Two Days Later…
"I want you to get those reports NOW! We can't leave this criminal to be running around the public." I shout at one of my lower ranking commander, who I feel trembling in fear with such a rapid heart rate that I momentarily think he may have a heart attack. His shift in stance indicates to me that he's bowing down with profuse apologies tumbling out of his mouth.
"Many apologies Chief. We have sent out some officers to follow a few leads and hopefully will have him by the end of the week." I stomp one foot in irritation.
"I do NOT want hopefully, I want definitely! And we can't wait until the end of the week. You have until tomorrow midday and if you prove to be unsuccessful then I'll have to relieve you of your duties." Again he bows several times, each time bending lower and lower till it seems he may hit his head on the ground. The thought makes me smirk inwardly.
"Of course Chief, we will definitely have him by then." I finally nod my head in approval.
"That's what I like to hear, now you may leave officer." I motion with my hand for him to escort himself out and just as he leaves, I spin around in the opposite direction to face Sparky, whom I felt approaching in my direction while I was having my conversation, accompanied by Snoozles. I notice as the latter leans closer to the Firelord whispering,
"Let's see how good your charm is." The spike in the Firelord's heartbeat along with a loud gulp tells me that this is going to be interesting.
"What do you guys want?"
"Err well you see…" I cross my arms over my chest in impatience.
"Out with it Sparky. I'm a very busy women who needs to catch criminals and keep the City safe; I don't have all day to waste."
"Yes sorry Toph, I wanted well erm your help in a particular matter."
"Which is?"
"Well I really hope that you will agree to help me. It's kind of more like a request and after all what we've been through together, what with helping each other out and-" I stretch my arm out, having my hand a mere inch away from Zuko's face, which abruptly stops the meaningless words he been sprouting out.
"I don't want to listen all day to your jabbering nonsense. What does 'I'm a busy women' do you not comprehend?"
"Erm…"
"On second thoughts don't answer that." I rotate on my heels to my left hand side now facing Snoozles. "Since Sparky over here doesn't seem he can utter a single coherent sentence any time soon, any chance you can enlighten me?"
"Ha well actually this is something that Zuko wants to ask. I for one have no interest."
"Well if that's the case then why are you here?"
"To see if my bet will be fulfilled, which by the looks of things it will." I frown, they came to me concerning some dumb bet? Great my time really is being wasted. I turn back to Sparky who hasn't attempted to release his stiff posture.
"Fine Sparky if you don't tell me what you want in precisely 3 seconds I'm going to send you flying all the way to Omashu."
"Oh." The spike of fright in Zuko's heart tells me he knows that I'm not joking.
"Starting now."
"Ok well you see…"
"3"
"I want your help…"
"2"
"…with erm…"
"1"
"…detecting something wrong with Aang!" He blurts out, his words freezing me with shock and the bubble of hatred growing immensely within my inner self.
"You what?!" I whisper with such ice in my voice that even Snoozles breathing rate picks up the pace.
"I need your help to sort out something with Aang…" Zuko's voice comes out so small, as if he only realises now the mistake he has committed.
"If I ever hear that name again, I will seriously not be the blame for my actions." I spin on my feet swiftly and am about to stomp away before he catches my attention with four simple words,
"Guess you don't care."
"Care about what? The Avatar? All I'm going to say is good riddance to him."
"But there's seriously something wrong with him. You are the only one I know who can find out what it is."
"What makes you think I want to know?! What makes you think I want to get into a 10 metre radius of that, that ignorant lowlife! Now leave me alone!"
"Toph for arguments sake we'll leave you out of the equation. We need him, the world needs him. If something were to happen to him, everything will fall out of balance and we all depend on the balance. Only a few months ago there was a rebel attack, without him I wouldn't be standing here!" He pauses for several seconds before continuing in a more whispered tone, "He saved my life. The whole Fire Nation will be in destruction as we speak, especially since I don't have an heir to take over." I let out a low pitched scream, his incredibly frustrating words unfortunately true. The image of Zuko's close brush with death makes me squeeze my eyes, shutting out the picture before reopening them and turning around to finally face them again.
"I really don't like you, you know that?" I don't need to have sight to know that Sparky is probably grinning like a lunatic.
