Chapter 4 - The Night Before
So it turns out I started writing this 5 years ago with no real plot was mostly ramblings, but now that I have a job that allows me excessive cp usage, I was able to construct a minor plot for my story. Not sure how many chapters it will be as I'm still writing it as I go, but now I have a backbone to work off of. It's still about TophxAang though, I swear! This will turn out to be an actual story guys! - as always, I own nothing. On with the show!
In the west wing of the Fire Nation Palace
Katara was exploring the halls, her fingers outstretched, lightly grazing the intricate patterns of the wall's decor. She'd arrived over an hour ago, and was surprised none of the others were here yet. Aang had left before her, so she'd assumed he would arrive before her too. When she landed, only a young servant boy greeted her. He was very sweet and told her the Prince and Fire Lord would return by sunset, and in the meantime, he'd show her to her quarters. Well the sun had set, and she still hadn't seen anyone.
'Where can they be?' she pondered, yawning as she rounded a corner and entered her room, leaving the door open behind her. She gazed around her room, covered in lavish decorations, and at the center of the far wall was a large bed. She strode over to it, and reached up to feel the felt canopy that hung down around the bed's sides. Then sat experimentally on the edge of it, marveling at the softness, 'wow, the Fire Nation Nobles really know how to live in comfort,' she mused. This wasn't her first time staying at the Palace, she'd been here many times over the years, but each time she was blown away by the difference between this place and her snowcovered home.
She continued her exploration, finding a private washroom to the left of her room, as well as balcony doors to the right of her bedside. It was situated so that, when she laid in bed, she could always see the sky. A smile crept onto her face as she stepped out onto the balcony, surprised that the moon and stars had already taken their place in the sky. Holding the railing, she looked out over the Palace grounds, and took in a breath of the night air.
"I hope you like your room," a voice rasped quietly behind her, causing the girl to whip around quickly. Standing in the balcony doorway was Zuko, he'd seen her door open and went inside, hoping to see her before she turned in for the night. Now he looked at her, bathed in moonlight with his proud nation as her background. 'As beautiful as ever,' he sighed mentally.
"Zuko," she breathed, eyes wide as she took in his form. He was wearing casual clothes, the thin material stretched across his broad chest and clung to his form. She couldn't take her eyes off him, forgetting he'd just spoken.
He cleared his throat and gestured behind her, "I made sure you were close to the turtle-duck pond below." She turned and looked directly below them, and he interjected, "you know, in case of intruders, you'll have all that water to use." He mentally slapped himself, 'stop babbling you fool!"
Turning back to face him she had gained her composure again, and warmly smiled at her old friend. "I see, that is useful," she supplied, before taking the few steps to stand in front of him. "Thank you for being so considerate of my safety, Prince Zuko," there was mirth in her eyes as she gazed up at him. "It's so good to see you," she added, before taking another step and enveloping him in a hug, mumbling her next words into his chest, "I've missed you."
The Prince heard them just fine, and wrapped his arms around her form and pulled her closer, "Yeah, me too-" he stuttered a little, "but for you. I mean- I've missed you too Katara." Resting his cheek on her head as they continued to hug. Slowly they released each other.
Katara wiped at her eyes, noticing a few tears had gathered there, "oh Toph is right, I am such a cry baby," she laughed, "by the way, have the others arrived yet?" She was glad to be with Zuko again, but she missed her other friends terribly too.
"Yeah, Uncle and I actually just returned from retrieving Toph at her parents estate. I also received a letter, announcing Sokka and Suki's arrival tomorrow afternoon." He paused then, seeing her excitement grow.
"Toph is here?" she all but yelled, "why didn't you say so? Let's go see her!" Katara hadn't seen the little dirtball in so long, she missed her terribly.
"Whoa, slow down, it's getting late and Toph actually turned in early today. Said something about the boat ride making her sick. We will have plenty of time with her tomorrow." He sounded so mature, Katara wanted to rush right over to her friends room and bother her, but Zuko was right, there'd be plenty of time tomorrow.
