I don't own Avatar. Fooled you, didn't I? No? Fine, then.
Chapter 2
"We'll see if there are no earth benders in this village."
Colonel Monkai raised his hand, preparing to signal the rest of the Rough Rhinos to attack the village. Toph's grip on Aang strengthened as he tried to squirm away. He couldn't stand the looks on the villagers faces. If Toph could only see how helpless they looked she would understand.
Water rained down over the roofs of the flaming houses. Katara had drawn a stream from one of the faucets and used it to put out the fires. She glared at Colonel Monkai and his band of bullies, the village smoking around them. Everyone's eyes were on the suddenly discovered water bender who was standing bravely in front of the Rough Rhinos.
Colonel Monkai grinned. "I remember you," he said. "You're that Water Tribe peasant who was traveling with the Avatar!" He turned back to Anon. "Harboring fugitives is a terrible crime," he said, raising his hands, fire flowing from the fingertips. One of the Rough Rhinos notched an arrow. Another spun his chain ball.
"Stupid, impulsive Sugar Queen," muttered Toph. "Keep him out of trouble, okay, Kyp?" she said, shoving Aang into Kyp's booth. Kyp sighed.
"Stay secret!"added Toph as she ran to Katara's side. Sokka was already there, sword at the ready.
Colonel Monkai laughed. "If you insist," he spat.
A flaming arrow flew at Katara, which Sokka sliced in half with his sword. The man with the chain ball hurled it towards Toph, who knocked it out of the way with a boulder. Katara ran towards Colonel Monkai, her canteen open. The Colonel sent a fireball at her face. She slid just underneath it, making a path of ice for her to follow. She slid between the rhino's legs, avoiding another fire blast. Catching Colonel Monkai off guard, Toph threw a boulder in his direction. An arrow pierced through the center of the boulder, shattering it instantly.
"Katara! Watch out!" shouted Sokka. A small bomb had landed just next to her. She surrounded the fuse with ice, rendering it useless. The chain ball zipped at Sokka, who jumped over it. He flipped in the air and grabbed the chain with his off-hand, yanking it forward and sending the man who had thrown it off his rhino. Toph hurled another boulder, but Colonel Monkai's rhino turned around and smashed it with its tail.
Back at the food vendor's, Aang could do nothing but watch.
"Hey, Kyp?" he asked. "Do you know anything about, you know, love?"
Kyp shrugged. "I know how to spell it."
Aang sighed.
The man with the chain had mounted his rhino again and Katara, Toph, and Sokka had regrouped, now surrounded by the four men on rhinos. They panted together, searching for some way to get out of their situation.
"There's too many of them!" said Katara.
"If only we could separate them," said Sokka. "Or if there were more of us."
As if on cue, a wall of earth slammed into Colonel Monkai's rhino, sending him flying into one of the sculptures.
"Hey, nice one, Toph," said Sokka.
"That wasn't me," said Toph.
The remaining Rough Rhinos turned to see a group of earth benders, Anon Omis included, chucking giant rocks at them. Katara, Toph, and Sokka sprang back into action. Within a few quick moments all the Rough Rhinos were imprisoned in either earth or ice.
"Ha!" Sokka taunted Colonel Monkai as he came to. "That's what you get for messing with us!"
"Right, Sokka," said Katara, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure your plan was for the town to actually be filled with earth benders."
"It was my back-up," retorted Sokka.
Aang joined the group gathered around the defeated invaders. "So you're all earth benders?" he said to Anon with a wide grin. "What are you doing so deep inside the Fire Nation?"
"Oh, we've lived here for generations," said Anon. "Our people have always been great sculptors, and this little valley is the home of incredible marble deposits."
"Sounds perfect for you guys," said Katara.
"Well," said Sokka, stretching, "this has been a little more adventure than I bargained for. Come on, guys. We should get moving."
"Hey, wait!" said Anon. "Why don't you guys stay for the night? We owe it to you for your help. Any friends of the Avatar, rest his soul, are friends of our."
