"Zuzu, what are you doing?"

He sent a flame along the ground in her direction. He heard her leap lightly out of the way, and land quietly a few feet to the left.

"And what was that for?"

He smiled, even though he couldn't see the look on her face. "Training," he said simply.

"Blindfolded?" Azula asked, and he could hear the frown on her face. How interesting, that he could 'hear' expressions. Perhaps it was only if you knew the person well, and connected the tone of the voice to the expression.

"It heightens all my senses. If you hadn't jumped out of the way, I would have burned you just then, correct?"

Azula maintained her silence. Cloth moved; was she folding her arms? Or stretching her arms up over her head? "Anyway, I didn't come to watch you train. I came to deliver a message."

Zuko didn't respond, as he knew she wanted him to. Instead, he heard the rustling of leaves up above. A tree. He attempted to use the sound of branches and leaves to find the trunk—he struck it squarely with a swinging kick.

The victorious smile didn't linger on his face for long. Azula interrupted: "You've been summoned."

Again, he didn't respond. She said nothing. What did she want him to say? Did she expect him to squirm with the suspense? Zuko ignored her, and attempted to locate other plants in the yard by hearing their leaves. There—to his left.

Just as he swung into position, drawing a flame to his hand and preparing to let it go, Azula spoke.

"It's about your servant."

Wherever the bush was, the flame most certainly did not hit it.

Zuko stood, tearing off the blindfold and glaring at his sister. "Spit it out, Azula," he said dangerously. "What's all the suspense for?"

She smirked at him. "No reason. I just thought you might like to know. Lin wants to speak with you and I about her. Like, right now."

"Lin?" The name seemed unfamiliar.

Azula flapped a hand, uncaring. "Manager of Internal Affairs or some such nonsense. Anyway, he wants to know what we're going to do with the earthbender. I told him, since she's yours—"

"She's not mine, for the last time!"

"—then you should probably be at the meeting too."

Zuko sighed, throwing the blindfold to the ground. "When?"

"As soon as possible. Which translates to: right now."

The prince shot daggers at his sister with his gaze as he passed. "Let's go then," he said shortly. A satisfied smile on her pale, beautiful face, she followed.

-x-x-

Toph wiggled her toes. She could swear she had felt that last servant passing. Hadn't she felt his footsteps through her feet, like she always had? Or perhaps it was too much to hope.

How long had that annoying girl said it would last? Three days? Yes, three days. Then she would have her bending back. How long had it been? Two days? No, three.

She would be able to see again.

How long would it take? Would it be exactly three days? Well, then she wouldn't get it back until tonight. Maybe it would take less time. Maybe it would take more.

She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She hoped it would take less time. She wanted to see.

What would happen if she got her bending back? What would she do? Escape? Throw boulders at the general population while she just escaped back to the Fire Nation, where she would be on the run for the rest of her life? A small wave of despair washed over her as she realized she had no place to go now. She would be recognized instantly wherever she went. She would have to remain out of sight, like Aang.

At least he could wear a headband to go out in public.

She leaned back, resting against the tree behind her. Her newfound discovery lay in a pocket of her shirt, hidden from the rest of the world. It was a parchment that she had found at the base of the tree, covered in waterproof material, half-buried in the dirt. She had only found it by pulling the weed above it.

She pulled it out again, fingering the worn edges of the paper. It was old. Its surface was soft from years of existence, and she could barely feel the writing on it—that meant it had absorbed into the paper, and she could no longer feel the raised ink.

Unfortunately, she couldn't read it.

Toph growled and smacked the ground, frustrated. What she wouldn't give to read! It would make things so much easier, to say the least.

At the sound of passing footsteps she hid the parchment in her shirt again, and stared straight ahead like any normal blind person would. The footsteps passed her gradually, but when they finally disappeared, she stayed where she was. Now there was nothing to do but wait. Wait for her sight, wait for Zuko, wait, wait, wait…

-x-x-

Zuko opened the door, his heart in his throat. He had a sinking feeling this discussion was not going to go well—how could it, when the topic of conversation was 'what to do with an earthbending prisoner'?

The room, and its occupant, looked much like Zuko had suspected. It was almost as small as a closet, with no windows and only two torches. A desk was placed directly in front of the door. Sitting in it, his balding head bowed over his work, was a wizened old man with thick spectacles and a very large, beaky nose. At the sound of his door opening, and at the sight of light spilling across his papers, he looked up.

