ENTER THE TOPH. Oh yeah. You might want to make sure your 'oh shit' belts are tightly fastened.


Warning: Uuber Shia-ness. Cussing. Yeah that's about it.

Yuck Factor: 0

Fluff Factor: 4 hehe

Creepy Factor: 6


Vitani pushed to door open and led the others in, Kilani bringing up the rear. The room was bare, besides a dozen or so chairs scattered out across the fairly large room. Katara sat in one of the chairs crossing her legs. Shio sat his back against her legs, taking a seat on the floor, even though there was more then enough chairs. Zuko shot the boy a glare as he sat across from them.

"What have you found out, Aang?"Kilani ask looking over to the young avatar. Aang spun his chair around and straddled it crossing his arms over the back.

"There is a large uprising in the Earth Kingdom. They call themselves the GatorUrai." Kilani nodded as he propped himself up against the wall.

"We have had the pleasure of encountering them. Their mission is to get rid of you." He said looking at the young avatar. Aang nodded.

"They had trackers following us for a long time."

"You're welcome." Vitani laughed as he fell back in a chair. Sokka frowned and looked at the twins.

"What does that mean?"

"It means we saved your ass, again, Sokka." Sokka shook his head with a chuckle.

"Ah well that's just because we didn't get to them first." Zuko shook his head at their antics and looked over to Kilani.

"There is a group of Fire Nation soldiers camping just south of the base. Have you intercepted any messages?" Kilani smiled into his mask.

"We did better than that. The loyals are held up in our base. Will you be able to decide their judgment?" Zuko nodded. Aang frowned and shook his head.

"Wait a minute. Judgment? As in what?" He said sitting up a little straighter. Kilani frowned.

"Their punishment. There are several possible punishments, and Zuko, being the prince has the jurisdiction to assign." Aang shook his head.

"No. No one will be killed." Zuko looked over at the avatar with a stern face. He rotated his shoulder as he sat forward in the chair.

"I don't believe he mentioned killing." Sokka cocked an eyebrow at the two. He knew where this was heading. Aang puffed out his chest.

"I know the way of the Fire Nation.."

"OOH kay. About those messages, Kilani?" Sokka interrupted before the fire nation prince was able to respond. There were entirely too many fire benders in one room for Aang to play the nationality card. And Sokka really didn't feel like getting burned at that particular time.

"Any messages that would have been received have been intercepted." Kilani smiled, glad that someone other than himself was breaking up a fight. He had his share with Vitani and Toph. Sokka nodded.

"How you acquired any help?" Haru ask from his corner of the room. Kilani nodded.

"We have at least a hundred strong at the base." Vitani answered for his brother. Shia frowned as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

"This is some shitty base you have." Katara frowned and shook her head.

"This can't be your base, it's far too small." She frowned as she got frowns from around the room. Vitani laughed.

"Do you think we would let you bring newbies into the base?" Katara frowned and unfolded her legs. She set her feet down on the floor, her knees on either side of Shio's head.

"Does that mean you don't trust us?" She questioned. Kilani shook his head and took a step away from the wall.

"Not at all. It means we don't trust them." He said motioning to the siblings. Shio nonchalantly rested his head against Katara's thigh. Zuko's eyes focused in on the boy's movements, the on going argument becoming background noise to his own thoughts. Zuko watched each movement the boy made carefully. One of Shio's arms was wrapped around Katara's lower leg his hand resting on the top of her foot, while the other was curled around the thigh his head was resting on, his fingers just under his cheek.. This was definitely not platonic touching. It was almost a vulgar display of affection. Zuko snorted inwardly. Katara's eyes caught Zuko's stare and he instinctively looked away. He snapped his attention back to the conversation that he had tuned out.

"You have no reason not to trust them." Aang argued. Vitani shook his head.

"You know the rules of the game Avatar. Everyone is an enemy, until they prove otherwise." Haru looked up from his seat as Shia stood up. She cocked her shoulder up close to her ear and blinked her large eyes.

