AN: HELLO MY LOVELIES! LOOK AT ME FALLING INTO ANOTHER FANDOM AND WRITING ANOTHER FANFICITON I HAVE NO BUISNESS WRITING WHEN I HAVE SO MANY UNFINISED!
BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH AVATAR AND IT'S WORLD AND I AM A SUCKER FOR MOST OF THE SHIPS TBH, BUT TOPH AND SOKKA SEEMS TO BE MY OTP AT THE MOMENT. WE ALL KNOW THAT A LOT OF THE FANDOM THINKS TOPH'S SECOND DAUGHTER SUYIN IS SOKKA'S. I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE (MOSTLY). SO THIS IS MY ATTEMPT AT WRITING TOPH AND SOKKA'S STORY!
AS ALWAYS PLEASE ENJOY AND PRETTY PLEAE REVIEW! I PROMISE I DON'T BITE AND MY BIGGEST DREAM IN LIFE IS TO BE A WRITER, SO I REALLY DO APPERCIATE FEED BACK.
DISCLAIMER: CONSIDERING I CAN NOT DRAW OR ANIMATE IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT… AND THE FACT I WAS ONLY TEN WHEN THE SHOW CAME OUT I DON'T OWN AVATAR. AND I CERTINALLY DON'T OWN "HEART OF STONE"-A BEAUTIFUL SONG FROM THE MUSICAL SIX. SO PLEASE NICK DON'T SEND ANY SCARY MEN IN BLACK AFTER ME! OH WAIT THAT'S DISNEY… NEVER MIND. BUT SEIROUSLY I DO'T OWN ANYTHING.
~HEART OF STONE~
BY EJM513
PROLOGUE
There was absolutely no way around it.
Toph Beifang, the greatest Earth Bender alive, the creator of metal bending and former police chief of the great Republic City was dying.
She had always seemed to be made of stone, hardy and unbreakable. She had withstood storm after storm, trial after trial and never crumbled. Even as she shrunk back to her previous childlike size and her porcelain skin was etched with deep wrinkles and her hair grew whiter than the winter sun, she was unbendable. Her fortitude was as strong and steady as the earth she could control at will.
Yet there she was, the indomitable Toph Beifang, lying under a swath of blankets. Gentle, white sunlight poured through the window, warming her frigid skin. Her glassy eyes made it impossible to take in the calming pale walls around her or the photos that surrounded her. The only reason she even knew of their existence were due to the eerily soft and gentle words of her granddaughter. Toph attempted a scoff and an eye roll. What good were photos she couldn't see? All that came out was a soft, strangled noise and feeble flutter of her eyes. Her well trained ears heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards her side. She could hear the sharp intakes of breaths as words of fear and concern were about to be uttered. Before they had a chance, she held up a frail, wrinkled and shaking hand.
"Relax. Nothing's happening to me… not yet anyway." She claimed, her voice weak and full of gravel. No one spoke, but Toph could sense the growing anxiety and terror blooming in their hearts. All she could do was sigh and allow her weary body to sink further into the impossibly soft mattress.
Never in her life had she felt her advanced age so keenly and so bitterly. Her bones ached and screamed and creaked with every little jolt or shift. Her muscles were as heavy as led. Her lungs crackled and tensed with each wheezing breath. Her frail body was engulfed in a swath of warm, heavy blankets that only weighed her down even more.
How she ended up in this snug bed Toph would never know.
She had felt her body growing frailer and frailer with each rising and setting sun, but she chose to march on as if nothing was wrong. Then there was the fateful day when her in dominatable will was no match for the ravages of time. Toph had been in her swamp, living her life as she had been for years and years; alone and on her own terms. She had just been basking under the tree, enjoying the serenity of her surroundings when it happened. Her chest heaved and her heart stuttered. Though there was no way for her to know she was certain her beloved swamp had begun to whirl, tilt and spiral until there was nothing; no sound, no sensation of the world beneath her.
When the world returned to her, Toph had found herself in a cozy room, in an inviting bed surrounded by what she could only assume were faces withered with worry and pity.
