WARS AND WALKING

Chapter One: Walking Fast

Most people walk quickly because they have a place to go. Zuko… didn't have a place to go.

The sound of rapid footsteps bounced off the side of a stone building. People – children, I think, based on the laughter and the size and weight of what I felt – scattered as the owner of the footsteps came around the corner at high speed. I hid from the sight of the person walking past and wondered what he was thinking and where he had to go so quickly. I had to stop myself from laughing. Zuko was hilarious when he was mad, not that I could see the expression he wore. Though I'm sure that was funny too.

I used my earthbending to 'watch' Zuko travel the street, going nowhere. I knew he was going nowhere, or he would have told us where he was going. I entertained ideas of bending to slow him in his rush to nowhere, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't help but feel a little bit responsible for his mood. I thought back to that morning…

"Toph!" Katara cried.

"I'm AWAKE!" I snapped. It was a normal morning in Avatar camp. Katara was being too motherly, Sokka too ambitious, and me much too tired. I earthbended my tent away huffily with a stomp of my foot.

"Ugh! You're worse than my uncle," I heard Zuko accuse. I couldn't feel his presence, so I assumed he must be in the water.

"He's a fat, smelly old man!" I shouted, not knowing how loud I should speak to let Zuko hear me but not really caring if my noise bothered anybody else. "Just forget him. Kataaaara's in charge now." I felt bad. I had met Iroh; he was a good man so I understood how Zuko felt about losing him.

"Shouldn't Aang be in charge?" Zuko asked, overlooking my insult to the closest member of his family, and I could tell that he was right behind me. "I mean, he is the Avatar."

"Twinkle toes couldn't handle the responsibility. We need Mommy over there to make sure we're all good little bys and girls."

My highly sensitive ears had no trouble catching Zuko's half-hidden chuckle.

Now, had I known that my next comment would have offended Zuko… Well, I probably would have kept talking anyway…

"Maybe you need a nickname!" I told him brightly, turning halfway around for his sake. "Like Twinkle toes. Sokka had a nickname too, but it didn't really stick. Maybe yours will." I paused and pretended to give him the once-over. "How bout scarface?"

"Toph," Sokka cautioned, entering my field of 'vision.' I sensed his weight change and gathered that he was stretching up on his toes.

"Eh, deal with me," I shot at him. "OH! How about something that shows how angry you are! No, no, no. ZUZU! Wittle Zuzu," I crooned.

In retrospect, it was probably this nickname that angered him the most. I had wondered what was wrong with it at the time, but now as I 'watched' him storm across the town, I could actually feel his anger.

"NEVER call me that!"

"Why?" Aang had arrived. I would know his dainty ballerina's gait anywhere.

"Because!"

"That isn't really a very god answer, you know." I just loved to provoke Zuko. I loved to provoke everyone, but I was especially good at it when it came to Zuko. He got angry so easily.

"Well that's your problem," he grumbled. "Because it's all the answer you're getting." His weight shifted and his footsteps moved quickly away from me.

"Nice one!" Sokka cried, probably throwing his hands in the air. "Now there's a crazy firebender loose, AND he's angry!!"

"Sokka, he's always angry," Katara said, not unreasonably. "And he's a free person. He can go wherever he wants to go."

"Oooh, standing up for him, are you?" I taunted.

"No!" I loved it when Katara got all defensive with or about Zuko. "Oh my gosh, look at him!" she shouted suddenly, causing someone to jump. I think it was Sokka.

"Oh, sure, tell the blind girl to look at someone." It bothered me and pleased me that they always forgot my blindness. It made me feel a little less insecure, a little happier. I was so used to being handled at home. My parents and everyone in the palace had never treated me as more than an invalid.

"Sorry," Katara said. "But he's walking so fast!"

"He always walks fast," Sokka said. I could tell by the impatience in his voice that he was angry as well. As far as he was concerned, we were delaying his precious invasion plan. Or something.

"He does walk fast," Aang agreed. I couldn't tell where he was for a moment, so I imagine there was some airbending involved. He returned, his feet lightly grazing the ground before he was standing.

"Toph, you need to go find Zuko," Katara ordered. "Why me?" I complained rather loudly. I was sure Katara would be making some kind of face at the blind girl. Real mature.

"Because it's your fault he's run off!"

"I'm blind," I reminded her.

"Don't be ridiculous; you know how to find him."

I folded my arms across my chest and made a pouty face. "Fine." I turned on my heel and stomped away, the ground fracturing and erupting beneath my feet. I knew I was creating footprints, evidence of an illegal earthbender in fire nation territory, but Aang could get rid of them. It would be good training for him.

I found Zuko within seconds of entering town. But I wasn't ready to bring him back to camp yet. He probably wouldn't have come anyway. He would be too angry to talk to me, and I wanted to wait. I often laughed at others' pain, but as I stood there, hiding from Zuko, I wondered if I was too hard on him specifically. He had gone through a lot, and just maybe he didn't deserve my torturous behavior toward him. But that had never stopped me before.

The footsteps continued now, incredibly fast yet somehow still increasing in speed. I followed him, hiding behind carts and stands to stay out of sight.

Then it struck me that there must be a reason for him to walk so much faster than everyone else. It didn't take me long to realize that most people walk quickly because they have a place to go. Zuko walks quickly because he's angry.