Disclaimer: I don't own either shows . . .
A/N: I'll make this quick. Thank You to all of those who reviewed, account or no. ^^ If I did not thank you via mail then I will do it now. Thank you . Now, to the story . . .
Neither Zuko nor Toph moved an inch to dodge the oncoming attack.
…o0o…
Zuko coughed. "So . . . um . . . hi?"
Toph snickered at Zuko's awful sentence. He sent her a heated glare, she could feel it, but soon gave up and sighed instead.
He continued, though even more reticent, "Um, Toph and I would like to thank you, for uh . . . saving us." Zuko told the boy that seemed to be in some sort of bat costume. The response was a short nod, and Zuko got the impression that this man wasn't going to be very conversational.
Thankfully, Toph took pity on the sixteen year old and joined in on the conversation. "Yeah, that was a big favor you did for us," she told him politely. Too bad it was all a waste as her voice turned back to its normal blunt tone, "So, you got a name, stranger? Or are we going to call you Shadow?"
Zuko scoffed. The Bandit turned her blind, foggy green eyes on him in an instant. He felt a strong need to get as far away as he could. He was right. The earth that lay beneath him began its trembling, the moaning getting louder as time progressed.
Damn it, Toph! A harsh whisper, "Stop it. We can't bend here."
"Says you," she mumbled in response. Zuko growled but was stopped from making a scene as a new small voice entered the atmosphere.
"My name is Kyd. Kyd Wykkyd." His voice was small; they both had to strain their ears to understand. Once they gathered what had been said, they introduced themselves as well.
"My name is Zuko, and this is my little sister, Toph," Zuko offered lightly, gesturing to himself and Toph as he told Kyd the names.
"Soooo . . ." Zuko let the 'o' in 'so' drag on, then letting the sentence fade into nothing. He shuffled his feet as the eyes bore into him.
Toph rolled her eyes, squishing the amused smile that was searching for a way to her face. "Where are we?" She asked Kyd.
"An abandoned warehouse. My friends will be here soon," he answered shortly.
"Hey, um, Kyd?"
The one in question looked toward the shuffling boy, his head tilting to one side – a motion for Zuko to continue. He got the hint, "Um, can we ask you some questions about this place?" A smirk. Zuko added hastily, "In return we will be truthful to what you ask."
Then, the smirk melted away and a nod signaled the answer. Ask away . . .
"Thanks. Alright, have you ever heard the term, uh, bending?" Zuko asked hesitantly, finally voicing his thoughts that would not give him peace since arriving.
A shake of the head.
"Do you know what an Avatar is?" Toph asked instead of Zuko, picking up on what Zuko was trying to get to know.
Another shake horizontally.
They both exchanged worried glances before continuing on their interrogation. "Well, how about, uh . . . powers?"
A nod.
"Is yours, like, super speed or something? You got us out of that danger pretty fast. I don't even remembering walking here," Toph offered, trying to get more information on their planet that Fate deemed them to live on for some time.
"No. I can transport." Then, "My turn."
Zuko forced an assuring smile, hiding the grimace. "Go right ahead."
"What is bending? What is an Avatar? Do you have powers?"
Toph chuckled; looks like their questions had just created him more as well. "Bending is, uh, like powers I guess."
Zuko cut in lightly, "But instead of transporting, like you, we can control or bend to our will the four elements." Toph smacked him on the head once he finished for interrupting her. She cut him off this time, "I bend earth, the best of them all. Sparky here," she pointing to Zuko bluntly, "is a Firebender. Eh, Fire is an okay element."
"Pft, as if!"
"Want me to prove it to you, Sparky? Bring it on!"
Kyd shook his head as the two bickered like real siblings. "So, what is an Avatar?" He cut in, feeling more art ease with talking.
Toph pushed Zuko over from where he was seated on the ground, smirking as she sat down once more to Zuko's yelp. "Well, Shadow, an Avatar is the almighty being that can control all four elements. You don't want to mess with him," she informed the dark boy in a smug and boasting tone.
"And he is my best friend! You don't want to mess with me," she revealed with her thumbs pointed toward her chest, her smug tone never wavering in the slightest. Then, as an after thought, she added, "Or Sokka and Katara."
"Hey! What about me?" Zuko squawked.
"Oh, that's right. I forgot about you." Zuko's protest went ignored by the blind girl. She sighed, "Fine, you'll be Aang's . . . ally." Zuko's further more protest went forgotten as Toph hastily put both hands on the ground floor.
