Title- Revelation
Rating- M for later chapters
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Summary- Remember when team Avatar split up to find Aang and Momo, what if when Toph goes with Zuko, something happens, something better than Toph's idea of a life changing experience.
A/N- Chapter Eight
Toph signalled silently for a halt, holding up her hand as she listened. She could hear them. The rebels really weren't as quiet as they should have been.
"I've got this weird feeling." one said.
"You've always got a weird feeling Li." the other guard said with a sigh.
"this time it's different. I think something's going to happen tonight."
Toph waved to her squadron, and Kaolin moved up beside her. "I want you and Longshot in the trees, ready for anything to happen." she breathed.
He moved away and she could feel his sonic image shifting silently through the tall grass until he reached Longshot. They both retreated silently after a moment and she lost their images as they began to climb up into two tall trees on either side of the group.
She waved Katara forward. "Can you dispatch of them?" she questioned.
Katara nodded. "Yes." she replied.
There was a shifting before the sound of water cut through the air. Before either of the two guards could sound the alarm, both of them were frozen to the fence they sat in front of, the ice reaching just below their noses to stop them from speaking. Toph waved the group forward and they stealthily moved toward the gate. The guards let out soft muffled sounds as they saw the dark shapes move out of the brush toward their camp.
They stared in awe as they saw the firelord himself along with his wife stride silently past them. Toph signalled for another halt and split the group, one half going to the right and the other half going to the left. Zuko and herself were going to take a path straight through the center of the encampment.
Toph stepped forward and with a small earthbending gesture, the ground began to shake and rumble with a small earthquake. Everyone within the camp woke with alarm.
Toph stepped up a barrier between herself and the first firebender to come out of his tent, not worrying about Zuko. He moved forward fluidly and blocked the blow. Toph sent out part of her shield at the bender, grinning as it came in contact and knocked him back a good ten feet knocking him unconscious. She stepped down the barrier and dodged just as an arrow shot past her head to imbed into the ground along with a guard's shirt sleeve. The other arm was pinned by another well placed arrow as well as his legs. She stepped up a rock and sent it to the left, hearing it's bone crushing impact as well. There was the sound of firebending close to her right and she recognized the sonic image of Zuko. A rock tipped arrow was flying straight at him, and she stepped up a short pillar beneath him, losing sight of him as he was propelled into the air. He landed perhaps twenty feet away, doing a shoulder roll before flipping onto his feet.
She could hear weapons clashing and a lot of bending. It seemed to be chaos, but her team was well trained and knew exactly what they were to do. She heard the sound of more Firebending and recognized the image of Zuko as he was thrown to the ground. She closed her eyes and concentrated, bringing her arms up as the bender above him shifted into stance. A moment before the fireball hit the ground, Toph's arms swung down. The smoke cleared and the rebel stood, shocked to see that Zuko wasn't there.
Toph continued bending, stepping forward and bringing her hands up, her arms stretched out directly in front of her. The rebel let out a cry as Zuko appeared beside Toph, seemingly calm and collected but by the rapid beat of his heart and the irregular rhythm of his breathing, she could tell that she'd scared him. She stepped forward pushing her hands forward palms in before flicking her wrists so her palms were facing out away from herself. The rebel in front of her fell face first into the ground as his feet became immobile. She brought her hands up sharply and thick rock cuffs encased his wrists. Zuko shifted to the side as a rebel ran at Toph, but she beat him to it, spinning her small body to the right and bringing her foot down powerfully on the ground. The rebel let out a cry as he sunk into the ground up to his neck. She turned a full one hundred eighty degrees and brought her arm around, jabbing at the air quickly with the side of her hand. Three sideways pillars shot up from the ground, knocking three rebels back about ten or fifteen feet.
Another rebel came up behind her, and she crouched low, using the first two fingers on each hand to dig into the ground. Zuko could see that with each jab she made, a spike maybe two feet long shot up out of the ground, surrounding the guard. He stopped and Toph slammed her palm into the ground. Her fingers dug into the stone and she rotated her wrists outward. Stone encased the rebel's legs nearly to his knees. As he reached down to steady himself, his wrists became immobile as cuffs appeared and locked them to his legs.
She turned as yet another rebel appeared to her left. With a sideways sweeping motion of her arm the ground below him gave way into a hole maybe ten feet deep. She heard the flames and felt the heat as someone firebent at her. She was being targeted by most of the rebels now, since she was seen as being the most powerful of all of the invading force. Zuko stepped in the way, clapping his hands together and holding his arms straight out in front of himself, parting the shot right down the center so it missed Toph.
