Disclaimer: Toph told me that she came up with the story of Avatar: the Last Airbender all by herself and that the whole thing was stolen by the creators. Weird, right? Anyway, I guess this means I don't own it, do I?
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Rated M: Mature Content. Blood. Guts. Sex. Drugs. All the good stuff.
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Also, based on a few reviews I have had recently…
I have been accused of placing filler and not advancing the story. Filler is defined as a chapter, scene or episode that does not promote furtherance in any form of continuity in a story. Though they may seem filler, the whole point for the medallion hunt is to evolve the characters and focus more on the supporting cast, as well as have them face their own individual demons and foes. You just saw Sokka face his biggest fear in combustion man and Ty-Lee prove herself. Suki took over the role of leader she may have to decide to give up if she goes with Sokka. Everything matters. It's all planned out and little is truly spontaneous. I hope that clarifies things. Again, I have over ten main characters. It isn't going to be all point A to point B.
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Author: So, nice little cliffhanger that was. I wonder what this chapter will bring. Guesses?
Aang: I bet I find the ship!
Katara: I bet we find the ship too.
Author: The same guess? How… unoriginal.
Zuko: I bet I arrive in the capital and find things amiss.
Mai: I bet we see flashes of what's happening on Kyoshi.
Author: So Mai, you don't think the chapter will be about you?
Mai: Of course not. If I said it was, it wouldn't happen.
Author: So by saying something else, you're trying to lead me to that conclusion?
Mai: I didn't say that either.
Author: Okay...
Toph: I bet it's finally my turn. The spirits know it's about time.
Jet: I doubt it. I bet it's the southern tribes turn.
Hakoda: My votes for the ship scenario with the Avatar.
Bato: Ditto.
Author: Seems to be a lot of votes for you, Aang.
Aang: It's good to be popular.
Author: Well, let's see what happens shall we?
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Chapter 27: Grudge Match
Sokka awoke in a dark room. He seemed to be lying in a soft bed of some sort. He could not open his eyes, and his whole body ached with the soreness and pain of overuse and abuse. He heard something to his right and deduced someone must be sitting at his bedside. He tried to speak, but the words barely came.
"Sokka! You're awake!" he heard Suki say as she threw herself over him and gave him a huge hug. His body both protested and welcomed the contact.
"Suki? What's going on?" Sokka heard himself say. He sounded like he was half asleep. "Where am I? Why is it so dark in here?"
Suki sighed and sat back down, taking his hand in hers as she did so. "Do you remember what happened?" Suki asked him calmly.
"Not really. I remember fighting combustion man, and Ty-Lee was there, and he was about to… Ty-Lee! Is she alright?!"
"She's fine, thanks to you." Suki assured him. "She was beat up pretty badly, but she's recovering well. It may be a few weeks before she's back to normal, but she'll manage."
"That's a relief. I was afraid he'd blown her up." Sokka said half jokingly. It sounded almost serious when he said it. Something wasn't right.
"Actually Sokka that was you." Suki said gently.
"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, a feeling of dread coming over him.
"When combustion man went to blow up Ty-Lee, you smashed your boomerang into his eye at point blank range. You were both blown up. I arrived on the scene just as it happened." She explained gently.
Suddenly Sokka remembered it clearly. He had barely been able to catch a breath. Ty-Lee was going to die. He'd raised up what he held and smashed it into his enemy's face… the bright light…
"Suki, what happened to me? What's wrong?" Sokka asked her. "Tell me!"
"Your ribs were broken, as was your left arm and right leg. Your body was beat up all over. All of that you will definitely recover from…" she trailed.
"I sense a but to this story." Sokka said.
"Just now, you asked why it was so dark. It isn't dark Sokka. It's mid-afternoon. Your eyes are wide open." Suki said, the tears audible in her voice. "I don't know why, but you seem to be blind."
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"Madam, sir; I have just received word that your daughter is coming home. She was sighted in town." A servant informed Poppy and Lao Bei Fong.
"Dear, our daughters returned to us!" Poppy exclaimed happily.
"Indeed." He motioned to the servant. "See to it that Xin Fu and Master Yu are notified to come here at once. Authorize double what I promised them before. We will never lose our daughter again."
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Toph and Jet were moving at a pretty good pace. Jet was a quick study and had mastered some basic earthbending forms. Toph had at least managed to get him to the point where he could surf a rock wave so they could travel a bit faster. The Earth Kingdom was huge and they needed to get moving.
"Toph, how am I doing?" Jet called over to her.
"Your still on your feet aren't you? Seems pretty good to me." She replied shortly.