"No way, you are actually agreeing?! That's so not…" I shoot Snoozles a glare stopping his speech in its tracks.
"Who said I was agreeing?" At this the Firelord's heart rate comes to a rapidly low pace, worrying me for a split second before eventually sensing the calm continuous beating of his heart. "I need to analyse if this is worth my time and my sanity. As you know I hate the guy and would prefer not to be anywhere near him." They both lean closer towards me, one obviously eager to persuade me. "Why are you so keen to interrogate him and why don't you do it yourself? Are you worried he'll lie? Do you know why he might lie?"
"Err…"
"Do you even know the answers to my questions? Because if not I'm out of here."
"I fear that something is bothering him. He is knackered all the time, as if he never gets any decent amount of sleep. At times he also seems to be in pain with a rigid posture and attempting to hide his wincing. I've asked him about it numerous times over the years, but he's always dodged my questions, stating he's fine, when I clearly see in his very eyes that he isn't."
"Years?" I question in puzzlement.
"Yes, for about three years now." I frown at his words, 'Aang the Avatar in pain?' The thought suddenly awakens the memory from a few days ago about seeing him for the first time in 9 months and our first conversation (as brief as it was) in 3 years. What catches my attention more was how I had noticed clearly that he had indeed winced. He had even gone as far as admitting to charge those two people for battery.
"Toph…?" Snoozles' voice brings me abruptly out of my thoughts. I look up with a 'hmm' coming out of my throat, still thinking about the unusual circumstances of him appearing at my police station. I shake my head in an attempt to clear my head from these thoughts and decide to throw Zuko a question myself.
"And what do you think is wrong with him?"
"I'm guessing that someone may possibly be hurting him." A soft 'oh' escapes me. 'Why would someone be after the Avatar? Why hasn't he said anything to Zuko? After all he seems to get on well with him,' I think with some bitterness added in.
"Right…" I trail off, but my friends shift their stances. I presume they must have realised that something is up.
"Toph are you alright?"
"Yeh just dandy." I reply dryly, licking my lips to moisten them.
"Toph even I don't need earthbending to know that you're lying." I raise an eyebrow in minimal amusement, 'guess I've managed to let my mask fall by accident. Well I might as well tell them of the little that I know.'
"Fine I spoke to him a few days ago. Or rather he came to the police station." The both reel back in shock.
"Wait, you are talking about Aang right?" Sokka questions, which is weird. I haven't heard him say 'his' name in so long. It seems strangely foreign to my ears. I cross my arms yet again, wearing the mask of annoyance to disguise my surprise.
"Who else do you think I'm talking about?"
"Hey I had to make sure!" Zuko steps in front of Sokka in an attempt to fend off the upcoming argument.
"Why did he go there? He hasn't stepped foot in that building for ages." I rub my forehead, a little bit wary of his reaction on what I'm about to say to him. I sigh, 'well here goes nothing.'
"He came to give in a couple of 'criminals', he said they jumped on him while he was around the City."
"WHAT?!" They both screech in union with more added shock.
"Wait how did you find that out? He doesn't exactly pour out this information to someone he hasn't spoken to in a long time."
"Gee thanks. For your information I have my ways." At this Snoozles bursts into snorts of laughter, trying my already thin patience to its end. "What's so funny?" At my growl the laughter falls off his mouth and he straightens himself out.
"Oh nothing, I just heard that really recently from someone else." I shake my head, not even wanting to know.
"Guys we need to focus!"
"Focus on what exactly?" I ask, boredom dripping in my question, which Zuko chooses to ignore.
"Focus on the fact that I'm probably right! I mean why would someone want to attack the Avatar? Did you interrogate these men? What nation are they from? And most importantly WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Sparky's thundering shout actually makes me jump. Me, 'the greatest earthbender in the world' jump. There is seriously something wrong with that statement.
"Who do you think you are to shout at me, oh great Firelord? I don't need to report to you for every criminal in my prison. I'm the Chief of Police, or have you forgotten that? Would you like me to throw you in prison with the other two?" I begin to holler at the top of my lungs. Zuko's small but easily recognisable footsteps move slightly further and further away from me, one step at a time.
