Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryke, not me.
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Zuko squinted. "What's wrong, Sparky? Sun in your eyes?" Katara asked.
He rubbed the scar under his eye with the back of his wrist. "Yeah," he said shortly.
"Well, get over it," she said, shouldering her pack. "By the time we get back to the campsite the sun will be almost down."
Sokka rummaged through his bag. "So what are we having for dinner?" he asked.
Katara slapped his hand. "Something," she said. "Leave it alone."
"But I'm hungry," he whined.
"The sooner you shut up, the sooner I can make dinner."
Sokka clamped his lips shut. Zuko smiled wryly to himself. This sort of sibling banter happened often, and it never ceased to amuse him. It was nothing like the ruthless taunting between himself and his own sister.
Sokka trudged ahead of everyone and dumped his sack of groceries on the ground next to the firepit. "Bring back anything good?" Aang asked.
"I don't know, ask Katara," Sokka said, collapsing face first on the ground.
"Katara?" Aang said hopefully.
Katara pushed her sleeves over her elbows. "Just stay out of my way and give me thirty minutes," she said. Zuko silently handed her his bag. "Aang, where's Toph?"
Aang leaned over Katara, resting his weight on the top of his staff. "I think she's taking a nap or something," he said.
Katara turned around and fished around for a small burlap sack of vegetables. She said something indistinguishable. Zuko sat down in the dirt and stretched his legs. Katara turned around. "Didn't you hear me?" she snapped.
Zuko jumped. "No," he snapped back.
"Go wake up Toph and tell her to get cleaned up for dinner," Katara ordered.
"Fine, fine," Zuko sighed. He pushed himself up and knuckled his ear. Toph's earth tent stood a little ways off from Appa and the campsite. He knelt beside the solid dirt door and knocked softly.
There was no verbal answer, but he heard rustling and shifting inside. "Toph?" he called softly. The movement continued, and he thought he heard her moan. Zuko pulled away the door. Toph lay on her stomach, tossing and turning in her sleep. He reached into the darkness of the tent and placed his hand against her flushed cheek.
Toph bolted upright, the tent crumbling around her. Her small arms leaped against her side in an earthbending stance. Zuko took her wrists. "Toph, Toph, it's just me," he said quickly. "Katara wanted me to wake you up."
Toph's bare shoulders heaved. "Wait, what?" she said sleepily.
"It's just Zuko," he said. He readjusted the gold band in her hair. "I just came to wake you up."
"Oh," she said. She rubbed her temples sleepily. "I think I had a bad dream."
"I think you did too," Zuko said. "You were moving around a lot."
Toph sidled over to him and rested her folded arms on his knee. Zuko stifled his gut reaction to leap back. He still wasn't used to all of this togetherness. "I have nightmares sometimes," she said in a sleepy, confidential tone.
"Really?" Zuko said. He debated on whether or not to play with the dark hair strewn across his knee.
"Yeah," she sighed. Her small slender fingers tangled in the folds of his pants. "I keep dreaming that everyone gets killed, 'cept me, and when I get home my parents are gone too."
Zuko made his decision and stroked Toph's silky hair away from her warm forehead. "That sounds like a pretty awful dream," he said.
"Mm-hm," she said.
Her satiny hair slipped between his fingers. Zuko studied her pale pretty face- the soft parting of her lips, the impertinent turn of her nose, the curve of her cheek and her stubborn tilt of her jaw. She could conceivably pass for his little sister.
Except, of course, for the matter of her eyes.
Toph's eyes stared vacantly past his knee. The pale green color was unusual, and arresting against her dark hair and long thick lashes. But the blankness was eerie, almost haunting. Unconsciously Zuko touched the heavy scarring around his eye.
"What are you thinking?" Toph asked.
He went back to stroking her hair. "I'm not thinking anything," he said.
"Yes, you are," she argued.
Zuko sighed. "All right," he said. "I'm thinking."
"What are you thinking?" Toph asked.
"I don't want to say," Zuko said.
She poked her finger in his knee and twisted. "Tell," she said.
He quietly played with her hair. "I have a secret too," he said softly.
"Tell me," Toph said.
Zuko was silent for as long as he dared. "I'm going to be just like you," he said.
Toph sat up. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.
He took her small hand and placed it against his scar. Toph's fingertips explored the ridges and whorls. "I've told you the story, right? Of how I got this?"
"Uh-huh," she said.
"I'm going blind," Zuko said. "I'm going to be blind in that eye."
"Oh," Toph said.
"And deaf in that ear too," Zuko rushed out, before he lost his courage. "It's all been going slowly, ever since then. But it'll all be gone by the time I'm thirty."
His shoulders heaved. No one knew about this, except for Iroh. And even then he didn't tell him himself; the healer had. Zuko stared straight ahead. Toph was still and silent.
"It's okay," he said finally. "Just forget about it." He shifted, trying to get up. "Let's just go get dinner."
He glanced down at Toph. Her eyes were squinched tightly closed, but a big fat tear escaped, rolling down her rosy round cheek. "Toph?" he said. "Are you okay?"
She sat up and pressed her hand against the side of his head, her slim fingers curling around his shriveled ear and her thumb pressing against his lower lashes. "You're going to be just like me," she said softly. "I've never met anyone else like me before."
Zuko tucked his hands against her sides. "But I'm not like you," he said.
Toph smiled. "I'm a good teacher," she said. Her small warm palms covered his eyes, shielding him from the setting sun. "Your other senses will take over. Trust me. It'll all work out in the end. You'll see." She pulled her hands away, and he could see the mischievous dimple popping out in her cheek. "Of course, I can't see it, but I know you'll be able to do it."
"I hope so," Zuko said softly.
Toph bit her lip, then flung her arms around his neck impulsively. "You're gonna be okay," she said. "You're gonna be okay, because I'll make sure of it."
Zuko hugged her tightly. She was tiny and fragile- well, she is only a baby. Toph shook. "Hey, hey," he said, pulling back. Tears made pale tracks on her cheeks. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her once lightly. "I believe you."
She smiled past her tears. "You'd better."
"Hey, what's taking you two so long?" Sokka asked as he loped over to them. "Katara's about to have a pig- Toph? Are you all right?" He dropped to his knees and cupped her chin in his hands. "What's wrong? Are you sick?" He pressed his hand against her forehead. "You feel a little warm."
Toph swiped at her damp cheeks and grinned at him. "I'm fine," she said.
Sokka pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Yeah, well, you'd better be," he said. "Just the same, I think I'm going to carry you."
Toph rolled her eyes. "Whatever makes you feel better," she said, but she lifted up her arms to be held. Zuko followed them. Toph looked at him over Sokka's shoulder, her empty eyes staring a little bit past his ear, and Zuko felt peaceful for the first time in a long time.
Yeah. It is going to be okay.
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Author's Note:
Toph is a bit sugary-sweet in this one. Sorry about that.
But haven't you ever wondered about Zuko? I mean, he HAD to have sustained some kind of damage to his eye and ear; it couldn't have just been some bad scars. And I also imagine that he wouldn't be quite keen on the idea of letting everyone know just how severe the damage was.
What do you think?