I hoped it wasn't going to be two full months… but alas, it was (cries)
College is fun folks, however I never thought I'd have so little free time to write
Anyways, apparently the Zoph lemon is a go in a few chapters (or I may post it on adult ffnet since I don't want to get my account banned, hehe) since so many people liked it… although StarUchia… you might want to calm down a bit…it's nice to be enthusiastic about a story, but being that excited over lemons…
Well, to each their own, I suppose.
The lemon won't be for a while yet. But with that said, on with the story!
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Zuko blew off some steam from a cup of one of his favorite flavors of tea, letting the stinky wisps of steam circulate the room. As bad as it smelled, it tasted extraordinary… besides, it was fun to see his bald (or was that bald-ing?) prior enemy wrinkle his nose whenever he passed.
Ah, the small pleasures in life…
It had only taken moments for the wall to be rebuilt to prevent the freezing winter air from blowing inside, a quick earthbending move from Aang showed that despite Katara's potential "distraction" for him, his training hadn't slacked off. At least not to the extent one would have expected…
The ex-fire prince let out a hearty belch, smirking mentally as Aang once again wrinkled his nose as he passed, Toph coming down the stairs after he did, coming to sit down next to Zuko, her own cup of tea in hand.
Strange how she had it already, since he hadn't seen her go into the kitchen… he shrugged to himself, dismissing the thought as the dark haired earthbender seated himself next to him with a very un-Toph-like warm smile.
"Morning," she said cheerfully.
"…Morning," he said back, slightly bewildered.
"What?"
"N-nothing, you just don't seem like a morning person." He muttered quickly, not quite sure what to make of this slight character change.
"I'm not. But I can smell that stinky tea of yours all the way in my room." At his bewildered expression, she merely responded "Well, not everyone wakes up to the smell of roses, eh?"
He blinked again, before shaking his head with a slight chuckle. This was going to be an interesting day… one of many, he hoped.
Katara soon plopped down across from Toph with a plate of breakfast, occasionally giving Zuko a quick glance of a half-glare as she started to nibble on her plate. Aang quickly followed, seating himself next to his girlfriend… or even wife, perhaps… his face a stony glare in Zuko's direction.
The fire prince didn't let it affect him, instead letting a soft belch roll across his lips into the air at the bald monk, giving a smile as the avatar wrinkled his nose from the stench.
This was becoming too fun…
Katara coughed uncomfortably as Zuko's golden eyes met Aang's grey-brown eyes with a cool confidence, but eventually everyone at the table turned to her, though as Toph's Chewbacca-like hair turned to face the water bending woman, it only seemed to make the scene all the more comical.
"So Toph, how long have you been living with… Zuko, here?"
"I've been here about three weeks now," she said quietly. How long it had been specifically was uncertain… these previous weeks had just seemed to fly by. It could have been well over a month and a half for all she knew.
"Well, it's good to know you're doing well…" Katara said with a somewhat forced smile, and Zuko felt himself tense up.
"Oh really?" the shorter black-haired woman asked, a slight snide tone coming through.
Aang moved his stony glare off of his prior nemesis and shifted it to one of concern. "What are you talking about, Toph? You're our friend…"
"Who you left as soon as the war was over."
Zuko's incredibly and super-intelligent thought process of the moment? 'Uh-oh…'
Both the avatar and water bender blinked. "'Left'… what do you mean by that? We had business to do…"
"Oh yeah… that old excuse again…" Toph muttered. "I know you're the avatar, Aang, but that doesn't give you an excuse to act like an ass…"
Grey-brown eyed baldy's eyes went even bigger at the comment. "Huh?"
"Well, after the war was over, everyone went their separate ways. You said 'oh hey, let's visit'…"
"Yeah, you never wrote or came to visit us…" Katara defended.
"I can't write, stupid," she snorted, "and I can't just take a trip on a flying fluff ball to visit some friends, Sugar queen…"
Zuko choked on his tea.
