"What Settles in the Heart"
Author's Notes: This is dedicated to Muck and Mire for the inspiration and her unrivaled support. This is my first fanfiction story and I hope that you -who stumbled by this fanfic- will help me grow throughout the whole process.
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is solely created from the dynamic duo, Bryke.
Chapter 1: The Raging Fire
'This is bad, this is so bad.', Toph chanted inside her head, already imagining the inevitable. She and Aang arrived before a seemingly endless chasm found at the heart of a village hidden behind a white mist. It was surrounded by a line of loft trees and strident shrubs with hidden bristles.
Aang was about to leap in using his airbending to support him, when Toph's hand held his wrist, stopping him from his tracks.
"Don't.", Was all she said and Aang took this as a spontaneous opportunity to look at her after their quick departure from the camp. Her eyes narrowed and she shifted her foot closer to the hole, her stance firm but wary.
"Stupid numbskulls.", she had said back then when she heard the news about her metalbending students. She was determined to go after them adding to him along the way that she won't hesitate to pulverize them for their recklessness. Needless to say, she looked quite relieved now. That, he easily thought before her sea foam green eyes began to widen in worry.
That is when Aang heard some heavy footsteps and a low grumbling sound coming from the deep pit.
"I know I taught you lily-livers to be rockheaded, but this is ridiculous!", scolded the 14 year old sifu to a grief-strucken Ho Tun as he submerged himself out from the hole, carrying The Dark One who looked limp and heavily injured in his arms.
As soon as Aang saw them and the obvious stench of the blood continously dripping to the ground. He instantly scans over his injuries, inspecting the severe burns that covered his chest. The smell of the burnt flesh had been sickening enough that it mentally made him gag.
Toph looked rigid and the slightest hint of her lips trembling had only proved how nervous she was."Twinkletoes, can you heal him?"
Aang reluctantly agreed with a hum." Lay him down so I can heal him." He said while swiftly condensing the clouds hovering around the foggy terrain they were currently on.
At this, Toph had already made a resilient bed out of earth. Ho Tun carefully laid his fatally injured comrade on it before toppling down on his knees in exhaustion. Immediately using her seismic sense to hear his heartbeat, Toph could feel herself drowning in turmoil as she felt his heart slowing down into a dying rhythm.
Aang who was trying to heal The Dark One, with his hands armed in a glowing water, quickly halted the process to voice out the same thoughts that Toph had at that moment."Toph I can't-"
"-get him on Appa! We need Katara!", Toph commanded, channeling a pillar of stone under Ho Tun that sends him bouncing back to his feet. Pointing her finger in general to his direction, she barks an order." Go with Twinkles and help him find Katara!"
Ho Tun, without a moment to waste, scooped his ally in his arms once again and turned to Toph." W-What about you S-Sifu Toph?", he stumbled over his words, his nerves getting the best of him.
Toph turned away, her back facing them, as she took a step closer at the bottomless pit.
Her silence was deafening them and Aang suddenly felt his insides twisting into a knot." Toph?", tranced Aang, dreading the fact that he already knew her response.
"What else? Lil-I mean Penga's still down there right?"
Aang did not waver his instinct to dither Toph's decision." You can't go there on your own! It's too dangerous! We need some backup Toph!", he shouted on top of his lungs, giving her a pleading look, oblivious to the fact that she couldn't.
"No, we don't. You got me. I'm the backup." She stands by what she says, cracking her knuckles." Besides, you need to get these lily-livers to safety."
Aang's patience was quickly thinning and Toph's stubbornness was burning his fuse like a wildfire." I can't just leave you behind! That's…," he trailed off and sighed."…it's just wrong. You're my friend Toph, letting you go only to hurt yourself…I just can't do it."
Toph closes her eyes for a minute, calming herself with ease." You're the Avatar Twinkletoes, it's your responsibility. You can't just leave one of my students to die on your sight.", she paused, steadying herself and her words." Besides, my student is down there probably hacking up a lung trying to call for help, so why waste the opportunity?"
Aang felt himself soften at Toph's bluntness. Inwardly, he didn't know he was actually smiling at the complete understanding of the words she just said. He may be her friend but she didn't want to stop him from doing his duty as the Avatar. In doing so, he felt a sudden realization starting to kick in his mind at the obvious intent of her inquiry. Toph was asking him a favor, she had a duty too and she wished to take up her position as a teacher since these kids were practically her responsibility. Afterall he can't stop her once she made up her mind.
'I can do what I want to do Twinkles.' ,he remembered her say.
With his new resolution, Aang motioned Ho Tun a head start to where Appa was left off before turning back to Toph, quite defeated."Just don't hurt yourself Toph."