Once he'd done that maybe fifteen firebenders let fly. He and Toph were both completely encased in rapidly contracting walls of flame. He turned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down to the ground. She hid her face in his chest, closing her eyes as the heat became nearly unbearable. She could feel the flames, they were touching her, tickling over her skin, singing her hair. When she finally couldn't take anymore, when the heat had finally gotten to her, it became cold, or a least cooler than before. She shifted but Zuko still held her still. "Stay down..." he breathed sounding winded.
She could hear the rush of the flames, the crackling as they burned but she could also hear voices outside, calling to them, the sound of bending, fighting from beyond, and much closer, the sound of Zuko's heartbeat and breathing. His heart was racing, but his breathing was calm, he was either meditating or trying to control too much at once. She guessed it was probably both.
When he finally let her go, his hands slid from her shoulders and he collapsed sideways onto the ground. She knelt next to him, hearing the almost eerie silence surrounding them. Well almost silence. There were very few sounds and she guessed that the fight was over finally. She leaned down and pressed her ear to Zuko's chest. His heartbeat was there, and it was as strong as ever, his breathing was slowing and she guessed that he had either passed out, or was resting.
She felt running steps and recognized the soft footsteps of Katara headed straight for them. "Are you hurt?!"
Toph shook her head, still laying mostly on Zuko. "I'm exhausted and I don't know what's up with him." she said.
Katara knelt on his other side and pulled one of his eyes open slightly. He was still alive, but judging from the lack of reaction to the light, he was unconscious. "Aang!" she called.
He pushed his way to the front of the group and knelt beside Katara. "What is it?"
"How much bending power can be expelled before you pass out?" she questioned, still looking over Zuko.
Aang frowned. "All of it." he said. "He would have had to use every ounce of his inner flame in order to faint from bending."
"Will it come back?"
"Eventually, with rest." he said.
"How long is eventually?" Katara questioned, turning to face him fully.
"A few days at most." he replied.
"Alright, we have to get them onto Appa and back to the firenation palace." she said.
Toph sat up, standing with difficulty. "You have all fought well today!" she called in a weaker than usual voice. "I am proud of each and every one of you! You know what to do!"
There was a collective cheer and she tried to walk, but just stumbled and fell to her knees, putting out her hands just in time to not face plant into the ground. There was silence before a few people rushed forward to help her. Sokka managed to reach her first and picked her up, holding her tightly as be ran to Appa. Handing her up to Katara and Aang.
"I'll stay behind and finish here." he said. "Tell Suki I'm okay."
Katara nodded and Appa took off heading for the firenation. Toph woke momentarily, opening her eyes which burned intensely. "Zuko..." was the only thing she could manage to say.
-
Toph shifted, noticing that she was lying in bed and someone was sitting up next to her, reading by the sounds of it. She opened her eyes and let out a yawn, sitting up and brushing her hands over her face. She had bandages over her eyes.
"What's going on?"
"Katara said that you somehow damaged your eyes in the fire. She also said that I managed to get burned." Zuko replied.
"Can I take these off?" Toph questioned. "I feel fine."
"She said there could be some unknown side affects because she used spirit water instead of normal water. She doesn't want you to take them off until she gets here." Zuko said.
Toph heard him shift and suddenly his lips were against hers. She smiled as he pulled back. "I love you." she said gently. "And I'm so happy you're okay."
Zuko smiled just as the door opened and Katara entered the room. "Oh, good you're awake."
Toph let out a sigh. "Okay, now get these rags off my face." she commanded.
Katara let out a breath and sat next to her, unwrapping the bandages slowly. "You should be as well as you were." she said.
Toph opened her eyes as the bandages were removed completely and blinked a few times. The burning she'd felt before had completely ceased and was gone.
"I'm fine." she said. "As well as before as you said."
"Okay." Katara said.
"Why did you want to be here anyways?"
"Just to make sure there were no problems."
Toph frowned and narrowed her eyes, something told her that Katara was lying, but since the waterbender was too far away to hear her heartbeat, and Toph's feet were off the ground, she couldn't tell.
"Goodnight." Katara said before leaving.
-
Toph crawled up onto the bed next to Zuko after her bath, taking hold of his book and closing it before pulling it from his grasp to set it on the bedside table. She straddled his legs, and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. His hands slid up her back softly, pulling her close as she opened her mouth to him.
He slid his tongue past those plump pink lips, into her mouth, sliding it over hers. She let out a moan and reached up, burying her hands in his hair.
