AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Just a friendly reminder: if you have any ideas or suggestions for From the Ashes, feel free to pitch them to me via comments. If I decide to use it, you'll be credited in a 'special thanks' at the end of the story.
Happy reading!
Upon landing, a shower of Appa's fur rained from his legs and piled on the ground below. Toph hopped off.
"This is the softest grass I've ever felt," Toph said.
"Uh... that's not grass," Sokka said. "That's Appa's fur."
"It's nothing to get grossed out over. Appa always gets a new coat every year. It's just a part of the welcoming of spring," Aang said.
"Ah, yes. Nothing welcomes spring more than eight tons of air bison fur," Katara said.
"Aw, come on, Katara, lighten up," Sokka said. "Think of all the creative things you can do with Appa's fur!" Sokka gathered an armful of fur and fit it on his head. "Like a cool wig!"
"Or facial hair." Aang climbed off Appa wearing a beard of his fur. The two boys laughed at their silly hair.
"That's disgusting," Katara mumbled. She sighed and folded her arms. "I'm glad there are more girls than guys on the team now. Now we outweigh your childish behavior."
"Hey, guys, I've got an even better idea!" Toph said. She raised her arms, revealing bushels of Appa's fur stuffed in her sleeves. "Anybody got a razor?"
The three doubled over laughing. I covered my mouth and giggled. I glanced at Katara, who still wore a straight face.
"Oh, come on, laugh a little," I said.
Katara rolled her eyes, but the smile twitching on her face was a dead giveaway. She glanced at the sky.
"We should start setting up camp. It'll be dark soon," she said.
"Yes, ma'am," Sokka and Aang said.
We formed a line leading up to Appa's saddle. Sokka grabbed our camping gear and passed to Aang, who passed it to me and Katara. Once everything was off the saddle, we worked on setting up camp. Aang stomped his foot, and air filled the deconstructed tent next to him. It popped upright, and Aang smiled triumphantly. Sokka untied and unrolled the sleeping bags. I retrieved firewood from the nearby forest, and I used it to make and start a fire. Katara prepared dinner.
Toph, on the other hand, rested against a pile of rocks. She twirled a piece of barley between her teeth.
"Um, Toph..." Katara said. "I know you've only been traveling with us for a short time, but we all have to contribute our part when we set up and clean."
"And you're all doing a great job. However, I'm all good to go," Toph said.
"...Really?"
"Yes, Katara. Look, I've already got my own food stash, I don't need a fire, and I got my tent taken care of." Toph sat up and thrust her arms diagonally. Two slabs of rock met in a teepee above Toph's head. "See? I can take care of myself."
"Well, that's great for you, but we could use some help-"
"I don't see what the problem is. Are we done here?"
Katara sighed, turned on her heel, and joined us.
"It's all right, Katara," Aang said. "I'm sure as we spend more time together, Toph will help out more."
"We can't afford to wait until she decides to help us," Katara said. "More people means more work, and it's frustrating when others don't do their part."
We finished setting up camp. The entire time, Katara kept glancing over at Toph, who sat underneath her makeshift rock tent.
"I'm going to try and talk to her again," Katara said.
"I think you should just let her be..." Aang said.
"I'll at least apologize."
Katara approached Toph again. Aang, Sokka, and I looked among each other.
"I'm calling it right now, they're going to get into a fight," Sokka said.
"Don't say that..." Aang said.
"Who do you think will apologize first? I'm betting Katara."
"Sokka!"
"What? I've known Katara her whole life. She does these things."
"You know," I said, "I think now would be a good time to go to bed. We don't need any more feuds than what's happening now."
Their weariness agreed. Katara returned, looking even more annoyed. We settled in our beds- Aang nestled in Appa's fur, Katara and I sharing a tent, and Sokka in his own tent- and fell asleep.
The crash of rocks jolted us awake. Katara and I peeked out our tent door. Toph had crawled out of her rock tent and hurried towards us.
"There's something coming!" she cried. She knelt and pressed her hand into the ground. "I... can't tell what it is, though..."
"Should we leave?" I said.
"Yeah," Aang said. "If Toph can't even figure out what it is, I'd rather we not risk it finding us."
We quickly gathered our things and climbed onto Appa's back. Aang snapped the reins, and Appa lazily lifted his tail and rose into the air. We peered over the trees.
"What... is that?" Katara said.
Behind us, there was a thick cloud of smoke. The cloud belonged to a strange, metal machine that rode towards us.
"No idea..." Aang said. "Best keep our distance."
We flew into a valley and landed. Toph leaped off Appa and sighed.
"Well, I'll see you guys in the morning," she said.