And squeaked.

"Prince Zuko! I-I didn't expect you so soon!"

Zuko closed the door as Azula smoothly stepped in beside him, and the light was cut off. It was rather dim in the room now, and he could only just see Lin's face in flickering torchlight. "What would you like to discuss?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"The matter of your servant," Lin said, taking off his glasses and polishing them nervously. "She is a talented earthbender, as I understand. However, without her earthbending, she is completely blind, making her a liability in the palace."

Zuko frowned. "She's been getting along fine."

"So far," Lin corrected, irritating him to no end. "Another problem is that it is very unusual for a male member of the royal household to own a female servant. The court would immediately assume …"

A snarl rose in the prince's throat. Nobility…did they think of nothing else but scandals?

"It is my professional opinion that she be sent away. Captive benders are rather rare, you see. And contrary to captive waterbenders, we actually have a use for captive earthbenders."

"Mining," Azula put in, making her brother turn. "Metal for our war machines. We have a desperate need of earthbenders." Zuko whirled back to the fidgeting secretary.

"You intend to send the girl to a mine?" he demanded dangerously, slamming his palms on the desk and causing Lin to flinch backwards. "To work underground the rest of her life?"

"W-well, y-yes," he stammered in response. "We've received reports that she is defiant, and smart-mouths to all sorts of authority. She's clumsy, useless since she's blind without earthbending, and her earthbending would have to constantly be restrained while she stayed here, she has no known servantry skills…" He trailed off, looking at Zuko imploringly. "Don't you see, your Highness? She's more trouble than she's worth for this palace. She can't stay here."

Heat rose in Zuko, for all that he knew the annoying secretary was right. Azula patted his shoulder gently.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll love it," she said. And even though he had no blindfold, he could hear her smirk. "Think of it! All that sweet, pure dirt…"

Zuko slapped her hand away, never turning his fiery golden gaze from Lin. "I refuse to listen to this," he snarled. "She is my servant, and I will decide what to do with her!"

"What's all this, then?"

Lin scrambled to his feet at the new arrival, bowing deeply. "F-f-fire Lord O-ozai," he sputtered, barely able to form the words. "I-I had n-no idea y-y-you were—"

"—coming?" Ozai finished, raising a thin eyebrow. The secretary was silenced instantly, and his silence permeated the tiny room for several long moments.

"Father, may I inquire why you're here?" Zuko asked, in what he hoped was a respectful tone of voice. He was still battling to choke down his fury, and maintain composure. But when Ozai turned to him, he was reminded once again how authoritative his father was. His stern face revealed nothing, his golden eyes hard.

"Azula informed me about your earthbender, Zuko," he said calmly. "She also notified me of the meeting, and I thought I should oversee it. Now, how has the discussion been going so far?"

"Lin had just proposed that we send the earthbender to the mines," Azula piped up. "Because she's a liability as a servant, in more ways than one."

Ozai nodded. "I had been thinking the same thing. And Zuko may not keep her. It isn't long before nobles stop thinking it an act of compassion, and start thinking it an act of…passion."

Zuko clenched his teeth. "Yes, I understand, Father. I was just concerned for the girl's welfare. The mines aren't well known for taking care of their workers."

"Rumors and myth have inflated those kinds of tales, Son," Ozai replied smoothly. "And we have no other choice. She will join others of her kind, I doubt she will be entirely unhappy."

'Others of her kind'? 'Entirely unhappy'? He made her sound like an animal. Zuko bit his tongue to keep from speaking out, and bowed his head in defeat. Once the Fire Lord was involved, there was little he could do. And if he protested further, they might take his compassion—as Ozai had put it—as passion. Then they would be even more determined to get rid of her, to avoid scandal. Either way, she had to go to the mines.

"The ambassador to the mining colonies in the earth kingdom leaves tomorrow," Lin spoke up from behind the desk. "He came for the banquet. Perhaps we could show him the girl tomorrow morning?"

"When will she get her bending back?" Ozai asked. Zuko had already worked this out in his mind:

"Tonight," he said to the floor, determined not to look at his father, or at Lin, or at Azula. He felt sure his blood would boil right out of his veins if he did. "She'll get her bending back tonight."

"Does she know that?"

