disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!

Bandits, Princesses, Vagabonds

The loudness consuming the air of the underground wrestling arena started to hurt her ears. She had a vague feeling that their seating –which was in a large open area of stone benches—place wasn't so great of a view as the airbender had suggested, now that she thought on it.

So when all four teenagers barely avoided getting hit with a stray flying boulder, the instinctive thing she did was cuff him on the head (albeit gently). "Good eye." She mused sarcastically, sitting back in her seat and slouching.

The cheers got louder as an earthbender with long hair leveled the ring's rocky floor with a few flourishing gestures, standing before the audience with a serious look on his firm face. Sure looks mean, she mused boredly, drawing one of her daggers from her wrist guard (she'd replenished her on-hand stock a day after they'd left Omashu) to study her reflection in the same bored manner. Not the teacher he was looking for; too serious, too hard.

"Welcome to Earth Rumble VI; I am your host, Xin Fu!" The earthbender crowed.

Katara shared her sentiment, examining her nails with a slight sigh, "This's just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" She asked of her companions at large.

"That's what I paid for," Sokka hummed with a giddy grin plastered to his face.

Mariko rolled her eyes, tossing the dagger up and down, listening aimlessly as the first two combatants were brought out; The Boulder vs The Big Bad Hippo. Couldn't come up with better names… though maybe a few rock-chucking sessions knocked out their sense of imagination. The match was over in a few minutes it seemed, with the Hippo being toppled effortlessly by a rectangular slab of rock to his broad flabby back from the Boulder after the latter had been half-way knocked off the ring and used the underhanded gesture to make his comeback and come out victorious.

"How about The Boulder? He's got some good moves." Katara suggested to the airbender between both girls.

Aang shrugged, an uneasy look settling on his face, "Dunno, Bumi said I need a teacher that listens to the earth. He's just listening to his big muscles; what do you think, Sokka?" He looked at the older boy only to deadpan as said boy was busy cheering with the rest of the audience at the Boulder's feat. He looked at the firebender, "What do you think, then, Mari?"

"Too pig-headed and full of ostrich-horse crap to even consider another career than wrestling. Besides, I hate his voice." Mariko answered flatly, amber eyes calculating the muscled earthbender with a listless glance. Her ears perked when the second competitor stepped into the ring waving a crimson Fire Nation flag in one hand and gesturing with the other as he sang the Fire National Anthem… Poorly. She slapped her forehead and drooped her head into her palm. "Tui and La."

Again he was knocked out of the ring with ease. A high-rise body slam knees-first from The Boulder delivered the sympathizer straight into the stands a few yards away from where the quartet sat.

Another few more rounds, another few KOs, compliments of the victor (unsurprisingly), The Boulder... That is, until a new face stepped into the ring that she didn't expect and probably never would've; okay so 'stepped' wasn't the right word so much as 'lifted'. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for… The Boulder vs The Blind Bandit!"

A petite black-haired girl clad in Earth Kingdom green stood there on the challenger's side of the ring; her posture shifted straight so she sat forward, interest completely piqued, amber eyes focusing on the girl challenger, distantly hearing the waterbender on her far left question the boy if she was really blind. "Interesting." The firebender murmured, listlessly raising a hand to poke at the small rough rise in skin on her slightly-chapped lower lip with her index finger's nail.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a blind earthbending girl." The Boulder's egotistic voice cut through her musings as he crossed his arms and stared at his opponent dubiously.

The Blind Bandit jeered with a cocky grin, "Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder!"

"…The Boulder is over with his conflicted feelings and is ready to bury you in a rock-alanche!" The Boulder exclaimed annoyedly, flexing his muscles in further intimidation.

Intimidation didn't bode well against this girl; "Whenever you're ready, The Pebble!" Bandit cackled tauntingly.

The Boulder hadn't even thrown a rock because when his right heel touched the floor of the ring, the Blind Bandit was on it in less than seconds, stance shifting, left foot sliding forward and right foot sliding back, letting him make the charge by another step before she hit home.