When he pulled back, she let out a disappointed sound that she'd never made before. His hands slid down her waist to pull at the hem of her shirt and she reluctantly moved back to allow him space to pull it off of her. She leaned forward to press another heated kiss to his lips while he worked on getting her chest wrappings off. His hand moved up to gently cup one of her breasts and she let out a gasp and tilted her head back. He took the chance and moved forward latching his lips onto her other peaked nipple. She moaned at the pleasurable feeling before reaching down to push his shirt from his shoulders. He threw it off to the side before easily picking her up by the waist to lay her on the bed. She lay back, staring blankly up at him as he pulled on her pants, pulling them down and off. Her underwear quickly followed.
She sat up as he began to untie his own pants, her hands brushing over his bared skin before one hooked on his shoulder to pull him forward. He went with her as she lay back, resting on his elbows as her legs wrapped around his waist. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips before moving his mouth down the side of her neck. He bit into her collarbone lightly before sucking on the spot to bring a mark to the surface.
She let out a sigh as he moved back up to kiss her again. She opened her mouth without coaxing and moaned again as his tongue pushed it's way forward. She brought hers forward to meet his about halfway. It was like any other kiss they'd shared but there was something about this one, something different- whole.
Toph pulled back. "Zuko..."
He glanced down at her to see her pleasured expression. He tilted his head down and positioned himself, pushing into her slowly.
She let out a cry and her eyes rolled back before closing. He pulled out of her only to push back in.
It didn't take long, no more than a few minutes for them to both reach their finish. When they'd caught their breath, he pressed a kiss to her lips before pushing himself off of her. "I love you."
She smiled. "I love you too."
-
"The rogues have all been apprehended and imprisoned as you had ordered sir."
Zuko nodded. "very good. What news is there in the earth kingdom?"
The general shifted through some papers. "There seems to be a drought in Ba Sing Se. A small village is being attacked and pillaged by a demonic spirit. An unknown woman has been drifting in and out of a small town near Omashu. And the badgerfrogs are unusually large this year."
Toph laughed. "Sure sounds like earth kingdom news." she said. "It's just a bunch of stuff that doesn't make any difference."
Zuko didn't reply, he was thinking over something the general had said. He stood and waved his arm, snuffing out the flames in his path. "The meeting is over." he said as he walked out.
He heard the now familiar sound of Toph's bare feet on the stone floor and turned to wait for her at the door. She stopped only once to silence a whisper before exiting the war chamber.
"How would you like to go and visit your mother?" Zuko questioned.
"And search for this unknown woman to see if she's someone you know right?" Toph questioned.
Zuko smiled. "I'm afraid so."
"Sure, shall I go and get the eelhounds ready?" she questioned.
Zuko smiled. "That won't be necessary, I can get someone else to do it while I put things in order around here before leaving."
Toph nodded. "Then I shall retire to our room to pack while I await you."
Zuko smiled and shook his head at her tone. She began to walk away and he shifted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he questioned.
She turned back and paused for a moment. "I don't think so."
"Come back here."
Toph closed the distance between them, easily shifting into his embrace. He leaned down slightly and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I won't be back until later." he breathed before kissing her again.
She smiled and pulled herself from his embrace, grabbing his arm and dragging him to a small deserted room. She locked the door and pushed him against the wall, making him sit.
She straddled his legs, pulling her dress up and out of the way as she did.
"Toph, what are you doing?" Zuko questioned as she began untying his belt to pull his robes open.
Her hands slid over his bared skin and she leaned forward to kiss him. Both of her hands came up, one resting on his shoulder, the other brushing over the side of his face. He closed his eyes as she pulled her mouth away, pressing kisses all the way down and along his neck and shoulders.
Her hands tugged at his pants, and he slid forward slightly to give her room. She pulled his length from his pants and began to stroke him slowly, biting into the side of his neck even as she did.
He let out a soft moan, reaching up to pull her face back up to his. He placed a kiss on her lips, catching her cry as she pushed herself down onto his length.
She started it, but he had to finish as all the strength left her legs. His hands rested on her waist and with a gentle pull, he lifted her from himself before letting her drop back down. This continued for a few minutes before finally they both reached release at almost the same moment.
She leaned against him, catching her breath. His arms wrapped loosely around her and he almost smiled before realizing that once again he'd come inside of her.
He tilted his head back against the wall and let out a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Toph questioned breathlessly.
"Nothing." Zuko replied. "I just did something stupid again."
Toph frowned and leaned back. "what do you mean?"
"I Uh... Might have made you pregnant, but then I might not."
She just stared at him. "Okay... I'm not sure what you mean."
He sighed and shook his head. "I released inside of you Toph. That's how babies are made, but it might not be your cycle, so we could be in luck and you're not pregnant."
