"Get up, Sparky!"
Zuko groaned, rolling onto his stomach. Eyes adjusting to the surrounding darkness, Zuko pushed himself to his knees. His eyes, now used to the new darkness, peered around him. He lit a flame, his eyes taking in the destruction and chaos around him. Toph's words flashed in his mind again as he turned, seeing the blind girl standing there, a disgruntled look on her face.
"What's wrong?" Zuko asked.
"Nothing," Toph snapped. "Now get up, we need to find the others."
Rising to his feet, Zuko kept the flame lit as he looked around. The destruction and chaos around him was actually broken wads of earth. He turned to Toph, raising a brow.
"What happened?"
"When the bombs went off, thanks to you, I made us sink into the ground," Toph explained. "Luckily the badger-mole tunnels run all throughout the city."
"Badger-moles? You mean the first earth benders?" Zuko said.
Toph only nodded, waving a hand to direct Zuko. He felt her arm link with his, feeling her shiver. Was Toph scared? She seemed angrier than usual, but that could be a number of things. Sokka being his arrogant self, Aang being Aang, or Haru bragging about his moustache. His scarred eye shifted once more to Toph, to which she huffed.
"I know you're staring at me," Toph said.
"You just seem on edge. Even more than usual."
"I'm fine."
They walked more in silence, Zuko switching the flame to his other hand to let his shoulder rest. Eventually, Toph stopped, removing herself from Zuko's side. He watched as she dug her feet into the ground. With a sudden thrust, the ground beneath Zuko shot up. He closed his eyes, waiting to hear the sound of earth crunching earth. It never came. Zuko peeked through his good eye, and now he saw the true destruction of Gaoling.
It was all death. Buildings lay in ruins. Markets were set ablaze. Zuko only cringed at the thought of what would have happened if the city wasn't empty. Maybe that was the good thing Poppy and Lao did for this city. He raised his hand, slowly bringing them down, the fires all dying.
"Why would Yu do something like this?" Zuko asked.
"Yu didn't do it. You were the one going all hotpants and blowing shit up," Toph spat.
Zuko turned on her, gritting his teeth.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Zuko almost yelled.
"You with your hotheadedness!" Toph did yell. "Why did you have to go and rush in like that? Did you ever stop to think of what would happen?"
"That has nothing to do with why you're so angry now. What happened while I was unconscious?"
"Nothing," Toph snapped, turning away.
Zuko clenched his fists, a low growl rising from his throat."Damnit, Toph, what happened? Why are we alone? Where is everyone else? Where is Katara? Sokka? Haru? Anyone?" Zuko was now letting a roar come from his mouth.
"Haru is dead!" Toph cried, the tears beginning to swell as she turned back to Zuko. "After we sunk, I couldn't feel a heartbeat. And I know it was his, so steady and strong."
His eyes widened, guilt running over him. No words were right for this situation. He only walked forward, taking the blind earth bender into his arms. She stiffened, burying her face into his chest, as her short height permitted her. Zuko felt her begin to shake, the sobs coming next. He knew how she felt. The way his body betrayed him after Uncle Iroh died in his arms. He softly kissed the top of her head.
"It's okay, Toph. We're going to kill the bastard," Zuko promised.
She pulled away, wiping away the tears. Toph wasn't one to let her emotions dance on her sleeve. With her signature smirk returning, she nodded with enthusiasm. Zuko smirked, leading her on through the city. Only destruction and chaos rested around them. The homes of innocent citizens were nothing more but ash and pain. Broken buildings. Broken homes. Broken dreams. Zuko was reminded of the beginning of Ozai's rule as Fire Lord.
"Wait," Toph said, suddenly. "I feel voices."
And then she was running. Zuko tore off after her, panting as they rounded a corner. They began up the hill, not stopping as they passed the Bei Fong house. Toph never stopped as they came up to the mountain range. She raised an earth slab, Zuko jumping on as the slab began sliding down the side of the mountain. This was much faster than running.
And that was when Zuko heard the voices she felt.
"Get off of her!"
It was Aang's voice. And then a thwack sound. Most likely Sokka's boomerang. Even before Toph's slab reached the base of the mountain range, Zuko was already flying through the air. A large arc of fire trailed him. He swung down, the flames exploding and sending the rebels backwards. They were only earth benders, and novice ones that Zuko could handle.
But then he heard her scream. It froze him, letting the slab of earth slap him in the chest. He stumbled backwards, a loud roar coming from his mouth.
"Katara!"
Zuko stepped forward again, his hands circling his body. The sensation he felt in Shak-Tai swooped through his body. The lightning soon cackled around him. With a powerful second step, the lightning shot from his fingers. A loud, male scream pierced the night. The body dropped, but another took his place, grabbing the Fire Lady by her arm.
That anger Zuko was so used to five years ago seeped back in. He growled, another lightning bolt shooting from his fingers. By now, they were walking up the ship. Katara was kicking and screaming. It was here that Zuko saw the other men on the ship, dressed in those dark green robes. The Dai Li.
Zuko shot one last stream of fire, hitting the side of the metal ship as it began to take off.
"On my flagship, now!" Zuko ordered.
He hadn't notice that his ship was on fire. The helm was burning, and the engine room had exploded earlier in the night. Zuko caught on, clenching his fists to the point where his knuckles burned white.
"Now what?" Aang asked as he stood next to Zuko.
The Fire Lord turned back around, his eyes moving from the remaining people. Aang, Sokka, Ty Lee, Suki and Toph.
"We find Haru's body, first. And we give him a proper burial," Zuko said, his eyes landing on Toph.
"No," Toph said, stepping forward. "It's fine. We need to go after Katara."
"But how?" Sokka interjected. "We have no ship, no Appa, and no way of contacting anyone now."
"Yes we do," Zuko said, looking from Toph to Sokka. "We have the Bei Fongs. They're going to let us borrow their messenger hawk, and we are going to send messages to everyone. King Bumi, King Kuei, Pakku, Hakoda, and anyone else that we can think of. The Blue Spirit has his own army. So let's make our own."
A smirk rose as high as the mountains on Sokka's face, punching his fist into his open palm.
"But why would The Blue Spirit want Katara?" Aang interjected.
Zuko looked at the young Avatar, his brow furrowed in a deep brood. He never thought about that. The obvious answer would be that he needed Katara to heal. Probably him or some of his men. But, like Zuko reasoned, it was too obvious.
"I don't know, Aang," Zuko finally said. "But we're going to find her. I swear on my mother's grave, we'll find her. And I will kill anyone who gets in my way."