The two of them had been traveling for a couple of days and had made a large amount of progress. Soon they were actually close to Toph's home town, which was close to where a medallion was supposed to be. Toph was getting a bit nervous with the thought of seeing her parents again. However, she really did miss them. Besides, it wasn't like they could keep her there. She could leave whenever she wanted to. There was nothing to worry about. Or was there?
They arrived in Toph's home mid day on the fourth day they had left the gang. When Toph called a halt, Jet was grateful. "This earthbending is tougher than it looks, isn't it?" he mentioned as he caught his breath, his hands on his knees.
"Stop being such a baby." Toph replied in her surly way.
"What's got your goat-buffalo?" Jet asked her as he stood upright.
"It's nothing okay. I just need to make a stop, that's all."
"Alright; where are we going?" Jet asked her.
"We aren't going anywhere. I am going to visit my parents. You're going to stay put." Toph told him firmly.
"I thought you were supposed to watch me. What if I go evil again?" Jet asked, half jokingly and half seriously.
"Don't worry. When I am done, I can always hunt you down and lock you up. Greatest earthbender in the world, remember?" Toph said, pointing to herself with her thumb to her chest. "There's a tea shop down the street there, and a few other places to visit. Go ahead and have some fun. I will be back to get you in a few hours." Toph headed up the street at a normal walk. She was drawing quite a few eyes from the local populace.
Jet couldn't believe he was being babysat by a little girl; even more surprising was that she was abandoning him like this, knowing what he is capable of. Jet shrugged and headed down the street towards the tea shop.
After a cup of delicious tea, he set out to look at all the shops and specialty stores along the main strip. One sign really caught his attention; an earthbending arts dojo. Jet entered and saw a class starting. There was a sign that read free first lesson. He decided that working on his earthbending was a good way to pass the time, and took his place at the end of the line. The teacher was a middle aged man who introduced himself as Master Yu.
"Are you interested in the free lesson?" he asked Jet. His voice was a bit high pitched and nasally. He appeared to be an earthbender in his forties.
"Sure. I know some basics, but I wouldn't mind going through the lesson." Jet replied.
"Very well then, please take your place." Master Yu asked him.
The lesson began and went on for a few hours. Jet knew most of the stuff covered, but did get some practice with control and form. Towards the end of the lesson, a man dressed in a courtiers outfit came into the courtyard and motioned Master Yu aside. After a small whispered discussion, Master Yu ended the class.
"Thank you all for coming. Those new students that wish to enroll, please see my assistant in the main building." He bowed to his class and turned back to the messenger. The class got up and began moving around. Jet wandered around the grounds admiring the architecture. He needed to kill time anyway. Master Yu approached him shortly after the courtyard cleared.
"So, Jet; did you enjoy the lesson?" Master Yu asked him.
"Yes, sir. It was very informative." Jet lied. It was a basic class, and Toph had gone far beyond it.
"Good." Master Yu replied. He then brought up solid stone all around Jet and pinned him in place.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Jet exclaimed in surprise.
"I am doing what I am paid to do. You came here with Toph Bei Fong, and her family wants you held captive. Come along. I must be getting to their estate." Master Yu replied. He used his bending to bring Jet along.
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Xin Fu stood in the middle of his arena. He was surrounded by all of his earthbending brawlers.
"Bring it on!" he shouted. All the men in the arena charged him, bending the earth around them and hurling it at Xin Fu. He braced himself for it, and gathered all the earth coming at him and sailed it around him 180 degrees before hurling it all back his opponents. Each and every boulder hit its mark and his men were thrown about the room. "Come on slackers! You've got to do better than that!"
A messenger came into the arena and headed for him, bypassing the rubble all around the room. "Sir, I have a message for you."
"Oh really? And what does the almighty Bei Fong family want with me this time?" Xin Fu asked sardonically, recognizing the colors and coat of arms.
"They require your services. I have been given the authority to offer you double what you were offered last time." The courtier said.
"And what could be more valuable to them than their missing daughter?" Xin Fu asked.
"Their daughter is back. They wish to keep it that way."
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Toph approached her ancestral family home with a feeling of apprehension. She recalled the day she ran away; the day she had shown them she was an earthbender of master level. Her parents had assumed she was a fragile flower that could not take care of herself. Since that day, she had taught the Avatar earthbending, raided Ba Sing Se, saved countless lives and helped end the war with the Fire Nation. Surely that would prove that Toph was able to take care of herself.
Toph approached the walls with a growing sense of nervousness. "Well… here goes nothing." Toph muttered to herself. She used her bending to sink below ground and came up on the other side of the wall. The soldier standing nearby looked at her as if she was a spirit. "It's just me, Anton. You can keep on patrolling or whatever it is you do."