She nodded. "Okay, don't worry about it, even if I am with child that's okay."
Zuko frowned. "alright. We should probably get up and do what we were going to earlier."
She moved off of him and stood, fixing herself. "I'm going to go and pack, then have Mayana give me a bath."
"That's probably a good idea." Zuko said as he fixed his clothing. "I'm going to go and set things straight with the generals then I'll probably bathe as well."
Toph laughed and they parted ways with a chaste kiss.
-
Toph sat in the bronze tub, leaning against the side as Mayana brushed a soft soap covered cloth over her arms and legs. "So you're leaving then?"
"Only until we find the mysterious woman who continuously reappears in the earth kingdom." Toph replied.
Mayana nodded. "Zuko thinks she's his mother?"
"She might be." Toph replied. "You never know."
"If she is, where does that leave the two of you?"
"Zuko gets his mother back and is happy again." Toph replied.
Mayana just shook her head and finished bathing Toph, helping her dress in some traveling clothes before leaving her alone to wait for Zuko. She only had to wait maybe half an hour.
She smiled and turned toward him. "Is everything ready then?"
"Yes, our transportation is ready for us and if you're finished packing we can leave immediately."
Toph nodded. "I think everything is ready. I asked Mayana to go and get some food and supplies, she'll go and load everything onto our rides."
Zuko nodded and looked through the bags making sure that everything was properly packed and it was all there.
-
Toph was getting tired of the rocking movements of the eelhounds, they may have moved quickly, much quicker even than she could use earthbending, but they had an abnormal stride. She didn't even want to get started on how they swim.
She let out a sigh and pulled the eelhound to a halt, shifting on the sticky leather saddle. "What time is it?" she questioned. She couldn't feel the sun, but that could have meant anything.
"It's just after nightfall." Zuko replied. "We can stop for camp if you like."
She slid from the saddle and landed hard on the ground. She forgot how tall they were when they didn't lay down to let you off. She felt something nudge her shoulder and reached over to feel the eelhound's smooth scaled snout under her fingers.
She smiled in spite of herself. "I'm fine, I promise." she said and it licked her hand with a long reptilian tongue.
She felt the earth tremor as it laid down and Zuko slid from his eelhound. "I guess you can set up camp while I go and get some firewood." he said.
Toph stretched out her hands and stepped up a large earth tent, then over each eelhound she stepped up a small rock shelter almost like a three sided lean-to, in the center of the circle she created a fire-pit. "Done." she said.
Zuko laughed and shook his head. "You want to go and find food as well?"
She paused for a moment and stomped on the ground. A small shape shot up through the trees to her left to land in her hand. It was a rabbit-gopher.
Zuko shook his head again. "I'll be back with the firewood then." he said with a soft laugh.
Toph sat next to the fire-pit, hitting the ground with the flat of her hand to push a short leaning pillar up behind herself. She cut one part off of it to make the front flat before leaning back against it, crossing her arms behind her head with a sigh.
Zuko returned a few minutes later and paused as he saw her, smiling and shaking his head. He set up the firewood and lit it before sitting back as well. He lay back on the ground, laying his head on his hands as he stared at the sky. He heard the shifting of fabric and Toph was next to him, laying her head on his chest.
"Are the stars shining tonight?" she questioned.
"Brightly." Zuko replied in a soft tone.
She snuggled into his side, shivering slightly. She wasn't used to the cold anymore. He was always so warm and he kept her so warm that she wasn't used to the outside temperature. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and made his body temperature rise just a few degrees. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Thanks."
He smiled. "I really don't mind."
-
Morning came too early for Toph, but when she woke, Zuko wasn't with her. She got up and dressed... Mostly. She wore one of his shirts and her underthings that was all. She exited the tent and followed movement to a small clearing not too far away. She stood and 'watched' him practice for a while before deciding to make her presence known since it was quite cold that morning. She walked through the trees with her arms wrapped loosely around herself. He turned toward her in a defensive stance before standing straight.
"You shouldn't be dressed like that." he chastised. "It's cold this morning."
She smiled and shook her head. "Says the one who's half dressed as well." she commented as he wrapped his arm around her to lead her back to the campsite.
"I'm always warm Toph, unless of course my flame dims or dies."
She nodded. "Of course. When did you want to start off again?"
"As soon as you're ready."
She shook her head again. "Why couldn't you have been the leader of the Avatar team? You're so much more lenient than Sokka."
Zuko released her as they got to the campsite and sat down by the fire. "Maybe because I'm from the firenation, or because I chased Aang all over the world and tried to kill all of you, or maybe it was because it took me so long to finally realize that I didn't need my father to have honour. I was pretty bad at being good in the beginning for a while."
