No Matter What Chapter 2

Iroh sat on an old stump with a flying lemur perched on his shoulder.

“He likes you.” Aang told him as Momo began sorting through Iroh's silver hair for bugs.

“I’m afraid you won’t find anything up there,” Iroh chuckled. “soon there won’t be anything for the insects to hide in!”

Katara carried a bowl of three fish that Sokka had caught earlier that day, Aang made a face.

“Don’t worry,” She told him. “Sokka and Toph are looking for more food, they should be back by the time I’m finished.”

Katara picked up a stick she had sharpened earlier and made a face, dreading the next step. Zuko, who had been very bored as he watched his uncle play with a lemur, noticed her sudden dismay.

“What wrong?” He bluntly asked, curiously eyeing her odd expression.

“Nothing,” She said quickly, “I just. . .” she held the sharp stick in one hand and the fish in the other, her stomach feeling squeamish as she slowly pressed the stick through the mouth.

Zuko rolled his eyes, the waterbender apparently had a weak stomach, he was hungry and she was taking too long. “Here.”

He took the fish and casually shish kabobed them through the wood and placed them on the prop so that they hung over the fire.

“Thanks.” she said grudgingly.

“No problem.”

“Shouldn’t you teach me about firebending now?” Aang asked, Zuko thought that he heard a bit of contempt in the child’s voice.

Momo leaped off of his shoulder as Iroh stirred a bit, “Prince Zuko, do you think that you could begin the lesson? I’m afraid I had a bit too much tea and need to visit the bushes . . .”

“Err . . . sure, Uncle.”

“Thank you.” Iroh then preceded (rather quickly) into the forest to relieve himself.

Aang stared into the fire below Katara’s fish, moving his hand to make the flames a bit wilder, but his influence lasted for no more than a few seconds and the fire quickly calmed down again.

“You’re focusing on the fire around you,” Zuko chastised as he led the boy away from the campfire. “this isn’t water or earth bending, you don’t have to depend on location to summon your element, it’s not just around you, your fire is within you, you must learn to summon it.”

Aang followed as Zuko led him up a small hill, not so far away that they couldn’t see the others, but far enough for a bit of elbow room.

“Within me,” Aang repeated, then asked. “how do I get it out?”

Zuko seated himself on the ground, crossing his legs and motioned Aang to do the same. Closing his eyes and propping his hands on his knees Zuko continued in his lesson. “Your fire is the drive within you, your confidence, your ferocity, and your energy, to summon it requires complete control . . .”

“So you were controlling your emotions when you set Sokka on fire last night?” Aang asked, one eye peeking open at his new teacher.

Zuko grimaced, that wasn’t precisely what he had in mind. “Don’t interrupt,” He took a deep breath before he continued. “Before you learn anything about summoning that energy, you must learn control. . . ”

“I’m learning to control something that I don’t know how to summon?”

Zuko opened his eyes to see the avatar starring at him, wide eyed and confused. “Fire is a great responsibility, and cannot be tamed until you can control yourself.”

“Is that why you’re always meditating?”

“Sometimes.”

“Will I have to meditate all the time?”

“It helps.”

He sighed as if he didn’t find the thought of constant meditation at all appealing. Zuko didn’t mention that he had been meditating so much lately to help with the stress of his new lifestyle.

“It helps to clear the mind, and fire bending is all to do with the mind.” His pupil didn’t seem at all enthused.

“Here,” Zuko muttered, pulling up a handful of grass, as he spoke his next words two tiny sparks of fire began to orbit and dance around the plant, “with control you can bend the fire to your will, and create a powerful ally.

“Without it. . .” The sparks quickly began to close in on the blades of grass and within seconds had started to consume them. “It will destroy you.”

His lesson finally seemed to have gotten through to the boy, Zuko watched as he nodded his head in understanding.

“To gain control. . .” Zuko was cut off by the sound of a low growl, he looked down at Aang, who smiled nervously and rubbed his belly.

“How much longer do you think Katara will be with those fish?” Aang asked, gazing down the hill at the girl cooking over the open fire. Or trying to cook anyway, Zuko noted as she burned her hand. She screamed and grabbed her wrist, at the same time knocking over the stick of fish, dropping the meal in the flames, as she panicked Zuko heard her yell something that sounded like “oh no!”.

