Ten Years of Difference

Chapter Thirteen

Dangling in the darkness, pain was all Toph could feel. She barely felt her hands most of the time, but any movement scraped the rope against her wrists further, and she found herself awash with searing agony. Her whole body felt like it was nothing more than a big wound.

She couldn't even shout insults to keep her floundering spirit up. After several remarks on her part, she'd been gagged, and forced to endure what they did to her. They struck her with fire, never letting her rest or sleep, always probing, demeaning, probing again. She couldn't take it anymore. No. No. NO! Let me go! Please! Let me go!

"LET ME GO!" Toph shouted even as she sat up in bed. Not her own bed, she knew, but one she'd made on the floor, from Zuko's sheets. It was his bed she'd woken up in. There was no danger here. She was safe.

Safe. Safe from them. She thought with a shiver. Damn it, Toph! Why can't you put it past you?! You've had tough fights before. You've had hard times! So why can't you do it. Why can't … why can't I DO IT?!

They'd hidden in the secret base for three days now, and she still couldn't leave the place. Toph wanted nothing more than to stomp on good earth, to announce loud and clear that she, the Blind Bandit, was back in action. She wanted the rocks to vibrate in welcome as she announced herself. For three days, it had been her greatest wish.

But she hadn't been able to. All that time, she'd stayed cooped up in the cabin, barely acknowledging the world. Every time she left, after all, it was always the same thing. There were the stares, but mostly there were the people themselves. People she liked, others she loved. Yet they all frightened her with what they were asking.

There was Katara. The strong Waterbender, always there for Toph, always so firm and yet so gentle, like a sort of mother. Then there was the Avatar himself. Every time she saw him, the boy went out of his way – annoyingly so – to be nice to her. He all but ignored her tone and brush-offs. He, she felt, was brotherly.

And then, most of all, even more than these two new friends, was the old one. Zuko had forced patience into himself when Iroh died, but his temper could still flare up. But not now. Now, he left her largely in peace. But she could feel it, through the metal. She could feel his pain, his worry. Mostly, however, she felt the affection he had for her.

Affection from Zuko. When she had met him, and for many of the following months, she'd barely tolerated the teen. Self-absorbed, arrogant, he was too prone to violent outbursts for her taste. She'd largely tolerated him for his uncle – Iroh had become a friend to her quickly, as he'd become a friend to everyone around.

But over the month, over the years, her distrust of Zuko had ebbed away, replaced by grudging respect, then sarcastic friendship and, then, slowly – and against her will – she'd begun to feel increasing affection for the man. Stupid girl! She told herself. It didn't help any that most of her no longer even fought the notion: she loved the arrogant, honour-bound Firebender. Only pride, she knew, had kept her from fully saying so. Sokka, from the way he'd sometimes acted, hadn't been fooled by it.

But now. Now she didn't feel like opening up. Pride, she could have worked around given time. But, now, there was something else. Something insidious, tightening a noose around her neck, pressing against her heart. A fear. A terror she felt every time she felt the Firebender in Zuko. It pushed her away from him.

She was being unfair. She knew that much. But she couldn't do anything about it. Every single time she felt the element of Fire in him – and he was strong in that element – she was reminded of the times she was helpless, being tortured, her Earthbending powers useless to help her. And, every time she was reminded, her mind couldn't take it.

A knock on the door. She'd felt who it was from the deck long ago. Katara. Worrying. Unlike the monk and the warrior, the water tribeswoman had no qualms about visiting as often as possible. She was impossible to chase away.

"You can come in, Katara." She said, rubbing her face. The door opened. She felt the woman's presence coming closer. Strong, but gently. Motherly. Annoying but endearing. Spirits… just being around the woman is making me edgy! She's so darn complicated! She reflected.

"I'm still not used to you knowing who's coming in advance." The woman chuckled a bit nervously. Toph could feel she was searching for words. "So… how are you doing?"

"I'm a blast. Didn't notice. Rest and your cool bits of water healing have made me good as new!" she boasted, "I could take on an army now!" As long as its not an army of Firebenders, that is…

She hesitated. Clearly, from her breathing, her fidgeting, that wasn't quite the point of her question. Not that it was surprising. Any fool could see where it was going. Mothering. So mothering.

