Chapter 25

Zuko was already in bed when Toph got back to their alcove, his face turned to the wall. She could tell he was still hurting, but he lied to her of course when she asked if he was okay.

So she took a deep breath, gave him a kiss on the forehead, wished him goodnight, and went back outside to where Mai, Katara, and Suki sat in conversation.

After a few minutes, Katara rose with Bumi in her arms. "Time for bed for this little guy," she said. Suki agreed and gathered her two as well.

Toph stopped Katara with a hand. "Will you please work on Zuko's headache for a minute while you're back there?" she asked. "He'll probably say he's fine, but I know it's bothering him."

"Sure," Katara answered gladly.

After several minutes, Katara and Suki returned to their seats, Katara shaking her head. "That Zuko is probably the worst patient I've had in months," she sighed. "I tried Toph, really I tried, but he wouldn't let me help him. I think he'd rather hurt than admit he's hurting."

"That sounds about right," Toph agreed. "I appreciate your trying though."

"Men," Suki sighed in exasperation. "Sokka can be such a big baby sometimes, but if he's in one of those manly pride moods, you could break both his legs and he wouldn't even flinch."

Katara nodded.

"So," Mai spoke up and her tone of voice was such that each one of the women looked at her with interest. "Let me ask you something." She paused and took a breath. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" Katara asked, all innocence.

"Know that this guy was the guy," Mai clarified.

The three women looked at her with huge smiles on their faces. "So you think Jet might be the guy?" Suki asked.

"I just want to know how you three knew," Mai answered firmly, refusing to give away any more information.

"Well," Suki replied as she curled up on her bench and got comfortable, "Sokka and I met when we were so young. I liked him from the minute I met him, even though he was being an obnoxious boy. But I really knew that he was the guy when he broke into my cell at the Boiling Rock. It was like all the lights came back on. I knew that as long as he was around, I could handle whatever came my way."

She smiled and looked over at her husband where he sat across the courtyard talking to Aang and Jet. His dark hair fell loose around his shoulders where he'd finally taken it down from its usual blue leather tie. It contrasted with the white trim on his blue tunic.

She loved it when he took his hair down. That meant he was comfortable. He felt like he could relax and truly be himself.

He was very animatedly telling some story to the other two men, and they were both laughing. She loved his excitement for life, his endless plans, the way he saw things so differently from her. She loved to watch him with their children. She loved how playful he could be with them—and with her. It was so good to see him like this.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she looked back at the rest of the girls. "Well?" she said, looking at Katara and Toph. "What about you guys?"

"Aang and I were really young too," Katara said. "He had such a crush on me for so long. But once we were grown, it was different. He grew up so fast after the war. He still looked like a kid, but he thought like an adult. He had all these important responsibilities."

She looked over to where her husband sat at the fire, listening carefully to everything Jet was now saying, a serious expression on his face. His back was so straight. He looked a little like a schoolboy at a lecture. But in that concentration, she could see genuine interest.

Even though the problems of the world were his to deal with as the avatar, Aang always managed to see the individual's needs as well. He always saw her needs more clearly than his own.

"Aang had been working with Zuko and Iroh for months on a new treaty with the Earth King and his council, and it was really frustrating him. So when they took a break, he came to visit me at the South Pole," Katara continued. "He got down off Appa, walked right up to me, and asked if I wanted to go penguin sledding."

The other girls laughed at that and so did she, then she added softly, "But the way he said it was so sad. He was so tired and so worn out with trying to make everybody happy. So I just gave him a big hug and told him of course I would. We spent the next two weeks of his break just hanging out, being goofy like we were kids again."

Then Katara paused to think, to remember. It had been a beautiful, clear night. They sat on an ice floe looking up at the stars. Everything was so perfect as he'd leaned in toward her, his steady gray eyes meeting hers with an intensity that took her breath.

"The night before he had to leave, he kissed me," she continued. "And I knew right then that he was the guy. I knew he hadn't meant to do it. He thought it wouldn't be fair to me to be the avatar's wife, having to share him with the rest of the world. But I knew I wanted to be with him. No matter what life brought our way, I wanted to be with him."

Then she sighed and cast another look in his direction. "It took a little while to convince him, but he finally saw it my way," she said with a laugh.