"People are coming," she declared quickly.
Kyd sent her a curious glance, but other wise did nothing but stand still and wait.
"Katara? Katara! Katara, please answer me!" Aang yelled to the sky, hoping the echoes that were not existent would somehow make their way to his loved. Sokka walked beside him – though more in a light jog – calling out his sister's name as loud as he could. Aang gave a look toward the ground, this was his entire fault. He couldn't stop the spirit from taking Katara – or Toph! Maybe even Zuko! – And it would be his fault if he found their body soulless.
"I, I am so sorry Sokka," the Avatar murmured softly, hoping that the warrior and man he thought of as an older brother would not hear. He was granted the luck of Sokka being too intent on his sister's disappearance to hear the young boy beside him murmur those words.
"I think I heard something, Aang!" Sokka yelled to Aang, his voice cracking. That relieved smile soon turned into dejection as they both heard the voice Sokka had thought to be Katara's.
"Now where do you think they can be seen?" the light feminine voice told someone, probably a friend.
A voice similar to that of the gloomy teenager Mai answered, "Who cares. Robin called moments ago, we should head back like he ordered, Starfire. We won't find them, anyways."
Sokka and Aang exchanged looks. Before Sokka could grab the naive Airbender from doing something he knew they would regret the light footed boy had already bound off, disappearing down a corner in light speed records.
"Hello!" The bald boy burst in front of the two girls, whom were idly chatting as they moved their way to a water bank.
The dark girl – looking to be in a dark navy blue bathing suit – gave Aang a death glare, one which he either ignored or didn't even acknowledge was sent. The other girl, one in a light purple two piece – looking like another bathing suit – gave Aang a big smile in return.
Sokka was panting hard as he caught up with the Avatar. Once he arrived there, he paid no heed to the women there. "What the hell were you thinking, Aang? Dear Tui, are you trying to get us killed faster?" He scolded, still gasping for more breathe in his lungs as he rested his elbow on Aang's shoulder.
It wasn't until he felt two pairs of staring eyes on him that he looked up. Two alien green eyes shone out, as well as a pair of dark purple lit up in his face. He squeaked a very unmanly yelp, jumping back a few feet in the process. That got a snort of disfavor from the dark clad girl and a smile of warmth from the red haired one.
Aang gave one of his innocent looks to Sokka and quickly changed the subject of interest. "So, I am Aang, as my friend Sokka here put it." He smiled widely, waiting for them to offer their names as well. Silence.
Sokka groaned into his hands that had somehow made their way to his face. "Yeah, I am Sokka."
"I am the Avat -" Aang was cut off with a rapid slap over his mouth. His big grey eyes widened as he turned them on to Sokka.
Sokka sighed in response, knowing full well that they had an audience. "Aang is an Avat. You know, uh, a peace maker." Aang gave an odd look to Sokka but otherwise went with it.
"An Avat? Oh, sounds interesting! Tell us about it. I am sure that Robin would like to meet you people," the girl in purple chatted amiably as the other companion just continued walking silently beside them.
As Aang got engrossed in telling the girl – now known as Starfire – Sokka ran in step with the other seemingly older woman. "So . . . do you by any chance know a girl named Mai? You seem really similar to her."
"No." She increased her pace and Sokka was forced to run to catch up once more. "Um, have you seen a girl in blue and um hair loopies around here?"
The woman slowed her rapid pace, "No." As Sokka gave a sad and lost look in the opposite direction of the girl to hide it, she spoke up, "No, I didn't see her. But . . . I did see a boy in a mostly red outfit with a young girl in green," she offered after seeing the boys dejected – that he tried to hide – expression.
"Wait, what?" The younger boy in the group interrupted quickly. He hastily looked to Sokka, "Do you think . . ."
"No! They couldn't have," Sokka replied, his eyes wide.
"Who –" Starfire began but never got to finish.
"It has to be them, Sokka!"
"No!"
"Yes-"
A beeping silenced the two arguing. Raven rolled her eyes at their reaction; one would think they have heard a ring tone before. She clicked open the intercom to hear Cyborg's loud voice, "Yo Raven! What's keeping you two?"
She responded, but not without a look in both Aang's and Sokka's direction, "Nothing, we'll be there soon."
She shut it, the clicking telling her it was shut properly. Sokka spoke before his mind even processed it, "Can we come too?"
