I do not own any of the original Avatar characters.
Least Expected
"And where have you two been?" Katara demanded as Sado and Toph returned to camp. "Off scamming again?"
"Actually, Sado was showing me the view on the ridge over there," Toph said, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder.
"You know, if you're going to lie, you might as well make it a good one," Katara said. "He may have telepathy, but you can't see!"
"No, but I can," Sado said. "And I can allow her to see through my eyes using my telepathy. Which reminds me."
Sado rested a hand on Toph's shoulder allowing her to see through his eyes as he looked around at everyone, letting her see them each for the first time.
"Wow Katara, you really are pretty," Toph said.
"Don't change the subject!" Katara said. "I warned you that these scams are dangerous!"
"And I disagreed with you," Toph said.
"If they're not dangerous, then what's this?" Katara asked, holding out a wanted poster of Toph.
"I don't know!" Toph snapped. "I mean seriously! What's with you people? I'm blind!" She pulled her lower eyelids down for added effect.
"It's a wanted poster of you," Katara said. "The runaway! Is that what you're called now? Are you proud of this?"
"You haven't been into town once," Sado said. "Where'd you get that?"
"It doesn't matter where I got it, the fact of the matter is-"
"You went through my stuff!" Toph accused. "You had no right!"
"Your stuff was messy, and I was just straightening it up, and I happened to stumble across it!" Katara said.
"That's a lie!" Toph said, pointing at Katara, her finger a few inches from Katara's nose. "You're lying Katara!"
"Fine, it's a lie," Katara said, shoving Toph's hand away. "But you've been so out of control lately, I knew something was up. I knew you were hiding something, and you were!"
Toph grabbed the paper and threw it, walking past Katara.
"Don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you!" Katara snapped.
"Oh really Mom," Toph said. "What are you going to do, send me to my room?"
"I wish I could," Katara said.
"Well you can't!" Toph said. "You're not my mom, and you're not their mom!"
She gestured at Sado and the others and Sado sighed. This was starting to get out of control.
"I never said I was!" Katara said.
"No, but you certainly act like it!" Toph said. "You think it's your job to boss everyone around but it's not. You're just a regular kid like the rest of us. So stop acting like you can tell me what to do! I can do whatever I want!"
Katara was silent for several moments before speaking. "I don't act that way. Sokka, do I act motherly!?"
Sokka and Aang both jumped at being suddenly brought into the conversation.
"Hey, I'm staying out of this one," Sokka said.
"What do you think Aang?" Katara said. "Do I act like a mom?"
"Well, I-" he began to rub his eye.
"Stop rubbing your eye and speak clearly when you talk!" Katara snapped.
"Yes Ma'am," Aang said, sitting up straight.
"I can't be around you right now," Toph said, turning and walking away.
"Well I can't be around you!" Katara said, walking the other way.
Sado sighed, following Toph. After a few hours of both women refusing to even look at each other, and a failed attempt at making piece by Sokka through use of his messenger hawk, apparently forgetting Toph can't right, Katara stormed off.
"Come with me," Sado eventually said. "I found an awesome spot to watch the sunset."
Toph nodded and followed him to a rock outcropping over a lake. Sado wrapped his arm around Toph's waist, Toph resting her head on his shoulder as he allowed her to see through his eyes.
"You know, she only does it because she cares, right?" Sado asked. "Like you told me at the Serpent's Pass, We're all one big mismatched family. And in that family, Katara fills the role of mother. It's not because she wants to control you. It's because she's worried about you, and she wants to keep us all safe."
"I know," Toph said. "She's kind and compassionate, and you're right, she actually cares about me. That's more than my own mother. I guess, it's just hard knowing that a girl I met a couple months ago is already more of a mother than my own mother. It hurts. And it makes me wonder if I was just a bad daughter."
"You weren't, " Sado said. "You were never a bad daughter. You did what your parents said. You just didn't want them to treat you like you might break at any moment. You wanted to be your own person. That doesn't make you a bad daughter. And it doesn't make them bad parents. They just didn't understand."
"Thank you," Toph smiled just as the sun began to pass halfway below the horizon, beginning to paint the sky a variety of colors. "It's beautiful."
"Yes it is," Sado agreed.