"Okay, you're right, what about-" she paused and sighed, "have you seen Aang yet? We got into a fight earlier and I haven't seen him since. I'm starting to get worried." It wasn't the monks fault she was so irritable lately, well in a way it was, but she didn't have to snap at him as much as she did. She felt bad for the way she'd treated him.
Zuko nodded, "he got here just as we were returning from Garoling. He also turned in early, by the way I hope you don't mind, but the Palace has a policy that forbids unmarried couples to share the same rooms. I know it's an ancient law, I'm working to get it changed, but for now you and Aang will need to have seperate rooms."
He trailed off, expecting her to get angry about the made up rule. To his relief she nodded, "I understand, we can't escape traditions. Maybe me and Aang need some time apart anyway." Her eyes seemed to look somewhere over his shoulder as she thought out loud, "we have been fighting lately, i'm sure a bit of space will help us both." Coming to her senses, Katara refocused on Zuko's face and smiled sheepishly, "ah, but you don't need to hear all the details." She shook her head and brushed past him, returning to her room.
Zuko turned too, following her in, stopping short to rub the back of his neck, "I don't mind, he mentioned something similar earlier actually." He was confused why they'd been having problems, Aang was the Avatar, and his greatest friend. While Katara, he mentally sighed, was the most beautiful, passionate creature he'd ever laid eyes on. They were perfect for each other, but both of them had complained of fights. He couldn't imagine what was creating all these problems for them.
"Well, I'd rather not dwell on that right now actually," she sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed, playing with her hair absentmindedly. "What about your love life? How is dear Mai?" she chuckled, she'd never gotten along with the woman, far too monotonous for her tastes.
The Prince winced slightly at her name, rolling his shoulders and clearing his throat, he spoke more to the ceiling than Katara, "Well actually, we broke up not too long ago." Then he laughed and shook his head, his eyes finding her's again, "It's okay you don't have to give me that face, it was for the best I think. She wasn't happy here, and if I'm honest, I'm glad she's gone." He felt a bit bad for putting it like that, but it was the truth. The last months she was in the Palace she was always glued to his side. He could barely use the washroom without her following him in!
Katara soaked in his words and flailed for something to say, "er, well I'm still sorry. I wish I'd have known. You'll be plenty happy without her though, you've got us now!" She surmised that he really was okay with being single again. Still, though she didn't like the woman, they were together for 4 years after the war. A person gets used having companionship. She knew what that was like.
This earned a wide smile from the Prince, "yeah, I know." He checked the candle that had been lit near her doorway, noticing how much wax had been burned. "Well, I suppose I should head to bed, early day tomorrow." He began to head towards the door, only to be stopped by a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned and Katara was there, grasping the material tightly.
"I-" she started, "I really am glad to see you again Zuko," she supplied weakly. She had to make sure he knew how grateful she was. Not only for the room, but for being there for her all these years.
"I know Katara," he replied, turning fully to grasp her hand, "and I'm glad to see you too. Tell you what, I may need some help tomorrow with some of the last minute preparations for the Celebration. Do you think you could accompany me? I could use someone with an air for decorating, and Toph won't be much help with that."
"Of course! I'd love to help out! When do we start?" Grateful to have a purpose she practically jumped for joy.
He pat her hand lightly, "ah patience, I'll come fetch you tomorrow morning, just after first light." He bent his head and gave her another hug, tighter than the last, and murmured into her hair "sleep well Katara." Then he disappeared into the hallway, her door closing softly.
She stood in her spot for a while, a smile cracked over her face. "Sleep well Zuko," she whispered into her quiet room.