She laughed as she sat next to him. "That you were. You know I still haven't really forgiven you for burning me."
He turned to her. "It was an accident!"
She laughed again. "I know, but still, I never managed to torment you as much as I'd had in mind at the time."
He shook his head. "You torment me all the time." he commented. "You just do it in a very subtle and less malicious way."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
He smiled. "You're tormenting me just by sitting there like that."
She tilted her head in confusion, her frown deepening slightly.
He lay back on the ground. "You're so beautiful Toph, it hurts just to be near you and not be able to touch you every waking moment."
She smiled. "Thanks. However, we should probably get moving, we have a long way to go yet."
He sat up and extinguished the fire. "You're right. You go and get dressed while I pack up."
She did as he suggested, packing everything in the tent as she did. Using a bit of earthbending she bent the tent and lean-to back into the earth, there was nothing to give away the fact that someone had camped there other than the scorch marks on the ground where the fire had been.
She hopped up onto the Eelhound that she had named Hanbay and they started off.
The travel that day was pretty well silent other than a couple of short conversations between them. Toph was almost ready to collapse against Hanbay's neck with tiredness before they finally stopped for the night. She didn't bother to make a tent or anything else, she just curled up on the ground near the eelhounds, and closed her eyes. She could hear Zuko moving around and she had to smile when he finally lay down with her and his arms immediately wrapped around her. She turned over and snuggled into his embrace, falling asleep within minutes.
When she woke in what she assumed was the morning, Zuko was once again no where to be found. She sat up and heard the creaking of leather and the soft jingling of metal. One of the eelhounds was awake and moving around.
She stood stalk still for a few moments, concentrating hard. She frowned when she couldn't find Zuko anywhere. The creaking of leather turned to the crack of a whip and the jingling of metal turned to the clanking of chains and the soft fibre like sounds of rope. She frowned and shifted slightly sending out a small tremor in the earth.
Whatever was there took a step and she could see it was a rhino. She took a step back into the clutches of an unknown person and they picked her right up off of the ground and tied her hands to the saddle of one of the rhinos with rope.
She heard the whip crack again and let out a soft sound as it lashed across the side of her face.
"Don't damage her! She could be worth something!"
"What do I do with the boy?" another questioned.
"Get rid of him." the first replied.
Toph grit her teeth as Zuko hit the ground hard- and didn't move. She held back the tears, refusing to show any emotion. She stared at his sonic image, almost willing him to be alive. He shifted and she let out a breath.
"He's alive! Finish him off!"
Toph let out a scream of denial as one of the men descended upon him with a sword drawn for the kill.
Toph sat up, taking in a ragged breath. She reached out and felt Zuko's bare skin beneath her hands, she let out a soft sigh and moved over to him, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his shoulder, halfway sitting up against him.
He shifted and turned, frowning as he saw her. "Is there something wrong?"
She shook her head. "Just a nightmare." she replied. "It's okay."
He pulled her into a warm embrace. "Did you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "I don't remember." was her reply.
Zuko nodded. "Are you going to be able to get back to sleep? It's not quite morning yet."
Toph shrugged." I don't know." she moved back from him just slightly and straddled his lap, leaning forward and laying her head against his shoulder. He crossed his legs under her and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, quite comfortable holding her like that. He felt her lips on his skin and had to smile when she moved back again.
"Kiss me." she commanded softly.
He leaned into her, placing a kiss on her lips. Her hands traveled up, one pressing against the back of his neck while the other moved down to dig into his shoulder blade. He let out a soft groan and she opened her mouth, begging him to deepen the kiss.
-
Later in the morning in a small town in the earth kingdom, a tall almost regal looking woman strode into the market. She wore green and beige rags, and her hair was dirty and stringy looking. She reached a booth and produced a few copper coins.
"What can I get for this?" she questioned. Her voice was soft and she kept her head down, her eyes averted. The shopkeeper took pity on her.
"I'll give you a free hot meal and sell you some clean water and a basket of vegetables for that." he replied.
She smiled. "Thank you for your kindness. May Oma and Shu bless you for years to come."
The shopkeeper beamed, and went into a small building just behind the booth, returning a minute or so later with a boxed meal on top of a basket filled to the brim with vegetables. He placed it and a pouch of water on the countertop. The woman placed the money in his hand and picked everything up with surprising strength.
"Thank you once more." she said before turning and walking out of town. She walked for maybe twenty minutes, stopping at a small cave. She went inside and set everything on the soft sandy floor before going over and lighting a small fire with some flint that she had found.
