As Zuko arrived, many a shouts could be heard through the whistling winds. Aang was trying to make peace, Katara was ignoring them, Sokka was yelling, and Toph was eating meat.
"No! Toph, give that back, it's mine." Sokka growled towards the Blind Bandit.
"Does the baby cry when its toys are taken, poor little Sokka." Toph said, adding the 'w' sound to the beginning of all the words that she could.
"Give it back, now."
"Like I'd listen to you, you can't even bend." She knew that was a low blow, but presumed the calm, uncaring façade. Katara had refused to make dinner the day a banished prince had joined them. They were all hungry but tried not to show it, she for one was tired and hungry which made her cranky, very cranky.
Sokka repeated what he had been saying since the conversation started. He really wanted that piece of meat.
"No!" She shrieked at the water tribe warrior, hugging the meat to her chest for ownership.
"Enough." The force of the words had the group freeze, even Katara and Zuko who hadn't even moved throughout the bickering. No one dared to move.
Toph and Sokka finally looked toward the Avatar, whom they had been ignoring during their whole argument.
"We must end all this fighting. I am hungry too. All we have to do is look for some food out in those woods near here. I say we go in parties of two. Pick someone and we'll separate together." The Avatar ended his speech and looked to all in his range. Nodding once, he headed off into the Western Air Temple.
"Well…"
"I'm with Sparky."
"What?"
Zuko raised a brow at the girl's enthusiasm and he wasn't the only one surprised. He was actually thinking that he was going to be forced to go alone. Not that he wanted that, but he was still wary around this girl, never knowing when she was going to 'pay him back' for when he burned her. Her feet were now healed, which made her even more dangerous.
He shrugged his shoulders half way before remembering her disability. "Alright, if that's what you want."
"Yep, that's what I want. Now, let's go." Katara seemed to have a problem with that statement.
"No. Toph is not going with you. If I do recall correctly, you burned her feet, you chased Aang all over the world for you honor," Katara said mockingly, as Zuko growled at her under his breathe, "and you betrayed m-us."
"I've-"
Toph interrupted the young prince before another word could be heard. "I trust him." And with that said, she walked off into the Air Temple to find the Avatar.
As the shock of what the young girl had said worn off, Katara huffed and mumbled incoherently to no specific person, what she was saying had everyone baffled. Sokka gave one heated glare toward the scarred teen and then went over to Katara.
Yeah, this is going to be really fun.
This is so not what they called fun.
The sirens were heard through out the whole tower, breaking all the calm and relaxation the teens had a second ago. Apparently, there was another break in at the banks. Gathering up all the Titans, Robin led the group out of the tower, to look to find the troublemaker that disrupted their peaceful day.
Starfire flew through the cumulus clouds that took over the blue atmosphere. Beast boy changed into a peregrine falcon, a bird that could reach up to speeds of 168 miles per hour. The bird's lime color stood out against the grey colored veil. Raven soared just below Starfire, intent on staying close to her companions. Cyborg and Robin were forced to stay grounded, both on their prized mechanics. Robin was placed on his motorcycle, and Cyborg stood tall, riding on the T-car.
"Titans, keep a look out for anything suspicious." Robin's voice cut through the intercom sharply, making the hovering three falter on the break of concentration.
"Robin, I think I see something over there." Starfire pointed to dark looming smoke encasing a metal bank behind them.
"Let's get down there. Titans, go!" Robin took the lead, his motorcycle making tire marks on the cement as he changed directions in the blink of an eye. The rest followed his lead, and turned their course of direction as well.
"Nice try Titans, but you can't win this one." The loud, mocking voice caused Robin to bring his vehicle to a halt. It was familiar, but the voice he remembered from his mind never held that much venom and rage.
The voice laughed a smirking sort of laugh. "You do remember me, don't you?" The voice snarled again with mock hurt.
"G-Gizmo?" Starfire stuttered, completely taken by surprise.
Gizmo laughed coldly. "So the alien remembers. Cheers for you. Guess what Princess, we're back. And nothing would please us more than revenge."
