Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. :)
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Chapter 20: The Battle Begins
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The first clue that Toph got (besides the constant stamping of feet in her vision) were the distant war cries. The smell of smoke followed soon after, and she knew they were drawing closer and closer.
At the beginning of the battle, she'd already given herself the mission of watching over her friends. They were everything she had, after all, and if something happened to even one of them... it was unthinkable. They were a family - a distorted one, but a family all the same.
Suddenly she began to drown in the sound of the battle. It had come from nowhere; sounds that had seemed distant only seconds before now sounded too close for comfort. She felt the swell of the heat - firebenders, and lots of them - and a spray of water to indicate that the waterbenders were coming back on them. She was sure that the river was little less than a cloud of steam now.
A firebender behind her, one in front. She threw herself to the side and smashed them together with two parallel walls of rock. Another here - this one she made slip over his own feet and the poor man was trampled - another there, falling forward and backward because of the steady tremors she sent through the ground to make them lose their balance. She didn't know where they had come from, but here they were, at the palace gates. She compacted a rather loose mound of rock and made a boulder, subsequently thrusting it at a hoard of Azula's men.
She was aware that her ranged earthquaking affected more than just the enemy, but her own side was expecting the movements below their feet, so they were better off. Sometimes she accidentally slammed one of the more aggressive firebenders that worked for Zuko, but she was sure he wouldn't mind too much.
Arrows were flying. She felt one whiz past her ear and yelled out a threat that drowned immediately in the hubbub as she lifted several firebenders atop a column only to send it plummeting to the ground. It landed with a deafening crash as rock collided with armor and armor collided with armor, and Toph grinned proudly, all the while sending a ridge of rock hurtling toward a group of firebenders from both sides.
Where was Aang? It wasn't exactly supposed to be what was on her mind at this time, but she had to know. Normally it was Katara's job to keep an eye on everyone, but she was kind of busy, and Toph didn't think she'd have much of a chance to see anyone when the air was probably full of smoke, dust and steam.
He was steadily making his way toward Azula. Always thinks it's his responsibility to attack the heart of the battle, Toph thought, sending three firebenders spiraling into a few trees away from the clearing.
Katara was, of course, leading the brigade of waterbenders in their attack. Many had already broken off into one-on-one battles, though, so Toph had little doubt that the others would as well.
Sidestep, sidestep, left heel into the ground, right hand in a fist, bring it down, sweep right foot this way... She dodged a couple of fire blasts, several stalagmites erupted from the ground, another six seemed to be swallowed by the Earth... A fissure broke the ground and some very unlucky firebenders fell into it. She sealed it and, as if as an afterthought, made the ground hold to the acrobat's hands so that she was trapped in a handstand.
Snoozles was fighting Ami. Toph sort of wanted that privilege (Ami was very talented and she did so relish a challenge), but something else whizzed by her head - some sort of blade? - and she turned around to find Mai. No words were spoken as Toph tried to trip her up and send her spiraling backward. She was incredibly agile, but in the end Toph got the best of her. Of course, the earthbender did get off with a few scratches (that is to say, she was bleeding terribly) and a new haircut (much, much to her dismay), but Mai wasn't exactly in tip-top condition. Would you be if you were leaning limply against a wall of solid stone, eyes lolling about and bruises littering your body?
Azula's best friends were down. Toph quickly noted that and sent a boulder flying at Ami, who retaliated with lightning speed as she sent a fireball in the earthbender's direction.
This, in Toph's opinion, was a challenge. She took on Ami, also realizing that Sokka was getting a little exhausted. He would never have told her such a thing, of course, but she could tell - by his breathing, by his stance, by his reaction speed. She would need to stay close to him to keep a watch.
"Earthbender! What a pleasant surprise," Ami grinned. Sokka thought that Ami's devilish look would have given Azula a run for her money, but Toph knew nothing of that.
"Ami," Toph acknowledged simply, sneering in disgust as she dodged another blast of fire. The flames licked her arm and she bit her tongue to keep from crying out.
Ami shrugged and kept throwing. Toph was more prepared, however, and uprooted a column of rock. The column separated into many, many earthen daggers, and they were fired at Ami, all in the course of a second.