Toph continued, her voice coming from beneath her mane of hair taking away the serious anger in her voice. "Nothing personal, avatar, but the three of you ditched me, never spoke to me again, really. My family disowned me, so I've been wandering around. I found princess here (she jerked a thumb in his direction,) and decided to settle for a while."
"But after what he did…"
"It's past, Aang…"
"You're willing to forgive him for almost killing Suki?!" Aang nearly outright roared.
"She attacked me," Zuko snorted.
"So what?!" Aang continued. "That doesn't give you an excuse to burn half her body!"
The fire prince winced. "She took me by surprise, I didn't—"
A snort of fire came out of the avatar's nose as the shorter man rocketed up from his seated position. "See? He admits it!"
Zuko took a deep breath. "At that time, avatar, I was lost: I didn't know where my loyalties lay. But now I do, which is against the remaining fire nation who still think it's their right to rule the world."
"But you—"
Toph sighed irritably as the dark-haired man attempted to rein his rising anger.
"I've already forgiven you for killing my father, Aang…" he said in a quiet tone. Dangerously quiet. "Think about that."
Chewbacca-girl snorted again, before following the retreating fire bender out of the kitchen. She paused at the doorway to say something, but then apparently decided against it. Instead, she moved her right arm up in a subtle, though firm motion. There was a sound of another painful connection of rock from the floor and flesh in the next split second, along with Aang's unmanly squeal of "AHHH!!! TWICE in ONE DAY?!?"
Ah, the small things in life.
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"You're going to give him retarded kids, you know."
Toph snickered at the comment slightly. "He deserves it. I just hope he doesn't treat his kids like that, if he ever has em."
"Power corrupts, after all…"
A cool breeze drifted across the outside deck. The back entrance to the inn was never used by customers, so neither had to worry about looking presentable for the public. Although…
Zuko sneaked a glance at Toph, then snickered slightly.
"What's so funny?"
He chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing."
"I can tell you're lying," she sing-songed, flashing a cheeky grin that flashed a subtle message of "I'll hurt you if you don't tell me" at him through the bushes of hair.
"It's just that your hair looks like a static poodle-bear."
"Oh, is that it?" she said. "Well, sorry, but I can't enjoy the sight myself."
He let out a snort of mirth, before moving towards her, moving his hand around the static fluffy mass. "Feel that?"
She suddenly snickered. "Is it really sticking out that far?"
"Yup. A cute little poodle-bear hairstyle," he chuckled.
She froze slightly at the comment. "Cute?"
He paused, looking at her with a quizzical expression, feeling slightly stupid in the next moment after realizing she probably wouldn't catch that. "Well sure."
A dull thud swiftly followed, and Zuko gave a flabbergasted look from his current position on the floor. "Why'd you punch me?"
She smirked underneath her plethora of shagginess. "You made me feel girly again."
An annoyed snort was heard beneath Zuko's own tassels of long hair, and he roused himself up with an arm, Toph chuckling all the while.
Abruptly, her chuckles came to a complete stop, and after a pause, she fluffed her hair a bit. "Something just occurred to me…"
"What's that?"
"If Aang and Katara are… do you think we can deal with… little Aang's and Katara's…?"
Zuko blinked. "Isn't it a little early to be thinking about that?"
"They've been hitting off since they were thirteen, I wouldn't be surprised…" Toph involuntarily shuddered. "Still, ONE Aang was a bit much to handle…"
"I wonder if all air benders were like that…I thought they were MONKS…"
"Not the pure kind, apparently…"
They both chuckled again, letting the chilling breeze wash over them, rinsing away all thought for a brief moment and allowing nothing other than the crisp air to fill their senses.
Silent, serene…
And truly peaceful.
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It was later that day that Geeva finally showed her face once more inside the inn, much to Terron's joy. She shuffled in awkwardly, her eyes towards the floor, completely avoiding everyone with her only response a silent scream for space with her eyes.
She'd never looked so empty, Zuko commented inwardly.
The rest of the day fell into its usual (although admittedly quieter) routine as usual: Zuko helped gather firewood and work the furnace, Toph assisting him along the way, even helping bend metal pipes into place when they were out of alignment.
