Disclaimer:
I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.
Book 2: Earth
Chapter 5: The Freedom Fighters
Aang envied Toph.
She couldn't see the destruction, the burned lands, the dead wasteland that stretched before them. Lush green and bleak grey made no difference to her. It was simply earth, no matter how damaged and war torn it was. Sometimes, after seeing the fallen, ashen trees and wide expanses of dirt and rock that used to be verdant grasslands, Aang would close his eyes and pretend to see something else, or otherwise feel the ground for what it was – simply dirt. What Toph saw all the time. She was lucky.
She couldn't see blood, or smoke, or fire, or wastelands.
(It wasn't until later that he realized what she saw instead, and started seeing for himself.)
And maybe, because she never saw the hopelessness, she remained hopeful herself, perhaps just a little bit more than the rest of them.
However, despite that, she was just as scarred as everyone else, both on the inside and on the outside.
The fourteen year-old girl, like everyone did these days, had deep gashes and burns along her arms and legs. She had not gained much in height, but she looked painfully older. She was forced to cut her hair short when she was nearly lit on fire. She was as practical as ever. And in many other ways, she was the same.
But it wasn't until recently that Aang thought of her as pretty. He seemed to notice her for the first time. And she noticed him.
He still loved Katara. She knew that. She still loved Sokka, and he knew that, too. But they were teenagers, now. And since Katara did not yet return his affections, and Sokka was too busy with Suki, all they had were each other to take their frustrations out on.
"Yo, Twinkletoes," she greeted with a smirk, sitting at his side. "Brighten up a bit. We come across this sort of thing all the time." Aang stared again over the dusty plains. This used to be farmlands… He was there when it was all set up in flame.
"That doesn't make me used to it," he responded.
She shook her head, grinning. "You'll never change, Twinkletoes."
"It's what you like about me – just admit it," he said jokingly, trying to brighten up for her sake. Just because he was feeling down, he wouldn't drag everyone with him. They had a reason to celebrate – the night before, they liberated a small hamlet from the Fire Nation. Even though the firebenders would probably come back, the Avatar and his friends kept fighting… They needed reasons to rejoice.
"Don't get so full of yourself," Toph replied, punching him in the arm. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I can tell you're lying," he said, in the same tone she used to. She punched him again, but he barely budged now. Aang laughed.
"Ah, Twinkletoes… You been working out?" she asked slyly. "Maybe you deserve a new nickname now."
"Like what?" he asked, grinning.
"How about a promotion to Twinklefeet?" And then she burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. He laughed with her. As one, they fell back into the dirt (kicking up clouds of dust) and faced the sky. They both let out relaxed sighs.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Toph spoke softly. "You know… The air doesn't feel any different."
"Not really," said Aang after a moment. "But after battle it does. It always does."
"Yeah," Toph agreed. "But… It's consistency. I… We need that. We move so much, we change so much. I just want something to stay the same."
"Yeah," Aang said wistfully.
"Promise me, Aang," Toph said, turning her head in his direction. "Promise me that, when this is all over, you'll never change."
"I already have changed," he said solemnly.
"Then change back to how you used to be."
"I can't." After a moment, he looked into her pale eyes and grinned. "But don't you love me, no matter how I am?"
She punched him in the arm again, grinning back. "Shut up for once, you hopeless flirt." Aang chuckled. He couldn't help himself around her anymore. For some reason, she was able to bring out this side in him, and it was fun. At the same time, they were also able to unearth deep insecurities and moments of weakness with each other. Aang's bond with Toph had only grown over the years.
"I guess I get it from Sokka," Aang quipped. Toph chuckled slightly, but it sounded far away. He realized a moment too late whose name he slipped out.
Toph's distance only lasted a moment, though. "You should take after Sparky more. He's not a flirt at all. Who knows? Maybe I've got a crush on him now…" She smirked.
"Toph, I'm afraid you've made me jealo-OW!" Aang sprang up, rubbing his back where a sharp rock seemed to suddenly jab into his ribs. "What was that for?"
"You're not as indestructible as you think!" Toph sat up, grinning triumphantly. "Stay on your toes, Twinklefeet!"
Aang was surprised when they descended upon a thick forest. It was the first real sign of green life he had seen in the Earth Kingdom. What nature spirit protected this place? He had even hoped to see the swamp – and some good waterbenders – but not even that stood. The Water Nation had drained the life out of everything.
The forest was a large one, too. It spread over many miles, covering what would otherwise be large plains and even going up the side of a mountain and into a distant valley. Without Aang even telling him to, Appa swerved from their main flight path and dived below the trees, nearly desperate for something to eat. Aang and the others were also hungry – there was little to feed them in the dry wastelands. All they had was their own rations given to them by the Sun Warriors, and that wouldn't last forever.
Sabishi became restless on his shoulder. "Don't worry, girl. We'll get you something to eat down there," he said to her.
"I'm surprised," said Zuko. "I thought the Water Nation destroyed everything."
"Not everything," Sokka added in gruffly, lounging back in the saddle, his hands finally untied for now. "We never conquered Ba Sing Se, so there's still farmlands and stuff in there. Besides, there's plenty more in the Earth Kingdom. And some of it wasn't even our fault – a lot of it was desert already."
"I guess you're right," said Aang. "Maybe we shouldn't go there if this place is still safe…" He glanced meaningfully at Sokka, beginning to tug against Appa's reins.
"Just go," Sokka said, waving his hand dismissively. "I won't reveal this place if I ever get back to my people. Someone's gotta be left to rule."
Aang grinned. Ever since leaving the Sun Warriors, Sokka seemed a little more at ease around them. Azula, however…
For the first couple of days, she was haunted and as skittish as Sabishi. Something that she experienced had unnerved her, and she seemed strangely quiet and withdrawn, staring blankly at her hands. Occasionally, blue fire flickered in them. Aang was worried for her, but like many other women he knew, she wouldn't accept any help. Aang decided to leave her alone for now, and to let her get over whatever it was that was bothering her.
Appa hurtled through the treetops in his rush to find something filling to eat, smacking his passengers with tree branches and twigs and leaves amid general groans. The canopy was exceedingly thick and cast a shaded light over the foliage below. Besides the tall trees, little else seemed to grow in this forest.
But the trees were of a size and quality that Aang had never seen before. They were incredibly thick, high, and ancient, dwarfing the humans and even the sky bison in size. While they had nothing on the Banyan Tree in the Foggy Swamp, these trees were still grand. As soon as the bison landed with an almighty crash, throwing off his passengers, he soared back to the treetops to feast on whatever he could find. Appa landed on a thick branch, looking comical enough to make Aang laugh. Sabishi flapped after the bison, intent on finding small nuts and insects for herself.