"Mistress Toph; welcome back! Your parents were incredibly worried about you. I will escort you to them at once." Anton said with a salute.
"Actually, that won't be necessary Anton. I am quite capable of finding them myself." Toph said. To prove her point, she continued to head towards the main house, stepping out of the way of obstacles in her way. She heard Anton gasp at her ability to avoid objects. She also heard Anton following her regardless. This may not be so easy after all.
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Toph barged through the front door of her home and strode into the main hall where her parents were likely waiting. When she walked in, she noted many of the servants she recalled from when she was younger. Her parents stood up and came over to her.
"Welcome back Toph!" her father said happily, wrapping her up in a hug.
"My baby has come home!" her mother said, also embracing her.
"Mom; dad." Toph said with tears in her eyes and a catch in her voice.
Lao stood aside and took a good look at his daughter. Her clothes were peasant stock and her hair was a mess. Her nails were too long and she wore no shoes. She was filthy and obviously not cared for. His resolve hardened. "Come; let us have tea and some luncheon. We want to hear all about your journey." Lao said grandly.
"Really? You're not mad at me for leaving?" Toph asked in wonderment.
"Of course we aren't mad dear. Now please come to the table and sit down." Poppy gushed.
Toph took her seat at the overlarge table and breathed in the aroma of all the wonderful food she missed so much from her youth. She took her seat and tried to remember her manners as she ate and began her tale. "It all began…"
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Suki and Yue spent the next few days torn between staying at Sokka's bedside and trying to help restore order on Kyoshi Island. As the leader of the warriors, Suki spent her time setting up defenses to prevent another attack, maintaining watch over the huge amount of prisoners, and trying to oversee the rebuilding of the destroyed homes and possessions. Food was scarce, and she had had to send a group to the mainland for supplies.
'Would you please stop running around like a crazy person? You're going to wear yourself out.' Yue warned her.
Yue had been taking over at night and watching over Sokka, healing him as best she could with her art and making sure she was there for him. During the day, Suki went about all of the administrative business she was forced into, but still stopped by for frequent visits. Sokka had been sleeping a lot since his ordeal.
Ty-Lee had recovered in just a couple of days and dove into the rebuilding effort. She made fast friends with everyone in the village and was welcomed with open arms regardless of her Fire Nation heritage. Suki had left her in charge of a few projects here and there just to see how she'd handle them. So far, she was not disappointed.
'I'm sorry, Yue. It's just that there is so much to do, and all I really want to do is see Sokka. It's a little maddening.' Suki replied.
'I understand. If this was the North Pole, I would be bothering you just as badly I can assure you. Still, things are progressing nicely. Take a break and relax a bit. Your body is worn out.' Yue insisted.
'I will rest once Sokka is back on his feet.' Suki said honestly. Keeping busy was keeping her from realizing the gravity of his injuries. Yue had healed most of the damage. The broken bones needed time to mend but were coming along much faster than normal. His eyes…
'Why can't you heal his eyes again?' Suki asked for the hundredth time.
'The eyes are very delicate and intricate. If I tried, I may only make things worse.' Yue said sadly.
'Worse than being blind? If he was just light blind, he would have gotten his sight back by now. You said so yourself. What is there to lose?' Suki demanded.
'Our secret for starters. To heal his eyes, he would have to be awake. I would need his eyes open to see what I am doing. Are you okay with that?' Yue asked.
'To heck with the secret! Let him know about you. In fact, you can have him if it means he will be back to normal and happy again! I can't bear to see him like this!' Suki said with a mental sob.
'Very well then; if you feel that strongly about it, let's see what we can do.' Yue said with conviction. She had been waiting for Suki to say something like that. She honestly felt the same way.
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Sokka remained in bed for days. He still had not regained his eyesight and wondered if he ever would. Perhaps Toph could give him lessons…
A knock on the door brought Sokka back to his present situation. "Sokka, are you awake?" Suki asked through the door.
"Yeah, come on in." he replied.
Suki entered the room, but Yue was in control. "We found something that may help you get your vision back."
"Really? What is it?" Sokka asked without much enthusiasm. He'd lost his Sokka'ness since he lost his sight.
"Just hold still. I don't think this will hurt any." Yue said quietly.
She saw Sokka relax his muscles and fade farther into the bed. Yue pulled water from her water skin and surrounded her hands. They began to glow a perfect liquid blue. She placed her hands over Sokka's eyes and he felt the cool feel against his skin.
"It feels like water." He muttered.
