Chapter Four: War Time Returns
Time skip +2 years.
I don't own Avatar. "Colorado Sun" by 3oh!3. (I don't always use dark songs. ;3)
[[-and if I had something to say to you, I'd whisper it softly;
Kiss you on your rosey lips and never let you off me;
Shiver on your roof and see your face lit by starlight;
Hold you through the night and watch that Colorado sunrise.]]
She was clawing at her own neck. Lu Ten's breathing hitched and he raced towards her, his beloved wife. How could she die like this, taking her own in favor of being devoured by the wolfbats that flew above? His eyes filled with tears as he found himself in the same spot and felt his arms like lead.
Her eyes watered and her rosy lips frowned. 'I'm sorry, dear.' How could she leave him, her daughter, her unborn son?
Oh, god, no, she was taking him with her. "Kohki!" He screamed for her as she fell over and the wolfbats finally descended on her body. Bones were all that was left.
"Poppa," a voice called. It was the bones, he could swear it was the bones.
"Poppa!" "The little white bones stood up and looked at him, and, oh god, his dead son was touching him.
"I'm sorry," he said, his sleeping form pulling his daughter's head against his bed. Was his breathing coming out in sobs?
She lowered her eye lids and patted the head of her badgermole who stood at her shoulder now. It was like a guard dog. "He's fine," she said. She shook him more. When the seven-year-old was satisfied with his breathing normal, she allowed him to hug her.
"… I'm sorry, Toph. I… I just miss them."
She finally relaxed in his arms. "I do, too, Poppa." She shook off his arms and he allowed it. She climbed onto Ba's back and sat by his bed. She kicked her legs. "I saw little brother in my dreams."
His heart ached. "Really?" It had only been a few months ago when it happened. Right at the end of the school year. Lu Ten and Kohki had decided to go the Academy to surprise Toph when she graduated. (She was to be a warrior; any schooling past her second year was for politics.)
They had been ambushed by earthbenders. They were escaped prisoners and they looked like drowned rats. They mistook him for Ozai, the brother of the future Fire Lord.
Even thinking back on it made Lu Ten want to vomit.
Toph hummed lightly as she told her story, her voice wavering. "M'hm. He had gray eyes and he was a little older than me, I think. I guess brother exists somewhere else, huh?" Lu Ten nodded and she heard the movement of his head. "He told me he loved me, you know. He said to be strong, that he'll see me some day." She tilted her head. "He kissed me on the lips, though. It was odd."
Lu Ten wrinkled his nose, but brushed it off. "Did he laugh after?"
She paused. "… yeah, he did."
Lu Ten rolled his eyes and laughed. "He was a kidder. We could have used something like that around here."
She finally walked onto the bed. "What would you have named him?"
The man laid back on his bed, having the answer memorized. "You remember, Toph. We were going to name him Ruko."
"No," she said. "I don't. It was on the tomb stone and it was burned on."
He grunted and then rolled over. "I'm going back to bed." He was facing the outside of the bed, near the wall. She knew she was welcomed to stay if she wanted, but she never slept with anyone else. She was independent. Aside from the first night he knew her, she had never once slept in the room with anyone else.
So, he was surprised to hear her crawl into bed with him. True, she put the covers on him to opt of simple habit, but she stayed.
That meant a lot.
"Good night, Poppa Ten," she said.
He patted where he hoped her head was and hit the target. "Go to sleep, little maggot." If anyone other than he or Hiro said it, they'd get hit. She merely snuggled against his back with her own and slept. He enjoyed the presence and she enjoyed the warmth.
[[I've got five fingers on each hand for every mistake that I've made,
'cause my tongue is tied to tonsils, and I need to shit and shave.
I'm a shade too pale for handsome and have habits I can't shake,
And if you try to take that from me, well, I'll never be the same.]]
When Lu Ten awoke in the morning, he looked over at his daughter who slept so soundly. He wondered if it was time to leave the palace again, immerse himself in war. It would probably do him good and there was nothing left for Toph to do around here that was peaceful.
He could tell she was getting antsy and so was he. He was uncomfortable being here without his wife and didn't desire to begin courting again. He didn't doubt he'd find love, or at least something like love, again, but for the moment, being able to take his fury and anguish out on anything seemed like a good idea.
He left her and the badgermole in his bed room and walked toward his closet. He entered and looked for a something to wear. He picked nothing he would wear to a civilian meeting and haphazardly threw on the robes that would normally go under armor.
