A/N: Thank you everyone again for being so patient with me. I don't get much time to write, but In will finish my stories. Thanks again, and don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar
Chapter 17
Toph sighed and muttered under her breath as Fong drove her, Zuko and Jun to school. It was early, way too early to be up, let alone going to school. She was surprised when Zuko suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to land a kiss on her cheek.
"Relax, it'll be fine," he said in a low tone, but Toph heard the uncertainty and nervousness in his tone. She blew her bangs out of her face and turned to smile at him.
"I know, I'm just not a morning person," she replied and heard Jun mutter an affirmative as Zuko chuckled.
"And I am," Zuko said with a tease in his tone before he turned serious. "You really think Long Feng will work with you?" he asked Jun sitting in the front.
"He has to," Jun replied in a smug tone. She was silent and Toph tried to remember if Jun had anything on their principal, but just sighed at not being able to think clearly. It was definitely way too early.
"We're here," Jun said in a serious tone just before Fong started applying the brakes. Toph nodded, hearing Zuko doing the same and they waited for Jun to get out before they did and the FBI agent hurried them inside. Toph was amazed at how quiet the school was. No students anywhere, just the occasional footsteps of a few FBI agents and the gardener came to Toph and the blind girl was surprised at how the halls seemed to echo with their footsteps once they were inside. Jun hurried them to the principal's office and then had them wait in Joo Dee's office where Bato was waiting while she talked with Long Feng. As Toph leaned against the wall and heard Zuko drop his backpack onto the floor before sinking into a chair, she was reminded of the last time she had been in the principal's office.
"You realize this is where we met, right?" she asked with a smile and heard Zuko turn to her.
"Yeah, never thought it would get as far as it did," Zuko said with a smile in his tone. "I'm glad you're persistent now, though I didn't like it then." His tone became sly and Toph just giggled, knowing they were getting an odd look from Joo Dee and Bato before Jun's voice came to them through the door.
"You idiot! I have to be there! With either one of them and you were not supposed to tell your staff!" Jun yelled.
"This will put my staff and students in danger. The staff, particularly the teachers of these two, should know. I only told those teachers the truth, or at least the little bit I know," Long Feng said back to Jun in a conspiring tone.
"That's fine then," Jun growled. "Some of them were there Friday and know already. But I need to know if you're gonna talk about this any more. Any, and I mean any information you give out needs to be passed through me first. Understood?"
"You may think you're big and tough now, but don't think I'm incompetent Ms. Shirshu. I remember how much of a bully you used to be, and I will not be pushed around by you!" Long Feng stated.
"You were always a weasel," Jun stated. "But that's not why we're here today. There are two kids out there that need our help to protect them from an evil man. If you say the wrong thing to the wrong person, their lives and a whole lot of other lives could be endangered. Neither of us would like this to become another Columbine. Got it?" Jun growled.
Toph listened as silence reigned and knew Zuko was listening as well.
"I understand, Ms. Shirshu" Long Feng finally grated out. "But, what excuse shall I give as to your position. Things are difficult to hide on a school campus, as I'm sure you remember."
"I don't know," Jun replied in a smug tone. "Think of something, you're the principal. It's a good thing you have them in similar classes, and if this drags out longer, I want them in as many classes together as you can arrange next semester."
"Very well, I'll pass on the word that you will be an aide for Miss Bei…"
"No, I need to be in Zuko's history class," Jun interrupted.
"Fine," Long Feng growled as Toph heard Mr. Pakku enter the secratary's office. "You and your…associate in the next room will be doing reviews on the school and may show up at any class. Your men are here because of the intruders and are part of a police force."
"Good, and remember the story…"
"Good morning, Zuko, Toph," Mr. Pakku said as the tone in the principal's office became calmer.
"Morning," Toph replied, but Zuko remained silent.
"Zuko, I'm here to take you to class once Jun is finished. Toph, Jun will be with you for English, then be with you two for the rest of the day. But she'll be with Zuko for history. Everything all right, Zuko?"