The four stood still for a long moment, gazing at the world around them. To see so many trees, especially of this size, surprised and astounded them all. The forest floor was worn flat by dirt paths, but millions of fallen leaves littered it, opening doors in the treetops for sunlight to stream through. And for the first time since he was in the Earth Kingdom of this world, Aang heard animal noises besides the croak of a vulture-rat and the small, scuttling feet of the desert shrew.
The moment passed amid silence, and they began to set up a camp in the middle of the path.
"You think there are any villages around here?" Zuko asked, sifting through Appa's discarded luggage.
"Who knows?" Aang wondered. "Probably."
"I hope so… We need to resupply soon. And it'd be nice to have a real bed…" Zuko sighed longingly.
"Yeah. I'm tired of the wilderness," Sokka complained.
Azula snapped at him immediately, causing her brother to jump. "Oh, you miss traveling like royalty, don't you? Well, deal with it, you waterbending filth. We've had to do this for ages. You're not going to be spoiled traveling with us."
There was a dead silence now. Even the animals in the distance stopped making noises.
And then, Aang heard a bird call, followed by an answering one. He chose to ignore it, jumping to Sokka's defense.
"Whoa, Azula! Calm down, it was just a little comment he made. Zuko said something too," he pointed out. As soon as these words were out of his mouth, Sokka rounded on him.
"I don't need your defense! I can handle this little girl myself. Stay out of it!"
Azula's face twisted into anger. "Don't you dare talk to him like that! You have no right. You're nothing," her voice lowered to a deadly growl, "You'll always be nothing."
"Watch your place, woman!" he yelled at her.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't follow your stupid Water Tribe customs!"
"Both of you, stop it!" Aang interjected again. "We're all a little on edge, so…" They both ignored him, but everyone was interrupted from fighting further when Aang felt a deep rumbling beneath his feet, and the movement of earth off to the side… Something was heading towards the center of their camp. "Sokka! Watch out!" Aang swung one of his hands forward, calling a gust of wind that swept Sokka, Azula, Zuko, and all of their possessions off to the side. He himself jumped out of the way, just in time to avoid a deadly rock spiking out of the ground where Sokka stood moments before.
The other three landed nimbly on their feet, not arguing since they noticed the sudden earthbender attack. But while they were focused on the ground, they didn't expect an attack from above.
The spearhead of the attack was a young man with a head of wild brown hair, leaping from the trees with strange dual swords in his hands, intent on getting to Sokka. Zuko leapt in front of the defenseless waterbender with his own broadswords, immediately intercepting the attack with an audible clang of blades. Azula was the one to notice the next attack, shooting an arrow out of the air – again, directed at Sokka – with a plume of blue flame.
After the wild boy and the arrow, more children emerged from the tree tops. There was one with another mop of brown hair on their head, darting toward Azula with dual knives. Following this child, an enormous person wielding a log smashed his way towards Sokka, who was doing all he could to avoid attacks from a small boy with a spear.
Sokka easily overpowered the smaller boy, grabbing the spear from his hands to make it possible to ward off the giant that lumbered his way. As Azula frantically dodged the knife-user's attacks, she did not take her attention away from everything else around her. Zuko was locked in a duel of swords with the wild-haired boy – who, shockingly, was very skilled. His dual blades ended in curves used for ripping out bones and flesh, while also hooking onto an enemy's weapon. He was fast, but Zuko was able to keep up.
There was still one enemy that hadn't shown themselves… Azula was sure of it. Where were they? Where was the earthbender?
Her question was answered a moment later by more distant rumbling beneath her feet, which was coming closer and closer to their fight on the forest floor. Further up the path, Azula spotted a cloud of dirt, and a moment later, a small girl riding at the head of an earth wave, one hand splayed out, the other in a fist, ready to engage in combat. From the looks of it, she seemed strong to Azula, considering the size of her earth wave. How old was she? Ten? Twelve?
Azula fought back the knife-wielder and stepped up to Aang's side the moment she could, ready to take down this earthbender together with him. But to her surprise, he wasn't taking a fighting stance at all. Instead, his face was lit up into a smile.
"Toph!"
The small girl on the earth wave seemed startled, and her concentration was broken. She stumbled and tried to regain it, but it was too late. Her earth wave faltered and she tumbled to the ground painfully. Azula cringed.
"How do you know my name?!" the small girl angrily demanded, her pale green eyes slanted in anger, directed at him. Upon closer inspection, Azula noticed that, despite her fixed anger, her head was only facing the direction of Aang, not really seeing him. She was blind. Baited with curiosity, Azula lowered her firebending stance. Behind her, the fighting stopped.
"You know this guy, Bandit?" the wild-haired boy with the hook swords asked her.
"Who are you?" Bandit shouted at Aang. Surprised, and seemingly at a loss for words, the young Avatar leapt into the air, high over everyone's heads.
"I really don't know you… I was really saying, 'Wow, these guys are tough!'" he said as an excuse. Azula rolled her eyes as he landed softly to the ground. He was a horrible liar. The girl named Bandit kicked her feet and smirked darkly at him, closing his ankles up in rock the moment he landed.
"Why don't you stay on the ground and say that again, kid?" Bandit insisted. "Who are you guys? And I want the truth!"
"I'm the Avatar," Aang said truthfully with a grin. Bandit grunted.
"Why are you traveling with a waterbender?" the wild-haired boy commanded to know.
"He's our prisoner," Aang answered. To Azula, his smile seemed almost cheeky. What was with him…? Bandit grunted again, but punched in the direction of Sokka, binding his hands and legs just like Aang's.
"He's our prisoner now," said the wild-haired one. "Thanks for doing a good deed for the Earth Kingdom."
"Wait!" Aang protested. "He's staying with me."
"Yes," said Zuko, surprising Azula by defending Aang. "He's ours. We were just passing through, so let us go."
The wild-haired boy put his swords back on his hips and hooked his fingers on his pants, walking coolly up to Zuko. "You're a pretty good sword arm. What's your name?"
"Zuko," he responded.
"I'm Jet. Nice to meet you guys," said the wild-haired boy. He pointed at Bandit. "That's Bandit… I didn't know her real name until now, though." Bandit turned her head away from him, but Jet moved on to introduce the others. "That's Smellerbee," he said of the child who wielded the knives. "Longshot," of the boy with a bow and arrows, emerging from the trees. "Pipsqueak and the Duke," he said finally, indicating the mismatched pair who previously restrained Sokka. "We're the Freedom Fighters."
