guyw1tn0nam3, Kelev, and Kimjuni2 were the reviewers last time. I have to admit that I did consider some statements regarding Toph's attitude, and did find the points to be valid. Basically, what I did was show that Toph is a bit of a contradiction herself. She's very spoiled and pampered, but wants to rebel and break free. She expects to be given the royal treatment for certain instances, but only gets her point across by faking her toughness. In many ways, I'm trying to show how these two sides are constantly feuding inside her, and hopefully use her experiences to show how she came to terms with both sides and find a happy medium, if not outright a third way.
Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.
Toph's POV
"What do you need to go to school for?" I demanded, unimpressed by Aang's latest idea. We barely escaped the recently captured Earth Kingdom capital Ba Sing Se, and Twinkle Toes barely nursed himself back to health. Apparently, those Fire Nation knuckleheads thought it was real fun to make our group fugitives, meaning not only were we always on the run, we had to disguise ourselves as their citizens to blend in. It wasn't exactly fun, so any more Fire Nation guys were coming to harass us would get it for sure.
But then Twinkle Toes had to pretend to be a genius by enrolling himself in a Fire Nation school. I didn't pretend to know what's going through his no longer bald head, but somehow I had a bad feeling about this. Wouldn't that just blow our cover entirely? "Every minute I'm in that classroom, I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation," Aang replied, his tone strangely optimistic. I could hear him whip something out, and then heard him describing how he made a portrait of the current Fire Lord out of noodles. I had to admit that he did peak my interest, but I still had reservations about it.
But Aang pulled off one of the biggest surprises when he told us there was a secret river that led to the Fire Nation palace, claiming he would learn about it in class tomorrow. From my position, I could tell that Aang was making some of this stuff as he went along, but somehow, I felt the urge to suppress blowing his cover. As Sokka finally agreed to let him stay a few more days, Aang could only exclaim, "Flameo, Hot Man!" Upon hearing that, I could only snicker and shake my head.
As Sokka and Katara further discussed, I couldn't help but wonder why Aang would choose this path. Surely there must be something that occurred in school that let him bond so well with the very nation that nearly killed him in Ba Sing Se, right? Even though he claimed he had a friend from the Fire Nation a hundred years back, did he really believe that he could make friends so easily now, especially in an environment where the Fire Nation felt they could beat everyone over the head with their conquests?
And maybe that was the reason I suppressed my urge to rat him out, because I felt I was in a similar situation. Most of these Fire Nation kids were like me, where they couldn't express themselves and were always under the iron-fisted control of their superiors. There was no reason these kids ought to be muzzled by a bunch of stuck-up know-it-alls who think they could speak for them completely. So if I ran away from home just to have freedom and see the world, why couldn't the same be offered to them?
My thoughts on this issue lasted maybe less than a day, when Twinkle Toes was asked to bring his "parents" into the school for an incident. I had to admit it was quite entertaining hearing Sokka and Katara furiously trying to make a new costume that better portrayed them as Aang's "parents" rather than his friends. I had to snicker when Sokka told me to help him glue a beard on, having to remind him several times that I was blind. "Unless you want your beard to be glued across your forehead or something like that, I think Sugar Queen would be a better choice," I retorted, trying hard not to chortle.
It would be at least a few hours, judging by how the sun rays shone into our cave, before they would return from the meeting. Sokka, in his cheesy persona "Wang Fire" told his "son" that he was prohibited from school. It was quite a laugh seeing Sokka take on the "fatherly" character, but nothing could be funnier as Aang told his "father" that he was enjoying being a normal kid. "You don't know what it's like, Sokka. You get to be normal all the time!" Aang replied, getting up from the ground and paced back and forth.
I nearly fell to the ground laughing. Unless the definition of normal changed a lot, it would be the last word I'd use to describe Sokka. His unorthodox techniques in doing things, along with his ability to turn any situation into a whine-fest certainly made things colourful. Sokka had a normal childhood was probably the biggest misinterpretation of events I had ever heard since the day Xin Fu declared himself an earth bending master!
But then Aang did the unthinkable by proposing that we invited his classmates to our cave. "Those kids at the school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we want to change this place for the better, we ought to show them a little taste of freedom," he suggested, "that's why I'm going to throw them a secret dance party!"
"Go to your room!" Sokka howled, his voice blasting off the cave walls. I had to admit that my jaw suddenly felt heavier than several boulders. On one hand, inviting the enemy into our camp was really dangerous, if not incredibly stupid. Should any one of these brats rat us out, we might as well march into the Fire Nation capital in chains. With our trust in the Fire Nation at zero at best, what was Twinkle Toes trying to do here?
But still, part of this idea intrigued me, as these kids ought to learn to express themselves. As a group, we were an air bender locked in a block of ice for a century, two water benders who never left the South Pole before, and a blind and muzzled earth bender trapped in her own house for twelve years. If we pledged to help the world by enriching ourselves first, then the Fire Nation ought to do the same. Besides, Iroh always told me to keep an open mind and accepted outside help when necessary, so maybe we ought to be the outside help to these kids. "Guys, maybe it's not a bad idea," I started.
Before long, I was earth bending the rocky formation around us, creating a huge stage for the students to play their instruments, jutting out flat rocks in various places to serve as chairs and tables. Sokka and Katara went into town and bought candles for what Aang called "lighting up the atmosphere." I personally didn't care, as I couldn't see them anyway. But given how excited Twinkle Toes was, maybe he was onto something after all, seeing how he wanted his classmates to enjoy what the world had to offer in dance. But for now, I was willing to do my part in getting this right.
As the students arrived, I decided to slip off to the side, taking a seat at one of my tables created via earth bending (a pretty sturdy piece of work, if I say so myself). Katara chose to join me as we brought out a couple of drinks for each other. Aang announced the musicians, composing of students who bothered to bring their musical instruments, as the Flameos, and asked everybody to start dancing. Curious, I kept trying to hear the kids over the music, and realized nobody was moving. "What's going on?" I wondered.
