the epic of tokka ch15

The Epic of Tokka
Chapter 15
"Stood Up"

Disclaimer: I, Mitch Wise, does not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." The characters of this story are based off the characters of "Avatar: The Last Airbender."


Toph

Toph asked Sokka to wait for her outside while she got something from her room. That something was some perfume, that smelled like jasmine. Toph wasn't the type of girl to put on perfume, but people break old habits when they are in love. She wanted to smell nice for Sokka when they went out for dinner.

When she walked outside to met Sokka, she felt that he wasn't there. She pouted, and thought,

"That jerk! He stood me up! Where did he go off to?"

Soon after, she felt Aang and someone she has never felt.

"Toph!" Aang shouted to the girl.
"Aang, you better tell me where Sokka is."
"Azula got him." the stranger said.
"Who's Azula!"
"My sister, who is hell bent on capturing Aang." the stranger once again answered.
"And who are you?" Toph shouted as she pointed to the stranger.
"This is Zuko." Aang answered.
"The same Zuko that I have heard from the stories you guys tell me?"
"The same."
"Wait, what stories?" Zuko asked.
"Oh, nothing, just how you tried to capture me. That's all." Aang replied to the prince.
"Sounds like great stories." Zuko sarcasticly said.
"Where's Sokka!" Toph yelled at the boys, who were ignoring her.
"Azula captured him, he fended her off, so me and Zuko could escape." Aang bounced back to her.
"So, one non-bender, fended off a fire princess, who is supposedly a fire bending prodigy?"
"Yeah, and two of her friends!" Aang enthusiasticly said, but was quickly shoot down.  
"What the hell where you two morons thinking?! You are the Avatar, the most powerful bender in the world, and you are a banished Fire Nation Prince. But you two let a Water Tribe peasant fight off the most powerful Fire Nation bender, and two of her friends!" Toph shouted and this caught the attention of the guards.
"Toph, calm down. I'm sure he's fine." Aang said, but Zuko shook his head.
"I doubt it Aang. Sokka is probably long gone." Zuko said.

Toph could feel that the stranger was telling the truth, and Toph started to cry. She walked off mumbling something, which Zuko heard.

"What was she mumbling about?" Aang asked.
"I'm going to find Sokka." Zuko repeated, "Should we go help her?"
"I feel that this something Toph, needs to do alone." Aang said.
"Come on, lets go get Appa." Zuko said.
"Yeah, besides we need to get away from those guards."

Toph had no clue as to where to start. She had no idea where Sokka could be, as he could be anywhere, so she started to walk in one direction and kept feeling for him.

Azula

Azula was happy with her prisoner. Ty Lee always called him 'Cutie' and she could see why. His skin was a dark chocolate tone, and muscles were beginning to show, due to continuous work outs. She could tell he was smart from the papers in his bag, as it contained maps, graphs, plans, and very elaborate schedule. She knew these papers contained important information that had to due with the war, but she couldn't make out his chicken-scratch writing.

She made Mai and Ty Lee carry him back to the motel room that they shared, to interrogate him about his plans for the war. She threw the bag on the bed, spilling out all of the papers in it onto the floor. Ty Lee picked up the pieces of paper and looked through them, while Azula and Mai tied the boy to a chair, and began to question him.

"Tell us what these papers say." Azula asked the man.

In Sokka's mind danger klaxons were blaring, but Sokka remained strong willed.

"Papers can't talk. I thought someone like you should've known that."
"Tell me what I need to know, or else."
"Or else what?"

Mai slashed his cheek with a dagger, cutting it deep. Sokka screamed in pain, and was left to wallow in agony.

"Now, tell me what is on these papers."

Toph

Toph was walking down a main street, fretting over Sokka. She was walking past a motel, when she felt the outlines of four people, and one was sitting down in a chair. Two of the people where standing around the man in the chair.

"Wait, man? … It's Sokka! I'd feel that heartbeat any where." Toph ran off the motel room to save Sokka.

Sokka

Sokka was now cut ten  times all over his body, all of the cuts were deep, and bleeding. He could barely make out what was being said to him.

"Now...me...what....on....papers."
"Go suck one." Sokka spat along with blood at the speaker.
"Wait!" Sokka could make this one out clearly.
"What?"
"... papers... say... eclipse... on... This is.... when.... they'll.... Fire Palace."
"Invade...on...the eclipse!"
"Why...that...bad?"
"No....fire bending...not...good."
"Kill him."

