Thank you for reading, and for the reviews. I hope you like this chapter.
Aang pulled himself to his feet. His heart was racing. He wasn't sure why. Maybe he was angry, or maybe he was scared. The idea that Toph could have been kidnapped or something like that seemed very unlikely. The only explanation for this was that she had left. She bent herself free from the chain, something she had said she wouldn't do, then just left.
With his heart still racing, now more clearly from anger he started to whined the chain around his wrist. It came almost up too his elbow. Closing his eyes tightly he focused on the stone floor at his feet. Gradually the ripples of vision came to him. He saw the palace as Toph did. He had to focus harder then normally to see the whole palace. Even with that he only had a faint picture of the palace. There was no sign of Toph. His arms feel to his sides as he turned and moved towards the window. In one leap he was balancing on the windowsill. Without a second thought he stood, bent a strong current of air that carried him from the window, over the walls of the palace and into the city. His legs started to carry him.
He didn't think much about where he was going or even what he was looking for. The only thing that was clear was that Toph had left, she was up to something and that he had to find her to know what that was. When he reached the centre of the city he stopped. The thought, the fact he had been trying to fight from coming forward in his mind since it first came to him, there was no fighting it back now. Toph was the jade bandit. There was no other explanation for what was going on.
He was going to the broken sword inn. That was were Toph had wanted to go the first night they were here. There must be a reason for that. It took him longer than he remembered to get to the inn. This rather than giving him time to calm down, was making him angrier. He hated that she was making him feel like this. They would have a fight, a disagreement than she would find a way to make it his fault and he would feel guilty, and end up apologizing. He hated that she could get him so angry, he was not normally a angry person.
When he got to the inn the sign was still hanging over the door in way that looked like it would fall at any time. This time this didn't bother him. He walked under it and through the door of the inn at a steady pace. Like the first time he had been here, the inn was filled to the point of a lack of air. His eyes didn't roam the room like they had done the first time he had stood on this spot. They locked onto the door at the back of the room. With large strides he pushed his way across the room and through the door.
The door slammed behind him, alerting the men to his presence. The back room was only occupied by three men this time. Changpu was one of them. Like he had done with Toph he sized Aang up, only with less of a burning stare. His right arm hung by his side as he stood up at the table. "Avatar, to what do I owe this surprise visit."
Aang set his steel eyes on the man that spoke to him. "What do you know about the jade bandit."
"Nothing." Changpu sat back down, thinking, hopeing that the conversation was over.
"I know you know something. Tell me."
After his encounter with Toph, Changpu was a little more reluctant to get into another fight. The Avatar was clearly not someone he wanted to fight with. As he sat there steel eyes still set on him. He wondered if he knew about what had happened with Toph. Was this thing about the jade bandit a cover for him being here. So he had a reason to beat him for hurting his girl. "I don't know much. They picked something up a few minutes ago. You might still be able to catch them, they might still be around here."
"What did they pick up."
"I don't know." While he wasn't was good as Toph he could tell when someone told a out and out lie and he was looking for it. Changpu was telling the truth.
More questions crossed his mind. Did he now Toph was the jade bandit. Had she been here to make plans for tonight. These and many more ran through his head. He didn't voice them. He wanted the answers form Toph herself. If he was honest with himself he also wanted to hold onto the small thread of hope that he as wrong. That Toph wasn't the jade bandit, that she hadn't been lying to him all this time. With much less fuss than Toph had done, he left the room. As he crossed the inn towards the door all the questions that he should have asked still kept running around his head. One stuck out more than the others. Do you know who the jade bandit is. He badly wanted the answer, but knew he wasn't ready for it.
Once he was out of the inn he looked down either side of the street he was on. He wasn't really sure what he was looking for. It was hard to really see very much in the dark of the night. He saw a street lamp a few feet away and realised their must be more of these along the street. Not seeing the rest of them he bent a stream of fire from his right hand. His left being weighted down by the chain wrapped around it. The stream of fire landed on most of the lamps either way along the street. Letting Aang really see the street he was in for the first time.
Out of the corner of his left eye he thought he saw a dark figure running across the street. He at first thought he was seeing things, but the long shadow of the figure created by the street lamps stayed in the street longer than they did. Without really knowing why he bent the air around him to lift him up onto the rooftop of the building across from him. Still using the air to carry him from rooftop to rooftop he chased after the figure.
