So here we are. Thanks again, guys who reviewed. I did change a few things, sorry for forgetting to mention that to you guys. Thanks for the reviews, you guys are amazing! So, here's where things get sad. I didn't want this, but it was the only way it worked. Forgive me!
Sokka's Sun and Moon
-Ki Ai Sky-
Bull's-eye
The target fell to the floor limp. Screams echoed through the Western Air Temple alerting all others who weren't there to witness the event. They came running immediately, ready for anything, except what they saw. There, on the floor, blood began to flow from the body into a wide puddle. The arrow was in the temple of the target's head, and it was dead on impact. It was Toph.
All of the reactions differed, but ranged around the same: despair.
Zuko, though he didn't know any of the group very well, kept trying to tell himself that it wasn't real, it couldn't be. He didn't want it to be real. Of the entire group, Toph was the only one to have given him a real chance in the beginning, knowing that his intentions were true. He stood there, among the people gathered around the body, trying to prove that it wasn't true. He'd tried to kill Toph and everyone else many times, but for him it was impossible. He regretted everything he'd ever done, or tried to do. He knew that regret wasn't enough to bring the earth-bender back.
Katara and Suki were pressed against a beam together with their arms around each other. Katara was trembling from what she had just witnessed. She'd seen death before, but not like this, not right in front of her. Her mother had been taken from her, but she couldn't remember so much blood. She felt so helpless. Healing was no use if she was dead already, and she knew that the girl was. She could hear something close. It wasn't Suki making the strange whimpering noise. It was her.
Suki held the younger girl in her arms. She was slightly in shock, but there was more fear. It could have been her. That arrow could be through her head. That could have been her blood pooling on the Temple floor. She felt the guilt that washed over her the moment she registered what happened in her mind. Maybe it should have been her? If Toph weren't blind, maybe it could have been prevented, on the slim chance. She rubbed Katara's back, trying to comfort her and make her stop whimpering. She looked up from the girl's body to Sokka, her eyes full of many emotions.
Sokka looked down at Toph. He kept shaking his head back and forth, muttering to himself quietly, "No, not her. Please not again." He couldn't protect her either. Were all of the people he held dear going to die, because he couldn't save them? His tears rolled slowly down his cheeks. He loved Toph, but a different kind of love. He wasn't in love with her, like Suki and Yue, but he wanted her to be there with him. He kept telling himself that it was his fault, he should have been there. He began to realize how much they needed her, how much he needed her. He remembered how she was the one who got them into Ba Sing Se when Aang couldn't even get them in using the 'I'm the avatar' piece. She was every part of this team. She was as important as Aang himself. It was his fault, but only in his eyes.
The others, being Hakoda, Pipsqueak, and the Duke, all who didn't really know Toph, didn't know quite the pain. There was shock and misery in their eyes. Each one of them seemed to be asking themselves the same questions: Who would do this? That was a simple question with a simple answer: the Fire Nation. How could they do this? Simple, that's how. The Fire Nation wanted to capture the avatar so they could finally capture the rest of the Earth Kingdom (being only a few villages and islands) and Water-Tribes so they could rule. There was really no cost for their domination to be brought forth. Thousands of soldiers and innocent bystanders could die, and they would sleep well at night.
Aang… He stared at his earth-bending teacher, frozen in his place. No! he thought violently. It can't end like this for her. This is all because of me. She had to come with and teach me, and now this happens. This would have been one of those times where his pain and anger would have triggered the Avatar State, but he locked his last chakra gate and it wasn't possible. Toph was his fried and because of him, she was dead. The Fire Nation, they did this. He knew they couldn't be that far away now, and he could easily seek his revenge and take them all out. No, he took a look at the rest of his friends, they needed him right now. He looked at Katara, who was still shivering. He couldn't leave them now.
"Toph," Sokka cried. "It won't end like this," Aang added. He would see to that. The Fire Nation could not continue to kill people when they thought necessary, or when they pleased. His tone was soft, but his words were harsh. He took the few steps over to Katara, around Toph's body and took her into his arms. She was still shaking, but it was beginning to lessen. Suki walked over to Sokka and embraced him, trying to help.
"We must honor her death, and then set her somewhere," Hakoda said. He was glared at, but he was only speaking what they had to do. The anger filled stares softened and looked back at Toph.
"A funeral," Suki said. The fire flickered to a dim light, as if it understood what was going on. Suki had no tears to shed, and she didn't think that it would have been right if she had cried. She needed to take charge of the situation, none of the others could. "Everyone say something about her, a memory, or a trait, something about her that you'll never forget."