Sokka raised his eyes when he heard someone talk about him, and saw Mai walk towards him, holding a knife in her hand.  

"You should find yourself a new look Mai. The knife thing isn't very attractive." Sokka called out to her, taunting her on his death chair.

Then Sokka heard a loud crash come from behind him, and saw the girls in front of him cover their faces from the explosion.

"Leave Sokka alone!" Sokka heard Toph call out, as his hearing was returning back to him.

He couldn't see Toph, but he knew it was her. He then saw three rock fly past him aimed at the three women. All the projectiles hit their marks, as the girls were still recovering from the shock wave. The girls were carried through the wall, and out into the street where guards heard the explosion, and took the three unconscious girls away.

"Thanks Toph."
"Next time Sokka, try not to get captured."
"I'll try." Sokka spat some blood out of his mouth.

Sokka instructed the blind earth bender on where the ropes were on the chair, and once free, he fell to the floor. Toph felt him hit the floor, and cried out to him. She went to his side, and felt over his body. She felt the open cuts all over his chest and face, they weren't many, but they were deep and bleeding profusely.

She had to pull him by his arms, and tried to keep the chest off the ground. Lin and Jet weren't far from the motel, and rushed to it to see what the commotion was. They saw Toph barely able to drag Sokka out of the wreckage. Jet ran to Toph and picked up Sokka. The four of them returned to their own hotel, to put Sokka down.

Luckily, when they arrived at their hotel, Katara, Zuko, and Aang were there. Katara rushed to her brother's side, and once he was put on a bed, she started to heal his cuts. Toph remained at Sokka's side for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, Aang told the group that Zuko had returned Appa to him, and that the Dai Lee wanted the Avatar out of Ba Sing Se. Lin was shocked to hear the news, but kept her cover.

"Look, maybe the Dai Lee isn't what is best for me. Maybe Jet and the Avatar is what is best."  she thought.

But with Sokka out cold, they would have to stay in Fulu, until he returned to health. Also Zuko, asked to join the group, as he could teach Aang fire bending, once he mastered earth bending. Aang gladly said yes, while Katara was still suspicious of the fire prince.

"Sokka?" Toph asked the sleeping man. She saw him stir slightly.
"Sokka, please wake up. I need you. I haven't told you how I really feel about you, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life without you knowing, so please wake up."
"T-t-t-toph?"
"Oh, Sokka!"
"Where am I?"
"Back at the hotel, I'm so happy that you are okay!"
"Yeah, me too."
"Sokka, I have something to tell you."
"What is it?" Sokka asked, he could feel the tension grow in the room.
"I know you are with Suki, and all, but I like you more than a friend."
"Like a brother?"
"No, like..."
"You already told me that you like more than a friend, Serpent's Pass, remember?"
"Yes, but back then it was just a crush. I think this is the real deal."
"Real deal how?"
"I love you, Sokka. I am not ashamed of the fact, and I want you to know how I feel for you."
"I don't know what to say."
"Say anything."
"..."
"Sokka? You didn't fell back to asleep, did you?"
"No, I'm awake."
"Then say something, about what I said."
"I can't Toph."
"Why?"
"Suki."

"Damn that girl. I hate her!" Toph thought to herself.

"How do you feel about me, then?" Toph asked.
"About the same way you do for me."
"So you love me too?"
"I can't be sure, but yeah, I think so."
"Oh, Sokka!" Toph said as she threw Sokka into a tight embrace. Sokka's body filled with pain, and he had to pry Toph off him.
"I still hurt Toph. Hugging me doesn't help."
"Oh, right. Sorry."
"Toph, Sokka needs his strength. Come on dinner is ready." Katara said standing at the door way.
"One sec Katara, me and Toph were talking."
"Okay."
"Sokka?" Toph asked.
"Look, Toph, a lot is going on right now, but after the invasion, when we beat the Fire Nation, we can look further into this. Okay?"
"All right, but when is the invasion?"
"Not long from now. Now go eat some dinner."
"Goodnight Sokka."

Toph bent down and kissed her love's forehead, but she was aiming for his lips. She went off to eat dinner, with all the happiness in the world bottled up inside of her.

The End. (of chapter 15)