"You aren't going to get away with this Gizmo." Robin's steel voice cut through the young boy's taunting.
Just as Robin said that, Gizmo was regrouped. The Billy's stood right next to the mechanical boy. See-More's hands were posed on his eye, ready for attack. Their once taunting smiles were gone, now filled with rage. Mammoth's enormous figure stood intimidating, right behind Gizmo's small outline. Kyd was the only on not to express anger, but if you looked closely one would see the hurt and intensity in his glowing, scarlet colored eyes.
"You are still no match for us. We can kick your butt with two hands behind our backs." Cyborg was the only one that seemed unfazed by the reshow of their old enemies. As he said that, the rest of the team seemed to grab up their courage and began to fight back.
The fight had just begun, but it was so intense one would think this was war.
This war sucks.
'Of course,' Katara would say, then she would go off on a rampage about how the Firenation is only made up of monsters and the deaths of innocents are on their bloody hands.
But that's not it. Yes, what she would say would be right, but that's not it. No, it is that kids and teenagers are reduced to look for help to others. Maybe life wouldn't be different even if there was no war. The Water Tribe would never associate with the Firenation, ever, with or without a war. But since there is a war, people are forced to look for help in all different nations. Maybe-
"Sokka! What are you doing?"
"I'm just thinking."
"You okay? You seemed to be under a lot of discomfort to just be thinking."
"Yes, Teo, I'm thinking. Thank you for that kindly veiled insult." His voice dripped with so much sarcasm Sokka wondered if it was even possible to become an optimist ever again.
Teo just shrugged in response. Sokka completely lost his train of thought, knitting his brows together, as he tried to recall what was in his mind before the interruption.
"Something's wrong."
Sokka froze. He could not have heard that right. "What?"
Teo chose to ignore Sokka's increasing panic and the raise of an octave in the warrior's voice. "I said… something's wrong."
"What is?" Sokka began to look around nervously, not liking where this was headed.
"I don't know, it's like there this creepy feeling everywhere I go. I don't like it."
His state of panic turned down a notch, as he replied to the handicap boy, "Pft, nice try. I don't scare that easily."
"Ugh, you're impossible. I am serious." Teo said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"Well, I don't believe you. I bet your just afraid that the firenation is going to come and kill all of us in our sleep and we are going to be defenseless and Aang is going to die and it is all because of Zuko because he will betray us and then Zuko will all laugh all creepy like over our dead bodies and-"
"Wow, Sokka that was very descriptive. Too descriptive, was that what you were thinking about?"
"No! No… that was just my dream from last night. Or nightmare, I mean. It just summed up all my suspicions and fear. I don't know what to do." 'Should I do something about it,' was the question that hung in the air between the two.
"I- I don't know either. I am sorry Sokka." He sincerely was, but not knowing the scarred prince as personally as the Water-tribe siblings, meant he didn't know why the boy was so vastly hated. It couldn't just be because he was firenation. He didn't wish ill-will on the teen that was only a few years older than him, but the firenation did imprison his Dad, and it might take a while to move past that little detail.
Teo decided now would be a good time to leave Sokka to his thoughts, so he did. Slipping out of the fountain area, he made his way to Haru, who was scolding the lemur. Momo was it, about not eating his berries.
Can this day get any weirder?
See-More hissed through his teeth as the mass amount of pain reached his shoulder. The shoulder was now soaked in a murky liquid that thankfully didn't seep through the cloth on his body. They can't know his weakness for they won't hesitate to kill him right on the spot. Though, what's the difference between murder and frozen to death? There is none.
With his rage rebuilt, he got up, successfully covering up the wince. He was going to make them pay.
"Are you alright?" It was barely audible, and said very softly, but still was heard through the roar of the battle.
See-More forced a smile, trying to hide the wince as the pain began to throb again. "Yeah, I am fine." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Thanks."
Kyd nodded, pretending not to have noticed the darker colored spot on his friend's shirt.
Mammoth chose that moment to come crashing in on the two hurt friends, the broken wall behind them crumpling at the force. "We can't win. They got three in the sky that we can't hit. We need to retreat."