"Toph?" Mai asked.

"I met Zuko when we were young too. But I was the one with the crush on him. He was so moody, so dashing, so sincere," Toph began. "I was starry-eyed there for a while."

"Weren't we all," Suki laughed.

"I thought you only had eyes for Sokka," Toph said with a grin.

"Sokka first, but we all had eyes for Zuko," Suki replied.

Katara and Mai agreed.

"Even while I was trying very hard to hate him, I liked him," Katara admitted.

"And you know he was my first love," Mai said with a sigh.

"I guess we all had a thing for Zuko then," Toph acquiesced, then added, "but not anymore, so hands off my husband, ladies."

"Nope, I'm taken," Suki laughed, throwing up her hands in innocence.

"Me too," Katara added.

"I gave up my claim years ago," Mai responded generously. "So how did you know he was the guy?"

"Well, I hadn't seen him in years," Toph began. "But from the minute I walked into the Fire Palace, I knew there was something going on between us. And after dinner one night, he kissed me. Then we were kidnapped and nearly died in a volcano, but I knew he was the guy with that kiss. The rest was just reinforcement."

Then Toph turned to Mai. "So what about you? When did you know?" she asked in a leading tone.

"Know what?" It was Mai's turn to be innocent.

"I'll go ahead and tell you, Mai," Katara began. "Jet was my first crush. When he swept down out of those trees and started kicking those soldiers' butts, I just nearly fainted. He was so handsome and so charming. He really knew how to turn a girl's head in those days."

"He's still got it," Toph admitted. "When I went over there to crawl those guys for antagonizing Zuko, he just smoothed everything right over with me and I didn't even realize he was doing it. He's good. I'll give him that."

"That ought to help him out tremendously as king of Omashu," Suki noted. "Every successful politician I've ever known has been a smooth talker."

Mai thought for a minute. Now she was worried. Was she just being played? Was Jet really interested in her or just practicing his charm?

Just then Sokka and Aang walked over to their little group.

"You ready to turn it in?" Sokka asked Suki, running his hand over her hair.

She nodded and they said their goodnights then walked back into the cave together, his arm around her waist.

"Do you want me to look in on Zuko one more time?" Katara asked Toph. "I'll be glad to."

Toph concentrated for a minute, feeling for Zuko across the earth. He seemed to be resting pretty well. "No," she answered, "he seems okay right now. But if he gets worse, I'll let you know."

Then Katara rose and joined Aang. "I'll get the door tonight," Toph told him. "I'm not quite ready to turn in yet."

Mai stood and wondered where to go. She didn't want to sleep in that little dark hole, but she wasn't sure how to handle sleeping in Jet's area either.

Toph took care of that by calling Jet over to her. "Jet, can we talk for a minute?" she asked him.

Mai took the opportunity to take herself to bed, back in Jet's space where she at least had a wide open ceiling above her. Then he could decide where he wanted to be. And maybe if she hurried herself to bed, she'd be asleep before Toph turned out the lights.

Jet watched Mai head into the cave, wondering where she was going to bed down. He knew where he wanted her to be, the question was whether he was strong enough to join her.

Then he turned and took a seat next to Toph.

"We need to talk about your bending," Toph began. "As king of Omashu, you'll need to be able to bend—not necessarily as well as Bumi, but at least enough to satisfy ceremonial purposes."

"Well, that puts me right out of the running," Jet said, rising to leave. "I am not a bender."

"Sit down and shut up," Toph instructed. "That's your first lesson."

Jet looked at her quizzically. Was she kidding? Suddenly the ground heaved beneath his feet and he found himself falling back onto the bench he'd just vacated. Apparently she wasn't kidding.

He made a little bow of obeisance. "Yes, ma'am, Miss Toph," he said with a grin.

"That's Sifu Toph to you Pupil Jet," she stated firmly. "Now listen to the earth and tell me everything you hear."

Jet closed his eyes and spread his hands out on the stone bench on either side of him. "I can hear Mai walking around inside. She's lying down now." He smiled to himself as he realized she was lying down on his bed.