And then, he noticed Azula, standing off to the side with crossed arms. "A firebender? Nice. I'd like to see more of your abilities someday. What's your name?" he asked charismatically, chewing on a piece of straw.
"Azula," she said curtly. "Let Aang go."
Jet bowed formally to her. "As you wish." He gestured to Bandit, who crumbled Aang's restraints wordlessly. To Azula's annoyance, he was still staring at the earthbender.
Finally, Zuko sheathed his swords. "Who are you guys?"
"He already said we're the Freedom Fighters," Bandit said with annoyance. "Don't you listen?"
"Er… I meant to ask what you do," Zuko amended.
"Follow us. I'll explain on the way to our camp," Jet said, gesturing for them to follow. Appa continued flying in the trees above.
"Jet, wait," said Smellerbee. "What about this pond scum?" She pushed Sokka forward, threatening him with the tip of her knife. His wrists were still bound by rock as he glared irritably at Smellerbee with his one eye. Azula laughed into her hand at the nickname.
"He's staying with us no matter what," Aang jumped in insistently.
"Fine, bring him along," Jet consented. "But he's never going free. He will stay under lock and key."
"Fine," Aang agreed.
"What?!" Sokka erupted. "You guys just let me have my hands free, but now I'm going to be tied up again?"
Jet rounded on the waterbender, anger etched onto his handsome features. "It was a bad idea for them to let you walk free in the first place. You're lucky. I don't usually take Water Tribe prisoners," he spat. The entourage stopped walking and there was silence. And then, Bandit started moving again, ignoring her leader, followed right behind by the other Freedom Fighters.
Sokka was not intimidated, glaring at Jet coolly with his single eye. "Whatever."
A few minutes later, they came upon a cave.
At first, Azula thought it was a natural one, since she couldn't see around it, and there were mountains nearby. But then she noticed how none of the trees grew on the sides of the stone, and how it didn't seem weathered by age. This cave was made by an earthbender. It was into this cave that the Freedom Fighters walked, and the other four followed. Aang and Azula lit red fires in their palms.
"I'm getting really tired of caves," Azula drawled. "I'm starting to hate them."
"Don't worry," Jet said to her with a smile, his previous anger gone. "It'll open up soon." Zuko walked up beside him. "And you said you wanted to know about what the Freedom Fighters do, right?" Jet asked him. Zuko nodded. Azula did not respond, but listened intently on the conversation, while Aang seemed to barely be listening. He was staring at Bandit again… "We're all war orphans. My parents were killed by the Water Nation.
"Longshot there, he never says much, but we think it's because he had to go through a lot of bad things in the past, like the rest of us did. I met Bandit and learned she lived in the same town as I did, and we started the Freedom Fighters together. Both of our parents were killed. We met Smellerbee and Longshot soon after, and the Duke going through our food…" Jet clenched his fists. "Now, we fight against the Water Nation, doing everything we can to keep this valley and a nearby village safe. We want the waterbenders out forever."
Aang and Zuko lowered their eyes – for totally different reasons, unbeknownst to Azula. Azula, on the other hand, spoke to Jet. "That is an idealistic view and will probably never accomplish anything. There's nothing a band of kids can do against a whole army and navy."
"We can try," said Jet. "That's all that matters, doesn't it? And if we do everything we can, anything to get the waterbenders outta here, then it'll be worth it. This land is mine."
"Those waterbenders are goin' down," said Bandit with a smirk, barely lit by the firelight.
"Azula, do you realize what you just said?" Zuko asked his sister with disdain. "We're trying to do the same thing. You don't think we can?"
"Well of course we can!" Azula replied. "We have the Avatar and a master firebender. And a hostage, I guess." Zuko slapped his forehead and groaned.
"Well we have a master earthbender and a master swordsman," said Bandit, turning and butting heads with Azula. Lightning crackled in the firebender's eyes as she glared. "Don't underestimate us. We're tougher than you think."
"Ladies, ladies…" said Jet, coming between them. "Break it up." Azula haughtily glared at Bandit and crossed her arms. "So, what's your reason for fighting, Azula?"
"I don't need a reason. I fight to win," she said aggressively, glancing significantly at Jet. "And I'll do whatever it takes." Jet smirked.
"We lost our mother to the Water Nation," Zuko informed him.
"I see," said Jet.
"This tunnel is very crooked," said Aang suddenly. "It goes up, and down, and we even turned a whole lot of times, but where's the end? Did you make this, To—Bandit?"
"Yeah, and I didn't make it bad on purpose, if that's what you're implying," she shot at him. "I made it – and many more – to protect our home."
"It's kept us safe for a long time," said the giant muscular boy, who Azula assumed was Duke.
"Yeah, Pipsqueak's right!" said the smaller boy, causing Azula to immediately reevaluate her opinion. "We've never been found by waterbenders." Azula spotted a shaft of light that suddenly appeared, and after turning around a bend, the cave tunnel opened.
A grove of trees and wooden huts was revealed to them, secretly hidden from the rest of the world. Flanked by sentinel rock walls that could be mistaken as small mountains, the place was very easily protected. The huts were all made out of wood and trees, either a part of a tree trunk or even a few up in the tree branches. Nature hid them, and they used it well. High in the rock walls, there were many human-sized holes, which Azula assumed were quick entrances and exits to the Freedom Fighter camp, accessed from the trees. Here, they spotted more children, even younger orphans.
"Wow," said Aang. "I'm impressed."
Ever the pragmatist, Azula immediately picked out flaws. "I bet this place would flood easily."
"Hah, are you kidding?" Bandit seemed insulted. "I practically made this place myself. Rainwater drains out. I'm not that stupid."
"The rock walls you made are obviously new and probably replaced every year or so, judging by the lack of any plant growth on them. There's no erosion, either," Azula pointed out smartly. Bandit crossed her arms and turned to her roughly.
"What's your point?"
"Any passerby would obviously be able to tell that your 'protective' rock walls were manmade, and the Water Nation would immediately know and flood you out," said Azula.
"Wow," Aang repeated. "I'm impressed."
"So am I," said Jet, eyebrows raised. "We could use you, Azula. You'd be helpful in finding any flaws in our plans. What do you say to a mission tomorrow, then?"
"Tomorrow? We don't plan on staying in this dirt hole," Azula replied. She examined her nails. "But of course you'd need me. But we need to find Aang an earthbending master first."
"No, it's okay, we can stay for a while," Aang said. "I like it here." He glanced at Bandit again, trying to find something to say to her, Azula knew.
