Wandering

Chapter 1

"Argh!"

Boulder met cliff face, shattering and throwing pebbles everywhere. She stood in the middle of the downpour, hands clenched into fists to keep them from shaking.

"Stupid… jerk… don't you tell me how to teach!" She whirled around, catching more boulders with her bending, crashing them against each other in her fury. "Gave up everything… jerk… why can't you just… ARGH!" With that final scream, she drove her head into a boulder, shattering it. Stone fragments rained down; she was breathing hard, but it felt good to take her anger out on something.

Though she was still mad enough that she didn't want to join the others yet. If even at all.

She took one more deep breath and brought her hands up, ready to bend more, when she felt a light tap in the earth some distance away.

Hand still up, she stretched out with her bending, listening hard. Another light tap followed the first, then another, and another…

Someone was sneaking up on her.

She grinned. With her back to the person, they didn't see it. And they couldn't know that she could see him.

He came a few steps closer, but he must've sensed something amiss. He paused, and she struck, snapping her hands up, cocooning him in earth. He let out a strangled gurgle; she turned to face him, a triumphant smile on her face.

"That's what you get for trying to sneak up on me," she said, walking over to him, feeling him squirm in his impromptu prison.

"I wasn't trying to sneak!" Judging from his low voice, it was a guy. "I just… walk quietly." His voice was strange, muffled in an odd way, like he was talking through something and trying to make his voice sound different at the same time.

"Uh-huh," she said, squinting unseeing eyes. "Sure."

"Really! I just… heard a lot of crashes over here, and I was curious."

"Typically, people want to walk away from angry Earthbenders," she said, turning away and folding her arms.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between an angry Earthbender and one who's just practicing," he said, voice dry.

"Listen you—" she whipped her hand up to point in his face, and her fingertip brushed against something that defiantly was not skin. She paused, and brushed her fingers over his strange face again. "What's wrong with your face?"

He sighed. "I'm wearing a mask."

"Oh. Why?"

He shrugged, an odd movement under the earth. "Why else would anyone wear a mask?"

She shrugged back. "I dunno. I can't tell the difference between your real face and a mask."

"You can't?"

She turned towards him, giving him a good look of her blind eyes. "Oh," was all he said.

She walked a couple of steps away, turning her back to him. "You might as well take it off. Make yourself more comfortable."

"That's a little hard at this point." He wiggled his hands for emphasis. "And I don't even want to take it off."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't like my face," he said, an old pain in his voice. "I don't even like my face."

"I don't care."

"Listen, whoever you are—"

She whirled around and pointed back at him. "I'm Toph Beifong, and I'm the greatest Earthbender in the world!" She stomped her foot, and the cone of earth around him collapsed back into the ground. "And don't you forget it."

He stumbled a bit at the suddenness of the release. "I don't think I'm likely to forget you anytime soon," he muttered to himself, but Toph still caught the words, and grinned. "If you can't see my face," he asked, voice back to normal volume, "then why do you care if I take my mask off?"

She held a hand out. "Can I hold it? I've never held a mask before."

There was a small ripple of shock through the earth from him. "That's… strange to think about," he admitted, hands behind his head. He untied it and pulled it from his face, shaking his head, and put it in her hand.

"It's hard for a lot of people to think about not being able to see," Toph said, hefting the mask. It was very light, and shaped intricately. She ran her fingers over the front, taking in the design. "It feels scary."

"I like to think it looks that way too."

She turned it over, felt the inside, then put it up to her face. "Is this how it's supposed to go?"

She heard him give a cough that might have been a suppressed laugh. "It's upside down. Here." He helped her turn it around, careful not to touch her at all.

"Huh. And you like wearing this? It doesn't feel comfortable at all."

"That's because it's molded to my face. It's isn't uncomfortable though."

She pulled it away, and tossed it to him. "Here," she said, and sat down on a flat boulder, stretching her feet out.

He snatched the mask out of the air. "So, if you're blind," he said, turning the mask over in his hands, then putting it back on his face, "how did you know I was here?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Well, I'm an Earthbender—obviously. That's how I see. I see using my feet."

His shock was more pronounced. "You see with your feet?" He sat next to her, leaning forward—probably looking at her feet. "How does that work?"

Toph wiggled her toes. "I use my bending to sense the vibrations in the earth, and that builds a sort of picture for me to "see" with." She spread her hands. "It's kinda hard to explain."

He shook his head. "That's astonishing." His voice was starting to sound different, like he wasn't forcing himself to change it. More natural, and more familiar. "How exact is your sight?"

"Well, when you were walking over there," she pointed to where she had first sensed him, "I could hear it from all the way over there." She indicated where she had been standing, in the middle of all the rubble.

"What about smaller things?"

"I can see all these pebbles—probably better than you can," she added with a laugh, "and I can even sense a person's heartbeat—their emotions and their lies and stuff."

"You can tell when someone lies?" He asked, surprised.