A pained groan that sounded more like a shrill squeak came from the mighty Boulder as the Blind Bandit kicked the floor with the heel of her right foot and sent a small sharp rift of earth to break his footing and render him into a pained splits that had both Aang and Sokka elicit a wince at. Topping off her already-cowed opponent's demise, the girl's opened right hand jerked forward, making three peaks of rock rise up and throw The Boulder off the ring with ease, a flat 'thud' sounding when he hit the side wall face-first.

"Your winner and still the Champion, the Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu cried as the ring's stands erupted with applause. Mariko found herself grinning at seeing the triumphant face of the girl before she raised her arm in victory.

Sokka wailed next to her at his hero's loss but she heard Katara ask in awe and disbelief, "How did she do that?"

"She waited… and listened!" Aang answered quietly, smiling.

Xin Fu hopped onto the tall pedestal and then dropped to land next to the victor and said next, "To make things a little interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit!" At hearing dead silence greet his offer, he added tauntingly, "What? Noone dares to face her…?"

"I will!"

Before she had even registered he had left his seat between her and Katara, Aang was already stepping onto the ring from the side-stairwell; Mariko's grin fell infinitesimally at seeing her friend willing to get his ass kicked, fighting the urge to slap her forehead. "Straightforward; he's already acting like an earthbender…"

"Do people really wanna see two little girls fighting over here?" The Blind Bandit asked loudly if only to elicit a round of 'oohs' from the audience.

But Aang was determined to get her to talk with him, despite the impending brawl expected, "I don't really wanna fight you; I wanna talk to you." He pointed out, lifting his hands in defense.

"Booooo no talking!" Sokka crowed before both Katara and Mariko whacked him reproachfully as his sister snapped, "Don't 'boo' at him!"

The Blind Bandit initiated the brawl and shrugged her foot back so a small pillar of rock rose up to break his foothold, but Aang was too light-footed, hopping off to float over the floor behind her several yards away, lightly dropping onto the floor so she twisted around to glare at him when he landed. "Someone's a little light on his feet! What's your fighting name, The Fancy Dancer?" She spat, sending another pillar to force him on the defense again (if you could consider his prancing around as actual defense), seeming to grow irate with his fleet-footed dodges.

As she summoned a boulder and sent it flying in his direction, the airbender countered with an instinctive blast of wind that knocked both the projectile and the earthbender clean off the ring, shocking the audience. It only lasted a second until the applause ripped through the air, but Aang was hot on the girl's heels as she gathered herself and stormed off into the lower ring of the arena. "Please listen, I need an earthbending teacher and I think it's supposed to be you!" He cried.

"Whoever you are, just… leave me alone." The Blind Bandit snapped with a bit of venom at her loss, stomping a foot onto the ground and opening a doorway she slipped into, letting the wall close shut behind her wake.

Mariko patted his shoulder gently when he joined them on the ring as Sokka laughed happily and bounced up to snag the bag of gold from Xin Fu, looking to where the girl had left.

There was no denying it now… She was the one.

Sneaking in to the Beifong grounds, sure, no problem… Getting across the wall undetected… Well, that was a different story.

A collective yelp came from all four teenagers as they were thrown to land unceremoniously in the garden's shrubbery, both girls in one bush, one boy in the adjoining bush, and the second boy on the grassy ground face-first.

Looking up blearily, Aang was met with the pissy scowl of the esteemed Blind Bandit with her fists on her hips, donning an expensive dress with her hair kept out of her scowling face. "What're you doing here, Twinkle-Toes?" Yep, that was her.

"How'd you know it was me?" Aang asked curiously even as Sokka whined from his face-plant, "Don't answer to 'Twinkle-Toes', it's not manly!"

Katara and Mariko sweatdropped simultaneously before getting out of the bush they'd both landed in. "You're the one whose bag matches his belt," Katara picked.

"How'd you find me?" The Beifong girl demanded again.

Aang hopped out of his bush with ease, starting to explain to her about what King Bumi had told him and his vision in the swamp, but Mariko could tell he was losing her interest within a few seconds, so she patted his shoulder again to quiet him.