"Hah, now you're stuck in the dirt hole!" Bandit taunted. "This is how I like it, anyway. So buzz off if you don't."
"Since you're blind, I might as well tell you that I'm rolling my eyes," said Azula dismissively.
Bandit growled and clenched her fists, almost as if ready for a fight. "I'll roll your whole head!"
"Azula," Zuko said threateningly, using his best big brother voice. "Don't start."
"Whatever," she replied, gesturing vaguely with a wave of her hand. "I'm going to find something to eat."
"So you'll help us tomorrow?" Jet called after her.
"Sure, I guess," she responded, disappearing into the tree-ridden village of children.
Sokka was thrown roughly into the wooden hut – which contained nothing more than a dirt floor – and he was tied with his hands behind his back. They even restricted his ankles. He gave his one-eyed glare up at the big man.
"Don't try to get outta here," said the rough-looking girl. "Longshot and I will be standing right outside all day. You've got nothing, pond scum." She kicked him in the gut. The little boy behind her laughed.
"For a waterbender, you're not so tough," the boy taunted, following Smellerbee's example and kicking him. Sokka cringed in pain. The two exited.
Clad in Earth Kingdom green clothes, his face in the dirt, his hands and feet tied behind his back, Sokka's humiliation was beat only by one other moment in his life. For some inexplicable reason, he felt betrayed by the Avatar. All this time, the boy had tried to protect him, and now they dumped him with a group of war-torn orphans who seemed intent on torturing him… Those false memories of the alternate-Sokka he witnessed in the Sun Warrior caves replayed in his head, and Sokka began to feel a hint of regret.
Even though he had tried for so long to capture and kill the Avatar, the boy was remarkably lenient and even defensive of him after he was captured. Sokka was lucky that Aang didn't try to kill him in return. And now, he was tied up again, in the rougher hands of the Freedom Fighters… There had to be some way he could escape.
But he was barely able to move and completely unarmed, with two very armed and deadly children outside just waiting for him to attempt it.
For now, there was nothing he could do, and he was resigned to his fate.
The Avatar and his friends were given one of the tree houses to rest in for the night, while Sokka was taken off in solitude to a house on the ground, nearby Jet and Toph.
The nighttime bugs weren't loud, but Aang found himself unable to sleep. Judging from the breathing of Azula and Zuko, they couldn't, either.
Toph was on his mind.
What was she doing here, among the Freedom Fighters? Why did she go with the name 'Bandit' now? Had she really lost everything? Was Gaoling destroyed, and her parents with it? Was she good, or … like Jet?
At this point, Aang knew not to trust Jet. Aang was keeping a close eye and ear on him, and he noticed many of the things he failed to notice before. He was still as determined as ever to take down the enemy nation, willing to do whatever it took. That night at the feast, he replayed those same, ominous words to a crowd of raucous cheers, and Aang was worried greatly. He would just have to be careful at this point – he didn't know what Jet could, or would, do. Luckily, Azula didn't fall prey to his charms, so she was keeping a level head and would hopefully notice something if Aang didn't.
Zuko, on the other hand…
Zuko and Jet were quickly becoming friends as a result of their similar swordsmanship. Zuko probably saw him as a genuine friend, but Aang knew Jet only wanted to manipulate him. Would Jet send Aang and one of the others to do a menial task, while he destroyed a town? Would they be able to stop him again, even if Jet had Toph on his side?
Aang needed to plan things carefully from here. If he didn't run into Toph with the Freedom Fighters, Aang wouldn't stay long with Jet and would leave as soon as possible. Toph complicated things. Where did her loyalties lie?
He needed to talk to her. He stood up to leave and seek her out.
"Where are you going?" Azula suddenly asked him. Aang froze.
"Just on a walk," he replied. "I can't sleep."
"Can I come with you?" Her question surprised him, but he quickly found an answer.
"I need to think about some things alone," he said. "Sorry." And he left.
Aang lightly hopped from their wooden tree house, landing silently on the hard ground. Ahead, Toph's home was easily identified, as it was the only one made of earth. Next to hers was the prisoner hut, where Sokka laid within. Aang hadn't seen Sokka all night – he was forbidden from coming to the feast, and Jet said that his people would deal with feeding Sokka and letting him out to go to the bathroom. Aang complied, if a little reluctantly. He was adamant about no harm coming to the waterbender. Jet wouldn't outright defy Aang – he preferred to work secretly. If Aang kept an eye out, nothing bad would come of it. Sokka was strong, he was confident of that. Sokka wouldn't let them do anything to him.
As Aang approached Toph's earthen tent, it opened and she emerged, having detected him.
"What do you want?" she asked gruffly.
Feigning dumb, Aang asked her, "How did you know I was coming? And that it was me?" She crossed her arms and refused to answer, but he persisted. "You can really see, can't you?"
"No," she shot back. "Not how you think. I can see with earthbending."
"You must be really good, then," he pointed out.
"The best," she clarified. "I see everything on the ground. I know what my opponents are doing before they do it. Not a lot of people can understand the way I fight."
"I do," Aang said. "I wouldn't underestimate you." Not in a million years. Back in his world, even though Aang had a mastery of all four elements under his belt, Toph still proved to be a challenging opponent. Often, she went up against the likes of Azula and came out unscathed, something that few of them could account for.
"Don't look now," Toph said quietly, "but I can feel one of your friends watching us from in the trees."
"You can even feel people even if they're not connected to the earth?" Aang asked, astounded. That was a new ability.
"Not as easily," Toph admitted. "I can feel someone's vibrations going down through the tree, but I can't tell who it is. It could be anyone, but I know my guys aren't dumb enough to eavesdrop on me. All I know is that they're standing up there, and not moving." Aang was doubly impressed… Her sensory abilities seemed to even beat his Toph's. "So, are you gonna keep wasting my time, or will you tell me why you came here?"
"Can we go somewhere more private?" he asked her. She moved an arm and the door to her earth house opened.
"Come in," she said. He followed her inside the dimly lit room – for that was all it was – and sat down. Then her door closed, shutting out most of the moonlight. Aang lit a fire in his palm so he could see, casting a soft light over Toph's living quarters.
There was nothing in here. It was just a circular room with a surprisingly complex roof that let in air but kept out the rain, but other than that, there was nothing to note. Toph didn't even have a bed – but that made sense. She always preferred sleeping on the hard ground.
"Well?" she prompted.
"I was wondering if you could teach me earthbending," he said outright. Toph blinked. "In order to end the war – before the end of winter, I might add – I need to master all of the elements. I've already got air and fire, but…"
"No," she said flatly. "Unless you're willing to stay here, I'm not leaving my home." Aang stared into his hands. He couldn't stay, not if it meant leaving Toph when he mastered earthbending. He wanted her with him.