Toph faced him over her shoulder, showing him her signature grin." Geez enough getting so mushy about it you airhead! It's like you don't even know me." She got into her stance, her grin never leaving to grace her features." You know I can't let Princess swoop in only to rescue me, that would just be embarrassing."
Aang heartily chuckles at her attempt to joke. Though he can already admit that Toph can indeed lift a lot of people up and she doesn't even know this herself." I'm betting on that."
Stepping a few meters backwards, Toph replies." You bet I would.", she summoned another earth pillar below her, using her momentum, Toph leaps up and falls into the dark chasm.
Aang stayed there for a few seconds and he would often find himself thinking of going after her as suddenly feeling doubtful by the empty presence of his friend. He tries to clear his head, focusing on the serious state The Dark One is already in. He calculated his thoughts unaware of the grave danger Toph has put on for herself.
Oblivious to the possibility that this may perhaps be the last time they'll be spending with each other.
Toph stealthily moved to her right sensing huge chunks of flaming rocks aiming at them. Despite the obvious difference of muscle mass she has against her opponents, she easily destroyed the earthen projectiles with direct punches and swift kicks. Striking the ground with her fist she creates a strong fissure, thus throwing the remaining Dai Li agents off balance and letting them fall to the deep waters below the cave. The lights from Azula's lightning dancing in the water and killing them off.
She felt Zuko on her left, spinning a kick that created an intense arc of fire directed at Azula , trying to knock her down. Azula condenses his attack and she successfully cuts open a wall through it, completely unscathed from burning. Finding herself near the once exiled prince of the Fire Nation, she created a long lash of fire at him and hits Zuko in his arm. Wincing, the young Fire Lord jumped behind the unappalled and self-acclaimed Melon Lord .
"Now what?", Zuko hissed while repetitively charging Azula with missiles of fireballs.
"You tell me Sparky! Where's the whole backup you've been boasting about?!", Toph retorts, creating an earthen wall around them and instantly initiates another move, allowing her to send numerous slabs of rocks at Azula and the Dai Li, getting them thrown away and a few immobilized.
"They're fending off the others!", He swipes a bead of sweat falling down on his forehead and looks at Toph, quite irritated." I thought you could sense them!"
At this rate, they were starting an argument in the middle of a fight and Toph did not hesitate to bite back." We'll they should at least try to be helpful instead of swinging around like a couple of helpless floozies!"
He felt a vein just popped on his head." They are helping Toph! Can't you not see that?!", he yelled defensively against the burning flames around them.
"I wish I could!"
Azula smirks at their banter, a bit amused, while wiping the blood out of her lips."My, my Zuzu, I thought you would learn a thing or two about women especially after that water tribe savage you were with. I guess social intelligence doesn't really run in all the members of our family, don't you think?"
" Shut up Flameo!", hollered Toph, sending a rock towards Azula's ground and nearly throwing her off her feet until she jumped off to the other side of a cliff with agility.
"Okay here's the plan Sparky…", she whispers to him while launching a projectile between the legs of another agent.
Zuko visibly shuddered at that and can't help but wince." What kind of plan?"
Toph felt her lip slowly turning into a very sinister smirk." One that will work." She said and quickly whispers her idea.
After a moment, Zuko nodded and Toph hastily beckoned the rocks and crystals to mold around her, creating her own armor. Spun-at-the-moment , Zuko sprints towards the edge of the cliff and thrusts himself to the other side where he took a paralyzed Penga by his arms and calls after Toph who tossed herself like a meat to a hungry animal he would like to call his sister.
" Toph!"
Toph positioned herself in another stance, preparing for Azula." Just go! I'll catch up!"
Grunting, Zuko warily ambled his way above the underground cave, conjuring a huge amount of flame to propel himself and the unconscious Penga away from the battle for the time-being.
Seeing this herself, Azula tries to assault them with kicks and punches that emitted a blazing blue fire, but Toph easily block each hit with her body. The earth armor attaining the perfect shield between her and Azula's hits.
" You're a pesky little girl, aren't you?", the cunning firebender, cheekily remarked.
"Coming from you Flameo, I'll take that as a compliment." Toph deviously replied, unknowing of the deathly glare the princess was giving her.
Letting out a cry of war, Azula launched herself towards the blind earthbender directing two powerful fire streams at her will and sending them towards her armored opponent. Toph creates a wall and conjures a wave of earth under her feet. Circling around Azula, she began to shoot her with shrapnel-like fragments at a great velocity.