"In a nutshell, Aang's the Avatar and he needs to learn and master earthbending soon, at least before he can defeat the Fire Lord." Mariko elaborated calmly, blinking when the Beifong girl lifted a hand up in her face.

"Not my problem… Now get out of here, or I'll call the guards." The younger girl threatened, though the last few words sounded hollow, shuffling past them.

"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending." Sokka stated, cutting in before Mariko had a chance to try and sway her reasoning, earning a forehead-slap from said girl.

One thing being raised in a noble house taught her was that when in the company of pesky solicitors (like now), adult aid was a good mechanism to make the annoyances go away.

"Guards! Guards, help!" The girl cried in a panicked voice, signaling their flee back over the low wall.

It didn't take long for the siblings to scramble over the wall, and the firebender was no different, but she hesitated to drop down on the safer side when Aang hung onto the wall's shingles for a moment.
The boy dropped down at last to greet his friends with a strange smile on his young face.

"Aang, what is it?" Katara asked confusedly.

Mariko lifted a brow, and at beginning to see the gears beginning to work in his brain, she caught on; she shook her head with a soft and low chuckle. "That is the lowest trick you've ever concocted, young airbender… But in this case, it's brilliant." She smirked at him.

"Would one of you two evil geniuses please tell me what's going on?" Sokka cut in, looking from the firebender to the airbender with a confused scowl on his brow.

::::::::dOb::::::::

Toph being scared of being ambushed and held for ransom was something she couldn't bring herself to believe… at least not without an unladylike snort to disagree with the elder Beifong's words.

"Here's your money!" Sokka declared to Xin Fu as the earthbending instructor Master Yu gestured the bag of gold slide forward towards the ringman. "Now let them go."

Taking the bag from the floor, he opened it to examine the amount placed inside before looking up and nodding once, signaling that Toph's prison-sarcophagus be dropped down so the girl could be released.

She landed in a light heap before moving away to the safety of her father's side, leaving Aang still in his prison.

"What about Aang?" Katara demanded.

"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar," Xin Fu answered with a Fire Nation wanted poster he pulled out, lowering it, "Now, get out of my ring." He growled with steely eyes.

Katara lowered a hand to her water pouch as Mariko drew her daggers from her wrist guards and Sokka made to pull his club out, before the trio watched five more earthbenders drop in onto the ring to conglomerate around Xin Fu and the Boulder, acting as an intimidating entourage.
They were just making things that much more of a pain in the ass.

"Go," Aang said from his prison, earning their attention again, "I'll be okay."

"In the hands of the Fire Nation? Right." Mariko grumbled, putting her daggers back as she led the way off the ring, continuing at top speed to the tunnel exit where Toph, her father, and Master Yu had gone with the siblings at her heels, skidding to a halt at the mouth. "Toph! There's too many for us to handle; we need an earthbender… We need you!" She called.

The senior Beifong turned to glare angrily at the firebender, "My daughter is blind!" He stated sharply, "She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile… She cannot help you." He didn't notice his daughter tensing with each stinging reminder of her blatant disability, until a determined fire sparked to life in her young face.

Toph yanked her hand sharply out of his grasp, baffling the older Beifong, "Yes. I can." She turned to walk stiffly back to the ring, shrugging past Mariko.

Fighting a smile of pride, the older girl followed her lead.

The band of seven were just leaving the ring with a caged Aang in tow on the Hippo's shoulders when a column of rock rose up to block their exit, halting them in their tracks. "Let him go! I beat you all before, and I'll do it again!" Toph vowed brazenly.

"The Boulder takes issue with that comment!" The Boulder snapped back, pointing a finger at the girl, and Mariko had to bite back the urge to sock his nose for his damned speech pattern.

The Hippo tossed aside Aang's cage like it weighed nothing; the trio made to step forward and aid the earthbender when she bit out to stop them, "Wait; they're mine." The seven rushed forward in a stampede, and were blindsided when the lone earthbender raised her arms, trembling slightly with effort, before she jerked her arms down into herself and caused the ground beneath the seven's footing to crack and break, making a large dust cloud fly up and veil them from sight.