"Actually, Toph," Katara said, "could you help us unload?"
"You mean you want me to help unload all of Sokka's smelly camping gear?"
"My gear's not smelly!" Sokka protested. He grabbed his sleeping bag and smelled it. He gagged and held it away from his face.
"We need you to contribute, too," Katara said.
"Not necessary. Like I said, I can carry my own weight," Toph said.
Katara scowled. "That's not the point, Toph. You're being selfish! We've all be working together while you lounge around and do nothing."
"Nothing? Excuse me, but I'm the one who's been teaching Aang earthbending. I've sacrificed everything so I could join you guys, and I don't appreciate you wrongfully accusing me!"
Toph parked her butt on the ground and brought up her rock tent.
"Hey! Don't tent yourself while I'm talking to you!" Katara beat her fists against the rock.
"Um... Should we do something?" Aang said.
"Nah. I'm enjoying this," Sokka said.
I elbowed Sokka. "What he means is we should let them work this out."
We grabbed our sleeping bags, laid them in a line, and started to fall asleep. However, a few minutes later, Toph emerged from her tent.
"That thing is back!" she said.
"Again?" Aang said.
We rolled up our sleeping bags, Sokka not even bothering to get out of his, and climbed back onto Appa. We flew away once more.
"Why is that thing following us?" I said.
"More like how does it keeping finding us?" Toph said.
"Don't worry," Aang called from the front, "I'll make sure it can't follow us."
Aang snapped the reins, and Appa begrudgingly flew faster. I gazed at the smoke cloud as it grew smaller and smaller. As I watched, I noticed something white drift into the air. I looked down at Appa's legs and watched loose strands of fur fall off and float to the ground.
Huh...
Appa flew us over many valleys and up to the top of a mountain. When we landed, Appa fell over, and we spilled out.
"I won't even bother with unpacking," Sokka said. He crawled away like a caterpillar. "Good night."
"Good, because I doubt Toph would've helped," Katara said.
"Sorry, Mom," Toph muttered.
"Guys, stop. Let's just get some sleep while that thing, whatever it may be, is off our trail," Aang said.
"You know, it could be Zuko," Katara said. "It's been a while since we've seen him."
"Who's Zuko?" Toph said.
"Ashe's childhood best friend who's trying to kill us," Sokka muttered.
"Sokka..." I said. I laid my head on my sleeping bag. "I don't think it's him. He needs to sleep just like the rest of us."
"Well right now, we're safe. Let's enjoy it," Aang said.
Momo hopped onto Sokka's chest and started chattering.
"Shush, Momo. It's sleepy time," Sokka mumbled.
Momo continued chattering. He hopped off Sokka and flapped his arms. We sat up.
"Oh, don't tell me..."
"That's impossible. I made sure they couldn't find us," Aang said.
I glanced at Appa. "Um..."
"Come on, let's just go," Katara said.
"Wait," Aang said. "Let's see who it is. Maybe they're friendly."
"Yeah, because friendly people would relentlessly chase us down in what feels like an avalanche," Toph said.
The machine parked. A long, stone path separated us. The door opened with a hiss and a cloud of steam. Three mongoose lizards crawled out, with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee riding on their backs. I gasped.
"What? Who's there?" Toph said.
"Ashe's murderous childhood best friend's psycho sister and her minion friends," Sokka said.
"You could word it a little better..." I said.
The mongoose lizards slithered up the path.
"Okay! We found out who they were, and now we know! Let's get out of here!" Sokka said.
We scurried into Appa's saddle. Toph stayed behind and caused a rock wall to rise in front of the girls. Azula thrust two fingers forward. A stream of blue lightning burst from her fingers and hit the wall, creating a hole for them to climb through.
"She can bend lightning?" I whispered. "When did she learn that?!"
"I'd rather not wait and find out!" Katara said. "Toph, let's go!"
"Calm your britches, I'm coming!" Toph called. A vein throbbed on Katara's forehead. Toph pushed off her feet, and the rock beneath her catapulted her into the air. We reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her into the saddle. Aang snapped the reins, and Appa took off. The three mongoose lizards stood on the platform where we once were. A blast of blue fire raced towards us.
I pulled water from my water skin and thrust it towards the fireball. They met, and the fireball sizzled out. A hot cloud of steam rose into the air and disappeared. They disappeared from our sight.
"I can't believe they've been following us since Omashu," Katara said. "That was, what, a week or two ago?"
"Well, Zuko spent months chasing after us," Sokka said. "I guess it runs in the family."
"One more word, and I'm freezing your mouth shut," I grumbled. Sokka shut up.
"Eh, I think we could've taken them," Toph said.