"Right," said Aang, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Rest his soul."
"That's very kind of you," said Katara. "But we're on a tight schedule and we really should go."
"We'll throw you a feast, too," said Anon.
Sokka and Toph wolfed down the meat in front of them, Katara trying her absolute hardest not to pay attention. She struck up conversation with Kyp, which didn't get very far because Kyp was not a very talkative person. He enjoyed nodding and shrugging more than spoken language. And besides, his voice wasn't loud enough to drown out the gross chewing, gulping, and burping noises coming from her brother and Toph. Her eyes drifted to the door where Aang sat, alone, staring off to the west as the sun set. Katara excused herself and walked over.
"Hey, you haven't eaten anything," she said.
Aang grunted.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, sitting down and setting her hand on his surprisingly cold shoulder.
Aang wiped his eyes and looked into her eyes. "I miss Gyatso," he said.
"Gyatso?" asked Katara, confused. "I thought you were done dwelling on the past. That's what you said after that mean fisherman yelled at you."
"I just said that so you wouldn't worry about me anymore."
"What brought this up all of a sudden?" asked Katara. "Why are you thinking about the air benders now?"
"Well," said Aang, "we just saved this village, this unique village of artists, from being wiped out from the Fire Nation."
"I don't understand," said Katara. "Isn't that a good thing?"
Aang sighed and looked away. Toph was asking for seconds behind them while some of the earth benders were singing on the tables. Aang and Katara ignored the sounds.
"I couldn't fight," he said. "If the villagers hadn't stepped in you would have lost or I would have needed to reveal myself. And I would have failed. Again. And another people, another culture, would have been wiped out. Just like the air benders."
Katara pulled him into a hug, letting his tears fall on her dress and warm her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know it doesn't help much, but I hope we can replace some of your pain with friendship and love."
Aang looked up aft her again. "Love manifests itself in new forms, in the form of new friends and companions. In you. Katara, I love you," said Aang. Except he didn't really say it. He just wished he did.
"Hey, Twinkle Toes!" shouted Toph. Somehow the loudest person Aang knew had managed to sneak up on him. "It's time for some earth bending training!"
"Can't you give him a minute?" snarled Katara.
"No, it's okay," said Aang, standing up. "Thanks for listening, Katara." Aang walked out with Toph, taking a path away from the village where they could earth bend without disturbing anyone. Katara gazed after him, watching as he hung his head and dragged himself beside Toph. Obviously he wasn't okay.
Once they were out of sight, Toph slugged Aang's shoulder. Aang yelped.
"Ow! Why'd you do that?"
"Next time you should just kiss her," said Toph bluntly.
"Wait, what?"
"Listen, smart guy," said Toph, jabbing his chest with a finger, "No matter how many little hints you leave her, she's never going to figure it out."
"Figure what out?" asked Aang. Then, realizing what she meant, added quietly, "Wait, you know?"
Toph guffawed. "Of course I know. You make it so obvious!"
Aang hung his head. "I know," he complained. "But she doesn't seem to get it. I mean, even that crazy sculptor who I've never met before could tell!"
"Is that a problem, lover boy?" asked Toph. "Because if it were, I'd try hiding it better."
"No," said Aang. "I want her to notice. But she never does."
"Let me tell you something about Water Tribe people," said Toph. "They're so wrapped up in their mushy love affair with their family and their tribe that they can't tell one kind of love from another."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll put it simply," said Toph, stomping her foot on the ground. "If you don't kiss her, she'll just think you love her like a sister. Trust me, I know."
Aang gulped. It was such a nice prospect, but so scary at the same time. "Thanks, Toph," he said nervously as they separated and prepared to begin earth bending training.
"Be confident," she said. "Attack your problems head-on like an earth bender."
"All right," said Aang. "Wait, how do you know this stuff about how Water Tribe people think about love?" he asked. The only Water Tribe people she could have learned this from were Katara and Sokka. Could it be…?
