I want to say thanks to anonymous reviewer Turtle for being review number 200! Yay! Anyway, sorry about the longer than usual update, but I had a massive attack of writer's block and it killed me. I'm better though! I wanted to say something else too, but I forgot what.. that's my memory for you lol! Here's your next chapter!
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It was daytime, he knew it, but hunger and thirst had clouded his vision. Maybe it was just the fog from the rain. Either way, he was imagining things. He thought he heard voices over the sound of the waves. He thought he saw a ship out on the ocean. But he didn't imagine the people that broke him free of his earth prison. They introduced themselves, but he didn't pay attention. He was too busy concentrating on holding himself up and not falling. The men helped him to the ship he thought he imagined and they gave him food and a blanket as he told them what happened.
After he ate, he could see better and realized a little too late that these people that helped him were pirates. He'd never known pirates to be accomodating, but these days nothing was impossible. The captain explained the reason behind this, going into detail with the waterbender girl's attack and destruction of more than half his crew. He needed to rebuild. He needed more men. He needed him. Kiatoh.
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"Katara.."
Katara rolled over and mumbled something incomprehensible in her sleep. Zuko rolled his eyes and shook her shoulder a little but to no avail.
"Katara, wake up."
She growled and pulled a pillow over her head. Zuko just took the pillow from her and started tickling her to wake her up. She jumped up and grabbed his hands, but he didn't stop.
"Okay, I'm up! What do you want?"
He removed his hands and stood up. "We're landing soon."
"What?" she yelled as she jumped up out of the bed, trying desperately not to get tangled up in her blanket and failing miserably. She fell forward out of the bed and Zuko just barely caught her. He set her gently on the floor so she could untangle her legs, then they went to the deck together, Katara trying to brush her fingers through her hair a little.
"Katara! It's about time you got up!" her brother called across the deck.
"How did I sleep so long?" she asked as she looked at the darkening sky. "I wasn't even that tired."
"Get your stuff together, we'll be docking in a couple minutes."
"What stuff?"
"Oh, right. Well then, just prepare yourself."
Katara laughed as Sokka ran around getting stuff ready to go, slipping here and there. The deck was still slick from the rain earlier and the constant drizzle after the downpour eased up. Clouds still covered the evening sky, making it seem later than it really was. There was a light fog on the water, but she could barely make out the docks ahead of them.
"Feeling okay?"
She turned to see Zuko and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. It'll be good to get back to civilization again, although I'm not too excited to get back to where your sister can get us."
"Yeah, I'm not exactly looking forward to that either. It's okay though, I'm sure you can handle her."
"Not if we're in the middle of the woods. Maybe by the ocean, but in the woods I have a limited supply of water."
"We'll be fine, we have more than enough people to overpower her. I'll even talk to the owner of this ship about the swords Sokka found. We're more than prepared."
"If you say so," she sighed.
"I know so."
Soon, everyone was making their way off the ship. Katara giggled as she watched Aang run and jump onto Appa's head, hugging him. Appa grunted at him.
"Thanks a lot for watching him!"
"Only for the Avatar," an old man said, smiling at the young boy. "Do you need a place to stay or will you be heading out tonight?"
Aang looked back to his group of friends, then turned back to the man. "I think we'll stay here tonight. It'll be our last chance to stay somewhere nice before we get to Ba Sing Sei."
Zuko approached the man, who shrunk back slightly not knowing what to expect from the fierce looking boy. "Who is the owner of that ship?"
"I am. Is there something wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering about the twin swords we found below."
"Oh, those old things? They were a gift, but I have no use for them. You may have them if you like, but only if I know they'll be of assistance to the Avatar."
"They will, sir. Thank you." Zuko bowed his head to the man before running back to the ship to fetch his newly acquired treasures. Katara giggled at him as he ran past her.
The old man shook his head and smiled, then turned his attention back to the group in front of him. "Come, I'll take you to a place you can stay for the night. Our inn doesn't get many visitors, so there are more than enough rooms."
"Thank you so much for you generosity, sir," Katara said politely.
"It's not a problem, young lady."
