Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. I just like to play with them. A LOT!

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Rated M: Mature Content. Blood. Guts. Sex. Drugs. All the good stuff.

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Author: Finally, another chapter!

Aang: It's about time!

Katara: Seriously. You had us flying on Appa for weeks!

Author: Get comfortable. You may still be when this chapter is over.

Aang: You have got to be kidding.

Toph: Get over yourself Sugar Queen! I have been stuck in this box…

Jet: Seriously… where is the love?!

Author: Sorry you two. I will finish this part of your issue today, so your wait will be over.

Toph: Woo hoo! Will I get to kick some earthbending butt?

Author: Can't tell you. It would be a spoiler.

Mai: I am starting to get sea sick. When is it our turn?

Author: Next, if I remember correctly. First I finish the Toph Arch pt 1, and then…

Toph: Enough! For the love of earth, get this party started!

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Chapter 28: Rocky Reunion

Toph remained in the box as it was transported to another room in the mansion. She continued to shout profanity at the two lug heads that carried her in her wooden prison. After a short period, she felt the heavy thud of her box being dropped on the floor. A loud slam and a moment later, light flooded her wooden prison.

Toph stood to find herself in a room she didn't remember and couldn't see a thing. Her parents had apparently been busy while she was away. The entire room was one giant wooden cage. Toph jumped out of the crate and found herself alone in the wooden room with her captors and her parents.

"What is this?" Toph exclaimed accusingly to her parents. "You're going to just lock me up and throw away the key?

"This is for your own good Toph. In here, we can keep you safe and protected." Her mother told her in an assuring tone.

"Do what your mother tells you, princess." Xin Fu commented condescendingly.

"Shut up. If you weren't such a coward I would bend your butt into the dirt right now!" Toph retorted.

"Please Toph, calm down. This is for your own good." Lao told his daughter.

"You wouldn't know what was good for me if it bit you on the nose! All you care about is locking me up in a cage like a pet! Well, here's a news flash for you; I am not some helpless blind child! I taught the Avatar earthbending! I helped him defeat the Firelord and end the war! Most people with two good eyes couldn't do what I did!" Toph ranted at them, tears streaming from her white eyes.

"Listen to your parents Toph. You will be safe and happy here." Master Yu said with a superior tone. "Come, Xin Fu. We have business to discuss with Mr. Bei Fong."

Toph was utterly blind as she heard her parents and her captors leave her in the wooden room. She realized Jet was still out there though and a huge smile lit up her face. She had an ace up her sleeve.

"Oh, and if you think your friend is coming to save you, think again. He's currently locked up in the room next to yours. We decided not to leave any… loose ends." Xin Fu laughed as the door slammed shut.

Toph's smile faded as quickly as it had arrived. They knew about Jet? How could this have happened!? Of course, her friends would be around to look for her eventually, but they were on a tight schedule. This delay could cost them more than anyone realized. "If I only had some earth!" Toph said forcefully. "I need something to bend; anything!" she ranted. Then it hit her. Sokka's space rock bracelet! She wore it constantly since that time the combustion man caged her and Katara; she had felt so helpless then. This was exactly the reason why she always kept it!

Toph removed the bracelet from her arm and bent it into a small saw. Feeling her way around the walls, she tried to get some idea of which way was out. A faint breeze touched her skin as she circled the walls, and she found a barred window with wooden bars. It would be the perfect place. Toph started the tedious chore of breaking free of her family once and for all!

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Ping walked steadily on his way to the prison cells carrying a silver tray with a steaming plate of delicious smelling food. He had no idea why his master had ordered such a wonderful meal served to the prison cells, but it was not his place to judge. Ping was a good servant. He did as he was told, always tried his best, and never spoke unless spoken to.

Ping arrived at the cell and as he was told, slid the tray through the small wooden flap that he unlocked to do so, and securely locked the flap again. As he stood up to leave, a strange sound caught his ears. Peering through the wooden bars in the door, Ping saw an amazing sight. His masters' daughter was in the cell! And she was sawing at the bars! Ping turned and ran back to the main hall as fast as he could. The Master must be told!

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Jet found himself locked in a huge wooden room. The ceiling, floor and walls were all solid wood. He tried to bend and nothing happened. Jet noticed a window and attempted to budge the bars but the wood was too thick to break. "It figures that I wouldn't have my weapons with me. Silly me, assuming earthbending was better than good old fashioned swordplay. If I get out of this, I am going back to my trusty hook swords." Jet muttered under his breath. He still had no idea where Toph was and could not get himself free.

Suddenly a huge crash came from the windowed wall and a huge hole was ripped through the wood. A large boulder came into view as the dust cleared. Then, just as it appeared, it disappeared in a burst of sand. Standing in the new entryway was a smiling Toph.

