(insertnamehere) - Hello! - That is the most accurate portrayal of almost all Zutaran fics. I coughed for like fifteen minutes. Especially at, "Aang? Who's that? Ah who cares i got the hunky dark emo prince, yay for me!!"that was pricessless. Masterpiece? (runs around grinning like a loon)Now go and make some steam babies you crazy kids, Aang, don't just sit there and cry, be a man about it, you suck."that too was classic.
It would definitely alter the dynamics of the group and I don't see why most people don't see that. You are correct, if anything I think Aang would be the more lady killer of the two. He has natural charisma that puts people at ease. I picture Zuko flirting like Azula in the Beach Ep. Very strange and probably scary.
Air-Nomad: I'm not done with Zuko. Physical pain is nothing compared to what he will have to go through when he finally talks to Mai.
Sifu arizony: First of all breathlessly awaiting the next chapter of THE KISS. I have no words to describe how your review makes me feel. kinda teary-eyed now.
dhygn: Here's another. I will have another up tonight. Just putting the finishing touches.
zebradonkey: I know. I had the chapters written but I just wasn't satified with them. I had to rewrite them.
doctor anthony:Thank you as always.
skyhigh18: Because of the last few chapters, I had to move it. Now she didn't lie. They got pretty close but didn't go all the way. I feel the same way. I have grown to love Mai's character. I wish there had been more interaction between her and Aang in the show. Next chapter will be the BIG TALK!
Sironblood1: No problem. Unlike me, I'm sure you have a life. Yes you are correct. That's all I'm saying for now.
Sorry its taken so long. I've been fighting the flu equivalent of Ozai. It has drained me and stolen my inspiration but I'm back. Thanks for waiting.
Enjoy...
Several Hours Earlier
"Suki!" Sokka yelled, spying the young woman.
"Uncle Iroh!" the rest of the gang exclaimed as the older man appeared beside the Kyoshi warrior, Momo wrapped securely around his neck. The animal hollered at being ignored.
"Nice to see you too," Toph said patting the lemur affectionately.
"It it nice to see you all here. It is very convenient and saves us extra trips." Iroh commented after the ball of teenagers departed from him. He smiled at the faces before him but he frowned realizing who was missing.
The jovial appearance melted off the group revealing the last turmoil filled days. "Zuko has been here." It was a statement. Katara and Mai looked at each other. They're silent communication was brief as they each grabbed Iroh's hand and led him to where Zuko currently was resting.
Suki was confused but whatever was going on she was sure she would be told in due time.
"So guys, its nice to see you again."
Toph was genuinely elated by the truth in the other girl's voice. "It's nice to see you too Suki," Sokka responded. Gone was the infatuation. Sokka and Suki had remained friends once they realized that a lot of their feelings if not most of them had been fueled by the desperation of the war.
Once the war had ended and they had parted ways it had gotten more and more difficult to see each other. Suki had to help rebuild her home as did Sokka. After a year of being apart and finally meeting up again, the emotions and tenderness that they had carried for each other had faded into a familiarity that had little romantic feeling attached to it.
Toph had also been apart from them but only for six months. After that her and the boulder had traveled to the southern water tribe to help in the rebuilding effort.
She spent more than a few months permanently glued to Sokka.
Hakoda had taken it upon himself to help the extraordinary girl learn to see on the ice. He taught her that although most of their home was glacial that it was just as solid as ground. Toph had little by little gotten rid of the fuzziness. She couldn't see as good as she could on her native soil but she could get around and began to leave Sokka alone.
Oddly Sokka had missed having Toph constantly along. He grew a little annoyed as she interacted with more of his fellow tribe members. Especially Hikana who was Pakku's nephew visiting from their sister tribe. Hikana had taken quite a shine to Toph and since he was a bender, he had delighted in forming sculptures so Toph could guess what they were.
One particular morning Sokka had found Hikana building a giant watchtower. To add insult to injury he had built steps and dared Toph to climb them. Toph confident that her sight on the ice was much improved agreed and made quick work of the steps.
She had almost reached the top when she had slipped on a nasty patch of semi formed snow and fallen. She had tumbled down the steps. Hikana watched in horrified slow motion as Sokka with lightning quick reflexes had caught Toph and rolled his body around her to protect her from the remaining hard blocks.
Wind knocked out of him, Sokka had been helpless to stop Hikana from lifting Toph from the snow bank and ask if she was ok. Seeing the young earthbender in the arms of someone other than himself or Aang, whom he trusted implicitly, had liquefied the ice in his veins that had formed when he saw her fall.
His response would have frightened any seasoned firebender. He had roughly seized Toph and shoved Hikana against his own tower. His new boomerang not more than a few inches from the bender's throat.
"You ever put her in danger like that, ever again and I will make sure you never bend again. Am I understood?" Sokka had menacingly told the boy. Sokka had then dropped the boy and dragged Toph with him to berate her in the privacy of his hut.
"How could you have been so dumb? You know you can't see on the ice. You could have been seriously hurt. Haven't you learned anything from everything we went through," he scolded her.
Toph was amused by the obviously possessive streak that Sokka was currently displaying. Her reaction was soured when he began channeling Katara. " That was irresponsible. What if I hadn't been there? Do you ever bother to think of these kind of things, when you do stunts like that."
"I thought it was funny until you turned into fussy britches. I'm not helpless Sokka. Stop treating me like I am. I happen to see pretty well now thanks to your dad. Not that you would know." Toph had shouted back.
"What is that supposed to mean. I have work to do here. This village has been in disrepair since before I was born. I don't have time to watch you parade in front of the men and hanging on my father as you flirt with everybody but me."