"I hate this not knowing," Zuko growled and Toph felt her heart go out to him. He sounded so angry, so sad and she felt the same on some level. They were just kids to the adults, to be watched over and protected, even if they were the ones that had held off the 'intruders' during the dance.
"Not knowing what?" Bato asked.
"This," Zuko growled, waving his hand towards Long Feng's door. "Jun didn't tell us anything about the plans for school, just that we'd be safe. Now, that…he usurped her authority and may have put Toph in danger."
"Hey, I'm not helpless here," Toph retorted.
"No, you're anything but," Zuko replied with a slight smile and pride in his tone, causing Toph to blush slightly.
It sounded as if both Bato and Pakku would have spoken, but the door opened and Jun exited, followed by Long Feng.
"Everything's in order," Jun said to them, though it sounded as if she turned to the principal to frown at him. "Pakku's going to take Zuko to class, and I'll go with Toph to Mr. Hu's English class and then be with both of you until fifth period. Then I'll go to Zhou's class with Zuko." Toph smiled as she heard a frown in Jun's tone when she talked about Mr. Zhou, knowing the two had history, but listened in as Jun finished. "Then I'll go with Toph to get to gym while Bato goes with Zuko to gym and then home. Ignore the men and us, since we are merely 'reviewers'. Got it?"
"Got it," Toph replied while she heard Zuko merely nod.
"Ok, let's go. Bato, you're with Pakku and Zuko. Come on, Toph."
The blind girl heard Zuko sigh and get up slowly, slinging his backpack to one shoulder as Toph reached down and grabbed her own backpack. She heard Zuko turn, as if he was looking back at her, and she just smiled at him, trying to reassure him that it would be ok. She heard Pakku leave first, then Zuko and Bato followed before she and Jun walked out of the office and in the opposite direction from the guys.
"So, what's up between you and Feng?" Toph asked once she was sure she and Jun were alone. It was still early, the halls empty, and Toph knew that the few students who had zero period were still in class while most of the students wouldn't show up for another fifteen or twenty minutes. Jun was silent for a bit, but then started talking, almost as if she was remembering as she spoke.
"You know your parents and I all went to school here, right?" Jun asked and Toph nodded. "Well, as big of a city as Gaoling is, it sure has a small town feel sometimes. Most of the teachers went to school here, or have some association with the city as kids. Long Feng was in my class, and he was one of those guys who was a nerd, and yet gave you the creeps sometimes."
Toph nodded, thinking about Hahn. The jerk wasn't a nerd, but he definitely gave her the creeps.
"Well, he hit on a few of my friends and me, but we all brushed him off. But then he started going after Jaz, and wouldn't leave her alone. So, I straightened him out. I was always a tough girl, like you, and he's resented me since then."
Toph smirked. "No wonder my parents are always so stiff and formal around him," she mused. "So, what did Feng tell the teachers?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Jun sighed as a group of students walked in. "One thing he was right about, things don't stay secret around here for long."
"Well, it's a good thing Sunshine and I keep our mouths shut," Toph said with a smirk and knew Jun was smiling too.
"Yeah, and my guys better or they'll be heading to back to training, and they all know that," Jun replied. "Well, here we are. I'm going to talk with Hu, he was a teacher in my time. You think you'll be ok just sitting here?"
"Yep, brought some entertainment," Toph said a she pulled out her iPod. Jun just chuckled and moved to the desk to talk with Toph's teacher. Toph put her earphones in and laid her head down on her folded arms, trying to catch a few minutes of sleep before class started. As she drifted off, she hoped Zuko's temper wouldn't explode with all the pressure they would be faced with by everyone on what had happened at the dance.
XXXXX
Zuko merely frowned as he saw several people come into the class as he sat in the back and tried to read. Everyone seemed startled to see him there, and he saw their eyes dart to the cast on his wrist as well as the scars and bruises that were still on his face from his fight with Ozai on Friday. The scarred teen merely glared at everyone that stared too long, and all looked away quickly as he returned to his book. Dr. Yugoda had been right, it was hard coping with the cast. But at least he had always had a little bit of dexterity in his left hand because of his martial arts training, and he could manage. Bato was behind him in the corner and Zuko was sure the agent was smirking whenever someone turned away hurriedly from Zuko's glares. Chuck came in and moved to sit next to Zuko and the scarred teen tried to keep his concentration on his book. Thankfully, the bell rang and Pakku started speaking before Chuck could talk.