Suddenly, Aang's voice came within earshot. "Dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self-expression that no one can ever take away from you," he stated with authority, in total contrast to the timid, passive wimp that I first met, "and it just so happen I know some classic Fire Nation dances." He then proceeded to prancing around the area, explaining each movement to the students. Judging from the vibrations on the floor, I would say he was dynamic, flashy, and definitely enjoying himself as he showed the kids his moves. Who knew Twinkle Toes could dance?
Before long, I could feel the ground rumble as a result of dozens of pairs of feet stomping away, turning this into a real party. Sokka commented that Aang first asked one of the girls to dance with him in a Ba Sing Se ballroom dance, stating that they looked good together. That was met with a nonchalant snort from Katara, who I felt turned away, judging by the thump on the table. Oh, so Sugar Queen was jealous that Twinkle Toes had a girl to dance with? Better make a move on him soon before he got away!
Yet to my surprise, Aang approached Katara, offering to dance with her. I craned my head in to get a better listen for Katara's response, to which she stuttered, "These shoes aren't really right for dancing, and I'm not sure I know how to…" Katara trailed off. From the other side of the table, I had to use all my strength just to prevent me from bursting out laughing. Sugar Queen went from jealous to nervous wreck in seconds!
Before long, Aang and Katara took off for the dance floor, throwing themselves into the mix of prancing feet. I couldn't feel their location very well now, given how they intermingled into the group. "They're in the middle of the group circling each other," Sokka informed me, not sounding very excited, "not really dynamic, if you ask me."
Suddenly, the stampeding of feet stopped, as I could only feel two sets of feet moving. Without even consulting Sokka, I knew it was Aang and Katara going at it. I could feel the erratic steps and stomps as they sailed through the dance floor, spinning and twisting in impossible angles. Heck, had it not been for the lack of water and air, I would think they were bending. "Wow, that's really something," I murmured.
"What's going on here?" an adult voice roared from the direction of the cave's exit. All music and dancing stopped, leaving the room in a strange silence as I heard the same voice roar, "He's the one we want, the boy with the headband!" Immediately, I knew that our cover was blown. Not only would Aang be disciplined, but we would all be caught. Had it not been for my disguise, I would send two rock pillars up this guy's nose.
We rushed out a back route, straight into the night air where Appa was waiting for us. As we boarded the bison, I thought about what just occurred. While I usually rebelled against authority, I had to admit that I didn't do it in a meaningful way. But for Aang, who did all this just to let those students have a taste of freedom, that truly rocked. He truly was the Avatar, and the Fire Nation sure would be a better place when the war ended. "I think you really did help those kids," I told Aang, "you taught them to be free."
Toph's POV
"You noodle brains don't know what you're doing," I commented, lying down onto the rocky ground. We were merely enjoying a warm night outside this Fire Nation town when a meteor suddenly crashed near the area, causing a massive fire in which I helped put out with Aang and Katara. Unfortunately, that meant Sokka had nothing to do, given his lack of bending ability. That led him to shed his sarcastic side and went all gloomy on me. Frankly speaking, this new Sokka sucked, with no sense of humour or wittiness. Surely he couldn't be down all because he couldn't bend, right?
Luckily, we managed to find an intricate sword at a local weapons shop, and found out that there was a real sword master in the town. Convinced that this was the art he was destined to learn, Sokka immediately went to seek him out, leaving the three of us out here to melt in the hot sun. It didn't help that my two friends were totally clueless with a map, so much so that they couldn't even locate our current location. "I miss Sokka," I openly stated, wishing to hear his corny jokes and ridiculous antics again.
"Oh, I got one!" Katara suddenly interjected, her voice filled with excitement. While Sokka was gone, Sugar Queen tried to be the jokester on our team, and it was very evident that humour did not run in the family. "If you miss him so much, why don't you marry him?" She stated, clearly aiming that statement for me.
I turned away, trying to avoid the corniness. Somehow, that special Sokka-esque element just wasn't there. Yet in another sense, what she said was an interesting thought. Out of everyone I met so far, Sokka was the one who bonded the best with me. He saved me at least a couple of times, he was the one who I turned to when I wanted some advice, and we did almost everything for our team together. I wasn't into marriage yet, but Sokka was one person I could envision being close to for the rest of my life, even just as friends. After all, with a war to fight, was this really the best time to talk about marriage?
It would be another while before I felt those familiar footsteps of Sokka coming up the hill again. "Hey guys, what are you doing?" the water tribe warrior greeted us just as we rushed at him. I wasn't sure about the other two, but I was going to give him the biggest bear hug ever. After a day of torture without him, I wasn't about to let him go.
But my two partners-in-crime seemed to take it a little bit over the edge, laughing at even the smallest thing he said. Desperate much? Either way, I wasn't about to let Sokka know how I felt. "They missed you or something," I told him nonchalantly, "I didn't care." But as I said that, I felt my cheeks heat up. The only saving grace I had was that my Earth Rumble rivals weren't here to see it. I shuddered to think how they would react and what taunts they had for me if they saw the Blind Bandit fall for this klutz.
Lucky for me, Sokka changed the topic by asking us to return to the impact site of the meteor. Claiming that he wanted to make a sword out of this material, Sokka asked us to help him carry this to his master's home. I personally had little knowledge in the way of the sword, so this truly aroused my curiosity. After all, no one had created a sword out of a meteor before! As we trudged along, I thought about what Sokka learned here. When I was younger, I felt just as helpless as Sokka was a few days ago when he was beating himself up for lacking bending. In fact, my situation was worse than his, because at least Sokka wasn't blind. It wasn't until I discovered the Badger Moles that I learned earth bending, and used it in my everyday routine ever since.
And as Sokka introduced us to his master, I went through what it must have meant for Sokka to finally learn the art that would best represent him. I was convinced that, just like my experience with the Badger Moles, Sokka's experience with the sword was one that not only he could use in battle, but in life. Not only could he contribute to our group now, he also found something that he could identify with as he got older. Just how earth bending was a part of me, the way of the sword would now be a part of Sokka. Knowing how much it would mean for him, I was more determined than ever to help him out.