"You remember that day when Sokka was learning to use a sword?" Katara started, a sad, but remembering smile came across her face. She loved this memory. "We were so bored and I was trying to act like Sokka. Toph and Aang told me the humor didn't run in the family. Toph picked her toes twice!" She looked at Aang and pressed herself to him closer.
"Toph was blind," Sokka went next. There were too many memories to choose from, so he chose who she was in general. "But she wasn't helpless. She wouldn't let anyone help her unless she needed it. She wouldn't even stay in our tent the first times, always building an earth-tent. She was so difficult, for all of us," he said glancing at Katara and Aang together, "but soon became one of us."
"The memory I want to share is one of my few. The time when we were crossing the Serpent's Pass, and there was the stretch of water between the lands that we had to cross. I'll always remember when I jumped in to help her and she kissed me, thinking I was Sokka," Suki said, only a very faint smile on her face. It was an amusing memory, especially because Sokka didn't realize that Toph really liked him. It would never leave her.
"Um," a voice said, none would have expected anything from him. "I didn't really know Toph very well, but she was one of the greatest people I had to honor to know." It was Zuko. "I thought she was invincible, that nothing could touch her. All those times…" he stopped. No one wanted to hear that, and he didn't want to say it. "I didn't want any of this to happen. Not to you, the only person who accepted me because I never really did you any wrong. You will be missed."
"You were an earth-bender, the best I've ever met. You may have been one of the best in the world. You were able to bend metal!" Haru thought out-loud. For some reason, he changed the whole way the funeral was going. They were talking to Toph now. He began to think about all of the things he'd seen her do in the short time he'd known her. "I wish that I'd known you for longer and had gotten to train under you. If only things hadn't turned out like this. We will always need you."
Hakoda was next. "Children are what keep the world alive. If it weren't for you, I would have lost my children many times over. I owe you more than my life, but I will never be able to repay you. I can only hope to honor your memories and death. Perhaps, I can help…" he said thinking. Yes, he could help, but it would be extremely difficult. He would do it, he needed to. He would want it for himself.
Pipsqueak and the Duke decided that it wouldn't be appropriate for them to say anything, so they passed it over to the only person who had yet to speak: Aang. His eyes were hard, but he was not going to lose it.
"Toph," he started. "Water, Earth, Fire, and Air make an avatar, but they don't make a good person. You were one of the greatest people I could have ever known. You taught me earth-bending, and you saved us all more that once. You know, I can't help thinking that if you had stayed with your parents none of this would have happened. I wonder who would do this to you, but I already know who. I can't tell you what everything you've done means to me. Maybe," he smiled a little, "I'll see you in the Spirit World, seeing as I am the bridge. Goodbye."
The funeral ended, just like that, and the subject changed. The arrow had burnt out as soon as it hit Toph's body, but it was still recognizable. Zuko bent down to examine it, despite the fact that it was still in Toph's head.
"I know this arrow," Zuko said, disgusted, "or at least, who uses these. They're a Clan of ninja who specialize in archery known as the Peon-Tai of the Fire Nation. See the insignia," he said, pointing at the end of it. "It looks like a sword hilt, but very different. You only find it on their arrows and clothing. They don't wear Fire Nation, but their own. Someone must have hired them, and my best bet is Azula." He practically spat the last word, his dreaded sister's name.
"Azula…" Aang hissed. He was fed up with being chased by the Fire Nation Royalty, not that he still begrudged Zuko, and now it struck home. Because of her, Toph was dead. He refused to let his anger build now, it wasn't time.
"They're like the Di-Lee in Ba Sing Se, except they are hired for certain jobs and can't fire-bend well. Only a select few of them who can actually bend and those few are always women," Zuko continued to explain. He had heard tales of them, and had ever befriended one of them as a child. Times had changed.
"What are we going to do?" Katara asked. She hated the idea of splitting up, but they couldn't all go on Appa. Some needed to be taken somewhere safe where they could plan and Aang could train.
"They took her out because she was the 'security system' who told you guys when people were approaching. They'll try to come up and attack you, surprise you so you're off guard," Zuko predicted. Even though he didn't seem to be so, he was very good at military strategic planning. He could see the logic in what was planned by his sister. It was brilliant actually, but he was still furious. "We'll need to leave, or defend this place. Those are our options."
"We can't fight them, we don't even know who will come for us," Sokka argued. "We have to get you guys to safety and then Aang will have to continue his training."
Training… who would teach him the rest of what he didn't learn of earth-bending? They could try to rescue Bumi again, but that seemed pointless. Someone else might be killed. They couldn't risk it, and they couldn't take it. So, Bumi was out for an earth-bending master. There was…
"Aang, I can try to teach you what I know," Haru said. "I know I'm not a master, but I do know a few tricks." He said, bashfully.