"Everyone, I have an announcement. As some of you may have noticed, we have a new face in the class. Mr. Li back there along with his associates are reviewing the school as part of a state program. You are to ignore them all. They will not respond to any questions or talk," Pakku said with a slight nod to Bato.
"You may have also heard about the incident at the Homecoming dance," Pakku continued and Zuko looked over his book to see the reactions of the teacher and class. Many glanced back at him, but he kept his concentration on Pakku. "A pair of thieves broke into the school to try and steal computers. They broke into a part where two students were, and the students were able to hold the thieves off until the police showed up. One of the thieves was captured, but the other is at large. There are several detectives and police in regular dress around the campus, waiting to see if the other thief makes another move. If anyone sees anything suspicious, they are to report it to a teacher or one of these detectives immediately. With that said, we must move onto our discussion of Heart of Darkness."
Several more students glanced back at Zuko, but most became interested in the discussion as Zuko glared at them or Pakku called on them to answer a question. Zuko acted interested in the lecture, but saw Chuck lean towards him.
"Hey, Zuko," the big guy hissed. "You ok? We were all worried about you and Toph. What happened?"
Zuko frowned at the big guy and tried to ignore him, but Chuck persisted.
"You know Bee, Longshot and I will always back you in anything, you just need to let us know," the big guy whispered, though it came out as more of a low boom than a whisper.
"Mr. Little, do you have something to add to the discussion?" Mr. Pakku called and Zuko almost sighed in relief as Chuck blushed slightly and replied, "No sir."
"Very well, then, we'll move onto chapter four and remember, there will be a quiz on the first four chapters tomorrow," Mr. Pakku said and dove into the rest of the discussion with his usual enthusiasm for literature, making sure people paid attention to him and not to Zuko. The scarred teen focused on the discussion as much as he could, but his thoughts kept turning to what had happened Friday and how Jun had left him and Toph out of the loop. He knew why the FBI agent had done it, but he didn't like not knowing what was happening. And if he didn't know, he or someone could make a stupid move that would endanger all he cared about. The bell rang again, signaling the end of class and Zuko turned to Chuck who was looking at him, questioning him with his big brown eyes.
"I'm sorry, Pipsqueak, like I told Longshot; I can't tell you," he said in a low tone, hoping no one else would be able to listen in on the conversation.
The big guy just sighed, but then smiled. "At least you guys are ok," Chuck replied in his whisper. "But if you need anything, let me know."
Zuko just nodded and glanced at Bato as the agent stretched. Bato simply smiled at him and rubbed his shoulder and Zuko saw a burn mark at the shoulder when the agent's shirt moved as he rubbed it. Bato noticed his look and smiled as he walked up to Zuko.
"Yeah, I've got a scar like yours," Bato said in a low voice. "But I got mine from an accident. One of my first missions and we were backup. A drunk driver slammed into my car and caught fire."
"And he pulled three people out of the wreck, including the drunk, saving their lives, but nearly lost his arm in the process," Jun said, walking towards them from the door with Toph.
Zuko turned to frown at Jun and she questioned him with her expression, but he merely shrugged. "Later," he muttered as the next class started coming in. Jun nodded and Toph looked confused, but then Jun was hurrying them out of the class and to Biology. Once there, they got the same looks Zuko had received in English, though Aang was his normal cheerful self. Hahn turned to glare at Zuko in loathing, to which Zuko just glared back, but Dr. Yugoda quickly took charge of the class, reminding them to ignore Jun who she called Ms. Ling. The class moved smoothly, though when it was over, Zuko heard Hahn remark haughtily to one of his friends, "Well, if she was my girl, you know I wouldn't have put her in danger."
The scarred teen glared at Hahn as the junior passed him with a smirk and knew Toph was glaring at Hahn as well.
"And I wouldn't have gotten hurt," Hahn remarked, his blue eyes darting down to Zuko's cast.