Iroh finished his tea early, and started arrangements the weekly "music night" (including the floogie horn trio) and other activities, everything falling back into a more or less peaceful atmosphere.
Katara and Aang went into town for supplies, something about a "possible new person to take care of"…
WAS there another Aang coming? Zuko suddenly thought. Good gods, that was one of the last things the world needed right now…
"OW!"
"What is it with you and dropping axes on your foot?"
"I spaced out, ok?!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Zuko grumbled, and Toph smirked once more. At least there was entertainment to be found in lumber work, she mused.
The merry atmosphere only lasted another moment, however, before both of the figures froze in place, both of their gazes snapping towards the trees.
With a quick motion Toph sent a wave of earth towards the trees, and three hooded figures suddenly flipped nimbly down from a tree, which toppled with the impact of the earth.
"Long time no see, Zuzu…" A feminine voice purred, and Zuko felt his fists tighten with silent rage.
"Azula…"
"Is this how you treat all of your guests at the inn here? No wonder it's in shambles, you people here have NO tact… or taste for that matter…"
"I'd say it's nice to see you and your harem again little miss flaming princess, but that would be a lie…" Toph snorted, reasserting her low stance.
The three hoods fell from the heads of their owners, the three golden-eyed women staring at the exiled fire prince and ruffled fire bender with mixed expressions. Ty Lee had grown into quite the woman, although her childish glee still shone in her amber-brown eyes, that shallow loyalty to the fire nation and her unwillingness to go against Azula never wavering for an instant.
Mai looked on with a look of scorned feeling of betrayal, her cold eyes glaring daggers at the man she had once thought she'd loved, her hands already up her sleeves, no doubt ready to pull out a flurry of knives at a whisper. Cold fury… the perfect description of the perfect fire nation assassin.
"Well Zuzu, it seems you haven't betrayed our father not once but twice in the long run… lying about the avatar's death, attempting to hide it from our father, betraying us in the last moment to help the avatar mortally wound our father…"
She shook her head from side to side, almost like a sadistic mother to child. "Tsk, tsk, Zuzu…"
Her utter lack of remorse for their father, that look in her eyes… this wasn't some plan to recruit him: this was a last-ditch effort at revenge. Even from this distance, Zuko could feel Azula's inner fire tainted with rage and fury.
The same cold fury that needed to end in fire benders. It was the true heart of fire bending… the source of its power, and a power that needed to be snuffed out and never used again.
Not even the Avatar had seen the highest levels and horrors of fire bending…
Zuko took a ready stance, his fingers flexing at any possible movement.
Azula outright laughed. "Oh please, Zuzu… do you honestly think I only brought Ty Lee and Mai with me?"
There was a residual boom with some screaming, and to Zuko's horror, an entire wall of a building in the village collapsed, encased in flames. Fire nation soldiers erupted flames out of their fists, a sort of terrible glee in their eyes at this last bit of revenge they were able to enact for their fallen brothers of war. They were the last of their beloved country still under the divine rule of their monarchy, and they would stand up until they died.
War was never truly over until the little skirmishes stopped. That was the way the world worked. And for the fire nation, that meant putting your all, and your life, into defeating the enemy until every last ember of the fire nation's heart had been extinguished.
In the distance he could see air blasts and lashes of water: the avatar and the water peasant were probably duking it out there, but there seemed to be too many soldiers for them to…
"Go help twinkle toes!" Toph's shout invaded his thoughts rudely. "I can handle this lesbian team!"
"But…"
"GO!" And to stress her point, her fist smashed into the ground, making the trio roll out of the way.
Zuko snorted and ran towards the others, and he could hear Azula chuckle behind him. Toph was indeed powerful, and had probably only grown more so as time went on since he had last fought her… but just how strong WAS she?
As soon as the civilians were safe, he was going to return to Toph, and then burn some SERIOUS ass…
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Iroh sighed at the spilled tea on the counter as he sent a basic fire blast at an enemy soldier. Why did such beautifully delicious things have to go to waste?