"You're really that loyal to Jet?" he asked.
"Of course I am," she shot at him venomously. "He's … well, my best friend. I can't leave this place to go with you. It's my home."
"I'm sorry," Aang said.
"I'm not much of a teacher anyway."
"Do you believe in what Jet does?" he asked her suddenly.
"What do you mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Doing whatever it takes?" he asked. "Would you hurt the innocents?"
She crossed her arms. "What kind of question is that? Jet doesn't hurt innocent people. He never would." Though, to Aang, she didn't sound too sure of that.
"Even if it meant ridding this valley of the Water Nation forever?" he posed. Toph paused.
"Jet's not like that. You don't know him. Just… get out," she ordered, opening up the door again.
"But, Toph…"
"Get out!" she demanded. Sighing, Aang stood up and left. About a minute later, he was back in the tree house.
Toph didn't realize until later that he said her real name.
Azula watched as Aang got up and left their hut, and less than a minute later, she followed him outside into the night. What was on his mind? He seemed distracted the whole day and night, especially during the feast. She was going to go talk to him.
As she stepped out onto the wooden, uneven veranda, she noticed that he was down on the ground, and he walked with a purpose in mind. Instead of following him on the ground, she chose to traverse through the tree branches, walking along with him as silently as she could.
She narrowed her eyes when he stepped in front of the earthbender's home, and peered closely as she opened her door and asked why he was there. Listening intently, she heard Bandit tell Aang about her earthbending, with honestly intrigued Azula a little, and then their voices got quieter and Bandit led him inside.
Azula didn't know what it was, but for some reason, she didn't like Bandit one bit. The girl seemed so arrogant in her bending abilities, so crude and brash. She was loud and obnoxious. But, strangely, she held Aang's attention so easily, and it made Azula burn inside. Who was Bandit to him? Why was he so interested in her? He was supposed to like Azula…!
"Hey," said a voice from behind her. Azula was startled, but she showed no reaction. Instead, she rolled her eyes.
"Hello, Jet," she responded, her eyes still fixed on Bandit's earth hut. She was sick of Jet's constant flirting with her. He was all over her at dinner.
"What are you doing out here so late?" he asked, leaning coolly against a branch behind him. He was still playing with a thin twig between his teeth, and Azula was almost overcome with a sudden desire to burn it.
"Just admiring the night sky," she answered, when it was painfully obvious she wasn't even fixed on the sky. She didn't care. She just hoped that Jet would get the hint and leave.
"You're still gonna help me tomorrow, right?" he asked her.
"I suppose," she answered.
"I'm going to need you for something other than the planning, though." Her eyes flicked into his direction, catching her attention.
"Go on."
"I need your help destroying the village," he said simply. Azula stood up straight on the wooden floorboards and peered at him, calculating his expression. As outrageous as it sounded to destroy the village he was trying to protect, he seemed serious. She crossed her arms.
"Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked him curiously.
"I didn't change heart," he said. "It's the only way to get rid of the waterbenders for good. They're stationed in that village and they're not leaving."
"And you are fully aware that it means killing the innocents?"
"Yes," he said. "Azula, they killed our families. They did it without remorse. We're innocent people, aren't we? Remember what happened to your mother…"
"For revenge, then…" She closed her eyes, seeing an explosion of blue fire, an insane laugh, a memory of destruction that wasn't hers… Some part of her was urging her forward. To destroy. To kill. And then she was reminded of the way her mother was killed during the raid…
She succumbed to the feeling inside of her.
"I'm in," she said, her amber eyes flicking open. They were resolute and set coldly.
Jet smirked. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be to get her on his side. Maybe she'd make a good Freedom Fighter…
Zuko left the tree house, giving up on trying to sleep and opting to go on a walk like Aang and Azula did. He was being bitten by bugs all night, and he was tired of it. He shuffled outside and stretched, letting out a yawn. He didn't see his sister or Aang anywhere. It was hard to see anything, really, since the torches were unlit because it was past curfew.
…So why did he see dark figures running around on the ground? Immediately suspicious, Zuko retrieved his swords grabbed onto the rope that would lower him to the forest floor, hitting the ground silently and readying a hand to draw his blades. The moment his feet touched the ground, however, he felt the cold blade of a knife pressing against his throat.
"Don't make another move," said the rough voice of Smellerbee.
"What are you doing?" he growled through clenched teeth.
"A mission," the girl answered. "You can't interfere. You'll screw it up for the rest of us."
"I can help!" Zuko whispered furiously. "You can use me." Smellerbee seemed to think it over for a moment, and she withdrew the knife and pushed him away from her.
"Fine. Follow me, and don't get in the way."
Zuko followed silently after her as the Freedom Fighters left their camp. Many other children were running with them now. Outside of the camp, Zuko was handed a large and heavy barrel. He noticed many of the other older members holding barrels of their own. Pipsqueak had two hung over his shoulders.
"What are these?" the swordsman grunted, hefting the barrel.
"Blasting jelly. We're gonna blow up the Water Nation supply lines," Smellerbee said hastily. "Let's go."
"Wait," Zuko stopped them. "Where's Jet? Does he know about this?"
"Yes," the girl hissed. "Now c'mon!"
"But, Smeller, aren't we – " Pipsqueak started, but he was quickly silenced by Smellerbee. Luckily for them, Zuko was well out of their hearing range already.
"Jet doesn't want those three to know about this," the girl said to him in a low tone. "They'll screw us up."
From there, the group continued lugging the barrels into town. Zuko felt proud of his stealth skills, learned from Mai – he hoped he surprised the others. The other children disappeared into the town under the cover of the night. The only townspeople he could see awake were Water Nation soldiers on patrol.
Zuko was confused when the children split into different directions. He was about to follow one of them, but Smellerbee stopped him. "You're not going with them," she said to him. "Leave your barrel behind that house. You're going to make sure the Water Nation soldiers don't find us."
"Got it," Zuko replied, eager to help the Freedom Fighter cause.
After dismissing Aang from her home, Toph Bei Fong noticed an unusual amount of movement in the Freedom Fighter camp. What was everyone doing up and past curfew…?
She decided to investigate.
Zuko quietly leapt among the rooftops, keeping an eye out on his allies and the Water Soldiers. He was quieter than a lot of them were, compared to Pipsqueak's hulking footsteps and the Duke's light patter.