“Quite a while” Zuko muttered, charred fish for lunch, yum.

Aang moaned falling back in the grass with his arms outstretched. Zuko put out the pile of burning weeds, he would need the Avatars complete attention in this lesson, but it was clear he wouldn’t get it until Aang was properly fed.

“We can’t do anything right now; you’re free until you eat something.”

To his surprise Aang didn’t leave, in fact he merely sat back up, staring at Zuko oddly.

“But I have to learn Firebending.”

“This training can get very dangerous, and you can’t concentrate until you eat.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You’ll end up like that grass.” Zuko told him, getting to his feet, Aang understood himself to be dismissed.

He seemed put off as he climbed down the hill, he took his responsibility a lot more seriously than Zuko had thought when he joined this group.

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Sokka had to move fast to follow Toph, she trotted quickly and quietly as she led him through the woods, her bare feet feeling her element and warning her of every rock and tree in her path. She had felt something strange in the earth last night when they landed, she sensed heat, great heat all concentrated in one area starting deep in the ground and cooling slowly as it reached the surface.

When she had told them this it had made the travelers nervous, but she felt no footsteps around it, no people to be weary of, the place was a fair distance from their camp, but most of all Appa had needed to rest.

Now in the safety of daylight she and Sokka were investigating.

“Just how far is this thing?”

“Not far, it’s right up this hill.”

“Toph?”

“What?” She stopped and turned around to face him, her vacant blue eyes narrowed in the direction that she felt the vibrations of his steps.

His vibrations became weight on the earth as he stopped

“Can you tell our. . .” He tried to think of a kind way to put his query.

“Can I tell what?”

“Can you tell our, footsteps apart?”

“Yes.” She told him bluntly.

“Are you sure?”

Her blind eyes glared at him and he knew he had made a mistake, “Yes I’m sure!” she spat.

“Can you tell what everyone’s doing back at the camp?”

“You mean can I tell if Zuko’s slaughtered them all?”

Through the ground under Sokka’s feet she felt his temperature rise slightly, he was either embarrassed or getting a bit angry.

“Could you just check please?”

“I have been Sokka,” She told him, turning away from him and continuing up the hill. “every few minutes.”

“And?”

Toph paused for a moment focusing on the earth below her feet, her senses scanning the ground like a radar.

She felt the campfire burning, Katara was still cooking, Toph could feel the pressure of her long smooth strides.

Iroh was sitting in the grass, the old man felt hot against the ground in the same way that his nephew was, but Iroh was much heavier and so the two were easily told apart.

Close to them was a presence that could only be Aang, his lessons on the hill must have ended early.

His light steps barely ever seemed to touch the ground, sometimes completely leaving the earth and reappearing in another place when he used airbending.

Zuko however was still on the hill, and seemed to be firebending. His body temperature always felt warmer than the others but now it was like an inferno as his feet traveled nimbly and unpredictably across the grounds surface.

Toph wasn’t alarmed; none of the heat she felt as his fire grazed the soil was in Aang or Katara’s direction. She also knew that if her friends were in danger their vibrations would be different, their footsteps would be light and quick as they ran or shacking in panic.

“Everyone’s fine.” She told Sokka, purposely neglecting to mention the fact that Zuko was practicing his firebending, she didn’t want to hear his speech about the evils of the fire nation, nor would she risk having him turn and run straight back to the camp.

Just as she could feel things that he couldn’t, he could see things that she couldn’t. As much as she hated to admit it she needed his eyes to find out what this strange heat was, without him the trip was useless.

“What’s Zuko doing?”

“Sitting on the hill.”

“Doing what?”

“How am I supposed to know?” She growled angrily. “Probably meditating again . . . its right up in this clearing.”

Toph stepped out from behind the trees and pointed, “Over there,” she told him. “what is it?”

She heard Sokka gasp.

“What?!” She snarled impatiently.

“It’s a spring”

“What?”

