Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. :)
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Chapter 23: The Healing Process
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Zuko paced. Aang watched. Neither spoke.
"Avatar?" The Fire Lord glanced at the airbender. "You're sure?"
Aang nodded vigorously. "Absolutely. A little over three dozen, and going down by the minute. They'll desert when Hao shoots off the fireworks."
Zuko didn't like the sound of that. Those of Azula's men who were still fighting posed the worst threat- if they could withstand battle so long, then they were valiant fighters and stood true to their cause. These were the ones he was worried about. "The consequences of waiting?"
Aang squirmed under the Fire Lord's hard stare and wondered why in the world he was being drilled when there were several perfectly good staff members Zuko could ask. Of course, they wouldn't be able to give him the same answers as the Avatar himself. Aang could fly above the battle and blow away the haze. He could see who was fighting, how many soldiers and where. "It's... it's not a good idea to wait," Aang insisted. "You should end this. Azula's dead! No one could organize anything like this better than she could, and we won this time around - we have won, in case you haven't noticed - so we'll win again if anything like this ever happens again!" He racked his brain for something that Katara might say. She would be able to convince him! "These... these men, and my friends and even myself... we've put our lives on the line for your and your nation. The least you can do is keep the lives that haven't been lost alive, and that means ending this. Now."
Zuko simply glared at him, thinking about the Avatar's words. He himself wasn't usually a compassionate man, but for once Aang was right. It was time. He didn't want to, he really didn't want to, but it wasn't about his wants. It was about the country's needs, about the needs of his men. "Very well, then," he said quietly. He beckoned a young man over, the same one that had delivered that message to Hao a nearly forty-five minutes before. "Inform General Hao that I want him to release the fireworks. Red, and red only."
The boy did as he was asked, despite not being given a scroll with the Fire Lord's seal to confirm his message was a genuine order. General Hao didn't hesitate with carrying out the order, and as soon as a burst of red lit up the sky from the direction of the palace, Azula's men knew they had lost. Just as Aang predicted, those few that had held on throughout the battle promptly disappeared, and the soldiers of the Fire Nation army were left to gaze up through the debris, through the smoke, dust, steam, and ashes, at the now bloodred night sky.
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The first thing she noticed when she regained consciousness was the taste of dirt in her mouth. It was moist, healthy soil, but it was still earth, and although it was the most glorious element, it wasn't meant for consumption. She spit out clumps of the stuff and sputtered in an unsatisfactory manner. The second thing she noticed was the cold; cool breezes were uncharacteristic and quite rare for the Fire Nation in the first place, but she felt cold. It was unheard of. She shivered a little and scowled at the chill. Smells, of lingering smoke, of blood, of soil... an array of smells.
Then it dawned on her that everything was quiet. Not completely, but the roaring battle sounds had ceased, and suddenly she felt a little empty. What was going on? What's happening now? Against her better judgment, she stood up. It was at that moment that she realized her unconsciousness hadn't done a whole lot for her drained energy, and she would have very well liked to lie back down in the dirt. The opportunity passed quickly, however, when she was noticed by several people still out on the field. She hadn't noticed them (she was numb - Cold, too cold) and now that she did, it was too late. Two of them were coming for her.
With a sense of both relief and dread, she began to recognize the voices. "Toph! Toph, is that you?" She wiggled her toes to get the feeling back. The footsteps were blurry, but she recognized them.
She half-smiled as the two people reached her. A choked squeal escaped her when both of them tackled her in a hug, and she would have liked to inform them that she couldn't breathe, but they were crushing her windpipe. She was finally able to gasp something to that effect, and they let go, slightly embarrassed but obviously glad to see her. "Azula was killed," Sokka informed her. "Zuko- and, and Aang- she was..." Toph grinned, and Katara pulled both of them into a hug once more, deciding that now, now that they were safe and weren't fighting, her happiness would be put to good use.
"Toph," Katara said, "I'm so glad you're okay. Sokka and I - Aang, too, and Zuko and the rest of the survivors... we were so worried! You are okay, right? Do I need to get some of the Spirit Water? I have a few vials from our last trip to the Northern Water Tribe-"
And what a horrible trip that was. "I'm fine."
Sokka raised an eyebrow and broke Katara's tight embrace. "Are you sure? Because-"
"Fine," Toph insisted. "Maybe a little something here or there, but for the most part-"
"Toph! You're not fine. What about this gash on your arm?" Katara circled the earthbender, who, at that moment, felt very annoyed that she was being inspected. "Burns, cuts, bruises... this is definitely not fine," Katara concluded. Her happiness had been replaced by motherly concern for their youngest comrade. Sokka would have liked to begin a rant about how Toph could have been killed, about how she should have yelled for help, but Katara spoke before he could begin. "Sokka, take Toph into the palace. Careful, the burns-"
"I can walk!" Toph snapped irritably. "I told you I was fine, Sugar Queen! Ugh!" Toph took a few steps forward and bit her tongue to keep from voicing the pain she felt. She forced herself not to limp and, when neither Water Tribe sibling moved, she barked, "Are you guys coming or not?"