Master Piandao was kind enough to allow us to stay here for the night while Sokka worked on his blade in the back. I was amazed at how big this mansion was, much bigger than my own estate in the Earth Kingdom. Feeling my way around the area, I could tell Master Piandao was truly a talented swordsman and warrior, but also a skilled intellectual who was more than just another fighter. I truly wondered why he didn't serve in the Fire Nation army, but that would mean when the time came, we might have to face off against him. Could the Fire Nation's top swordsman win against me, the greatest earth bender of all time? This could be a battle for the ages should it play out.
It would be morning before we joined Sokka in the main hall, where Piandao was about to grant Sokka his first sword. While I sat behind Sokka in a line with Aang and Katara, trying to stay as quiet as possible, inside I could feel my heart racing. I was so proud of his accomplishment. Maybe, from now on, he could truly integrate with us, and be a contributor to our future battles. Besides, it would certainly lift his spirits back up and make his sarcasm return, so why wouldn't I be anxious?
As Piandao handed Sokka's new sword over, declaring that Sokka was worthier than any one of his former students, I sensed a strange reaction from Sokka. Instead of having a heart that raced as excitedly as mine, it almost felt like he was dejected, if not downright ashamed. "I'm sorry, Master. You're wrong," he stated, his tone nearly muted, "I'm not worthy. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. I lied so I could learn swordsmanship from you."
There were three shocked individuals in a line as Sokka unleashed his bombshell on Master Piandao. Sokka, you idiot! What were you thinking? Did you realize that not only did you completely waste your time, but also put us all in danger? What if Piandao decided to rat us out to the Fire Nation authorities? Either way, this dunderhead just made probably the biggest mistake of his life, and hearing the master's words, I knew Sokka was going to get it. "I'm sorry too," Master Piandao stated glumly, before whipping out his own sword and swinging it at Sokka.
We immediately shot up to help Sokka. There was no way this old man could slice a boulder into two, not with what attack I had in mind. But surprisingly, Sokka waved us off, declaring that this was his battle. "I will duel with him alone, as that's my way of defending my own honour," he insisted. I couldn't help but worry about this, as Sokka barely mastered all his techniques, and it was doubtful that he had a chance to apply them yet. So could he really handle a skilled veteran?
It wouldn't be long before clangs and swishes through the air echoed from the courtyard, where I figured a furious duel between the two took place. Because of how far away they soon moved off to, I could barely sense them anymore. But for the majority of the time, I could feel Sokka was completely on the defensive, with Piandao pretty much having his way with Sokka. Oh, if only Sokka hadn't been so stubborn and allowed us to fight with him. Otherwise, this geezer would really be in for it!
By the time they returned, I could sense Sokka running for his life. Every part of my body screamed for me to jump down there to help him, but somehow I stayed glued in place, knowing that doing so would only humiliate Sokka more. It was only until Sokka rammed his sword into the ground, throwing up a sandstorm at Piandao, before things started calming down. I bit my lower lip as the sensations from the ground was nearly halted, with only Sokka's soft tiptoeing steps the only vibrations being felt. This might probably be the only time someone could make an escape without being called a jelly-boned wimp by me. Come on Sokka, make a move before he takes your life!
But typical Sokka, he wasn't subtle enough. Stepping on a tree branch, the twig snapped into two, loud enough not only for me, but also Piandao. I felt vibrations under his feet change gears as he tilted towards Sokka, making a beeline for him. My whole body shook as the scraping of metal blades shrieked through the air, chilling me to the bone. Next thing I knew, there was a huge thud, meaning Sokka pretty much hit the dirt.
I couldn't hold it in anymore. Sokka obviously was no match for Piandao, and it was pretty evident that the master wanted blood. Didn't I say before that I wanted to see how well my earth bending matched up against his sword? Well, here was my chance to show this stuck-up know-it-all that he messed with the wrong group. No one could hurt Ponytail and got away with it, and it was time I snapped that blade of Piandao's in two.
"I think I'm a little old to be fighting the Avatar," Piandao suddenly stated, which froze us straight in our tracks. Say what? How did he possibly know who we were? I might have the ability to sense when someone was lying, but never in my life could I imagine someone correctly identifying people he never met before! What was he hiding?
Master Piandao sheathed his sword in the air before I sensed his butler stride over. The servant was a plump man, so his footsteps were naturally heavier. "I knew from the beginning I knew Sokka was from the water tribe. You might want to think of a better Fire Nation cover name," Piandao explained as we marched over from the balcony, "the way of the sword doesn't belong to one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all."
I couldn't say a thing as the master's words paralleled the ones spoken by Iroh to me. Open-mindedness and a willingness to share knowledge seemed to be two sides of the same rock, and for me to witness not one, but two people who had that view, this was really a life-changing experience for me. "Sokka, you must continue your training on your own," Piandao continued, returning the space sword to my friend, "If you stay on this path, I know that one day you will become an even greater master than I am."
With our spirits high, we left the mansion, with the butler giving Sokka a White Lotus Pai Sho tile as a souvenir. Sokka happened to have a piece of that meteorite he used to carve the sword available, and I was ecstatic that he would let me have it. How sweet could it be to bend space rock? As I made a bunch of weird formations with the piece, I couldn't help but realized that today, we all learned something new. Iroh told me to accept others' help, and Aang tried to help those students, meaning it wasn't long before I had to do the same. If I wanted to world to be a better place after the war, then I have to take on this role, and make a better understanding between nations.
Sokka's POV
"Come on, I want to talk to you," I told Toph, stepping up to the rock she was seated at. After we left Master Piandao's residence, we were pursued by the freakiest fire bender ever. Somehow, he could shoot fire via his mind, making anything around him explode. We barely got out of our last resting area intact. If this was what true fire bending was like, then I shuddered to think what the Fire Lord had in his arsenal. How would we like our Avatar's meat, extra well done or charbroiled?