With that done she stood straight and pulled off the earth nation jacket, uncovering a worn green tunic. She let out a sigh and sat next to the fire, boiling a small bit of water. With the water, she washed the grime and dirt from her hair, face and body. She finger-combed her hair and pulled it back, tying it in a tight knot on the top of her head.
She lifted her head and her amber eyes glinted brightly in the light of the flames.
-
"We're only another day's trip from the town." Zuko called to Toph.
She nodded. "No problem."
The eelhounds sped over the ground, their long strides and aerodynamic bodies eating up the miles. They'd been running for hours now and still didn't seem to be showing signs of weariness. Their stamina was unmatched by any other animal, and their speed was legend. They didn't stop until nightfall, and even then they seemed restless, ready to continue.
Toph set up a small camp wile Zuko went to find food and firewood. When he returned, Toph had curled up near the eelhounds and was sleeping soundly. He lit a small fire and went about cooking something for the morning before retiring as well.
Morning couldn't come fast enough. Today was the day that they would reach the village and by the time they had eaten and packed their stuff, the eelhounds were restless once again, ready to go.
Toph jumped up on hers and he took off like a bat out of hell, Zuko's not far behind. They stretched out their strides until it seemed like they were flying over the ground rather than running. Not even Toph could feel the impact of their feet with the ground, their steps were too fleeting and light.
They reached the village before midday. Stopping at a small inn. The eelhounds were put into the stable, fed well and watered before Toph and Zuko even had a chance to get out of their room to search the village.
Once they were outside they began asking questions about the mysterious woman. No one seemed to have ever seen her face and didn't know what she could look like. However, one man said that he'd seen her at the market the day before and she'd stopped at Li Goh's stand.
It wasn't hard to find the market, and it wasn't hard to find Li Goh. Toph walked up to the stand. "Are you Li Goh?" she questioned.
"I am." he replied.
"We're here to ask about the woman that stopped here yesterday."
"There were many women here, but if you're asking about the poor woman to whom I gave free food, then I guess you came to the right place."
Zuko frowned. "Poor woman?"
"Yes, she stops by here sometimes with a few copper coins asking for food. I felt bad for her and gave her free food and lots of vegetables and some clean water for the few coins she had. I don't know what it is, but there's an air of kindness and nobleness around her."
"Did you see where she went?"
"No one knows where she goes, but I can tell you that she leaves the town toward the west once she has whatever she came into town for." Li Goh replied. "Why are you looking for her?"
"She may be someone we know." Toph replied. "Thanks for the information."
She placed three gold pieces on the counter and started walking away. Zuko caught up with her.
"Do you think it's her?" she questioned.
"I don't know." Zuko replied. "I guess I can just hope."
Toph let out a sigh and continued walking. "How long has it been since you saw your mother?" she questioned.
"Almost four years now, but I'll recognize her the moment I see her."
Toph nodded. "We're getting close to someone." she commented, stopping. "I can hear a fire."
She felt Zuko's heartbeat speed up slightly and hoped that this person actually was his mother so that he wouldn't be disappointed. They turned a corner and stopped at the mouth of a small cave.
"There's someone inside." Toph breathed.
Zuko moved forward into the cave, stopping just inside. Toph followed him. The royal couple stayed still and silent for a moment until movement was heard.
"Who's there?"
Toph could feel Zuko through the ground, she felt his heart skip a beat and knew that he recognized the voice.
"Ursa?" he questioned softly.
There was movement again and a figure moved out of the shadows into the firelight. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"We've been looking for you." Toph said before Zuko could speak. "My name is Toph Bei Fong, and I'm sure you already know Zuko."
"Zuko?" her tone was soft, wondering. "My son?"
Zuko moved forward. "Mother?"
Ursa was across the cave before either of them could speak throwing her arms around her son. "Zuko!"
Toph took a few steps back, wiping her face with the back of her hand to rid of silent tears.
"You've changed." Ursa said gently. "You're so much taller than I remember."
Zuko moved back from her. "A lot has changed in four years." he commented before smiling. "You're looking at the new firelord."
Ursa let out a small shriek. "Firelord? But what about your father?"
Zuko's mood darkened and he turned away from her. "He was a tyrant, bent on destroying the world as we know it. I helped the Avatar to stop him. I defeated Azula with Toph's help and things have been better since then."
Ursa reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Zuko, let me see your face."
He stiffened and Toph could tell that he didn't want his mother to see what his own father had done to him. She stepped forward and took his hand in hers, feeling his gaze shift to her. "She's your mother Zuko, let her see."
He let out a breath and turned to face the wife of the late firelord Ozai. She took in a breath and immediately reached up to gently smooth her fingers over the scar. "Who did this to you?"
