A/N: Hey everyone!
I wasn't satisfied with my fanfiction anymore, so I decided to edit it and repost. I tried to make the storyline a little more realistic and I changed it into a third-person point of view. So for the ones who've already read my story the very beginning might be a little boring. I did add a lot though, and I'd advise you to still read it because you might miss things otherwise. I've improved a lot in my opinion, so I guess it can still be fun.
By the way, I really wanted to write Zutara since that's my OTP, but I think Zoph just fits better for this story. I'm not sure though and still need to decide about other ships. I'm considering Kataang and Tyzula, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know.
Please bear with any grammar mistakes or leave a review to point them out; English isn't my first language.
I hope you like my fanfic! :)
Disclaimer: The Avatar universe belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
"Fire. Air. Water. Earth.
My Uncle always told me stories about the old days; a time of peace, when the Avatar kept balance between the Fire Nation, Air Nomads, Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom. But that all changed when the Water Tribes attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements, and it was his destiny to stop the ruthless Waterbenders, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed, and the Water Tribes are nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my Uncle and the soldiers of our Nation journeyed to the Air Nomads to help fight against the Water Tribes, giving me and my family the honour to look after the Nation. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Earth Kingdom and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost faith in destiny. I believe that he will somehow return to bring balance to the world."
~Zuko
Chapter 1 – The Girl in the Cave
Toph sighs and sits down, wishing she had already mastered the art of Firebending. She stares at the small amount of wood that she gathered during the day and tries to think of a way to set it on fire. It is a chill evening and she is not sure how much longer her body can take the cold. But she cannot go back. That way her parents would never believe she is not as helpless as they think she is.
Something keeps bothering her though. Something telling her that her parents are right when they say that it is impossible for a blind girl like Toph to save the world from the Water Tribes. Thinking this makes her wonder if her parents miss her. If her absence would even make a difference for them, seeing that they have been hiding her existence from the whole Earth Kingdom. Her life mainly consisted of wandering around the mansion and taking Earthbending lessons that were way too easy for her, which is why she decided to become the Blind Bandit and participate in Earth Rumble. Those were the only moments she felt like her disability did not affect her.
Suddenly Toph feels some strange vibrations not far away. A large group of soldiers is marching to the Earth Kingdom. That can only mean one thing; the Water Tribes are launching their second attack, which is rather disastrous, since most citizens are still busy with reparations from the first time the Tribes tried to erase the Kingdom. Have they not done enough damage already? Everyone knows the Earthbenders stand no chance against the skilled Waterbenders.
Toph's first reaction is to leave the cave she was hiding in and go back to the Earth Kingdom to help fighting. After all she is the Avatar, and supposed to keep peace between the Four Nations. But she knows there is nothing she can do to protect her home. Her vision will be affected by the water, and even if she could see properly, there is no way she could fight the Water Tribes.
She wishes to go back, back to her mansion, back to her parents, though she realises that is impossible now. If the soldiers notice her, they will kill her on the spot without hesitation. A little voice in her head tells her to refrain from being such a coward. She could easily Earthbend her way home without being seen by anyone.
But the idea of what she will find when she returns to the Kingdom now makes her shake with fear and it stops her from going back. Two people are coming in her direction and noticing this snaps Toph back to reality.
"Zuzu, what are you doing?" A girl and a boy are approaching the cave.
"I want to see what's going on," the boy replies. Both have an average length and do not seem to be victims of the ongoing famine. However, something about them is unfamiliar. Their feet seem to be dancing on the ground; not steady enough for Eathbenders, too steady for Airbenders. For a moment Toph fears they are Waterbenders, but their calm and regular respiration does not fit into that image.
Toph freezes. She does not know whether she should start running or quietly wait for them to pass.
"You said we would only take a look from the coast," the girl says. "Let's go back."
"We've come so far! I just want to see what's going on." The boy tries to pull the girl with him.
"I'm tired," the girl complains. "I want to go home."
"We can take a short rest in that cave over there," the boy says, pointing at Toph's hiding spot.
"Fine, but can we go back afterwards, okay?"
The boy does not reply, but starts running to the cave, filled with excitement. Toph, who did not expect that action, is unable to hide and before she knows it she is face to face with the boy. He gasps.
"Zuzu, what's wrong?" The girl sprints the last few meters and stops next to the boy. "Who are you?"
Her mind is telling her to run, but her feet do not want to cooperate. Adrenaline is rushing through her blood as Toph finally manages to move. Her feet seem to have tripled their weight as she slowly moves deeper into the cave.
"Wait!" the boy yells while he starts chasing her. The girl also moves her feet, but does not leave her spot. She must be bending, and that is when the pieces of the puzzle fall into their place. The nearest river is at least a ten minute walk away, meaning she must have send flames after her. Toph screams as the fire hits her left foot and she falls down.
"Why would you do that?!" the boy says angrily.
"Zuzu, leave her alone!" the girl yells. "She could be dangerous. Can we please go back?"
He ignores her words and continues running. Toph's feels her heart beating and tries to crawl further. Her feet is badly hurt; she cannot stand on it, nor use it to see.
"Leave me alone!" she yells, while the distance between her and the boy is decreasing every second. She makes a desperate – but unfortunately unsuccessful – attempt to protect herself by throwing rocks at her chaser.
"I'm so sorry," the boy says as he catches up to her. "I didn't mean to hurt you – I mean, my sister didn't mean to hurt you. Let me help you." He offers his hand to her, which Toph does not accept.
"I'm going back to the ship," the girl says annoyed. "See you there."
"You can't just leave her here!"
"Sure I can."
"I'm sorry about your foot, but can you please listen to me?"