But it was this incident with Toph and my sister that really concerned me. Toph and Katara hadn't always seen eye-to-eye on every issue. While that hadn't led to any bad feelings thus far, it boiled over today. Toph, Aang and I had been doing some scams in a nearby town, trying to build up financially for the invasion. We were all in it for fun more than anything else, and Toph even suggested buying Appa some armour. But when I got into the town today, there was a wanted poster of Toph, now nicknamed "The Runaway," and that was when I realized how serious the situation had become. I tried to hide it from everyone, but somehow Katara got her hands on it, leading to this.
"You brought me out here to tell me that your sister isn't as annoying as I made her out to be?" Toph snapped, trudging along with me grudgingly. Katara disapproved of our schemes, claiming that they went too far. While I agreed with Toph that my sister was too serious, things became out of hand with the poster. Toph, as usual, refused to believe Katara, rebelling against her like she did with her parents. But unlike her parents, Katara was no pushover either, leading to a huge split. They couldn't even be in the same place without wanting to strangle each other. This was destroying all our spirits, to the point where I had trouble mustering jokes. Sokka with no sarcasm, this wasn't right!
Nonetheless, I tried to be civil with her. "In a way, I rely on her," I described, referring to Katara's perceived bossiness and lack of ability to hold her tongue, "when our mom died, that was the hardest time in my life. Our family was a mess." The image of my dad holding onto the charred body of my mom still lingered painfully in my mind. When he later left the village to fight in the war, it left me as the tribe's de facto leader. While I tried my best to stay tough and lead, it was evident, even by me, that I did poorly.
"But Katara, she had so much strength," I continued, returning to the topic of my sister, "She stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped filled the void that was left by our mom." I turned my head over to Toph, trying to gauge her expression. It was clear that Toph and her mother didn't get along, so how would she react?
Taking a deep breath, I tried to convince her to look at it differently. "I never told anyone this before, but honestly, I'm not sure if I can remember what my mother looked like. It really seems like my whole life, Katara has been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there. And now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara is always the first one I think of." I knew it was unlikely Toph had this view of mothers. I believed Toph's mother never truly looked out for her, leading her to believe all motherly figures were controlling and condescending. But if telling her my secrets could change her mind, not only could Toph mend fences with Katara, but quite possibly her parents. As the one she confided in the most, I felt it was my duty to settle this for her.
I could barely see Toph's face, mainly due to the hair shading her eyes, but her now-softened voice spoke louder than ever. "The truth is, sometimes Katara does act motherly, but that's not always a bad thing," Toph replied, "she's compassionate and kind, and she cares about me. You know, the real me. That's more than my own mother." I leaned over, just in time to see Toph shade her face with a hand. I didn't dare to say it out loud, but I swore I saw tears dripping from Toph's eyes.
The setting sun shone flared onto my face as I mulled it over. Maybe Katara was right when she predicted Toph would go off like that, as Toph's parents were probably the most inconsiderate people ever when it came to raising a child. From my limited experience with Toph, I knew her family didn't tolerate any attempt for Toph to be free. Their over-protectiveness, along with a lack of understanding to Toph's real needs, made Toph go through a very painful childhood. While they might be justified in doing so via Toph's blindness, had they ever asked how she felt? Had they ever took Toph seriously, to the point where they could bend a little to meet her needs? The fact they failed to do so, all the while Katara tried to reach out, showed that Katara was superior in this regard.
But still, it wasn't right for Toph to blow Katara off like that. While I understood that Toph was frustrated with Katara, it was wrong for her to be disrespectful. I usually sided with Toph because I got along with her best, but even I planned to draw the line once I found out about the poster. There was a chance that she could be caught, and our covers would be blown if the Fire Nation authorities got their hands on us. While Katara could be gentler and slower to judge, she had our best interests at heart. Right now, I was determined to quit while we were ahead, and moved on to the next town.
My thoughts were snapped completely when a stinging pain exploded on my shoulder. "Don't ever tell Katara I said any of this!" Toph roared with her fist still clenched. Even with a wince on my face, I promised her that my lips would be sealed. The last thing I wanted was a boulder down my throat, so why would I speak?
Katara's POV
"See, this is exactly why I'm against these scams!" I ranted, waving my arms frantically in this cramped wooden cage. I actually heard the words exchanged between Sokka and Toph (even though Toph threatened Sokka to not reveal them to me), and I felt it was only right that I did my part. I couldn't help but act the way I usually did, as it was the only thing I knew throughout most of my life after childhood. That was why I wanted to pull off this scam with Toph, just to show her my less motherly side.
Toph was shocked, as she was dead set on apologizing, and promising me that she wasn't planning any more scams. But after I told her that this would be the ultimate scam, capable of generating ten times the revenue she got from her smaller schemes, she was in. The idea was the turn Toph in, where they could put her in a metal cage. I would collect the reward while Toph would metal bend and break free. We would rendezvous and left the region before anyone could catch us. It was foolproof, with no way of failing, right?
But how wrong could I be, as the same mind bending fire bender blindsided me. He caught me collecting my reward, and got me sent to prison as well. It was obvious that he did his homework, as Toph and I were thrown into a wooden cage, making the use of bending impossible. Now, as we figured out that we were merely bait for that guy to reel Aang in, I realized how big of a mess we got ourselves into.
"I wanted to show you that I'm not so motherly," I explained, leaning my chin onto my bent knees. We were both seated on the wooden planks, with nothing but silence outside. It really gave me some time to think about how my relation to Toph evolved. I thought I got to know Toph better after that girl's day out at Ba Sing Se, but my motherly side kept rearing its ugly head, and before long it turned Toph off. So for this recent blow-up between her and me, I felt partially responsible for it too.
"Katara, you are fun. If nothing else, you're at least fun to argue with," Toph replied, her head perking up. I leaned over and saw a huge smile on her face, "I try not to think about it, but when I left my parents, I probably really hurt them." As she finished that last sentence, there was no denying what was happening. The sniffles and sobs gave it away as the tough-as-nails Blind Bandit was reduced to tears.