Oh, how she hated the pity. She could hear their soft murmurs dancing around her, confirming what she had quickly begun to suspect.
She was at the end of her life.
Toph buried herself into the blankets, struggling to regain any sense of warmth. Thankfully her mind was still as clear and sharp as ever, and it began to wander.
Dying, she decided, was a strange thing.
She had always expected it to come with a swift and brutal finality. Yet now that it was here it crept like a lumbering glacier, slowly beckoning her. In a way she was grateful for this careful, gradual pace. It gave Toph the time she needed to ponder over the long expanse of her life.
There had been much to be proud of.
She had become one of the most, if not the most powerful and accomplished Earth bender of her generation or any generation.
She had overcome a disability that would have left a lesser soul helpless and lost to the world around them.
She had helped save the world from a genocidal fire lord, bringing a new era of peace.
She created a new kind of bending at the age of 12 and started a school not longer after.
She became the chief of police of Republic City, the symbol of all their hopes for the future.
Above all else she had become a mother to two of the best daughters anyone could ever ask for.
Though no one would believe her if she had said motherhood was one of her greatest accomplishments.
The sorry fact of the matter was while Toph considered motherhood one of her greatest triumphs it was also her greatest failure. Toph was not a great mother or even a good mother. In retrospect using the term adequate was even being generous. In her determination to give her daughters a better life and all the freedom she never had she had swung too far in the other direction. She had given them too much freedom in replace of their mother. Her already weak stomach twisted in knots as she recalled how her well intentions lead to the great rift between her and her daughters. It was a rift that took years if not decades to mend. She had only made peace with her oldest daughter Lin within the last handful of years.
"Well at least I'll be able to die without that hanging over me. Good. I can go without any regret" Her thoughts suddenly stopped, her skin somehow growing even paler as a mournful look washed over her fragile features. She felt her body grow stiff. She could feel her chest beginning to rise and fall faster than it had in days
Regrets.
No soul wants to die with regrets weighing them down. In her weakened state and pleasure of having her family surrounding her, the heaviest of all her regrets had been blissfully forgotten… if only for a moment.
That bitter regret came back with an instantaneous and ruthless vengeance, threatening to take her breath away.
It came in the form of icy blue eyes that she never saw but somehow knew so well.
It came in the form of strong cheek bones and a well-defined nose her pale fingers loved to trace.
It came in the form of a soothing, baritone voice dripped with sarcasm and adoration.
It came in the form of warm, strong arms and soft lips she hadn't felt in far too long.
Sokka….
The very thought of his name alone unleashed old demons she had been hiding deep within herself and began to consume her.
At first the memories and sensations that engulfed Toph were nothing but pure bliss. She could hear his beautiful chuckle, his smooth voice cracking joke after joke. She could feel his arms wrapping around her and holding her against his chest. She could feel him as if he was right there, embracing her and brushing his fingers against her wrinkled cheeks. His voice mingled through the warm spring breeze, tingling her ears.
"Why? Why did you make me leave?"
Her fragile body went rigid at the sound of his melancholy, heartbroken voice. Toph's heart fluttered with terror and if she wasn't blind, she was convinced she would see his ghost standing before her. He would be pale and translucent. Any hint of his dark water tribe coloring gone…. the same coloring, he claimed her youngest daughter Su'yin possessed. His face would be hallowed and forlorn… the same expression she vividly pictured painted on his pristine face when she forced him to leave.
Toph screwed her eyes shut. Her lips pursed together in a thin line as impenetrable as stone. What little warmth she had evaporated into the air. She felt as cold as ice, frozen from the depth of her soul to each little strand of her ebony hair. Gone were the beautiful, bright memories of laughter, strong and inviting embraces and kisses over every inch of her face and neck. A cold shock of bitter regret swarmed throughout her limbs, making her shiver and shutter. Only one memory replaced them and threatened to consume her very being.
It was the sound of familiar footsteps step slowing, unwillingly walking away from her. It was the sound of a voice low and horse from battle, the voice of a man brought to his knees.