"That's… that's not what I meant, Toph." She said, and then her tone hardened. "You've got to stop hiding out here."

Anger welled in Toph, and as she stood on the deck, she felt the metal under her feet groan. Her ability to bend metal had helped her in many occasions, but she knew it wouldn't help her here. In any case, what good could she even do with it now?

"I'm not hiding!" she growled.

"Oh, no?" Katara growled right back. The motherly part was gone: she was all Waterbender now. "You're a liar. You're scared. Scared of going outside. Scared of Zuko."

"I'm not scared of anything!!" She shouted, and the mental bend this time. She stopped it quickly, but it was enough for Katara to notice. She felt of satisfaction. Toph gritted her teeth.

"Aren't you? Then come outside, Toph. Zuko's waiting, Aang's waiting. Everybody is waiting. They're all worried. And I can see all the people here want you back really badly."

Toph shook her head, and then sighed. She wasn't leaving. Katara couldn't understand it. In her mind, she was still a prisoner, still helpless. But at the same time, she felt just like the Waterbender. She knew where all this was coming from. And she knew she was crushing her own heart by doing all this.

I… Zuko… I'm…

Katara saw that Toph was standing her ground. Every single thing she'd learned about the Earthbender, everything she felt, told her pride stopped her from acknowledging her own fears. It bothered her.

The woman annoyed Katara. Her language was crude, and she always seemed to think she knew more than you did. Despite that, however, she had found her endearing. There was something… vulnerable… underneath the prideful face and tough appearance.

"Why don't you go outside and talk to Zuko?" she mused. It was a harsh dig, but she was tired of being careful around her. She immediately regretted it when there was a slight flinch, and a look of pain crossed the blind eyes before disappearing.

Well done, Katara, well done. Piss her off, then scare her. I'm sure it'll go JUST fine, stated a mocking voice in her head, one sounding much like Sokka at his most acidly sarcastic. She hated that, and hated herself for causing it.

Ever since their mother had died, Katara had tried to fill the void as best she could. She'd cleaned and cooked, and did the chores around the house. Her father, she supposed, had let her do it for her own sake, and Sokka was fine with it.

But she also had a need to control. She'd done it to Sokka, and now she felt like doing it to Toph. However, she saw the way the conversation was going: she wouldn't budge, she'd only get hurt. With a huff, Katara let go. This battle couldn't be won.

"Everyone's worried. Remember that, okay?" she said, and left before the other woman could respond. She closed the door behind her, and gasped as she found Aang right behind her, looking mildly worried.

"Is she better?" he asked. He quirked his eyebrows expectantly, in still-childish naiveté. It was always hard to believe that this boy was actually the Avatar, an Airbending master who was quickly learning everything she knew about Waterbending.

She shook her head. "Not yet. She's been hurt really badly. That takes time." He looked at the closed door in response, his face that of sadness, pity and eerie understanding. Katara, for her part, couldn't say that she could have weathered what Toph had nearly as well. She kept her silence.

"Zuko's really worried about her." The young monk mused.

"I know, Aang." She answered. The Firebender's worry was something everyone on the ship and the base had seen. Only an idiot would've missed it. "I know you want to help, but this isn't something we can rush."

"Yeah, I get that." He walked along the corridor a moment, lost in thought, before brightening up. "This place is incredible. And Zuko's gone to meet a really important guy. One of the Resistance leaders!"

"What?" she asked, not really paying attention. Then what he'd said hit. "Wait, what? A Resistance leader? Who?!?" She asked, grabbing him by the shoulders frantically. The young Avatar looked taken aback by the sudden burst of attention.

"W-well… a guy named… I think his name is… Sokka. Right! It's Sokka." He answered after a moment, and that was all she heard afterwards. Without wasting a moment, she grabbed the boy's arm and began to run. "Wha… w-what's with you?!"

She didn't hear him at that moment. All that she saw was the corridor, then the ship's deck. Without missing a beat, she sped down the planks linking the ship and the hidden port. She barely saw the figures coming towards her. It took her a moment to focus as they stopped.