Kyd nodded in agreement and See-More spoke up, "Let's see what Gizmo says." After Jinx had betrayed them, Gizmo had taken over in their time of need. He was their new leader that they knew would not switch sides in battle because it was too tough or that he would fall head over heels for the enemy. They knew they could trust him.
Opening their H.I.V.E. communicators, Mammoth told Gizmo what they planned on doing. Static and shouts were all that could be translated.
Gizmo opened his communicator, only to have it knocked from his hands by the battle ensuing.
"Nice try. Your allies can't help you. Maybe now you'll think twice about stealing."
Pft, always the goodie-two-shoes is he. "Stealing? Are you really that feeble-minded? We might need the money, but that's not why we stole. What's more perfect that bait?" Gizmo chose to ignore the allies comment. They were no allies. They were his friends.
Robin and Raven narrowed their eyes in unison. This little brat needed a lesson.
"Starfire, you know what to do." Robin ordered to the teen flying a little ways off in the distance. Her green glow casting shadows on the ruined bank house.
She lifted her hands shamelessly, not knowing that that one shot would be enough to kill. None of the Titans knew, but one teen did.
Kyd swooped in front of the small boy in one heart beat, and they didn't even have the time to blink as the H.I.V.E. Five were transported to who knows where, in a black swirl.
This wasn't over, and they all knew
This is never going to be over.
Zuko glanced at the Water Tribe warrior and quickly looked down toward his boots when the warrior returned his glance with a glare. The teen's eyes were clouded with contained rage as he handled Zuko's dinner delicately. Zuko saw what was coming. His whole life he was used to ill treatment even by his own family members. That is why he was shocked and surprised when the boy handed him his meat without a word.
Sokka looked back toward the teen that still stood with mouth agape at the food. Why would someone be surprised at being handed food? Zuko is so confusing!
Sokka is so confusing! At first, the heated glare that was directed at Zuko gave him the interpretation that he would make is life as unpleasant as possible. Sokka was sure to flip over his food and make Zuko watch as his stomach rumbles to the never reached food. He was sure that was going to happen. His father even had done that to him. When he was little, to teach him not to yell at Azula, he wouldn't even listen to Zuko when he'd try and explain that she'd set his bed on fire and it was only defense.
"Are you going to eat it, or look at it?" It came out harsher than he wanted it to, but it still held a soft tone which had been absent before.
Zuko only looked at him quizzically. Something dawned on both swordsmen at the same time. Both talked at once,
"Did… can…is it poisoned?" It came out like a torrent of words said in a squeak.
"It's not poisoned."
Not understanding what the other said, they questioned each other at the same, exact, time, in unison.
"Wait, what?"
"Ugh. Stop doing that." Zuko said before Sokka could open his mouth.
"I was going to say that."
"Stinks for you."
"Wait, what were we talking about?" Sokka began to stroke his 'beard' thoughtfully as he tried to recall the question.
"I don't know." Zuko replied, lying down on the ground.
"Figures."
Zuko sat up quickly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Sokka sat up as well. "It means that you're no good. You're just dead weight. Aang hasn't improved in his fire bending and-"
"Oh." It sounded sad and resigned…and it sounded hurt as well. He was just dead weight?
Sokka stopped his long winded speech abruptly. "What? You're not even going to defend your self? This is not the Zuko I know. The Zuko that was so scary and tracked us all over the world. The Zuko that ruined all our lives. Defend yourself, scum!" His voice was yelling now.
"No. I…I deserve this." He was so humble and weak and he hated it. But it was the only way to gain their trust, the only way.
"Good, then I guess you should get your punishment that you deserve. My sister was crying for decades, I know what you did to her in Ba Sing Se." He lunged at the surprised fire bender, his fist connecting with the scarred boy's jaw.
Zuko scuttled back a few feet with his free hand facing outward to stop the incoming attack, and his other hand holding his dislocated jaw. His father had given him worse when he failed at his fire bending, not counting when his scar was given out, but that didn't lessen the pain that he felt racing through his body.
