Chapter Eight Blood and the moon
He and Toph were walking to Toph's place. Nazca was still fascinated at his ability to heal and was in a half daze as he walked. He was tired from the fight earlier and Toph agreed to let him rest at her place as long as he made sure nobody saw him while he was there.
"Nobody except my parents and servants know that I exist and none of them know skilled of an earthbender I actually am. They know that I'm an earthbender but I've never shown them my actual level of skill. According to Master Yu I'm still a beginner with a minimal level of competence," She said laughing to herself.
"So let me get this straight," Nazca began, "You want to sneak me into your room because you don't want anyone to know that you escaped from your place right."
"Right."
They continued walking until they reached the gate that separated them from Toph's place. She paused for a moment making sure that no one was on the other side then lifted the slab of rock that they were standing on up and over the wall. They quickly scurried to the side of the building where Toph paused for a second then lifted the ground that they were standing on up to her bedroom window where they got off and Toph released the rock back to the ground.
"So this is your room," Nazca said, scanning it. It was rather empty, just a bed and a dresser.
"Yep. My parents think that if they put too much stuff in here I'll trip over it and get hurt. The bed is really comfy though," She said smiling.
Nazca walked over and laid on it, "Your right this is really comfy."
She came over and laid down next to him. Nazca yawned saying, "I have not slept on a bed in a really long time."
Toph snorted and they both then quietly drifted off to sleep
Nazca woke up immediately after hearing the first knock on the door.
"Toph! Are you in there sweetie," a woman's voice yelled from the other side of the door.
Nazca sat there confused until he realized where he was. He jumped out of the bed and stumbled through the room. He tripped over his own feet and collided with the dresser. Pain immediately shot through Nazca's head as he began to lose consciousness.
He heard someone shove the door open yelling, "Toph! Are you okay, what happened."
He felt the woman run into the room and turn towards the dresser. She stopped confused, turned saw Toph sitting in her bed, turned back, facing Nazca and said, "Who the #$% are you."
Then Nazca passed out.
He awoke on a cold rock floor. He expanded his mind and found that he was still laying on the ground in Toph's room next to the dresser. He felt his head and was surprised to find it wet with what he realized was blood. He gathered some water from the ground outside and easily healed his head. He then reached his consciousness outward in search of Toph or really anyone. He found a semi large group of people gathered a short distance. He reached his mind out and found one of the people to be Toph who was being held by the girl who had burst into the room earlier who Nazca assumed to be her mother. There was a man standing next to Toph presumable her father. There was a small group of four people whom Nazca guessed where servants based on how they where identically dressed. There was an older man whom Nazca was not familiar with and two other men dressed in the same manner who appeared to be some sort of police force based on the strength that they carried with them.
Nazca got up and walked down stairs. He silently approached the room that the group was in. He got as close as he dared and began to listen in on the conversation.
"Relax ma'am," Nazca heard one of the police like men was saying, "He's probable still unconscious. We'll just head on up there and bind him while he's down and we'll figure out what's wrong with pervert." He then turned to Toph, "Are you sure that there is nothing that you can remember about this guy?"
"No. It's like I said I went to take a nap and then I woke up with my mom freaking out that someone was in my room. I mean he wasn't in my bed before I went to sleep, I always check to make sure I'm not about to lie on anything painful."
"Whatever," the man said, then he turned his attention to the other police like man and said, "C'mon let's go grab this nutcase."
They turned to the hallway where Nazca was hiding. Nazca quickly began to try to figure out an alibi to why he was Toph's room. He was too confused that he just gave up and decided he'd just make it up as he went along. Just as the two men were about to round the corner Nazca stepped out. The men stared at him, surprised then did what they were originally going to do, attack.
They were both earthbenders and the first thing they did was attempt to seal his feet to the ground with the rock he was standing on. Nazca felt the vibrations and jumped lunging out with his foot at the nearest man, hitting him square in the chest causing the man to fall over in pain. The second man Nazca dispatched by striking him in the head with a powerful kick. The two guards collapsed in a lump as Nazca stepped over them, brushing himself off.
"Well howdy there," Nazca said.
The four remaining people stared at him open-mouthed. The one old man stepped in front of the rest of them saying, "Now listen here kid, I am a master earthbender. I don't want to hurt you but I will if I have to."
Nazca thought about this for a moment then said, "Well what do you want me to do 'surrender peacefully' that doesn't exactly seem like the best move for me."
The old man stared at Nazca thinking about his words. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then closed it.
Nazca then said, "So here's what we're going to do. We're going to sit down enjoy a nice cup of tea and discuss our dispute and see what we can do to settle it."
Nazca pulled a chair out from the far side of the table and sat down directly opposite of them. He sat there for a moment then said, "The tea?"
The man who appeared to be Toph's dad called for a servant then whispered something to him. The servant left then returned a couple moments later with a pitcher of hot tea. He poured them all a cup then left. Nazca took a sip from his tea then said, "So what's seems to be the problem here?"
The man that appeared to be Toph's dad said, "We found you laying in our daughter's bed like a nauseating pervert."
"Now is that any way to treat an honored guest," Nazca said, "A proper talk should have a proper introduction, let me demonstrate," he cleared his throat then said, "Hello my name is Nazca, born of the northern water tribe and raised of the southern water tribe. I am a nomad and an enemy of the fire nation doing what I can to end this war."