Zuko nearly lunged for Hahn, but Toph placed a hand on his arm and Jun stepped up to Hahn.
"You certainly aren't the brightest of the bunch, are you," Jun said with a smirk. "I've heard this is your second time here, while everyone else does well. Is it because you don't pay attention, or is it because you show off your ego more than you study?"
Hahn looked startled to be facing Jun suddenly and gulped before he turned and hurried out. Jun turned to them and smiled. "Time for math," she said and Toph nodded, picking up her backpack to follow her cousin to Algebra 2. Zuko did the same, following Toph, but he felt the weight of guilt crash in on him. What Hahn had said was the truth, to some extent. He had put Toph in danger and was continuing to do so by going out with her. He had put her in danger when he had taken her to the greenhouse during the dance and then his father had seen her. Azula had fought her and could have hurt her.
"Hey Sunshine, you ok?" Toph asked him quietly as they walked through the hallways. "Forget the Dumbass. He deserves a beating. You want to gang up on him when this is all done?"
Zuko glanced at her through his hair shielding his scar and saw her grinning at him, though she looked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm ok," he replied.
Toph frowned for a second before smiling and punching his arm. "What happened happened. No beating yourself up over it, or I will beat you up. Got it?"
Zuko let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. Toph was definitely his anchor, and the perfect remedy for his guilt. "Understood."
Toph just laughed lightly as they reached their next class and the pattern of the last two classes repeated until lunch. Zuko still felt the guilt weighing on him as they made their way to lunch, and he was also still frustrated with Jun for not informing he and Toph of all the plans, but knew he had to wait to address that issue. And waiting was not his strong point. Toph seemed to read his mood, and tried to lighten it on several occasions, and she did, but his pensive mood just returned. Just before they were to enter the cafeteria, Bato hurried to them and pulled Jun aside with a few quick words. Zuko tried to listen in, but didn't hear anything coherent as Jun started scowling.
"Fine, I'll take care of it," Jun said when Bato finished. "Watch them."
With that, she left and Bato turned to Zuko and Toph to find both frowning at him. "She'll explain later," he said before gesturing to the cafeteria door. "Now, I'm sure you're hungry and I heard they're serving pizza today."
Toph sighed and blew her bangs out of her face, but smiled at Zuko. "They'll explain, and I'm hungry. Coming, Sunshine?"
Zuko just sighed and followed her into the cafeteria, noticing everyone but their friends stopping and staring at them. The scarred teen scowled and followed Toph to the lunch line, trying to ignore the whispers and looks they were getting as Bato moved to talk with another agent Zuko had seen before. As they got their food, Zuko noticed Toph starting to frown.
"Stupid idiot," Toph growled after they paid for their food and started making their way to their table where Aang, Katara and Sokka were already eating.
"What?" Zuko asked as they sat down.
"The Dumbass!" Toph hissed, banging her tray onto the table and startling a few people near them, though their friends weren't affected at all. "He's making up stupid rumors! Argh, can I beat him up now?"
She turned to Zuko, with pleading eyes as if she was asking his permission and he smiled slightly.
"No, and I don't want Feng to suspend us for a fight, but we'll get him later, when he least expects it," Zuko told her quietly. He saw Toph sigh in resignation and risked a quick kiss on her cheek. She seemed surprised, as their friends did, for he rarely did anything, let alone a kiss, in public.
"Thanks," Toph said, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. "But what I said earlier was true. I'm starving and I know you are too." She smirked at him quickly before picking up her pizza and started eating. Zuko sighed, but smiled once more, happy that he could cheer her up as she had done for him so often and ate as well. Once he was finished, he glanced around the cafeteria discreetly. He noticed many people just minding their own business, though Hahn and Jet kept glancing at him; Hahn with loathing and Jet with thoughtfulness. He was surprised at Jet's look, but figured if it was important, he would find out the truth of it later.
Jun returned just before the bell rang, and seemed distant as she, Zuko and Sokka started walking to his history class. He wondered what her problem was as she seemed to get more agitated the closer they got to Zhou's class. There were already people there, so he and Sokka went to their usual seats in the back while Jun frowned at Zhou before heading to one of the back corners. Sokka was thankfully quiet, and Zuko just waited as the class quietly filled in. Many people still glanced back at him, but most ignored him as Zhou continued to watch him with a growing smirk.