Ami fell to the side and rotated her hands in a circle, sending a spiral of fire at her opponent. Toph kicked up a rock wall to take the blast then made it disintegrate, causing debris to cloud Ami's vision. She fired a few shots, but all went wide of their intended target and the shooter was swallowed by the ground, never again to see the light of day.
Toph grinned at her small victory (Ami had been a worthy opponent, but never a match for Toph herself). This was when she noticed Sokka had escaped her line of vision. He was grown and could take care of himself, but Toph still worried.
A firebender was sliding at Toph head-on. She threw up a small wall to block the attacker and thrust the ground beneath him sideways into another firebender, then made a leaning column shoot from the ground right into them. They both fell into the forest come thirty feet away.
Toph had to admit - she was having fun. She heard something sizzle behind her and made a small hole in the ground to catch a firebender's foot. He toppled over and she dodged to the side, bumping into another firebender (how many were there, exactly?). He turned to her and flashed his sword, unaware of her blindness.
"Ooh, a sword. I'm scared," she laughed, noting the swish in the air as him arm shifted positions. She grabbed the arm with the weapon and twisted it with a force surprising for her size, then allowed the ground beneath his feet to pull him in. He used his free hand to grab her leg, but she kicked him away and snatched his weapon.
She tossed it to the side. "Weapons are for non-benders."
A decree she would not easily forget.
"Toph! Nnugh... How're ya doin'?"
The earthbender turned in a swift movement to face Katara, simultaneously smashing the firebender behind her between two earthen walls. "Great, you?"
Katara had her opponent slashing with his machete at her water whip. He was, of course, completely unsuccessful. "Great!"
Casual conversation, like they weren't battling at all.
A burst of heat. A terrible pressure at her back. She fell forward and cried out in pain. "Would you-" Augh...
She truly felt like fainting. A surprise attack from, what, a tree? Brilliant. It had to be from someone who knew how she saw...
Azula was the only other firebender that hadn't been taken down that she actually knew of. She rolled over, avoiding a second blast, this one of lightning, and stood up on shaky legs.
The tree's weight changed and two new feet appeared in her vision. It was indeed Azula, but the girl wasn't sticking around. She was heading toward the palace now, hindered only by the occasional firebender that worked for Zuko or maybe a waterbender here or there. Very few noticed her. No other earthbenders had seen her, and when Toph herself fired a boulder at the girl, more to get her colleagues' attention than to actually hit the supposed target, they still didn't notice her.
Someone was standing in her way now. She thought she recognized the pair of feet, but she wasn't sure. Azula shifted her weight from foot to foot, changed her stance, never stood in the same place longer than a few seconds.
Toph knew what she was doing. She was trying to throw her off. Maybe she had underestimated Azula; maybe Azula knew more about that earthbender, maybe Azula knew more about Toph, than Toph herself had thought.
It was Sokka. Toph hadn't been able to think straight because she was disoriented from the blast, but Sokka was blocking the palace. Toph suddenly wondered why Azula hadn't kicked him out of the way.
They were talking. This became evident as she drew closer, staying close to the ground for more reasons than just her injury, hoping that the shadows of the fading twilight would keep her from view. For all she knew she was crouched in a beam of sunlight, but she certainly hoped not.
She edged closer. Azula's heart was racing. The thrill of the moment had caught up with her; she was standing not only on the threshold of the palace, but on the threshold of victory. Toph wondered why she was waiting and, with a strike of horror, felt Azula tense up.
She was always like that before she fired a shot.
Even as Azula lifted her hand, Toph made the ground beneath Sokka shake uncertainly. He fell, confused, and Azula's eyes darted around long enough for Sokka to get the hint. He knew what was going on but only stood up with amazing agility and threw himself at Azula.
Is he insane?
Suddenly Toph felt Ru somewhere close behind her. He wasn't focused on her, but he was here. She longed to make him pay at that moment, but the opportunity wasn't exactly perfect.
At that moment - that precious, precious moment - Aang swept down and crashed right on top of Azula. She momentarily forgot about her prey and lashed out at the Avatar, hurtling balls of fire at the swift, evasive figure of Aang.
Sokka was injured, but he was at least safe, and his breathing patterns weren't so far from normal that they were worrisome. He would be okay as long as Aang held Azula's attention and Sokka stayed still or moved into the safety of the shadows.
Now, she thought with a devilish grin, it's time for revenge.
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