"You mean, Snoozles... Did this to you?" Toph's sightless sea-foam green eyes lowered into a squint as she ran a finger over one of Zuko's wounds. Amazingly enough, she didn't seem appalled by the blood she encountered on his bloodied cheek. She blinked before removing her hand from his still face, swiping at the water she was so near- she'd been sitting on a boulder near the river's edge when the Prince stumbled into the area. As soon as she was sure all the blood was gone from her finger, she extracted it from the water's surface and wiped it dry on her pants, which had been curled upward so she could dip her legs into the water without getting her clothing wet.

"Snoozles?" Zuko asked incredulously- that did not sound very manly. He leaned further toward the water, letting loose a low hiss when a deep cut, inflicted by one of the countless branches, met water.

"Sokka," she explained calmly, kicking at the water once more. "I know Mr. Loudmouth can be.. Uh," she continued to search for the correct wording, but came up short. "I don't know. Forget I ever said that."

"Sure," atleast the blind earthbender usually held her tongue when she was around the Prince. She was one of the only ones who didn't criticize him about every little thing. Best part was, was that she didn't know about his scar. She couldn't see his features- she couldn't see his mark of weakness. Though, he was sure that the Water Tribe idiot had informed her of it.

As if reading his mind, she spoke. "We've all been wondering. Or atleast, most of us," she paused. "How'd you get your scar?"

He let out a grunt of surprise and pain- she'd asked that question, just as he'd lowered his throbbing bruised leg into the small watersource. "Wait." He scowled at her, not realizing she wouldn't be able to see his angered expression. "Why do I need to explain myself to you?"

"Because, you seem fairly injured- you don't wanna mess with me."

She was right, of course, and Zuko knew it. With one arm broken- as he'd assumed it was- he stood no chance against the master earthbender. He'd seen her skills while he was taking a break from teaching the Avatar firebending.

"I, uh... Burnt myself during a training accident," he smirked at his witty thinking. Toph, though, only frowned.

"You hesitated," she paused. "And your heartbeat quickened. What's the truth?" She inclined her chin in a quick gesture toward the hand that was planted firmly on the boulder.

Damn. Boulder. Boulders were earth too, weren't they? She could 'see' his vibrations.

"Fine," He rolled his eyes, as he tried to come up with another answer. "It really was a training accident, though. I was trying to make lightning, and it back-fired." He was surprised at how sure of himself he sounded. "It just sort of exploded in my face, though I was pointing it toward the mountains."

"You sure of that?" Toph asked.

The Prince sighed, not only from her 'seeing' through his lies, but also the fact that his broken arm was throbbing uncontrollably. "My father," he answered quietly, almost regretfully. "Okay?"

"Your father?" She didn't sound as incredulous as he'd expected her to be. "And finally, the truth comes."

"Zuko!" Katara cried, as she came crashing through a thicket. Just after the answer came out. Sus-pic-ious! (AN: That's just the way I wanted to pronounce it!!)

In one pain-filled swipe, the Prince hid his arm from her line of view. "What?" He growled, hoping to mask the pain from his voice. It didn't work.

"What's with that?" Toph leaned toward him, whispering. "Katara comes near you and your heartbeat speeds up, tenfold?" She smirked rebelliously. "Oooh."

"Yeah, you wish!" He turned his nose upward slightly, almost as if he'd been trained to do so, and scooted away from Toph on the boulder they shared, forgetting to hide his grimace from the bruises on his thighs as they were scraped along rock.

"Lemme see your arm." The waterbender walked forward, stopping just short of the massive rocks. "Zuko, come on."

"Katara, maybe you should-" Sokka was cut short, as the injured teen had turned to give him a death glare. He shrank back a little. "Maybe I'll just go get those fruits..." Without further warning, he scampered into the forest, leaving his sister alone with Toph and the Fire Nation Prince.

Scowling, Zuko turned back toward the water. "I'll be fine," his voice came out in a low growl- half because of his anger, and half because of his current suffering.

"Sure," Aang's earthbending master muttered. Rolling the bottom of her pants down once more, she crawled off the boulder and walked past Katara. "Good luck." She added a soft, "Good riddance." When out of earshot.

The waterbender took a seat next to him on the boulder, sitting on her legs, as she didn't want to get them wet in the water. "Your father really gave you your scar?" She asked in a half-whisper. He only grunted in a reply. "What for?" She inquired gently.

"None of your business!" He hissed, his voice ragged. He closed his golden eyes as he leaned back, cradling his arm gently. "Just go away. I can splint it myself." Unless it's out of its socket. He added mentally, almost as an after-thought.

Unbeknownst to him, the waterbender was gathering a small orb of her element on her left hand, while her right shimmied up his shoulder in a caring caress. He stiffened. "I can help." She whispered. "Just tell me. I'll make the pain go away."