"What took you so long?" Jet asked her snidely.

"Hey! If you were thrown in a wooden box with no way out…" Toph cut herself off; she realized she couldn't see into his room either. "Oh… never mind then. Come on! Let's get out of here!" she cried.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Xin Fu asked rhetorically. Toph and Jet saw that their escape route was blocked off by numerous guards encircling them with Xin Fu and Master Yu in front.

"You must return to your cells, Toph." Master Yu told her authoritatively.

"Yeah, I'm all over that." Toph threw sarcasm back at him. "So, just what are my loving parents giving you for this little side trip into kidnapping?"

"That's none of your concern. Now get back in the cell!" Xin Fu yelled.

"Better yet, why don't you make us?" Jet said threateningly.

"You are just a beginner. You are not worth our time, boy." Master Yu said in a superior tone.

"Really? Care to put that to the test, wind bag? I learned from the greatest earthbender on the planet. Put your gold where your mouth is!" Jet yelled, leaping forward and bringing up a boulder which he immediately sent at Master Yu. The battle begun, Master Yu dodged the boulder with ease and took his stance.

Xin Fu brought forth a boulder of his own, but as soon as he sent it towards Jet, Toph launched it straight up into the air. "Nice try, but you'll be facing me!" Toph taunted as she armored herself in earth.

"You asked for it, runt!" he retorted, lifting a huge boulder over his head with one arm and holding the other in front of him, giving Toph a bring it on type gesture. Toph grinned. This was going to be fun!

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Aang and Katara had been flying for most of the day before they finally overtook the ship they sought. The ship seemed somehow familiar to him, but Aang shrugged it off as nothing. All ships looked alike to him. The sun was just going down and the ship had anchored for the night offshore of a small rocky inlet. The island had sparse growth and couldn't have been a quarter the size of Kyoshi Island.

"That's the ship you heard?" Katara asked him over the cold wind. This far south it was definitely colder. Katara was wearing her original blue water tribe clothing to stay warm. Aang was just dealing with the cold.

"I think so. It's the only ship we've seen in these waters." Aang replied.

"Let's go around the far side of that island and scout out the situation. If your right, we may be able to bargain for what we are looking for." Katara suggested.

"Fine by me; better to be safe than sorry." Aang replied, steering Appa off to the west. Once they landed, Katara and Aang jumped down from Appa and got ready to cross the small island. "You better stay here Appa. I will whistle if we need you." Aang told him as he pet his snout. Appa growled his reply. "You too Momo." He added as Momo landed on his shoulder. "Stay with Appa and behave yourself."

"Give me just a second; I want to refill my water pouch." Katara told him. A small frozen puddle nearby supplied her with some fresh water once she melted it. "Alright, let's go."

Aang and Katara took their time navigating the island, finally coming to the tree line on the other side. It had been a short trip, only twenty minutes or so. "So what do you think we should do? Should we just walk up to the ship and say hello?" Aang asked Katara as they stood just out of site.

"Actually, I don't think that's a good idea. That ship looks familiar…" Katara trailed, staring intently at the ship. There were many men's voices aboard; loud, boisterous voices carrying in the wind. Katara finally managed to catch a glimpse of one of the men walking the deck. "Aang, it's the pirates! The ones who had that waterbending scroll I took when we were traveling to the North Pole!" she exclaimed quietly.

"Well, there goes the nice approach. I guess we will have to try and take the medallion." Aang replied with a shrug.

Katara noticed how easily Aang jumped to the violent solution and how little it seemed to bother him. Something was not right here. Still, it did seem like their only option, and they were pirates after all. It was likely they stole it from someone else in the first place. "I don't like it, but I don't see we have any choice. If we rush them, we can probably take them out and find the medallion before they can stop us." Katara agreed.

"Right." Aang replied. "Ready?"

Katara nodded, and together they bolted out of the brush and ran as fast as they could towards the ship. Once they were close, Aang bent the earth up in a pillar, raising them up level with the deck. The pirates didn't stand a chance. Aang leapt forth with a flaming barrage that had them screaming and jumping into the water. Katara had never seen him so… violent. The men on deck were now in the ocean on the far side of the ship. Those below deck burst from the doorway, weapons in hand. Katara brought some water up and washed them overboard. Finally, the leader of the pirates stepped forth from the hold. He was clapping his hands slowly as he stepped onto the deck.

"Very good; I had expected you to make quick work of my men. It's too bad you're going to be surrendering to me now." He said confidently.

"You're kidding right?" Katara said disbelievingly.

"Not at all, lassie. I was given plenty of notice that you'd be gracing us with your presence here. I was also given this little trinket you were supposed to find. I was told you'd be coming for it." He dangled a golden amulet from its chain.

"Give it to us and we will leave you in peace." Aang demanded forcefully.

