Toph continued to run through the trees, her sightless eyes streaming with tears. She stopped, her face buried in her hands as she wept. How could he say that? After all she had done to help him.
She slammed her fist against the bulky trunk of a towering tree. The very earth shook with her rage.
The ground stilled and Toph let her head fall against the tree, standing in silence.
How could he?
There she stood for what seemed like hours, as the afternoon sun crept across the sky.
Why does everyone think that I'm weak? I can take care of myself. Aang of all people should know that. Finally, she opened her eyes and turned around. For a few moments, she considered heading back to camp, but soon decided against it. She couldn't bring herself to go back to Aang.
She walked into an empty clearing and stamped her foot. Several jags of rock shot up from the ground, their points meeting to form a stone tent. She crawled inside and brought up a final segment to close herself off.
There she lay silently as the sky steadily darkened outside. Her eyes were wide open as her brain waged a constant war on itself.
He was only trying to help you.
I didn't need any help!
You would've been killed if he hadn't done anything.
You don't know that. Why did he interfere?
Because he cares about you.
Toph lay in silence. She remembered what an old man had said to her years before:
"There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you."
Aang had been trying to help her…to save her life…and she had spat in his face. She couldn't blame him for being angry. She buried her face in her hands. In the morning she would head back to the camp, if it was still there, and apologize to Aang. She only hoped that he would forgive…
She heard a twig snap outside. Was it Aang? A segment of the tent disappeared back into the earth, allowing her to exit. She stopped outside. She couldn't feel any footsteps, not even Aang's. There was only the eerie silence of the night.
She turned around and suddenly heard a distant whizzing noise…approaching fast. Instinctively, she stepped to the side and heard a loud 'chink' as a razor-sharp dagger embedded itself into the wall of her tent, only an inch from her face.
Toph immediately assumed a fighting stance. She heard movement in the trees above. She stood, waiting, listening for any sound or vibration that would betray her attacker's position.
Someone landed on the ground about thirty feet ahead of Toph. She instantly "saw" a tall person in long battle robes. The assassin appeared to have the figure of a teenage female, slightly older than Toph.
The whizzing of daggers could be heard again and Toph quickly brought up a wall of stone, blocking the five lethal projectiles. She could hear someone bounding quickly between the trees as the Earthbender tried to block her deadly attacker.
Toph ran out and hurled rock after rock at her opponent, but the older girl was too quick, dodging the boulders with ease. The person who had been leaping about above them landed nimbly behind Toph. Before she could react, she felt two fingers jab her sharply in the back.
A pain shot through her body and she collapsed, unconscious and paralyzed.
Aang struggled to sleep that night. The day's events rushed through his mind and guilt continued to sweep through him. He also feared for Toph's safety. He knew that she was stubborn and probably wouldn't return until morning, but he still felt that she could be in danger.
Eventually, he drifted off into a troubled sleep. He opened his eyes and found himself standing in a vast desert. Before him stood a colossal rock, and a number of people stood before it.
Most of them wore rough, sand-coloured clothing, many of which wore strips of cloth about their face to protect them from the punishing heat. But two of them didn't wear anything to conceal their faces, revealing their terrified expressions.
Opposite this group stood four people who Aang recognized instantly. There was Sokka, a boy of fifteen, who had short, almost shaven brown hair with a short ponytail, dressed in the blue clothing of the water tribe.
Aang also spotted Katara, Sokka's sister, standing nearby. The fourteen-year-old wore her long, brown hair in an elegant braid that fell to her waist, and wore water tribe clothing, like her brother.
Toph was there too. Here, she was only twelve, her black hair tied up in a large bun at the back of her head, held in place with a green hair band that matched her short fighting robes.
But Aang knew the final person better than anyone…
It was himself.
But here he was different. He wore the same clothes as the older Aang and was only a few inches shorter, but his eyes and tattoos shone with a fierce white light, and every inch of his face was contorted in the utmost fury.
"Tell me where Appa is!" the younger Aang demanded the terrified tribesmen. The boy's voice was horribly distorted and unnaturally deep for a twelve-year-old.
"I-I traded him," stammered the younger of the two unmasked men. "To some merchants. He's probably in Ba-Sing-Se by now. Th-they were going to sell him there."
Aang's face remained unchanged.
"Please!" begged the man. "We'll escort you out of the desert, we'll help however we can!"
A terrible wind began to swirl around Aang, whipping up the sand into a deadly sandstorm.
