When Toph and Zuko Fix Problems

When Toph and Zuko Fix Problems

SongFic, I'll Make a Man Out of You, from Mulan. Toph and Zuko give Aang a talking to about what he needs to incorporate into his fighting. No shippings specified. PreFinale, Set at Ember Island.

ATLA

Sokka

Today seemed like a normal day. I'd gotten up super late and ate some food. Every else had already been up for hours and no one had bothered me all day. So, naturally, I'd been watching my back all day. They were up to something and I didn't like it. (XX)

It was a windy day and it was pretty cold, so I opted to stay out of the water.

Cautiously, I stood at water's edge to watch Aang and Katara swim. Aang had his hilarious hat on and I wanted to make sure it didn't fall off or something and blow his (and our) cover. They probably would've been Waterbending if it hadn't been for all the people on the beach.

Suddenly I heard a whisper of, "Katara! Watch this!" And Aang began to move his hands in a back and forth motion. Katara snickered behind her hand as I saw a rather large, (but not large enough to be suspicious to others) wave coming at me.

"Stupid wind. Stupid beach. Stupid--;" As the wave passed through me and soaked me up to my waist, I saw Zuko and Toph coming towards the beach. The two of them had been spending quite some time together and had really become good friends.

"AA-KUZON!" Zuko screamed.

I flashed him a thumbs up. "Nice Catch."

"Get out here TwinkleToes!" Toph called, coming to stand between Zuko and I.

I raised an eyebrow. "So…what's going on?"

"We were talking…" Toph motioned her hand between her and Zuko.

Zuko finished her sentence, much to my surprise. "And we're going to fix a problem." Zuko pointed to Aang, who was swimming towards the shore, as if to say he was the problem.

Toph added, "Yeah, we think someone needs a slight wake-up call."

XXXX

Aang

I covered my ears as Toph screamed, "WHY ARE YOU MESSING AROUND!"

Next to me, Zuko unplugged his own ears and said, "Toph…I think that we should make our point before we blow out Aang's ear drums."

Toph nodded. "Ok. Fair enough."

I warily looked at Toph, then at Zuko. "What's going on exactly?"

"Aang…let's look at the facts." Toph sighed. "You're going to have to face the firelord sometime…and we kind of feel like…YOU'RE TO LAME TO DO IT!"

Zuko shook his head. "What Toph means is…you're lacking…the proper components…"

"NO! What I mean is, YOU'RE TO LAME TO DO IT!"

Zuko seemed to ignore her comment and continued. "Sure, you've got the bending down and what not, but you don't have the right…attitude going for you. There are other things that you should have besides good bending."

How come no one had ever told me about these 'things'? "Like what SiFu Hotman?"

Zuko angrily furrowed his eyebrow at me and gritted his teeth. "Aang."

"Sorry! Seriously Zuko…like what?"

"Like…like…"

Toph burst in, "You should be as tranquil as a forest."

"Yeah!" Zuko's mind seemed to get turning at this. "But you should still maintain your inner fire."

"And…and…" Toph was grasping for words.

"Ooo!" Zuko pressed his fists together, imitating me. "And when you meditate, you're so centered. Any mental imbalances you have vanish. It's perfect, you'd totally win if you just channel that into your bending."

"Wait." I'd needed a moment to sink in what had just been said. "So…you two are saying I should be tranquil, but still have an inner fire? And that…I should be calm…when I'm fighting?" I put my hand on my forehead. "I'm so confused."

Zuko looked at Toph. "I think we're scaring him."

Toph smiled. "To death?"

"No. Just the normal kind."

Now I was getting frustrated. "Will you two stop talking about me like I'm not here!?"

"Fine fine. Chill out TwinkleToes."

"Can you guys…just make your advice easier to comprehend or something…?"

Zuko nodded his head. "Sure, we've gotta make this work somehow."

Toph placed a hand on my shoulder. "Come on Aang, it's actually pretty simple. All you have to do is…be a man!"

"Yeah," Zuko cut in. "Be…be swift as a…coursing river!"

"And…have all the force of a great typhoon." Toph smiled. "Especially in your earthbending."

"Have the strength of…a raging fire." When my face twisted up in a puzzled expression, Zuko seemed to take notice and explained, "Fire might not be what you think of when you hear the word 'strength' but take a second and think about it."

Zuko

Aang took a moment then broke out in a huge grin. "Fire…it's not 'physically strong' but…it's got the will power. The want to grow and live."

I nodded. "Exactly."

"Congrats TwinkleToes. You 're finally getting it. But one more thing, try being aloof. Have a mysterious air about you. Don't be so straightforward. Be like…be like...The dark side of the moon."

Aang stood up and looked at each of us. "Am I done? Is that it?"

"First." I pushed my hair out of my eyes. This was serious. "Tell us what we said."

Aang ticked the 6 things off on his fingers. "I have to be as tranquil as a forest but have a fire within. I have to find my center. I must be swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire and…mysterious as the dark side of the moon. Good?"

"Yeah. You can go."

Aang began to walk away then stopped in the doorway and smiled. "Thanks you guys. That really helped…a lot."

"Ya know Toph." I turned to her, as Aang left the room. "I was really worried about that kid…but now…"

She nodded. "I know Zuko. He's gonna be great."

XXxXX

A/N: I was listening to music on my mp3 and realized how each of those things applied to Aang towards the end. At least…I thought they did. This is my first Fanfic that did not center on a shipping and I'm very happy with how it turned out.

(XX) Because nothing can ever be 'normal'. Sokka and his paranoia. Gotta love it.

-Mandi (Toruh)

P.S. If anyone wants to supply an idea for another 'problem' that Toph and Zuko should fix, I'll happily accept it.