"I have no problem giving you this little trinket." He replied, tossing it to him with an underhanded throw. "But before you go, you may want to take a gander at this as well." He held up a strange bottle between his thumb and finger. The bottle was a crystalline with a strange blue something inside. Whatever it was, it almost seemed to be swirling around of its own accord.

With a quick flick of the wrist, he tossed the vial at the feet of Aang and Katara, and the vial exploded in a cloud of blue mist. The mist surrounded them and they began coughing, breathing in the blue. All they could see was the blue. Aang attempted to blow the mist away, but nothing happened. After a moment, the blue mist dissipated in the breeze, but the damage had been done.

Aang attempted to send a blast of air at the captain, but nothing happened. "I can't bend!" he exclaimed.

Katara followed suit and attempted a water whip of her own. "Neither can I! And all I can see is blue!" Katara added.

Aang nodded and tried to clear his eyes, but everything remained a blue tint. From behind them, a noise jolted their attention. The pirates they had knocked overboard had returned, and this time they were all armed and grinning evilly.

"So, as I was saying, you two will be surrendering… to me." The captain smirked.

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Jet lunged at Master Yu with an earthen fist, but was countered when his fist exploded into gravel in his face. He was thrown back against the building roughly. "Your technique is not bad, but you are not up to my level boy. Give up this foolishness." Master Yu said casually.

Jet grunted as a large rock flew into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He fell to the ground, keeping himself up by his knees and elbows and gasping for air. His legs and arms were suddenly trapped by the very ground he was leaning on. Jet couldn't break free; he couldn't even catch his breath.

Toph was easily deflecting Xin Fu's attacks. She could read his movements easily, just like she could before. However, this time she was also surprised to find that he had improved. Apparently he had been training since she had kicked his butt last. She also realized that Jet was in trouble and that her job just got a lot harder. She needed to distract him so she could help Jet. "So tell me, how did you two get out of that metal cage I put you in anyway?" Toph taunted.

"Grrr… we were lucky that some traveling merchants came by that morning and managed to pry us loose. We would have died in there otherwise." Xin Fu roared; his face contorted in rage.

Toph used that moment to ripple the earth around them and cause all the soldiers to lose their balance, as well as launch Master Yu into Xin Fu, tossing them aside in a tangle of limbs. Quickly, she freed jet and pulled him away, using the earth to slide them clear. As she reached the wall around the compound Toph plowed through it, sending the debris behind her randomly.

Toph knew they would follow and that she couldn't stop until she lost them. A few miles from her family's ancestral home, she drove down into the earth and created a small cove to hide in. She left only a small tunnel for air to come in and there she hid; her and Jet were alone as their captors hunted them.

Toph then checked Jet, noting his injuries. He was breathing roughly, but he was alive. There didn't seem to be any blood. Toph realized the danger they were in and tried to remain calm as she felt their pursuers cross over them and fade off in the distance. Finally judging the coast clear, she brought them back to the surface.

Once she felt the sun on her face, Jet began to stir. "Ugh… did someone get the number of that eel dog?" he grunted as he sat up holding a hand protectively to his front side.

"Real funny." Toph said sarcastically. "Can you move?"

"Not very well. It seems I may have been beat up pretty badly. Sorry Toph."

"It's fine. I am going to bring you to the village and get you some help, and then I am going back home."

"Home? Are you crazy? Your own parents threw us in cages!" Jet shouted.

"I know. I am going back to say my goodbyes, get what we came for, and get a little payback from those two dunderheads." Toph replied.

"How do you know it's there?"

"I know because it was right in front of me all along. The Bei Fong family crest stems from an ancient medallion that's been passed down for generations. I know where it is. Good odds it's what we need."

Toph bent a boulder up off the ground under her and Jet and began the tedious process of carrying him to the village. She was rather looking forward to the rematch. It would be quite… interesting to be able to cut loose.

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Jet had been taken in by a healer in town and Toph had started her slow walk back to the Bei Fong estate. It was not her home now… not anymore. The sun was beginning to set in the sky as she approached the polished main gate. Toph could sense all those waiting behind that wall. She could tell her parents were there, as were their guards and the two she truly wished to see. Toph took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Normally she was snippy, irritable and edgy, but she knew that one mistake would cost her dearly. It was time that she put aside her childish behavior; time she grew up.

Toph walked right up to the wall near the gate and punched it; breaking a huge circular gap within its lower half fit to walk through. The noise drew the attention of all the people in the courtyard, but she didn't care. She had a job to do. She continued her slow pace, walking towards her parents and their stooges.

"Toph! You came back!" her mother cried, almost in tears.

"Come to face us honorably, Toph?" Master Yu asked.

"More like she came back begging for a butt kicking!" Xin Fu added.

