Chapter 3

"… if you want to."

Zuko watched the blind girl rise to her knees, his heart hammering in his throat. She reached out and her fingers found his jaw line. He kept absolutely still under her touch, a grim expression on his face. Here it was yet again, the moment where someone would see his scar, and they would frown and try to hide their disgust…

"Huh," Toph said, slowly tracing her fingertips around the edge of his scar. "That's not what I expected at all."

He watched her closely, still not moving. "What did you expect?"

She paused, her face unreadable. "I'm… not sure," she said, fingers moving closer to his eye and finding the deeper scar tissue. "It's hard to imagine stuff like this. It's not something I can see through my bending."

He closed his eyes and relaxed slightly as she made no false moves, almost unable to feel her light touch under the dead skin. "I suppose I understand that. I'm just so used to it being the first thing anybody notices about me."

"The first thing I noticed was how quietly you walk," she said, her fingers following the outline of his scar to back to his ear.

He opened his eyes in time to catch her shocked expression. "That's a first for me then," he said, frowning slightly. Her touch moved to the rest of his face, and her shocked expression melted away. He watched her for a moment longer, then shut his eyes again.

"That's what freaked me out so much," she said, matter-of-factly. "People who walk quietly are trying to sneak up on you." Suddenly, she laid her hand flat against his face, her hand resting half on his scar, the other half on normal skin.

"Ah—oh," he said, startled by the sudden stilling of her hand. He managed to not pull his face away, keeping the bizarre moment of truce intact.

"You don't look like I expected you to."

"Ah…"

"A lot better-looking than I had imagined," she said.

His eyes flew open, his face jerking back slightly. She was looking directly at him, her blank eyes not seeing—but that gaze was still piercing. "Thank you," he mumbled, feeling his cheeks warm under her touch.

She grinned and settled back on her heels, hands falling into her lap. "It's been a while since I've been able to picture someone's face that clearly."

He glanced over at her, trying to will the blush in his cheeks away. "Do… do people not let you touch their faces?" He asked lamely, unable to find a better way to phrase the question.

She shrugged, rubbing her fingers together. "I haven't asked anyone in a long time. My parents were the last ones I asked, and I know the features of some of my friends, but…" she shrugged again. "It's not something I really think about too often."

"Oh." A blush flooded his cheeks again, and he scowled. "I suppose you know what a disfiguring scar looks like now," he said, managing to mostly keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Her head was tilted down to her lap; she was still rubbing her fingertips together. "I think it looks cool," she said, so quietly he almost didn't hear.

Zuko stared at the blind girl, wondering if he should pretend he hadn't heard that. "… at least no one ever forgets me when they see me."

She raised her head, a broad grin on her face. "I know I won't!"

A smile touched his own lips, and quickly faded. "Are you going to tell your friends?"

She shrugged, shifting so that she sat cross-legged again. "If they ask me, I might. Though I might when you finally come join us." She shrugged again. "But probably not. Why? Are you going to tell someone?" She teased, smirking.

He looked away at the word 'when.' "I don't have anyone to tell," he said.

She cocked her head to the side. "What about your uncle?"

He took a deep breath, feeling a painful twinge in his ribs. "Uncle and I have… parted ways," he said, heart rate speeding up at the thought of his uncle.

She frowned. "That's sad to hear. He was a very nice man."

"He isn't dead," Zuko said crossly. "I just… decided to go a different direction."

"Is that so…?" She said. There was something in her voice…

"What?"

She shrugged. "Just remembering. He gave me tea once. He's very kind and wise."

Zuko nodded, staying silent. I was an idiot to leave him…

Toph elbowed him out of his brooding thoughts. "I hope you know how lucky you are," she said.

He winced, hand going to cover his arm. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you can see, you have an awesome scar, and you're related to the best teamaker in the world!" She grinned, and pat his cheek. "Not to mention that you survived a fight with the greatest Earthbender in the world! No need to be so gloomy."

He froze at the contact, staring at her grin. That touch was just so… unexpected. "I suppose if you put it that way…" he said.

She laughed, putting both hands behind her head. "And if you're not too injured, then you're really lucky!"

He started to take another deep breath, and changed it to a shallow one as his chest twinged in protest. "I think you cracked a couple of ribs," he admitted, putting a hand to his ribcage. "I'm not really used to ending up with my head under half a ton of rocks."

Her grin slipped. "Oh. Um, sorry about that." She tilted her head away, but Zuko caught the red spreading over her cheeks. "You did tell me not to go easy on you though."

"You don't need to apologize," he said, looking away from her. "Besides, it's hard not to do real damage when you're throwing big rocks around."

"Yeah, Aang is always getting so beat up when we practice."

"Well, he's smaller than I am, so be careful with him," he said, voice grudging with a teasing undertone.

Suddenly, her hand was on his face. "You're grinning," she said, sounding surprised. "I thought I heard something like that in your voice!"

The grin that Zuko hadn't even realized was there disappeared. "I smile sometimes."