The figure had run down a side street that then came out onto a larger one like the one Aang had been standing on. Once they left the side street and ran across the large street Aang finally got a good look at them. They were wearing all black covering ever part of there body. Except for a brown leather chest piece. There face was covers by a black mask. That left space for their eyes. This too was covered. A half mask made of jade black and gold coved the last part of the body.
Not using the air this time Aang pushed of from the roof with his legs. He had only planned on landing on the ground then continuing to give chase, but as he fell he realised how close he was now to the figure. Using the air again he reached them just before they entered the side street in-front of them they were aiming for. He took hold of them by the waist and pulled them down to the ground with him.
Aang landed on top of the figure, who didn't move once they were pushed to the ground. As he started to push himself up the figure took their chance to attack. They lay on there back and once Aang was balancing on his feet as he got up they swung their right leg across the air in-front of them, pushing themselves up at the same time. Aang was knocked back, but caught his balance in time and jumped to his feet. They pulled themselves to their full height at that same time.
He expected them to say something, anything, but they just stood there. They were waiting for him to say something, explain. "Your the jade bandit aren't you. Toph."
The figure tilted there head to the side, and raised their shoulders in a shrug. Again the jade bandit was the first to attack. They kicked out with there right leg, this time aiming for Aang face. Aang stepped back, them fell backwards. A rock that he hadn't noticed had been behind him, had tripped him over. A split second later and he was back on his feet. The jade bandit was running off again. This time down the main street. They were hoping that he wouldn't really try and fight them on a street wear people lived. He was wrong.
Once again Aang bent a stream of fire, larger than the last one. The stream swept down towards the jade bandits left. At the last second they dropped to avoid the fire streaming at them. Of course they wouldn't see things on their sides with a mask on, or if they were blind. In the time it took for them to get back on their feet Aang was by their side again. This time using the earth. He bent two blocks of earth from the ground and sent then towards the jade bandit. They hit them on the wrist, pulling them back to the wall next to them and bent in to cuffs on the wrists.
With the jade bandit in-front of him pinned by earth to the wall, Aang moved to stand in-front of them he reached out to remove the half mask. If it was Toph her eyes would give it away. The street they stood on had no light form street lamps, so he lifted his chained right hand as well, bending a small flame in his palm. So he could see their, her face. The jade bandit moved their head away a little at the fire getting closer to their face. His had was a inch away from the mask when is stopped.
He wanted to know how this was, but a part of himself stopped him. It was the part that questioned what he would do if it turned out to really be Toph. For now, not knowing he could still have hope that she hadn't used him. Once he knew there was no going back. He had to face what ever was in-front of him. "Are you the jade bandit." His voice was low and strong.
As if against their will, moved by the strength of his voice, the figure nodded. His arms dropped to his sides. He really had the person that he was looking for held in-front of him. The person that Toph may or may not have been able to catch herself. Maintaining the same strength in his voice he leaned in so he could be heard with more clarity. "Did you take the emerald form Lord Hong." Again the response he got was a nod. "Did he ask you to take it." There was a pause this time. He could almost see the wheels in their head working to find the best answer to this. Finally they responded, with a shake of the head. "So you just stole it." again a nod.
He took the step back again. He looked the jade bandit over to see if they were carrying anything with them, hiding the emerald in a pouch or something, but there was nothing. He couldn't put it off any longer. The question that had been at the front of his mind, on the tip of his tongue had to be asked now. The words came tumbling out, before had the chance to stop them. "Is this you Toph."
This question as well cased them to paused over it . Unfortunately this was not the question to mes around with. Now he had asked it he needed an answer. Firmly pushing a hand onto their shoulder forcing them to look at him, he asked them again. "Is it you Toph. Have you been lying to me, using me all this time."
This question seemed to annoy the jade bandit. They once again kicked out at Aang. This time landing a hit to his stomach. As he was forced back a few steps, the jade bandit summoning strength for somewhere, and was able to free themselves from the earth restraints. They didn't ran away this time,they stood waiting for Aang to get his balance back. Aang pulled himself up, realising that he was a good few inches taller than the jade bandit was. He couldn't see there eyes, but he knew form their body language that like him they had had enough of this. They moved to punch Aang in the face. A hit he avoided by simply moving to the right, and continuing to spin till he was standing with his back to the jade bandits shoulder. Again the turned to punch him. This time he ducked, grabbed them by the waist and pushed them back against the wall. He quickly let them go. As he did they slumped down onto the ground.
