Toph paused on a ridge overlooking a large valley testing the scents and sounds on the air for any sign of trouble. Behind her Ren was struggling to keep up. Toph could hear the firebender's ragged breath as she came to a stop beside Toph.
"What is it?" Ren asked, her voice a gasp. "Why did we stop?"
"I was just checking to make sure we're not being followed." Toph answered. "We're deep inside territory controlled by Azula now and we have to be extra careful."
Ren sighed, annoyed by Toph's maternal tone. She didn't need Toph to tell her where they were or how dangerous it was. She knew perfectly well how dangerous it was, but she decided not to argue. They were less than a day from Omashu and to start a fight now would only jeopardize their chances of reaching the city. Toph had still not told Ren why they were headed to Omashu, but Ren supposed that whatever Toph's reasons, they must be important. Still, she would have preferred to know what Toph was thinking, though she didn't think there was any chance of that happening any time soon.
"Let's go." Toph said, her voice cutting into Ren's thoughts like a knife.
Ren groaned and followed Toph down the side of the ridge and into the valley below. She had never walked this much in one day before and her whole body ached. Not that she hadn't done her fair share of traveling since the war. She had, but she had never pushed herself as hard as Toph was pushing her. She was amazed by Toph's ability to navigate the terrain of the Earth Kingdom despite her blindness. Ren had full use of her senses and was younger than Toph and yet it was she who was struggling to keep pace with Toph. It didn't make sense, but Ren knew there had to be a reason why Toph was so good at getting around.
"How do you do it?" she asked, glancing at Toph as they made their descent.
"Do what?" Toph asked, not bothering to turn in Ren's direction.
"Move around as well as you do despite your blindness?" Ren asked.
"I am an earthbender." Toph answered. "This land is part of the Earth Kingdom. I was born in this nation and I am intrinsically tied to it. One does not need all of ones senses to function to know ones home country. I use my earthbending to see, as I have already told you. That is how I know where I am going. That is how I am able to maneuver through this terrain without being able to see it."
Ren did not fully understand Toph's explanation, but she didn't think saying so was the right move. "Okay, I guess that makes sense." she said.
Toph did not respond, choosing to ignore the fact that Ren hadn't really grasped a word she'd said. She didn't really expect Ren to understand. Very few people truly understood how and why Toph was able to do the things she did and even most of those individuals still missed out on important details. But Toph had long since given up trying to get people to understand her. It didn't matter anyway. She was who she was and that was all anyone needed to know. The deeper meanings or greater reasons for why she was so good at earthbending were irrelevant. All that mattered to her was that she was able to do these things and that no one try and stop her. Beyond that, there was nothing else anyone needed to know. Unfortunately there were only three people who had ever truly understood that and it was their understanding that motivated Toph now. Because if she never found them, Toph feared no one would ever truly understand her again.
For the next several hours they walked in silence, both of them consumed by their thoughts. Ren seemed to be trying to figure out Toph's words from earlier and Toph was busy planning where to go next if Omashu failed to yield the answers she sought. Finally Ren came to a stop, her exhaustion catching up to her.
"Can we please stop for a moment?" she asked, a hint of pleading in her tone.
Toph sighed and turned to face her, a look of disgruntlement on her face. "Don't tell me you're tired Ren." she said, her tone sarcastic.
"I am, actually." Ren admitted, hating herself for speaking.
"Well, too bad." Toph said, her tone uncaring. "We're only a few hours from Omashu and I want to get there before it gets dark."
"But I don't think I can go any further today." Ren complained.
"I have never heard a firebender complain so much." Toph muttered, rolling her eyes. "Suck it up little girl. You can rest when we reach Omashu."
"I told you not to call me a little girl." Ren snapped, anger flaring within her.
"If you're gonna act like a little girl, I'm gonna treat you like one." Toph said. "You can rest when we reach Omashu."
"No, I can't." Ren said. "If I keep pushing myself at the same pace as you my fucking lungs are going to implode."
"Bullshit." Toph said. "You're lungs aren't going to implode. Now get up and start walking before I start chucking rocks at your head again."
"No." Ren said, her tone defiant. "I am going to rest here for the night and nothing you do is going to change my mind."
For a moment Toph considered pummeling Ren with rocks, but she ultimately decided that would not help her cause. She needed Ren to help her infiltrate the Fire Nation and she could not afford to lose the help. No matter how annoying Ren was Toph would have to restrain herself or she risked losing her one and only way into the Fire Nation.
"Fine." she spat. "We'll rest here for tonight. But if you ever get in my face like that again, I will bury you alive." With that she turned and slammed her fists into the ground creating an earthen shelter for herself and shutting off Ren's retort.
Ren stared at Toph's shelter for a moment, rage coursing through her veins like white hot fire. But it was obvious Toph was done talking and after a moment Ren let her anger subside before flopping down on the ground beneath the scorched remains of a tree. She felt her stomach rumble with hunger, but there wasn't much she could do to sate it. Toph had the food and Ren didn't dare ask her to share, not when Toph was in such a foul mood. And so Ren turned to the only other activity available to her and tried to get some sleep, though the endeavor would not be easy on an empty stomach.