After a little while, they headed back to camp, finding Katara waiting.
"Hi Toph," Katara said. "Um...I wanna-"
"Katara stop," Toph said, holding up a hand, Sado walking away to give them privacy. "You don't need to apologize, I was the one being stupid. These scams are out of control, and I'm done with them."
"Actually, I wasn't going to apologize," Katara said. "I was going to say I want to pull a scam with you."
Sado spit the water he had been drinking out, getting some in his nose and coughing, turning to stare at Katara.
"What?" Toph asked. "You want to pull a scam?"
"Not just any scam," Katara said. "The ultimate scam. Whataya say, Toph? Just me and you. One last go. You in?"
"You know I'm in!" Toph said. "No what's this idea of yours?"
"I'm going to turn you in," Katara said. "Then you metalbend yourself out and we make off with the reward."
"There are so many ways this is going to go wrong," Sado said.
"We'll be fine," Toph said.
"Please be careful," Sado said.
"We'll be back before you have time to miss me," Toph said, giving him a quick kiss before turning and walking toward town with Katara.
Sado sighed, sitting down with his three swords across his lap. After nearly an hour, he looked up, seeing a raven eagle flying over head, beginning to circle over the town. Sado's eyes widened slowly before he jumped to his feet, slinging his jian and putting his hook swords through his belt.
"He's here!" Sado shouted, sprinting away from the camp.
Aang and Sokka followed almost instantly.
"Who's here!?" Aang asked.
"The assassin!" Sado said.
Both looked at each other before nodding, all three running into town and slowing, creeping along silently, Sado drawing his hook swords, noticing that the town had been evacuated.
"It's a trap," he whispered.
Aang and Sokka both nodded, branching off. Sado walked to the center of the town, where there was a giant statue of Fire Lord Ozai, who was constantly breathing fire and spewing it from his hands. Then, he stopped, looking around. Finally, the assassin dropped into the square off to the side, Sado turning toward him, readying himself.
"You're working for my family, aren't you?" Sado asked.
The assassin fired a blast at Sado and he dove under it, streaking forward and slashing, sending out a blast of flames that the assassin blocked with his prosthetics. However, the moment her did, Sado reached him, hooking his arm and sinning, swinging the assassin around by it before using the other hook to cut the straps on the assassin's upper arm, the man flying away while the prosthetic remained in the hook. The assassin pushed himself up, glaring, then inhaled, firing another blast, only for Sado to fling the arm into it and dive behind the statue, avoiding shrapnel from the arm being blown apart, as well as another blast. He rolled to his feet, sprinting forward and flipping over a blast, sending out a wave of flames at the assassin before landing and dropping into a slide, Aang blasting the assassin in the back with a blast of air, hurling him over Sado, who used one of his hook swords' spear tip to cut a leg strap. The assassin crashed to the ground before rolling to a stop. He pushed himself up to his feet and stepped forward only for his prosthetic to kick out to the side, crashing to the ground hard.
"This fight's over," Sado said as Katara and Sokka both ran over. "Get out of here!"
They all turned to run just as the man fired another blast. However, Toph landed in the way, sending a boulder at him before Sado grabbed her by the hand, pulling her away from the impending explosion and getting her running with the others. Sado glanced back as they were turning a corner in time to see a tiny chunk of stone from the boulder crash into the assassin's forehead with enough force to throw him backward. He groaned, pushing himself up and moving to fire another blast, only for his forehead to explode, sending him flying backward into the wall of a building.
They ran along the path away from town quickly, however, before they could get too far, an energy blast flashed past them, exploding in the road in front of them, throwing them all backward. Sado rolled over, looking back to see the assassin walking toward them, his leg's strap having been replaced already. Sado swore. He swapped it out a whole lot faster than Sado had thought he could, especially with only one hand. Sado stood, stepping in front of the others, raising his hook swords and taking a slow breath, preparing himself to fight.
However, before he could, fireballs began to explode into the assassin from above, a boy three years younger than Sado landing in between the assassin and the gaang. Then, he began to punch rapidly, raining fireballs at the assassin, who continually dodged out of the way. Sado clenched his fists, barely keeping himself from attacking the boy. Then, the boy began to swing his hands, lightning forming around the boys extended index and middle fingers before he placed his hands together, then shoved out outward at the assassin, the lightning bolt exploding to the ground directly in front of him, launching him backward, his prosthetic limb spinning away. Then, the boy turned to Sado and the others, his red cloak kicking up from the speed of the spin.