In the East Wing of the Fire Nation - that same Night
Aang walked slowly down the long corridor. He'd never been on this side of the palace, usually when he visited his room was in the West Wing. He noticed that this side had a lot more statues than paintings, and the walls had the appearance of rich wood. On closer inspection he noticed the walls were actually made of stone, and were simply painted to look like wood. With an idea he stopped, and stepped into a horse stance, legs spread wide, and stomped a foot. His seismic senses stretched, just as Toph had taught him, and he was amazed. The whole wing was basically all stone and metal, but it didn't look it at all. At the end of the hall was a set of large metal doors.
Intrigued, he continued on, passing what he assumed was his own room, and stepped up to the large doors. The door frame was impossibly detailed, the lines and shapes winding up and around the doors. In the middle of the doors was an impression of a flying boar insignia. The Avatar traced the pattern with his fingers and mumbled to himself, "Toph's family crest." He leaned his head on the door, remembering the first vision he had of Toph, they were so little then. A fond smile crept over his face as he remembered their times together.
'My Gods she's changed though,' he thought to himself, 'its crazy what a year can do to a person.' Though if he was honest, he'd been noticing Toph's changes for some time now. She wasn't a little girl anymore, and within the last year she'd fully become a woman, and a beautiful one at that.
'If a year changed her that much physically, I wonder what else has changed," but then quickly chided himself. Toph was the strongest person he knew, and the most stubborn. There was no way she'd let time away from them change who she was.
Suddenly the door he was leaning on opened, and being so deep in thought, he lost his balance, falling forward with a shout. His fall was broken by strong, small arms catching him, hands firm but gentle. "Jeez Twinkletoes, if you wanted to come in you could have just knocked," Toph smirked and said sarcastically. "What are you doing wondering the halls at this time anyway? Don't you know how late it is?"
Aang finally gained composure and straightened himself. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he laughed, "thanks Toph. I was just exploring, I've never been in this wing before, Zuko always has me stay in the West Wing." He paused for a beat, then teases her, "and how do you even know what time it is? It's actually still early, the sun only set a bit ago."
Toph shrugged, "well no, I can't imagine Sparky would let anyone stay in my wing, he made it for me you know." She was grinning now, "come on in, since apparently it's still early," she spun in place and disappeared into the dark room, Aang close on her heels.
He shut the door behind them and was suddenly enveloped into darkness, he tapped his foot, getting a general idea of the room, Toph stood just in front of him, facing away from him. He lit a small flame in his palm and her backside was illuminated. She was dressed a short green sleeping gown, and not much else. 'Wow, she really did think it was late,' he chuckled mentally before addressing her once more, "Wait, Zuko built this wing just for you?"
"Technically I made it, but he designed it," turning slowly she felt the mild heat from his flame, no doubt helping him to see, she'd forgotten to light any candles. Not that it mattered to her, but she supposed her guests deserved to see her masterpiece regardless of the time of day. "If you light those candles over there, you could see the best part," she supplied, gesturing to the candles in the corners of her room.
The avatar turned, and a few precise punches and kicks later, the room was dimly lit, and his gaze roamed the room, noticing the relatively bare walls. Two doors were positioned on either side of the room, one open and containing her washroom, the other was closed. There were a few sculptures lining the walls, each one made out of different materials; sand, metal, rock, and dirt he could recognize, but there were also a few he didn't.
He drew his attention to the bed centered in the room, it's base made of marble, but the top looked soft. His eyes trailed upward, and he could see what Toph meant by the 'best part'. Above her bed was a giant mural, etched into the stone wall. He'd never seen a mural made with earthbending, but he could say this had to be the best in the world. It had all 6 of them, each in their own fighting stance, looking fierce. He gaped up at it, the detail impossibly well done. When he found words again he glanced at her, "Toph, this has to be the greatest thing i've ever seen! Did you make it?"
She scoffed at him, "of course I did, do you know any other earthbenders who'd think to use their bending like that?" She smirked, proud of her work, glad that Aang liked it too.
He had to agree, Toph was always trying to come up with new ways to use her earthbending skills. "Okay, fair enough, but how did you get the detail done so well? Our faces I mean-" Peering a little closer at the art, he could see their distinct facial structures, and he voiced his confusion again, "how is this possible?"