I couldn't help but lean over, pulling Toph into a hug. I knew how nasty I was when I questioned her motives, claiming that she was trying to frame everyone who disagreed with her in her parents' light. I should have known better than that to make such a statement, given how complicated Toph's relationship with her parents was. Toph still required more time to adjust to relating to people, as her only teachers in life skills were her overly controlling parents or the Earth Rumble fighters. Sadly, they provided a contradiction to Toph's life. Toph believed she could get what she wanted via toughness alone, but it was one thing she couldn't show before her parents. Even though she was free now, her overreliance on either fighting or rebelling made things difficult for her and others. If I could find a way to rectify this issue, maybe she could be happier?
But there was no time to think about that, as several large rumbles from above us shook us from our positions. It was no secret that the Combustion Man was after Aang and Sokka, who were probably in town right now. Toph clutched the wooden bars, trying to wrest them free. "We need bendables!" She exclaimed, putting a stranglehold on the bars that stubbornly held in place. I suggested that Toph used the meteor bracelet, but Toph told me left it back at camp, afraid that it would be lost. With nothing left, I could only wonder how well Aang and Sokka held their own outside. With the place heating up as a result of the flames being shot at those two, I couldn't help but break a sweat.
Wait, sweat? There was the water that could break us free! If I had enough sweat around me, maybe it could do the trick? Immediately, I got up and broke into a running posture, sprinting as hard as I could in place. "I'm making my own water," I declared, wiping my forehead. My hands were now caked with perspiration, enough to make a blade. With one motion, I swung it at the wood, making a few slices before it ran out.
"Katara, you're a genius! A sweaty, stinky genius!" Toph heaped the praise on me as I felt my way through my clothing. My Fire Nation outfit was one where my entire midsection was showing, meaning there was enough sweat protruding from my stomach that I could use. Besides, with my armpits slightly sticky as well, there was one more source. Taking a huge breath, I summoned all the sweat on my body and threw it right at the door. If it didn't break, then I had no idea what could do the job.
Luckily, it did work out, as the wood was shattered in seconds. Toph and I rushed out just in time to see Aang being threatened by the Combustion Man. "Oh no, you don't! Take this!" I reached into a nearby rain barrel and sent the water straight at the assailant, freezing it along the way as it encased his head in a block of ice. It gave us just enough time to grab Aang to get to safety. For good measure, Toph shot one more boulder at him, making sure he couldn't blast more fire at us. Hopefully that would buy us enough time.
We didn't stop running until we got back to our camp, and we decided that we would stay here no longer. Packing our bags, we prepared to chart course to our next destination when Toph pulled me aside. "I want to send a letter to my parents," she requested, waving a sheet of paper in my face, "Sokka used some of the money we scammed to buy a messenger hawk so we can use that to send it."
There was no hint of hesitation from Toph's tone; rather, she spoke with genuine kindness and sincerity, leading me to believe that perhaps she was ready to turn the page. I didn't deny that it would take time for Toph to mend her fences completely with her parents, but perhaps this was a good start. Granting her request, I took a seat next to her and grabbed a brush. "I'm ready whenever you are," I told her. Maybe, with this new understanding, it could lead to us having more fruitful cooperation in the future. After all, we were all in this together for the war effort, and it was only right that we looked out for each other even regarding things outside the war, such as our families.
Toph's POV
"Actually, he wasn't lying," I chimed in, cutting short the nonstop ranting by Katara and Sokka. Our invasion of the Fire Nation capital turned out to be one of the most humiliating defeats I had ever experienced. Not only did we not find the Fire Lord, we ended up having to face Azula, the Fire Nation princess. That chicken only ran away from us, dodging all our attacks and refusing to take us head-on. The most embarrassing part was that my unique skill of lie detection became totally useless, given Azula was an expert liar. I would earth bend a pillar into that cocky freak's spine next time I see her!
But I was most shocked with Azula stalling by mentioning Suki, her supposed "favourite prisoner." Apparently, Azula found out that Captain Boomerang wasn't so clueless after all, as Sokka told us to just ignore her and tried to find the Fire Lord on our own. She claimed Suki was being tortured but lost her will to wait for Sokka anymore. That got Sokka all worked up and went after Azula, with some help from me, as I was the one who pinned Azula against the rocky wall. I had to admit that I was partially guilty in losing the time, but boy did that arrogant snob deserve some harsh punishment. I wished the eclipse was longer so we could really set her in her place!
Right now, we had another issue to deal with. When the eclipse was over, the Fire Nation launched a counteroffensive and destroyed our submarines. The adults stayed behind while I left with my group, along with Teo, Haru, and The Duke. Right now, we had to find Aang a fire bending teacher. But the strangest event happened when Zuko followed us here to the Western Air Temple and asked to be chosen. Zuko even claimed he set Appa free after we lost him in Ba Sing Se, which didn't seem like he was lying. Naturally, there were vehement refusals from Katara and Sokka, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was the only way to go.
"I'm just saying that considering his messed-up family and how he was raised, he could have turned out a lot worse," I stated. While I tried to be nonchalant, pretending not to care about Zuko, in reality I was quite concerned. I felt Katara and Sokka were letting their past grudges cloud their judgment, to the point that they missed who Zuko really was. Even though Azula and the Fire Lord made my parents resemble guardian spirits rather than control freaks, they forgot that Zuko had Iroh with him on his exile journey. With that old tea bag around, I doubted that Zuko could become that terrible of a person.
"While he was talking to us, he was sincere," I emphasized again, shooting down Katara's sarcastic remark that Zuko ought to receive the "not-as-much-a-jerk-as-you-could-have-been" medal. I hated to say it, but it seemed like Sugar Queen and I switched roles, with her being stubborn and sarcastic while I was kind and gentle. I better not tried this too often, or people would think the Blind Bandit went softer than a wet noodle!
Either way, I continued pushing my point, "Maybe you're all just letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly." After all, it was Zuko's own uncle who told me an open mind was a clear mind, so why not try convincing these guys of that philosophy? Zuko obviously had to open his mind if he claimed he was trying to rectify his mistakes, so it couldn't hurt to at least give him a chance, right?
