The Best Romances
Deserve Second Chances
Chapter 9
"The Hunted"
Toph and Sokka went in to fighting mode, but Toph was caught under a net that was dropped down on her from Robinn's henchmen. Sokka pulled out his boomerang and threw it Zuko and Robinn, who easily dodged the projectile. Sokka stood there smiling, as he saw boomerang rebound back and hit Robinn in the back of the head, knocking him out and freeing Zuko. Toph bended a dome around her and the net, so no one could attack her in her feeble state. Sokka used the dome as cover to surprise attack the henchmen that were on the ground. Zuko picked up Sokka's boomerang and then tossed it to Sokka yelling for him to catch it. Toph could feel the henchmen through her protective cover, and she sent out spikes of earth to fling the men away from battle zone. Sokka cut down three men on the ground, and by using boomerang another three archers in the tree tops. Zuko held his own against the skilled, sword wielding henchmen in close combat. He flipped, ducked, punched, and kicked all of his actions producing orange licks of flame from his body. The flames danced off his body in a beautiful act burning and scolding the henchmen that surrounded him. Toph felt the remaining henchmen flee in terror, ultimately saving their lives from certain death by Zuko's hands. Sokka went to Robinn's limp body, and dragged him by his hair to a nearby tree. Sokka propped the unconscious figure against the tree trunk, and splashed water onto his face waking him up.
"Why did you attack us?" Sokka asked.
"My master told me too." Robinn said, shaking in fear for his life.
"Tell us his name." Zuko threatened.
"It's...it's...Bobo."
Sokka shared a laughing glance with Zuko, and Toph earth bended her dome away now that she finally got the accursed net off her.
"He's telling the truth, the guy's name is Bobo." Toph said.
"Okay, so who told Bobo to attack us?" Sokka interrogated.
"Harley. I swear that's all I know!"
"Where's Bobo?"
Robinn raised his finger to point in a direct, but before his finger reached where Robinn knew Bobo would be, an arrow thudded into Robinn's chest, killing him.
"Great, another Harley assassin, and our lead witness dead." Zuko thought a loud.
"No, not quite. We have another name, Bobo. I'm willing to bet he knows more than this boy." Sokka said by pointing to Robinn's corpse.
"What should we do with the body?" Toph asked in wonder.
"Leave it, some hunter will use it for bait."
"ZUKO! How could you say something so sadistic?" Toph screeched.
"Oh, please. He tried to kill me, and he is linked with Harley. I'm glad he is dead, serves him right."
"Didn't Aang say something about it's better to forgive and forget than to take revenge?" Sokka asked.
"Yeah, he did!" Toph said as she remembered.
"Aang has never had his wife murdered either." Zuko contradicted.
"Avatar Ruko's wife was killed, look what happened to him." Sokka said.
"I'm not Ruko. I won't make his mistake."
"Zuko, if you let this revenge and anger over come you, you won't be the same." Sokka tossed out.
"Sokka, you will never understand my pain. Ever."
"I can come pretty close. Suki left me, and I was going to propose to her at the reunion party."
The group's color went from petty arguing, to silence of mourning. Toph was reminded of Sokka's love, and Zuko was reminded the happiness of when he heard Mai say yes. Sokka skulked to pick up his camping gear, and he sat on his sleeping bag.
"Sokka, I didn't know." Zuko said.
"Oh, now you care about someone else other than yourself! 'Mai, oh no. Mai... this, Mai... that!' And now I've been dragged into helping YOU kill or hunt down whoever did this to YOUR Mai!"
"Sokka, Harley killed Suki to. Well, at least indirectly." Toph pointed out.
"So what! She dumped me for her killer! If she stayed with me, she most likely wouldn't be dead..."
"Sokka, seriously suck it up. So what if I mourn about Mai? You are mourning about Suki right now. You are a hypocrite, scolding me and then crying about Suki."
Sokka whipped his nose, got up, and shouldered his gear.
"Come on let's keep going." Sokka gestured to continue on the path.
Toph and Zuko picked up their equipment and followed Sokka, who now lead the group. By Sokka's calculations they should arrive at the area Samson pointed out to them after lunch.
"So Zuko, do you think any wisdom from Iroh passed down on to you?" Toph asked, and with Sokka well out of hearing range, they could talk in private.
"I hope so, what do you need advice on?"
"I'm worried about Sokka. I mean I'm naturally worried about him, he is my boyfriend."
"What's wrong?"
"Look at him, he's all tense, angry, and he has all of this pent up rage. I think he wants to kill who ever did this to us just as much as you do."