She rolled her eyes, climbed on the bed, and walked up to the wall to 'admire' her artwork. Aang quickly scrambled up and stood next to her, also inspecting the stone. With a small smile she reached her hand out and pressed it flat to the wall, giving her a clear picture of it, "Sparky had his head painter draw your faces with this special metal paint and I was able to 'see' your faces. From there it was easy, since I've 'seen' you guys in combat for so long I know your wimpy fighting stances." She grinned then, and turned to face him, her hand still on the wall. "I gotta say twinkles, you're a lot more handsome than I thought you'd be."
The avatar continued looking at her mural, a blush spreading up his neck at her teasing. He coughed and turned his focus to her again, "well you know Toph, you- you're looking good since I saw you last too. Er- Not that you didn't look good before- I just-" he sputtered, and tripped over his words. 'Agh! What is happening to me! It's just Toph, pull yourself together!'
Though she tried to ignore his statement, she felt her cheeks heat at his words. She tried to shake it off and laughed haughtly, "that's what puberty does, I guess. Turns the ugly girls into good lookin' ladies." Her voice wavered on the last word and her jaw tightened.
Aang felt his hands clench hearing her negative remark, "You shouldn't say those things, you were never ugly Toph," he relaxed his hands and reached over, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "And I won't hear you call yourself that again."
The earthbender was definitely blushing now, and she wasn't sure she liked it. She huffed and stepped out of his reach, "I can say whatever I want, and what's it matter if I call myself, or anyone else ugly? It's not like I can see them anyway." She waved her hand in front of her eyes for her point, and then swiftly jumped off her bed. Deciding she didn't want to continue this conversation, she walked to her balcony doors and opened them, stepping out into the moonlight.
Toph felt him follow her and she ventured out to the railing, which she knew looked out over her training grounds. A large portion of land had been cleared for her, with stairs from her balcony leading right to it. She sighed when he appeared beside her again, "this part of the palace is new," she started, attempting to change the subject. "Hotpants had it installed while I was back home with my parents." Her face changed to a grin of mischief, and she swept her arms out wide, gesturing to her space, "I finally have a place to kick these soldiers' butts into gear, they got sloppy since I've been gone." She made a fist then, punching it into her other palm, imagining it was the soldiers heads, she cackled, "They are in for a rude awakening come tomorrow."
Aang knew she was just trying to change the subject, but all this new information intrigued him. Though he enjoyed seeing her blush, as she didn't normally, he decided not to push it. He swept his gaze over her training grounds and was again amazed with the amount of effort Zuko put into Toph's living in the Palace. He knew they were best friends, and the pair did spend a lot of time together after the war, but it was still surprising. She was an earthbender, the greatest of all time, yet she chose to put down roots here instead of her own nation. Aang decided he'd have to ask Zuko about it later. His ears perked when she mentioned her home in Garoling.
He laughed, addressing her last point first, "Yeah, I heard the soldiers are all prepping for a good buttkicking tomorrow." He leaned against the railing and propped his head on his hand, looking at Toph. She really did look beautiful, and he was again surprised at the thought. From what he could tell she didn't change all that much. She still looked like Toph, but now she was more- more something. He couldn't put his finger on it. A question had been on his mind for the last year he'd been without her, "Why did you leave Toph?"
The girl rolled her shoulders, knowing this question was bound to come up. "Ah yeah, I guess you could say I went through a rough patch. Just had to go home for a bit and get stuff figured out. Why, did you miss me that much Twinkletoes?" She smirked as she teased him, but scoffed to herself, 'yeah right, he was probably too busy with Sugar Queen to notice I was gone.'