Toph calmly walked into the dust cloud, signaling their not-needed aid before the trio set to work on Aang's cage.

Mariko watched her send the Fire Nation wrestler flying out of the ring as Katara was pulling with all her might on the bottom locks and Sokka was banging on the front locks with a rock; she cringed at the noise and groaned, breaking concentration to help. "Move it," she ordered, summoning a spout of fire and hopping onto the cage in a crouch.

"Um, Mariko, what're you doing…?" Katara asked behind her.

"Just keep trying on the bottom latch, I've got the front." Mariko answered absently, igniting the lock with the small fireball and allowing the flames to melt the lock and weaken it, gesturing for Sokka's rock with her free hand and once she got it, she grunted and slammed it down onto the weakened lock, shattering it easily.

Aang floated out of the broken cage with ease and made to join Toph in her battle but was reprimanded by a gentle tug on his collar from the firebender and she gestured he just watch.

Both the Boulder and Hippo staggered out of the haze to face the blind girl as she stepped out calmly with her arms half-raised in an open gesture, her opponents sporting goading expressions (to which she didn't take note of (obviously)), and a third wrestler swinging on a vine down at her with a battle cry; the firebender bit her lower lip absently at the odds, perking up as the younger girl made the large disk she stood on rotate with a flourish of her hands so the trio collided with each other and fell in a groaning heap onto the floor; with another sharp flourishing of her hands, Toph effectively cowed the remaining trio of the seven earthbenders and sent them flying off the ring.

Clearing the arena, it was now just Toph and Xin Fu; even though she had high confidence in this girl, she couldn't help but feel concern regarding who her opponent was, watching both benders circle each other stiffly like wolf-bats.

Mariko glanced over at the senior Beifong to see he cringed when his daughter spat to the side to further indicate she wasn't a dainty panda-lily.

Even though she was blind, she packed a punch… She slowly grinned. Oh yeah, they'd get along just fine.

Xin Fu stood against the girl, both regarding each other coldly, before springing into action. His body swerved, balancing on one leg and rotating between the two as he projected at least six rocks of various size at the girl.

All bounced off and to the side as Toph formed a diamond-shield of rock to block the projectiles, sending the right triangle towards her opponent who twisted out of the way; just as he jammed his left hand into the earth to steady himself, she reacted instantly, narrowly sidestepping a thrown rock that would've hit her face cleanly had she not stepped to the side, before countering and sharply thrusting her right arm in his direction, a rock pillar jetting out to smack him hard in the front and send him flying off the ring to crash into the stands where Master Yu and the older Beifong sat.

Sokka nearly fainted at her mastery in action as Aang, Katara and Mariko rushed forward to congratulate her.
"That was so amazing!" Katara crowed.

"You're the best earthbender ever!" Aang agreed excitedly.

Toph grinned triumphantly, riding on the victorious high, "Thanks."

"Now that was awesome, coming from a badass like you." Mariko grinned.

"Damn straight, and don't forget it." Toph quipped, the grin still in place.

Mariko looked up at the moon's milky face and exhaled, securing the drawstrings on her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, climbing onto the bison's saddle with the siblings.

Aang looked to the clearing despondently, the reins in hand; he began to steer the bison into the air if it weren't for the faint sound of panting coming from the edge of the clearing.

The trio in the saddle perked up alertly to see the green-clad Toph jogging towards their steed. "Toph!" The driver exclaimed in shock and relief, "What're you doing here?"

"My dad changed his mind; he said I was free to travel the world," she answered brightly.

Mariko didn't need to use earthbending to tell she was lying; but even so, she ran away because of the same lie she herself had said over and over before she met the Avatar when she had left home.

Adventure awaited.

The siblings exchanged looks before Sokka suggested, "Well we'd better get outta here, before your dad changes his mind again."

"Good idea," Toph nodded.