"Let's go, before he gets up!" the boy said.
"Right!" Sokka said, everyone else running toward Appa with him, leaving Sado behind, Toph stopping after a few steps when she noticed him not moving.
"Sado let's go!" Toph said.
Sado forced himself to follow, climbing onto Appa, who took off instantly. As soon as they were airborne, Sado formed a firebending knife and grabbed the boy by the throat holding the knife to his throat.
"What the fuck are you doing here!?" Sado snarled.
"Sado!" Katara said. "He just saved our lives!"
"He's my brother!" Sado snapped, everyone falling silent. "What the fuck are you doing here Sozin?"
"Sozin!?" Aang, Sokka, and Katara all gaped.
"Yeah, that should tell you something about my family," Sado growled.
"You're my brother," Sozin said.
"I know that!" Sado snapped. "Trust me, I've spent most of my life regretting it! I'm well aware of our unfortunate relation! Now tell me what the FUCK YOU'RE DOING HERE! ! !"
"I came to help you!" Sozin snapped. "And by the looks of it, I got there just in time, too!"
"The fuck you did!" Sado spat. "You fuckers are probably the ones that sent him after me!"
"Actually he contacted Mom and Dad this time," Sozin said. "He offered to take you out for half price, so they agreed. I came to try to save you. I was going to warn you in Ba Sing Se, but them that psychotic bitch Azula captured the city."
"Why should I believe a word out of your mouth!?" Sado snarled.
"Because I could have let him kill you instead of saving you if I wanted you dead," Sozin said.
"Not if you wanted to be the one to do it," Sado snarled.
"Sado," Aang said, resting a hand on his forearm.
Toph set a hand on Sozin's shoulder. After a moment, she pulled it back. "He's not lying."
"Bull shit," Sado snarled. "I know my family."
"No, you knew our family," Sozin said. "You know Mom and Dad. You only knew me for-"
"Eight years!" Sado said. "I knew you for eight years! I know you perfectly well, Sozin!"
"Fine," Sozin said. "You want to kill me, go ahead."
"Gladly!" Sado snarled.
"Sado no!" Aang snapped. "You're not murdering him just because you don't trust him!"
"None of us can trust anything he says!" Sado snapped. "He'll probably turn us in the moment we land!"
"We don't have a choice!" Sokka said. "We're not murderers!"
"I'm not taking that chance!" Sado said.
"That's enough!" Toph shouted. "Sado, let him go!"
Sado sighed, letting the flames fade and releasing Sozin, who scooted away from him, massaging his neck.
"So you can firebend now," Sozin said after a moment. "When did that happen?"
"Would you like to fucking know," Sado snarled.
"Enough Sado!" Toph snapped. "He's here whether you like it or not, so just calm down and deal with it."
Sado sighed, narrowing his eyes at Sozin before leaning back against the saddle, forming a small twister of fire over his hand.
"Are you going to watch me the entire trip?" Sozin asked.
"Only until you give me sufficient reason to torch you," Sado snarled.
Sozin sighed, curling up at the back of the saddle, the others all falling silent. After a few minutes, Toph leaned on Sado's shoulder, Sado wrapping an arm around her but not extinguishing his flames, or taking his eyes off of Sozin.
About an hour later, Appa landed and they all climbed off, Sado continuing to keep watch over Sozin. While he did, Toph had Katara write a letter to Toph's parents for her, then sent it with Sokka's hawk. Sado sat down off to the side, watching Sozin as he lay on the ground, quickly seeming to drift off to sleep. After a moment, Toph lay down with her head on his leg, facing away from him.
"Do you mind if I lay here?" Toph asked.
"Not at all," Sado said, smiling down at her for a moment and tucking some hair behind her ear before returning to his silent guard over his brother.
She sighed, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep rather quickly. Then, Sado sat there, one hand sitting on Toph's shoulder, the other waiting for a reason, any reason, to wipe his brother off the face of the planet.
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