They jumped at the sharp edge in her voice and scurried forward; Sokka stayed on her left side (he'd caught the slight limp, though it was evident she was trying to hide it), Katara on her right, both ready at a moment's notice to catch her if she fell. She scowled at their lack of confidence in her wellness and trudged forward, silently cursing the pain in her back and left leg and praying to the Spirits that Katara would be able to heal her wounds; she had every bit of faith in the waterbender, but she had to think of something to keep herself from crying out from the intense pain (the war hadn't made her hurt this bad!). She could take care of herself and found it a little annoying that she hadn't impressed this fact in the minds of Katara and Sokka, but she reminded herself that they were family, after all, and she should be much, much more annoyed if they weren't so protective.
She made it up the palace steps and was amazed when her legs found the strength to carry her to the room that she and Katara were staying in. Zuko had ordered a different room for her to recuperate, even for a night, but Katara had told him that wouldn't be necessary. After all, when the healer shared a room with the patient, the extra room could be spared. Zuko had been glad to save the space, and Toph, had she been aware of all of this, would have been glad, too; she didn't like receiving special treatment, and getting her own room definitely qualified as such.
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Toph refused to lie down. "I want to know what happened!"
Katara heaved an exasperated sigh for about the tenth time. "Toph, you shouldn't worry about any of the details now. You just need to get some rest! You're going to scar, you know."
"I don't care. I think I deserve to know what happened."
Sokka, sick of just leaning against the wall and watching the two girls bicker, finally spoke up. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell her a little, Katara. Cover the basics." He cast a glance at Toph, glad that she was alive but worried that if she didn't accept healing, something would happen to her. It wouldn't be right.
Katara rolled her eyes, sighed once more, and, with a defeated expression, slowly nodded. "If it'll get you to cooperate, I guess we can go ahead and tell you what happened," she conceded. "You should wait until you're healed and rested, if you ask me, but since you're insisting we tell you, go ahead." She made a gesture to indicate that Sokka should begin explaining.
The warrior opened his mouth, but Toph spoke first. "Where's Twinkletoes?"
"He was talking with Zuko for a while in private, but I think he's gone to bed," Sokka replied. "That's why he wasn't out searching with us. The battle ended a bit after Azula was killed. The dwindling numbers of Azula's men figured out that their leader was dead, or maybe they thought she'd deserted them, I don't know. But they pretty much lost their spirits- it didn't take long to take out the rest of them after that. Things wound down, but it was still pretty crazy and unorganized; Zuko wouldn't let General Hao let off the fireworks and bring in the soldiers until all of Azula's men were killed, but he ended up shooting them off about an hour after Azula went down. There were less than three dozen, and when they saw the shots - red, not the white ones that would have represented surrender - they deserted pretty quickly. We had a lot of survivors. Zuko wanted all of us - that is, Aang, Katara, you, and me - in his study for a quick briefing, and when no one could find you, well, we all got a little worried. It took forever to assemble a small group of soldiers to survey the field to see if something'd happened to you, and it was slow going because everyone was tired and battle worn, and, well, it was dark outside and still really hard to see from the debris that hadn't quite settled." He took a breath.
Toph exhaled sharply to exhibit her annoyance for the inferior people who were limited by their visual abilities. Sokka ignored her and continued. "Katara and I found you, basically keeping a lookout for anything moving 'cause we figured it'd take a whole lot more than some silly battle to bring you down. I think you know the rest." He searched her face to see if she caught the compliment. He didn't think so.
"So Zuko was the one who took her down, huh?" Toph murmured thoughtfully.
"Yeah. But I helped, actually," Aang said suddenly, entering the room. Toph turned her head toward the noise. Her feet weren't touching the floor, so she hadn't sensed him. She cursed her ignorance and slid her legs over the edge of the bed, pressing her feet to stone.
"How?" she continued.
Katara shot Aang a warning look that clearly told him to keep it short. "Well," he said, glancing nervously at the waterbender, "I was fighting her by grand entryway, the main door of the palace - I think you know that much - but things kind of went downhill from there. We were fighting and before I knew it I guess I blew open the door to the building..."
Sokka muttered something about "magic" and "irresponsible."
Aang continued. "She saw her chance, and she took it. I tried to bend a wall of rock to block the passageway, but she was really quick. She slipped over it and before I could bend the wall back down and catch my bearings, she was gone." He inhaled. "She made it to Zuko's chamber. Man, those guards didn't stand a chance against her... she busted in there, and then it was a one-on-one thing. It was more brother against sister than rebellion leader against Fire Lord, though."
"I slipped into the palace after them and watched what happened," Sokka added. "Zuko was good, but it wasn't much of a contest. Azula would have had him if Aang didn't show up. When that happened, it was only a matter of time before Azula was toast- she's completely unrecognizable now. You remember what happened to Ozai. She suffered a similar fate."
"Yeah." Toph nodded, remembering the fight against Ozai with more clarity than usual for an event that had happened years ago. She banished the memories, condemned them to the depths of her mind where she willed them to stay. "So what now?"