"You've made too many wrongs to be just forgiven. Aang's the Avatar, but he's also a child, one that doesn't know war. I know war, and you will never be forgiven." Sokka snarled out to the boy still on the ground. He turned and walked away before the guilty conscience could settle.
Why? Why does everything bad always happen to me?
Toph's yelp echoed in the Western Air Temple, that caused everyone to panic.
"Toph! Toph where are you?" Aang called as loudly as he could. They could point fingers at each other later, right now was Toph's safety was in jeopardy.
Zuko came rushing in at that moment, his cheeks a warm red and his breath coming out in sharp gasps. "Where is she?"
So Zuko couldn't have done it. "I don't know, I thought that she was with you. I am going to go look over there." Aang pointed to the left. Opening his glider he flew off ready to help his friend.
"Shit. Fine, I'll look…" Zuko trailed off as he saw an enormous amount of earth come from the right. No one was bending it.
"Toph!" Zuko yelled her name, still looking for his ally as he ran in the other direction.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" The little earth girl just ran right past Zuko at a speed one would think impossible for such a young girl.
"Wait, you're not bending this?"
"No," Taking a deep breathe, Toph picked up her already fast pace, "I'm not doing that. And neither is Haru!"
Zuko had to sprint to keep up with the blind earth bender. "What? That's impossible."
"Impossible! You have been chasing the Avatar for how long now? Is dead Avatar's showing up impossible? Yes. Did it happen? Yes. Now, run!"
"I'm running!"
They were actually outrunning the earth monster, but as luck would have it, Toph tripped. Her face went tumbling down, her mouth now filled with dirt. She turned her body toward it. The Earth monstrosity loomed over her.
"Toph!" Zuko ran back to the girl and pulled her in a tight embrace to protect her from the oncoming attack. His hand was over her small head, and his other arm pulling her close to lessen the impact.
The darkness swallowed them as the Earth came crashing down on them. Both thinking the same thought as darkness took control. This isn't over.
Aang flew towards a door, "Toph!" The force of the words must have caused the whole temple to shake, because that was what was happening.
"Aang, what's going on?"
"Good Katara, you're okay."
"I'm not okay."
"Sokka, shut up, we don't have time for this."
"You shut up, Katara."
"Enough." Aang couldn't take it anymore. Toph was in danger and them bickering wasn't helping.
Sokka eyes popped out of his head. One would think he's seen a ghost. Well, they wouldn't be far off.
"Run!" Sokka darted off. Aang looked to Sokka's retreating form in question.
"What-"
"Run!" Aang grabbed Katara as she stood questioning Sokka's weird behavior.
"Aang, what are you…" Finally looking behind her, she gasped and began her speed a little faster. Though it was not fast enough; Katara screamed as she too was swallowed into the belly of the earth.
"Katara!" Sokka and Aang yelled her name at the same time. Running back to the crime scene, they decided to fight the Earth spirit. Sokka's boomerang did no good but to come back unharmed and Aang's elements weren't marring the spirit in one bit. The only way they could retrieve Katara, would be to go in as well. Mind set in determination. They allowed the abomination to take them to Katara.
"You alright Raven?" Robin asked as he plopped down on the sofa.
"No. I have a terrible head ache."
"Shhhhh. I am trying to watch this." Beast Boy's urgent voice quieted the talking two.
The theme song for the news played on the television. "Hi. This is Bob Emosewa. And we bring you the breaking news of a class five earthquake that has just come and gone in the city in the West Coast. Here is Anna Gnizama here to tell you about the bank robbery that has just taken place in-"
"An earthquake? I didn't fell anything." Beast Boy said as he turned the television off.
Shrugging their shoulders, they let the small detail pass without mush thought. Tomorrow would be another, same old day. Little did they know how wrong they really were.
A/N: Watch this episode: Episode 64, Titans Together. Now look in the crowd. Do you see the Up Dude? The alien with an Up Arrow on his shirt? Tell me in a review if you did. If so, isn't he one of the enemies? Yes? You must tell me if you see him! Because that is how all the enemies got unfrozen in my head.