Azula tries to shift her way out of the impending rapidity of the projectiles but it only ends up giving her bruises and cuts thus letting her hair out of its usual knot. Enraged, Azula pressurizes her fire into a ball and shoots it toward her. Toph was taken aback by the aerial attack and found herself getting hit by the fire and it broke her armor, pieces of it showering down like hailstones. She got thrown backwards as she hits her back against the wall and a cloud of dusts ensues.
Cackling over her victory, Azula saunters towards the damage she had made." You think you can beat me!"
She doesn't answer and Azula couldn't help but feel relatively fond at the demise of the Avatar's earthbending teacher.
"How pathetic of you to even think that way?! You're so naïve like my brother that it makes you a fail-", Azula inwardly gasps as she felt an earthquake beneath her.
In a blink of an eye, Toph comes out of the ground before with a metal cable in her hold. Azula tries to move her hands to bend, she found her body sinking rapidly on a quicksand. Toph used her distraction by bending the metal around her arms like a shackle.
"How dare you! You little wench! You won't get away with this!", Azula curses her, screaming. She lashed out, fire spewing out of her mouth.
Toph cautiously steps back."Aww widdle Zula got lost in our game,", Toph muses and she couldn't help herself but laugh. Taunting the evil Fire Nation Princess had worked wonders." Sorry Flameo but the Melon Lord and the Greatest Earthbender in the World has won fair and square."
"Toph!" she hears Zuko, unaware of how much relieved he had looked upon seeing her alive and well against his sister. He didn't notice that he was smiling or the fact that a sudden weight was gone from his shoulders.
Toph was just about to turn to him, about to give him a thumbs up for a job well done when she suddenly felt her entire body turn rigidly stiff.
'What the-'
Toph's eyes widened in horror at the fact that she suddenly couldn't control her body. She tries to move her arms by flailing them around but by doing so the pain intensified making her wince in sheer pain. She suddenly felt her own body being lifted from the ground, leaving her blind and scarcely helpless.
"TOPH!", Zuko tried to call. He blenched in terror at the scene in front of him as Toph tried to move her way out of the problem. Alarmed, Zuko tried to attack Azula, not knowing that she wasn't the cause of the problem. In the instant moment of leaping towards her with a flame in his hands he found himself buckling down on the ground, shuddering at the throbbing pain that had now engulfed his body.
"What's….h-happening?", Zuko managed to say between whimpers and grunts in agony.
A familiar chortle roused him a minute away from his painful reverie. While on mid-air, Toph perked up at the sound. That's when she fully understood why she was like this. She felt her neck stretch and her jaw tightening in anger.
"H-Hama."
An old woman with long white hair stepped out from the shadows with a Dai Li agent following close-by, trying to stifle a guffaw." Why? It's the little earthbender…", she noted quite pleased as she eyed Toph." It's so nice to see you again."
She later turned on Zuko who's still griping on the floor, seething."Isn't this lovely? The Fire Lord has graced me with his presence today." She jested while motioning for an agent to come forth to help Azula from her state.
"Well…t-this must…be your…l-lucky day," Toph added, trying to mess around firing sarcastic remarks at the old lady. She regretted it later though, when she felt her chest tighten and the air has been sucked out of her like a fish out of water.
"I forgot you had quite a tongue, It will do me well to end you right here, don't you think so your highness?", Hama looked at Azula, who had an evil glint in her eyes and only nodded in confirmation to her death intent.
Zuko felt his heart stop at the pulsating mayhem he felt inside him after hearing their conversation. He might go insane as fear and anger starts to bubble up inside of him."D-Don't… kill her,", he uttered in a grave tone.
"Don't worry,",With a menacing smile, Azula moves her way to her brother. She tilts his head up and Zuko quivers at the disturbing sight ."You don't get to miss the action."
Toph was now above the electrifying water where death would surely welcome her. Zuko stirred in her hold, trying to break free.
'Move you stupid body! Move!', Toph tried to wiggle her way out of this trance. But her body, it was betraying her to do so. 'How pathetic! I can't even blink!'
He had to save Toph. His mind was screaming for him to move but his body wasn't in his control anymore. He remained persistent using the last of his strength. But he didn't miss how Hama changed her stance and drops her.
"TOPH!"
Her downfall was slow like time was mocking him at his failure. It was eating him, killing him sound of her splash indicating that she had hit the waters and her heart-rending scream resonating the cave. It was all ear-splitting, making him feel numb and hollow like a huge part of him had been stolen, burned and murdered.
'Look after her Zuko.'
It was helpless, he couldn't do it.
He couldn't save Toph.
She's dead.
His face felt cold and flushed from his tears. He couldn't even feel Azula hits him from behind. All he saw was the fire raging and the lights from the water dancing before he blacked out with the words lingering in his throat, unspoken.
'I'm sorry Toph.'
A/N:Honest thoughts?