"I'm really sorry Toph. I shouldn't have shouted at you, you don't deserve that. I'm just so worried and confused on what's happening with Aang and he refuses to tell me anything which could be costly." I can feel my anger slowly ebbing away, replaced with slight understanding.
"Yeh you shouldn't have."
"Yes and I'm deeply sorry." I sigh at his honest genuineness and decide to let it go this one time.
"Apology accepted, just make sure not to do it again."
"Definitely."
"Now to put an end to this long winded conversation, I agree to this interrogation thing. But I doubt you'll get much out of him. He has become quite stubborn."
"I wonder where he learnt that from." Snoozles' muttering is as clear as a bell in my ears. I shift my foot to the side, allowing the floor to sink beneath him and causing him to fall flat on his face.
"When are you going to learn that I hear every word you say no matter how quiet you think you are being, which by your standards Snoozles isn't very quiet at all." He pushes himself up from the ground and I'm so sure he's directing a glare of hatred at me, which fortunately I can't see. "If you are glaring at me, then you might as well say whatever you want to say to my face." No response comes from him apart from incoherent grumblings and he picks himself up from the floor. Zuko coughs bringing my attention back to him.
"Did you interrogate those two criminals then?" I release a frustrated sigh.
"Of course I did! What do you think I do, laze around in my office all day?"
"Well no, but I thought you wouldn't since it's connected to Aang." I lift up both eyebrows, 'does he think I'm a heartless person who won't do my job due to my dislike of a certain person? Of course not!'
"To clarify to you yet again, my job is to keep the City safe. If those two have the guts to fight the Avatar then they must be some powerful people, either that or they are just plain dumb."
"Oh right, definitely. I know that. So what did they say?" I release yet another exasperated sigh.
"Unfortunately they weren't any help. Wouldn't budge at all to the point I couldn't get them to utter a word. In my whole career so far this is only the second time that I've come across someone I can't grasp the information I want." I hear a faint slap of skin to skin, so I assume it must be Sparky slapping his forehead or something.
"Well that's a pain. Do you know where they are from?"
"One certainly from the Fire Nation because he tried to melt his chains, which wasn't very bright to be honest. And well the other one, I was informed he wasn't wearing any clothes from a particular nation. But the strange thing is, he acts as if he were a bender, more specifically he holds himself as if he were an earthbender, but he couldn't even tremble a pebble. Another thing was I sensed that he had some strange aura, which I vaguely recognised. So no idea about the last one, sorry."
"That is really weird, but you are certain he's a non-bender."
"Yeh in the end he can't bend anything."
"Alright we could try to question them again later, but for now Aang is on the top of our list. So you are definitely in then?"
"Just to put an end to your whining I agree. But this is NOT because I want to see or talk to him. It's just for the benefit of the world, that's it. I don't feel like fighting in another war."
"Don't worry I heard that from someone else… and you know what? I think you do care, just like Sokka. But you both don't want to admit it because of your hurt feelings." My heart thunders hard against my chest. I clench my jaws tightly together.
"Just because I agreed to help you, doesn't mean I want to hear this garbage talk ok?"
"Alright, alright, I'm just saying…"
"Whatever… When are you asking him? Because I've got a schedule to keep in line with."
"You are attending that Official Meetings Week right?" I blow my bangs out of my face.
"Of course I am! Every significant figure is going. I know I'm blind but that doesn't mean I don't have someone to read my mail."
"Oh no sorry Toph I didn't mean that at all. Just Sokka over here didn't know about it till 3 days ago."
"But I had that letter a month ago."
"Well somehow he managed to not read or know about it this whole time."
"Hey! I'm a very busy person. It's not my fault I haven't had time to check my letters!" I snigger, that's so like Snoozles not to check his mail for a whole month.
"Well instead of picking on me, when are we going to pick on him?" This time it's Zuko's turn to be irritated.
"Why can't you guys stop referring to 'him' and 'he' all the time? You all know his name for goodness sake!" Neither I nor Sokka makes a move to respond. 'Zuko just doesn't understand, he only joined the group in the last month or so. Of course he doesn't feel as betrayed as we do. Aang the Avatar doesn't care about us. So by not referring to his name but rather his title, it shows that we are being indifferent to him, our own payback. A silent agreement between me and Sokka. Of course I'm not going to tell that to Zuko, I mean what does he know?'