Several hours later Ren awoke from her fitful sleep, her stomach now aching with hunger. Wondering if Toph's mood had improved she crawled over to Toph's shelter and knocked on the side. "Toph?" she asked. "Are you awake?"
No answer greeted her and she felt her anger begin to rise again. Quickly pushing it aside she knocked again, hoping Toph wasn't sleeping. "Toph, please." she said. "I'm sorry to bother you like this, but I'm really hungry and you have all the food."
At that the walls of Toph's shelter shuddered and came down, revealing a visibly irritated Toph, her blank glare fixed on Ren's race. "So, you want some food, do you?" Toph asked. "Well, I'll tell you what. You stop acting like an annoying little girl and I'll give you some."
Ren was silent for a moment. She did not appreciate being spoken to like that, but she could tell that the only way Toph was going to give her something to eat was if she went along with Toph's request. She didn't think she had been acting like an annoying little girl, but she supposed her opinion of herself would be a little biased in her own favor. And so, she chose to give in to Toph's request, even though it was a major blow to her pride. "Okay." she said. "I promise to stop acting like an annoying little girl. From this day forward I will listen to you and do exactly what you say."
"Very well." Toph muttered, handing Ren some dried meat. "You can have some food."
Ren took the food eagerly, grateful that Toph had decided to take pity on her. For a moment she sat in silence, munching on the dried meat and then another question popped into her head. "So," she said, swallowing her food before continuing. "Why do you want to go to Omashu so badly?"
"Omashu was the last place I saw any of my friends." Toph answered, surprising Ren. "We were stationed there during the war with Azula and I want to know if any of my friends are still there. Omashu was the last place I saw before Azula took everything. I was there when the city fell and want to see what's become of it in the six years I've been gone."
"I see." Ren said, surprised by Toph's honesty. "So, you think there's still a chance your friends are there?"
"Yes." Toph answered. "Not much of a chance, but all possibilities are worth investigating."
"Well, let's get going then." Ren said, rising to her feet. She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt like Toph was worth helping. She had also lost everything to the war and she felt sympathy for Toph and the situation she was in. And if she helped Toph find the answers she sought, perhaps Toph would help her as well.
"What changed your mind so quickly?" Toph asked. "I thought you were too tired to continue on."
"I was." Ren said. "But, I've gotten some rest now and some food and now I feel like I can do anything. So let's go. Omashu is only a few hours away."
"I know." Toph said, amused by Ren's sudden shift in mood. "Well, if you're ready, I guess we should be on our way."
Ren nodded and they set off, both of them aware that something about their relationship had just changed. Neither of them felt like addressing the issue at the moment, but both of them could feel the change. They had gotten closer somehow. There was a new level of understanding between them and it now seemed that their alliance wasn't as fragile as Toph had originally thought. Perhaps Toph's admission of her reasons for returning to Omashu had opened some sort of new emotional channel between them. Toph wasn't sure, but that was as good an explanation as any.
A few hours later they arrived at the base of the great mountain on which Omashu sat. The sun was just beginning to rise, bathing the city in golden light, and although Toph could not see the sight, she could tell the city was in ruins. She heard Ren's sharp intake of breath and felt her heart sink. Omashu had been the second greatest city in the Earth Kingdom, eclipsed only by Ba Sing Se, and to know that it was now not but a shell of its former self was more than Toph could take. She felt her blood boil with rage and the hot gush of angry tears as they rolled down her cheeks. For a moment she was consumed with a rage unlike any she had known before and she felt a powerful urge to tear the entire mountain down. And then she felt Ren's hand on her shoulder, her touch soft and comforting, and Toph felt her rage melt away.
"I know what it is you must be feeling at the moment." Ren said. "Rage, sorrow, maybe even guilt. I know, because I feel these same feelings every day. I am firebender, a citizen of the Fire Nation and I know full well that this devastation is on my hands. For that, I am sorry. So let me be the first to tell you that I will do everything in my power to atone for the mistakes of my nation."
"Thank you Ren." Toph said, her sightless eyes flickering in Ren's direction. "I appreciate that. But you are wrong. The devastation is not on your hands, it is on Azula's. You may be a citizen of the Fire Nation, but I can tell that you are not like those who mindlessly followed Azula. No, you are like Zuko, who understood that the Fire Nation could be more than just a military power or a nation of tyrants. You, like Zuko, are an example of the good that exists in all of us, even citizens of the Fire Nation."
"Thank you for that." Ren said, smiling. "So, how do you want to proceed?"
"The only way we can." Toph answered. "We have to enter the ruins of Omashu."
"Do you think there's anyone in there?" Ren asked, her tone more curious than fearful.
"I have no idea." Toph answered. "But there's only one way to find out." With that, she moved forward towards the city, knowing full well that they could be walking into a trap. Ren followed her, both of them on high alert for any sign of danger.
"Is there anything we should be looking for in particular?" Ren asked, as they entered the city. "You know, signs of your friends and stuff like that."