"A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't know that just popped into my head."
"Explain your process. Maybe that will help us figure that saying out."
"Well, I was thinking about Iroh, who's smart, and then that lead to me thinking about his past. He would use the enemy's weaknesses against them, and that's how he would win."
"Okay, but how does that explain the 'fool' part?"
"I thought about myself." and this brought Toph to a giggle, "Buuut, I thought about how I got to where I am now."
"And how's that?"
"It all started when I spoke out of turn at a meeting. It's funny how one simple, stupid disgrace of manners can give way to me being the Fire Lord."
"I would have to say it was the journey that lead you to being the Fire Lord."
"I chased the Avatar for years, and I then I go join him. How can someone have a such a big change in heart?"
"I don't know, maybe being surrounded by people who have a positive influence on you may have to do with that."
"Maybe..."
Sokka stopped walked and he interrupted Zuko,
"We are here."
"We can't be here already! It's not even noon!" Zuko said, looking at the sun.
"I know, we are here, and here is the spot for lunch." Sokka said seriously.
Sokka sat down on his camping bag, and dug out some nondescript meat. Toph and Zuko followed suit, and they two ate their fill. Zuko had to help Toph find her food in her bag, and then put it back after lunch was over. It was a quick lunch, but it gave the members a renewed energy that they will need for the rest of the day. They went back onto the path, again Sokka was leading the group, and well behind him was Zuko and Toph. They walked in silence, and Sokka turned a corner. When Toph and Zuko turned the same corner, Sokka was no where to be seen. Toph panicked, and Zuko quickly took hold of the situation.
"Toph! Calm down! See if you can feel him anywhere."
Toph got down to a knee, and she placed a hand on the forest floor. She didn't feel Sokka anywhere in the forest.
"I can't feel him, anywhere. He's gone."
"Well, it's not like he just disappeared."
"Then where is my boyfriend!"
"GUYS! LOOK UP!" Sokka yelled.
"Sokka?" Toph said looking up to no avail.
Zuko also looked up and saw Sokka in a ball cage. He was high in the canopy, and Zuko looked for the rope that would drop Sokka back down to the ground. As Zuko reached for the rope, an arrow zinged through the air, and it thudded in the tree inches away from Zuko's hand. Zuko recognized the arrow's design to be the same from the arrow that killed Robinn.
"SOKKA! BOBO IS AROUND HERE! LOOK IN THE TREE BRANCHES!" Zuko shouted to Sokka in a hurried voice.
"I CAN'T SEE HIM! HE MUST BE USING THE SHADOWS!" Sokka called back, his eyes scanning the trees from his heightened view point.
Zuko didn't dare to reach for the rope again, not only he didn't want to got embedded with an arrow, but he needed Sokka to be where he was to help look for Bobo.
"WHO'S THIS BOBO GUY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT?" a voice shouted out.
"STOP SHOOTING ARROWS AT ME!"
"DON'T RELEASE MY TRAP!"
"STEP OUT SO I CAN SEE YOU!"
Zuko heard twigs breaking and later a thud. A character stepped out of the brush, followed by his hunting dog. It was a fierce looking dog, a beast that is one-of-a-kind.
"What's yer names?" the man asked.
"Names aren't important." Zuko said.
"Then who's Bobo?"
"A man I am hunting."
"He must of done something horribly wrong to yer. Well, you three are the only ones that came past these parts. And your stupid friend had the honor of being caught in one my traps." he said pointing to Sokka, who was still high above in the canopy.
"He isn't stupid." Toph beckoned.
"You hush, missy. I wasn't talking to you."
Toph took a step forward, which was received unkindly from the hunting dog.
"I know you." the man said, pointing a finger at Zuko.
"No you don't." Zuko defended.
"You are the Fire Lord! Aren't you!"
"NO HE'S NOT!" Sokka shouted from above.
"Fine, say what you want me to hear, but I never forget a face. You know Fire Lord, I think I can help you."
"With what?"
"I know a lot of things. I know about Azula escaping, and I know about Harley."
Zuko charged the old man, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against a tree. Toph trapped the dog in a dome, as it was going to maul Zuko's face when it saw him charge his master.
"What's your name old timer?"
"Names aren't important, even you said that." he choked.
"What is you name." Zuko said as he heated his hand that was on the man's windpipe.
"Tao! It's Tao!"
"He's lying, it isn't Tao." Toph said, using her abilities to tell the physical change of lie.
"SAY YOUR NAME!"
"Bo...bo." the man sputtered out.
"You are a fool for not killing me when you had the chance."