Once the bell rang again, Zhou turned his smirk once to Jun before addressing the class. "As I'm sure you've all heard by now, we have some new faces on our school campus. But I have something else to add. If there is any suspicious behavior, from anyone, students should report it to the faculty, not these detectives. You never know exactly who you can trust. And, anyone with concerns about what happened at the dance should ask a faculty member. Now, onto the Spartans and Persia…"
Zuko noticed Sokka trying to catch his eye and Sokka was frowning as Zhou turned his back on them. Sokka's eyes darted towards Jun in the corner and the scarred teen turned and saw Jun scowling at Zhou. This just made Zuko's frown larger. Zhou had possibly endangered them more with just a few words and Zuko was determined to find out what was going on, just as soon as he could talk with Jun.
"Mr. Roku," Zhou said suddenly, catching Zuko's attention. "Tell me, why did the Spartans both succeed and fail at the battle of Thermoplyae."
Zuko frowned at Zhou, seeing the smug look on his teachers face since the man thought he had caught Zuko unaware, but the scarred teen simply answered evenly. "The Spartans knew the lay of the land and had the advantage. A few hundred men were able to hold off thousands, possibly millions according to the texts for a few days before a local betrayed his people and gave the Persians the information of a road to outflank the Spartans."
He almost smiled as he saw Zhou's smirk instantly fall into a frown at his correct answer and then Zhou was speaking again to the class. Sokka gave him a quick thumbs up, but they still had to endure a whole lecture by Zhou who called repeatedly on Zuko, but Zuko continued to give the right answers. Eventually the bell rang and Zuko and Sokka hurried out. Jun motioned for Zuko to wait and he did at the door as Sokka caught up with another guy and headed to gym.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jun asked Zhou in a low tone after the last of the class was gone. Zuko noticed she was in Zhou's face and the history teacher was scowling.
"Me? I'm doing my job and you have no right to just come in here and run things," Zhou replied.
"Yeah, right. I'm here to protect these kids, and I can't have you backstabbing my people. Lay off of Zuko, he's a good kid."
Zuko glanced back at Jun, frowning, but saw her turn and start heading his way. He moved out of the door and started to walk to gym with her, but they both heard Zhou's voice and stopped.
"He may be, but what about the rest of his family?" Zhou had asked quietly
Zuko started scowling, ready to yell at his teacher in anger, but Jun merely placed a hand on his back and pushed him forward. He turned to glare at Jun and saw her frowning.
"Ignore him, he's trying to get a rise out of you," Jun said.
"Yeah, well, he's not the only one," Zuko muttered darkly, moving away from Jun to walk separately.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jun asked in a stressed tone.
"Later," Zuko muttered as they saw a large group of students heading their way from the boy's locker room. He saw Bato at the door and hurried in, knowing Jun couldn't follow him. He noticed Bato follow him and found Sokka already changed as he opened his locker and grabbed his gym clothes, changing into them quickly. Sokka waited until he was dressed and then they both started walking quickly to the gym while Bato followed at a distance.
"Hey, you ok?" Sokka asked quietly.
"No," Zuko replied shortly and saw Sokka looking at him in concern. "Forget it, ok? I'll be fine.
Sokka merely shrugged as Zuko saw Jun talking with Mr. Jeong while another woman, tall with reddish brown hair leaned against the door leading to the girl's locker room while Toph talked with Angie. Toph seemed to have heard him and Sokka enter the gym, for she made her way over to them and smiled at Zuko before Jeong called the class into order for basketball. Zuko forgot his worries for a bit as he faced off against Sokka's and then Toph's teams in basketball, though Toph was only good at blocking people in basketball, not really knowing where the ball was most of the time. But, all too soon, the class was over and
Fong was driving them all back to Toph's house and Zuko's mood darkened.