Sokka grabbed Toph's shoulder and led her away from the furious Avatar. "Just get out of here!" he shouted. "Run!"
The swirling winds spread further, tearing across the desert. The older Aang, invisible to everyone, tried to run, but was consumed by the mighty cloud of sand.
His eyes snapped open. He was lying on the ground in his tent, back in the present. He was drenched in cold sweat. He covered his face with his hands. He had just seen an event from three years before, when he was in the Avatar state; a terrible state which took hold in times of overpowering rage. A state where Aang could no longer control his own actions, unleashing destruction beyond comprehension, yielding the power to smite entire armies single-handedly.
But it wasn't the memory that frightened Aang the most. He had dreamt about seeing himself in the Avatar state on numerous occasions. But every time he did, it signified that danger was looming.
Danger that would force him into the Avatar state once again.
Aang stood up, putting on his robes. He needed to find Toph…as quickly as possible.
Gradually, Toph became dimly aware of people speaking nearby. She was still dazed and groggy, but she was slowly returning to consciousness. One of the first things she noticed was that she was suspended above the ground. Ropes bound her wrists, keeping her feet from touching the earth.
She was momentarily overcome with panic. If she couldn't touch the ground, she couldn't feel vibrations, and if she couldn't feel vibrations, she was blind.
Truly blind.
Judging by the proximity of the voices, she was around ten feet up. She almost started struggling, but decided to stay still with her eyes closed. She needed to hear what her captors were saying.
"I still don't see why we have to dangle her above the ground like this," one of them said. "You said she's blind. It just seems so unfair." Her voice sounded whiny.
"Ty-Lee, I've told you, she's an Earthbender," said the other girl in a bored voice. "If we let her feet touch the ground, she would be able to feel our footsteps and attack us. We've got orders to keep her above the earth at all costs."
Toph felt a slight trickle of fear run through her. Katara had once told her about these two. Ty-Lee was a talented acrobat and skilled hand-to-hand combatant, despite her bubbly nature. She knew the human body well and could bring her opponents down by locating and striking their pressure points. Toph assumed that the other was Mai, a companion of Ty-Lee. She was a deadly warrior who wielded a variety of throwing knives with lethal accuracy.
At that moment, footsteps could be heard walking towards wherever Toph was being held captive. Toph didn't need to feel any vibrations to know who this third person was. Wherever Ty-Lee and Mai went, she was sure to follow. Sister of Zuko, daughter of Ozai, princess of the Fire nation…
Mai spoke as the third girl entered the room. "We have her, your highness."
"Azula," Toph said venomously. She opened her eyes to let the trio know that she was conscious.
"Ah, you're awake," sneered Azula. "I hope you didn't mind my companions here paying you a little visit."
"Don't patronize me," Toph snapped. "How can you still be alive? You should've died when your father's palace burned down."
"Oh no, my little Earthbender," said the princess. "I lived. You didn't think I would allow my dear brother to make a disgrace of the Fire nation, did you?"
"It's you," said Toph. "You're the one in charge of the Firebender troops aren't you?"
"Very good," Azula said. "We were getting so close to forming an army, using this abandoned tower as a hideout. Until you and the Avatar decided to take things into your own hands." Toph heard her step closer. "Which brings me to my next subject," she said. "Where is he?"
Toph laughed. "You really think I'm going to tell you where Aang is? Go to hell you little…Ahh!"
Something razor-sharp nicked her arm at blinding speed. Toph could feel a tiny slice in her arm, as shallow as a paper-cut.
"You need to watch what you say in front of princess Azula," said Mai, unsheathing another knife. "Because it might just be the last thing you ever say."
"Thank you Mai," said Azula slyly. "Perhaps that will loosen her tongue."
"Not in the slightest," said Toph with a smirk.
The trio stood in silence.
"Very well," said Azula. "Mai, Ty-Lee, you will be rewarded for your actions, but for now, I think I can deal with this peasant alone…Ty-Lee…Ty-Lee!"
"What? Oh, sorry Azula." The girl clearly hadn't been listening to anything that had been going on.
"Just go," said an irritated Azula. Two sets of footsteps left the tower.
The silence between them was almost tangible. No sound was made for over a minute.
Toph suddenly screamed as there was a deafening crash and an explosion of stone above her. She felt an intense heat sear past her face as the entire tower shook. Within seconds, all was still again.
"What was that?" Toph demanded. "What did you do?"
"Just sent up a little signal," said Azula. "And when the Avatar sees it, he'll be sure to follow it…straight to me."