She flashed him a grin, her hand moving from his mouth to pat him on the cheek, lingering for just a fraction of a second on his jawline, making his heart thud painfully in his chest. "You should smile more. Mom always said that people look better when they smile."

He felt his face redden again, pulse leaping and calming in response to her words. "I don't think there's much to smile about."

She shrugged. "Find something. I smile because I'm the best and I know that no one can ever beat me. There's got to be something you always smile about. What're you so nervous about anyways?"

The sudden change in topic caught him off guard. "I'm not nervous," he said reflexively.

"Ah, ah, you're lying," she said, wagging a finger back and forth.

He scowled. "It's not very fair that you can do that you know."

She shrugged. "It's not fair that you can see what my face really looks like and I can't," she shot back, folding her arms.

"Well, no, but I can't tell if you're lying just by looking at your face!"

Her ever-present grin widened. "Can't help you there Sparky. And you still haven't answered my question."

He raised his eyebrow. "Sparky?"

"I give people nicknames. Answer the question."

He shook his head, drawing his knees closer in an attempt to ward off the chill of the night. He took as deep a breath as his ribs would allow and let it out in a huff, a small jet of flame escaping between his lips. "I guess… I'm just not used to people touching me so much."

She blinked, a sheepish look crawling over her face. "I, ah, see."

The awkward silence hung thick in the air. Zuko hugged his knees, looking around the star-lit landscape. In the distance, he could see a small flickering light—a campfire.

The Avatar's camp.

A breeze ruffled his hair, brushing across the sweat along his hairline from their earlier fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Toph shiver slightly. Dressed like that, with short sleeves and no shoes, she must've been much colder than he was.

Wordlessly, he held out a hand; flames danced from his fingers and palm, warming the air around him and his companion.

She jumped slightly at the sudden sound of fire, but she scooted closer to the warmth, holding her hands out closer to the flame. "Thanks," she said, doing a fairly good job at hiding the embarrassment in her voice.

He kept his hand steady, watching the flames dance over his fingers. "Most people think fire is only good for destruction," he said quietly.

"It does seem that way, sometimes," Toph said, turning her hands over to warm the back of them. "It's easy to forget about something like this."

Zuko nodded, his fingers twitching slightly as she scooted closer. "Fire is light, protection, warmth… controlled power." He whispered the last, staring at the flames, watching the colors dance.

"That… I can see…" She shifted, and Zuko looked over at her. She sat so that her feet were flat against the ground, her face turned towards the flame. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as though she was concentrating hard.

"Like anything else, it can be used as a weapon," he said, feeling his voice harden. "But that's not all it is."

"What else?" Toph asked, her voice layered with curiosity.

Zuko stared at the flame of his own making. "It's power. A symbol of utter control."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shiver.

"Of course," he continued, "in the hands of amateurs, it's nothing but uncontrolled rage." His lip curled back as Zhao sprang into his mind. That man might have been powerful, but he didn't have a shred of control. Zuko was almost glad he wasn't around to wreak havoc anymore.

Toph pulled away a fraction, though if it was from the heat of the fire or the tone of his voice, he didn't know. "That's what a lot of people see now," she said quietly.

"I know." The flame flickered in response to Zuko's bitterness and confusion, as if stirred by the wind.

Toph frowned, reached out, and grabbed his wrist. "Steady now," she said, taking a deep breath. Her fingers trembled a little before her grip tightened. "Be firm and solid, like the earth."

Startled, his eyes darted to her face. How did she know…? "Fire can't be firm or solid. It's as changing as the air."

"I never said for the fire to be solid, I said for you to be solid," she said, grip tightening as shock loosened his control and the flames danced uncomfortably close to her skin.

He noticed, and extinguished the flame in an instant, twisting his wrist out of her grip. "I am solid," he said, aware that the words were a lie.

If he knew it, then she would too.

"What happened to that steady warmth you had earlier?" she asked, voice challenging… with a tinge of worry too? He wasn't sure. "What changed?"

He looked away, even though she was unable to meet his gaze. "I didn't want to burn you."

She frowned. "You were doing just fine you know."

"I didn't want to burn you," he repeated, the words tasting bitter.

"Here." She grabbed his hand and held it out. "Try again. That shouldn't be too hard, should it?"

He sighed and ignited the flame with ease; this time, it was concentrated, like a jet flame, instead of a normal hearthfire.

She smiled and held her hands out. "There. That's better. It's nice and warm again."

Zuko watched her carefully, to make sure she didn't get close enough to get hurt. "This is what fire should be like…" he said out loud, mostly speaking to himself.

"It's a good form of it," Toph said, warming the back of her hands.

"Azula's fire is blue. It burns hotter than mine." He shifted slightly, wondering why he was telling her this. The flame jets twisted around his fingers, then resumed their steady burn.

"So?" She asked, rubbing her arms with her warm hands. "If yours was any hotter, something like this," he gestured to his outstretched hand, "wouldn't be possible. Your fire is just right."

He looked away, though she couldn't see that his face was coloring again. "But that doesn't change the fact that hers is stronger, and more dangerous."