XXXXX
Toph wondered about Zuko. He was too moody, even for him, as they drove back home from school. She had tried to lighten his mood throughout the day, and it had worked. He had even made her smile when all she wanted to do was beat Hahn up at lunch, but something had happened between lunch and gym and now he was moodier than when she had first met him, and that was saying a lot for her boyfriend. Her cousin wasn't in that great of a mood either and Toph wondered if Jun and Zuko had had an argument. Something was brooding and there was going to be an out-lash soon. Toph just had to make sure she controlled it, or at least make sure her two favorite people didn't make her choose between them. And, to top it all off, Toph felt a storm coming, of a different sort. When Fong finally stopped the car and opened her door for her, she felt her skin prickle as the temperature started dropping and the pressure was changing. She could also feel a wind starting to pick up from the north and her gut told her it was a big storm coming. Zuko was standing, facing Jun, but Toph took his hand and dragged him inside.
"Whatever it is, we can discuss it inside. There's a storm coming," she told him and heard him nod, though he seemed startled. "You too, Jun."
She heard her cousin nod as well and follow them both inside and Toph sighed as she felt the warmth of her house and smelled tea brewing.
"Ah, good afternoon Nephew, Toph," Iroh said in a hearty tone as Toph heard her mother and Zuko's mother turn towards them from the kitchen table. Iroh seemed to stop short in his welcoming and Toph figured it had to do with Zuko and Jun. Once everyone was in the large room, Toph turned to her cousin. "Ok, spill it. What don't we know and why are you both so agitated. You're both making my skin crawl worse than the coming storm with your bad moods."
She smiled wryly as she heard both Zuko and Jun turn towards her in shock before Zuko turned to Jun.
"You first," Zuko said in an irritated tone. "We can't be left out of the loop, and you kept us there, not informing us of what you told Long Feng. And what's up with you and Zhou? How does he know me?!"
Toph heard the anger and anguish in Zuko's tone as he got angrier and just laid a hand on his arm, trying to comfort him, though she knew she wasn't good at comforting like Katara was. It seemed to work, though, for his stance seemed to loosen and his muscles relaxed slightly under her hand.
"You've had this happen before, haven't you?" Jun simply asked and Toph waited, withdrawing her hand when she heard Zuko nod and then turn as if he was looking at his mother.
"Yes…when my mom was going to the nursing home. I…we were meeting her there and a big rig lost control and took out the car ahead of her. Its brakes were cut, and she was supposed to be in the car it did hit. I thought she was dead, I saw the accident."
Toph heard Zuko strain to get the words out and took his hand in hers. She was surprised, but happy when he squeezed her hand, pulling her a little closer to himself.
"I read about that, and Iroh threw a huge fit at Director for that change in plans, and the supposed leak. We found out they were using an old radio band and figured Ozai listened in on it," Jun replied sadly as Toph heard Ursa get up and move towards her and Zuko.
"It was a last minute change, but I'm glad I'm ok, and you as well," Ursa said as she hugged her son. Toph let go of Zuko, but stayed close as Zuko stood stiffly, hugging his mother, but turning back to Jun once Ursa let him go.
"You still didn't answer me," Zuko told Jun shortly as Toph heard Ursa move back to sit next to Jasmine, Iroh helping her into the chair.
Jun sighed and pulled a chair out to sink into it. "I didn't mean to, but Long Feng changed some things last minute, you heard me in his office. He was supposed to talk to me first about anything. Jeong and Pakku just told him a man was after you and is now going after Toph because of your association with each other and that you're in witness protection. Zhou…now that's a long story."
Toph heard Zuko cross his arms over his chest and a frown was in his tone when he spoke. "We have time," he said and Toph sighed and pulled a chair out, sinking into it. It was a long story, and she wasn't sure how much she herself did or did not know. She smiled at Iroh as she heard him come towards her and smelled a hot cup of tea before he handed it to her.