“A hot spring.” Sokka made his way over to the steaming waters, white bubbles floated to the top from what looked like a crack in the ground. The stone created an oval bowl, probably about three feet at its deepest depth he guessed.

Toph couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Good, now you can take a bath,” She muttered. “Zuko was right, you’re starting to stink.”

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This time Sokka led the way as they neared the camp, Toph was still a bit crestfallen after finding out that the mysterious thing that she had sensed was nothing but a spring; it seemed to Sokka that she had found a way to express her disappointment in a creative manner.

“I can’t believe you missed that rabbit,” She moaned. “it was right in front of you!”

“Well, I did manage to find some berries and then someone managed to crush them!”

“There were what? Ten? Maybe eleven?”

“Thirteen.” Sokka muttered under his breath.

“What a difference. . .” She paused. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

“Listen, rabbit head!”

Lips pouted Sokka listened carefully for whatever Toph was talking about.

“Sokka!” Someone was yelling.

“That’s Katara!” Sokka ran like he never had before in his life, leaping over rocks and a fallen tree. “Katara I’m coming!” He shouted.

Tree limbs slapped his face as he ran, briers clung to his clothes and skin, ignoring the pain and ripped clothes as he flew to the clearing, erupting from the woods with his boomerang drawn and ready for battle.

Katara stood by the campfire, completely unharmed and looking at him strangely. “Sokka, are you alright?”

Breathing hard Sokka looked at her, then up to the hill where Zuko was training and finally at Iroh as he sipped his tea benignly. “What happened?! Why were you yelling?!”

“I was calling you; lunch didn’t turn out so great. . .” She muttered gesturing to the half charred, half raw fish “Did you and Toph find anything?”

Sokka cleared his throat “Well . . . we. . . .”

“Did you find any fruit?” Aang asked suddenly, his mouth watering at the thought.

“No.”

“Any nuts?” Aang tried.

“No.”

“Berries?”

“Ye . . .  well we did, but they had an accident. . .”

“Roots?’ Aang asked desperately.

“No, we didn’t find anything!”

Katara sighed “Well, everyone’s hungry so why don’t we pack up and move camp somewhere else? Maybe we’ll find some food.”

Sokka opened his mouth to reply but Toph spoke first. “What’s that smell?”

Somehow the little earthbender had managed to keep up with Sokka in his sprint and suffered nothing but a scratched arm.

“Dinner if we don’t move and find more food.”

Toph looked at Sokka .“Get on the bison.”

“Guy’s, Appa’s still too tired!” Aang told them. “he needs more time to rest.”

“Oh fine!” Sokka said, “By all means lets all starve so that Appa can rest.”

Behind him the bison snorted, exhaling a gust of wind that knocked Sokka to the ground. Everyone laughed; even Zuko couldn’t help but chuckle. When everyone had finally calmed down Toph asked the most obvious question.

“So, what do we eat?”

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“Aang, get out of the water, your scaring all the fish!” Sokka said as the Avatar glided through the quick current using waterbending to propel himself through the river.

“Aang, Sokka’s right, the waters too powerful. . .”

The Avatar shot out of the water like a bird to the sky, using his air bending to make a brilliant (though arrogant) landing, soaking Sokka.

“I didn’t see any fish.” the Avatar told them as he made his way to the rest of his clothes.

“Well, this is where I caught the last ones.” Sokka said grumpily as he wrung out his tattered shirt.

“I wonder if Iroh’s done with that herbal soup thing.” Aang thought out loud as he turned his head sideways and started knocking the water out of his ears.

Zuko couldn’t help but make a face, his uncles soup tasted like dirty laundry water with a hint of ginseng. He pulled his line out of the water, carefully rolling up the string and putting it in his pocket.

“Aren’t you going to help us catch some dinner?” Katara asked, her tone sounding more like an accusation than a question.

“We’re not having any luck here,” Zuko told her simply, not bothering to face her. “I’m going hunting.”

“With what?”

Zuko turned around, a smirk on his face a he brought up his hands, fire danced around them as he flexed his fingers in a strangling like motion.

“You’re going to burn some poor little animal alive?”

“It’s quick,” He told her. “like a flaming arrow to the head.”