Toph didn't even reply as she continued her steady pace. She was still young and her legs carried her a smaller distance than a grown up. It was eerily quiet as they awaited her reply. A reply which she had ready and waiting. With a start she stood still, pointed at the stooges, and put her hand in a fist, thumbs down.

Xin fu roared and charged at her, enraged that this little girl would have the audacity to insult him. Toph didn't move an inch; she stood her ground and didn't even flinch as Xin Fu encased his fists in rock as he ran. As he came close enough, a single movement had him hurling through the air, propelled by his own momentum and the rock pillar Toph had just brought up from under him. An earthbenders biggest fear is a lack of earth to bend, and Xin Fu was now high up in the air with nothing but the stones on his fists to work with. However, Toph had already bent his hands together and bound them in the earth, solidifying it as dense as she could. Though Xin Fu would normally be able to break free, it was not to be before he hit the ground with a mighty thud. He did not get up.

Toph once again began her slow pacing towards her parents. Master Yu stood between them.

"Do not come any closer Toph. I will be forced to stop you." Master Yu warned.

Toph didn't reply. She knew this man was no match for her. She came almost within arms distance before Master Yu brought forth a huge boulder to use as ammo. He never got to launch his bullet however, as Toph detonated it right in front of him. As the dust cleared, Master Yu could be seen buried in the debris, unconscious, with Toph marching resolutely across his limp form.

At this point, the soldiers came at her, armed with their weapons and earthbending. Her parents had a fairly large army at their disposal, but it did not matter; Toph would not be denied. She was the best, and she had been through too much to be stopped by a bunch of insignificant peons. As the soldiers ran forward with weapons raised, Toph formed rock gloves not unlike those used by the Di-Lee and disarmed them. As earthbenders tried to break her stance or entomb her, she would hold her ground or break free and retaliate with various attacks.

When all was said and done, there were only three left standing; Toph herself, and her parents. Toph walked up to her parents without a word, standing before them with the same serious look she had adopted since leaving Jet.

"Please honey, stay with us. We will take good care of y..." Poppy began, but she was cut off as a piece of rock came up to her face. Toph used the rock to dislodge her head piece and she grasped it. In the center as a decoration was the medallion she believed to be the key they were looking for.

"This is the last time I will see you. I disown you as my family. You have kept me a prisoner for far too long and I will no longer feel for you as if you mattered. I will not think well of you or miss you. You are dead to me." Toph said in her most serious tone. She threw the head piece in the dirt and turned back the way she came, her fist gripping tightly the heirloom that was her birthright. Her mother was crying; her father stared after her, holding his wife. Neither said a word as their daughter took her leave forever more.

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Toph: I kicked major butt!

Aang: Yeah? Well, I kicked major butt too!

Toph: Until you got owned!

Katara: It isn't like we had a choice in the matter.

Toph: Neither did I, but I still kicked more butt than you!

Katara: Toph, you can be such a child sometimes!

Toph: So? At least when I brag, it's true.

Jet: I wish I could have seen it. I think I need more practice.

Toph: Nah, you did fine… for a rookie.

Jet: Gee thanks…

Toph: Don't mention it.

Jet: I won't.

Author: So, are you all glad to be kicking some butt and taking names?

Zuko: Not really. When's it our turn?

Author: Next, as far as I know. Got to wrap up all of these storylines, touch on yours and the water tribe… Lots to do yet. Don't worry though, it's coming.

Zuko: As long as I finally get my shot at my father!

Mai: Not to mention Rose.

Ty-Lee: Yeah… that's a fight I am really looking forward to.

Sokka: I want a piece of the action too. I beat the combustion man for goodness sake.

Katara: We know Sokka. Stop rubbing it in!

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Author's Corner:

I am so sorry for the delay everyone! I have been so busy lately! Actually, my biggest issue is that my job removed my ability to work on this story while at work, and I have been unable to find the time outside of work to work on it. I was meeting all my metrics, doing my job right, and they STILL banned my laptop from my desk. To add to that, I can't even use word on the company pc. Go Verizon!

I will try my best to do more but no promises. I may be posting slower, but I am still posting regardless. Sorry if I slow down, but real life trumps my story, no matter how much I wish it were otherwise. Thanks for sticking with me though! I will get them out as fast as I can! I may just make the chapters a bit smaller just to get something out there. Not sure yet.

So right now as it stands, everyone's on a medallion hunt. We still have Zuko and Mai going to the Fire Nation to find out that Ozai, Aula and Rose are waiting for them. We also have water tribe goodness coming up. Aang and Katara are captives and still have another journey to go. Sokka is better, though still under care. Toph is now a free agent and Jet realizes he's a rookie. Let the good times roll!

Oh and assuming most of you haven't forgotten I am alive, REVIEW!!!