He'd speak to Azulon and request to go to war again. Ruling and leading from afar wasn't his style.
However, before he could even exit his room, a horrible shriek was heard. Toph jumped up, stone decorations in the room breaking apart and flying to her side. Ba's snarl wasn't missed, either. Lu Ten tapped twice and said nothing, letting her know all was fine- probably.
The trio walked the halls. They didn't ask questions, knowing they didn't have answers for the other.
Toph spoke up, expression confused. "Everyone's rushing to Fire Lord Azulon's… there's someone on the ground." Both Azulon and Ilah were so frail in their old age that Toph couldn't tell them apart in their heavy robes unless she was right in front of them.
Lu Ten nodded before he started jogging. As they came to the entrance, he saw that Iroh and Ozai were either furious or shocked.
Finally, he saw the horrible sight. A maid was plastered against the wall farthest from the entrance in fear. Ilah stood over a bloody body, dagger held securely. Her golden eyes were narrow and she finally turned her head to acknowledge her children. She didn't say anything pertaining to her dead husband on the floor and everyone understood, to some degree, what had happened.
"I plan to take over this foolish ordeal. Does anyone object?" Her voice was steel and the children of the palace shivered. Their matriarch was threatening them. She was threatening her offspring's offspring.
What?
Iroh was the first to snap out of his stupor. "Mother! What have you done?" It was rhetorical.
Ozai was enraged. "You killed him!" He prepared to summon fire against his mother and the elderly woman did the same. However, Ozai found himself suddenly scorched. His fell to the floor, rolling to extinguish the fire on his heavy robes.
The attention was soon placed on Ursa. She looked lowly down upon her husband. "She's right, you know." She had gotten sick of waiting. "I'm sick of waiting on the Avatar, you know." She stepped over the writhing man. "Lady Ilah is right. You fools don't-" She remembered the children then and smiled gently to them. "Darlings, leave for a bit. Tell the maids not to enter. This is business above them."
Azula was the last to leave. They did, however, walk away and gave the glares they had learned from their titanic parents to the servants. No one entered near the wing that they all silently knew a raging battle was happening.
Zuko was beyond frantic. He was worried for his mother and father, uncle Iroh and Lu Ten, his grandmother Ilah and he couldn't believe Azulon was dead.
Azula snorted. "You know, they're arguing over who has the throne now." Zuko and Toph looked over at Azula. "If Uncle Iroh becomes Fire Lord," she said with almost a hiss, "Then that means Toph has a chance of becoming Fire Lord one day, or at least a real Princess." She smirked. "But, if Dad gets the throne, then I'll definitely become Fire Lord one day."
Zuko blinked, not realizing Azula was taking his mind off his worries. "What makes you think I won't, little sister?"
Toph laughed. "Zuko, don't get me wrong or anything, but you've never shown leadership skills." She pointed a toe to Azula. "She, however, she made me her monkey." Toph stood up then and walked to Ba. "I'm going to the east garden. Come get me when they're done with stupid stuff."
Zuko sighed. "… I hope Dad wins. Toph… Toph'd never make a good leader. Ever."
"Yeah," Azula snorted out. She looked over to Zuko then. "Hey, you know, I don't care who becomes Fire Lord after Dad. I'll still probably be given my own army, huh?"
He nodded. "Yeah. You'll probably still be his favorite."
[[Trainwreck-that I am.
-and I am what I am, what I am.
A train wreck-that I am.
-and I am what I am, what I am.
A train wreck!]]
Lu Ten really wasn't sure what was going on. One minute Ilah had been fried to a crisp and Ursa had escaped. The next, Ozai was declaring himself Fire Lord and Iroh didn't do anything about it. After that, Lu Ten finally did ask the new Fire Lord if he could return to war and-
And that's where he found himself now. He was in a dreamlike state, no really aware of what was going on. He walked the halls of the palace, confused.
"She's in the east garden," a voice said.
He looked down. Zuko looked back up at him. "… who won?"
"Your father," Lu Ten said nonchalantly. He was about to move past Zuko when the boy spoke again.
He was unsure and hesitant. "… cousin Lu Ten," he bit out. "Um, I wanna learn how to be a leader." He looked down, gripping the sides of his pants. "So, next time you go to war, or Uncle Iroh goes to war, um, could I go in your brigade?"