She panted, even as she saw Zuko turn towards a man standing next to him. "You made good time. To get here in only a day…Earthbending?" he asked, but the man next to him didn't even seem to register the question. He kept looking at her like she was a ghost.

Her eyes widened. He had grown taller and stronger, and there was a weariness on his face, something he never allowed himself to show when he was still in the village. But that face couldn't lie. She'd known it ever since she could remember. Always there, playing with her, arguing and fighting, always there.

"Sokka?" she asked, her voice annoyingly small and timid to her ears. He seemed rooted to the spot.

"K-Katara? That's really… really you?" The man asked. This man with a different voice. He's changed so much in nine years, she realized. She stared at him for a moment, numb, lost, no words coming to her.

And then, unbidden, something caught hold of her mind. And empty bed, a short farewell letter, the children of the village crying over losing their beloved 'big brother', the despair the place felt… she saw it all. She felt it. And her mind reacted to it within a moment.

She reached out with her hand, and the water came easily, easier than ever before. She gathered it and, with a cry, she flung it towards her brother. Rooted to the spot as he was, he barely seemed to notice, and was flung back several feet, falling on his back. Suddenly, everyone seemed to be moving, some away from her, some towards her.

She didn't care. She only remembered the pain, and the anger. The betrayal. As Sokka rose to his feet, that was all she could feel. She'd never been patient. She'd always had a temper. Now it was bursting forward with a ferocity she could barely control.

"Sokka… you… you betrayed us!" she growled, and even though a voice inside her told her not to do it, not to do something she'd regret, she just did. Waterbending, she attacked her brother again, her vision a red haze.

If it had been a decade ago, Sokka would have either frozen or flung his arms to ward off what couldn't be warded. He had been young in those days, and his skills were still mediocre at best, all despite his bravado.

But ten years of dodging fire blasts and fighting trained soldiers had honed him. He pushed surprise, shock, everything unusable to the back of his mind. He saw the threat. It was a direct water blast. Nothing fancy, he saw. He threw himself to the side and rolled, narrowly missing the second hit.

He struggled to his feet, and had just enough time to see what was happening. Katara was manipulating water, while Zuko's hands had strayed to his swords, even as wisps of fire emanated from his being.

There was also a boy, standing just a bit behind Katara. Although clearly shocked, he seemed about to make a move as well. And that was without taking all the other Earthbenders, Firebenders and Waterbenders around the base. There were about twenty in the base alone. If it continued, they'd simply use concentrated force.

"Zuko! Keep the others back!" he shouted even as he ducked under another shot. "I'll handle this one, got it?"

The prince seemed clearly displeased by the entire chain of event he'd just witnessed, but the fact that he took a step backward told enough of the story for Sokka to be satisfied. However, he knew Zuko wouldn't stand by for long. He had to stop this fast.

'Divert attention. Keep moving.' Rang through his mind, the voice of cold experience. Bits of woods, rocks, small boxes – he threw everything he could at Katara, forcing her to instinctively redirect her Waterbending.

She was powerful, he realized with brotherly pride, but unskilled in combat. He zigzagged, always moving, getting closer, dodging, straining. He never thought of using his weapons for a second.

"Okay, sis, you've made your point!" he called breathlessly as she manipulated more water. Man, a normal Waterbender'd be starting to tire after all the redirections. I've never seen something like this, except in Yue. "You've got a right to be angry, but this is just stupid! Calm down and we'll talk. Kid, whoever you are, don't interfere!"

"But…" the bald youth tried to interject. Sokka wouldn't have it, even though he understood the situation was relatively dangerous. Relatively because… if she's that strong, then those shots are meant to hurt, not to kill.

"No but! This is business between us Southern Water Tribesman!" he growled. Katara glared at that, tears streaming down her cheeks. Suddenly, for a moment, he felt that he was a decade back, seeing his sister weep, and his heart ached.

"You abandoned the Southern Water Tribes! Just like dad! We needed you, but you weren't there!" She snapped, and water whirled around her. He crouched defensively, waiting.

"That's where you're wrong, Katara." He shot back, "I never hid my desire to go to Dad one day. You, Gran-Gran, Spirits, heck, the whole place knew it by the end! And you're blaming me for something I told you I'd do?!"

