This takes place before Southern Raiders.
Please enjoy.
Music
Toph watched as the Fire Nation Prince and the Avatar sparred in the courtyard of the Eastern Airtemple. Her feet rested firmly on the ground feeling the many vibrations the boys produced. She could also see Katara's vibrations, not by movement, but her heartbeat. She was angry again, angry at the young man who tried so hard to be accepted by her. Sokka was on the steps beside her, witling some stick.
The air was sticky hot and the bending near her only added to the sweltering heat, but it was entrancing to see.
"There's more heat behind Aang's attacks now," she thought proudly.
The movements were slowing and she could sense that they were coming to the end of the session. She watched closely as Aang was on the offensive, trying to knock Zuko back with a large amount of energy, but the prince neatly sidestepped and attacked, only to see Aang stumble. With a large amount of concentration Zuko managed to redirect the attack aimed at the young Avatar and pulled his punch.
"That was some fancy bending,"she thought.
Aang was knocked to his butt, and laughed. As he opened his eyes, he was staring at the blue back of the only waterbender in their group.
"Katara?"
Looking around the fuming waterbender, Aang could see Zuko sitting up, surrounded by a large puddle of water.
"I knew you were lying to us!"
"Katara…"
"You were just waiting for us to lower our defense so you could attack Aang like that."
"Katara…"
"I told you what would happen if you broke your promise…"
"Katara!"
Blue eyes suddenly focused on him and he could only see fury and rage within in the cerulean eyes.
"What Aang? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, it wasn't Zuko's fault. I was too slow and didn't defend quickly enough, it wasn't anything more than a blast of hot air."
Toph could see Zuko pull himself up, standing tall as he looked at the waterbender in front of him. From where she sat, his heartbeat was just as calm as it was normally.
"Don't put any trust in him Aang; don't turn your back on someone like Zuko."
Finally the firebender spoke up, startling everyone within earshot. The argument had been about him, but it was like everyone forgot he was there.
"I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm here to help the Avatar."
"Your people are all the same. You're all murders and liars."
"The entire Fire Nation is not like that," Zuko stated with a calm levity that seemed to grate on Katara's nerves, "we have civilians just like your tribe."
"It's just your family then?" Katara snarled, but continued, "Your father is in charge of the soldiers that are out here warring against every other nation in the world. Your sister has already attempted to kill Aang, and almost succeeded. I could only imagine what your mother is like."
The responding silence sounded like a silent victory, and Katara dug the knife deeper, hoping to spark some emotion out of the older boy.
"To raise someone like you, she must have been a lying, killer too."
Toph could feel his heart rate pick up considerably. The only evidence he was hurt. She could feel him tremble, could feel his urge to say something to defend his mother, to not give into the slander that was unjustified. Then just as everything seemed to peak, it all died off. He turned on his heel and left.
Katara smirked, victorious and turned to them. Aang was hiding his face from her. Toph was glaring and Sokka looked disappointed, so very disappointed.
She could feel the disappointment from everyone and turned on her heels and left, stomping her way down to the cooking pot, muttering something about sides, foes and betrayal.
"I'll go talk to him," Aang volunteered, getting to his feet with a swirl of air bending.
By then Toph was already moving in the direction he had left in, "I'm going to chat with Sparky."
She couldn't feel him, but she did pay attention to the direction that he had left in. She walked slowly, giving him time to calm himself before she reached him. The path led her up a gentle incline, and then it leveled out. Once she reached the peak of the incline, she could see him.
He was sitting on the edge of the cliff with a long skinny stick in his hand. There were sounds coming from the stick, gentle sounds which were calming and beautiful.
She walked over and dropped down next to him. The music continued like he hadn't felt her presence, seemingly lost in the music. His heart rate was slow. Slower than she'd ever felt with him.
The melody slowly came to a conclusion and a moment passed before she said anything.
"What is that?"
"A bamboo flute." His voice was soft, but not emotional.
"Where did you get it?"
"I made it."
"How?"
She watched as Zuko got up and grabbed a bamboo shoot growing further back from the edge than they were sitting. He tapered the end with firebending then with his pinky finger he made four small holes in the wood, then one more on the opposite side.
He handed it to Toph, explaining, "Hold the bottom hole, and blow into it."
She did as instructed and a high pitched noise came out of it. Her face lit up, it certainly was no music, but it was spectacular. He chuckled, low, deep and calming, and started to play again.
"Where did you learn this?"
"I thought myself how to make the flute, but my mother taught me how to play it."
There was a pause, one that made her feel like she might have interrupted an important moment, but then he spoke again.
"It was her favourite song."
The past tense didn't go unnoticed by Toph.
"Was?"
"She's gone."
The answer was ambiguous, but she let it slide. There were casualties of war in more ways than one and it wasn't her place to pry open old wounds.
"Was she like your father and sister?"
"No." It was stated without pause or hesitation.
Toph smiled, that was good enough for her.
"She sounds amazing." She could feel his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
"You loved her."
"Of course." His heart beat slowed down again, all the way down to that sluggish thump when he was playing the flute before.
"Don't take Sugar Queen's remarks to heart, she's hurting too. She just doesn't know how to deal with it."
He nodded his head, and Toph thought that maybe the conversation was over, but Zuko looked over in her direction, then back over the cliff.
"She wouldn't have agreed to the war."
Toph nodded, not needing to say anything.
The silence stretched, and then she quietly told him, "Play me the song again."
Listening to the music coming from the flute, and the slow and steady tattoo of Zuko's heartbeat, adding the beating rhythm to the song, Toph lay down, and closed her eyes.
Maybe this was the sound of peace.
She was sure that this is what awaited them after the war.
There we go.
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