"Who's to call me a fool." and Bobo snapped his fingers and Zuko and Toph joined Sokka high in the canopy, each of them in their own cage.
"Way to go Sokka."
"How is this my fault, Toph?"
"You didn't warn us that it was a trap."
"And how was I supposed to know that it was a trap?"
"You are the mighty hunter."
"I don't need this."
"Maybe I can melt the cage apart?" Zuko asked aloud.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that. Inside the bars are mini explosives." Bobo said.
"You are a tricky old man, I like that." Sokka said in honor and respect.
"You know Sokka, I like you." Bobo said.
"Enough to let me out?"
"Haha, no."
"Thought I should ask." Sokka shrugged his shoulders.
"You never know, I might have said yes." Bobo joked and laughed.
Sokka, Zuko, and Toph were taking by cart from the forest, to the docks and were loaded onto a Imperial Nimitz class Frigate. It was the fastest ship money could buy. It wasn't as big as the battleships admirals used, or even the Fire Lord's ship, but the frigate made up for it in speed and agility. It was armed with two massive coal-driven engines, a catapult and several cannons. It was pitch black in the cargo bay, and the group was left alone in the darkness. There Sokka had an epiphany amongst the cold steel walls.
"Toph, you can bend metal!"
"Good job Sokka. I'm already setting Zuko free."
"Oh, well good. Let's get Bobo, and take over the ship."
Toph set everyone free from the traps, and lead them out of the dark cargo bay. Zuko and Sokka combined their knowledge of their respected nations ships, and formulated a plan of action. They would make their way to the bridge, where Bobo would most likely be, and there they would figure out what he knows. They opened the door that lead down to the cargo bay, and they stepped out onto the deck.
"Since it's a small ship, there won't be guards, all the rooms have to be for the engineers." Zuko explained as they wound throughout the tight corridors that lead to the bridge. They reached the bridge hatch, and Toph felt for people. She reported that there was one man, and Sokka gave her the go ahead. She kicked down the door causing it to rip off into the wall.
"Bobo!" Sokka said dramatically pointing at the lone man in the bridge.
"Who?"
"Damn it! WHERE'S BOBO!" Zuko yelled, at the clearly younger looking man.
"Bobo? He gave me a note telling me where to go, and he said I would get paid when I got there."
"Where's there?" Sokka asked, and the boy handed him a map with the note attached.
Go to Black Ash Island. And go to the Red Inn, there ask the front desk for Harman. They will take you to him, and give him the three stowaways on your boat to him. He will pay you for helping me.
Sokka read the note aloud, and Zuko asked to talk to the boy outside on the deck for a moment.
"Boy, is there anyone else on this ship?"
"No, sir."
"Good." and Zuko tossed the boy out in the open waters, "Less people to toss overboard."
"It will be easy." Sokka said to the three of them, "I am the captain, Zuko navigates, and Toph is the mechanic and cook."
"Cook! That's sexist!"
"Who died and made you captain?"
"Whoa, calm down the both of you. Toph you are the cook because I doubt anyone will want to eat anything me and Zuko make. Zuko, I am the captain because I have actually sailed a boat, and we need someone with experience to lead the boat."
"But mechanic? Really?"
"Maybe I shouldn't have tossed the kid overboard."
"Toph you can bend metal, ie you are the mechanic, and YOU TOSSED THE BOY OVER BOARD!"
"Don't yell at me."
"Whatever, we need to get to Black Ash Island. So let's go."
And Sokka, Zuko, and Toph stayed on course to head to Black Ash Island as the next leg on their journey.
This is such an important chapter. THEY ARE ON A BOAT! haha. HIS NAME IS BOBO! Seriously who laughed at that name? I sure did. Bobo is like 50 yrs old. Robinn is like 18 yrs old. I am sorry for any huge/big spelling/grammar errors. There is a lot of room for me to screw up. The plot thickens with Black Ash Island. So many cool scenes in this chapter. Mainly the opening paragraph. Toph in a spiky dome, sokka stalking his prey, and Zuko doing his Fire Lord thing. Oh, such fantasies in the Fan Fiction world... Who's Harman? I don't even know, he's an unplanned character, really! I have a notebook filled with all the characters (ALL OF THEM) for this story and there is no mention of Harman any where.
I hope there was enough blood-thrilling action in this chapter for everyone. Really the fight scene is epic if you picture it just right, and throw in some slow-motion. Sokka is pissy in this chapter. Toph is kick ass, and so is Zuko. Gah that fight scene is one of the best ones I have done, and it's epic in my head... THANK YOU FOR READING!
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