She didn't respond. However, the water seemed to hesitate, to become somewhat sluggish. This was the chance to pounce, to take her down. And then he'd really be able to…

…to what? To knock out his own sister? He smiled grimly, and stood up. Yup, Dad, guess I can't go against family. I'm a lousy soldier that way. Still, I don't think you'd mind this. Nope, not at this.

He stood there for a moment, not sure of what would happen. It seemed to resonate in Katara as well, as she looked at him in increased agitation. Her fists were shaking, and her anger palpable. And yet she did nothing at all, except stare at him.

"Dad's dead?" she asked, and this time her voice was laced with a deep grief, and bitter accusation. This time, however, he fully felt it. On this, he had some explanations to give. She deserves that, at the very least.

"Yeah…" he mused, surprised with how much just saying it hurt. Even after several years, that wound hadn't healed. It had been partly because of Zuko's similar ordeal that the two had truly become friends. "Yeah, he's dead."

"You should've told me." She mused, and then she began to sob. The water splattered to the wood and earth the shipyard was largely made out of. "You should've brought me along! I'd have gone with you! Weren't we supposed to always do these things together?!?"

The boy near Katara closed his eyes and turned away, seemingly disturbed. Sokka, for his part, only stood there. This was too fresh to Katara. The anger was overwhelmed by sorrow, but he'd known that type of rage – it simmered for a while.

But he couldn't deny what she'd said. He had thought that seeing his father, joining him in battle, had been his personal quest. He's thought that a girl like Katara shouldn't get involved. Even after all the times he'd seen superior female fighters at work, he'd clung to that belief.

Yeah. Not nearly as smart as you brag yourself to be, huh? No wonder Suki left you. He told himself bitterly. And with that, knowing that this alone would never actually bring about any healing, he did the only thing he thought he could do.

Without a word, Sokka crossed the space between his sister and himself, and hugged her fiercely. I've missed you. I've always missed you, Katara. He mused to himself, but he didn't say it. This wasn't the place. He had to settle the place down, settle his people down, make sense of everything.

But we'll talk, Katara. And when we do, I'll take all the blame you want. Everything, he promised himself.

Suki wasn't foolish enough to put her back to them, no matter what they said. She'd been involved in too many battles and ambushes to make that sort of mistake. She asked them to walk where she could see them, and she never paused even a moment while traveling, rarely slept at all.

As it was, her years of training were paying off – she was able to hold on to her energy despite her constant running. Fear powered her, she knew. Fear of what lay behind her, probably furiously pursuing. But, mostly, fear of what lay in front of her.

She'd be seeing Sokka very soon, and she had no idea what she was going to say to him. Were she him, had the roles been reversed… she wasn't certain she'd even try to listen to him, much less forgive.

Sokka had been there for her when she'd lost her sisters. She hadn't been there for him when he'd lost his father. No matter how she tried to rationalize it, the result was the same: she'd let him down, badly. All she could do was appeal to his natural kindness.

"You're certain Jet's not going to search in this direction?" she asked Smellerbee. Asking Longshot was, after all, a waste of time. Unlike the older members of Jet's inner circle, Suki simply couldn't read the man's silences all that well, and he generally never spoke over details.

"Yeah. He told us to look for you south. Means he's probably not looking south. After all, he trusts us." The lithe woman replied rather crisply.

"Does he?" Suki answered, and continued before any protest could form, "Maybe he trusted you back in the old days, but if you saw his eyes, you'd know he doesn't trust anyone anymore. He's let his anger overwhelm him."

"It's not like hating the Fire Nation's a bad thing." Smellerbee retorted defensively. The other woman had remained prone to defending her former leader, even though she'd all but 'betrayed' him with her decision to leave.

"It's a bad thing, I say. Especially when you care about nothing else." She replied swiftly, "He's been letting his revenge get in the way of doing what's right for a long time, but what happened a few days ago was the last straw. He's lost himself."

She didn't voice other things, like the times when Jet and his people bullied Fire Nation citizens, and attacked civilian targets. Usha was adamant that Jet had been the one to destroy her village, something Sokka and Zuko believed. Suki, for her part, hadn't believed the younger woman in those days.