"Just what do we have to do to prove ourselves?" She said softly as she ran a hand down her hip. Haru didn't even have time to tell her to be quiet and Vitani was in front of the girl. He towered over her his demonic mask staring down at her.

"You want to prove yourself, little girl?" Haru felt a sweat drop form on his forehead as the idiot girl leaned in to the assassin.

"Name your price, big boy?" Aang starting coughing and fell backwards out of his chair. He didn't know whether to cry so hard he laughed, or laugh so hard he cried. Zuko shook his head as Sokka looked down at the Avatar then back to the girl. This should be interesting. Shio looked up at Katara who was wide eyed and shaking her head. There seemed to be a collective held breath as Vitani brought his hand up to touch the girl's neck.

"Bleed for me." He hissed. Shio's eyes grew wide and he jumped up, untangling himself from Katara's legs. He wedged himself in the small space between the tall man and his sister.

"Can we haggle?" He smiled brightly and brought his hands up in a sign of innocence. Shia put her hands on her hips.

"Don't bother, Shio. I can handle anything he can dish out." Shio's head dropped and he turned to his sister.

"Willyoushutup?!"He turned back around as Vitani took a step back, a low chuckle echoing from his mask.

"You think you can handle me?" He laughed. Shia Pushed her brother out of the way and gave the tall man a slow look over. She snorted and shook her head.

"I've handled better." Haru felt his face flush as he shook his head. She was just asking for it. Vitani laughed.

"Just what do you think I am going to do to you?" Shia smiled and leaned in again, though she wasn't leaning in to speak quieter.

"Just what do you want to do to me?" Vitani threw his head back and laughed out loud. He turned to look at his brother with a shrug.

"I don't know whether I should rape her, or kill her."

"Neither." Vitani and Kilani both turned to the door as a figure stepped in. The group was all on their feet in a flash. A slim figure in a black assassin garb similar to that of the twins stood in the door way. A sharp metal mask decorated in a grin of etched teeth covered the figures face. The newcomer looked like a short replica of the twins. Sokka took a step forward looking over the figure. As he took another wary step closer, he could see the definite signs that this one was female.

"Toph?" The figure cocked her head to the side, a long black ponytail hanging at her side.

"What, Snoozles? Don't recognize me?" Katara's eyes widened as they all stared at Toph. She was taller, almost Katara's height. But other then that she was hidden behind the assassin clothes. Vitani and Kilani smiled.

"We thought at least the mask would give it away." Katara looked over the mask and noticed that there wasn't any way the wearer could be able to see out. Perfect for one who didn't need sight. Toph walked directly over to Katara and pulled her mask off.

"I would say it's good to see you, but y'know still blind." Katara grinned widely and grabbed Toph in a fierce hug. Aang walked over next to the twins and shook his head.

"There is no way that's Toph." Vitani pushed his mask up and laughed.

"Oh it's the Toph." Aang shook his head in disbelief. Vitani smiled. "Okay I'll prove it."

"Wait." Kilani said and walked across the room. He turned around and looked at the two. Vitani smiled.

"Goddamn pieces of mother fucking shit!" Vitani spat out and ducked covering his head. Aang frowned and looked down at the man then back up in time to see a shower of pebbles hurled at them. Aang covered his head as the pebbles bombarded him. Haru smiled and shook his head as Vitani stood back up.

"It's Toph, Aang. It's really her." Haru laughed. Toph turned to face him.

"I hear Haru, but I haven't heard Zuko. I know he's here." She turned to face Zuko who was standing silently. She walked over to stand in front of him. A smile crossed her young face.

"What are you brooding about now?" Zuko grinned. Still the same old Toph after all.

"Just wondering what kind of scheme you have concocted to get us all back in one place." Toph's face dropped and turned to stone. The demeanor of the entire room changed as Toph turned.

"If this were just a scheme to get you all here, you would have been informed by my twins. I brought you all here for a reason. Don't take it lightly." As look past over the room as she walked back over to stand between the twins, being over a foot shorter than them. She put a hand on her hip as she pulled her mask down.

