Chapter 7
"Connections"
Toph let the boulders drop, feeling her anger drain away. She sat, and sighed.
How long had it been since she left the Fire Nation? Half a year? Something like that? And still she couldn't keep from running into those stupid Fire Royals wherever she went.
She rubbed her forehead, sighing again. Footsteps were coming up behind her—Katara. Toph groaned a little.
"Toph?"
"What?"
Katara came around the large boulder Toph was leaning against, her steps careful as always and concern radiating outwards though the earth. "There you are. You've been gone a while and I started to worry."
Toph shrugged. "Well, you found me."
She could sense Katara's frown in her stance, but her voice was still steady as always. "Well, Dinner's ready. Sokka actually managed to get some meat this time."
"Really?!" Toph leapt to her feet, aided by a push from the earth. "Well then, what're we waiting for?"
Katara laughed softly, and followed after.
-0-
Zuko sat on the ground, staring at the shapes his uncle had drawn in the dirt several days ago. In that time, Iroh had healed almost completely—much faster than if he hadn't been helped by that Water Tribe girl.
The events over the past few days flashed through his mind, and he grit his teeth. He couldn't help but be grateful that Uncle was healed, but it was still embarrassing to be tackled and held down by a girl nearly half his size and weight.
The embarrassment tangled with his frustration at his inability to make lightning, and fought within his chest. Abruptly, he stood, walking over near the cliffside and taking a stance.
He worked through form after form, rage powering his fire, making it burn warm in his chest and hands. He kept going, going over every form he knew, pushing his body as far as it could go. Sweat collected around his hairline—still a strange feeling—but he kept going, only stopping when his breathing started to come in quick bursts. He finished the last form, breathing deeply while holding the ending form.
"Very good, Prince Zuko."
He turned; Iroh was standing to the side, one hand on his still healing shoulder. "Uncle! How long were you watching?"
"Almost the whole time." He walked forward to stand in front of Zuko. "Your skills and forms have greatly improved my nephew, but there is still one thing you lack."
Zuko scowled and turned away. "There always is. I'm not perfect; I'm not Azula."
Iroh shook his head. "No, this is something even she can work on, though I am not going to tell her." He grinned, but Zuko just kept scowling.
"Do you remember what I tried to teach you while we were traveling in the South Pole?"
"You filled my head with a lot of stuff," Zuko grumbled. "Useless forms and Pai Sho rules."
Iroh looked distressed. "How could my own blood said such things?" He sighed and shook his head. "No, Prince Zuko. All the things I have taught you have a purpose and stand as the basis for other things. In this case, the very base of your firebending."
Zuko raised his eyebrow a little.
"Firebending comes from the breath," Iroh said, breathing deeply as an example, "not from the force of the punch. Or from anger," he added as almost an afterthought.
Zuko looked away.
"Once you master your breath control," he continued, "then you will be able to truly master Fire."
"But fire is power," Zuko said. "If that's the case, then why doesn't the force of the punch matter?"
Iroh sat, rolling his shoulder and grimacing slightly. "In some cases, it does matter, but that should not be the source of your power."
Zuko sat with a huff. "Is this one of those old-person wisdom things?"
"A little," Iroh chuckled. "Perhaps someday, you will know where I learned about the true meaning of fire. Until then," he stretched with a little groan, "you will simply have to trust what I say, and adjust your firebending accordingly."
Zuko sighed, but nodded.
-0-
Toph sat back, sighing happily. "I'm surprised you actually found some really good meat this time."
Sokka took a huge bite, chewed, and swallowed. "I'm choosing to take that as a complement."
"Take it however you want, Snoozles."
"Will you stop calling me that?"
"Nope."
Katara chuckled. "At least you didn't get stuck in a hole this time."
All of them laughed, except Sokka. He took another huge bite, grinding his frustration out on the meat.
"It would've been okay if you did though," Aang said, jumping up. "I definitely could've earthbended you out this time!"
"Ah, no, not quite," Toph said, raising a finger.
"But Toph, I'm getting really good!"
She leaned forward, putting her chin in her hand and resting her elbow on her knee. "Yeah. Keep going another four years, and maybe you'll get to that point."
"Toph…" he groaned. "Not this again…"
"Oh come on," she said. "Stop being a pansy and get used to working hard."
"But—"
"Now go train. I let you off easy today with mostly waterbending."
"Toph, I can't practice at night!"
She jumped up, shoving her face right up close to his; she hoped he was getting a good view of her eyes. "Yeah, you think that stops me?"
He took half a step back. "Sorry…"
"You'd better be." She stepped back also, pointing in the direction she had been earlier. "I set up an obstacle course for you over there. Go through it four times, taking a different way each time." She grabbed his belt and tied it around his face. "And do it like this."
"But I'm not there yet."
"So?"
He sighed.
"I thought so. Get going, Twinkle Toes."
She sensed him go off, and assumed that the others were watching him too. Katara came up behind her, and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Toph? Can I talk with you?"
The little earthbender's scowl grew. "It's not about Aang's training, is it?"
"No."
"Well, then, talk to me." She sat again, and grabbed another chunk of meat.
Katara sat next to her. "I've been thinking about that time a week ago, when we fought Azula."
Toph nearly choked. She swallowed the bite with some difficulty. "Yeah, so? What about it?"
"Well… you seemed very adamant about me healing Ir—that man. I've just been wondering, why? It… doesn't seem like something you would do."
Sokka laughed. "It was funny watching her tackle Zuko though. She's half his size! And then WHAMMO! Face first in the dirt!"
Toph ignored him, instead concentrating on chewing. "Well, he needed it, right? Zuko didn't seem like the healing type so…" she shrugged. "He's lucky we were there."
Katara was silent for a while. "How did you know that was Zuko?"
"Who hasn't heard of the idiot prince?" Toph shot back, keeping her face towards the fire. "My parents had trade deals with the Fire Nation."
It was Sokka's turn to choke. "Your parents did… what?"
Toph shrugged. "Well, it wasn't the Fire Nation proper. Just the nearby colonies in the Earth Kingdom."
"They're still Fire Nation!" Sokka said, punching the ground. "I thought the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation were at war!"
Toph shrugged again. "Hey don't ask me. I just knew some stuff that was going on, not why. It's not like my parents invited me to their business meetings." She took a huge bite, and spoke through the food. "Not like I would've wanted to go anyways."
"Humph." Sokka reached for the last of the food. "You want anymore, Katara?"
"Go ahead. Still, Toph, I think that's strange your parents would do that." She hid her suspicion well in her voice, but her body told a different story.
"You'd be surprised at what my parents traded with them," Toph growled, memories from almost a year ago flashing, unwelcome, through her mind. Trading lots of things with their enemies, including Toph herself.
Well, that was done and gone. As long as both she and Zuko were gone from their families, that contract would never get filled.
She took another bite, her silence indicating the conversation was over.
You're going to have to excuse the lack of fluff so far. One, they're still not even in the same group, and two, the age gap. I had a reader point out in one of my other fics that Toph is too young to feel anything more than a crush, so any srs feels are not only out of character for Toph, but for her age group as well.
But don't worry. Things will happen. You all just need to be patient Earthbenders and wait. :P
