Chapter 11 - Return
A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm back after a longer than expected hiatus. I offer my sincerest apologies to anyone who was waiting for an update. ): Thank you everyone for your reviews and everything! I really appreciate it. :) The next few updates will come in weekly. Yep.
Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA, although I wish I did.
He nodded as he swallowed another morsel of his lunch. He waited for him to continue.
"My search for any surviving airbenders have yet to bear fruit," Aang said slightly mournfully.
He frowned as he looked at the young Avatar with concern. Katara reached over to pat her boyfriend gently on the shoulder, comforting him slightly. Aang had become so despair of any hope of finding another Air Nomad after two years of search. The guilt of abandoning his fellow benders must have still haunted him.
"Don't worry, Aang. I'm sure you'll find someone. They have to hide really well, just in case, you know?"
"But the war is over! The news should have reached them by now, however desolate a place they are living in!" Aang argued.
Zuko glanced at Mai, who seemed to be losing interest in the conversation by the second. The room was silent, except for the occasional scoffing of food from Sokka, who seemed a little too hungry.
He racked his brains for something to break the silence. He was, after all, the host. He knew what Toph would say…
"Who are you?"
"I'm Shan Luo. Printing is my family business. Nice to meet you, Toph."
We're on a first name basis already? That was pretty quick.
I couldn't see him. Mother had made me wear shoes for this occasion. From the sound of it, he was rather tall. However, that was largely dependent on how far he was standing from me.
"How old are you?" I demanded.
"Toph!" Father chided.
"No, it's alright. I'm in my late twenties."
"You're probably twice my age." I stated matter-of-factly.
There was nothing wrong with it. Lin had read stories to me about how girls as young as I am were married off to men old enough to be their fathers. My parents had already chosen someone younger than the usual.
"Yes, indeed. You are smart. As expected."
I scowled. 'Expected', huh? No one should expect anything from me. Not even my future husband.
"Expect this," I snarled, aiming for his foot.
My own heel came crashing against the hard stone floor of the house. I couldn't see a thing in this pair of shoes. My face heated up as I pulled out my shoes and dumped them on the floor.
"Toph!" I heard Mother cry out as I ran out of the house.
"We're here, my lady."
Toph nodded in response, all while knowing very well that the driver could not see her from here. She got out of the cart quickly, ignoring the driver's hasty offers to give her a hand. She bent down and pulled out her cloth shoes. She tucked them into her sash quickly and stretched out her feet. She frowned slightly. There was still that layer of socks. Oh well, the fabric was thin enough, she could still feel the vibrations of the earth faintly like this.
"Miss! Have you made an appointment with the Fire Lord? If not-"
"Out of my way," She answered, pushing past them.
"Miss!" They cried out again.
Flimsy security. She thought as she stepped through the gates.
"HEY, EVERYONE! THE GREAT ONE IS HERE!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, placing her hands on her hips.
She heard a clatter of footsteps after a while, her (probably) imposing figure keeping the two guards at bay.
"Toph?" Zuko breathed.
Mai watched them rush towards the girl standing in the courtyard, grinning from ear to ear. They greeted her warmly, surrounding her and giving her a suffocating hug.
"You've grown!"
"We missed you!"
She was glad to see the girl return to the place. It was getting a little too boring without her, for some reason.
"Twinkletoes? Is he here? I don't feel him."
"I'm here," Aang answered.
"Really? Come here." Toph smirked, "Let me get a good feel of you."
Aang grabbed her outstretched hand and smiled. Toph felt his hand slowly, curiously. Then, she moved on to his face.
"Yep. It's definitely you, Twinkletoes. But you feel different."
They laughed heartily. It was true; Aang had some sort of growth spurt. The last Mai remembered of him, was that of a little boy. She casually glanced at Zuko, noting his silence. His smile was bitter. She frowned, studying him.
His knuckles were clenched white.
"Leave the planning to me!" Sokka said proudly, waving the brush in the air.
Suddenly, Zuko didn't feel all too sure.
"Relax. You're getting really tense."
Zuko turned to meet Toph's penetrating stare. He felt his face heat up all too quickly, so he turned away, refusing to face her.
She was silent for a moment before she whispered, "Did I say something wrong? Your heartbeat increased again."
"N-No! Nothing really. It's just a big matter you know?" He replied.
"Attention!" Sokka called out, glaring at the two.
She pursed her lips and nodded silently to Zuko. She faced Sokka, who resumed his speech on how events should unfold according to his plan.
"As I was saying… We'll split into pairs. First of all, Zuko and Toph will go look for the Fire Lilies. You guys have the most important job, alright?"
"Why the two of us?" Toph questioned.
"Zuko knows Fire Nation way better than any of us, and you'll probably be better at looking for the flowers using your seismic sense or whatnot."
She answered with a raised eyebrow and kept quiet.