"I'll stick with the fire that's less likely to burn me, thanks."

Zuko eyed her. "You won't get that chance if Azula and my father succeed," he said, the hand by his side tightening into a fist.

"We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen then, won't we?"

He frowned at her use of plural words. "I don't think that the Avatar is capable of producing enough rage to beat Azula," he said bluntly.

"Well, yeah. Have you ever seen a raging airbender?" She chuckled. "It's pretty funny, actually."

An unwilling smile tugged at Zuko's lips. "I haven't."

"Yeah. All you have to do," she said, leaning over and cupping a hand around her mouth like she was whispering a secret, "is use his fancy staff as a nutcracker." Her grin widened, and in a moment, she was rolling on her back in laughter.

Zuko's own smile widened. "That's terrible, Toph."

She sat up, still chuckling. "Yeah, I know. But it's fun. Besides, if he can't be stubborn enough to get his staff back from me, then there's no way that he's going to become a successful Earthbender."

Zuko shook his head, and they fell into silence, the soft crackling of his fire the only sound.

"You know," Toph said, "I've heard a lot about you from them." She nodded towards the Avatar's camp.

He looked between her and the distant campfire. "I don't think I want to know what it is they've said about me."

"Probably not." She held her hands out to the fire. "But you're not as bad as they've made you out to be."

He watched her warm her hands, feeling his guard drop just a bit. She was truly just like her element—blunt, to the point, and honest. He liked that.

"Thanks," he said out loud.

"You're nice too," she muttered quietly, lips not really moving.

He blinked. "What?"

She turned her head away; in the light, it almost looked as if she was blushing under her bangs. "Nothing."

He looked away from her, to his fire. "Oh."

She took a deep breath, then cleared her throat. "I just said you were nice. That's all."

He swallowed, feeling a lump start to ride in his throat. "Thanks. I… don't think anybody's told me that in a really long time."

She smiled. "Well, it's true. And you're welcome."

He sighed, wishing that the compliment would make him smile too. But the events from the past several months flashed through his mind, and he remembered why nobody called him nice. "Though I don't think the Avatar and his friends would agree with you."

She turned her head back to him, and stuck out her tongue. Zuko blinked at the childish gesture.

"They don't have to," she said. "This is my opinion, and I think you're nice and a good fighter." She waved a hand towards the camp. "Just accept it. What they think doesn't matter."

He shook his head again, feeling his hair tickle his ears, and a smile tug his lips again. "You don't let anyone tell you what to think, do you," he said, amusement and even some admiration leaking out through his voice.

Toph smiled, apparently noticing. "If I did, I wouldn't be me."

He sighed, feeling the slight smile slip away. "It's nice to see someone so fixed on her path."

She turned her face back to the fire, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "You sound… sad. Why?"

He sat still for a long moment, watching the fire twist and dance in his hand. "I guess…" he said quietly, "I guess I envy you."

She looked taken aback. "What? Really?"

"Yeah." He fell quiet again, trying to figure out how to explain what he meant. His thoughts were uncomfortably scattered. "You know exactly what you're going for."

"It helps to have a goal in mind," she said, putting her hands in her lap. "For a long time, I was just fighting to get back at my parents. I ran away to get at them to, but now…" she trailed off, head tilted down towards her hands, her fingertips rubbing together again. "Now I feel like I'm actually helping. Like… I have a reason to do what I do."

He nodded. "Maybe that reason is what I envy."

She grinned, and turned to fully face him. "Stop wasting your energy being jealous and use it to find your own!" She wagged a finger in his face. "Or else next time, you won't even be a match for me."

He backed away from her wagging finger, feeling the flame sputter in his hand. "It's not that simple!"

"Sure it is. You just have to stop making it complicated."

Zuko groaned, frustration coming out in an odd sound. "But it is! It's not just a simple reason like defying my parents, or fulfilling my purpose like the Avatar, or even avenging a family member like Katara. It's not like any of that!"

She rested her elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand, and oddly intense look in her blank eyes. "Tell me."

Zuko let the fire go out, and he tugged at his hair, his face twisted in a grimace. "I don't even know where to begin!"

Toph was silent, then she slowly reached out to his face, resting her fingertips on his scar again. He froze at the touch, his eyes trailing from her hand, down her arm, and to her face. She still had that intense look in her eyes, but there was curiosity there, and… maybe even some concern as well.

Concern? For him?

"Start here."


SCHREECHING WITH THE FEELS

YOU GUYS I CAN'T EVEN HANDLE THIS THERE WAS SO MUCH SQUEE-ING AS I WROTE THIS

Again, I can't lay claim to most of Zuko's dialogue and action. Some of it, but most of it, nope, not mine.

Also, I got a review last chapter saying that Toph could see people's face. She can't. Not even Aang can, when using the seismic sense. If you look closely at screenshots, you'll see that it's just the people. There's no details or anything. Lin does it too, in the Legend of Korra. (I would link you to said screenshots, but the site doesn't allow me to put outside links in my chapters. Look at though. They've got millions of screenshots.)