Katara looked at her brother. She was wondering the same thing, and Aang followed suit. Sokka noticed that all three of his companions were facing him and, with this realization, he shrugged. "I don't know!" When none of them turned away immediately, he added, "I guess we'll... just..." He looked at Toph, not really wanting to finish his sentence. What would happen? Would they all go back to their lives, with Katara and Aang keeping the peace and him and Toph traveling together? "I guess we'll just keep on living," he decided. "Living our lives like normal. Normal for us, anyway."
Katara and Aang nodded slowly in acceptance to his answer, but Toph didn't seem to think it was satisfactory. "We'll just keep living?" she asked incredulously.
Sokka shrugged. "Well... what d'you want me to say?"
"Something a little more promising than the obvious," she replied dryly.
Sokka turned to Katara for assistance. "We just don't know right now," the waterbender said. "The rebellion has passed, and..."
"Oh, yeah!" Aang said, face lighting up. Katara and Sokka turned to him, confused expressions on their faces. "Zuko and I were talking earlier, and I suggested we throw a party to get this whole rebellion thing behind us. He's already sent out the invitations. We'll be having it in about a week, I think... enough time for word to spread that the rebellion has been taken care of and Azula is finally, officially dead. So... yeah. Party, formal wear, lots of people, fireworks, food," -A small smile lit up Sokka's face at the mention of his favorite thing- "dancing, lanterns, decorations, you know, all that good stuff that makes a person live for the moment instead of the past."
Katara raised an eyebrow. "Is this how you pitched the idea to Zuko?" she asked suspiciously.
Aang blushed lightly. "Heh... yeah, something like that, but he agreed, so... we're having all that stuff. We invited everyone. It'll be great!" He was nodding enthusiastically, trying to make them feel as positive as he did about the prospect of another "crummy, annoying, stupid, snooty, sickening, irritating, fancy gathering," as Toph would have described it.
"You seem pretty excited, Twinkletoes," Toph commented dully. As if parties were anything to be excited about...
"Yeah, I am! Hey, Toph? I considered inviting-"
Of course. Why wouldn't he consider inviting-
"-your parents."
She hadn't gone back. Never, not once in all those years, had she returned to see her parents, to reconcile, to rebuild that relationship. She could only imagine the harsh words that would be said. She was struck speechless; hundreds of things that she wanted to say zipped around in her brain, too many cruel words and angry accusations. I cannot believe him! How could he? Doesn't he know where my parents and I stand? Doesn't he realize what he's done?
She nodded, barely, the rush of thoughts quickly overwhelming her lack of interest for the party. She couldn't bring words to form in her throat. It was torture, to have the things she wanted to say bottled up in her mind with no way to convey the message. "I..."
He saw the anger blossoming on her face and said hastily, "I didn't, though, because I didn't want to... make you feel uncomfortable... or anything..." He smiled nervously. "Well, I gotta go spread the word, you know, and uh, other Avatar things... hope your recovery goes well! Not that it wouldn't or anything, but, um... bye." He slipped out the door.
Sokka and Katara saw that Toph was angry. "How could he even think of inviting them?" she asked. Katara looked conflicted. Sokka shrugged innocently.
"I'm sure he was just trying to help, Toph," Katara soothed.
"How? By totally screwing things up?"
"At least he didn't invite them," Sokka pitched in.
Toph nodded again. "I guess. Yeah. I still want to bury him, though."
"You can do whatever you want once you're healed." Katara tapped her foot impatiently. "Smash him under a pile of rocks for even considering such a terrible crime of inviting your parents. The nerve." It was a joke. Toph didn't act like it was, but of course she realized...
"I guess that sounds... it'll do." Katara noticed that she suddenly felt more stable and realized that the floor beneath her feet had been shaking slightly. A wave of relief washed over her, and she turned to Sokka.
"You don't have to stay and supervise," she murmured, not unkindly. "Toph'll be fine."
Toph said nothing. She knew he was worried about her, and it made her feel uncomfortable. She didn't like for people to worry about her, but she couldn't blame him. She suddenly felt a little bad for not taking better care of herself. If not for me, she thought, for my family. For Aang, Katara. For Sokka.
Sokka nodded, studying Toph's face. "Okay, well... you know where I'll be. Right across the hall. You know, if you need anything..."
Katara nodded, and Toph said, "I know."
Sokka disappeared, too, and it was then that Toph began to feel the pain again. It came back, a rush of hurtful waves, of cramping and aching and throbbing. Of course, it had always been there, but being preoccupied had helped take her mind off of everything. Now it was here again, all of that physical torment, and Toph winced and bit her tongue again. Hot blood filled her mouth, and she decided that maybe she had bit her tongue a little too hard.
Katara noticed that Toph was feeling the pain again. Being a healer, she had come across many of the soldiers with extremely terrible wounds, prideful soldiers, and she knew certain signs. "You know," she said conversationally, trying to get Toph's mind away from the hurt she felt, "you're going to have to get a new outfit or something. This thing is too tattered and won't be able to handle much more wear, and anyway, it's about time we got you something new, isn't it?"
Toph grumbled something that sounded like a "no," but Katara couldn't quite tell. As she continued the process, she couldn't help but think that her patient whimpered once or twice, but she couldn't be completely sure. Maybe her mind deceived her.
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