Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon, not me.
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Drabble #10: "Homecoming"
Setting: After the end of season 3
Toph's heart thudded repeatedly. Blood raced through her fingers at manic speed. "I don't think I'm going to do this," she said, halting.
Sokka spun on his heel and stopped in front of her. "For the twentieth time, Toph," he said. "You're going to do this."
"I can't," she said. "I just…I just can't, okay?"
"You owe them this," Sokka said. Toph could feel his annoyance. "You're the one who ran away. You need to at least let them know you're alive."
"I'll dictate a letter," Toph said.
Sokka's big hand closed over her elbow. "Toph," he said sternly. "You're going to go, even if I have to carry you."
Toph scowled and planted her feet firmly on the cobblestone street. No one could get past this, she thought, but Sokka's arms closed around her. In one swift movement he tossed her over his shoulder. "Lemme go!" she shrieked, pounding her fists against his spine.
"Tough luck," he said airily. "Let's go. Your house is on the left, right?"
"I'm not telling you," she sulked.
He walked silently for a while, Toph bouncing up and down on his shoulder. His shoulderblade jabbed her in the stomach. Her irritation melted away slowly, dissolving into anxiety. Her stomach twisted. "I'll walk," she said softly.
Sokka slid her carefully down to the ground. "You're not going to try to run away?" he asked. Toph shook her head. Sokka took her by the hand, his long fingers closing around her small palm. "It's going to be okay."
"I'm scared," she whispered. "They probably hate me."
"No one could hate you, Toph," Sokka said. There was not a hint of wavering in his tone. "And your parents adore you."
"That was before I ran away," she admitted. "I've been gone for so long. Maybe…maybe they don't want me anymore."
Sokka stopped dead in his tracks. Toph tumbled into him. He knelt down and gripped her shoulders. "Toph," he said. "Stop talking like that. Your parents love you. They want you back. And if they don't, which isn't going to happen, then I am taking you back to the south pole with me, because I love you."
She smiled and touched her fingertips lightly against his cheeks. He was flushing with emotion and late summer sun. "Okay," she said softly. "I believe you."
Sokka's hand closed over hers again and he led her down the street. Toph's footsteps slowed as they drew closer to her house. What if Sokka's wrong? What if they don't want me back? What if they've forgotten me?
Sokka's impetuous, passionate words echoed in her ears. I am taking you back to the south pole with me, because I love you.
She squeezed his hand tightly as he opened the back gate of the gardens. "Come on, Toph," he said softly..
Toph's heart pounded; it hurt so badly it felt like it was going burst free of her chest. Some distance away, through the mown grass and the fresh dirt and the blooming flowers, she could feel a heartbeat. Soft, light, and steady beats.
The beats quickened. "Toph?"
Toph swallowed hard. Light footsteps, belonging to a pair of feet that were small like her own, vibrated through the ground. "Mom?" she whispered. Her throat tightened. "Mom, I'm home."
"Oh, Toph." Sokka dropped her hand as the footsteps quickened. "Oh, Toph, oh, Toph." Her mother's arms closed around her, drawing her tightly to her.
Toph buried her face in her mother's shoulder, pressing her cheek to the familiar feel of thick glossy silk. The vivid smell of poppies and saffron enveloped her in a homey cloud. "I'm home, Mama," she whispered.
Poppy fell to her knees, pulling Toph to her tightly, and rocked her like she was a much smaller child. Tears dropped on Toph's forehead. "Toph, you're safe," she sobbed. "You're home, you're safe."
Toph nestled in the safety of her mother's embrace, clinging to her sleeves. "I'm sorry, Mama," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I ran away."
Poppy pulled back, brushing Toph's hair away from her face. "I'm just glad you're home," she said brokenly. "I though we'd lost you."
"You didn't lose me, Mama," Toph said. She tightened her arms around her mother's neck. "I just needed to help. They needed me."
"We needed you too, Toph," Poppy said.
Toph pulled back. "They needed me more," she said. She touched her mother's cheekbone lightly. "You have to believe me."
She felt her mother's cheeks move under her fingers. Poppy smiled. "I do, darling," she said. Poppy stood up, her arms slipping around her daughter. "And who are you?"
"Sokka," he said. "I'm Sokka, from the Water Tribe."
"Did you take care of my daughter?" Poppy asked.
Toph felt him standing straight and tall, his broad shoulders squared. "Yes," he said.
"He took really good care of me," Toph said softly.
Poppy kept one arm tight around her daughter, but she held out her other hand. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much."
"She means a lot to me," Sokka said. Toph leaned her head on her mother's shoulder. She could hear the gentle smile in his voice. "More than I had realized."
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Author's Note:
Do you know what bothers me about the series finale? (Well, there's a couple of loose ends that I wanted to see tied, but this is a big one…) Did Toph ever return to her parents? I mean, in season 2 they hired a guy to track her down, and she wrote them a letter in "The Runaway," but that was kind of it.
At least Bryke acknowledged the lack of Tophness in the last half of season 3. (Yes, I'm one of those dorks who listens to audio commentaries…)
And because I didn't update last week, I have TWO Mudkips for you! Yay!
COMING UP NEXT: "Blood"