"Of course I missed you," he responded immediately, knowing it to be true. He thought of the girl often, if he was honest, especially in the year she was gone. He had actually planned to go see her a few months ago, but decided against it. Her father was still upset with Aang and he doubted he'd have been able to see her in the first place. She blushed again hearing his words and he smiled, "You know, whatever you were going through, you could have come to me about it. Er- or the rest of the Gaang, we have eachothers backs, you know that." He continued gazing at her, the full moon making it easy to pick out her features, her eyes glowing from the dim light.
Toph laughed loudly at this, "no, I really don't think this problem could have been solved with any of you guys. But don't you worry your pretty bald head about it Twinkles, I won't be leaving again for a while. This is my home as far as I'm concerned." She'd always secretly liked how compassionate Aang could be, though she'd never admit it. In the years after the war she noticed Twinkles maturing a little. She wondered if he had changed anymore in the year she'd been gone. His heartbeat didn't lie, he had missed her when she left, and she certainly missed him too.
"I can't think of anything in this world that I couldn't help you with," he mused, "what happened?" He paused, waiting for her to answer. She had turned herself away from him again, seemingly ignoring him. He remembered her leaving, and how angry and sad it made him. He also remembered feeling like he'd never see her again, and how much it hurt. He took a step toward her, so they were only inches apart and stared down at her. The anger from her leaving arose again, and an accusing edge entered his voice, "you just left, it took weeks for Iroh to tell us where you'd gone, and even then he couldn't say when you'd be back! What could have been so bad to make you leave? Why do you have to be so emotionally unavailable all the time! When will you realise it's okay to ask for help?"
She internally winced at his words, knowing them to be true. As soon as she left last year, she regretted not talking to Aang about it. 'How the heck was I supposed to tell him about my body problems though? That's not just something you do in normal conversation!' she thought, upset at how complicated 'blossoming' was. To add to it, when she left, she was so embarrassed she couldn't even say goodbye to them, choosing to give the task to Pops instead. In a matter of moments she was swept into her memories, vividly remembering the feelings she had about her changing body. She remembered being angry, confused, and totally out of control, which was not something she was used to. A tear slipped down her cheek without her notice.
Aang mentally slapped himself, not for the first time today, at his outburst. He had no right to question her actions, no matter how they made him feel. He knew Toph wouldn't have left if it wasn't for a good reason. She turned her head and her dark hair blew out of her face, revealing a tear streak down her pale cheek. He felt his heart squeeze, thinking he caused her tears and he impulsively reached for her. He wrapped his arms around her slight form and pulled her close. She didn't move at first, allowing him to rest his chin on the top of her head. 'Maybe she has changed, she never would have let me touch her like this before,' he mused to himself. To the girl in his arms he spoke quietly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to press you so hard. I was so sad when you left," he relented, squeezing her lightly, assuring himself she was still there. "But you're right, you're here now and that's all that matters."
Toph was pulled from her thoughts when he embraced her, at any other time she'd have punched him, or at least pulled away from his grasp. At the moment though, Toph found it quite comforting, a feeling she wasn't used to. Normally she only let Prince Hotpants touch her in such a familiar way, but this seemed different than the hugs and embraces her adoptive brother often gave her. She was so close to his chest here, she hardly needed her earthbending to feel his heartbeat. She noticed it was faster than she remembered, but it was steady. With an internal nod to herself she slowly turned in his arms to hug him back, their bodies pressed tightly together. "It's okay Twinkles," she mumbled into his shirt, "I get it."
They stayed quiet for a while, enjoying the comfort they brought each other. Aang had to sigh, the feeling of contentment washing over him. This little woman fit perfectly in his arms, and marveled at how good it felt to have her there. When she pulled away he almost wimpered, almost pulled her back to him, but caught himself. He shook himself mentally while looking up at the moon, "I should probably go to my room, it's starting to get late, and it's a big day tomorrow."
"Yeah," she agreed, yawning and stretching her arms out, "I think i'll be turning in too. Gotta be nice and rested for the soldiers tomorrow." Her trademarked smirk returned and she gestured behind them, sticking her thumb in the direction of the spare door, "if you're going to your room, there's a shortcut through there."