Toph ignores the hand he holds out for her and gets up, ready to attack any moment the boy makes an unexpected movement that could be Firebending. Even though she is weakened now that she can only see with her right foot, she thinks she can still take him now that his sister is gone. However, she does not have the impression that he wants to fight her.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Zuko and I'm from the Fire Nation."
"Oh really? I wouldn't have guessed," Toph says, sarcastically. "That certainly explains why you were Firebending. It all makes sense now."
The boy named Zuko does not reply to her comment. "What are you doing here?" she continues.
"Nothing," he says. "I was just curious."
"About what? What methods the Water Tribes will use to destroy our Kingdom?"
"No, that's not it. You see, I'm the Fire Prince, which means I need to take over the duties from my father when I'm older. I wanted to know what kind of problems I would have to face as the Fire Lord."
"Yeah, I bet watching here from a distance will give you some brilliant insight on ruling as a Fire Lord."
"Why is it so hard to believe that I'm actually on your side?"
"Oh, I wouldn't know," she replies annoyed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe it's because your sister burned me."
"Okay, I get the point." The boy takes a step back. "Fine, I'll go back home. What's your plan? Just staying here in this cave, waiting for the Water Tribes to find and kill you? Do you really want to throw your life away like that?"
"What do you know about it?"
"What about your family? Why aren't you with them?"
Toph resists the urge punch him in his face. "Just go away."
"I will. At least I'll die in honour."
"Really?" the Avatar laughs. "How is going back home going to make you a more honourable person?"
"I'll train more and fight the Water Tribes. It's time this war comes to an end, and we all have a role in ending it. I believe my destiny is becoming a good Fire Lord so I can lead the army to victory. And you're important too. You're probably the last Earthbender left after this attack. The world needs you."
"What can I do? I don't have anything left. My parents are most likely dead. The Earth Kingdom is gone."
"You could come with me to the Fire Nation."
"Oh, I'm sure your sister would appreciate that."
"Don't mind her. I'll talk to her."
"Thanks, but I don't feel like risking getting burned again."
The conversation is interrupted by various shouts from deep inside the cave. A group of around twelve soldiers is running in Toph's direction. She can tell they are Waterbenders by their soft but uneven steps.
Her instincts tell her to run away without informing the boy named Zuko. He can only put her in danger and she does not need such a nosy person in her life. But if she really does manage to use the complicated path network of the cave to escape, it would get him killed, which does not feel right. And sadly it is necessary to add that she cannot walk properly with her burned foot.
"They're coming," she whispers. "We better start running, unless you wish to an eternity together in afterlife." She starts moving towards the exit, walking as fast as her injured foot allows her to. Fleeing towards the exit is the only option; Toph is certain the boy would not survive in the tunnels of a dark cave.
"There is a river nearby," Zuko informs her as they leave the cave. "Our ship is there. I know you don't like me, but you could escape with us."
Toph winces at the words 'our' and 'us', not looking forward to seeing his sister again. But she also realises there is no future for her if she stays here. She realises he is offering her, a random Earth Kingdom girl he met a few moments ago, a place to stay since her home is not safe anymore. So far he has not tried to hurt her in any way. Maybe she should get over her bias and give him a chance.
She nods in appreciation, unable to get any kind of apology over her lips.
Zuko's sister immediately lights her fists when she notices Toph and her brother approaching the river where their ship is stationed.
"Just what do you think you're doing here?"
She increases the size of her flames and even though Toph cannot see this, she feels the heat much closer than she is comfortable with.
"You better go before I might 'accidentally' burn your other foot as well."
She moves her right arm, intending to give the Avatar a warning shot, but Zuko stops her.
"Azula, don't. We need to go. There were Waterbenders in that cave and they could have followed us all the way here."
"Then what are you doing with this stupid girl?" she asks while she jumps on board of the ship. "Let's go home."
"She's coming with us," Zuko says. He gestures Toph that she should get on the ship too, but she pretends she does not notice it. She is starting to regret het choice and feels like getting killed by the Waterbenders would be a better fate than getting killed by this girl.
"Excuse me?" Azula says with a threatening undertone. "I am not sitting in the same ship as that filthy Earth Kingdom peasant."
"She'll get killed if we leave her here. She has no one left."
"Then maybe she should have stayed with her parents in the first place."
Toph ignores the painful comment and focuses on their surroundings. There is a large environment of rocks on their left and an open area on their right. She feels the Waterbenders marching in their direction, unaware of the presence of the three teenagers.
"I don't think we have much time left," she says. "There is a group of soldiers walking in between the rocks on our left. If I'm really the problem here, I will find another hiding spot. But please leave before they catch up to you."
"We can't leave you here," Zuko replies. "Azula, please try to be reasonable for once in your life."
His sister does not reply. The silence must have lasted for only a few seconds, but it felt like hours. Toph wants to turn around and leave, hoping to get a head start on the Waterbenders, but Zuko grabs her arm.
"Fine," Azula eventually agrees. "But Father isn't going to be happy about you bringing random girls with you to our Nation."
Zuko sighs in relief and pulls Toph with him on the ship, which to her relief is made out of metal. Though she cannot bend it, she can still pick up on the vibrations. Azula runs off to one of the crew members and orders them to immediately start sailing.
So for the people who've read my old version, what do you think of my 'rework'? Was it better? Did you like it? Personally I think this would've been a lot more fun to read, but I still find it hard to keep everything in character. Please leave a review to let me know your opinion on this chapter ^-^.
I understand that not all of you will like my writing style or way of interpreting characters and that some of you might feel the need to leave a negative review. If you decide to do so, please give me some constructive criticism rather than purely bashing my story.
xx Lily