"Alright, then. Katara and Suki will go book a table for two by the balcony of the Flaming Phoenix and prepare the necessary romantic stuff, like candles. Aang and I will go arrange for some fireworks to set the atmosphere."
Aang interrupted, "Why can't it be Katara and I?"
"Cause if I have the two of you to do it, you'll probably spend half of the stipulated time kissing!"
"Hey!"
"Come on, Katara. You know it's true," Toph teased, Katara and Aang's faces were growing redder by the minute.
"You can get the help of Kazuya," Zuko interrupted. "To help you with the fireworks."
"Who?"
"Hey, Mai. I can't make it for today's sparring session. Something cropped up. Sorry. You can look for Mom though."
Mai frowned, setting her knives down on the vanity. What will she do to occupy her afternoon now?
Moments passed as she contemplated her options.
She should just take a walk around, she supposed. How boring.
As she walked through the corridors of the palace, she spotted two figures seated on the grassy floor of the garden.
"Do you think there'll be some here?" Zuko asked, pointing at something on a scroll.
"I can't see, you idiot."
"… Sorry."
"Oh hey! Sunshine!" Toph called out in her usual boisterous manner.
Zuko whipped around to face her, and smiled slightly uneasily. Something was amiss. Zuko was not particularly good at hiding things.
"Hey," Mai replied, before she headed to the gates.
"She saw us!" Toph hissed. "She's suspecting something! I know it."
"Why do I have to take your word for it?" Zuko frowned. "Come on, let's go to the meadows. We've got a long trip ahead."
"You're taking this too lightly. It's unlike you."
He shrugged the matter off, urging Toph to follow him out.
She's right. I am taking this too lightly. Zuko frowned. I don't understand why, myself.
"We're in the meadows now," Zuko declared, noting the position of the sun in the sky.
They don't have much time left.
"Hurry, Toph!"
"Hush! The flower's small, so I have to concentrate!"
She shut her eyes as she splayed her feet. She frowned in concentration, looking for the flowers that fit the description he gave her.
He glanced around, noting to himself that he had nothing much left to do. His eyes fell on Toph. He could not help but notice how much she had grown. She had stopped putting her hair into a bun, choosing to let it cascade past her shoulders. And if he recalled correctly, she had grown past his shoulder height. And then there was her-
"Found a whole bunch of them. You didn't tell me they grew in fields."
He snapped out of his thoughts quickly and looked at her blankly. What?
"Oh," He muttered. "Erm, must've slipped my mind. Sorry."
Toph led him downhill, revealing wide stretch of the meadow covered in red. He bent over to study one flower, deeming it suitable before plucking it off.
"Why are you so picky? They all feel healthy to me."
Zuko sighed, plucking off another Fire Lily, "They have to look presentable too, Toph."
"For reasons I can't understand," She scoffed. "Now hurry up."
"Thank you for visiting, Mai."
"No problem. Thank you for letting me," Mai gave a tiny smile as she left the house.
She closed the door and let out a sigh. Now, what was she going to do for the evening? For once, she had not been needed by her family to babysit for Tom-tom. I'll figure something out while I walk.
Thus began her long trek back to the palace. She was about to step onto the road when she heard a loud drone. She turned around to find a wave of earth bulldozing everything on the road.
"For Agni's sake! What is wrong with you? You've acting all we-"
"Nothing! Now shut up! I'm trying to concentrate!"
That voice sounded familiar.
"See?"
"See what? I'm blind, for your information!"
"BLAM!"
The wave stopped and out flew two figures from it. They landed several feet away from Mai, making a cloud of dust.
"This is your fault!"
"Excuse me? I'm not the one acting strange all afternoon!"
"… Zuko? Toph? What are you doing here?"
"M-Mai?" He stammered. "I… Uh…"
"Sunshine!" Toph interrupted. "Nothing actually. We wanted to spar over there on the fields, then realized we were running late for the gathering. We'll be going now! See you!"
With that, Toph grabbed Zuko by the collar and summoned another Earth wave, tunneling her way through.
Mai raised an eyebrow in response, as she waved away the dust that was flying around.
They've been together all day…
"Now what's your problem, Jerk Lord?" Toph scowled, watching Zuko pace up and down the balcony.
"I hope this goes smoothly, without a hitch…" He even ignored that nickname.
Wow.
"Relax, Sparky. We've got it all under control."
"Maybe that's what I'm worried about…"
"Sparky, we - that means you, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki and I - saved the freaking world. How much worse than fighting an evil overlord can a simple marriage proposal get?"
He cooled down a little, stopping his constant annoying pacing. His heartbeat was still erratic though. She felt a hand close around her wrist, pulling her away.
"She's here. Time to leave, squirt," She heard Kazuya whisper.
"… 'Squirt'?" She scowled. "Well, Dynamo, I want to stay here and watch how it goes."
" … 'Dynamo'…?" She heard him mutter to himself.
She silenced him as she slipped off the shoes that the manager made her wear before stepping foot into his restaurant.