"What do you mean shortcut?" Aang mused out loud, as he strode to the door. Opening it he found a short walkway, leading into another bedroom. Once inside his own room he turned back to face Toph, who was holding the door open from her side. "Toph, we have adjoining rooms?"
"Yeah, when I first moved in here Sparky gave me my own lady in waiting. Poor woman only lasted a few days, and after that I just used it as a guest room," the earthbender explained with a shrug. "Night Twinkles. Oh, and don't get any ideas about sneaking in here, I sleep naked," she teased, before shutting the door, removing her from his view.
Aang groaned internally as thoughts of naked Toph raced through his mind. His fingers twitched when his thoughts turned more detailed, imagining what her silky skin would feel like under his fingertips. What she must taste like. The airbenders attention was suddenly taken by an ache in his manhood. He looked down to discover himself very hard. His eyes grew wide and he was suddenly very aware it was Toph that had made him so aroused. He stumbled back and sat on his bed, his elbows propped on his knees, and his head in his hands. 'What is happening to me?!' Aang thought to himself, 'no matter how she's changed, she is still Toph, why am I suddenly feeling this way?'
The avatar flopped back on his bed, throwing his arms over his eyes, his thoughts drawn to the other woman that (mostly) returned his affections for the last 5 years. 'How can I do this to Katara?' He tried to rationalise to himself, 'maybe it's just because I missed Toph so much, that has to be it. Maybe after spending a few days with her it will go away.' With that, he climbed under the covers and settled into bed. He slipped into a restless sleep, his dreams filled with hauntingly green eyes.
Late that night/early the next morning
Azula peered out the small window, watching as the moon began its descent. Her piercing eyes roamed the scenery, while her mind calculated the strange interaction between her and the traitor earlier. She had come to the Princess and practically begged for forgiveness. Azula scoffed to herself, 'pathetic creature. Humans are such frivolous beings, just when you think you know someone, they defy you for your wishes and turn on you.'
She turned from the window, and began to pace slowly around her cell. Her eyes analyzing every inch of her surroundings. The far wall was covered in scratch marks from her first days in the cell, the cracks covered in dried blood from her fingertips. She examined her fingernails, they'd grown back but were unkept. Reaching up, she felt her mop of hair. It had grown longer while she was caged, but without regular washing and brushing, it had become unruly. Her lip curled up in a grimace as she thought of her environment.
For the millionth time she thought back to that day. If that stupid girl wouldn't have been with Zuzu, the Princess could have killed him honorably in their Agni Kai. She was sent to rot in the disgusting cell ever since, with only the occasional guard stopping in to serve her revolting slop. For the first few years, she contemplated death, anything would have been better than the conditions she was in. They kept a watchful eye on her, taking away any sharp objects. She lashed out at the soldiers, attacking them when they'd come to feed her. To keep this from happening, every time she'd attack them, they would stop feeding her for a few days. The Princess fell into survival mode after the 5th time, deciding she'd rather plot to escape than die a coward's death.
Once she had calmed down, and stopped attacking the soldiers, they seemed to let their guard down. Deciding the Princess was no longer a threat, they put a new recruit in charge of her schedule. The same woman came everyday, and shortly after, Azula noticed her slop was slightly easier to endure. She remembered catching the woman's eyes through her helmet once, and was interested in the determined glint they held.
With this possible insubordinate soldier and the traitor Mai visiting her previously, Azula had to smile. Her lips curled up and she began to pace again, 'something is changing around here.' She could feel it, all she had to do now was wait.
That's it my friends! Took me a long time to put a 4th chapter out, but here it is! I just noticed my tophxaang hasn't been moving as fast as i'd hoped but I tried to put a bit a fluff in this one! It's also like half the chapter! I know I said I put more plot to this story but it is supposed to be ALL about TOPH, so don't get upset that I cut all the rest of them back a little xD - we should see