"Are you crazy? There's no way we can like this. You don't even know what those girls are capable of," Katara said. "One of them can shoot blue fire, another one has a million different types of knives, and the third one is capable of taking your bending away."
"What else do you expect from the 'psycho sister and her minion friends'?" I said. I rubbed my sore eyes.
"Ohhhh!" We turned to Sokka, who faced the horizon. The sun had begun to rise. "We've been up all night!"
"It'll be all right, Sokka," Aang said.
"Will it?!"
"Yes. Now, quiet down."
"I think it would be best if we keep flying. After all, every time we land, Azula and the others show up right after," Katara said.
"I don't want to do that to Appa."
"Then what are we going to do?" I yawned.
"I'm too tired to think," Toph mumbled. "Let's save that for after we've taken a nap."
"I like the sound of that..." Sokka said.
The air stopped blowing against us and started gusting underneath us. I felt my body lift off the saddle, and I yelped and grabbed the saddle.
"What's happening?!" Katara cried.
"Appa fell asleep!" Aang said. "Hang on!"
I dug my fingers into the saddle. Toph, who sat next to me, started to slip. I grabbed her arm as she let go to keep her from flying off and pulled her to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist. Aang circled around to Appa's face. The roar of the wind drowned out our screams. The forest below grew increasingly closer.
Appa woke up, and the plunge stopped. We slammed against the saddle. A puff of Appa's fur suspended briefly in the air next to us. We clung to each other as Appa dove into the trees. Appa crashed right next to a river.
"Is everyone all right?" Aang said. We answered with groans. Aang slid off Appa's head. "Appa's exhausted. We can't keep going."
"That's fine," Sokka said. "There's a lot of distance between us and those girls, so let's take this opportunity to fall asleep as fast as we can... which won't be a problem for me."
"Of course, we could have gotten some sleep earlier if it weren't for Toph," Katara said quietly, yet loud enough for Toph to hear clearly.
"What?!" Toph cried. She leaped from Appa's saddle, and the ground cracked underneath her.
"Stop it, guys. Fighting won't help anyone," Aang said.
"What is that supposed to mean, Katara?! You saying this is all my fault?!"
"Of course not," Katara said. "I'm just saying that if you had actually helped us like I asked you to, we could have gotten the work done sooner and we could have gotten some sleep. And then we wouldn't be in this situation!"
"You are blaming me! But you're missing one crucial detail, Sugar Queen, and it involves our furry friend here!"
"Hey! Don't drag Appa into this. He's done nothing wrong!" Aang said.
"Um..." I piped up. "I did notice Appa's shedding coat while we were flying. I think that's how they were able to keep finding us."
"Thank you, Ashe," Toph said. "See? If anyone's to blame, it's Appa!"
"How dare you blame Appa. If it weren't for him, Azula would have gotten us. He's done nothing but help us, unlike somebody! He's the one who's been carrying our weight, not you, and it's because of you that his burden is bigger! Things were a lot easier before you came around!"
My eyes widened. I between everyone as they stared at Toph. Toph turned and grabbed her bag.
"I'm out of here," she said.
"W-Wait, Toph," I called. She ignored me and kept walking. She disappeared into the forest. "Guys, look what you've done!"
Aang's face fell. "Oh, no," he said. "I can't believe I drove away my earthbending teacher."
Katara held her hands together in front of her. "I feel terrible."
I sighed and tucked hair behind my ear. "I'm going to go look for her. She couldn't have gotten far. When I get back, you're all going to apologize to each other and be nice."
"We'll stay here and come up with a plan to shake your old friends off our trail... hopefully," Sokka said, a cup in his hand. I glared at him, and he chugged his drink.
"Do something about Appa's coat. We're near a river; give him a thorough bath and wash off the excess fur."
"Yes, ma'am," Aang grumbled.
I turned and entered the forest. I cupped my hands over my mouth. "Toph! Toph, where are you?"
The forest was small, and it shifted to a rocky area. I looked forward and sighed in relief.
"Toph, there you are." I jogged up to the twelve-year-old. "Listen, I'm really sorry that the others were rude to you."
"Don't apologize, Ashe. You didn't do anything wrong," Toph said. "It's those dunderheads that need to own up."
"Then let's go back. They feel bad about what happened, and they want to-"
"Shh." Toph gripped my arm.
"What? What is it?"
"There's someone here."
We listened carefully. Toph jerked her head to the northeast. She stomped her foot into the ground. The shockwave traveled off a small ledge and hit something below. We heard someone grunt. While Toph struck a stance, I jogged over to the ledge.
My eyes widened. "Iroh?"