Zuko looked away from her. "I think you already know that answer."
Toph felt a tremor go through the woman and for a moment thought that maybe she would start crying, but she didn't, she seemed to calm herself internally and spoke in a soft kind tone. "It's alright Zuko." she said. "It's over now, if I had known..."
Toph frowned as she trailed off.
-
The ride back to the firenation was much more interesting than the journey away. Ursa had much to tell them, so much in fact that neither Toph nor Zuko could tell her of their own lives. When they reached the palace, they were escorted inside and met at the door by Mayana.
"Firelord, My Lady."
Toph allowed her to remove her overcoat as Ursa watched.
"I have drawn a bath for you my lady, I'm sure you are wearied from your travels and wish to relax."
Toph nodded. "Yes thank you." she said. "But first send for someone to care for our guest, Lady Ursa, wife of Ozai."
Mayana turned and bowed slightly to Ursa. "It is a pleasure to see you once again." she said.
Ursa frowned. "I'm afraid I don't remember you." she said softly.
Mayana smiled. "That's fine, I'm Mayana, Lady Toph's personal keeper and while I won't be able to attend to you, I will send for a couple of our best handmaidens in the palace."
"Lady Toph?" Ursa questioned, looking her over.
Toph reached up and pulled her hair loose from the bun it was in, letting it fall loose around her shoulders and down her back. "Mayana, please do as I asked." she said.
Mayana retreated quickly, returning a few minutes later with two older women.
"Would someone explain this to me?" Ursa questioned.
Zuko smiled. "Sorry I didn't tell you before, but you seemed to excited about seeing me again and telling me what happened that I didn't have the time." he said. "Mother, Toph is my wife."
Ursa blinked a few times before a wide smile broke out across her face. "I'm so happy for you." she said. "I hope you are happy together."
Zuko shot a sidelong glance at Toph. "Happier than I have been in years." he replied.
Ursa clapped a few times. "Amazing. I don't believe I didn't see it before."
Toph laughed. "Don't worry, we weren't trying to keep it secret, it's just that we were interested in what you had to say. Now that we're home, things will change."
Zuko smiled and Toph moved over toward him, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek before following Mayana to her room and a nice hot bath.
Ursa was ushered away by the women and Zuko followed Toph and Mayana. He entered the room and washed quickly, before knocking on Toph's changing room door.
"Come in." Toph called.
He entered and saw Mayana standing close behind Toph, obviously in the middle of undressing her. "Continue."
"You're sure about that?" Mayana questioned.
Toph laughed. "It's nothing he hasn't seen many times before." she commented.
Mayana continued undressing her and Zuko had trouble keeping his mind out of the gutter. He was watching his wife being stripped by another woman after all. Toph stretched when she was finally unclothed and stepped into the bronze bathtub. Sitting in the deep hot water with a sigh.
Mayana took up a sponge and began to bathe her, starting with her legs and moving up. Zuko sat on the chair in the room and watched as the dirt was cleaned from her porcelain skin until she was clean once more. Mayana had her duck her head under the water before beginning to wash her hair thoroughly. Zuko could see the rivulets of dirty water and soap sliding down Toph's shoulders into the tub.
He had to shake his head to clear away the thoughts that invaded his mind.
"Was there something that you wanted, or did you just come here to see me unclothed?" Toph questioned.
Zuko laughed slightly. "I was just wondering what you actually thought of my mother." he said.
Toph shrugged. "She seems nice, and she definitely loves you, but it's a losing fight if she thinks she's going to be able to take you from me forever."
He laughed again. "I don't think she'll try to."
"What makes you-" Toph cut off as Mayana dumped a bucket full of water over her head. "Say that?" she finished when she could breathe.
Zuko shrugged. "She's not like that, however she's going to have a lot of questions for both of us."
Toph stood and Mayana poured one more pail of water over her to get rid of the soap. "As long as she doesn't intrude, I don't mind." Toph replied.
Mayana wrapped a long towel around her and lifted her out of the tub. Zuko was surprised at the older girl's strength.
He watched as Mayana vigorously dried Toph and helped her dress. He couldn't help but notice how mature Toph was physically. She was taller, and her breasts were now bigger than Katara's, her waist was small and flared into wide feminine hips. She was every bit a woman.
He moved as she moved over and sat on the chair in front of the mirror, leaning her head forward so Mayana could brush her hair.
"Well, thanks for the answers, and I'll wait for you outside." Zuko commented.
