TWELVE: Insanity.

Can you blame me for thinking of Azula instantly? She fell off her rocker and isn't getting back onto it anytime soon.


"Come on, Toph."

"I don't want to see her." Toph growled, dragging her feet as both the tiny Earthbender and her tall friend headed towards the Fire Nation prison. Azula's cell was guarded by man guards and she was to be constantly chained up and never let down. Toph knew why. If she got an opening, she'd take it.

There had been some speculation that recent attacks on Earth Kingdom shipments had been ordered by the princess, though there was no proof. Zuko, who was away visiting Katara, had asked Sokka and Toph (who were the closest to the Fire Nation at the time, Toph being on her way home to Gaoling and Sokka headed back to the South Pole after Suki and he broke up) to interrogate Azula.

"I don't want to see her, either. But Zuko asked us." Sokka muttered, pausing at the thick metal doors until one of the guards unlocked it and held open the door for them.

Toph made a hmph sound, following him into the building. "I don't get why Iroh couldn't do it."

"He's busy being the fill-in Fire Lord while Zuko takes his sweet time visiting Katara." Sokka said, his forehead creasing as he rounded a corner. "I don't get why out of all the girls in the w- Oof!"

Toph had reached forward, grabbing Sokka's collar and jerking him back. "Hey, Snoozles! Crazy's this way." She told him, letting go of his collar and jerking her head in the opposite direction. "Unless you wanted to visit her dad…"

He flushed in embarrassment that he had gone the wrong way, walking side-by-side with his friend. "I don't really want to visit either of them."

"I know."

"I hate them."

"I know."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as they paused outside of Azula's heavily guarded cell. "Aang thinks they can change, but… I don't think they can."

"We'll just have to wait and see. And don't worry. I'll protect you in there." Toph said with a grin, kicking the heavy metal door open with the help of her Metalbending.

"You'll protect – " Sokka started to scoff, but reluctantly followed Toph into the cell. Azula looked… blank. Her hair was in her face, her wrists securely chained behind her back. She was looking at them, though her eyes weren't focused.

"So, Crazy, how's cell life treating you?" Toph strode forward, keeping a few steps away from Azula just in case.

Azula looked up, an insane smile on her face. "Better than home life is treating you, I assure you. I'm still a princess, I still have followers."

"Which is why we want to talk to you. Why did you send your followers towards the Earth Kingdom shipments?" Sokka fell into place next to Toph, stepping out of the shadows.

"Oh, is that you?" A grin came to Azula's face. "I remember you. Where's Suki?!" It was scary, the way her voice lowered as she imitated Sokka's voice on the Day of Black Sun. "I don't see her with you. Have you found a new girlfriend?" Her eyes rolled over to Toph. "Oh. There you are. Picked you up rather quickly, didn't he, after having discarded his Kyoshi Warrior so eagerly?"

"Toph is not my girlfriend." Sokka scowled, his fists clenched next to his side.

"No?" Azula taunted. In a half a second she had leapt up. There had been hidden slack in her chain behind her back, so as she lunged towards Toph she knocked the small girl off balance. Her hands, normally bound together behind her back, had two shiny metal cuffs on that connected to the walls. Azula brought her left arm around Toph's neck, her right arm swirling blue lightning around. "If she's not your girlfriend, then I can kill her!"

Sokka's hand tensed towards the empty sheath where his sword used to be. He missed it, especially in times like this. "Let her go!"

"Oh, but why? It would be so much better to see you all angry again… funny, it took you weeks to be this concerned over Suki… but here you are, right now, ready to kill me if I kill the little blind brat…"

Toph's feet were stretching to try and reach the metal floor of the prison cell, though she was being held up (and choked) by Azula's left arm, currently. She gasped as she tried to kick backwards towards Azula, her facial expression full of panic.

"Toph!" Sokka growled, starting to take a step forward.

"Keep going, if you want her dead." Azula hissed.

"Let her go!"

"No, I don't think I will. Shall we place bets on how long it takes for her to loose consciousness from lack of oxygen?"

Sokka's fingers twitched. He wanted to get his newly crafted boomerang, but he didn't dare try to reach it. His eyes were locked on Toph's, his anger and fear plain on his face. "Stop it!"

"Shall… we…" Toph struggled out the words, her hands trying to tear at Azula's strong grip.

"What was that?" The Fire Nation girl hissed. "I didn't quite hear you! Must be because I'm cutting off your air supply… Hmm."

"Then listen up, Crazy," the blind girl spat, her expression fierce even as her cheeks started to turn a deep shade of red. "… how about… we… take bets on how… long it… takes me to… knock you out? … Sokka… what's your… guess?"

He was still too shocked to speak, sure his friend was about to die.

"My guess… is four seconds…" Toph muttered, before tearing her hands away from where they had been trying to stop Azula from strangling her completely. Her right arm shot out towards the wall of the cell, her palm colliding with the metal.

Bam.

A piece of the metal prison wall tore itself away with a horrible screeching sound before promptly smashing the Fire Nation princess into the wall.

Toph fell to the floor, clutching her neck and gasping for air. Sokka was next to Toph in a second, pulling her out of Azula's range. Even if she was knocked out, he didn't want to endanger her anymore. "Toph, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let you get that close to her, you could have been killed, you could have been killed and it would have been my fault and – "

"Shut it." Toph choked out, her chest pumping as she slowly caught her breath. "If it wasn't me, it would've been you."

He held her against his chest, noticing for the first time how truly small she was. "I'm sorry…" he whispered into her hair, closing his eyes and rocking slightly. "I should have protected you…"

"Sokka…" Toph pulled away from him, though her eyes were still locked onto his chest since it didn't make a difference where she looked. "You have. You did. You are."

His grip on her tightened, pulling her against his chest again. "And I will. I will protect you. I don't want to loose you… I'm so sorry… I should have protected you…"

That day Sokka made himself a mental promise as he held Toph silently to his chest, cradling her. I'll protect her. Forever. I couldn't protect Yue. Suki didn't want me to protect her. I'll protect Toph. When she needs a friend I'll be him… when she needs a big brother to punch the boys who make her cry and break her heart, I'll be him… and when she needs someone to hold her… I'll be him, too…

I'll be him. I will be that guy… for her.


Umm. And Azula had cuffs on that were chained to the wall. She just didn't have them chained behind her back because she had been eating. And it's hard to eat without your hands. And c'mon. Azula's the psycho girl who can manipulate people like you would not believe. I can imagine her cooing, 'Oh, won't you please leave them unchained from my back? They hurt my shoulders so much… aww, thank you… such an honor to have you in the service of my brother Zuzu…' to the guard.

And I'm guessing she'll regain her sanity (a little, at least) in jail. Or grow crazier. Whichever. Obviously she's become more reckless in this story, since she doesn't think through the fact that Toph can metalbend.