Before long, it was a three-on-one battle, with Katara, Sokka, and Aang all listing an event on how Zuko did them damage. Whether it was capturing them with pirates, or burning down Kyoshi Island, or harassing them at Avatar Roku's temple, it all seemed like they were speaking without thinking. It was time I beat the main message into their heads. "You're all ignoring one crucial fact," I snapped back, stomping on the ground right before Aang, "Aang must have a fire bending teacher. We can't think of a single person in the world to do the job. Now one shows up on a silver platter, and you won't even think about it?" It took all my energy not to send boulders at these numbskulls.
But believe it or not, there were actually people more stubborn than me, as neither one of those three would budge on this issue. I could literally feel my brain explode at the ridiculous attitudes of these three morons. "I'm beginning to wonder who really is the blind one around here," I shouted, turning around to leave the area. I really wanted to be away from these three, as I couldn't understand why they had so much trouble accepting Zuko. Even if Zuko did do all those nasty things, couldn't they at least try to give him a chance to change? I mean, I joined them because I wanted a change, and they accepted me. So why was it so hard to accept someone who's more confused than me in his life?
As I felt the cool outside air around me, I really thought about Zuko and how his recent actions might affect us. Either Azula manipulated Zuko into being our spy, or Iroh got through to him and inspired him to change. I personally felt it was the latter, since I doubted Zuko chose to betray Iroh with ease. Even with Azula's cunningness, it was hard to believe that Zuko would accept being a pawn, as Iroh told me Zuko's internal turmoil led to his confusion in the first place. With his mind that flustered, the last thing Zuko wanted to do was to let himself be used again. So, he might just go back to Iroh, who might have made progress in letting Zuko see what he had to do. "Iroh, always one with wise words," I muttered with a smile, "I sure hope he's okay after our botched invasion."
But it was Iroh's words that made me really want to seek out Zuko myself. I knew that Iroh told me he appreciated meeting strangers and exchanging advice with them, so I wondered if Zuko would be just as open to that. After all, if I told him my advice to Iroh, that Iroh ought to say how much he needed Zuko, maybe Zuko would listen and realized that there were people in the world who truly cared about him. It might sound too sappy for my taste, but the logic behind this oddly made sense. After all, Zuko probably had trouble with his life because nobody truly cared, so why not show him otherwise?
I waited until the sun had set before going to seek out Zuko. Personally, it was much safer for both him and me, as I never knew what those irrational idiots would do if they found out. Knowing that Zuko was probably in the woods nearby, I moved in as slowly as possible, hoping to sense at least some movement. I managed to locate the general direction, and it was just a matter of getting there and speaking with Zuko. If I could get even a couple of comments in, I was sure I could talk Zuko into our group.
"Who's there?" Zuko's sharp tone cut into my thoughts. I realized I made a big mistake by hurrying to Zuko, as Zuko thought I might be an enemy. "Stay back!" He hollered, and before long, the entire area around my body became scorching hot.
"Stop, it's me!" I yelled back, trying to set up a stone wall to prevent being cooked alive. I never expected Zuko to react with aggression, so I had to admit that I was taken by surprise. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to visit him? Maybe I ought to step back and let Zuko cool down before approaching him again?
But all that had to wait as a searing pain shot through my feet. I collapsed onto the ground, realizing that I was truly blind now. "You burned my feet," I stuttered, trying to crawl away. I could only hope that the senses in my hands were just as good in locating my route here as my feet, as I certainly wouldn't want to stay here while Sparky over there continued flaring away. Was it that difficult to be a moderator?
I could hear Zuko still hollering at me, but it didn't matter right now. I wasn't safe here, certainly not with my feet burned. I tried to throw whatever rocks I could with my hands at him, not even caring if they hit or not. Zuko was still yelling inaudibly at me, and before I knew it a set of hands grabbed me by the shoulders. "Get off me!" I cried, flipping myself onto my back. With more earth to work with, I pushed up a pillar at Zuko, sending him sky high. Hey, at least that gave me time to escape, right?
The painful journey back to the air temple took all night, and to no one's surprise Katara and Sokka didn't take it well. Even when I tried to explain that it was an accident, as it was me not telling Zuko I was there that led him burning me, they wouldn't hear any of it. "Zuko's clearly too dangerous to be left alone, so we're going to have to go after him," Sokka insisted as him and Aang placed my feet into a nearby fountain. The cool liquid did sooth my feet a bit, but it did little to remedy my hurt feelings.
Things really got out of hand when the temple suddenly got bombarded by several fire blasts, leading Aang and Sokka to lifting me out of the pool to safety. It was really frustrating that I couldn't be of any help to the battle, as the group identified the assailant as the Combustion Man. Strangely enough, Zuko claimed he was the one who hired the Combustion Man to pursue Aang, but I clearly heard his voice telling the Combustion Man that the mission was off. So was he really looking out for us after all?
But with the furious blasts, I could tell that it wouldn't be long before we were sent flying off the cliff side. There had to be something we could do, right? If I could earth bend right now, I would bend the entire temple's rocks at the Combustion Man. "I could get an angle on him," Sokka stated amidst all the panic. Oh Sokka, if there was a time that your crazy plans had to work, I sure hoped it was now.
Several agonizing seconds when by before I heard a loud clang, which was followed by Sokka's celebratory cheer. It was followed by a loud explosion, the most violent one yet as the entire foundation of the temple was rocked. I couldn't see what happened, but Katara told me that there was a huge cloud of dust, with the Combustion Man nowhere to be seen. "I think he blew himself up?" she guessed, unsure of what really went down. But hey, a win was a win, regardless of how we won, right?
Zuko finally approached after the huge mess, barely alive after struggling with the Combustion Man earlier. Even though I had no way of telling how he felt, I knew he was genuine. "I've been through a lot in the past few years," he described, "I thought I had lost my honour, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honour. It's something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war, and I know that my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world."
But Zuko then made a comment to me, telling me about what happened last night. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, it was an accident," he informed me, with true remorse in his tone, "fire can be dangerous and wild. As a fire bender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally."
With that statement, I knew Zuko was ready to join our group. I didn't even hesitate when Aang asked me for my input. "It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet," I joked, mashing my right fist into my left palm. With one new character in our camp, it was bound to make things that much more exciting around here.