"I know I don't need to ask you this…"
"Just say it meathead!" She had snapped. Toph had fallen so deep in her memories she hadn't realized the words had slipped out in a jumbled rasp.
"Take care of my girls for me and make sure they know how much I love them." His footsteps grew father and farther and farther away. A door opened and swung shut with a thud.
In reality she had stood resolute in her metal armor, arms crossed against her chest. She had ignored the burning in her eyes and the throb in her chest. Her lips had burned with words she had wanted to scream.
Now, as she was lost in a world of her own did they see the light of day.
"No." Toph croaked. Her weak voice sounded like a violent shout in a space overwhelmed by weary silence.
"Please don't go.." She begged, attempting in vain to lift her thin arms to reach for Sokka. Toph was unaware of her loved ones rushing and heir words of panic. She was far too busy trying to rush out the door to reach Sokka before he was gone for good.
"Don't go! Don't go!"
Her chest rose with a loud gasp as her bony fingers gripped the delicate sheets below her. What had been a horse whisper turned into a loud, desperate screech. Her arms started to lift, her deteriorating body straightening.
All she could picture was Sokka walking away, his back turned to her and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Her legs began to swing over, her feet ready to hit the floor. It was only a gentle, firm grip on her shoulders and a familiar voice calling out "Mom!" that brought her back to reality.
Lin…
The sound of her low, commanding voice twinged with panic was enough to bring Toph back to reality. She blinked; her chest full of rocks as she gasped for air. She could feel Lin's hands carefully press her back on to the feathery mattress. Before Toph knew what had happened her head was once more on the pillow and she was cocooned in thick quilts.
"It's okay. Just… just rest chief." Lin ordered, her voice soft and gruff. Toph could only gawk in the direction of her eldest daughter's voice. Despite having regained some semblance of a relationship, Lin's uncharacteristically ginger touch and careful actions left her stunned.
After all, Toph couldn't remember the last time Lin had called her "Mom" in such a small, scared voice.
Toph reached out and grabbed Lin's hand, encasing her bony fingers around her daughter's surprisingly petite hand. Lin tensed under her touch, holding her breath as her eyes went wide.
"Please stay." Toph asked. Lin felt her heart begin to shatter at the sound of her mother's voice so trail and weak. She couldn't bare the sight of her commanding mother so fragile and tiny. For a moment all she could do was stare and pray she had simply fallen into some twisted nightmare.
Of course, she hadn't.
Her mother's bony, frigid hand felt all too real. The growing panic in her chest and pit in her stomach were far too intense. Those pale, milky eyes were brimming with panic and confusion. The once towering woman resembled a diminutive, sickly child instead of the stoic, dominating figure she had known.
What else was there for Lin to do but sit on the bed and give her mother's hand a tender squeeze.
"I'm not going anywhere." Lin said. Toph let out a slow breath and fluttered her cloudy eyes. She held on to her daughter with all the strength she had.
"Su, come here." She croaked, her eyes searching for another figure. Gentle footsteps rushed over to her and a new weight sat on the other side of the bed. Without a moment's hesitation Su'yin took Toph's free hand into her own. They held onto each other as tightly as they could.
"I'm here Mom. I'm here."
Toph felt her breathing begin to slow. She could feel a ray of warmth begin to consume her bit by bit as her eyes began to flutter. There was nothing but peace as she sat silently with her loves.
She hoped the girls felt the endless strength she always tried to show. She hoped they knew how grateful she was that they were there… even all she had put them through and all the mistakes she had made.
Above all else, Toph prayed her girls knew how much she truly loved them.
They would always be her blessings.
"Su, Lin?"
The sisters looked up towards the familiar voice. They had been sitting at a small table, their lips pursed in hard lines and their eyes glued onto the faded wood.
Their Aunt Katara was a welcomed break in the heavy silence.
The water tribe maiden was even older than their mother. Her dark skin was grooved with deep wrinkles. Her once deep brunette hair had turned a snowy white. Yet she held a gleaming tray with delicate cups of tea as if it was nothing but a feather. Her movements were still as graceful as ever-if slower than in her glory days.