Katara punched the man promptly in the eye, him falling back onto his butt, howling in pain while clutching his hurt face. Katara gave one last disgusted glare toward the drunk pervert before huffing and snarling out, "If you ever even think about trying that trick again, that black eye will be the smallest of your problems."
The man on the ground nodded rapidly and finally scuttled off in the opposite direction once he was sure that Katara wasn't going to hit him anymore. Bastard, Katara thought as she watched his scared form disappear.
She looked toward her now bloody knuckles. Might as well get cleaned up,she thought. She brushed the dirt that had gathered on her dress from the fight off with a brush of her hands.
"Wow." Katara rapidly spun around, her eyes darting around looking for the unfamiliar voice. "That was awesome!" A green, yes green, boy came out from a shadow. In his hands something that looked like . . . tofu? Katara inwardly shrugged, tofu was Earth Nation specialty.
"Um, thanks?" She said, not wanting to seem impolite.
"Sure. You don't look like you're from around here."
Katara chuckled nervously, not liking that statement in the slightest, "I know I seem like that, but I am really north . . . of uh here, I am just visiting my, uh . . ."
"Your mother?" the boy asked curiously.
"Yeah, my . . . mother." Her hands unconsciously reached towards her neck.
The green youth noticed, "Cool necklace," he commented.
"Yeah, it is," she said, her voice sad. Then, all of a sudden, she smiled widely. "Say, how 'bout you show me around? I've never been here before." She smiled sweetly at the boy in front of her. He could help but grin in return.
"Sure, but uh, I have to tell my friends. They are kinda' expecting me back by now," he smiled sheepishly. Katara returned it warmly, nodding as a go ahead sign.
Beast Boy flicked open the device, "Hey Robin, I'm gonna' be out longer, 'kay? Okay, bye!" He closed the machine before an answer could be heard, hastily.
Then, he smiled at Katara widely. "So, I am Beast Boy, the best tour guide you'll ever find. What is your name?"
Katara laughed politely, then responded, "My name is Katara, but my brother sometimes calls me 'Tara." Katara resumed talking, missing the tour guide's eyes widen. "Have you seen him, by any chance? He's in blue like me and has a pony tail," Katara informed him, not bothering to call Sokka's pony tail a 'warriors wolf tail.'
"Uh no . . . sorry."
Katara sighed lightly, it dissolving as soon as it came, "Oh it's fine. So, about that tour?"
"Oh yeah, right! So where we are now is . . ." And the Waterbender promptly tuned him out.
After about a couple hours, the boy – Beast Boy, Katara reprimanded herself – changed the topics, "Um, I guess I should be getting back. Where does your mother live?"
Uhh . . . "Um . . . I uh . . ." Beast Boy's bright green eyes bore into her. "Well, is it okay if I go to where you live first, to you know, know where I can find you tomorrow?" She lied, not knowing exactly why she said that.
Beast Boy responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sure."
And they headed off to a towering T shaped building, Katara only giving one hesitant look back before running to catch up with her guide.
Zuko pinched the brig of his nose; he could feel a migraine coming on.
"I don't believe this," he heard Toph mutter.
"I agree, but, I don't know, I like it." Toph sent him a disbelieving look mixed with confusion, "That didn't make sense," Zuko agreed, trying once more to rephrase, "I mean, it is different. A change. And you know what, I welcome it. Does that make any sense?"
Toph found herself nodding as she too pondered Zuko's comment.
"So . . . uh . . . hi?" A large bulky man offered. What was his name, uh . . . Mammoth?
Zuko laughed and all eyes turned to him. He rapidly diverted his eyes to the ground. "Uh, sorry."
Toph shook her head, but the smile lost all its intent. She decided to save her big brother. Oma, he needs a lot of saving. "Ha-ha, it's an inside joke, guys. You see, he said that same thing to Shadow over there," she gave a jerk of her thumb in Kyd's direction.
Mammoth smiled joyfully, "Heh, good to know we are so alike."
To Zuko's surprise he found himself smiling back, no matter how tiny. Toph grinned along as well. Then, Toph spoke up, "So, do you guys have any meat?"
A/N: Yes, I know that this one is short too, but I am tired (Lazy if you prefer). I have been up forever trying to get my old pictures and documents onto this computer. I am so sorry for the wait. I hate viruses, they just love ruining lives. 'Kay, Enjoy and please Read and Review. I also really would like to thank everyone who reviews; it makes me smile when I read them.
Another thingy, I will use the ( . . . o0o . . . ) when I will be jumping in time but with the same characters.
I will be using the normal line break (-) when I am changing characters.