Then he looked further into the cave. "Someone is sleeping, I think—probably Zuko because it's in your area. The others are walking around or lying down. I think they're talking, but I'm not sure. It's hard to tell anybody apart. I just get the feeling of activity."

"What about outside here? What can you feel around us?" Toph asked.

Jet cast his awareness out into the wilds around them. To his surprise he could feel a flock of large birds, probably prairie turkeys, settling down for the night and a small group of bobfoxes wandering the hillside.

"Very good," Toph said. "Your skills are much stronger than I thought they were."

"They're much stronger than I thought they were," Jet replied with a laugh. "I've never been able to do this before."

"You've been practicing," Toph offered by way of explanation. "Practice always improves performance."

Then Jet realized just how he'd been practicing. He'd been consciously or subconsciously watching Mai all day long. He found himself endlessly fascinated by how her movements felt.

The fire was growing low, and the air was cooler now. He both saw and felt a log shift onto the ground as the coals collapsed beneath it.

"Now," Toph continued, "let's see what you can do with manipulation."

"I'll tell you what I can do. Nothing," Jet replied. Then he remembered his first lesson: sit down and shut up. "Sorry, Sifu Toph. I'll give it my best shot."

"Either do it or don't do it. None of this best shot business," she snapped.

"Are you always this cranky when you teach, Sifu Toph?" he asked playfully.

The bench suddenly moved back with him five feet. "Yes," she answered, finishing her bending gesture as she stood. "Earthbending is about power and forcefulness. It's about finding the strength in yourself and in the earth. You're already accessing the quiet strength of listening. Now it's time to find your roots and move the earth with you."

Jet stood up uneasily to face her. "Take off your boots—you need to begin with your body in close contact with your element," she instructed.

"In that case I ought to just strip naked and lie down on it for all the good I'll be able to do," he said with a laugh. However, he quickly got down to his bare feet. It felt funny.

With the slightest of waves, Toph rolled a small boulder up between them. Jet looked at it nervously. "Shouldn't we practice with little rocks first? You know, work my way up?" he asked.

"No. Earth is earth. Size doesn't matter. Big rocks are as easy to move as small ones—easier in fact. There's more to feel," Toph replied. Then with a sudden move, she shot the boulder toward him.

"Hey!" he yelled as he sidestepped it. The boulder crashed into the hillside behind him. "I can't stop that!"

"Yes, you can," she snapped back and rolled another at him.

Somehow he managed to dodge this one too. Then he remembered why she'd always scared the hell out of him when they were kids. Her ability had made her insane.

"Quit jumping out of the way!" she yelled at him.

"Then quit throwing rocks at me!" he yelled back.

"No! Stop them!" she commanded, rolling yet another directly in his path.

Neither of them noticed that Zuko had come out into the area, awakened by the loud noises. Soon Mai joined him.

"Why isn't everyone else out here?" Mai asked Zuko over the sound of crashing boulders. "They're making enough noise to wake the dead."

"I guess they're either far enough back in the cave not to hear or just choosing to ignore it," Zuko guessed.

"How long do you think they'll keep this up?" Mai wondered. "It looks dangerous."

"No, Toph won't let him get hurt," Zuko said, cringing a little as yet another boulder nearly missed clipping Jet's shoulder.

But both of them involuntarily gasped in fear as a particularly large rock shot across the courtyard, straight at Jet's head. Toph had him cornered. He had no place to go. There was no sidestepping this one. Just before the massive rock crushed his skull, it shattered into thousands of pieces.

He closed his eyes against the fragments that showered him, and somehow, he managed to bend most of them away from his face, with only a few getting through to leave tiny cuts on his skin.

Toph walked forward with a big grin on her face. "Not bad for a first timer," she declared, clearing away the dust and debris with a casual hand. As he stepped forward, she asked, "Where did you feel it?"

"All over my face," he replied testily.

"No, when you finally managed to stop the pieces from hitting you," she replied. "Where did you feel the strength coming from?"

Jet tentatively reached behind his back to the base of his spine. She spun him around and hit him—hard--right above the tailbone.

"Right there. That's the seat of your earthbending strength," Toph said firmly. "That's what you've got to feel. The roots running from here--" she hit him again—but not as hard—then ran her hand down the back of his leg to the ground as she said, "--down your legs to the earth. You've got to pull your strength up out of the ground and into your earth chakra."