"I know nothing can truly help, but I thought some tea would at least warm you up." She said, carefully placing the tray in front of the sisters.
"Thank you Aunt Katara." Suyin said, her lips curling into a small smile. She reached forward and took one of the fragile cups. Her eyes trailed to the brown liquid as she let the drink warm her hands.
It was amazing how frigid she could feel on such a lovely spring day.
"I just can't believe she's really gone…" Suyin whispered, her voice quivering.
"I know sweetie… I know." Katara glanced over to Lin, her heart sinking at the sight. Lin sat as stiff as ice, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes staring out the window. Katara reached towards the metal clad woman and gently laid her hand on Lin's arms.
"Do you want some tea?" Lin shook her head, refusing to look at either woman sitting beside her.
"You can have it." She muttered. Katara nodded, her thin lips twisting into a faint smile. She patted Lin's arm before reaching over and bringing the cup to her lips. She let the warm, soothing concoction swallow her grief and keep her smile on her face.
She may have lost one of her best friends, but they had lost their mother. It didn't matter that they were well into middle age-and in Lin's case almost passed that dreaded age gap. It didn't matter how strained their relationship had been or how flawed Toph had been.
A mother was still a mother, and Katara knew more than anyone the hole such a lost left. It was one a soul could never truly heal from. The last thing she desired was to add to their confusion and fear and loss. She prayed with all of her might she could protect that whole from consuming them whole.
Yet there was a great burden she was tasked with-not just by Toph but by someone even closer and dearer. Katara gingerly sat her cup on the table and sighed, staring at the worn wood beneath her fingers.
"Listen girls I know you're still processing everything… but there's something your mother wanted me to give you." Two pairs of vibrant, emerald eyes snapped towards her-both filled with urgent curiosity. Katara felt a shiver creep down her spine.
Those eyes… those beautiful green orbs full of steely resolved mirrored Toph's. A lump began to from in her throat, and her hands began to tremble.
The fact she would never see those eyes again filled her such dread. Old grief filled scars she had fought so hard to heal began to split open, threatening to spill through every tiny pour and cell.
Yet Katara willed her hands to still and swallowed her burning tears. She reached her hands into her pocket and pulled out two faded sheets of paper. One had Lin etched in a weak scrawl, and the other had Su.
"Letters?" Lin questioned, her eyebrows raising to her hairline.
"Yes." Katara nodded. She leaned over and carefully placed the withered sheets of paper in their hands.
"She had them for a while. She… she wanted me to wait until this moment to give them to you." The sisters stared and gawked at the letters. They were oblivious to the sound of a scratching hair and slow, shuffling footsteps. Even Katara's warm, motherly touch couldn't break their trance.
"I'm going to leave you two be. I'll be here if you need anything." She gave their shoulders a tender squeeze before making her way out of the room.
Su'yin blinked as the door closed with a gentle click. She held her breath, refusing to look away from the letter in her hands. Her fingers ran over the rough, faded paper.
It was clear from the many wrinkles and the hard crease that it had been handled extensively. She could picture her mother's steady hands opening and closing it and opening and closing it. There was no way she could have read the letter-or even written it for that matter. Yet Su'yin could imagine her mother's thin, pale fingers running over the smooth letters.
Fingers that were both unspeakably warm and loving as they traced and trailed her features.
"Mama just wants to get a good look at her pretty little badger mole."
Su'yin's own fingers gripped the paper tighter at the thought of her mother. Her eyes began to sting and her throat went raw. The empty pit in her stomach grew larger and larger, threatening to consume her whole.
Every inch of Suyin's being wanted to set the letter on the table and pretend she had never laid eyes on it. After all what had needed to be said had poured out their souls years ago.
Why couldn't her mother just let the past rest in peace?
"What could she want to tell us?"
"I'm not sure. Whatever it is, it was important enough for her to make someone write these." Su'yin jumped at the sound of her sisters' raw, rough tone. She hadn't been aware her question had been uttered out loud. She locked eyes with Lin, letting her nerves begin to settle.