Speaking of the tiny child…
Zuko carefully peered at the kid as he rounded around a corner, rolling one of the barrels of blasting jelly along in front of him. Unfortunately, it had garnered the attention of one of the soldiers on patrol who wielded a spear three times the size of the Duke.
"Hey, kid! You're out past curfew!" shouted the soldier. The Duke stuck out his tongue at the man, turning around to run away, abandoning his barrel. The soldier started to give chase, but Zuko came down from above, driving his sword hilt painfully into the man's head, knocking him out immediately. Delightfully, the Duke grabbed the soldier's spear and started poking him with it.
"Hey, thanks, Zuko!" said the kid. Zuko grinned in reply.
"No problem."
"Are you going to finish him or not?" asked a voice from the darkness. Zuko turned abruptly, readying his sword, but it was only Smellerbee.
"What do you mean? He's already down," Zuko answered.
"But he'll get back up and alert the other soldiers, ending our mission immediately. He needs to be killed," said the girl. Pipsqueak and Longshot appeared at her sides.
"I'm not going to kill him! He's a defenseless man!"
"Then get outta the way. I'll do it," she said, holding her knife in position over the unconscious soldier's neck. Zuko grit his teeth. This went against what he stood for… He would have to stop them!
"A conscious soldier coming at you with a weapon is one thing," said Zuko. "But not when they're like this. Get away from him." Smellerbee totally ignored him, plunging her dagger down toward his neck…
And a small stone soared into her blade, knocking the dagger from her hands. Smellerbee looked to the source of the interruption, a scowl on her rough face.
"Bandit! What did you do that for?"
The diminutive earthbender crossed her arms as she approached them. "What are you guys up to?"
"We're under Jet's orders. Leave us alone," Smellerbee answered.
"Jet never mentioned this to me."
"Well, I'm not lying, and you know that full well!" Smellerbee retorted. "Maybe he just didn't want you to know."
"Whatever the case, you're not killing this soldier. I prefer my enemies up and fighting, like the ninja wannabe here," said Bandit. Zuko's eyebrow twitched. "Get out of here. This mission is aborted."
"Whatever. We're done here anyway," said Smellerbee, glaring at Bandit. She left, followed by the others.
Once they were gone, Zuko turned to the blind earthbender. "'Ninja wannabe'?" he quoted.
"Thanks for stopping them," said the small girl. "Sometimes, they're all ruthless and don't have a problem killing the defenseless… Or the innocent," she added after a pause. "That's not how I roll. I prefer fair fights."
"And Jet… supports what they do?" Zuko asked unsurely.
"Yeah. We've butted heads over that a lot." She sighed.
By now, it was well into the night, and the sun was just beginning to rise in the east.
They headed back to camp together, both of them deep in their contemplations.
Hunger clawed at his stomach. Thirst parched his throat. These people… they were monsters. He was in pain inflicted on him by his captors. Did the Avatar and his friends authorize this? Did they know it was happening? Would they come to save him?
As the hours wore on and the pain increased, Prince Sokka of the Water Nation wished to be rescued.
"Jet!" Bandit called, thundering into Jet's hut, where he was lounging over a map of the valley. "What was going on in the town? What were Smellerbee and the others doing there? And don't lie to me!"
He looked to her with a smirk on his face. "That town's gonna go up in flames," he replied simply. Bandit's eyes widened in horror. Their barrels and crates of blasting jelly were gone…!
"I can't believe you'd do something like that!"
"Stop it if you want. Go ahead." She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, trembling with anger. She seemed as if she was about to say something more, but she turned away from him and left, meeting Zuko outside.
"What's going on?" Zuko asked.
"Go get Aang and your sister. We're going back to town."
"What? Why?"
"They're going to blow up the whole town. We have to get the blasting jelly out of there. Hurry!"
"But they told me they were only blowing up the soldiers' post…"
"They lied. Just go! I'll meet you three in town!" And before Zuko could reply, the Blind Bandit leapt on an earth wave and thundered through camp, heading toward the town in danger.
A minute later, Zuko awoke a sleeping Aang. "Wake up! We have to run to town! I'll explain on the way there. Where's Azula?"
Aang, instantly alert, looked around for the firebender. He knew what must have been happening. "No time to find her. Let's go." He ran outside, almost forgetting that he was up in the trees. He searched for Appa, but the bison was nowhere to be found. Aang cursed under his breath.
They would have to get to the town on foot.
Azula waited on a cliff top overlooking the wooden town, her knees curled up to her chest.
She was afraid. Not because she would help bring doom upon this town, but because she should have been trying to stop it. What was wrong with her? There were hundreds of innocents down below about to meet their fiery demise.
But they're weak for letting the Water Nation conquer them. They deserve it.
I know, Azula argued, but something about this feels wrong.
It's the only way to get rid of the waterbenders. They took your mother away. They would not hesitate to kill you.
A burning passion filled the girl, and blue fire leaked from her fingers.
Aang's eyes widened in anger as he heard the details of the full plan. "How are we supposed to get all the barrels of blasting jelly out in time?"
"How are we going to even find them all?" Zuko asked with exasperation. "How much time do we have left?"
"I don't know, but sitting here whining about it isn't going to get anything done! Split up!" Toph roared, ordering the other two into action.
Aang went after every barrel and crate he could see, but he didn't find any blasting jelly in them. They were all filled with rice or corn or some other food. He passed through many barrels before it occurred to him.
The blasting jelly was mixed with the food. It's all a trick!
Time was running out. Who or what would ignite them? Stopping that would be the only way to save the town…
"Azula. I'm glad to see you here."
Azula twisted around to see Jet approach her, and she gave a small smile in greeting. He grinned. "Are you ready to unleash your retribution?"
"Yes. What do you want me to do?"
"There are barrels of blasting jelly all throughout the city, as you know. If just one is ignited, then they'll all respond to the explosion and set off at once. You're going to set them all off."
Azula's eyes widened, but her facial features settled into a nearly psychotic smirk. "Excellent. When do you want it done?"
Jet took the twig out of his mouth, rolling it between his fingers. "Now."
Azula nodded, stepping to the end of the cliff. She breathed deeply, and a gigantic, twisting ball of blue flame began to grow between her hands.
The sun was reaching higher into the sky, an impending warning that their time was passing by, and they had barely accomplished anything. Aang was frustrated at Toph – she knew nothing about Jet's plan. At the same time, he was happy that she wasn't involved.
And then Aang saw it.
Another ball of fire was flying high above them, almost as bright as the sun but the color of a piercing blue, a comet of destruction, harbinger of absolute havoc.
And the only wielder of blue flame that he knew of was Azula. His stomach dropped.