Toph let out a breath as the doors closed and stood again. Mayana pulled the dress up and over her head, laying it over the back of the chair before grabbing a corset and tightening it properly before tying it. With that she picked out chest wrappings and began to wrap Toph's chest with them, making sure that they were sufficiently wrapped to hold the weight of her ample bosom.
"Better?" she questioned as she helped Toph redress.
"Much. They're a lot heavier than I remember. It makes it harder to run." Toph commented as she sat again.
"Zuko seems to like them though." Mayana said with a mischievous tone.
"Of course he likes them, he likes a lot of things about me." Toph retorted.
Mayana laughed and finished with Toph's hair, pinning it up gracefully and sliding the 'Firelady' piece into a tight bun before placing a small flame shaped tiara just behind her bangs.
Toph stood and Mayana fixed her dress. "How do I look?"
"A little makeup and you'll match the part of a lady." Mayana said with a laugh.
Toph smirked but stood still as her makeup was applied. There was very little, only what was needed. A soft pink to accentuate the soft curve of her lips, and a light green to bring out her eyes.
"There you go." Mayana said. "You're now fit to stand by Zuko's side."
Toph stood straighter and took out a large red and gold fan, opening it and holding it just at her collarbones. "Thank you Mayana, you may leave."
"Of course my lady, just, one question."
"What?"
"Are you dressed like this to impress Ursa?"
Toph turned away from her. "I don't need to impress anyone, I dress like this for my people." she said. "They need to know that I care about their nation, why else would I be wearing red?"
"Because it looks good on you?"
"Well there's that too." Toph replied with a laugh.
Mayana shook her head. "I'll just clean up here, and then I'll be leaving."
Toph nodded. "It's not a problem, Zuko will probably want to go and talk to his mother, so we'll be in one of the sitting rooms."
With that she left, walking out into her room where Zuko sat waiting at the foot of the bed.
"Wow." he commented. "I feel underdressed."
Toph smiled. "No need, I am simply dressed in a wardrobe that befits a woman of my station." she said.
He laughed. "Of course."
She reached out and he walked over to take her hand before leading her down the hallway to a sitting room near the war chamber. When they entered Ursa stopped to stare, not at Zuko but at Toph who looked so regal standing next to him.
"Hello, I was just admiring your new tapestries." she said.
Zuko smiled and shook his head. "They're not new, I had them brought down from storage. They're centuries old."
Ursa nodded. "So, I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions."
Zuko shook his head. "It's fine. Ask away."
Toph sat next to him on the couch, leaning against him slightly.
"Well, how did you two meet?" she started with.
"We met while traveling." Toph replied. "I was traveling with the Avatar, teaching him earthbending before Zuko joined us. One thing led to another and we fell in love. Although I do miss Iroh, he and I are old friends."
Zuko smiled. "He's quite the old friend to have."
Ursa nodded. "And how did you get the scar?"
Zuko went silent for a moment. "I spoke against a general in the war chamber when I was thirteen. Ozai took it as a personal offence and challenged me to an Agni Kai, when I refused to fight he burned me and banished me. He told me that I would never be allowed back into the firenation and I would never have my honour restored until I captured the Avatar. I chased him all over the world with uncle until I finally stood up to Ozai and joined the Avatar. We're good friends now."
Ursa was silent, taking in the information. "And you?"
Toph shrugged. "I ran away from home to teach the Avatar, I traveled with him for quite a while until Zuko joined us. We've been together nearly a year now."
"you were a teacher to the Avatar? You're an earthbender?"
Toph nodded. "The best earthbender in the world, I'm the only one that can bend metal and glass as well as rock."
"Who were his other teachers?"
"A water tribe girl named Katara who he's now married to, and Zuko." Toph replied.
Zuko sat silently, taking in his mother's reactions.
"Have you two thought about children?" she questioned.
Zuko shot a look at Toph from the corner of his eye.
"We don't have time for them right now." Toph replied. "Besides, I don't know a thing about caring for a baby."
Ursa laughed. "It's really not as hard as it seems, unless of course you have a daughter like Azula." she said. "There was always something wrong with that girl."
Toph tilted her head down. "I would prefer if you wouldn't mention her around me." she said softly.
Zuko reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing gently. Ursa looked between the two of them. Zuko was still looking at Toph when he answered her silent question. "Azula almost killed me once, I was close to dying, to leaving my nation leaderless and my girlfriend with nothing. Excuse Toph for hating her."
Ursa smiled. "I don't blame her. The reason why you turned out the way you did is because you spent so much time around me. A mother's love always chases the darkness away."
Toph closed her eyes and tilted her head down more. Her mother was waiting for her, unsure of when she would come.
Chapter Eight please review