Iroh rubbed his sore bottom. He sat up and looked over his shoulder.
"Oh, Ashe," Iroh said, "Long time no see."
"Who's there?" Toph said.
"Uh, I mean... Ursa."
I hopped off the ledge and ran to Iroh's side. I helped him stand.
"That's not necessary anymore. You can call me Ashe," I said.
"Thank goodness. I would have gotten very confused," Iroh said.
I smiled and turned to Toph. "This is Iroh. He and I have known each other since I was younger."
Toph lowered her arms. "Okay..."
"It's very nice to meet you," Iroh said.
"You, too. Sorry for earthbending at you."
Iroh smiled. "It's all right. That doesn't happen every day. It adds excitement to my usually mundane life."
"What are you doing here?" I said. "Is Zuko with you?"
"I'm afraid not." My shoulders slumped, and Iroh chuckled. "Why don't we all sit down and catch up? I found an herb that would taste delicious as a tea."
I gathered nearby twigs as Iroh brought out a teapot, a stand, and some cups. I handed the twigs to him, and he laid them down and hit them on fire with his firebending. He placed the teapot on the stand.
"You don't look so good," Iroh said as he and I knelt at the fire.
"Rough night last night," I said quietly. Toph was out of earshot. She sat on the cliffside and swung her feet in the air. "Why are you all the way out here?"
"I'm following Zuko."
"So he's nearby?"
"I believe so."
"What happened? I thought you were traveling together."
The teapot whistled. Iroh lifted the pot and evenly poured tea into three cups.
"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Iroh handed me a cup of tea.
"Of course I am. Why would you even ask me that?" Iroh chuckled. I smiled and sipped my tea. "How was he when you were with him?"
"Very rude. He didn't want to drink any of my tea. He said, 'There are better things to do than drink your leaf juice!' I've never been so offended in my life."
I giggled. "Now, sweets on the other hand, that's a different story. I remember when we were younger, he ate an entire plate of fruit tarts by himself. He wouldn't even let me have one."
"I remember that, too. Poor boy was bedridden for the rest of the day."
"He couldn't look at fruit tarts for months."
Iroh and I laughed. I held up my empty cup, and Iroh refilled it.
"Tea is ready," Iroh called to Toph. Toph stood and walked over. Iroh handed Toph her tea, and she sat on the ground. "Now, tell me why you young ladies are out here in the middle of nowhere."
"I decided to start traveling by myself," Toph said. "And don't tell me that I shouldn't do that. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"I believe you, especially after getting a taste of your earthbending."
Toph scoffed. "That's a first. Usually people see me and think that I'm some sick, lonely puppy that needs to be taken care of. They never realize that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself by myself."
"You sound like my nephew."
I perked up from my teacup. Iroh set his cup down.
"He's just like you; always thinking that you can handle things on your own without anyone's support," Iroh said. "But there is nothing wrong with asking for or letting others help. The people who love you want to help you, and that's perfectly okay."
Toph swirled her teacup. "Where is your nephew?"
"He's also decided that it's time for him to travel alone. He has recently experienced some drastic life changes. He's going through difficult times, and I want to help him. He's trying to figure out who he is, but he wants to figure it out by himself. He may not want me around right now, but if he needs me, I'll be there."
I stared at my tea. Zuko...
"You agree with me, Ashe?"
I looked up at Iroh. "Huh?"
"You want to help the people you love, don't you?"
Iroh looked at me over his teacup. I smiled softly.
"Yeah. I really do."
Iroh smiled. "Then, I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you." Toph stood up. "Toph?"
"I'm ready to go back," Toph said. She picked up her bag and held it in both hands. "Thank you, Iroh. Your words helped me."
"It was my pleasure. There's nothing that I enjoy more than sharing tea with friends."
"It was nice to see you again, Iroh," I said.
"I hope the time between reunions is short."
I stood up. "All right, Toph, let's-"
A gasp escaped my lips. Down below, there was an abandoned town. Blue and red fire flew into the air. Strong air currents shot the fire in strange directions.
"Aang," I said. Iroh stood up.
"Aang's down there with two other people," Toph said. "He's trying to hold them off."
"We must hurry," he said.
I nodded, and the three of us hurried down the path. As we entered the town, we could see the fire consuming a building. Zuko crashed through the wall of a building, followed by a blue fireball, and hit the ground.
"You keep going," Toph said, and she broke off and headed east.
While Azula and Aang fought, Iroh and I hurried to Zuko. I knelt at his side.
"Zuko, wake up!" I shook his shoulder.
Zuko's eyes fluttered open, and he looked at me.
"...Ashe?" he said.