Time, however, had opened her eyes. She'd turned her back on expedience. If she saved her sisters because of Jet's style of justice, she'd be no better than Azula herself. And that, if nothing else, was something she intended to avoid at all costs. Then she heard a word from Longshot.

"People." He said simply, and stopped, flattening himself against a tree. Suki and Smellerbee immediately imitated him. The Kyoshi warrior cursed herself for being so sloppy. There WAS a presence.

Several ones, actually. She counted the footsteps, and realized that they were at least twenty. Too large a group for three people to take on, unless one had a powerful Bender such as Toph, Bumi or Zuko, something she definitely lacked at the moment.

"Military steps. Lined up." She grunted, gritting her teeth. "Imperial troops." She risked a glance, and there they were, marching through as if nothing could hurt them, clad in red-tinted armours emblazoned with the symbol of the former Fire Nation.

Her hands edged towards her fans, but she stopped herself. Although she wanted nothing more than to fight them in some way, even picking them off one by one would take too long. She had to go to Sokka, she had to tell him that Jet was even worse than even he and Usha thought. She had to tell him of the mess she'd created.

She had to ask him to forgive her for not being there for him.

Eventually, the group passed, and the three, after a long wait, grouped back. Smellerbee's wide eyes and the tension in Longshot's jaw told the agile warrior that she hadn't been the only one with a desire to fight.

"They've been moving groups around a lot. Azula's drawing them for one bloody act that'll taint the world for another century, surpassing even what stories say happened to the Air Nomads." Suki mused.

"She's really gonna do it." The other, smaller woman muttered to herself, as if dazed, "She's really going to kill off most of Ba Sing Se to prove her power."

Suki almost pitied Smellerbee. Almost. However, she sternly reminded herself that she and Longshot had certainly participated in the destruction of two villages. Those were acts she hadn't believed until recently. Now that she did, however, she couldn't look at them in the same light anymore. One way or another, she was through being blind.

I'll save you, sisters, if you still live, she promised silently, but I'll never compromise what Kyoshi taught us long ago ever again. It wouldn't be worth anything without Sokka, however. She was ready to grovel, if necessary, but she feared she might have opened her eyes too late. She turned her gaze towards her two questionable comrades.

"If we go to Sokka's group, or any group related to the Resistance, it won't be easy." She reminded them, "Jet was never a popular person amongst them. I may have some trouble at length, but you two will be seen and treated with anger and fear. Are you prepared for that?"

They looked at each other, and Suki saw the flash in their eyes, the love they had for one another. THAT was the reason she gave them a chance, that she hoped they could be saved in some way: people like Jet had forgotten love like that long ago.

Smellerbee looked back at her, eyes face determined. "It's better than going back. We've come this far, we'll keep going." Beside her, Longshot gave a firm nod. Suki actually smiled at that. It somewhat reminded her of the trust and affection she and Sokka had once shared.

"Then let's go. We've got a lot of ground to cover." She told them, and they began to travel again, always listening for the pursuit they all knew would eventually come.

Ty Lee knew as soon as they entered that the three men weren't here for anything she was likely to enjoy. Everything about them read of contained contempt, of the sort of hatred that shrivelled one's soul. And it was, unless she was really getting rusty, all directed right at her.

She had felt them coming, and was prepared when they entered. However, before she could do anything, earth sprung up and grabbed her ankles. A strong tug wouldn't move it. Got sloppy. That's just not funny at all.

There were three men. Two of them were dressed in faded uniforms of the Earth Kingdom's military forces, and one was dressed in the blue styles of the Water Tribes. This last one was the leader, she immediately saw it. With a face more damaged than Zuko's had been, his eyes glared at her as icily as the climate he had been born in.

"Why, hello there!" she answered cheerfully, hiding her unease as well as had always done. "What's up?"

The burned man grinned, and there was something menacing in the way he did. "I just want you to understand a few things about us, Imperial." He answered in a cracked voice. He gestured to his comrades, who raised mounds of earth to grab her arms.