Both Zuko and Mai felt a little twinge of jealousy at her action, but both wisely chose to ignore it.

Then Toph took a strong stance and pushed a large boulder back up the hill to its original position. "Now you do it," she commanded.

Jet took his own stance and tried to feel the earth's strength. He did his best to root himself. Then he pushed at another boulder nearby, but it didn't even waver.

"One more time," she instructed. "Breathe with it. Draw in the strength with your breath, then push it out your hands as you exhale."

He tried again and this time the boulder rocked a little.

"Very good, Pupil Jet," Toph said, inclining her head to him. Then with a wave, she bended the two of them free of dust. "Now, go to bed."

"Thank you, Sifu Toph," Jet said with a very respectful bow.

They walked back toward the cave entrance. Jet lit a lamp for Mai as Toph closed up the cave for the night. They said their goodnights, and Toph and Zuko headed back toward their alcove.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Toph asked as they walked down the dark tunnel. Zuko held her hand in the darkness and let her lead him back to bed. Once in the alcove, he lit their lamp so he could see her again. She was both beautiful and intimidating.

"You're scary," he said. "Did you treat Aang this way?"

"Yep," she replied. "You can't learn to earthbend if you're scared. Fear has to be the first thing to go. Fear of death in particular."

"So you tried to kill him?" Zuko asked.

"I wasn't trying to kill him," Toph replied as she stripped off her clothing and washed down the little traces of dust that remained stuck to her skin. "I was trying to help him find his strength." Then she crawled into bed and held out her hand for Zuko to join her.

Zuko lay down next to her, his fingers tracing the little goosebumps that the cool water had raised on her arms.

"Mmmm," she sighed, "you're warm, Sparky." Then her eyes opened wide. "Can you bend?"

Zuko held out his hand and tried. Nothing.

"Would you like me to throw rocks at you for a while?" she teased. "Help you find your strength?"

"Not really," he said, then he gathered her into his arms. At least he was warmer.

Back in the large cave Jet stood over the washbasin with a cloth and dabbed at the little cuts on his cheeks and forehead.

"I had no idea Toph was so mean," Mai said as she walked over to him and took the cloth from his hand. She began to gently wipe away the little smears of blood that dotted his face. "Do you want me to ask Katara to heal these?"

"No, not tonight," Jet said with a dismissive wave. "They don't really hurt anyway. Plus they're a good reminder of the job hazards of earthbending."

"That looked terrifying," Mai said as she passed him back the cloth. He began to wipe at his neck and chest, then grabbed a towel and a change of clothes.

"It was hard work. I'm going to wash off in the spring," he announced. "Do you want to go with me?"

"Sure, I'll come along to keep you company," she said. "But that water is way too cold for me."

He picked up the lamp, making sure it had plenty of oil in it this time, then they walked back to the waterfall. The water was indeed icy as he plunged into it, but Jet felt much better to have washed the feel of fear from his body. He didn't want Mai to know, but he truly had been terrified there for a moment.

Then it was like a door opened and he could feel something—a sense of power, of confidence. When he managed to deflect those pieces of rock from his face, he knew he'd connected with something deep inside him. Something he'd been missing all these years.

Moving that rock, even the least bit, had felt like coming home. Like he knew who he was again after a long bout of amnesia.

Mai very carefully kept her eyes averted as he dressed again. He rubbed his hair with the towel as they walked back to the open area.

Once Mai was settled, Jet blew out the lamp and collapsed into the surprising comfort of the bed gratefully. He was suddenly exhausted.

The air was cool in the cave and he began to shiver a little, still chilled from the icy spring water. Then he felt Mai's hand pulling the blankets up around him, drawing him close to her. She was so warm.

He relaxed into her embrace, feeling her hand push his damp hair back from his forehead. He felt so cared for, so at peace.

Then he realized that he didn't feel alone. For the first time since Ozai's fire, he didn't feel alone.

As he began to drift into sleep, he wanted to tell her this. He wanted to tell her how she made him feel. But his mind began to disconnect from consciousness and all he could think of to say was, "I love you."

So he said that instead and fell asleep.