He held his hand out towards the village and the group started that way, Zuko trying to catch up with his new swords strapped to his back now. The town was mostly empty and filled with the wonderful smell of family dinners. The inn itself wasn't much on the outside, but it was nicer than anyone expected on the inside. It had traces of green and gold paint along the front desk and intricate designs ran along the walls. It looked and smelled like it had been recently painted, along with the smells of food wafting about. There was quite a bit of commotion as well for a place that didn't get many visitors.
"Good evening, young travelers! You too, Ji," said an older woman that was standing behind the counter. She was thin and her dark brown hair was highlighted with grey and pulled neatly into a bun. The smile on her face was big enough to rival Aang's.
The man, Ji, nodded and walked up to her. He whispered, "This is the Avatar and his friends. They need a place to stay tonight before they head out in the morning."
"Oh, absolutely!" the woman squealed. "I have five open rooms, will that be okay?"
"You usually have more than that. Oh, is it because of the festival?"
"Yes. Tell them they're welcome to join the feast in the dining hall once they're settled in."
He nodded and she handed him the keys. Ji turned back to the group of people, who were whispering among themselves. He held the keys up and jangled them, getting the attention of most of the group. "There are only five rooms open due to the festival coming up tomorrow. When you get settled, the dining hall is right through there," he pointed through a doorway just down the hall. "Aki has invited you all to join the feast to mark the start of our town's Festival of Summer."
Aang winced at the sound of summer, just knowing it was already beginning made him uneasy. That meant he had around three months to master the elements and defeat the firelord. His thoughts were interrupted by an arguing Sokka.
"But there are seven of us!"
"Some of us will have to share rooms, Sokka," Katara told him, daring a glance at Zuko.
Sokka caught that and screamed, "Oh no, you are NOT sharing a room with a-" He was cut off when Ty Lee's hand flew over his mouth. The look of surprise on his face was priceless, then he realized what he was about to say could've gotten their new.. allies arrested. He refused to use the word 'friend' when referring to them. They could never be friends.
Katara sighed and turned to Zuko. "You can share a room with your uncle. I'll be fine."
"No, please don't make me share a room with him!" Zuko pleaded. "I can't sleep with his loud, annoying snoring!"
"Then maybe Sokka should share with him," she laughed. "They can see who can out-snore each other."
"I'll let you kids fight it out," Ji said as he left them in the lobby.
After a few minutes of rather loud arguing, they came up with a sleeping arrangement. Iroh and Aang would share a room, Toph and Katara would share, Sokka and Zuko would share, then Ty Lee would be alone. They gave back the last key so as not to take up more rooms than they needed. Toph could feel vibrations a little bit, but not as much as on earth since they were on the second level, so Katara helped her around some.
"So, how are you and Prince Hothead?" she asked Katara.
"Depends, how are you and Twinkle Toes?" Katara giggled.
"What makes you think me and Twinkle Toes have anything?" she shot.
"Call it a girl's intuition. You want to tell me about it?"
"It's supposed to be a secret," Toph sighed. "I don't know why, but he doesn't want it to get out until we get to Ba Sing Sei."
"Maybe he's just worried that if people know you're together, they'll kidnap you instead of me to get to him and he's just trying to keep you safe."
"Are you trying to say I'm too weak to take care of myself!"
"No, I know you can take care of yourself. You're a very strong bender, Toph, but they could put you in places where you can't bend or see. It's different with me because I can see if I need to fight without my bending. Ask Zuko, he personally knows."
Toph sprawled across her bed and hugged the pillow under her head. "Hey, Katara? Do you mind bringing some food up for me? I kind of.. don't feel like going down there."
Katara looked at her friend curiously, then responded, "Sure, will you be okay up here?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just have a headache."
"Okay, I'll be back in a little bit," she said as she stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.
Meanwhile...
"I'm just here to watch over you and make sure you don't try any funny stuff."
"What funny stuff am I going to try, peasant?"
"Oh, I don't know.. kill us all in our sleep!"
Zuko unstrapped the swords from his back and laid them down beside his bed. "You're never going to trust me, are you?"
"Not if my life depended on it."
"So you're saying you would rather die than trust me?"
"I die either way, right?"
"Look, Katara wants us to get along and that's what I'm trying to do-"
"No, you're here to kill us!"