"It's not that hard when you know what to look for," she replied, a satisfied smile on her face. His voice had returned to normal, and she remembered where she had heard his voice before… and who he was. But she wouldn't do anything. Not yet.

"Are you out here by yourself?" He asked after a few quiet moments, his voice curious, his posture non-threatening.

Toph shrugged. "I was," she said, giving him a look, her voice teasing. "I just… I'm camping with some, um, others, and they started to really irritate me, so I came out here to blow off some steam."

"I can see that," he said, and she guessed he was looking around at the carnage she had created. "You know, I probably would've passed you by if you hadn't buried me halfway in stone."

She shrugged. "I don't think you can be too careful these days. Especially where sneaky people are concerned. Besides," she added, "we wouldn't be talking if I hadn't buried you."

"I can't argue with that," he said, and turned his head.

Toph raised her face, and felt fading sunlight on her skin. Sunset already? "Where were you heading anyways?"

"Nowhere in particular."

"I don't believe that," she said, her feet flat on the ground. "People always have a destination in mind whenever they're traveling."

He was silent for a while. "But your feet—do they tell you I'm lying?"

"Yes," she said, pointing at him and turning her head to face him, her sightless eyes staring at a spot somewhere over his shoulder. "You have a destination in mind, even if you're not going there right now."

"Maybe. But some people just wander, don't they?"

Toph shrugged, leaning back on her hands. "I guess. I've never been one of those people. Me and my… group have always had a destination we were running to."

"That's lucky," he said, his voice low. "I might have a destination… but it's so far off I can't even see it yet."

She waved her hand. "You'll find it." She put her hand back down, and the heat of the sun slipped away. "Is the sun down already?" She asked, turning her head. "Hm. Guess I've been gone all day."

"Too short of a day," he said, blowing the words out in a breath. "It means the cold night is about to start."

"Better a cold night outside than a stuffy night indoors all the time, like back home," Toph said, waving her hand again.

"You don't seem like the kind of person that would put up with that."

"Nope. I snuck out a lot. That's how I met the badgermoles."

"The badgermoles?" She could hear the raised eyebrow in his voice.

"Yep! They're the ones who invented earthbending. They're blind like me, so they taught me how to see and how to bend."

"I've read about the badgermoles," he said, his voice curious. "But no wonder you're so good. You learned from the true masters."

"And that's why I'm the greatest Earthbender in the world!" She laid back on the rock, pumping all four limbs in the air, then letting them drop, her feet flat on the ground again.

"I don't doubt that, but I'm sure there are some who could match you. You've ever heard of King Bumi of Omashu?"

Toph waved a hand. "Heard of him, never met him, could totally trash him!"

"He's got age and experience on his side though," he said, skeptical.

"You should have more confidence in me," she said, grinning.

"A fight between the two of you would be interesting to see."

"Yeah, I would be interesting to see, wouldn't it?" She replied, unable to keep all of the bitterness out of her voice.

"Well…" she sensed him shrug. "You see anyways, don't you? Just not in the same way. I bet you could understand an Earthbender fight on a level someone like me never could—even with perfect eyesight."

She couldn't help but smile. "True. Earthbending is the easiest for me to see. Though to tell the truth, I don't have much experience with the other bending types outside our group. Never seen what a normal firebender could do, for example."

"A 'normal' firebender?" He repeated, body language betraying his interest.

"Yeah." Toph sighed. "A couple of weeks ago, we had this encounter with a crazy firebending girl. She and her friends chased us all night long. I wanted to bash her head in so we could get some sleep!" She paused, and raised her eyebrows. "Unless all firebenders are like that?" She asked, laughing.

He shook his head. "No. But… this firebender. What did she…? Hm. I guess you couldn't tell me what she looked like."

Toph laughed once. "Nope. But her voice… it was cold, and calculating. And her friends were non-benders. One threw sharp things, and the other kept bouncing around all over the place and blocking our bending, somehow."

Through the earth, she saw him stiffen and felt his heartbeat speed up. One of the corners of her mouth turned down, and she planted her feet more firmly.

"Oh. Well, I don't think all firebenders are like that," he said, his voice steady and giving no emotion away.

But Toph knew better. "Well that's good to hear. But why're you nervous?"

"It's... not very comforting to hear that there's a trio like that out there," he said, palms flat on the boulder they were sitting on.

Toph used her whole body to sense the emotional vibrations coming from him. "Do you know who that was?"

"I… maybe. I have an idea."

She sat up, raising a fist and a rock the size of her head with her. "I can tell when you're lying, you know. Don't make me beat the answer out of you."

He sighed. "It sounds like you ran into Azula—princess of the Fire Nation—and her friends."

"Azula…" Toph repeated, lowering her hand and the rock. "She sounds like trouble."

"She is trouble," he agreed, voice grim. "She's only interested in power and in getting what she wants."

She turned her head to face him. "You sound like you know her."

"I know of her," he corrected, voice cautious. "I'd stay very, very, very far away from her if I were you."

Toph snorted, putting her hands behind her head. "If she's chasing after the Avatar, then I've got no choice."

