Alright guys here's the ninth chapter of my ATLA story. Anyway, quick things to point out if haven't noticed.
Text Like this = Someone thinking to themselves
"Text Like this" = A conversation (for those of you who don't know.)
TEXT LIKE THIS = A full on shouting match
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. That goes to the creators of the story Bryan and Mike
Chapter 9: The Remedy For a Broken Heart
Toph walked throughout the town without reason. She had flashbacks to the first time she spent time with Aang by their lonesome. "Thanks for cooking and feeding dinner to me Toph." Aang whispered at Toph. "What are friends for Twinkle Toes?" A little smile showed on her face as she thought that moment.
That triggered another one as a memory popped in her head; the time she consulted Aang when he felt weak. "So Toph is this training enough to beat the Fire Lord?" Aang asked.
"Of course it is. To be perfectly honest with you, I believe that you can defeat the Fire Lord with minimum Earth bending skills. I think your willpower can get you through fight alone. Since you need an earthbending teacher I came along. I wanted to tag along not because of that, but because I wanted to be free. I'd rather teach you earthbending than to live back home." Toph said.
"Well who knew I'd get some compliments from you Toph." Aang said.
"Take it how you want Twinkle Toes." Toph said while eating.
"Well that makes me a little better I guess," Aang said.
She felt like breaking. She couldn't accept the fact that Aang was gone. Where her heart was at one point was now a void. She'd ignore the greetings that people gave her as she walked along in emptiness. She felt couples walking with each other. She could feel the happiness that those couples would radiate across the air. That itself made her more depressed. Feeling lost, numb, the love that she started to feel, thanks to a certain Airbender, had now betrayed her. She had nothing. She couldn't bear hearing another couple saying those three dreaded words because it made everything much worse, it hurt too much. Finally she decided to sit down in the nearest bench. She faced the ground and couldn't take it anymore she finally broke. Tears started streaming down her face. As she kept crying a figure started to approach her.
"Toph." Katara said. Toph was startled and tried wiping her tears.
"Hey Katara." Toph mumbled. Katara sat next to Toph looking in to her colorless eyes.
"So I see you're still shaken up about this." Katara said.
Toph gripped her shoulders. "I wasn't ready for this. I didn't even give him a proper goodbye."
"Well, maybe because you knew it wasn't goodbye." Katara said.
Toph looked away. "I-"
"You loved Aang, didn't you?" Katara asked.
"Yes. I loved him so much. Even when I didn't know I loved him I still hoped for him to stay beside me." Toph said.
"Toph…"
"Tell me something. How did you deal with losing your mother?" Toph asked.
"Hm… I'd be lying if I told you that I dealt with it with such ease, but that's just it I couldn't deal with it. I was full of rage and revenge." Katara said.
"Did it ever hurt?" Toph mumbled.
"Very much. Every now and then it gets lonely without her. However, I found great people that helped fill that void." Katara said.
"I just-" Toph stopped.
"Look I can tell you're hurting. I know it's painful right now, but you gotta realize that Aang wouldn't want to see you moping around like this." Katara said.
"How long did it take for your pain to heal?" Toph asked.
"Eh it took a bit for it to mend." Katara said.
"All I wanted was for Aang to be beside me forever. We promised each other." Toph said.
Katara got of the chair and kneeled in front of her.
"..."
Toph began to crack once again. "He told me no matter what he'd be beside me. Even so, he acted so kind around me all the time and all I did was show him the worst, most awful side of me. I'm still so-."
"Listen, to me Toph. All Aang had for you was nothing but praise, he always had the biggest smile when he talked about you. He had faith in anything you did even when you couldn't see it. He believed you truly were a great Earth bender. He's still watching and he always will be. Even at this very moment. No matter where he is I know he wouldn't want to see you being this upset and sad." Katara said
"..."
Katara got up the bench and kneeled in front of Toph to look at her face to face.
"Cheer up Toph. Go back to the way you used to be. The way Aang used to see you. We both know Aang would want you to move on from this. When life shows you 1 thousand ways to cry, show life 1 thousand ways to smile."
Katara said. Toph smiled and hugged Katara.
"Thanks Katara." Toph said.
XXXXXXXX
"So what will we do?" Sokka asked.
"We have to get reinforcements." Zuko replied.
"We'll attack when?" Sokka asked.
"After we get reinforcements." Zuko clarified
"Based on what Toph said, we need more reinforcements from other nations. So we'll begin to attack in a month." Zuko said.
"So what do we do in the meantime?" Sokka asked.
"Well for starters we need to find the new Avatar and then we'll honor Aang as an Avatar. None of this can get out to the public." Zuko said.
Sokka gave a confused glare. "Why not?"
"Well to put it simply, we can't have the public panic about the situation." Zuko said.
"We may have a small problem?" Sokka asked.
Zuko looked at Sokka with a confusing gaze.
"And what would that be?"
"Well this situation is getting much worse." Sokka said.