Jun sighed, but a smile was in her tone when she spoke. "Fine, Prince Pouty. Zhou and I went to college together. Same major, same classes, etc. No, Toph, he wasn't my boyfriend. Almost hooked up, glad we didn't now. Well, long story short, he failed the tests to get into the FBI, while I aced them. He blamed me for a lot of things, and went on to become a teacher. I know he's kept in contact with a few of his frat brothers who did make it in and they probably filled him in on Ozai. Since your old man went psycho, every agent has been after him. It's not just of what he did to you and your mother, though a lot of who knew Ursa were shocked about that, but because he's killed other agents. People he used to work with. Killing, we can see that; the stress gets to people. But killing an agent, one of your own, that's a death sentence for anyone, no matter who they are. Well, Zhou did some research this weekend and found out the truth of who you were. I think he's always known, or at least had an idea, but now he knows it was Ozai and Azula there."
"How could he have known?" Iroh asked in a calm voice.
"Mai told me about that," Zuko said in an agitated tone. "We need to stop using family names."
Toph was confused and was sure her mother was too, but everyone else seemed to understand. "Mind explaining?" she asked when everyone else remained silent.
"Roku Sage, Ursa's grandfather, used to be an agent, back when it was forming up," Jun said. "It's said he was one of the best, though many didn't trust him because he was Asian. He was best friends with another person, a politician who many didn't trust either."
"Sozin Agni, my grandfather," Iroh said sadly. "Their friendship fell apart because of Sozin's beliefs, though Roku always hoped they could mend things."
"Ok, so Roku's not your last name?" Toph asked Zuko and heard him shrug.
"No, Agni is. I told you we've changed names, but now only change our last names."
"Yeah, you did," Toph replied with a smile. "Just didn't put it together with so much info coming at me at the time."
"Well, Zhou doesn't like me, and is trying to backstab me any way he can and still not reveal anything," Jun sighed. "But there are three things I need to discuss with all of you."
Toph nodded, taking a sip of Iroh's excellent tea and heard everyone else nod, though Zuko remained standing.
"First, there's this weekend," Jun said and Toph's attention was peaked, fully riveted on her cousin at these words. She groaned in despair, remembering that it was Veteran's Day that week, and they would be having a three day weekend. And, because of that, her family went to one of their other houses on that weekend.
"I know Toph," Jun said in an understanding tone. "And with the big artic storm coming in, it will be worse for you. The Bei Fongs usually go to their house in the mountains for the holiday weekend every year. It's a nice, small, town and relies heavily on their ski resorts, so it's a seasonal town. Lao called me earlier and reminded me of the weekend, and that he had set up a meeting with a few prospective clients there Friday. Since Toph will be going, Iroh, I need you and your family to come too."
"That will be no problem," Iroh said cheerfully. "It's been a while since I've been in a mountain town."
"And the fresh air will do me some good," Ursa said gently.
Toph heard her cousin turn towards Zuko, but he remained silent. "Also, when I was pulled away at lunch, Jeong informed me of something he had been planning. A martial arts tournament. The date has been moved up from mid December to Thanksgiving weekend. He had hoped you both could be in it, and he wants you to help choose who else will go. There will be ten contestants with two backups."
"I won't fight," Zuko declared. "And I can't, not with this cast."
"Jeong thought you might say as much," Jun said smugly. "Which is why you'll be a backup. We talked it over, but he hopes you and Toph will still help decide who else will go."
Toph could almost feel the tension in the room escalate, but Jun seemed to take it in good stride. "Don't worry, you have two weeks until that. This weekend will be cold, and since the storm's going to hit tomorrow and last for 2 days, you two will stay here in the afternoons and don't forget to pack winter clothes."
"You said there were three things," Zuko stated.
"Yeah, I did," Jun said in her usual tone before she turned serious. "Your sister wants to talk to you. In fact, she says she won't say a word about anything, except to you. We can't use our usual methods since she's a minor, so you need to see her."
"No," Zuko said and Toph heard the anger in his voice as she heard him rake a hand through his hair.
"Maybe I could…" Ursa started, but Toph heard Jun shake her head.
"No, she said only Zuko, and no one else. Zuko, we need to find out if Ozai told her anything."
"Don't you think I know that?!" Zuko snapped before he started to pace. "I don't know, let me think about it," he said. "Mrs. Bei Fong, may I use the dojo?"