"Will you shut up for five minutes!" Zuko yelled, making the Water Tribe boy close his mouth and sit. "Katara wants us to get along. I am trying to get along with you for her sake, but you're making it difficult with-"
"But-"
"No! I am not here to kill you all.. and you're five minutes aren't up yet. You're about as stubborn as I am and I understand where you're coming from, but there are times to fight and there are times to accept help when it's offered."
"Something else Katara taught you?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Can't we just try to get along for her?"
Sokka crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, nodding. "Let's go eat now."
"See? I can agree with you there. Let's go."
They started out the door and Sokka asked, "So.. you're good with those swords?"
"You might say that," Zuko replied with a hint of a smile. They found Katara just coming out into the hall and Ty Lee appeared behind them. When they all went downstairs, Iroh and Aang had already made their way to the feast. They made their way through the somewhat large crowd and found seats around the two. They talked quietly among themselves until the old woman, who Ji had called Aki, made her way to the front of the rather large room.
"Good evening, everyone! We have all gathered here tonight to start off the celebration the beginning of summer with a grand feast. Tomorrow we'll start the fun and games and that evening we'll set off the fireworks to end the celebration! But tonight, we have a most special guest among us, well, I should say group. Tonight, we have with us Avatar Aang and his traveling companions and teachers!" She held out her hand towards the young Avatar and he shyly stood up to the sound of applause.
Random shouts emerged from the applause like "Kill the firelord!" and "Fire Nation stinks!" and that made Zuko tense up. Katara felt it and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He squeezed back, but still kept on his toes.
Aang sat back down and Aki stated loudly, "Now let's eat!"
Sokka couldn't have said it better himself as he dug into just about everything around him and shoved it into his mouth. Katara and Ty Lee watched him in disgust before carefully preparing their own plates, Katara remembering to fix an extra one for Toph. Aang was fixing his plate and Iroh made his own. Zuko kept his eyes down and pretending to be interested in the white table cloth with the gold and green trim.
"Hey," Katara whispered, nudging him a bit. "You need to eat. This will probably be the last decent meal we'll have until Ba Sing Sei."
"Why are you making two plates?" he asked curiously.
"Toph said she had a headache and asked me to bring some food to her."
"Is she okay?" Aang butted in.
"She's fine, Aang. She just needs to rest."
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Toph snuck out past the crowd in the inn and right out the door. She felt the earth under her feet and felt relieved. She inhaled the smells around her and started down the empty streets. Her sightless eyes looked around, listening for any suspicious sounds. All she heard was the sound of the ocean lapping against the beach and the hulls of the few docked ships.
"I wish I could see the stars and the moon, if only for one night," she whispered, turning her gaze up to the sky. "I wish I could put pictures to the things I feel, faces to the voices I hear." She stopped and closed her eyes, feeling someone nearby. "Who's there?" The thing she felt hopped a little before letting out a 'caw' and flying off. "Stupid birds," she whispered angrily. Her eyes shot open and she screamed and closed them again quickly. She slowly opened them again and let out a single tear. She looked up at the stars and the full moon, closing her eyes again and running back to the inn.
Her feet took her directly back to the inn and she felt her way to the dining hall where she felt the most vibrations from. Aang's laughter was heard over everyone and she smiled, but kept her eyes closed. He noticed her and got worried and stood up to see what was wrong.
"Toph, are you okay?"
Katara had joined him, slowly followed by Iroh. Sokka was still stuffing his face and Ty Lee was trying to scold him and keep her own dinner down. Zuko was slowly eating the food Katara had gotten for him and made him eat.
"Aang?" she said weakly, trying not to cry.
"It's me, Toph. What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. In fact, everything is right." She opened her eyes and they stepped back in surprise. Replacing the light green eyes they were so accustomed to were two startling dark green eyes. "I can see," she whispered.
Katara gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. All of them were too shocked for words. Finally, Aang got something out. "B-but how?"
"I wished it and it just came true." She put her hands on his face as she had done many times before, taking in every inch of it. She looked at Katara and smiled, knowing instantly who she was. Even Iroh, who she hadn't even been around that much, was recognizable. "Where are the others? I want to see them before I lose it again."
"Why would you lose it?" asked Katara.
"I'm not sure I will but when I wished for it, I said 'if only for one night'."
