Crossroads

AN: Ay, Dios mio! I took longer than I wanted to update my story. I humbly apologize. For those that are still following this story, thank you! Here is the newest chapter. It might not be good, and for that I apologize… again.

Echoes

Words have a funny way of messing with your head. Alone they might not have much impact, but when fueled by emotions, like anger or hatred, they take a broader, more powerful meaning. They can lift you up, edify, or completely destroy you. Toph couldn't begin to understand. The young earthbender let the words slowly sink in.

At first, they were jumbled together in swirls of emotions of her long, never forgotten childhood experiences. Echoes of her parents neglect, their shame over their daughter's blindness, and their family's honor. The sound of endless nights crying, wondering why she always felt so unloved, abandon, and shunned, grew louder in her head. The words gradually began to take shape – her body absorbing all the forgotten seismic vibrations of her childhood. The words resonated loudly in her mind. The anger ebbed towards the surface bubbled within her. The words stopped swirling around her mind, and they finally sunk in.

Parents… apprehend… kidnapping… Rae.

She tried to make sense of it all, but the only conclusion that came to mind was, well, disappointment. She blinked back the fiery tears that threatened to spill and held her head high. Her heart sank deep in her chest. With clenched hands she sauntered over to Zuko.

"W-why would they?" she whispered bitterly.

"I don't know," Zuko replied dejectedly, as he watched her carefully. It pained him to see her in such agony. "But whether you like it or not… I will detain them for conspiring to kidnap the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation." He said with determination and spun around, not wanting to see the sorrow on her face.

Toph felt sick. Her stomach knotted, as she recalled the many times she felt unwanted by her parents. She was aware that her parents never loved her. They never wanted her. Ashamed of her blindness, they hid her for eleven years. No one ever knew of her existence.

'A child that is blind,' she recalled her father saying, 'is a dishonor to the Bei Fong family.' Lao Bei Fong said to his wife, Poppy.

Overcome by agony she fell to her knees and cried out bitterly. Toph placed her hands on the ground and felt the pulsations around her, as she concentrated on the seismic vibration that emitted from Zuko.

"How could they do that to me?" she wept. "To my son?!"

"I don't know," Zuko answered sadly, and began pacing. "I'm sorry, Toph." He whispered and began walking away. "I don't know what to say. I don't know why … I have to go and follow Haru…" He didn't want to leave her standing in the middle of the garden, weeping uncontrollably, but his feet had a mind of their own accord.

He had to leave before he went mad. He felt like the scum of the earth for spewing such horrible news to her in such an indelicate manner. It lacked decorum. And to make matters worse, he could hear the agonizing sobs that came from her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to himself, as he placed a hand over his heart. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" she cried out.

"I'm so sorry," Zuko stopped walking, and looked over his shoulder at the young earthbender. His heart contrite at the sight of her.

I, Zuko, the Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, am a horrendous person, he thought bitterly.

The throbbing heartache he felt before augmented, when he heard her agonizing sobs. He had to distant himself. The echo of her cries resonated with the pain he felt in his chest. The world began to spin around him. So this is what it felt like to break the heart of the love of your life? This is what it meant to be a coward – a monster!

"Zuko!" he heard her call out to him. "Zuko, wait!"

"I have to go,"

He spun around and started to walk away. Zuko wanted to take back the words he'd said. He knew that it had been wrong to hold such vital information from her, but he thought it was prudent. All he'd ever wanted was to protect her. He could have used a bit of propriety when he told her the news, but this was how things turned out.

He continued walking, regretting everything he'd said and done, and every step he took to distance himself from her was excruciating. He was several yards from her, but he didn't make it far enough. A rock sprouted out of the ground, causing him to lose his footing. He flew a few feet off the ground, and landed on his back with a loud thud. Zuko stared up at the dark sky and took in a painful breath. All he'd wanted was a quiet night, before he gently and prudently told her of what Haru had found out.

He should've known that it was hard to keep any secrets from the earthbender. What she lacked in sight, she compensated with the most acute form of reasoning.

"You are an idiot!" she shouted, as she caught up to him.

He tried to stand up, but she placed her foot on his chest, impeding him to get to his feet. "You stay there and listen to me," she said angrily, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"Yes, Toph," he said defeated, staring up at her.

"You didn't have to leave me behind," she protested. "You could've…."

"Yes," he inhaled deeply, and looked away. "I know. I'm sorry. I should've been gentler with the news."

Toph shook her head and angrily wiped the tears with the back of her hand. "I'm not angry at you… because you told me that…" she trailed off. "I'm angry at myself. I'm angry at my parents. I'm angry at how you told me this and then walked away. You walked away…"

He was about to reply, when he felt the ground around him tremble. He gulped and braced himself for her wrath, when the sound of the ground shaking grew louder, and pieces of pebbles flew around him.

"Toph," he called out to her. "Toph what are you doing?"

"Take care of Rae," Toph said grimly. "Don't let him out of your sight. I'm going to end this once and for all."

"What are you going to do?" he asked worriedly.

The pressure of her foot on his chest ceased, and he lifted his head to glimpse at Toph. She'd dried her face, leaving streaks of dirt on her pale skin. She took a step back, inhaling deeply, causing the ground to shake fiercely.

"Toph," he shouted, as he forced himself to sit up. "Wait! We can talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about," she gulped; her pale green eyes looked blank from where he sat. "Tell Rae that I'll be back soon."

She crossed her wrists over her chest, and slowly exhaled, as she let herself fall back. The ground opened as she fell; engulfing her. Zuko scrambled to get to his feet, but it was too late. Toph had fallen down the giant hole. He screamed for her, but all he heard was his own screams and the echo of the ground returning back to normal.