Aang, if he was honest was a little disappointed. He had expected a lot more from the jade bandit. They weren't bending anything earth or otherwise. The thin thread of hope that this might not be Toph was getting stronger. If this was Toph even if she didn't want to use earthbending, giving herself away. He knew full well that she could at least put up a fight without bending. This person didn't have her speed or balance. Using the wall behind them they once again pulled themselves to there feet. It seemed that the feet of strength shown getting out of the earth holds was a fluke.
Like he expected the jade bandit tried to punch him again. This time he took hold of their wrist and twisted it, so they were facing away from him. Before he could say anything a thin elbow hit him on the left side of his face, it hit the corner of hie eye making it water. He had to let the jade bandit go.
They took off again but Aang was after them in a shot. They changed direction running towards a side street, they picked up speed as Aang got closer. Instead of running down the side street the jade bandit was running full speed towards the wall of the house on the corner. Once they got close enough they pushed off with their right leg, while the left hit the wall. They were able to get there right leg up and the left again, before they pushed off the wall. Flipping over as they did. Aang was only about a foot or two away when they did this. The force they were able to push off with was very impressive. They pushed of far enough to be coming down almost right on Aang.
He couldn't move it was all happening so fast. Their foot stepped onto his head, like it was a stepping stone in the water. Using Aang to push off from they were able to reach the building behind them. The one they had been pinned to a minute ago. When Aang turned round the jade bandit was hanging from the roof of the one story building with their right hand. They swung themselves up onto the roof and ran off. It seemed agility was the jade bandit strength. Aang was starting to believe that this person may have been able to climb in and out of Lady Shou's room the night before.
Using the earth as a spring he launched himself after them. On the rooftops again, he could see the jade bandit a few house in-front of him. To his left he saw a small water tank on the top of what seemed to be a inn. An evil grin almost as evil as Toph's spread across his face as he bent all the water from the tank to hit the jade bandit. The current of water hit them on their right side. To Aang it looked like they didn't even see it coming like with the fire stream. The water carried the jade bandit to the ground nine feet below.
When Aang reached them, they were starting to pull themselves up. He jumped to the ground next to them. Took hold of their arm pulling them to their feet. The were unsure on their feet now. He was about to finally remove their mask when he noticed they seemed to be looking at something behind him.
The next thing he felt was a hard blow to the back of this head. They weren't alone, was the last thing he thought before it all went black and he came crashing to the ground.
His eyes twitched open as the first rays of sun hit them. It took him a few minutes to focus on where he was and taking what has happened. Using the wall next to him to pulled himself up. Taking a few minutes for his head to stop spinning, before he started to walk back to the palace. On the second step he took he stepped on a small rock in his way, he kicked it out of the way and kept going.
He walked round to the side of the palace, as not to be seen by many people returning. When he was under Toph's window he backed up a little from the wall and ran at it. Using air and earth bending he reached the open window and swung into the room.
The room looked just as it had when he left. Except Toph was now in the bed. Curled up on the right side facing the window and him. She looked peaceful. Not like yesterday morning after the nightmare, because that's what it had to be. He didn't want to wake her from a peaceful sleep, not after last night, and knowing how hard sleep was for her to find. But there was a lot he had to tell her, and a lot he had to ask her.
Again thanks for reading. I have asked a few times what you think of the idea of putting in links to pictures of outfits and thing in the story. I haven't had any comments back about this. So I will add two more now.
This is the link for the jade bandit's outfit. Like the last one, copy and paste, then take out the spaces I but in.
http .org /item/1314/ leather-ninja- fighter-child-
This is the link to the mask of the jade bandit.
Http :/www. .uk/ gold-black—green- papier-mache-
It took a while to find these, I hope you like them. I would also like to know if you have used in of the other links I have put in. if so what do you think of them.
I was worried about this chapter. I wanted to make the jade bandit cool, but they couldn't really take on the avatar with no bending. So it was hard to make them cool, but not to cool. I would really like to know what you think of the jade bandit.