"I don't know. I don't think so; she told me herself she's awful at math. And her blindness inhibits her ability to measure time," Zuko lied smoothly. Of course Toph knew when she was going to get her bending back. It was probably all she had thought about for the past three days. He didn't quite know why he was lying, but the entire meeting was tying his feelings in knots. He just felt it was safe if he didn't tell the truth.

"It won't matter. She'll be able to tell when she gets it back," Azula said simply. She was leaning on the wall at this point, her arms folded across her chest. "She uses her earthbending to see. I'm sure she'll notice when she regains her 'sight'."

"Not if she's asleep," Ozai replied sharply. He faced his son. "I've already thought about this. Here is a sleeping draught, put it in her dinnertime drink. She will sleep soundly until morning—unless she is awoken. But by then, we'll be able to control her whether she has her bending back or not." He handed a clear glass bottle to Zuko, from the depths of his large sleeve. Zuko took it with trepidation, still not looking up at his father.

"Thank you," he said, bowing. "I will do as you ask."

"Bring her to the back of the palace early tomorrow morning, don't wake her up if you don't have to. The ambassador will be waiting to assess her skills." Ozai cast a sharp glance at Lin when he said this, and Lin scrambled to find a piece of parchment.

"Yes, yes he will, Fire Lord," he said, shuffling through all sorts of things on and under his desk. "Early tomorrow morning. He'll be there."

"Good," Ozai said, straightening. "Then, if no one minds, I have other business to attend to." With a nod to both Zuko and Azula, he walked back out the door, letting in the light for a few precious seconds. Then he closed it, and they were in darkness again.

"You really need more torches," Zuko commented, barely able to keep the venom from his voice as he exited after his father.

-x-x-

The sunlight felt so good. It reminded her of home, in a nostalgic way. Of course there was sun in other places besides the Bei Fong estate, but still…the reminder of her family comforted her in more ways than one.

No one had disturbed her as she sat in the courtyard, back against the tree, looking into the sun. Even though she heard footsteps passing her many times, not a word was spoken in her direction. No one even commented on how a short blind servant girl was sitting alone on the grass. Did servants do that often?

More footsteps. Toph recognized them instantly as Zuko's. They had that long, purposeful stride, with quiet steps. He was walking rather fast. Was he angry?

He was making his way towards her. "Hey, Pansy," she said with a smirk. "What's got your ponytail in a knot?"

"I don't have a ponytail anymore, Dirt Girl," he replied. He sounded tired—especially when he flopped down next to her. Toph jumped in surprise, not expecting the 'thud' to be so close.

"Well, something of yours is in a knot," she said, frowning, leaning forward to 'look' into his face. "Since when do you sit down beside me, besides to tell me which flowers go where?"

She heard him take a deep breath. "It's just not been a good week for me," he said at last. "And it just got a little worse." His voice sounded muffled, like he had placed his head on his arms and was talking into his lap.

"Why?"

"Fire Nation business. I'm not allowed to tell you."

"Oh." She leaned back. "That's not fair."

"You're a servant, remember. They're rarely informed of the matters concerning the royal family."

"All right, Mister High-and-Mighty. I get it."

He was looking at her. Staring, actually. She could feel it in the silence, and it made her uncomfortable. What was he looking at? What was he thinking?

"Stop staring at me, Price Pansy," she commanded, shrugging her shoulders to get rid of that shivery feeling she got whenever someone looked at her.

"Sorry. Just thinking."

Toph opened her mouth to say, 'About when I'll get my bending back?' But then she closed it. Perhaps he had forgotten already, and that would work to her advantage. Then again, what would she do even if she got her bending back without his knowledge? Sure, she could escape. Escape to what?

Déjà vu. She had had this conversation with herself already. But Dirt Girl had made her decision; she would escape anyway. She would get back to Aang and Katara and Sokka, and help them with the invasion. There was absolutely no reason in staying here, where she was a poorly kept captive and a forced laborer.

"I have no idea what to do." Toph stopped fiddling with the hems of her pants, and froze. He sounded like he was choking—his voice was desperate, strained. "I have no idea what's wrong and right anymore. One choice makes sense…so much sense. But it just doesn't…it doesn't…" He broke off into silence. Toph didn't say anything, out of pure astonishment. Pansy had never said so many words to her at once. "I want to please him," he said finally, quietly. "I want to make him happy. But I'm starting to think that the things that make him happy are wrong."