He grabbed a metal tea pot from the stove, grateful that there was still some of his orgasmically tasteful ginseng tea, however before he could use it to pour a glass for himself, a stray fire blast severed the connection between handle and pot. The pot holding the glorious concoction of taste fell to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere as a stray soldier stumbled in.
The solder slipped, and Iroh sighed, giving the man a swift kick to give him a speedy and slick exit.
Oh, the small woes in life…
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Zuko struck a soldier in the helmet, denting the metal and sending the poor man careening into a nearby tree with a thickening crack of wood, metal, and bone. "UNCLE! HELP THE VILLIAGERS!" He roared over the explosions and screams.
"But… tea!!" came the hesitant response.
"JUST DO IT!"
Zuko tripped another man onto his head, before blasting his way through the doors of the inn, Iroh over the loss of his beloved tea and helping get the panicking residents out, the outskirts of the building already beginning to flame and flicker. The entire wooden structuring of the building wouldn't last long.
"Move!" Zuko commanded, urging them on with his hands and fighting off soldiers in the way with deft back hands. More of the building was beginning to burn, and a particularly heavy quake from behind the inn revealed that the fight between Toph and the three little bitches was still going strong.
"That's all of them!" Iroh shouted, before running out of the collapsing building, Terron following closely behind as swiftly as his portly form would allow.
Zuko blew a sharp breath, and the flames parted for them by the doorway, the trio of portly men and muscular youth making a beeline out of the place they once called home, an intense wave of heat hitting their backs as the entire building began to fall apart.
Soldiers flew left and right from Katara's and Aang's attacks, many crumpling sickeningly as they connected with snow-encompassed trees and sides of buildings, but there were just too many…unless he…
There was suddenly a shrill scream behind the burning inn with an explosion of lightning, and all concern for everything within Zuko vanished…
"TOPH!" His feet moved before he even commanded them to, snow flying out beneath his cheap shoes, entire body screaming to move faster.
To feel a fire's heat…no… "NO!"
Toph knelt on the snow-covered earth, her entire body heaving with exertion. Ty Lee snickered close by, Azula's eyes crazed and bloodthirsty, Mai unconscious on the ground nearby.
"I hit a vital point in your ankle, Tophie-poo… And a lot of other ones too, Heehee! You're not gonna be able to use that foot for quite some time…" she sing-songed.
"Zuzu? Awww, you came to see the death of your girlfriend… how sweet…" She cackled maniacally, hand glowing with blue flames.
Zuko's entire body tensed, his left hand forming a hand sign he had hoped to never use again, but for her…
He would not let Azula feel the warmth off of any other's fire ever again…
Toph staggered away weakly, for once looking truly helpless. Without a solid stance, earth bending was nothing. It truly was the best technique to use against someone so heavily reliant on earth bending. The young woman seemed to know this, her face a defiant glare, but even in her sightless eyes he could detect the slightest twitch of despair.
But for fire… oh no, he'd make sure his fire connected. With a roar he brought his hand back, hand beginning to spark with untold power, just before—
The entire world slowed.
The air itself quivered around them, and the sibling fire benders stopped their techniques to see the avatar, tattoos and eyes glowing like the harshest stars, rise up in a tornado of snow and wind.
Aang let loose and inhuman scream, and an impact like a gigantic sound wave knocked everyone off their feet, just in front of the enormous wall of snow.
That idiot, the avalanche was going to…
He cursed inwardly, rolling with the sudden onrush of wind over to Toph. Azula only looked on in horror, the tidal wave of frost approaching them faster than they could ever hope to outrun.
Toph struggled to sit up, completely unaware of what was going on, only to find herself pushed back down by Zuko's body.
"What are you--?!"
"Shut up and save your air!" he commanded, pressing her into the earth.
The onrush of snow came, Azula and Ty Lee screaming as they were sent reeling backwards in the wave, pieces of debris surfing along the snow. The snow washed over Zuko, and what wasn't blown away was encased in a silent darkness. Only seconds later, all that remained was a brilliant plain of snow. The village was completely gone.
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I feel sooooo evil, but I had to post what I had in what little free time college allows me :(
R&R and I'll update as soon as possible!
Dak