"Should… should we?" Su'yin asked, swallowing the question before she could finish it. Lin shook her head and with a flick of her hand let the letter fall.
"You can if you want." Lin muttered. She turned her head away as Su'yin opened her letter. She tried to ignore her baby sister and squash the rumbling curiosity, yet it was impossible to ignore. She could hear the paper crinkle as Su'yin opened and attempted to smooth it. She could hear the letter in Su's hands as her dainty fingers held it tight.
No matter how hard she tried Lin couldn't quell her roaring interest. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Suyin read the letter. Her heart began to race as her sister's tanned skin turned paler and her eyes went wider than the moon. Lin's blank expression grew ever more intrigued and concerned. She waited and hoped for something-anything to tumble out of those thin lips. Her curiosity was growing louder and louder until it began to tare at her soul.
All she got was a loud gasp and a quivering hand to a small, pretty mouth.
"What Su? What does it say?" Lin barked, turning her whole body towards her sister. Suyin cleared her throat. She wiped her spilling tears with the palm of her hand and shook her head.
"It isn't from Mom." She croaked.
Lin blinked, taking in her sisters stunned, pallid face. Suyin let the letter collapse to the table and pushed it to Lin.
"It's from… it's from Uncle Sokka."
"What?" Lin snapped, snatching the letter.
"He's my father Lin." Suyin whispered, her voice trembling as fresh tears flooded her eyes. "I've had my suspicions for a long time… Bataar Jr. could be his clone. But this just confirms it." Her words were hallow and strained from fighting to keep her tidal wave of emotions under control.
Lin's jaw hung open the letter threatening to slip from her fingers. Her blood ran hot, flushing her porcelain cheeks. Her nails began to dig into the yellowed paper. Each cylinder in her head was firing at full blast, threatening to combust at any moment.
There it was-proof of something she too had suspected.
Without a question of consideration for her crumbling sister Lin's eyes darted to the faded page.
My Sweet Su,
If you're reading this, I'm long gone and so is your mom. Your Aunt Katara gave this to your mom, with instructions to hold on to it until we were both gone. I wrote a letter for Lin too, but I would be shocked if she actually read it.
There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to say it. I'm your father. You're a smart woman though and I know you've already had a hunch about who I really am.
Bataar Jr. is proof enough. Even I was shocked at how much we look alike. But what can I say? My genes are strong!
Anyway…
I'm so sorry I never told you the truth love bug. Your mother and I wanted to; we really did. We couldn't though. You have to understand with her being the chief of police- aka the person who enforces the law- and me being a councilman- aka the person who creates the law-it would have looked bad, and that's an understatement.
More importantly we didn't want Lin to fell confused or jealous or out of place because her father was a no good no show dead-
I'm sorry I'm getting a head of myself. The point is that is why I've always been Uncle Sokka. It was easier and safer.
I know you must think I'm also a no good, no show dead beat. I did leave, but it was only because I had no other choice. My father-your grandfather- had died, and it was my duty to take his place as chief of the Southern Water Tribe. It was one of the hardest choices I ever had to make, and it tore my heart apart to have to leave you… and I really wish I hadn't. However, your mother wanted me to leave-at least that's what she said. I don't want you to be mad at her love bug. She had her reasons and though I hate admitting it she was right. People were starting to pick up on just how close we truly were and more importantly you were beginning to look too much like me. It was the hardest decision we ever had to make (no matter what your mother said), and there's nothing I could say without it sounding like a terrible excuse.
The bottom line is I am so sorry I wasn't there for you and Lin like I should have been… like I wanted to be. If I could there would be so many things I would do different. I would have fought harder, I would have been stronger and I would have realized that my girls were far more important than duty. I would have staid no matter what the consequences.
But if there's one thing I will never, ever regret it's becoming your father. You are without of doubt one of the best things that ever happened to me and the love of my life.
I love you my little love bug and I miss you so much it hurts. I'll be waiting for you wherever I end up, but don't you dare come until you're old and decrepit like I am.