They stared at him for a moment then the man said, "I am Lao Bei Fong, this is my wife and my daughter Toph. This is my daughter's earthbending instructor Master Yu," he said gesturing first to the woman then to Toph and finally to the elderly earth bending master.
"Now," Nazca said, "State your problem."
"We don't like the fact that we found you in the same bed as my daughter," Lao said.
"Well when I have to sleep I go where I must. Rock is extremely uncomfortable so when I find a bed I tend to use it, even if it is already occupied."
"That's very impolite."
"Thank you for pointing that out oh wise one."
Lao stared angrily at Nazca then said, "Here's the problem, you trespassed into our property then violated my daughter's privacy and I believed such crimes should be met with punishment."
"And what punishment do you deem appropriate for such claims. Oh wait I know how about silence."
"Silence?" Master Yu questioned.
"Yes silence, if you let me go I have to be silent about the fact that the legendary Bei Fong's have a daughter, a weak blind daughter," Nazca sneered.
"Are you threatening me?" Lao demanded.
"Yes."
They sat there staring angrily at each other. Lao seemed to be weighing his options then said, "No deal, Master Yu imprison this criminal."
"As you wish sir," Yu said.
Yu took a deep stance then raised a chunk of rock and punched it forward, sending it flying at Nazca. Nazca smiled, this was what he had been waiting for. He sat there calmly feeling it move towards him then flicked his hand in the general direction of it. The rock instantly exploded. The four of the others stared at him.
"Water expands as it freezes didn't you know."
Master Yu stared then said, "A waterbender."
He began to raise his arms to send a torrent of missiles at him, but Nazca acted faster. It wasn't exactly the best time to try something new but he had always wanted to do it since he realized he could feel the blood pumping through human's veins so he tried it. He tried to bend the man's blood. He reached forward with his mind and grabbed at the man. He felt the blood but he was having difficulty grasping. He felt the man raising a rock and he scrambled faster now having no other option. Yu raised the rock ready to strike Nazca but suddenly, Nazca felt a sudden increase of power, disturbed where it came from he reached out with his mind and realized from the intense spiritual feeling that he had, that the moon was full. He grabbed Yu with this new power causing him to keel over gasping.
"What is it Yu?' Lao asked.
"I don't know?" Yu said confused.
"I can bend blood," Nazca whispered, amazed.
"WHAT?" Lao stormed.
Nazca released Yu, "Because your daughter has done no wrong I shall keep her existence a secret but you still will pay for interrupting my quest to fight the fire nation," he then turned and left.
Four weeks later Toph felt him sitting on her windowsill again.
"So how's it going?" She asked.
"Fine," Nazca said. He stared out at the sun for a short period of time feeling the rays shine upon his face. He then took a deep breath turning to her and said, "I thought that today we could go out to this new restaurant that I had found."
She smiled at him then said, "Sure, but no lollygagging my parents freaked out when we were out real late and they couldn't find me."
"Good," Nazca said, "Get dressed and then will leave."
She threw on the dress her parents had selected for her. It was their seventh date together and her parents still didn't know. She then walked over and said, "Well move over so I can earthbend our way out of here."
"No earthbending today. Instead we're going ride an ice slide. C'mon.' He said pulling her out the window.
She yelped sure she would fall and break something but instead she encountered a cold surface under her. Before she could get used to it she began sliding down. She slid for a couple of seconds having no idea where she was then felt solid ground under her feet again. She felt the vibrations in the earth and realized she was outside her house's gate with Nazca standing next to her.
"No more ice slides," She said.
Nazca smiled and released the ice letting it unfreeze and splash to the ground.
"C'mon let's go."
He took her through the streets until they reached it. They both ordered noodles and talked as they ate. Toph talked the most telling Nazca about how her parents were so annoying, not letting her do anything like she always talked about.
She sighed then said, "Tell me something about yourself, all I know is that your name is Nazca, you're a waterbender from the North Pole who was raised at the South Pole."
Nazca took a deep breath then said, "I barely remember the parents who raised me when I was an infant, they were killed by the fire nation when I was six years old. I was adopted by friends of my parent who took me with their own kids. I spent some time with them until a fire nation raid where my adoptive mother was killed. I left to try to train to fight the fire nation. I went and trained with the Kyoshi warriors where I fell in love with my mentor a girl named Suki. I loved her but defeating the fire nation came first so I left to hunt them. I returned home to check on my family but all the men where off to war and I was too scared to face my sister so I left, but not after witnessing the return of the avatar. I went to the northern water tribe to master waterbending which I did. While I was there I fell in love with a girl who I learned was my sister. I left to decipher the words of a mad man that I had a vision of and I ended up here and while I was here I fell in love with the most powerful and most beautiful earthbender alive."
Toph stared at him then leaned forward and they kissed. Nazca almost pulled away knowing he must defeat the fire nation and that no one and nothing can get in the way but instead he kissed her back. All of the sudden he realized something, "Yesterday was my birthday."
"Congratulations, happy belated birthday," Toph said with a smile, "How old are you."
"Sixteen." He said with a frown. Marrying age. Yue was going to get married and he wasn't going to be there to see it. He sighed. He could never be there for the people he loved.
That night Nazca laid in bed next to her under the full moon. He held her hand as she fell asleep. He was slowly drifting off to sleep then remembered what happened the last time he fell asleep in her room and got up. He walked over and kissed her forehead saying, "See you in the morning." She sat up facing him as he walked to the window. Then all of the sudden Nazca felt something bad happening and then he went blind.