Aang had been soaring above the trees on his gliderfor almost an hour, desperately searching for Toph. He had shouted himself hoarse in the hopes that she would respond through the darkness, but only the echoes of his own voice answered his cries.
As he squinted, he could make out something like a tent in a clearing below. He swooped down, landing lightly on his feet.
The tent was made of rock; rock that had obviously been Earthbended. There was a rough wall of stone nearby too. Both structures had small holes in them in places, as if they had been struck by small, sharp objects.
On one side of the wall, Aang could see a long, flattened line of earth, where someone had been dragged away. The track led through the trees.
Aang fell to his knees. Toph had been ambushed and kidnapped. It could take hours before he reached the end of the trail. If only he had searched for her earlier.
There was a sudden explosion and a flash of light that made Aang leap to his feet in shock. A searing bolt of lightning shot up into the sky. It seemed to be coming from an old, ruined tower on a hilltop, just outside the forest. Aang could just make it out through the trees.
Aang's heart was filled with both hope and fear. Lightning could only be summoned by a Firebender of great skill. He was hopeful that that was where Toph was being held captive, but fearful of whoever had sent up that bolt of lightning.
He swiftly folded out his glider and soared up into the night sky. High above the trees, he could see the tower clearly, a small tendril of smoke creeping out of the hole in the top.
He landed lightly next to the tower. There was a large crack in the wall next to him. Aang silently peered through it to see who was inside.
Aang almost gasped with shock; there was Toph, strung up by her hands, ten feet above the floor, but she was conscious. Another, older girl was standing on the floor, looking up at her hostage. Even though her back was turned, he instantly recognized the red and black armor and jet-black hair.
Azula.
A surge of anger shot through his body at the sight of her. No! He thought to himself. Stay calm. You don't want to trigger the Avatar state with Toph so close by.
"So what if he does come here?" snapped Toph aggressively. "Then what? You lost to him before, what makes you think you'll beat him this time?"
"Because, little girl," said Azula. "One: Before, I was under orders to make sure that the Avatar was captured alive. But I have no reason to hold back now. Two: He killed my father, and I will ensure that he dies a slow and painful death for his actions. And three: for as long as you are my hostage, he will fear unleashing his full power to ensure your safety…"
There was a sudden explosion as Aang burst a hole in the wall of the tower. Before Azula could react, he struck her with a terrible burst of air that sent her hurtling into the wall.
Azula shook her head to clear her senses and leapt up, sending a jet of blue fire flying towards the Avatar.
With a practiced motion, Aang swept his hand upwards and the flame followed. He bended the stream up through the air and brought it back down onto its creator. Azula dodged the blast and the fire scorched a black mark on the floor.
"Aang?" said Toph hopefully. "Is that you?"
"Don't worry Toph, I'm here," said Aang. "Whether you want me to be here or not, I'm here."
Several balls of searing blue flame flew at Aang. He leapt into the air, avoiding the attack. As his feet touched the ground, he brought up a pillar of rock beneath Azula's feet. She flew through the air, crashed painfully into a wall and fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
Aang ran over, assuming a stance that would allow him to strike quickly if she tried to escape.
"Why did you do this?" demanded Aang, his voice shaking in anger. "Why?"
"Because," panted Azula, not meeting his gaze. "You killed my father. You killed the only person I ever cared about. And I want…I want…" She stopped.
"What?" said Aang.
Azula looked up at him, a malicious grin on her face. "I want you to know what it's like to lose someone you love."
She leapt up and a bolt of roaring thunder erupted from her fingertips. The next thing Aang heard was Toph's agonized scream as the bolt struck her shoulder.
"TOPH!" Aang screamed.
The rope supporting her burned and snapped, causing her to plummet through the air. Aang ran out and caught the injured girl in his arms.
Forgetting Azula, he lay her down on the floor. A hole had been scorched in her clothes, revealing a horrific, blackened wound on her shoulder. The skin around it was reddened and burnt. Her eyes were closed.
"Toph…" Tears streamed freely from Aang's eyes. "Toph!" He shook her but she did not wake. "No…no you can't do this! Please Toph, wake up!" She lay motionless in his arms.
As the boy wept for the young girl before him, Azula stood up.
"It hurts doesn't it?" she snapped. "Losing someone so close to you. But don't worry…" A flickering blue flame danced in her raised hand. "You'll join her soon enough!"
Aang turned to face her. The princess stumbled back in fear and shock. The flame disappeared.
Aang's face was twisted with rage, his eyes and tattoos blazing with a fierce white light.