"It's all yours," Jasmine replied sweetly and Toph heard Zuko nod and then walk quickly towards the dojo. "Is he going to be all right?" Jasmine asked once Zuko was gone.
"He just needs to blow some steam off," Toph replied. "And I do too. Thanks, for filling us in," Toph told her cousin with a smile before she followed Zuko. She heard Ursa reassuring Jasmine that Zuko would be ok, and Jasmine saying that it was a lot of information for anyone to cope with in one day and the blind girl knew her mom understood. She heard a dull pounding as she neared the dojo and leaned against the doorframe as she heard Zuko hitting and kicking the punching bag. She knew he was aware of her, but he continued to pound on the punching bag for a while before he stopped after a powerful kick, breathing heavily.
"Thought you weren't supposed to hit anything," Toph said as she threw a towel at him.
"I'm not hitting with my right hand," Zuko replied as he wiped his face off. "Though I wish I could."
Toph just nodded and kicked off her shoes before moving onto the mat. "Come on, I need to blow off some steam too. Dumbass put me in almost as bad of a mood as you've got, and this coming storm is making my skin crawl."
She was surprised as Zuko laughed. "You could never be in a bad mood."
"Wanna bet?" Toph growled and Zuko just chuckled before sinking into his own stance on the mat, facing her.
"Ok, you could be, and you've been pissed at me before, but I have more issues," he said before he punched in towards her right shoulder.
"Yeah, you do," Toph smirked, blocking before jabbing in towards his stomach. Zuko remained silent for a bit as they continued to exchange blows, mostly blocking each other, but occasionally catching an incoming limb and trying to get a hold on the other, but neither could.
"So who do you think would be good for the tournament?" Toph asked after she got out of a hold.
"Sokka, Aang, Katara, Angie, Chuck, Bee, Longshot, and maybe Li," Zuko replied easily as he jabbed in and she caught his wrist, turning it. He ducked under her arm and grabbed it, turning her so that her back was to him.
"With me, that's nine, we need one more and one more backup," Toph said as she tried to get out of his grip and trip him at the same time.
"I'm not going to be a backup," Zuko growled.
"You probably won't even have to fight, but only the backups can get as close to the action as you'll have to be," Toph said as she struggled against him. His height was working for him and he kept shifting his feet as she tried to trip him. "Besides, Jun will need to watch both of us, and it'll be easier with you close to me" She finally got her wrist out of his hold and ducked low as he tried to grab her again, turning and tripping him in one easy movement. Toph smiled as she heard Zuko fall, but then he had jumped to his feet again and was kicking towards her head. "What do you think of Haru? Or some of the freshmen? They're getting better."
"Maybe Haru," Zuko said as he edged away from her jabs as she continued to jab towards his right side, knowing he couldn't block those effectively. "Not Hahn, he's probably the worst."
"No, the only way I'd pick him would be to fight him," Toph said with a smile.
"We'll ask the others," Zuko replied and suddenly he was within her range and had grabbed her arm and tripped her. They both fell and Toph tried to get a hold on him, but only managed to lock his right arm to his side, but he had her other arm and his weight held her down. She smelled his unique scent and smiled at him as she felt his breath on her face.
"Feel better?"
"Much," he replied before he kissed her. Toph melted into the kiss, thinking about how he tasted like cinnamon, and loving every second of it until she heard footsteps coming towards them down the hall. With regret, she stopped the kiss and Zuko eased off of her and was then helping her up.
"So, what are you going to do?" Toph asked.
"I guess I have to see her," Zuko sighed. "I hate it, but if it will help catch him, I'll talk to her."
Toph just nodded as Jun stopped in the doorway with Nyla.
"What's your decision?" the FBI agent asked in her sultry voice as if she already knew the answer.
"We're going to see her tomorrow," Zuko replied. "If Azula wants to tell me something, she can tell me."
With that, Zuko tossed a clean towel to Toph and they both cleaned up before heading to the family room to start on their homework and Toph noticed the temperature had dropped dramatically as her skin continued to crawl from the pressure change. A big storm was coming, but Toph wasn't sure if it was just weather, or something else.
A/N: Don't forget to review!