Toph hurled a boulder at Aang before he could make the realization.
A boulder smashed in the distance as Sokka grabbed the seat in the doorway next to Katara, the seat already warmed from Aang's previous presence there. Together they stared in silence as the sun finished setting. Sokka sighed.
"Do you feel like taking a walk?" he asked.
"Sure," said Katara, standing up. The brother and sister made their way away from the town, heading towards a hill that could maybe give them a better view of the sunset. They walked silently. They had been traveling together for so long without much time alone. They didn't really know what to do with it anymore. They reached the top of the hill and sat down, gazing together out over the small valley and the village below.
"It's warm," Sokka said.
Katara knew what he meant. "And big," she replied.
They continued to stare at the sunset, the sky turning from a shade of deep red to dark purple.
Sokka smiled. "You know, we do pretty well for two kids who've never left the South Pole," he said.
Katara chuckled. "You think so?"
"Well, we are saving the world," said Sokka.
"I never knew what the world was before," said Katara. She turned to face Sokka. "All I knew about the world was from the legends. But now I get to actually see it."
"I like it, too," said Sokka.
"Even if it's warm?" smiled Katara.
Sokka nodded. "And big."
"I'm worried about Aang," said Katara.
"He's the Avatar," said Sokka. "If anyone can figure things out it's him."
"That's the problem," said Katara. "He's being expected to solve all the world's problems, but he's only a twelve-year-old kid."
"Thirteen," corrected Sokka. "He had a birthday while he was unconscious after getting hit by Azula's lightning. He told me."
"Oh, whatever," said Katara. "Thirteen. And everyone's expecting him throw away his childhood. Like it's so easy."
"Hey, growing up isn't so bad," said Sokka. "We had to grow up pretty fast too, you know."
"Yeah," said Katara. "But I miss having a childhood. Fun for the sake of fun. The kind of thing Aang brought to our village when we first found him."
Sokka turned to the sunset again. "I guess I know what you mean," he said.
"Aang doesn't want to grow up," said Katara. "He's fighting it as hard as he can, but he's being forced to all the time. It's so unfair."
"Maybe we can show him something good about growing up," suggested Sokka.
"How?" asked Katara. "What part of growing up would appeal to Aang?"
Sokka rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure," he said. "I like being able to fight Fire Nation soldiers, but Aang isn't into that kind of thing."
"You like Suki," joked Katara.
"Yes," he retorted defensively. "As a matter of fact, I do like Suki!" The two looked back at the sunset, Sokka's face turning quizzical as he put two and two together. "Wait, Katara," asked Sokka. "Do you realize what you just said?"
"Yeah. I said that you like Suki," she said, not realizing what she had really said.
Sokka shrugged. "Just curious."
A large blast echoed throughout the valley coming from where Toph and Aang were earth bending. Sokka and Katara leapt to their feet, looking wildly about.
Moments before, Toph's head turned, attentive to something deep in the woods. Aang heard it, too. The sound of someone drawing in a deep breath through his nose. In the distance Aang could barely make out the form of a man, but Aang already knew what he looked like. He already knew the man had a metallic arm, muscles that would make the Boulder cry, a fierce goatee, and a tattoo of an eye on his forehead.
And Aang already knew he could blow things up with his mind.
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I really, really wanted Aang's talk with Toph to be with Suki instead. Usually the Toph relationship advice plotlines all end up the same. But it would never work in the established plot, except during the Serpent's Pass, when Aang wouldn't have been very receptive to relationship advice. Besides Suki, Toph would be the best one to notice how clueless our Water Tribe friends are about being wanted on. Anyhow, I hope that it worked for everyone.
And who knew a fight scene was so hard to write? I should have asked Booter-Freak to do it for me. He's good at that sort of thing.
Actually, after reading it again, it's not as bad as I thought. More Combustion Man coming up in the ensuing segment. Exclamation point. And more romance? Maybe...
-samtana