"You haven't given me the day we are doing this yet."
"So what you are going to ignore my question, just like that?"
"Alright I guess you don't need my help then because you seem like an expert on questioning people with things that don't concern you." I turn around, twisting on my bare feet swiftly, but then slowly taking steps away from them, but not slow enough for them to realise my lack of speed. Because the truth is… I do want to find out what has happened to…Aang over the years, is he the same, or has he changed? Has he made new friends and forgotten about us? Is there a reason why he rarely comes to the City that he helped created? Since our gang broke up, I've only seen Katara five times over the years, I guess it doesn't help that she lives so far in that icy wasteland that I despise, why couldn't she choose to be nearer to all of us? I bite my lip, do I miss how things were, back when it was just the four of us on Appa? I shake my head, no I don't, I knew it was just a temporary thing to end the war. I've never cared about him, he was just my pupil. Then why do I have that dull ache when people mention his name? I grew too attached, that's what it is, but I'm over that now…
"Toph please come back, I'm sorry ok?"
"Fine, the date please so I can continue my day." I state stonily, not bothering to face them again.
"There are two meetings each day for the week, so what about the evening of Monday, after the second meeting?" I feel as a penny drops in my stomach, that's tomorrow.
"Sure, I'll meet you outside the Meeting Hall." I respond tightly before finally striding away from them.
"That's great, see you there. Thanks Toph!" Zuko's words drifting to my ears.
"See you." I shout over my shoulder while still continuing on my way, away from them. With my mind in turmoil, 'I can't believe I've agreed to see him, someone I detest.' I sigh, 'well it's about time I confront him and see what his problem is, and why he literally ditched us. He better have some very good and persuasive explanations of the way he treated all of us, otherwise he'll be in a world of hurt.'
Meanwhile with Sokka and Zuko…
"I can't believe she agreed, she actually agreed!"
"Well it wasn't easy."
"Yes but still!"
"Looks like I won the bet. This means you have to join us."
"That's not fair I was so sure she would have made you go flying to the opposite end of the Nation."
"Tough. See you tomorrow." And with that Zuko strides away from an obviously annoyed Sokka.
Sokka's POV:
As Zuko walks away I'm left on my own standing with my thoughts of all what I've been hearing. 'I can't believe I'm going to talk to Aang in the first time in 3 years! I wonder what Toph felt when she talked to him in the first time in ages. Was it despite, longing, sadness, guilt or anger? Probably all five.' I sigh at the thought, 'is he the same? Of course not he's not a childish monk any more, he has matured, and become more confident but withdraws from most people. I realise now how much I'm not looking forward to this exchange but then in the same time a small insignificant and I mean insignificant part of me is.' This confliction between my emotions increases my frustration. 'Why couldn't Zuko just leave this alone, we were all doing fine without stirring up these unwanted feelings. How lucky is Katara, using the South Pole as her buffer from all this mess, if only I could do that and not have to see the Avatar's face every time I have to go to a meeting, which might I add is very frequent. We aren't friends with him, why can't he accept that? Life was so much easier living in the Water Tribe before meeting Aang more than four years ago.'
After I think that though, a flash of memories stream in front of my mind's eye including, flying for the first time on Appa, meeting new people and villages, learning of what to me was a new but nearly extinct culture, having the opportunity to fight Fire Nation soldiers after all the disaster they created, meeting Suki and not long after Yue, witnessing awesome things that many people have not seen, the day we met Toph, the desert, Aang's rage and sadness, finding Appa again, having to split up, seeing Aang lifeless in my sister's arms, hugging him when he awakens from his long slumber, our group hug, learning to master sword fighting, the last battle and Ba Sing Se tea shop. All these memories leave me feeling slightly dizzy, I rub my forehead trying to ease the tension that has settled there. I eventually shake my head, 'oh who am I kidding, life got better after meeting him, why did he have to muck it up? Did we really mean that little to him?' Finally I decide to put my wild thoughts on a leach, for now anyway, well apart from one thing, 'I really need to find that letter otherwise I'll make a fool out of myself in front of all those important people.' I begin to walk in the opposite direction from Toph and Zuko, towards the safety of my office, away from all these thoughts.
A/N: As always I hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter and please review, the more reviews the more likely I am to update :)
