Title: When Adventure Calls
Author: i-embrace-ocd
Summary: Toph-based story set four years after the war. The gaang's out to quell a dangerous rebellion in the Fire Nation led by Azula herself, but after making new enemies and uniting with old friends, will they be able to do it? Tokka, some Kataang
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. :)
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Chapter 1: Sifu Toph
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Toph sighed. Lately she'd been having what seemed to be withdrawals; she knew why well enough - she desperately missed adventure. For the past two weeks she'd been teaching at an earthbending academy. She and her friends had discussed it (Katara doing most of the talking) and chose this as a suitable fate. They'd left her then, and although she hated to admit it, she missed them fiercely.
The war had ended years ago. Four years ago, to be exact. Those four years had been the best in her life. There had been peace, so competition was all sport; there were few life threatening predicaments, and all contact with the Fire Nation was civil... for the most part, anyway. The world had cooled from the oppressive heat of the Fire Nation, and Fire Lord Zuko shoved his people back into their place with all the stiff authority of a man who had experienced the dark side of the war, a man who knew what it was like to be exiled, betrayed, and hated. The battle itself had been nothing short of a miracle, and she was glad to have been there in the midst of the trauma. It had felt natural, as though fighting and competing was what she was meant to do. Help save the world, earn a free trip to... boredom city. Ba Sing Se, to be exact. After it was reclaimed, a more constructive balance than ever before grew in the city- sort of. The Avatar had done a decent -not outstanding, but decent- job of putting the world in its rightful manner. That was Toph's opinion, anyway.
She sighed again. She missed Twinkletoes. And she missed Sugar Queen and Snoozles, too. But no, Aang just had to propose to Katara. And she just had to say yes. And they just had to run off and get married. She'd been there for the wedding, indulging in the finest wine and goodies as could be provided (it was the Avatar's wedding, after all). That was when they'd all gone their separate ways. After four long years of ache-less travel, Aang's proposal had been the break-up of the group of the century. Toph would never forgive him for that.
Not that she'd ever even have the chance. After all, Katara and Aang had decided to run off to the Southern Air Temple together, and Sokka... well, she didn't know what they'd done with him. She figured they'd sent him back to the South Pole, his home. Or maybe they'd dumped him off in some nice woods where he'd be able to sling his boomerang at all the meat he could find and be sarcastic all by his lonesome. What she would give to hear one of his sarcastic remarks again...
She shook the thought from her head. It was time to look to the future- her very bleak, friendless, earthbending-teaching future. It wasn't the brightest of prospects. She attempted to make herself feel better by thinking of everything she could look forward to. The only thing she could come up with was death. How positive...
She couldn't deny it. She did miss her friends and the adventures that they'd had. Besides, she did not have the patience to teach impudent children the art of earthbending. She'd done it once, and she never wanted to do it again. It had been a sorry experience, and now she was teaching a dozen of them at one time. She couldn't stand it.
"Jiro... I highly suggest that you put that down and face forward," Toph said, her voice oozing authority. She'd felt clear, heavy vibrations in Jiro's direction, indicating that he was manually moving a good sized rock in the direction of his affections.
Jiro let the miniature boulder fall to the ground. He'd been intending to perform a surprise attack against Lotus, his "worst enemy." Toph knew that he had a crush on the young girl, and it was sort of entertaining to listen to them argue. She missed arguing. Now whatever she said just... happened, without discussion or rebellion.
"Hey! Jiro, if you had hit me with that rock, I would have-"
"There's no use in empty threats," Toph reprimanded. Lotus flushed bright red, embarrassed that she'd been caught. Lotus was teacher's pet, and Toph wanted to teach her. Lotus was very bright and extremely gifted for her young age. Toph had early on decided that the only good things about her job were teaching Lotus, a student with promise, and Jiro, a student with passion. All of the other children were nothing more than mere monkeys who their parents dropped off to get space from. The thing about Lotus was, though, that she was poor. She had no last name; Lotus was her only identity. Daughter of Kaori and the late Ko Ten. Toph had sensed Lotus's abilities early on, though, and had offered to teach her the tricks of the trade for the cheapest price- free. Jiro, on the other hand, was one of the richest children in the city, and his parents paid his instructor quite handsomely.
"Empty threats?" Lotus questioned. She was nine. Jiro was twelve. The age difference was all too familiar to Toph. But age differences seemed to become less important with the passing of time.
"Empty threats," Toph repeated. "Saying you'll do something, but not meaning it."
"If Jiro had hit me with that rock I'd knock him into next week," Lotus defended.
"Great example," Toph chuckled.
"It was true, though," Lotus said defiantly. Jiro wandered over and pushed her. She pushed him back, and before Toph knew it they were flinging rocks at each other and calling the other names. Not ugly, dirty names, but childish names, names that Toph was too fond of to make the children stop. She listened with fresh, happy ears. Until Jiro's mother, Leiko (otherwise known to common folk as Lady Rei Li), arrived.
"Sifu Toph, what in the name of the Avatar is going on?" Jiro's mom demanded.
"The children were having a bit of a brawl. Nothing to worry about," Toph assured her.
Leiko was fuming. "Do you have any idea-"
"Ma'am, I have every idea and more," Toph countered. It had been a long time since she'd called anyone "ma'am." It felt terribly uncomfortable.
"Do you?" Jiro's mother asked incredulously. "Look... I don't know how I like it, a blind girl of sixteen teaching my son earthbending. I thought I'd warm up to you. Thought I'd give you a chance. But no, you've proven to be nothing more than a second-rate teacher, and a crude one at that. Your teaching styles are so rugged and vile! And- and that commoner! That poor commoner's daughter near my precious, wealthy son. My son, learning earthbending with... with mere-"
"Lady Rei Li," Toph said steadily, more to get her attention than to be respectful, "need I remind you of my identity? I am Toph Bei Fong. I am the Blind Bandit. I am the girl that traveled along with the Avatar himself and helped salvage the world from the Fire Nation's wrath. I am the Greatest Earthbender in the world, which is more than you'll ever be able to say for yourself or anything other earthbending teacher in this city. Don't you want you son to learn from the best? I am a person that has been to every corner of the world, and though I'm blind, I've seen more in my short lifespan than you will ever see in yours. My teaching styles are questionable? I have actually been in battle, have witnessed death and destruction firsthand. I have learned more through my bending than your mind could ever conceive. My senses are defined. My teachings are rough because battle is rough. Why is it that you want your son to learn earthbending? So that he can show off his refined talents to your guests, or so that he can defend himself and the people and principles he stands for?"
Leiko soaked in what Toph had just told her. She was a prideful woman, but she had just been taught her place. "Please excuse my insolence, Sifu Toph."
Toph nodded. "I will continue to privilege your son with my services, provided that we've reached an understanding in regard to our places in society. Have you learned yours?"
Lady Rei Li cringed. Toph felt the movement and knew, with satisfaction that she felt but wouldn't show, that Jiro's mother was having difficulty succumbing her authority to such a crude and unmannerly teacher. "Yes ma'am," she said, regaining her regal stance.
"And one more thing. I won't hear of any more of this 'ma'am' business. It's Sifu Toph."
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