But for me, my main issue was to talk to Zuko about what his uncle told me. I felt I had a real bond, one that no one else in my group had, with Iroh. Perhaps, with our common knowledge on Iroh's ideas and philosophies, we could work together on how we could move on after the war was over. For both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, there was a lot of work to be done, and Iroh's words were merely a stepping stone for us to truly restore this much-needed balance in a scarred world.
Toph's POV
"It's weird to say, but the comet actually looks beautiful," Suki commented as we rode tranquilly on this Eel Hound. Things didn't exactly stay peaceful after Zuko joined our group. Zuko went on three separate journeys with Aang, Sokka, and Katara, each one changing up that person's life forever. Aang learned the background knowledge to fire bending, Sokka broke into a high security prison and ended up freeing his father and Suki, while Katara met up with the man who supposedly killed her mother and gave her closure. Looks like Zuko was just like his uncle with how he changed people, I thought.
And speaking of uncle, Zuko managed to reconcile with Iroh as well. Days before we had to face the Fire Lord (before Sozin's Comet arrived), Aang somehow disappeared on us, leaving us scrambling for help. I had no idea why Twinkle Toes ran off, but he did express concern when he was told he had to kill the Fire Lord. Maybe his air bender's nature to not harm life caused him to have doubts, but to go off without a word was just unusual. Zuko then tried seeking out Iroh, hoping he could offer us some wisdom. And it was during our stay at his camp outside Ba Sing Se, where all these old people (including Sokka's master Piandao) calling themselves the Order of the White Lotus gathered, that Zuko and Iroh reconciled. I knew Iroh would be proud of Zuko now that he joined us.
But right now, there were bigger fish to fry, as Iroh insisted that our group ought to stop the final invasion even without Aang. Zuko told us that the Fire Lord planned to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground from their airships using comet-enhanced fire bending. While Zuko and Katara went to stop Azula, I accompanied Sokka and Suki to stop the airships. As we rode the Eel Hound in this body of water just before reaching the airship base, I felt a strange silence surrounding us. The winds were unusually calm, and the atmosphere was strangely cool. Even when it was a hot summer day, it felt almost like autumn with the sun drowned out by the comet. "Too bad the Fire Lord is about to use the comet to destroy the world," I responded to Suki's statement. I guessed it was like what Zuko said: fire might be beautiful, but also unpredictable and dangerous.
By the time we dismounted the Eel Hound, we knew time was running out. I could feel a rumbling through the rocks, knowing that it originated from the airship base on the other side of this hill. As we climbed to the top, I could here a low humming sound echoing around me. "The fleet is already taking off!" Sokka exclaimed.
Biting my lower lip, I realized desperate times called for desperate measures. I had been practicing some rather unique earth bending skills recently, so let's see if they could come in handy. "Where's the closest airship?" I demanded, grabbing Sokka with my left hand and Suki with my right. The second Sokka announced the location, I stomped the ground as hard as I could, sending up a pillar which catapulted us into the sky. Feeling unsure of my skill for the first time, I could only hope I was accurate.
After flailing through the air for what felt like an eternity, I was suddenly jolted back to reality when two sets of arms broke my fall. Being in the air was no fun, given I had no earth to feel out my location. Luckily, Sokka and Suki flipped me back to normal, letting me feel the cool metallic bars under my feet. "Looks like my skill wasn't that bad after all," I murmured to no one in particular. With the serious and tense situation ahead, I really wasn't in the mood to show off. While all I would lose in Earth Rumble was some money and bragging rights, a lot more would be gone if we lost this battle.
Sokka and Suki brought me to the control room of this airship, asking me to take care of the metal door. Even though I was nervous, I was still confident in cracking some Fire Nation heads. Punching out the door, I wrapped the sheet of metal around my body and went on the attack, using all the metal in the room to pin and disable the crew. After tossing a few out the windows, I peeled it all off and stood before the controls. "That's how it's done," I emphasized. If these fire bending bozos thought they had the advantage just because of the comet, then they clearly didn't know who they were messing with.
Sokka asked Suki to take the controls while he helped us navigate. Given that I was the blind one, asking me to do anything was probably ineffective. Sokka also had a plan to get rid of all remaining crew members (the ones I didn't toss out the windows earlier) by lowering the airship and gathering them all bomb bay before letting them all drop into the ocean. What was better than mixing brains with slapstick together?
Even with the crew hitting the waters, things weren't exactly getting any better. In fact, I would say they got worse, as the crew dump over the ocean only cost us valuable time. "We're not going to catch up to him in time!" Sokka shouted, referring to the Fire Lord's lead ship. I felt every muscle in my body deflate, my usual confidence sapping away as I could only wait for the inevitable. So much for being the toughest earth bender around, if the Fire Lord scorched everything from here on out. Maybe the Blind Bandit ought to be changed to the Burning Bandit instead if we couldn't get to him in time.
But a series of strange sounds suddenly got my attention, as the unusually loud humming of the lead airship became significantly softer. Before we arrived to the airship base, we figured that the lead ship would have larger engines thanks to its larger size. But now, it seemed like there was a malfunction or something like that, creating an eerily softer sound. As Suki and I wondered what was going on, Sokka exclaimed excitedly, "It's Aang! He's back!" He grabbed me by my shoulder, holding me (and I assumed Suki in his other arm) tight. Well, so maybe Twinkle Toes didn't wimp out after all!
But another issue was at hand, as we had no way of helping him. Even when we knew that we had to stop this fleet, there was nothing I could do. "I can't see outside of this floating hunk of metal!" I shouted back. Given that we were in the air, I had no way of seeking out any airship's location. Add the fact that there was nothing earthen that I could bend and shoot that far distance, and I was reduced to a helpless spectator in the biggest scorching in the history of the Earth Kingdom, if not the world.
Sokka, on the other hand, had a weird idea. Coming up with a move named "airship slice," he took over the controls, leaving Suki and I standing around awkwardly. Soon enough, I found out what Sokka was doing the hard way as a huge punch below blasted the airship into the air. My arms flailed before my fingers landed on the nearest object, which happened to be a set of handles. I felt my entire weight pressed against the wall as the airship swerved violently, most likely the result of making a wide turn.
