and rage. Why wouldn't that stupid water bender listen? Though in the back of her mind, Toph was more concerned she was wrong rather than concerned that Katara was.
As she entered town Toph was spotted by Aang, her pool of powers was empty so as much as she wanted to, she couldn't recruit the strength to avoid him, "Toph!" He yelled, but as he approached in a light jog and saw her properly he stopped, "What happened? Where's Katara?" Toph grit her teeth, "Oh yes, good old Katara, surely she's the one standing here half dying from a fire bender attack." Aang gasped.
"I have to find her!" He tapped his staff on the ground and it spread to the glider, and he took off before Toph could even finish yelling, "No wait!" Sure, go to Katara, leave the new member of the group alone, let her bask in her pain.
She had a headache, and in addition to her numerous wounds, she was sure what would happen when she went in the inn. And sure enough, as she did, she heard Sokka's concerned voice, "Toph! What happened?" She felt Sokka run towards her, but instead of doing what she expected him to, and trying to drag her off the get bandaged, he simply hugged her instead.
"You look terrible Toph. I knew something must've happened. But Katara made me stay in case you came back." Toph sighed, if anyone was going to listen to her, it was him, she remembered that he told her once about knowing someone who wasn't right, and that Katara and Aang didn't believe him and it turned out he was right all along.
"There's an insanely powerful fire bender hunting us, and he can steal other bending powers from people by kissing them, and he nearly killed me just now." She sat down on the floor, exhausted.
Sokka's first reaction was that of shocked disbelief, but after he had managed to collect himself he seemed to understand, "He can use other bending styles by kissing people?" she felt his weight shift, in a way that told her that his head was hanging, "I knew it would happen eventually…" He said, his voice defeated, Toph however, never let him finish his thoughts, as she cried angrily.
"Knew what, Sokka? That I'd get attacked by fire benders? Well that's a shocker, considering we're fighting the Fire Nation! I don't need you to care about me so much, it's only making me distracted so stop it!" She snapped at last, speaking that which she had spent so much effort keeping inside, Sokka let out a gasp, his pulse rather quickened. She shouldn't have said that, not this way.
"That wasn't what I was going to say." He spoke quietly and calmly, and moved towards the door, his steps uncertain and slightly vibrating with either anger, or insult, "I just knew that they would send someone insanely powerful after us, Aang's friends, eventually. That's why I kept insisting you stay close; I never wanted them to have the chance to get you alone." Toph's lower lip began trembling horribly, I didn't mean it Sokka… was the only thought in her head, but it never came to words. Sokka was the only one who believed her, and now she offended him. "The bandages are in my bag." as he said that he left, slamming the door powerfully behind him, Toph heard the wood crack. She began to weep and moan, everything was going so wrong… so horribly wrong…