"Zuko? Where's Kazuya?" Mai asked with a puzzled tone.
"Oh, he had something on, so he… Er… He left."
"Great excuse, lover boy," Kazuya muttered.
"So, what's the special occasion? The dinner by candlelight is so cliché."
Throughout the dinner, Zuko had acted really strangely. He was fidgety, moving about every five seconds or so. It really annoyed her.
Then, she heard a screech, then an explosion. A sound that she was familiar with. She stood up quickly and tilted her head up.
The night sky was filled with fireworks.
"Mai… Will you marry me?"
She looked towards him in shock, watching as he thrust out a small bouquet of Fire Lilies right under her nose.
She could not help but be filled with happiness. She was so happy. The flowers tickled her nose, but she managed to hold back a sneeze. She had something more important to do. She gently pushed down Zuko's outstretched hands.
Zuko looked at her, a puzzled look in his amber eyes. Does he really want this? Do I really want this?
I love you, Zuko. I always have, and I always will.
"No, I will not marry you."
He felt his hand go slack, letting the Fire Lilies fell to the ground. Shock registered in his mind. He did not understand…
"… W-Why?" He managed.
She refused to meet his eyes. She looked towards the night sky, where there were still fireworks, allowing her face to be illuminated by the light.
"I…" Her voice seemed to tremble slightly.
Her back faced him as she turned to leave. He made to grab her arm, spin her around and ask her why.
Why? Did I do something wrong? Answer me, damn it!
He couldn't move.
"Zuko…" She paused at the door. "You know why."
"I'll go talk to her…"
Toph placed a hand on Kazuya's shoulder and shook her head.
"You get Zuko out of here. He seems to be in bad shape."
"Great understatement."
"I'll talk to Mai."
She hurried out of the restaurant, in a bid to follow Mai. She scanned the roads for her familiar footsteps. The cacophony of noises and footsteps just added on to her increasing confusion.
She stood in the middle of the road. Come on… Focus.
Something's wrong. Zuko thought.
"… I don't understand how that happened," He stated clearly, staring at the floor.
This strange feeling…
"I think I understand why."
"Well?"
Kazuya did not reply him. Zuko stood up quickly and grabbed him by the collar, pushing him against the wall.
"Tell me!"
"Come up with the answer yourself!" He yelled back.
Why do I feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted from my chest?
"Since when did the Fire Lord have to rely on his nation for answers?"
"What?"
She was dumbfounded. Her jade-white eyes stared into the abyss that belonged only to her. Mai pushed away a lock of hair that pasted itself to her cheek. The rain was truly refreshing.
"You heard me," Mai repeated. "And I know you feel the same about him."
"Mai… You know that isn't-"
"Don't deny it. Unless you're really oblivious to it, Toph."
Her breathing slowed, matching the steady rhythm of the rain. She knew she had made the right choice.
"Zuko… He's only truly happy when you are around."
Toph had hugged her legs close to her, burying her face.
"Believe me when I say that the past two years were completely dreary without you. And I've seen how you act around him. You remind me of myself, albeit a lot more boisterous. You like him too, don't you?"
Toph suddenly burst out, "Mai! Listen to me! I've never wanted to-"
"No. Listen to me. I'm completely sure of my choice. I think it's time for you to go look for Zuko."
Toph stood up slowly, before running away quickly, the puddles splashing loudly as she did.
A slow hum came from Mai as she lay on the grassy meadows, ignoring the mud seeping into her hair.
She was prepared for this for a long time.
How lovely the rain is.
"Explain yourself!" He ordered.
Kazuya gave a smirk, tilting his head up slightly, appearing more and more like the arrogant man Zuko had met two years ago.
"Oh, now you will listen to me?" He sneered.
"What do you mean?" Zuko frowned.
"So often, I've been trying to speak with you privately. So often, you have rejected. Now the mere mention of her got you so worked up…"
He frowned. He had not thought of it of such importance…
"I knew I should've done something two years ago!" Zuko felt himself colliding with the wall.
He coughed, gasping for breath against Kazuya's choking hold.
"For all that you've done to Mai… I know she wouldn't have approved of this. I'm sure…"
Zuko met the grey eyes that were glinting with fury.
"Aunt Ursa wouldn't have..."
"Toph? Where are you going?"
"Hey, Sugar Queen! I'm… Er… Something cropped up at home so I've gotta go."
"What? Is it serious?"
"No, not really. But I have to be present. So…"
"Do you need me to help you pack?"
"No thanks," She shook her head quickly. Who knows how I'll behave…
She gestured to Katara and Aang, "Enjoy yourselves, Twinkletoes, Sugar Queen."
She dashed ahead, towards the palace, hoping that no one will be there when she leaves. Especially… She choked. She couldn't even think of his name.
Why had it all come to this?
A/N: And that's it for now! Oh and I guess I should mention, the story's ending in 2 chapters' time. Yep. Please review! :D