The resulting silence seemed to stretch. All she could hear was the wind rustling the leaves of the plants around them, and his breathing. He seemed to be taking deep breaths, calming himself, collecting. They stayed like this for a while.

"Yours is more important."

He turned to her—his voice was direct. "What?"

"Your happiness. You shouldn't sacrifice it for his."

His voice was turned away from her now. "But I want to," he said softly. "I don't want…to make him unhappy. I shouldn't. I'm his son, it's my responsibility to be perfect, and do what he says."

Toph looked down at her knees, and wiggled her finger in a hole in the cloth there. She was starkly reminded of her own parents, how she had pretended to be someone else to please them. How she had pretended to be a docile, helpless daughter, just so that they could be happy.

And she was also reminded of how unhappy she was, forced to act as if she could do nothing on her own—as if she was a feeble little girl, always needing someone. Her pride and dignity were picked apart day by day as her parents assigned someone to help her with everything. But she endured it. Because she felt like it was her responsibility to make her parents happy.

"You can't do it forever," she said, still staring at her knees. "He's making you into something you're not, because he's selfish. He wants you to be who he wants you to be, because he's afraid of what you'll become on your own."

-x-x-

Zuko was staring at her openly now. It was obvious that she spoke from experience; her words struck too close to home. She wasn't just pretending.

"You can always break away," she continued, not looking at him. "It will hurt him, but he'll recover. And maybe he'll realize how selfish he was, to make you into something you're not."

"I already hurt him once," Zuko replied, painfully aware of how much he sounded like a child. "He gave me this scar, and sent me into exile."

Toph visibly flinched. "They sent bounty hunters after me. The bounty hunters threw me in a metal cage, so that I couldn't earthbend." She was talking about her own experiences now. "It scared me, and hurt me, that they would send these men after me with no care for how I would be treated. And it made me realize that my parents couldn't really care about me that much, if they sent monsters to chase me and bring me back, like a runaway pet." For the first time, she turned her entire body to face Zuko, staring at him with those clouded white eyes behind black bangs. "If he scars you and exiles you just for thinking differently, maybe he doesn't care about you as much as you think he does."

Zuko said nothing. Toph was now staring at a point above his right shoulder, looking like she was listening intently. For what? His breathing? His next words? How was he supposed to respond to something like that? 'Yeah, I think you're right'? 'No, of course he cares about me'? Both of them would be lies.

Maybe not the first one so much.

He leaned back against the tree; upon hearing him do so, Toph did the same thing. Another moment of silence stretched between them, although it was more comfortable this time as they listened to the wind. Zuko pondered the girl's words, turning them over and over in his mind. They seemed to make so much sense to him…was she right? Should he ignore his father's wishes, because he believed them to be wrong? Would that lead to consequences? (He absently touched his scar, tracing the hardened skin with his fingertips.)

"I'm sorry. I know it hurts," Toph said, breaking the silence. Zuko looked at her; tears were welling in her eyes. "It hurts a lot."

-x-x-

Toph wiped away the tears angrily, embarrassed to let the prince see her cry. It did hurt—when she had come to the realization that her parents hadn't loved her as she thought they had. She still loved them as a child loves a parent, but she couldn't bring herself to forgive them. The pain was too great.

Perhaps it's difficult for anyone loved by their parents to fathom what it's like to learn their parents never loved them (at least, not in the way they had thought). It tears at the heartstrings every time it is thought of, leaving a gaping hole where familial love should be. And like a black hole, it begins to draw everything else in. Toph could feel the pull of the hole, making her yearn to curl up into a ball and cry for the lack of a parent's love.

Zuko took her by the arm, in the same spot he always did. "Let's go," he said. "We'll have a late dinner in my room."

"Wait!" she exclaimed, taking the piece of parchment out of her shirt. "I need help," she said, holding it out to him. "I can't read. What does this say? And read it out loud, not in your head."

Zuko lifted it from her grasp, and unrolled it. He began to read:

Dear Father:

You and I are to leave for Ba Sing Se tomorrow. You are at a meeting tonight, so you couldn't meet me in our courtyard. That's all right. I just wanted to leave a letter for you.