"No." He said in a defiant, firm tone. He attempted to relax his clenched muscles, but it didn't work. They stayed contracted, his heart fluttering madly. Just the pain. He informed himself. It's just the pain making you act this way. A sudden image of Jin pressing her soft lips against his fluttered into his mind, forcing him to mentally groan. You don't think of her like that! His conscience was telling himself. She's practically a peer!

"So tense," she muttered, running her hand against a knot on his back. She gently kneaded at it, hoping to get his mind off of his wound, just long enough for her plan to work. "I'll tell you one secret about myself, if you tell me how you got your scar. I'll even heal you. Just tell me."Seems fair enough, he thought, before grimacing. She didn't need to know! Though, he did have one question on his mind. "Fine." He could've sworn he'd heard her breathe out a sigh of relief. "What's so special about that necklace?" He threw back at her, over his broad shoulder.

"It was my mother's," she elaborated. "It used to belong to my grandmother. It was carved for her many years ago by her arranged husband, Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe." Sexist jerk. She remembered how he'd acted when Aang taught her the waterbending he learned from the Master waterbender. "Gran-Gran ran away, to escape the marriage, and she went to the South Pole. She gave this necklace to my mother, and made her swear that she'd give this to me when I was old enough to be married." Her cerulean eyes seemed to glaze-over with unshed tears. "She gave it to me when the Fire Nation raided our village," her voice wasn't as strong as it had been, previously. "The night she was killed, defending our tribe." She sighed softly, swiping at her traitorous tears. "Your turn."

He, too, sighed, though he sounded exasperated. Should you tell her the truth, or the stupid training accident story? Before his mind had a chance to answer, he was already speaking. "I donned my armor one day, when I was fourteen. I marched up to the war room, but was refused entrance." He stared off into the distance, as if he was daydreaming. "My uncle allowed me inside, because I claimed I wanted to be the best Fire Lord I could be when I took the throne. He only told me that I shouldn't speak out of turn."

"Which also means hold your tongue?" She asked softly, sending him a swift glance from the corner of her eye.

"Exactly." He paused before taking a deep breath and continuing. "When an old general said.." He paused, remembering the exact words. " 'What better to use as bait than fresh meat?' I objected to sacrificing an entirely new recruit to the powerful earthbenders. I was challenged to an Agni Kai, as I spoke out of turn."

"A what?" She queried.

"A fire duel. The most sacred of rites in the Fire Nation." He elaborated calmly.

"Oh." She smiled sadly. "Continue."

"When I turned after the battle began, I was startled to realize it was my own father, and not the elder general." He clenched his jaw's muscles for a moment. "I apologized. I dropped to my knees, begging him to stop, but he wouldn't listen." He took a low tone. " ' You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.' " He sneered at the water's surface. "That's how it happened. He struck me, disallowing me the service of a healer. It was to be my marr, my mark of stupidity. My mark of dishonor." He gritted his teeth. "I got banished, sent to chase the Avatar on a fool's errand. Satisfied?"

The waterbender saw, just before he turned away, a small tear escaping his eyelid. He pretended to scratch at his eye while wiping the tear away. "I don't offer you my pity," she informed him, though she was lying. She wouldn't offer him her pity to his face, anyway. He hissed angrily when her hand touched his broken arm, healing it with the water she'd been collecting.

"I don't need your pity." He whispered when she was done.

I knew he'd say that. She released his arm, satisfied with her quick work. She'd been getting better and better at the healing-gig!

"That's why I offer you no pity, no sympathy." She feigned being emotionless. "Ozai doesn't deserve a son like you." She informed him cooly. Gathering more water, she reached out a hand to his tunic.

Access, den-ied. "What're you doing?" He demanded, sending her a slight glare. He was still attempting to ponder over what she'd just said. Ozai doesn't deserve a son like you. What was that supposed to mean?

"Healing, it's what I do." This time, she succeeded in lifting his shirt, just high enough to get some of the bruises and cuts that lay behind his ripped tunic.

"That's enough," he jerked the fabric from her hand and swung a long leg over the edge of the boulder. He slid down, holding back a grimace.. He was still hurt. "I'm fine." He began to grumble as he walked away, attempting to cover his limp- he began speaking his thoughts aloud. "Why'd you do that, Zuko? You idiot. Just another weakness. You shouldn't have done something so-" his voice was growing quieter as he stalked off, so Katara had to strain to hear him. ".. nothing... stupid... you idiot!" The last part he said loudly, thinking that he was out of range

"Really, Prince Zuko, why'd you do that?" She questioned no one in particular, staring out at what ripples were left on the water's surface.