The man blinked, taken off guard by such a question. "Actually, I'm going to depart to help some troops with the final take over of the southwestern Earth Kingdom wilderness soon. I'll be training while we're making our travel over there, so you're welcomed to join me."
Zuko smiled. "Ah, thanks, Lu Ten!" With that, he ran off.
Lu Ten wasn't surprised he couldn't see her in the garden. Under the only tree in the garden he saw her hole and the freshly moved dirt. He walked to the entrance of her secret caverns, the world he would never be able to see, and waited. She'd sense him and return to the surface, dirty as a sewer elephant rat.
The first to come was out was Ba. The beast was nearly too large to squeeze out of the den he and his daughter had made, but all the same, he seemed happier underground than on it. He let low, grunting chirps as he waited for her to arrive.
Toph came out the, face expecting an explanation.
He told her nothing. He knew she only cared about himself and Iroh. Anyone else was a pity to lose, but she didn't care. "We're going to war again. Is there anything, besides clothes because you will wear clothes, that you want to bring?"
"Aside from Ba, nothing." She then regretted this. "Roasted duck. We're still going to have roasted duck, right?"
He rolled his eyes before walking toward the palace. "Obviously." Everything would be better for them after this. They'd be back on the battle field and that would distract them. There was nothing left for them here; he'd still visit, but there was nothing left to do. He simply couldn't engage in politics like his father and uncle could, nor could he be content to act as a pretty ornament like Ursa had seemingly been.
[[-and as long as it's okay with you, I think I'll stay right here.
I've got no where to go, 'cause where to go is up to you, dear.
Happy as a clam, I see the glimmer in your eyes.
Hold you throught the night and watch that Colorado sunrise.]]
Zuko had never woken up so early in his entire life. He had spent half the night trying to elude dreams of his father's passive face as he gave him permission to go to war. He remembered Uncle Iroh's face. Why hadn't his own father cared? If Azula went off, he'd try and make sure she returned alive…
"Are you awake?"
He jumped back slightly, not used to a midget suddenly appearing in his personal space. She didn't bother looking up and with the height difference between them, she was "looking" straight toward his stomach. It was embarrassing for him, so he stepped to her side.
Repressing a yawn, he shook his head. "No." He looked around the exit hall and noted the few number of soldiers. "Where's Lu"-yawn-"Ten?"
"Dunno where Poppa is. He went to look for some book of something." She turned her body toward the exit and Zuko jumped back as he heard a strangled yowl. The badgermole ran into the room, fur covered in something remotely pink.
"Well, I told you not to let them pet you," she chided the apparently fan-harassed pet. She coddled him as the animal with razor sharp claws shivered. "At least you didn't attack them. We'd be in trouble if you did."
Zuko let something like a snort escape his nose. "I thought you were a little warrior?"
Toph let a wicked smile cross her face. "Hm? Oh, I won't hurt my countrymen, is all. Any earth kingdom maggots or water tribe minnows should watch out, though." She turned to the end of the hall, waiting for Lu Ten to become visible to Zuko since she knew he'd have something to say.
"Oh, hi, cousin," Zuko said casually as Lu Ten approached, a small book in hand. "What's that?"
Lu Ten looked down. It was a book of flowers, made thicker than previous by the various blooms that Kohki had filled each page with. It also had a few notes on a mysterious object simply known as the Sunstone that she had been absolutely obsessed about.
The older male smiled softly at Zuko before bending slightly so that preteen could see the many pressed flowers in the pages. "It was Kohki's. I'm going to finish it for her."
Zuko looked up, intrigued. "What else is left?"
"The rare panda lily and a mature white lotus. She always complained about finding them when they weren't in good shape." He chuckled.
Zuko was about to ask another question when the furious face of Toph showed up. Ba was nuzzling her, apparently eager to go back to sleep. "Com'mon!"
The two royal men merely followed, not awake enough to argue, but not sleepy enough to be stupid. Somehow, through all that was going through their minds-what would happen with their country while they were gone?-they simply couldn't resist the grins pulling at their faces.
After all, life was good for the moment. Why ruin it. Their country was expanding! They were nearly gods. All that could go wrong was for the Avatar to return.
But they couldn't think about that. Lu Ten couldn't think about that. Not with a little girl running ahead of him and his nephew trailing his side.
That's all for this one. If anyone wants to make a sequel, feel free to, just message me. I'm done. ==;