“What happens when you set the woods on fire?”

“I won’t.”

“How do you know? Why can’t you just play it safe and help us fish?”

“Because its not working,” He told her. “If you want fish, then stay here and waste your time by the river bank, but I’ll be back with some food, and when I do, try not to burn it this time.”

He turned his back to her. Fists clenched at her side Katara glared at him, before she realized it a stream of water had rose from the river and now the cool surface of the whip rested in her hand.

Rather than striking him with it, Katara molded the whip into a ball and threw it at him with such a force that when it made contact with his back he stumbled foreword, nearly falling.

Steam rose off the firebender as his body temperature rose and evaporated the water. Zuko turned around, his golden eyes locking on the waterbending peasant, who now looked at him with a smirk.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I get you wet?” She asked sarcastically.

He glared at the girl, everyone paused what they were doing, waiting to see what Zuko would do.

His clothes were nearly dry when Zuko made up his mind on the appropriate revenge, if she was bold enough to throw something at him, then she had better be ready to have something hurled at her.

He bent down, gathering the mixture of sand and mud that she had just created at his feet into a thick, gooey, wad.

“Don’t you. . .” The rest of Katara’s sentence never made it out, Zuko’s dirt ball landed on her chest, knocking her down and splattering on contact. Her face and upper body now covered in the mud, Katara glared up at him from the ground.

“You have a little something right there.” Zuko smirked, pointing to a place on his shirt.

“Why you. . .” Sokka picked up the closest thing to him, one of Aang's shoes, and threw it at Zuko with all his might.

Zuko easily dodged, but the missile kept flying, slamming against Toph’s face.

Sometimes it was easy to forget the fact that Toph was blind. She could feel the vibration of each step you took, and with the heightened senses of hearing and smell that she possessed sometimes she was more in tune with her surroundings than the ones who could see it.

But she had no way to sense the shoe, the pain hit her without warning, she stumbled back from the force of the blow, then bent over, holding her nose in pain. She lost her footing, and within a second fell into the fierce waters and disappeared beneath the surface.

Zuko, being the closest, made a grab for her, when his hand touched the water he realized just how powerful the river was for the first time.

It was as if the water grabbed his hand and pulled him in by the wrist, in less time than it would have taken him to open his mouth and call for help he was sucked beneath the waves.
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Toph choked, flailing around helplessly as her dark world was sent spinning by the force of the current, desperately she summoned her element, raising the ground, but without touching the earth she was now completely blind to where to raise her slabs. She flowed through the river completely powerless, until luck suddenly struck.

Pain seared through Toph's arm as she heard the sickening crack of bone, her terror over powering the pain she desperately reached for whatever it was that had struck her. Her fingers clung to the slippery surface and Toph felt a rush of sensations run through her hand, it was a rock, one that had direct contact on the bottom. She could see again.

Toph used the knowledge to raise an island below her, now she lay cradling her injured arm in pain, shacking uncontrollably as she tried to catch her breath.

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The water was holding him down desperately he tried to right himself, to stand. But the river swept his feet from under him, holding him firmly as he helplessly struggled to get to the surface.

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Katara formed an ice bridge to Toph’s tiny island, Aang slid across it quickly, Sokka on his heels.

“Don’t worry, Toph!” Aang yelled.

Toph didn’t answer.

Aang took hold of her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her, but released her quickly as she bellowed in pain.

“What’s wrong?”

“My arm.” She said.

“It looks broken.” Sokka said grimly, his face overcome with guilt.

“Come on,” Aang urged her. “Katara made a bridge.”

She didn’t move.

“Toph come on, we still have to find Zuko!”

“Just . . . Just don’t let me fall, alright?” She muttered a timid hand reaching out for guidance, Aang took it and carefully led her across the ice, knowing that without earth under her feet Toph was now completely blind.

“Don’t Worry” Aang told her. “I won’t let you go.”

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His lungs ached for air, sucking in the water out of desperation. He chocked and coughed but this only let more water in. His face became numb; his struggle against the river became a pathetic attempt. With every passing second his limbs became heavier, until finally, Zuko could fight no more, his body became limp, and his world went black.