I went to a fortuneteller today. I know there are many fake fortunetellers, but I believed this one to be genuine. She was old, with jet black eyes and wild hair. She wore about twelve beaded necklaces, and had stuck a large feather behind her ear like a quill. (Like you once said; the crazier they look, the better fortunetellers they are.) Now, on to the reason I write you this letter:

The fortuneteller's name was Joza. She told my future by Seeing into a fire, a fire that I firebended for her. What she said was very disturbing—she told me I was to die in the battle to come.

That's why I felt I had to write you this letter. Even if she was wrong, I was going to tell you everything anyway, but if she turned out to be right, I wanted to leave you something.

Father, you have always been an inspiration and a friend to me. You give me advice on everything—I don't know if I could survive without your analogies and metaphors! You've given me a childhood that almost feels like a dream.

If you find this letter, it means that Joza was, in fact, correct. Don't grieve for me, Father. I don't know if I could bear it if I knew you would fall apart after my death. It would be too awful even to think about. You're so strong, Father, and I know you can continue on without me.

Joza also told me that my death would be…unique. She told me that my father would see me again someday. I asked whether it would be in this life or the afterlife; but she went on some crazy rambling, and wouldn't tell me. When I asked her again, she just pressed a white lotus Pai-Sho tile into my hand and shoved me out the door.

If you find this letter, her first prediction was correct. That means that her second prediction has a good chance of coming true.

Even if it doesn't, Father, I will stay with you. I promise. Never feel as if I have deserted you—know that I will never leave. I will be there when you need me. I swear.

I love you, Father.

Lu Ten

Zuko had gotten progressively quieter as the letter went on. The name was whispered, almost too soft for Toph to hear.

"Was that your uncle's son?"

His voice stayed soft. "Yes, it was. The one who died in battle."

"The fortuneteller was right, then. About the first prediction."

"Are you saying she'll be right about the second?"

"I'm not saying anything."

Zuko took a deep breath. "All right, then. Let's go up to my room. I'm hungry." He took her arm gently, and she stood up. Then Zuko took a step—

--Toph almost gasped outloud.

As soon as he took a step, she saw him. Tall, his hair gathered in a knot on the top of his head, his strides long and purposeful even when he was taking them slowly. She could finally see her courtyard in all its beauty—the bushes stood tall and proud with trimmed branches, the flowers lay in their flowerbeds without weeds to choke them, the maze of paths was clear of debris and wound through the grass in a smooth and curvy pattern. She could feel the vibrations of the vines climbing the walls, and the large willow tree in the center, waving its branches in farewell as Zuko led her out into the corridor.

She smiled, despite herself. It was beautiful.

She had her earthbending back. She could burst out of the walls right now, knocking down anyone in her way as she destroyed walls, buildings, escaping out into the depths of the Fire Nation…

Zuko pinched his nose beside her, taking a deep breath. She felt his face twist into a scowl, as he rubbed his forehead wearily. Toph's shoulders drooped in sympathy. She had given him a lot of painful things to think about. And he had a large decision to make, one where he didn't know which choice was the right one—to make his father happy, or to choose his own path. (A decision that was excruciatingly familiar.)

What was she escaping to again?

His grip on her arm was loose. He didn't think she would run. She could take him by surprise.

He had given her the letter. The parchment was warm in her hands, from when she had kept it against her skin. I will be there when you need me. I swear.

Iroh had read this letter. He had told Toph when Zuko had run away, that he would 'be there when he needed him'.

She could feel Zuko's heartbeat. It was beating quickly, but not furiously. He was experiencing extreme emotion, but he wasn't manifesting it.

Sympathy rose in her again for the prince. I will be there when you need me.

No, she would stay. She would help Prince Pansy, when his uncle couldn't. She would remain with him; he needed someone. Toph Bei Fong would be there when he needed her.

A/N How'd you guys like it? D This was my favorite chapter to write, especially the deep conversation that Toph and Zuko had.

I know this chapter may seem like a Toko, but it seriously isn't, I swear. She's just feeling IMMENSE sympathy for him, because he's making the same decision she had to make: between his happiness, and his father's happiness. She also feels very sorry for him because he's alone without Iroh, and he needs advice. Plus, she doesn't really know what she's escaping to. It would be very difficult to find the gaang again, yes? Especially when she has the entire Fire Nation to search, and that's when she has everyone in the palace looking for her!

So she decides to stay with Zuko. (It's not out of romantic interest—may I repeat, this is not a Toko!)

The next chapter shall be the conclusion, where we discover Zuko's decision and Toph's fate.

Read and review! I love to hear from you!