"What's she doing?!" Zuko yelled, upon realizing the same thing. But Aang barely heard him, for he had already soared into the air on his glider.
"That's Aang!" Azula exclaimed. "What's he doing?"
"He's trying to stop it!" Jet growled, putting a hand on his sword hilt. Aang rose up on his glider, using his airbending to smack the fireball to the side with all his might. The fire was blown out by his wind, and Azula and Jet clenched their fists.
And then he soared after them.
Azula's expression was one of fear. Would he attack her?
"Azula!" Aang roared, once he was close enough on his glider. "What are you doing?"
Jet answered for her, holding both his swords in his hands as he stepped in front of the firebender. "She's doing what I want her to do. What she wants to do."
Aang landed at the edge of the cliff, his face putting down the hard mask he usually wore. With the look of someone betrayed, he gazed at Azula. "Why?"
"We have to free this place from the Water Nation," she answered, trying to convince Aang. "Don't you understand?"
"Who are you freeing it from? After you blow everything up, who will be left?" he asked her, his brows furrowing. "I'm disappointed in you, Azula."
"I don't need your acceptance!" she roared, and Aang jumped back. What was this side of Azula? What was happening to her? She looked as if she was about to attack him. Aang readied his staff.
"If you fight us," said Jet, stepping forward, "your prisoner is going to die." Aang froze, his eyes wide, his knuckles white. Azula fell to her knees, trembling.
He had forgotten about Sokka.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed into the sky. Aang's eyes darted to Azula. Was she yelling at him, or someone else? Even Jet looked at her unsurely.
"Jet!" shouted another voice arriving on the scene. Aang and Jet both looked to the newcomer – Toph, who arrived on an earth wave dragging Zuko behind her. The swordsman stumbled to his feet, looking a little worse for wear. He drew his broadswords.
"What are you trying to do, Jet?" Zuko asked. "This is a town full of innocents!"
"I'm going to help Sokka!" Aang called to them, unfurling his glider again. However, Jet caught the staff with his hook swords and hurled it to the ground, damaging the glider's wing. Aang glared – he couldn't believe that Jet did that again! "Azula, come with me," he said coldly to the firebender. Almost automatically, she moved to follow him. "Zuko, I'm leaving Jet up to you." Zuko nodded, holding his swords in front of him. Toph stood by, unsure of what to do.
As they ran back to the Freedom Fighter camp, Azula spoke to Aang. "I… don't know what came over me. It's like… there's another person inside of me. What's happening to me, Aang?" she asked, unafraid to show Aang her fear of the monster inside. Aang didn't answer. He was deeply disturbed. The thing she did today was something Princess Azula of his world would do…
"So why are we helping Sokka, anyway?" she asked after a moment, as they reentered the forest at a run. "Jet can't kill Sokka from where he is now, or tell his people to do it. That was an empty threat."
"No it wasn't," Aang replied. "Jet can communicate with his other Fighters through bird calls. I've heard it myself. Come on, he could be doing it any time now. We can't let Sokka die!"
Zuko and Jet faced each other down, glaring hard at the other. Bandit stood motionlessly behind Zuko.
"Why'd you do it, Jet?" Zuko asked him.
"As I've said already, I'm trying to free this place," he answered. "The waterbenders have been a plague in this forest for too long. They have to be removed. Don't you understand?"
"I'd never understand your ways," Zuko said coldly. "You're a monster."
"Be careful," Jet warned. "I can end the life of your waterbender friend with just a whistle."
"I won't let you!" Zuko roared, running at the Freedom Fighter with his swords raised. Jet met him head-on, their weapons clashing with a burst of sparks.
Zuko's swords moved automatically, parrying Jet's every blow, dodging his vertical strikes, jumping over his horizontal swipes. He was a master of the blade now. He could face Jet. He had a chance of winning.
But Jet had strange swords – the hooks on the end were one thing, used for grabbing onto his enemy's weapon, but even the hilts of his weapons were sharp. And, Zuko found out, the hilts could link with the hooks, creating one long weapon that Jet could swing around at Zuko. The Fire Nation swordsman jumped back from the unpredictable, dangerous swings.
But now, Jet had one weapon. Zuko had two.
He caught his right sword on the hook of Jet's new weapon, and swung at Jet's unprotected side with his left sword. Jet managed to twist out of the way, nearly twisting Zuko's caught sword to his back. Zuko wrung himself free and faced Jet again, and Jet separated his conjoined weapons. They were both panting now.
Zuko, however, didn't give him any breathing room.
Zuko rushed him immediately, trying to attack Jet with a pincer cleave of both his swords. Jet was able to bring up his hook swords just in time, blocking the attack, and then the two were stuck, forcing their weapons against each other.
The battle was at a standstill.
By this time, they had moved several feet from where they were earlier, but now they had circled around back to Bandit. And she finally decided to make an action.
The ground rose up between the two swordfighters and pushed them away from each other, forcing their swords to separate. Bandit rushed at Jet with a yell of pain and anger, tears streaming from her blind eyes. Pillars of stone nearly bludgeoned him with her intensity, and he was doing all he could just to dodge her attacks.
"I trusted you, Jet! All this time, and you were planning on wiping out the very town we've devoted our lives to protect… I can't believe you!" she shouted at him amidst her attacks.
Jet gave up trying to defend himself against her words, too busy weaving around the blocks of stone sent flying his way. Two came at him at once, swiped away by his swords, but out of the dust came another mid-sized boulder that struck him in the gut, knocking him back where he clumsily rolled to his feet. He tried to charge her again, but Bandit rode forward at him through the dirt and sealed him between a tree and a wall of stone that held him firmly in place.
Jet tried to wriggle himself free, but was totally unable to move. Zuko approached them without a word. "You can't stop me! Sokka's dead," he said coldly. And then he whistled into the sky.
"No!" Zuko shouted, upon hearing an answering whistle. "Aang, hurry!"
Bandit held her fists up at Jet, silent as she realized that she lost her best friend.
"I hope we don't end up regretting this later, Avatar-boy," Azula muttered to Aang as they hid in the trees, watching Smellerbee and the other Freedom Fighters from high above. They were waiting around the prisoner hut.
A distant bird whistle rung throughout the forest.
"That's our cue," said Pipsqueak, slapping a log against his palm. He tore open the wooden door hanging, exposing Sokka to the light. Aang let out a gasp upon seeing his former friend.
Sokka looked terrible. His clothes were ripped and dirty, matted with blood and dirt. His hair was a mess, his skin riddled with cuts and bruises, his frame weak and tired. Instant rage bubbled inside of Aang, and just as Sokka was thrown out onto the ground, Aang leapt from his hiding spot and smacked Pipsqueak in the back of the head with a current of air.