"Hush." Yue murmured as she began to feel with her hands that which could not be felt by other means. She could feel the layers and depths of his eyes and feel the heat, the damage, the lines and curves and shapes. Within her hands, she could feel the aching pieces of his soft flesh and how they yearned to be whole again.
Yue used her waterbending to wrap her very soul into his eyes and nurture them. She tried to encourage them to heal, to repair, and to grow. She felt them slowly respond to her ever so gentle touch; felt them shape and mold themselves back into their original form. As she withdrew her power, she felt a new appreciation for the gift the moon spirit had bestowed on her. The spirit had granted her the ability to help the one person she wished to help more than anything, and that alone was worth all she had gone through.
She withdrew her hands from a smiling face. Sokka looked to her as if he had never been hurt in his life.
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He was blinking, trying to focus. Sokka saw bright white to offset the prior blackness. As the white light cleared, it was replaced by a bright liquid blue. Sokka closed his eyes, unable to process the light. As he slowly blinked the light away, he thought he saw Yue superimposed over Suki. He reached up to rub his eyes clear.
Finally able to see, he saw Suki staring down at him, a worried frown on her face. Sokka smiled at her. "Hey beautiful." He said with a grin.
Suki/Yue had tears in her eyes and threw herself down on him in the fiercest hug she could. He was okay!
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Toph told her parents all about her travels with the Avatar and about all her death defying adventures. She told them how she had helped defeat FireLord Ozai and restored the world to peace. She even told them about her new ability; the ability to bend metal. Her story took hours, and they sat through it all. When something dangerous occurred, her parents gasped. Many times, she thought her mother would leap from her chair and throw her arms around her, but she remained in her seat, poised and dignified.
Through it all, her parents were appreciative. It was all she had ever wanted from them. It was truly a pity it was not to last. Just as she finished her story, she was thrown into the air by a well placed earthbending move and landed in a wooden box. As the lid came down, she tried to bend but could not seem to move right. She was trapped in a crate. She screamed for her parents help, but they did not respond as she wished.
"Let me out of here! What are you doing?!" Toph screamed.
"Sorry princess; this time, you're not getting away." Xin Fu said with finality.
"True. You are not leaving your parents ever again. You will be cared for as they wish." Master Yu added.
"You two clowns? I thought I was finally rid of you! Mom! Dad! Help me!" Toph pleaded.
"I am sorry Toph; this is for your own good. We are your parents and only want what is best for you." Lao told her.
"You call this good for me? You locked me up in a crate!" Toph said mockingly. "I never should have thought you would ever care about me! You're nothing but a couple of horrible people!"
"Toph; surely you will see that we only have your best interest in heart. You will be safe and happy here with us." Poppy chimed in.
Toph swore as loudly as she could. She couldn't believe she had let her guard down. She had never even sensed those two buffoons enter the room. She could only hope that Jet would realize something was wrong and come to her rescue. Little did she know that he was also indisposed and needed a rescue of his own.
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Toph: You let me be captured by those two dunderheads!?
Author: Yeah… you sort of needed a few villains in your misadventure.
Jet: Yeah, but why did you have me captured. I can't save her now.
Author: Ah, but there is a method to my madness, Daniel-san.
Jet: Daniel-who?
Author: Cultural reference. Never mind.
Sokka: I can see!
Suki: Thank goodness.
Author: I got too many threatening letters telling me I would have horrible things happen to me if I didn't restore your sight. Besides, Yue had to come along for a reason.
Aang: And now it's my turn; right?
Author: Actually, Sokka's group hasn't found anything yet, and Toph's in a dire straight. If I skipped to you this soon, my reviewers might get angry with me.
Aang: So, tell them to go suck eggs! This story is about the Avatar, not his supporting cast!
Sokka: Ouch…
Toph: A bit harsh there, twinkle toes.
Aang: I'm sorry everyone!
Author: And on that note, the scene fades to black…
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Author's Corner:
So some of you noticed my chapters aren't all insanely long anymore. Why do you ask? Because I am trying to not leave you hanging for a week or more at a time for starters. Also because I am trying to move things along and not throw six different arcs at you each chapter. Nice of me, isn't it?
Toph and Jet finally got some screen time. For those of you who can't recall, Xin Fu and Master Yu are the two earthbending clowns that tracked Toph in book two. They encased her in a steel cage and took her back to her parents. She learned metalbending and trapped them in the cage she escaped from. Wondering how they got out? Stay tuned!
So I guess this chapter may be called filler as well. Of course, people might want to know about Toph seeing her parents again. They may have wondered what happened to the hunters. Well, now you're finding out. Is it based on the overall plot? Not particularly. Was it necessary? Yes, given my promise in the preview statement.