That lurch pushed my face nearly out the now-broken window. A scorching amount of heat blasted up at me, which sobered me up regarding the true power of fire bending. "That's a lot of fire, isn't it?" I uttered, my face nearly burned. After this, I doubted I would underestimate fire ever again. The burns I got on my feet after I tried reaching out to Zuko were nothing compared to what the ground below us was subject to.
After a few more violent lurches, I figured that the airship was now in position for Sokka's attack. "Let's get to the top of this thing fast," Sokka called, grabbing me by the hand, "and watch each other's backs." I had no idea what was about to happen, but if what Sokka said was true, then it would be a rough ride indeed.
We barely got to the top of the airship when a series of deafening thuds rocked the place. I couldn't feel a thing except for Sokka's hand holding mine, leading me away as jolt after jolt ripped through the metal below us. I didn't even think about where we were going when suddenly, the ground below me ripped apart. I could only hear Suki scream, her voice drowning out into the background as she called, "Just finish the mission!" As she echoed through, I felt my heart sink, knowing she might never be around again.
But soon, it was me who got the feeling that I might not live to see another day as our piece of the airship slammed into another one, sending Sokka and I flying off. We landed with a thud, shaking up my ribs as Sokka wrapped his arms over me. Heat and broken pieces of airship hailed onto us as we ducked for cover. I wasn't sure how many airships were knocked out because of Captain Boomerang's move, but judging from the faint engine sounds around me, there was still more raining fire onto the ground below.
By the time things calmed down, Sokka brought me to another area. I placed my hands on what seemed like a wall, but Sokka corrected me in saying that this was the rudder of another airship. "Metal bend the rudder so it's jammed in the turning position," Sokka instructed, "the ship will spiral and slam into the others."
Finally, there was something I could do to contribute! Spitting into my hands, I clawed at the rudder, feeling the metal underneath my fingers twist as the rudder turned our way. As usual, Sokka went out of his way to compliment my metal bending, which I told him he ought to do so more often. After all, few people could claim they came up with moves all on their own. So while Aang did Air Scooter, and Iroh invented lightning redirection, I had something to call my own. Who knew it would be useful in this war?
But soon enough, our gig was up, as I heard a creak from the metal compartment behind us. We were directly blasted with flames, causing Sokka to do the unthinkable as he grabbed my hand and leaped off the roof, sliding only by imbedding his sword onto the hull. Inside, I felt my gut wrenched and coiled over again and again, wondering if we could cheat death one more time. As we landed with a jolt, the only thing I realized was that there was no ground beneath me, the most terrifying thing that could happen to any earth bender. That's right, I was dangling in mid-air holding only Sokka's arm.
I could only hear a couple of swishes and clangs, followed by Sokka lamenting that his space sword was now lost forever. But right now, I was willing to lose anything over Sokka's grip, which seemed to be weakening by the second. Was this the end for us? If so, then at least I could die with the one guy that I trusted the most, right? For the first time ever, I felt regrets. I never got a chance to reconcile with my parents, despite asking Katara to write that letter. I never bonded further with Suki and Zuko, two very kind people that I hadn't known very well yet. But lastly, I would never get the chance to live in the new world after the war, with divisiveness replaced by balance and tolerance. Great things might be at hand in the future, but I might not live to see it.
Another bone-jarring hit rocked me, most likely delaying the inevitable. Sokka's balance on the ledge finally gave, sending both of us hurtling over. I braced for a hard hit, only to have my fall cut short by yet another hunk of metal. I weakly wobbled to my feet, thankful that I was still alive. "What happened?" I demanded.
Sokka, who was right at my feet, struggled to get up. Earlier, I heard him yell that his leg seemed to be broken, meaning he was in no position to move around. But even from the ground, he could see what I couldn't. "Suki came back," he pointed out.
Before long, Suki's voice could be heard, her footsteps getting louder as she came up to us. "Are you guys alright?" she asked. As she lifted us back up, I was so thankful to have escaped with relatively minor wounds. Sokka, despite the broken leg, was most likely in the same place I was: so happy that we didn't know whether we should laugh or cry. Now that we stopped the fire, we could only hope Aang could defeat the Fire Lord.
Toph's POV
Iroh's music played serenely in the background as we gathered in his rebuilt tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Aang found a surprising way to defeat the Fire Lord without taking his life, opting to strip him of his bending, as taught to him by a Lion Turtle. That guy had the craziest adventure when he disappeared, but at least he could do the job without sacrificing his beliefs. Besides, with the "Phoenix-King-of-getting-his-butt-whipped" now in jail and relatively harmless, it paved the way for the new Fire Lord to take over.
And said new Fire Lord was right here with us, serving Iroh and the rest of us some tea. Zuko wanted to reconcile with the world by holding his first meeting as Fire Lord with the now repatriated Earth King, hoping a prisoners exchange could ease some of the tension. I wasn't really interested in boring political stuff, but it was really cool to at least spend some time with my friends after such trying times. Had it not been for these people, I would never be reborn like this. At least they taught me I didn't always have to use toughness and rebellions to get my way, although it was still fun to argue with them.
But it was moments like these that really made me cherish what I had now. With Sokka fruitlessly trying to paint us realistically, all the while the group teased him, I had all the love and happiness right here. It taught me to open up my mind, and accepted my friends for who they were. Maybe, just maybe, when I went back to my parents again, I could inspire them to change their attitudes too. It wouldn't be easy, and I expected it to be quite painful to reopen old wounds. But if it made me a better person, then maybe it could make them better people too. As I got up from my seat, I thought of only one thing:
My name is Toph. That was my story. Those were my rites of passage.
And here ends everyone's favourite blind earth bender. I'm a little anxious to see how M. Night Shyamalan portrays Toph in his second Airbender movie, because she's going to be interesting to act out in real life. I want to see the actress playing Toph (whoever it may be) show this conflict inside her in a realistic way, so hopefully whoever that gets chosen won't disappoint. Anyone planning to see the movie this summer? Give me a shout if you will. Thanks for reading!