The small fire was going out, so another log was thrown on. It was late, or very early. A lot had happened in such a little time. Perhaps an hour or two had passed since they began their fire gossip. There still were things to do.
"We need to bury her, or cremate her," Hakoda said. He hated to be the one so say it, but it was true. They couldn't leave the body like that, and the sooner it was done the better.
"I have an idea," Aang said, looking down at the young girl for one last time. He slowly dropped to his earth-bending position and began to bend. Everyone took a few steps back, unsure of what was going on. He pulled the rock around Toph so that it covered her, just like a tent. He pressed down, making the top of the tent now flat like a stone table. It was about a foot off of the regular level. He squared it off, making it look more like a table.
"We need something, some way to mark it as her final resting place," Aang concluded. It was much too hard to earth-bend the words into the tomb, and he didn't believe that water or air could. Perhaps fire would be able to, but that would be a difficult task.
"I can try," Zuko offered. He started his concentration, pouring as much heat as he could into his two fingers. He pressed them to the rock and began to write. It wasn't as hard as it looked, but the concentration levels were hard to maintain. He couldn't keep it up for long. He wrote out 'Toph Bae Fong' in his best calligraphy. The impression his fingers made on the stone went in about two inches. He brushed off the remains when he was finished, noticing the contract from the cold gray stone and the scorched black color of his words.
Aang nodded at him, grateful for his work. "We need to depart, very soon."
"Aang, you, Katara, Haru, Zuko, Sokka, and Suki need to stay together. Pipsqueak, the Duke, and I will go to a safe house I know. We'll be fine there and find you all sometime in the near future," Hakoda decided. Pipsqueak and the Duke would go wherever they were told, and Hakoda had already decided. He had a few tricks up his sleeves and he had a few things he needed to do.
"Yes, Dad," Sokka said. He didn't want to let Suki go, he needed her right now. She was going to have to be his support until he recovered, but that was why he loved her. She didn't really need protecting. He didn't have to worry as much about her being safe, but she had a tendency to put herself in danger. "You'll need to leave immediately. Take Momo with you," he smiled. The lemur and bison were in a different room, resting and fueling up.
"Of course, son," his father said. He walked up to him and gave him a firm handshake. His son was becoming quite the man.
They packed for the next few hours, deciding not to sleep until they were off and on their ways. They prepared as much food as they could, the two women gathering fruit, while the younger men hunted for those who did eat it. Aang gathered some food and nuts for
Appa. He gathered a few moon peaches, seeing as they still grew near the Western Air Temple. They were once snacks for the flying bison back when their Air Nomads were still around.
Father and son, and Aang, went off to a room to speak. The look on Hakoda's face when he had asked for a word with them was a peaceful one that held a touch of seriousness. They took a short walk to the south wing and onto the balcony that held not view, except for the rocky cliff-side. There were no words said on the trip, but there would be much expected when they did.
"My boys," he started. He had his arms around their shoulders. "Sokka… you're not my little boy anymore. You aren't the little boy I left at the South Pole to watch over my Tribe. You're not a boy, and not yet a man. I am so pleased to see you, and how you've found such a lovely woman. You have come such a long way. I couldn't be more proud you, unless I had a few grandchildren I didn't know about yet," he smiled at his own joke even though he was completely serious in what he was saying.
"Gee, dad, thanks," Sokka said sarcastically. He didn't exactly like the comment about grandchildren, but he understood what his dad was saying.
"You're quite welcome," he winked. He turned to his other arm where Aang was. "And you, Aang. I could you as my own son, and who know knows? Maybe you will become my son. You are much more than just the avatar. You are the young man that my daughter is in love with," Aang's eye brightened at the remark, "and you have saved us. You will save the world, in your given time. You are what we've all been missing. The avatar has returned this year to bring peace. Now, I know that all the 'avatar' talks get to you, I mean, how couldn't it? You're technically only human. I believe in you, and I think of you as a son I've always wanted, but got stuck with Sokka," he smiled.
"Thank you, Hakoda," Aang said, tears brimming on the edge of his eyes. He had never known who his father was, except that he was an air-bender. He had lived with the monks, who he thought of as family. They were all dead. Hakoda was the next best thing. "I only hope that I won't let you down."
"We all believe in you, Aang," Sokka said, smiling warmly.
So much happened last night, and yet, here they were, preparing to leave each other as if it were routine. They walked back to each other and began the feast. A feast had been planned in Toph's honor and to say their goodbyes.
They would leave at dusk.
Sorry those of you who like Toph, I sort of did too, but I had to do it. There wasn't any other way to make it work, and I have some serious OCD with odd numbers. You'll all understand soon. By the way, I'm looking for a Beta; let me know if you're interested.
-Ki