He stiffened again. "You're traveling with the Avatar?"

Too late, Toph realized her mistake. Oh well. Nothing for it. "Yeah. I'm his earthbending teacher," she said, scratching her ear. "Why should anybody but the best teach him?"

"Why indeed…" he said, mostly to himself. "But it makes sense then why Azula would be chasing after you. I don't envy the path ahead for the Avatar… or his friends," he added, his heartbeat still moving quickly.

"Well, whatever comes, we'll get through it," Toph said, shrugging. "We'll have to."

The other was quiet for a moment. "Or die trying?" He asked, shifting on the rock.

"Please," Toph said, snorting. "We'll win. It'll probably be difficult, but we'll get through it alive."

"I hope so," he replied, his tone grim. "Though if the war were that easy to end it would've been done a long time ago… and fewer people would be dead."

"I didn't say it would be easy. Just that we'll win and totally kick the Fire Lord's butt!" She grinned, pumping both fists up in the air.

"Maybe you will," he said, and it sounded like there was a slight smile in his voice, but it disappeared too quickly for her to tell. "That would make a lot of people happy."

"Ha! There's no maybe about it." She pointed at his face. "We will win."

"I wish I had your confidence," he said. It felt like he was still watching her. "What makes you so sure?"

She shrugged, letting her arm fall back on the rock. "Somebody has to be. Else we'd never go through with this whole thing."

"The Avatar isn't sure? What about his friends?"

She paused, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I'm not sure. They never really talk about it. But I can feel how nervous they get sometimes."

"That makes sense, even if they don't say anything," he said, leaning back on the rock.

Toph closed her eyes. "I guess."

They were quiet for a while. Eventually, he shifted slightly and spoke again in an overly casual voice. "So, does the Avatar have a firebending teacher yet?"

It took all her control to keep her face from splitting into an evil grin. "No, not yet. He has to master earthbending first before he can learn firebending. Why? You wanna teach him?"

"What makes you ask such a thing?" His voice is edging towards defensive, and his heart rate leapt.

Bingo.

"Well, why else would you ask, or care so much?"

"What makes you think I'm a firebender?" He shot back, body betraying his uneasiness.

"I don't know," she shrugged, still grinning, "I didn't suspect you were 'til you started getting all defensive about it."

She heard the quiet sound of teeth grinding. "That's not something your feet can tell you?"

"I don't know if you're a bender or what type until I see you bend," she said, putting her hands behind her head. "I'm working on that though."

"Hm. Well, either way, the Avatar will have to learn firebending before he can face the Fire Lord."

Toph snorted. "Obviously." She sat up. "So, why don't you want to be his firebending teacher?"

He twitched slightly. "I'd have to be a firebender, wouldn't I?"

Still wanna play dumb? Fine. I'll unmask you for real this time.

"I think you are," she retorted, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Why?" He moved up onto one knee, his whole body tense.

She tapped her ear. "I never forget a voice. I've met you before; I know the face under the mask." Her grinned widened. "Prince Zuko."

In one smooth movement, he jumped to his feet, backing away and dropping into a fighting stance. Toph tilted her head to the side, arms resting on her knees.

"What's up with you? Look, I don't want to fight you. You can help us, can't you?"

"You don't want to fight me?" Zuko's voice was wary, though he was still tense. "Why not?"

Toph grinned. "Actually, I'd love to spar with you, but that's not the point. I just want to know if you can help us."

He straightened, hands dropping by his side and clenching into fists. "You don't want my help," he said, his voice flat.

"Why not? You can teach him, can't you?"

"The Avatar can't learn firebending from me."

Toph stood, folding her arms. "Why not? Think you're too weak?" She accentuated the insult with a smirk.

Rage rippled out from him. "Of course I'm not too weak!"

"Because, you know," she said, speaking as if she hadn't heard him, "the Avatar can only have the best teachers." She spread her hands out, turning her back to him. "No weaklings in this group!"

Something hot spiked under the rage. Toph frowned, concentrating on that sensation. Was that his bending?

"You can't find anyone better than me," he growled.

She twisted her head back, "looking" over her shoulder. "Oh really?"

"Really!" He snarled, taking a step forward. Heat shot out from where he was connected to the earth again. "If you know who I am, you know what I can do!"

Toph whipped around, settling firmly into her stance. "Prove it!"

Zuko ripped the mask off his face, tying it to the strap resting across his chest. He dropped again into a fighting stance, aggression and rage radiating through the earth from him. "You asked for it. Maybe you won't regret it, but I doubt that."

"Your little fire can't hurt me," she spoke in a mocking tone, smile on her face showing just how much she was relishing the banter. "Let's see what you've got, Prince."

Without warning, he leapt up, and a jet of flame shot straight towards her face.

So this came from a fantastic RP I did with my friend. She is AMAZING as Zuko. As such, 98% of Zuko's dialogue came direct from her, because I couldn't think of anything better. :D so I can't take credit for that.