"Oh you're talking about Aang right?" Zuko asked.
"Yeah. If we take into consideration of what Toph said there's a chance that there won't be a new Avatar." Sokka said.
"Because he was in his Avatar state which made him more vulnerable." Zuko said.
"Exactly. So you know what that means, don't you?" Sokka asked.
Zuko clenched his fisr. "Damn it all. So, if he really is dead he just destroyed the Avatar cycle. What the hell do we do now?"
"We just keep quiet for now. We can't honor Aang's death without finding a new Avatar. That'll throw everything off balance. We can't have that." Sokka said.
"Yeah that makes sense." Zuko said.
"Plus if word to spread that the Avatar is dead you can bet your ass that many shady people are going to attack the Southern Water Tribe." Sokka reasoned.
"Because ideally that's where the next Avatar is supposed to reincarnate." Zuko noted.
"Exactly." Sokka said.
"So now we really can't do anything?" Zuko asked.
"For now. In the meantime we should all get some rest. Especially you Zuko. You have a whole nation to run and they can't their leader all messed up in the head." Sokka said.
"Yeah you're right. You know you're starting to sound like your sister." Zuko said.
Sokka started heading to the exit. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that."
"What are you gonna do?" Zuko asked.
Sokka turned to him. "I need to have a talk with someone."
"You mean Toph, don't you?" Zuko asked.
Sokka turned back around and headed to the exit. "Yup."
Zuko smirked. "Well good luck with that."
XXXXXXXX
The next day Sokka stood in front of the Beifong's place and knocked on their door. He heard from his sister that she had a word with her and that should've stopped him from talking with her, but he decided against it. Something about that didn't sit well with him, so he decided to still visit her.
"Who is it?" A voice asked.
Sokka smiled. "It's just me Sokka."
Poppy opened the door and hugged Sokka. "Thank goodness you're here. We need your help. Oh by the way where's Aang? I haven't seen him for a while"
"With what exactly? Oh and Aang's not with us" Sokka asked.
Popp gave a concerning look. "I see well Toph's still depressed about what happened a few days ago. She won't tell us what's wrong, she won't come out of her room, she doesn't eat her food-" she started weeping as she felt helpless.
"Well that's why I kinda came here for. Is your husband here?" Sokka asked.
Poppy nodded. "Yes he's in the other room. Why is there a reason you need him?"
Sokka rubbed his neck in hesitance. "I want the both of you to be here to hear what I have to say."
Poppy gave the young man a confused look, but obliged with his request. "If that's what you need. DARLING DO YOU MIND COMING HERE?"
Lao walked in annoyance. "Yes dear?"
"Sokka here wants to tell us something." Poppy said.
"Well I'd like for the both of you to sit down because I don't know how you'll react to what I have to say." Sokka said.
"Does this have anything to do with how Toph's acting?" Lao asked.
Sokka nodded and looked at the ground. "Yes. In fact that's the whole reason she's like this."
Lao was starting to get annoyed. "Well what is it? Spit it out already."
Sokka looked at the both of them with a dead serious stare. "Aang is dead."
As those words came out of his mouth the Beifongs stood there paralyzed. They couldn't believe what Sokka said.
"I know it's hard to grasp that Aang's no longer here, but it's better if I told you now." Sokka said.
"No it's fine. It's just… Now we see why Toph was acting the way she was." Lao said.
"I can imagine how she's feeling right now. Her first love is now gone." Poppy said.
"Do you know what happened?" Lao asked.
Sokka stared at the ground. "Well, I can't exactly tell you what happened with Aang since we split up, but with what Toph said before she cracked we can assume what happened. Well here goes."
Sokka sat down and explained the story from the beginning. Starting with the alert that they received from sources. He then explained how they split up to finish the job easier. Naturally, Toph and Aang were a pair. After fighting off a couple dozen rebels they realized that the numbers they had originally thought, was a mistake. Then a large explosion was heard across the battlefield and they didn't think of it much, thinking it was Toph just showing off. But when they noticed that Toph's group didn't return, they began to worry and started heading towards the location of the explosion. Katara spotted Toph barely hanging on to her consciousness and Toph explained what happened. They were outnumbered so Aang used himself as a sacrifice and caused the explosion. Zuko and him went to look for Aang, but much to their dismay they had no such luck.
"And that's pretty much it." Sokka said.
Poppy started tearing up. "My poor Toph. She's suffering right now and I couldn't help her. What kind of mother am I?"
Lao hugged his wife. "That's not the way to think right now."
As much as he felt now, Lao couldn't show any kind of vulnerability to his wife. Truth be told he was hurting as well. It wasn't that long ago when he had that deep talk with Aang where he essentially gave him his blessing to marry his daughter. It was so peaceful at that time. He noticed how his daughter and the Avatar enjoyed one another's company and it made him happy, but now that he heard what happened to the Avatar and seeing how his daughter was hurting it didn't sit well with him. He didn't want to see his little princess like that.