He spun around with anger. "Who did that?" he asked stupidly. Before Aang could reply, Smellerbee rushed him with dual knives, and despite his own speed and skill, he was hard-pressed to dodge. She was almost as fast as him and probably a little more dangerous, so much that he had trouble dodging all of her lithe stabs and bites.
And then there were the arrows being shot at him from the trees, managing to get close enough to hit him without being a danger to Smellerbee. Longshot was very skilled. Aang managed to get out of Smellerbee's reach just fast enough to release a spinning air barrier that covered him fully, deflecting all arrows and pushing the small girl back. Aang jumped into the trees, spinning through the air with his bending, jumping off the sides of trees to get as elevated as possible so he could get every promising advantage over the archer.
Longshot continued to fire arrows at him as he neared, but Aang shot a thin stream of flame at the archer's bow, cutting through the nocked arrow and boring a hole into the bow, rendering it useless. Longshot hurled the weapon away, but continued to draw arrows, hurling them at him. A surprised Aang managed to compose himself quick enough to kick a burst of air at the archer, knocking him out of the tree, where he landed on another branch unconscious.
During his scuffle with Longshot, Smellerbee managed to get up in the trees and confront him on the branches. Knowing not to set the forest aflame, endangering everyone to almost certain death, Aang stuck to using airbending, coiling wisps of wind around the trees and manipulating the currents with as much strength as he could muster, attempting to throw Smellerbee away from him. She stuck her daggers into the tree bark to anchor herself in place, weathering Aang's fierce wind.
She came at him with a short-range thrown knife, following it up with a kick to his chest. He managed to avoid the projectile, but the kick threw him off balance and opened his defense to a thin knife slash. Enduring the pain, Aang used the air to carry him around the tree trunk, where he circled right back to her with both of his feet, knocking her off of his tree branch. She fell.
Before Smellerbee hit the ground, he caught her with an upwards air current, saving her from certain death. She hit the ground more gently, but she was unconscious. A hand on his wound, Aang jumped down to help Azula.
Meanwhile, Azula was trying to minimize her use of flame so the forest wouldn't be lit. The color of her fire constantly shifted between red and blue as she warded off the likes of Pipsqueak and the Duke. The Duke rushed her with his spear, but she kicked the shaft of the weapon and instantly destroyed it, sending him running away. Pipsqueak proved to be more formidable as he swung his log with tremendous strength. Dodging his numerous strikes, she lit the log on fire in mid-swing, causing him to shake it with panic. He then struck himself on the head with it, knocking him right out.
Sneers, the last Freedom Fighter who was old enough to fight, rushed at Azula with dual longswords as her back was turned, but Aang interrupted his attack by suddenly appearing behind Azula with his meteorite sword, easily disarming him. The kid ran away crying.
Once the fighting was over, Aang cringed and put his hand back to his chest, taking it away to see blood covering his palms. He ripped off a piece of fabric from Pipsqueak's clothes, took off his shirt, and wrapped the fabric around the long wound. It was thin, but the bleeding was heavy.
"Are you alright?" Azula asked him.
"I'm fine," Aang replied, tightening his makeshift bandage.
"I can't believe we did all of that for some waterbender's sake," Azula said, rolling her eyes. She was trying to hide her blush - she didn't know Aang was that muscular...
Suddenly just remembering, Aang turned to Sokka, who was sitting on the ground and staring wide-eyed at them.
"You guys just saved my life," he said, stunned. Aang was lost for words for a moment, but then he smiled.
"Don't expect us to do it again," Azula said with crossed arms.
"Are you alright?" Aang asked, glancing at Sokka's numerous cuts and bruises.
"I'm hungry," he said plainly. Aang drew his sword again and cut the rope bonds around Sokka's wrists with expert precision. Sokka glanced up at him in confusion, his brows furrowed. Aang was staring into his deep blue eye, wondering if he should try to offer a hand of friendship this early, when he was interrupted by Appa's deep roar.
"Hey, buddy," Aang called to the bison. "I hope they didn't hurt you at all."
"Doesn't look like it," said Azula.
"Come on. Let's find Zuko and get out of here," Aang said, putting Sokka's arm over his shoulder and helping him onto Appa's saddle. Azula followed after the two, and the bison lifted off into the sky.
Azula was staring ahead, lost in her own thoughts, barely registering anything around her. Sokka was in the same state, wondering why his enemies would save his life.
Aang spoke to Azula, his voice low. "Why did you do it?"
"I don't know. I was caught up in everything Jet was saying," she said, her eyes downcast. Her hands were shaking. "I feel like a monster."
"You're not, because I can see that you regret it," Aang said softly. Azula turned her back to him.
The truth was that she didn't regret it. Not at all.
A distant part of her mind was laughing to itself, feeling triumphant.
Aang came upon a scene that was hauntingly familiar to him – Zuko and Toph were standing in front of Jet, who was bound to a tree by thick rock. Jet sneered when he saw Sokka atop the bison.
"We defeated your people," said Aang to Jet, his voice hard. "Never harm this valley again. Come on, Zuko. We're leaving."
"You're all fools," Jet called to them. "The Water Nation will never stop being merciless! They'll kill all of us one day!"
Aang, Azula, Zuko, Sokka, and Toph all ignored him.
And then he pulled the guilt card. "Azula, I thought you cared. I thought you believed in the same thing that I did."
"Shut up, Jet!" she snarled. "Don't talk to me! I don't want to hear your words ever again!"
Toph lowered her head, tears falling down her cheeks. Zuko, who still hadn't got on Appa, looked as if he wanted to comfort her.
"I'm leaving the Freedom Fighters," Toph finally said. "And you can't stop me." She turned away from him. "Goodbye, Jet. Aang – thank you for everything." She began to walk away.
"Wait!" Aang called to her. "Come with us. You'd be welcome here." She paused.
"No. I'd rather be alone." And that was all she said on the matter, walking away from them, leaving the Freedom Fighters and her home behind her forever.
Aang's shoulders fell.
Author's Note: Wow, what a long chapter, and it ended on a sort of downer. Sorry it took so long to come out – it was an unexpectedly difficult one to write. Well, you all got your wish… Toph's finally in the story! But is she out of it now? Will Aang ever see her again?
Sorry if Smellerbee seems inexplicably eviler in this than she did in the show. I always sort of liked her, so I got carried away with it... And she never got any real fight scenes, and I always thought she had the potential to be rather vicious.
Please review!