Both friends were frozen in shock by the blunt words. Only when Hakoda inadvertently interrupted was the spell broken. "Toph, I think Pakku may have found a way for you to feel more comfortable on the---" Hakoda had taken one look between his son and the very surprised girl and backed out, "um…I'll come back later."
"Wait, dad!" Sokka attempted to stall the man but Toph blocked him.
"Do you want me to flirt with you? Why? I'm just Toph."
Sokka had been fighting his attraction to her for a while but hearing her self doubt had crumbled his flimsy reasons. "Toph. You are amazing. You are a earthbender who can bend metal!" Sokka exclaimed as if that explained why he wanted to keep any and all men away from her even Aang.
"Is that the only reason? Because I'm freakishly strong." Toph declared, sadness radiating off her.
"Toph you are freakishly strong," he paused but drew her into his arms before she could storm out. "You are also ridiculously smart and funny and really brave and it doesn't hurt that you are also very beautiful." Sokka blushed at his revelation.
Toph's matching blush spoke volumes of what she thought, of Sokka thinking she was beautiful. "I don't know what I look like so I'll have to take your word for it," she said sounding like the old Toph.
"You are, trust me. I have been around some pretty gorgeous women and you are definitely up there."
"I wish I could say the same but obviously I can't." She replied waving her hand in front of her blind eyes. "I do suppose you have to be good looking since you look like your dad and he is pretty hot."
"Ewww. That's my dad, Toph. That's gross and how could you know?" Sokka asked.
"Because, I may be blind but I'm not deaf and I've heard plenty of the village women talk about him. Some say you look just like him and how lucky the girl that catches you will be." Toph laughed imagining the utter shock on Sokka's face at hearing that he was gossiped about.
"Ok. No more telling me disturbing information. As it is I won't be able to look at the women in the same light." Sokka sighed thinking how much simpler but boring his life would have been if him and Katara had not discovered Aang.
"You don't see me the same anymore either?" Toph's answer was in the form of Sokka's lips gently touching hers. "I guess not," she said breathlessly.
Toph broke through her memories and invited Suki to a meal and an incredible story.
"So, Aang and Mai have… They're together. That is one pairing I would not have thought of." Suki commented envying the easy way Sokka and Toph hung around each other. 'Maybe in another time.'
"That's not the half of it, then Aang returned with Katara in tow."
Sokka picked up the trail of the story from his girlfriend, "apparently Aang got sick and Katara was with him because he was going to take her home. Before you ask, we have no idea why he agreed to that. We were never told and frankly I don't want to know."
Suki handed her bowl to Sokka who filled hers, then Toph's and then his own. "Then Katara found out about Mai, they got into a huge fight. Zuko showed up looking for Mai. Him and Aang fought and now Zuko is dead and Aang has been missing for four days." Sokka concluded not breaking stride as he shoveled the food into his mouth.
"Zuko is dead?" Suki swallowed her rice and drank a large glup of water to keep from chocking. "I knew about him coming here looking for Mai. That's actually the reason I'm here. Uncle Iroh contacted me about a two weeks ago to ferret out some men Zuko hired to follow Mai."
"WHAT!" Mai had just left Iroh with Katara and heard only the last bit of conversation. "That selfish hypocritical bastard. How dare he?"
Mai paced the ledge muttering obscenities and then looking at Suki and then muttering obscenities again.
"I did wonder how he was so sure you were here." Suki said attempting to diffuse the angry girl.
"Tell me what you found out. I swear if he wasn't dead, I'd kill him again." Mai snapped but sat down next to Suki. She was determined to not get any angrier than she was. She desperately wished for Aang to return. He always knew just what to tell her.
If and when Aang returned, she would have to have a long talk with him. The uneasy truce with Katara was slowly evolving back to what they had. Unfortunately Aang stood between them now and only he had the power to set things to rights.
Mai wondered that if Aang was successful and brought Zuko back,she knew that's what he had gone to do, whether she would really want to be with Zuko again. She loved him sure, but he had killed a part of her that she was still struggling to recapture. Even if she forgave him a part of her would always belong to Aang and Zuko would want all of her and she could not give it.
She knew she could have gone on without anybody's help but her existence would have been that much more lonely. She was already closed off and this had just proven why it was better to keep your feelings to yourself.
Aang had changed that. His optimism had taken a hit but he had bounced back and he had brought her out of her cocoon. With each step that they took to restore the temple, they took a step in allowing themselves a little bit of a normal life. She didn't have to worry about censure and for once in her life was able to be who she really was.
It was tragic that it had taken such a break for her to find out what she was capable of. Mai had learned not only to love the ideas of the nomads but to embrace the spirituality of it. She didn't have to conform, her potential was limitless. Perhaps that was how she had fallen in love with Aang. He was her freedom to enjoy everything, good and bad.
After all they had been together for a year and a few months. That was why it was difficult if not impossible to deal with Katara sometimes. She knew what it was to be with him in every sense of the word and it was strange to think that Katara did too.
She loved the airbender. If that meant stepping aside, she would for him to be truly happy.
Pushing away the melancholic line of thought she addressed Suki, "So what did you find out about these men? Exactly how long have they been following me?"
Suki whistled and Momo scampered off Toph and headed towards the air balloon. Momo returned with a long coil of rope and dropped it at Suki's feet. The Kyoshi woman slowly wound the rope along her forearm and pulled it towards the assembled group. A man who had to have been twice Suki's size was dragged forward.
"This is Wai-Lei. Wai-Lei let me introduce you to Mai. She's been waiting to…ah..ask you a few questions." Suki wound the rope tighter as she placed a heavy boot on the squirming man.
Wai-Lei's eyes took in the tall dark haired girl. Her delicate slippers a few feet from his face. She knelt and propped up his chin with a razor sharp dagger.
"Hello Wai-Lei, I'm Mai and I want to know everything." Her smile anything but friendly.