"Are you okay?"
He sat up and rubbed his head. Uncle Iroh offered a hand, and Zuko took it and stood.
"Aw," We looked up and faced Azula, "looks like the family's back together again. My heart is overflowing."
Azula whirled around as Sokka, Katara, and Aang attacked her. I popped the lids of my water skins. I pulled the water out of one and slashed my arm diagonally. The water whipped at Azula. She pivoted on her foot, faced me, and swiped her arm vertically. The fire cut through the water in half like scissors to a thread. I brought my other arm up, clenched my fists, and thrust them in an X. The water sharpened into multiple ice shards and flew towards Azula. Azula kicked her leg in an arc and slammed her heel into the ground. A geyser of fire erupted and melted the ice. I could see Azula's smirk through the steam. Zuko and Iroh were gone from my side.
Azula's smile fell, and she looked at the ground. She was jerked to the side and fell. She planted her hands on the ground and caught herself.
"Hey, guys," Toph said. "Hope I didn't miss anything."
"You're just in time to kick some princess butt," Sokka said, gripping his boomerang.
We threw air currents and water at Azula. She scurried into an alley, and we followed her. Azula looked over her shoulder. Iroh stepped in her path, and she rammed into his big belly. She stumbled back into a corner filled with piles of wooden planks and bricks. We surrounded her.
"Isn't this a sight," Azula said. "The last time I saw an army of traitors was when Father took me to my first execution. How nostalgic." Azula raised her arms above her head. "A princess knows when to surrender, and I do so with honor."
I pivoted my feet to strengthen my stance. She's lying. No way anyone here believes her. She's looking for a chance to retreat. I glanced at Zuko, who stood next to Iroh. His eyes were glued to Azula, and his hands were tense and poised to attack. What should we do? Should we attack? Should we close her in even more and grab her?
Pain exploded in my chest, and I was propelled backwards. The air caught in my throat, and I felt like I lost the ability to breathe. Smoke filled my nostrils. I hit the ground.
~TPPOV~
Zuko cried out as the blue fireball hit Ashe in the chest. She was launched back, and she hit the ground. Everyone gaped in horror. Their faces contorted as they faced Azula, who remained in her freshly struck attack pose. Smoke curled from her fingertips, and she smiled.
Water, earth, fire, and air combined as everyone unleashed their attack on Azula. Azula thrust her arms out and covered herself in a dome of blue fire. The elements mixed and exploded. Fireballs reigned from the sky and fell on the town's buildings, immediately catching them on fire. When the smoke cleared, the group saw that Azula was gone.
The Avatar gang quickly turned and saw Zuko kneeling next to Ashe. His hands covered his face, and he trembled.
"Ashe!" Katara cried. The group hurried towards them.
Zuko thrust his fist at them, unleashing a fireball. They jumped back, and the fireball soared over their heads.
"Get away from us!" he growled.
"I have healing powers, Zuko," Katara said. "Let me-"
"No! Don't come any closer, or I'll-!"
"Ashe is our friend, too!" Sokka said. "We don't have time for your protests! If she doesn't get help, she's going to die!"
Zuko's eyes trembled as he glared at the group. Their bitter feelings faltered as they studied Zuko's deep, menacing look. His face was terrifying, but his eyes looked like he would break at any moment.
"Zuko." Zuko snapped his head towards Iroh, who knelt next to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. After a brief staredown, Zuko bowed his head, slumped his shoulders, and held his clenched fists against his knees. Iroh looked over his shoulder and at Katara. "Go ahead."
Katara walked over to the other side of Ashe and knelt. She peeled off the charred fabric clinging to Ashe's skin, leaving the sarashi wrapped around her chest. She gulped at the dark red skin and large blisters. Zuko squeezed his eyes shut. Katara pulled water from her water skin and covered her hands with it. They glowed blue. She pressed her hands against the burned skin. She shuddered at how hot and tender it felt. The blisters shrunk under her palms. She lifted her hands. The skin was still deep red, but the blisters had shrunk dramatically.
"She'll be okay," Katara said. "It's a serious burn, and even with my healing, it'll leave a scar. We just need to bandage the burn-"
"Take her," Zuko said. Katara looked at Zuko. He refused to meet anyone's gaze. "I said, take her! Take her and leave, now!"
Katara looked to Iroh, who nodded. Sokka walked over, slid his hands underneath Ashe, and lifted her in his arms. The Water Tribe siblings stood.
"Thank you," Iroh said. He turned his attention to his nephew.
The Avatar group regathered, pausing a moment to look at Iroh and Zuko. Sokka adjusted Ashe as she hung heavily in his arms, and the group walked away.