She fought down the fear, did not struggle. She didn't only do it to deprive them the situation of seeing her agitated, she also did it because she knew it was useless to try. And fear, she knew, would be useless in this case. Counter-productive. She'd been in too many fights to act otherwise.

"It's gonna be a bit hard to have fun with me, you know," she drawled, although the concept was less than amusing to her mind, "Gonna be hard to get anything with all the Earthbending around here!"

"Like we'd want to soil ourselves by touching a double-dealing Imperial like you." The leader said in disgust. Then that grin widened. "But we don't need to actually touch you, do we?" As he said that, she saw him manipulated the water which had been given to her for her personal needs. The liquid gushed out at his command.

"You're not doing this smart. Why are you doing it? To get some kicks?" she asked, and she couldn't help but have tension in her tone at that moment. The fear was pressing hard against her mental defenses.

"You're Imperial. You're Azula's damned aide. I don't need another reason than that, I think." He stated, and the water rushed forward. It then, to her horror, begin to envelope her face.

She struggled then, dignity be damned, but there wasn't anything she could do to break the mounds of earth holding her, and the watery mask was holding firm against her face. Ty Lee realized then that she was likely going to die.

She struggled to hold her breath in. Maybe they were just going to play with her until she was unconscious, maybe not. But she wasn't about to give up the fight. She called upon all of her years of patient work at the circus, and in learning her martial arts, to calm herself as fully as she could.

Can't…take it…for long. Her mind told her after while. She was beginning to feel dizzy, and her chest was beginning to feel like molten lava. Boy, what a lame way to… no… I can't go here. I gotta see… Ba Sing Se… saved from…

No! I don't want to die like this! NO! She thoughts, and she focused all of her strength, cracking the earth surrounding her hands. She heard the Earthbenders cursing, clearly surprised by the feat.

However, the effort had taken its toll. Her lungs couldn't handle the strain anymore. Despair clutching at her soul, she tried to focus, but found that she couldn't keep her senses from overreacting. Her mind wanted air, and was about to try for it.

And then the water covering her face fell down with a splash, and she gasped for breath. She looked at her tormentors, wide-eyed, unsure, and saw that a small, unremarkable man had come in during her torment, and was staring at the Waterbender with cool fury.

"Whatever's your problem with her, Sangok, let it go." The man warned, "Sokka ordered that she be kept safe, and I'm not about to abuse his patience by letting you kill her. And I don't think that he'd be very happy if he learned what you did. Nor, for that matter, would lady Yue."

The man had been about to say something – what, she couldn't tell, but his damaged face had been drawn in fury. Sokka's name had made him hesitate, but it had been Yue's name – Yue of the Northern Water Tribes, she supposed – which had stopped him short. It appeared that Sangok had no will to cross that particular lady.

"She shouldn't be here, Len." he rasped, "She's probably trying to fool Sokka."

"I don't know about that," the unassuming man named Len mused, "But Sokka believes her. And if Sokka does, then we'll bear it, because we trust HIM. Get out, Sangok. And you two fools as well. Now."

Sangok glared at Len, who held his gaze calmly. Finally, with a snarl which reminded the panting Ty Lee of a Saberlion, the man exited the cell, with the other two following him closely. Len then looked at her, and stamped on the ground, liberating her feet.

"Thanks." Was all she thought to say. Was there anything else she could have said, anyway? Not sure. Spirits, I'm still alive. Still alive. "You saved my life."

"Sokka saved your life." He retorted coldly, "I'd gladly let him do whatever he wants. So your information's better be good, because if it's not, I'll be the one coming after you."

Ty Lee's knees buckled, so she quickly supported herself with the wall. Show no weakness. Ever. That was the way she'd survived the war. She only nodded at the man's words. They didn't surprise her.

"Yeah, its good. Believe me or not…"

"I don't." he interrupted bluntly, "But Sokka does. And I owe that man too much to stop following him because of my personal feeling. Sokka saved you. Remember that."

And then, he was gone, and Ty Lee allowed the shock to overwhelm her as she fell backward on her makeshift prison bed. What a day. Can't tell how its going to end.

Thank the spirits. I might still see this thing through. I might just find… redemption…

With that thought, she drifted into an exhausted sleep.