Katara looked at Aang and whispered, "Yue?"
"I think so."
"Don't tell Sokka."
"I'll get the others," Iroh groaned as he stood up straight. "We may not have long and you must get them in your mind." He headed back for the table the other three were at.
Toph hugged Katara and Aang around the necks. "Now that I have this, I don't want to give it up. It's amazing to be able to see things, all the lights and colors and.. faces. If I have this for just this one night, I won't even be able to see the sun."
Just then, Iroh came back with the others and he nudged them out into the lobby. They were drawing a bit of attention with all of them standing in the doorway to the dining hall.
She looked at all of them and recognized them somehow. Her smile grew and another tear escaped. "This is.. almost too much to take in. Sokka, Zuko, Ty Lee," she said their names, pointing to them in turn. They were surprised she knew them, never having seen them before.
"So, you really can see?" Sokka asked stupidly. Her dark green eyes glanced to him and she nodded, the smile never leaving her face.
"I want to watch you guys bending, since I'll never get to see it again. I want to watch your movements and elements with my eyes instead of my feet. It sounds beautiful."
Katara gave a mischevious smile. "Zuko, let's go spar on the beach."
He lifted an eyebrow at her, obviously confused, then remembered the island. "Yeah, let's go. We have to make sure no one sees us though."
"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Sokka asked, running after them as everyone took off out the door. They all ran down the street and across the sand of the beach as Zuko and Katara got into their stances.
She splashed him with the cold water from the ocean and he steam dried himself. He shot two fireballs at her and she jumped to the ground and rolled away, bringing her arms around to swallow him in a wave. He recovered quickly and circled them in flames. She doused the flames behind her and jumped into the water. He ran to the edge, the waves licking at his ankles, and shot more at her. Her head popped out of the water and she giggled, catching him on the arm with a water whip.
Aang jumped in and sent a ripple through the earth, making Zuko stumble a little. Zuko looked at Aang and smirked, sending fireballs his way. Aang stopped them with a little airbending and sent a blast of air at Zuko. He dodged only to get hit with more water.
"Are you guys ganging up on me now?"
Katara giggled and sent a whip at an unsuspecting Aang. It grabbed his ankle and he fell to the sand. He quickly airbended himself back up and faced the girl that was now coming out of the water.
"Okay guys, stop before you kill each other," Sokka said. "I think she gets the point."
Toph was sitting on the sand, letting it shift through her fingers to rejoin its kind, dancing with the wind. She smiled at it, then got up and brushed herself off. "Let's go back. As much fun as this was and as much as I want to see more, I don't think my poor little eyelids can stay open for much longer."
The three teens who had sparred were just getting their breathing back to normal as they trotted along behind everyone on the way back to the inn. Toph took in every detail of everything she saw, down to the green and gold paint along the inn's walls. She walked into her room and looked around at the deep green curtains and green blankets on the beds. Walking to her bed, she sprawled across it once more and hugged her pillow and soon drifted off to sleep.
"Toph.."
"Hmm.."
"Toph, I brought you your food. Do you still want it?"
"I'll eat it in a minute, I'm still tired. Who knew sight could take so much out of you?"
"But you've always had sight, with your feet anyway."
Toph's eyes shot open and she jumped up, but all was black again. "No.." she whispered. "No! I had it! It was right there, I had it, I saw everything!"
Katara looked at her friend worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"I saw everything! I saw you and Aang, Sokka, Iroh, everyone! I got to watch you guys bending and.." she trailed off. "I got to see the stars and the moon. The full moon. You and Aang said something about Yue, I remember that."
"Maybe she left you a dream that showed you kind of what life would be like if you could see."
Toph folded her legs up to her chest and sat on her bed thinking.
It was just a dream..
It was just a dream..
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OMG! I didn't think I would be so mean as to make that a dream, but I did and now I feel bad! I liked this chapter (despite how mean I was to Toph). It took long enough to come out, but at least it came out okay.. and I managed to get Kiatoh back in the picture.. MWAHAHAHA! o.0 hehe Evilness! I promise I'll update soon! I still can't think of what I was going to say up there.. Agni damn my memory to hell! Well, you know the routine, R&R!
Jenn