"You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph." Aang said, giddy and elated and anxious to leave all at once.

"Speaking of which, I wanna show you something." His new teacher said sweetly, earning a look from both girls present, before her pupil hopped down from the driver's seat; kicking the ground with a heel, Toph sent Aang flying into the air by use of a tall pillar only to land unceremoniously in a tree branch upside-down, his legs hooked around the lower branch. "Oh, and I'll take the belt back." She gestured for the belt.

Sokka made a face and unclipped the belt from his waist, tossing it down at her; "Sokka, wait!" Mariko barked before wincing when the belt hit the girl on the head with a light 'thud', knocking her down.

"Ow!"

"…Sorry."

Katara cuffed her brother sharply as Mariko shook her head and hopped down from the saddle to help her up as Aang fell with an 'oof'.

"Next time, just ask." Mariko advised patiently as she helped her stand, letting her dust off her clothes.

Toph puffed out annoyedly, scowling, "I didn't need help."

"Just trying to be nice, considering the meathead chucked the damn belt at you." She nudged her gently, trodding to the bison's tail to climb back on.

"Why? It's not because I'm blind, is it?" She sniffed, climbing onto the bison's saddle shortly after the older girl, plonking down with her.

She made a face as they took off into the night. "No, because any sort of sympathy regarding that flew out the window when I saw you kicking ass yesterday and then today. Besides, I don't like pity so it wouldn't seem fair to be hypocritical to someone who's like me." She answered calmly, brushing some of her fringe from her face idly.

She quieted momentarily before settling into the saddle rim, cocking a brow, a disgruntled look beginning to settle on her pale face. "How do you figure that one, 'someone who's like me'?" She quoted mockingly.

Mariko regarded her disgruntled posture and smiled in spite of, folding her arms at her chest. "Because I ran away from a strict house too, around your age." She answered simply, her voice soft.

"Seriously? Then how old are you?" Toph asked, her disgruntled look faltering just a smidge to make way for mild confusion and plenty interest.

"Sixteen."

"You sure don't act like you were raised in nobility."

She chuckled, looking up at the stars dotting the velvet sky above. "My father's an admiral and absentee parent, and my mother is a controlling perfectionist who wanted to live her hopes and dreams through me. You can imagine the results of living with that for thirteen years." From out of the corner of her eye, she saw the disgruntled look melting from her face as she listened to her elaborated and edited depiction of her home-life.

"Ouch. No friends either, huh?"

"Just one, but he's gone away… and I've been looking for him."

"So that's why you left."

"More or less."

Toph, being one who loathed pity with every fiber in her being, merely nodded her head down once. "Surprised you stuck it out for that long; I woulda left earlier than thirteen."

"My friend didn't leave until he was thirteen for personal reasons, and I was worried about him, so I followed his example." Mariko answered, her voice slightly subdued as she recalled the lonely days that turned into lonely months during her first two years away from home, the weeks she would spend gathering intel on any signs or sightings of the prince, the solace she had now forsaken.

No.

She would find him, and she would explain everything about why she had abandoned him at the North Pole mere months ago. She would see him again… She had to.

A/N: whew, long chapter! thanks again to thehomiewhowrites for another lovely review and to the rest of you who've been silent, seriously, let yourself be heard, people! c'mon, it's not gonna kill ya. the review box is riiight down there on the bottom of the page, it's not gonna hurt you or try to suck your soul out or anything harmful.. it won't hurt, honest. (:

oh and in other fanfiction news, i'm writing up a continuation fic for "Hana no Satsugai", my Hakuouki story revolving around the Reimeiroku eps i covered a year or so back. the first ep hasn't been completed yet, but so far i like how it's coming out.

and another note regarding this fic, i've already started working on Book 3 and so far... it's AWESOME. fluff, mild drama, and just the pure angsty-fluffy concoction that is MariZu. i'm just dying to get to the Ba Sing Se eps so i'm going to try and complete the next few chaps regarding the events leading up to Ba Sing Se as fast as i can.

anywho, ja ne!