"If it's okay with the both of you, I'd like to talk with Toph." Sokka requested.
"Why's that?" Lao asked.
"Truth be told, I hate seeing Toph like this, so I'm gonna talk to her."
"Yes please do. Please bring her back to us." Poppy said.
Sokka gave a reassuring smile. "I'll try my best. Don't try to get your hopes up too high."
"Thank you." Lao said.
As Sokka started walking away he stopped and looked at the Beifongs. "By the way this stays between us. The Fire Lord kinda wants to keep this top secret."
Poppy smiled at Sokka. "Don't worry we'll keep our mouths shut."
With that Sokka nodded and headed to the blind Earth bender's room.
XXXXXXXX
Sokka stood in front of Toph's room and knocked on the door. He waited there for a minute and no response. He knocked again and no response.
Sokka rubbed his head in annoyance. "Terrific. She's not here-."
The door opened and behind the door the tiny Earth bender can be seen. She looked a mess. Bags with dark circles can be seen under her eyes, indicating lack of sleep. Apart from that her eyes were puffy, meaning she was crying a lot. "Hey Sokka. What's up? What do you want?"
Sokka gave a small smile. "Well, for starters, how about you let me in?"
She made way to her bed and sat there indicating Sokka to follow her. He asked her a question, but she didn't acknowledge it. She stared off into space ignoring Sokka.
"Hey Toph you still with us?" Sokka asked.
"..."
Sokka was starting to lose it. "TOPH."
Toph snapped and put on her usual cheerful look. "Huh? Did you say something, Sokka?"
Sokka gave an annoyed look. "Alright, get up you're coming with me."
"Huh why?" Toph asked.
"You're starting to annoy me in this room and you need fresh air." Sokka said.
They both started walking and stopped in front of the same area where Toph met Aang, Katara and Sokka for the first time. She began to feel worse just thinking about Aang.
"Is there a reason why you brought me here?" Toph asked.
"To help you get through this pain." Sokka replied.
Toph snapped. "HOW? HOW ARE YOU GONNA DO THAT HUH? YOU CAN'T BRING BACK THE DEAD FROM THE LIVING. SO HOW?"
"Look just listen this is the first time you've dealt with loss, am I wrong?" Sokka asked.
Toph nodded.
"You're gonna have to move on. How can you move forward if you keep regretting the past? A loss or two is gonna happen and you're gonna have to deal with it. You didn't know about real loss because that only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself. Which is something you've never experienced.
Toph pointed her head downwards avoiding Sokka's gaze. "You talk like you've lost someone you loved. How would you know?"
Sokka gave a small smile. "Well apart from losing my mother I also lost my first love. She sacrificed herself and she became the moon's spirit."
Toph's eyes widened in shock. 'Maybe you can tell me how you did it. So, I can move on too."
Sokka chuckled. "Well not everyone has one exact rule to use to move. If I'm being completely honest; I just dealt with it."
"What do you mean?" Toph asked.
"What I'm trying to say that it is what it is." Sokka said.
"Is that so?" Toph said.
"Look here's the thing, things are going to happen in life and either your going to do something about it or you can let it go ahead and let it destroy you." Sokka said.
"..."
"I got fed up of people giving me that look of sympathy, others worrying about me. I told them to go live out there own lives because here's what I'm not going to do; I'm not going to burden others sitting here doing what? Mourning? No, I need to do something about it. So, I stood up and started walking because I'm sick and tired of watching people die and I can't just sit back and take it anymore. I won't let anyone die. Not as long as I can do something about it." Sokka said.
"And it worked?" Toph asked.
"Yeah… Well for the most part. Not gonna lie though, between us two, I feel like everytime I kiss Suki under the moonlight, I feel like she gets jealous."
Toph laughed at his last remark.
"Look Toph I know that you're gonna miss Aang, but you gotta understand that those days of sulking and acting like little kids are behind us. Let's keep on getting stronger so we can be as strong and cool as Aang."
Toph laughed again. She never aspired to be like Aang.
"That's what I want to see." Sokka said.
Toph gave a confused look. "What?"
"You laughing." Sokka said.
"Thanks Sokka." Toph said.
Sokka started walking away and stopped when he was close to the door.
"Oh and by the way Aang's not dead."
Toph gave him a confused look. "What?"
Sokka smiled. "A person doesn't die when their bodies are 6 feet below. A person dies when they are forgotten." And with that he continued walking.
"Thanks." Toph said.
"Don't mention it. Now if you don't mind we need to train in order to get ready for our raid. Plus you've got some work to do." Sokka said.
Toph gave her signature grin and looked at Sokka. "Alright, then. Let's do it."
A/N: So right about now I should be working on the 10th chapter of this fanfic. Next one should be up next week. Anyway like any of the previous chapters you've been reading there's a reference to a tv show. If you could read and review that would be fantastic. Any type of criticism is fine. Anyway I appreciate you guys.