"Yeah, look for anything that might be Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe in origin." Toph answered. "The friends I was here with were from those two nations. Specifically, look for swords, a boomerang, and a pair of golden fans."
"Golden fans?" Ren asked, confused. "I don't understand."
"Haven't you heard of the Kyoshi Warriors?" Toph asked, perplexed.
"No." Ren answered. "I'm from the Fire Nation, remember?"
"Right, sorry." said Toph. "Anyway, the Kyoshi Warriors are a group of non-benders from Kyoshi Island who use golden fans as their primary weapons in the tradition of Avatar Kyoshi, who was the last Avatar to hail from the Earth Kingdom."
"Oh, okay, now I know what you're talking about." Ren said. "I've heard of Avatar Kyoshi, but I didn't know she'd founded a group of warriors."
"Well, now you know." Toph said. "One of my companions here six years ago was a Kyoshi Warrior. She was their leader actually, a girl named Suki." She paused then, feeling a pang of regret at the mention of Suki.
"You okay?" Ren asked, glancing at Toph in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Toph said. "Let's get moving."
Ren nodded and followed, though she could tell something was bothering Toph. She didn't feel like intruding on Toph's private thoughts however and kept her silence, not wanting to open old wounds if there was no need to. She wondered who else Toph had fought alongside at the battle of Omashu, but decided not to ask, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand. She didn't see how they were supposed to find anything in these crumbling ruins, but Toph seemed determined to investigate anyway, even if there was no real chance of finding anything. And Ren had promised to help and she had never been one to break her promises.
As they searched Ren took note of how badly damaged Omashu actually was. Whole chunks of the city had been blasted away by firebenders and Ren was forced to wonder how anyone could do something like this. How could Azula be this cruel? She had no answers, but she felt a new determination to find them, no matter that cost.
Ren was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice she was about to walk off the edge of a cliff until Toph's hand shot out to hold her back.
"Careful." Toph said. "You almost went splat." She could feel Ren exhale a breath in shock, relief radiating out from her like light. Her hand was resting on Ren's midsection and she could feel a long, jagged scar through the fabric of Ren's shirt. A torrent of questions ran through Toph's mind at that moment, but before she could ask any of them she froze, her whole body going stiff.
"What is it?" Ren asked, noticing the sudden change in Toph's stance.
"Shh, you hear that?" Toph said, cocking her head to the side as she spoke.
Ren strained to hear whatever had caught Toph's attention, finally catching the sound of voices from somewhere deep inside the city. "Someone is here." she whispered, fear flooding her.
"I thought so." Toph said. "And I don't think they're friendly."
"Raiders?" Ren asked, her eyes going wide with fear.
"Most likely." Toph answered. "We should go before they find us."
"Assuming they haven't already." Ren said and Toph shuddered at the thought.
Quickly and quietly they retraced their steps, heading for the exit, Toph exuding disappointment with every step. It was obvious she had wanted to explore Omashu some more, but there was no way they could now. There was an unknown number of enemies within the ruins and Toph was not willing to risk their safety searching for companions who were obviously not there.
"I'm sorry Toph." Ren said, once they were outside. "I'm sorry we weren't able to find your friends. I know how badly you wanted to."
"It's okay." Toph said. "It was a long shot anyway."
At that moment however, something caught Ren's eye, something golden laying amongst the rocks just outside Omashu. Curious she walked over to the rocks and dug around for a moment, finally pulling free what looked like the tattered remains of a golden fan. Beside it was a broken fragment of a boomerang and some bronze coins, which she collected with a great deal of excitement.
"What are you doing Ren?" Toph asked. "We have to get out of here."
"I found something." Ren answered, handing her treasures over to Toph. "I think it's what we were looking for."
Toph took the items and felt them each in turn. One object had sharp edges and she could tell from its contours that it was a fragment of Sokka's boomerang. The second object was obviously the tattered remains of one of Suki's fans. And the coins she would recognize anywhere. They were the coins that he metalbending students used in combat. And at that moment realization hit Toph. Her friends had been here. They had continued to fight even after she had been taken out. And if their weapons were here, damaged and discarded, then there were only two locations in which they could possibly be, the Fire Nation or Ba Sing Se.
Excitement coursing through her veins, Toph turned to Ren. "They were here." she whispered. "My friends were here."
"But they're not anymore." Ren said. "So where are they now?"
"Knowing them, they're hiding out somewhere else and I think I know exactly where to look." Toph said. "Come on, we're going to Ba Sing Se."
Ren smiled, delighted they had found something, and quickly moved to follow Toph who was moving with a newfound purpose and determination that made Ren want to do the same.
A/N: And so, the next step of the journey begins. Keep in mind that just because they found signs of Toph's friends doesn't mean said friends are still alive. It doesn't mean they're dead either, but I want to make sure everyone understands the possibilities. If you were hoping for a battle here, I'm sorry, but I'm saving the battles for later in the fic. Finally, next chapter will reveal some of Ren's history, so you will finally know where she came from and why she is so willing to help Toph.