Love,
Dad
Lin's hands collapsed to the table. Her eyes appeared ready to pop out of her head as she gawked at nothing in particular. Her flaming blood and racing heart were frozen with incredulity. All the while her thoughts were spiraling.
"He wrote ME a letter?" Lin's thoughts sputtered.
Why did he write her a letter?
What did said letter say? Surely it couldn't be filled with the same painful regrets and grand declarations of love.
Surely, she couldn't have meant much to a man who as far as she was concerned attempted to raise her out of pity… and left.
Above all else there was more to the story, more that she hungered for. There were truths and secrets hidden beneath the flowery phrases, secrets that refused to be shattered.
There was only one person who could give her the answers.
"What the flameo?! Come on Su." Lin snarled.
"Wait Lin-HEY!" before Su'yin had a chance to collect herself, to try and wrap her head around the load released on her thin frame, her hand was stuck in Lin's iron grip and her feet were stumbling across the floor.
"Slow down will you!" She howled, attempting to wriggle her hand free.
It was no use. Lin's vision tunneled and turned flaming red. Her very being was consumed by one task and one task only;
Find Katara and get the full story. Su'yin's wriggling and protest were nothing but a gust of hot wind and tiny bug bites.
"You're going to break my hand!" Su'yin cried, rolling her shoulders back and pulling her arm back as hard. All she earned was a strong burst of pain shooting through her arm and shoulder.
"Lin please tell me what is going on?!" The graying, fuming woman swung her head over her shoulder, throwing her sister a wild glare. Su'yin felt her temperature drop as a low growl rumbled from deep within Lin's chest.
"There's more to this story." Lin spat, swirling her head straight forward once more. "I suspected Councilmen Sokka
"Really Lin? Councilman? Is that what you're going to keep calling him?"
"I suspected Councilmen Sokka was your true father for a while now. He didn't tell us everything in that letter and he's certainly not going to say anything in mine. Mom obviously didn't want to tell us anything either. We have to know what happened. I…."
I want to know why he left us.
The words vanished on her tongue, mingling with the delicate air. The pair once again fell into silence, one huffing and violently red while the other slumped in defeat.
After mere moments Lin had dragged her sister to her desired location. With her free hand Lin gripped the sleek door knob and swung the door open, letting it fly and smash against the wall.
"Lin!" Su'yin hollered.
"Oh no she looks possessed." Lin glared at the tall, dark skinned, ebony haired young woman sitting next to Katara on the floor. The young woman stared back; her blue eyes filled with a stunned if slightly amused expression.
"Korra this doesn't involve you!" Lin hissed. Katara threw her aged, spotted hands in the air. She stood with a surprising if cautious ease and grace. Korra could only watch in awe as Katara moved straight to the steaming Lin. She placed two hands on Lin's shoulders and stared straight into her clouded, emerald eyes.
"First things first, let your sister go before you break her hand." Lin whipped her head around, finally taking in her sister's dainty features twisted in pain.
"Sorry." She mumbled, letting her sister's hand fall to her side.
"Good. Now let me guess you two read your letters." Katara began, keeping her hands firmly on Lin's shoulders. Lin crossed her arms and gave a sharp nod.
"We read Su's and we want answers." Lin demanded.
"You didn't read yours Lin?" Katara asked, her soul heavy with disillusionment. Why she clung on top any hope Lin would read her letter was beyond her comprehension. "I really think you shou"
"It doesn't matter! We want the whole story." Su'yin stepped next to her sister, gingerly cradling her aching hand.
"Please Aunt Katara? We need to know the whole story. We… we need to know why he left us." Katara took in both of their faces-one filled with unholy determination and the other brimming with a quiet plea.
She let out a slow, foiled sigh as she finally let go of Lin's humming frame.
"All right. I'll tell you everything. Korra sweetie we'll have to continue our conversation later."
"No." Su'yin shook her head. "No more secrets… not anymore. She can stay if she wants." Korra beamed with glee, tucking her long strands of hair behind her ears as she sat perfect erect.
"Ooooo! I love a good story-especially if it's about Chief Sokka. I'm in!"