"Haru, Sokka, Zuko I have something to show you." She looked to her side as the twins moved forward. They herded every one else out of the building. Sokka frowned.

"What's going on Toph?"

"I want the three of you to open that door." Sokka turned around to see the door she gestured at. He arched his eyebrow. Why hadn't he seen that door before? He turned back to look at her.

"Okay..?" Zuko shook his head.

"What's in there Toph?" He ask. Toph shook her head. And pointed at the door.

"Just open the door and go in." Haru frowned and looked at the other two. He looked back over to Toph then looked at the door. Toph may have been her same old self, but she still had changed. Just where did her loyalties stand, and what would be in it for her if it were a trap. Toph's head dropped as she shook it.

"I can fell your heart beats. Why do you not trust me?"

"It's not that we don't trust you. It's..."

"It's the fact that you are being so secretive about what is behind the door." Haru finished. Toph smirked into her mask, as her breath seeped out the slits between the etched teeth.

"Why so cynical Haru? What traumatic experience left you with such a bad taste in your mouth?" She laughed. She shook her head. "Just open the door." Zuko had enough of the back and forth banter, He walked over and grabbed the door knob. Before he even started to pull it open , the curiosity over road the other two and they were right behind him. He pushed the door open slowly. The room was dark with no windows to let in light. Zuko pushed the door all the way to the wall to eliminate the possibility of a sneak attack. The three men stepped in and frowned, as the light from the open door landed on a figure in the corner. The three men stopped their hearts skipping beats. The figure was on it's knees with it's back to them. A rope held the arms together tight from the elbows to the wrists; the man's shoulder's clearly dislocated. His head was slumped forward against the wall, a bun of white hair was clumsily knotted on the back of his head. The three men stared with wide eyes and held breaths, at a back covered in ragged flame scars. Sokka took a wary step forward.

"He's harmless. He's heavily sedated." Sokka almost jumped out of his skin as Toph's voice rose from behind him.

"Geeeeeze." He hissed at her. Sokka fanned out in a wide arch as far from the man as he could get, but still moving at an angle so he could see. The man's legs were tied together at the ankles and his knees were folded under him. All things pointed to one answer, but Sokka refused to believe. He looked over the pile of knotted white hair and the burns scars over that ghostly complexion. Fear tingled his finger tips as he clenched and unclenched his hand. He was shaking his head before he saw the man's face.

"This isn't possible."Sokka said his eyes widening as a pair of languid eerie blue eyes turned to look at him. Haru felt his heart speed up and it suddenly became almost impossible to breath. He took a step back and turned on his heel. He walked out the door into the sunlight, and kept walking. Vitani jumped up and followed him.

Haru walked into the thick of the forest and stopped trying to catch his breath. Vitani stopped and watched as the man gagged and put his hand out on the tree to support himself. Haru lurched, but nothing but dry heaves came out. He shivered as he stood up.

"You kept the braid I see." Haru turned around to glare at Vitani as he wiped his mouth.

"It's convenient." Vitani nodded and walked over to stand by Haru.

"Yeah. Tell me did you keep the piercing as well?" Haru's hand went to his chest before he though. He pulled his hand away and narrowed his eyes at the taller man.

"What are you implying?" Vitani shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"Some people like to keep souvenirs of their victories." Haru snarled his nose up.

"And what souvenir did you keep?" He hissed. Vitani laughed and pushed his mask up. He shook his head and stuck his tongue out. Haru stared at the man's split tongue.

"I thought you let Katara heal that?" Vitani shook his head as he lowered his mask.

"The was only one way that girl was going to touch my tongue, and she wasn't up for it." He grinned. Haru shook his head with a laugh. His smile faded though as he looked back in the direction of the house. His heart had knocked bruises on his ribs, and his breath was finally catching in his chest. Dark thoughts crossed over his mind but he shook his head casting them away. There was no possible way. Was there?


Okay was everyone wearing their 'oh shit' belts?