Chapter 2: Pins & Needles
"Uh…What?"
"Oh don't give me that Sparky. I've heard enough of Snoozles' stories to know that the two of you were separated for some time, and she did after all save your butt back there…" Toph raised her eyebrows at Zuko, noticing his heart quicken…she hit a nerve. "Well? And don't even try lying to the greatest earthbender, you're not your sister."
Thank god for that, Zuko thought. "Shewasmygirlfriend…" he mumbled under his breath, hoping the blind bender hadn't heard. But of course she had, this was Toph after all.
"You're girlfriend? You mean you dated Needles?!" Toph attempted to suppress a laugh, which she ended up releasing as a chortle."
"Was. Was my girlfriend. And hold on, Needles?!"
She bent the marble beneath her, softening the mineral as she stretch out her legs and wiggled her toes, which were becoming colder as she sat on the cold floor. Zuko looked around the Toph's room; of course she didn't need much but the contents of her bag (known only to Toph), her extra clothing sprawled on the floor (if Katara found it like that there would be hell to pay), and what seemed to be a mountain of marble rocks (which Zuko supposed Toph kept in case of an attack.) The fire bender stood up and found what he was looking for, a blanket, and threw it at Toph, who had been monitoring his movements and grabbed it in midair from her seated position. Zuko smiled, expecting this, and sat back down.
Toph wrapped the blanket around her and brought her knees to her stomach without as much as a thank you. "Well, what happened? And yes, Needles, everyone gets a nickname, regardless of being fire nation or not…Sparky." Toph smiled, and then waited, of course impatiently, for Zuko's response, who was debating whether or not to explain to a 12-year-old his past relationship with his sister's friend.
"She…I…"
YAWN "Don't put me to sleep before you even started Sparks!"
Zuko decided to start at the beginning. The longer I go on the sooner she'll fall asleep, and the fewer questions asked.
"Ned-Ugh. Mai was friends with Azula and Ty L—"
"Pins."
"What?"
"The jumpy perky one. Pins. She can knock people out like that—" Toph started jabbing in midair." "—And they fall straight to the ground. Like marble pins."
"Right…" Zuko was surprised at the blind bender's ability to give nicknames so accurately when she couldn't even see those of which she nicknamed.
"Well, Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee hung around the palace when we were young…Azula usually thinking of ways to torture me and then getting Pi-Ty Lee and Mai on it."
Toph smiled; she seemed to be having an effect on Zuko, he was after all beginning to use the nicknamed she assigned his former allies.
"I hadn't noticed it, but Mai seemed to haveacrushonme," Zuko mumbled again, but unfortunately Toph understood.
"Modest, aren't we?"
Zuko ignored the comment and continued, telling Toph of the time that Zuko attempted to push a burning apple off of Mai head but the two ended up one on top of the other in a fountain. "…Just as Azula had planned…"
"Ok, enough of the kiddy stuff, get to the part where you're actually a couple."
Zuko sighed; she was impatient. "After Aang fall she kissed me while on the way back home, and we kinda became…"
"You're such a girl, say it, a couple. Well? I want a break up story, not all the mushy togetherness. Let's hear it!"
"I had to leave her, when I decided to come and find Aang. So on the Day of Black Sun, I broke up with her…through a note…" Zuko's last words were almost in a whisper, and he looked up at Toph expecting her to criticize him as Mai had done. Instead, she just stared, not at his eyes, but towards his general direction. The small bender said nothing; he had caught her attention.
Zuko starred at his hands. "I didn't know what else to do, so I wrote the letter and left…I told her I was sorry, but she wouldn't have gone with me even if I had asked."
"She didn't love you?"
The scarred firebender looked up. "What makes you think that?"
"Wouldn't she have gone with you otherwise? You didn't even ask her if she wouldn't go, you only assumed it."
Zuko didn't expect this from a 12-year-old, but as that Toph was stronger than she looked it shouldn't have been much of a surprise that she was wiser as well.
There was a minute of silence, Zuko looking up at Toph and Toph starring at the wall behind him. "…I…" He didn't know how to respond, but only continued on with his story.
Drop the subject. You just answered any questions I would have asked. You were too afraid to ask her to come with you Zuko, part of you didn't trust her, afraid that she would rat you out. You don't love her, even though she loved you enough to save your life while risking her own.
"Her uncle is in charge of the Boiling Rock prison. As soon as he realized who I was, Mai's uncle sent note to her, and she came. Mai told me how hurt she was…the note…and I just sat there…"
"Do you regret it?"
"Regret what? Breaking up through a note? Ya, a part of me does. But the other part of me told me then and there that if I had broken her heart face to face, I would have destroyed the only person other than my mom that loved me, and I couldn't do that to her."
"You mean 'to you,'" Toph retorted.
"What?"
"Selfish. You couldn't do that to yourself. You faced your father, you've along side and against that witch of a sister you have," to this Zuko smiled, "and you've gone through numerous risks against Aang, the Avatar. But you couldn't deal with one little break up?"
Again Zuko starred at Toph, and again he was surprised at the words coming out of this pre-teens mouth. But he realized she was right. And he told her so.
"I'm always right Zuko. Rest of the story please."
He smiled again, and then Zuko continued, still in disbelief that he was telling this all to someone that was once his enemy.
"When we were running out of Boiling Rock, the lift suddenly stopped, Mai's uncle had ordered them to cut the line. We would have died in the lava beneath us, but Mai battled the prison guards, and she let us go. Before we reached the other side, our eyes meet. And I knew…she really did love me, I guess that's when I really regretted what I had done; letting her go, breaking up through a note…leaving her to Azula's torture. Anyone who betrays Azula is immediately dead or slowly tortured, that's a fact. End of story! Happy?"
Toph only shrugged, and began to play with the piece of space earth given to her by Sokka. Zuko noticed the value it was to the earthbender; she seemed to never take it off, having it with her where ever she went.
"My turn to ask the questions," he said, looking into Toph's cold stare, which was directed towards his general direction. "What's the deal with you and Sokka?"
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A/N: My tone in this chapter and the first one totally changed. Sorry, but I totally did i better job on the last chapter. I kinda did this just to give you guys something to read and look forward to. (Tokka coming up!!) And im not a 100 Maiko fan, so of course i would do bad on the chapter practically dedicated to the history of the couple. And Toph kinda creeps me out here, acting all...wise and such. I think i was the one talking more than she was. Lol, just tell me watcha think, advice and suggestions would be nice!!
