Well, here it is. The third chapter. I just had a cup of tea and a can of Mountain Dew Pitch Black, so I'm ready to write. Just remember that I make this up as I go along, so it won't be perfect. Also, I'm pretty bad at trying to portray Aang, so bear with me. Enjoy!
Zuko
I can see Toph grinning out of the corner of my eye. "What happened to coming tomorrow?" Toph asks.
Aang had the same type of smile, only wider. "I decided to come a little early." He's looking at both of us, but I can tell that he's focused on Toph. What's he doing? "Besides, I thought the fire lord might miss me," he jokes.
I laugh, humoring him, if anything. "So, where are the others?"
"Katara and Sokka are still at the Southern Water Tribe. They'll be able to get to Ba Sing Se on their own. I stopped at Gaoling first to get Toph, but she wasn't there. I guessed that she ran away again, so I came here." He hops down from Appa, the lemur following him and landing on his shoulder. He runs to give Toph a hug, then he gives me a hug. "So, are we gonna go or what?" His voice cracks on the "what", and Toph and I chuckle.
"You ready, Toph?" I look at her. She nods and uses an earth pillar to boost herself up. I jump up and climb into the saddle next to her. Aang hops onto the bison's head and says, "Yip yip," and the bison takes off.
After a while of silence, Toph asks, "So, are we picking up Suki, too?"
"Suki is going with Katara and Sokka," Aang answers.
"Cool," I say. I rub the back of my neck, not liking the awkward silence that hangs in the air.
Eventually darkness comes, and Aang says, "You guys can go ahead and sleep, I'm not tired." Nevertheless, he's the first to fall asleep, leaning back on the bison's head. I hope Appa knows where he's going.
Toph rests her head on my shoulder and looks up at me. "Hey sparky, can you teach me the words to that song?"
I know that she's talking about Leaves from the Vine. I look down at her and smile. "You know I'm not a very good singer." Nevertheless, I start singing softly:
"Leaves from the vine
Falling so slow
Like fragile, tiny shells
Drifting in the foam.
Little soldier boy
Come marching home
Brave soldier boy
Comes marching home."
After hearing the song, Toph asks me to sing it again. I do, and she falls asleep halfway through, leaning against me. I close my eyes and drift to sleep.
Finally, I finished the third chapter! Sorry it took so long, I had three parties in a row, so I couldn't write during that period of time. Sorry this chapter's so short, I have writers block right now, and I think I can feel a headache forming. Maybe a cup of tea will fix things. I already have the idea for the next chapter. It's gonna be a short one, but it'll be important. Probably.
I'd love to hear your thoughts in a review, and I'll be back with another story or chapter real soon.