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The (Cursed) Avatar- Book 3: Heat Circulation

Summary:

The Cursed Avatar was struck down by the burning hands of the Princess.

All major Earth Kingdom hubs, Omashu, Gaoling, Ba Sing Se, have fallen.

The Earth Kingdom was under Fire Nation control.

That steady climb, the patience, the hard work that was put into making the people believe in the Cursed Avatar. It was gone. The new hope the people held was quickly fading. The enemy was winning and there was nothing anyone could do.

And all is lost.

That is...

Until those unseeng eyes open once again.

And won't be shutting anytime soon.
__________________

Hiiii!!! Welcome to the third and final book for The (Cursed) Avatar!!!! It's finally here!! Be sure to check out thecursedavatar on Tumblr for chapter updates, doodles, and promo pictures!!!

New chapter every Friday!!!

Chapter 1: Unkillable

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Wake up, Toph" Kuruk

"Open your eyes" Gyatso

"You must get up" Roku

"Everyone is waiting for you" Kyoshi 

Familiar and unfamiliar voices surrounded her but she knew their names all the same. They were the same. She was them and they were her. All parts of the same whole, all sharing the same spirit or, at least at one point. The Avatars of her previous lifetimes called out for her, telling her to move, move, move. 

Toph felt them hover over her and although it did nothing, she kept her eyes shut tightly closed. 

"If you do nothing now, you've already failed" Roku spoke again 

The current Avatar groaned, "Alright I'm up, I'm getting up," She rasped as she rolled over to her side , "Fuck..." She hissed in pain

Everything hurt. 

Toph's body ached and throbbed all over. Her head was pounding and her chest burned . Her arms and legs were so heavy she could hardly lift them. What the fuck happened? 

With tremendous effort, will power, and clenched teeth, Toph pulled herself to sit up. She was on a soft bed and she threw her feet over the mattress and onto the cold, metallic floor. 

Where was she? 

Toph grunted again as she lifted her arm up and she felt herself. There were bandages wrapped tightly around her chest and shoulders, on her arms and a couple scratchy patches on her legs. She felt the baggy pants that she always wore on but had no shirt on, her chest was covered by the wrappings. All the bandages, combined with the tear jerking pain, restricted her movement greatly. She could feel her hair tickle her back, reaching down all her way to the middle of her spine. Why was her hair down- fuck, her head hurts. 

"Why'd you guys want me up anyway..." The injured Earthbender weakly questioned before realizing…

The Avatars were gone, she didn't feel their weight on the floor, or the water their veins carried, or even the vibrations the air bounced off of them. They had vanished. 

With a wince and a deep breath, Toph pushed herself up and off the bed, using the wooden dresser by the bedside to hold herself up. Her legs shook as she stood, they felt like fucking jelly. 

Her hands skidded across the top of the bureau until her fingers found her headband that she didn't even realize she wasn't wearing.

Toph raised her arms to put it on but sharply brought them back down with a hiss. She couldn't even lift her arms high enough to reach her head.

She put her beloved headband in her pants pocket as she felt the area with her feet. This entire place, even outside her room, it was entirely metal- good thing she knows Metalbending (because she's awesome). Toph also realized that the entire space was enclosed and pointed, she could feel people above, walking around. 

She was- oh spirits, on a ship

She was sure to be sick if they hit any waves. Thankfully, the water seemed calm right now.

Leaning heavily on the wall, Toph managed to lift one leg over the other and fumble out of the room. She began to pathetically stumble down the hallway. 

Where were her friends? Where was Sokka? Or Katara? Or Aang? What fucking happened anyway? Everything felt really... fuzzy , like she had just awoken from a really long and really weird dream about storms or a circus or something... 

Toph last remembered Omashu… Or was it Aang's village? Wasn't she learning about chakras? And then she invented Metalbending! Wait no, first she drank some onion and banana juice… But then what happened after that- if anything . The girl felt her brain pulse painfully as she cursed with every step she took, feeling her body get heavier and heavier with every second. 

Her skin crawled at the horrifying prospect that she was alone on a ship in the middle of the sea, weak, injured, and unable to remember anything of how she ended up here. Alone with none of the people she cared about and completely, utterly defenseless.

Eventually, Toph was able to crawl her way to the top of the ship. When she stood on the deck, the air felt cold and damp, she was lucky that she mastered maintaining her body temperature using Airbending or she would have been freezing on account of wearing nothing but pants and bandages. 

Getting a clearer view and fresh air, she could feel over a dozen heartbeats, some of which she could easily recognize while others were completely foreign. The Avatar's ears filled with the sounds of gasps from various people around her. 

Suddenly, someone pressed up against her and wrapped their arms firmly around her waist and Toph immediately knew it was Katara. She wanted to hug her back just as tightly but simply didn't have the strength. Instead, she placed her hands on the Waterbender's lower back and rested her head in the nook of the girl's shoulder. 

"Toph! I can't believe it, you're awake!" She moved back slightly, now her hands were cupping Toph's face, fingers tangling into her messy mop of black hair, "You're really awake!"

Of course she was awake? When people sleep, they usually wake up after a couple hours. 

The 12 year old blinked and asked through squished cheeks, "Uh… Why wouldn't I be?" 

She felt Katara's heart out in a sudden thump , a shock running down her spine. Why did that happen? What happened? 

"Toph, do you-"

Suddenly, Wander charged in their direction, groaning and sniffing Toph excitedly, his large tongue licking her face as she cackled, "Oh hey, buddy!" It hurt too much to raise her arms so the Avatar settled for scratching the badgermole's leg, she turned her head to face Katara, "What were you saying-"

"TOOOOPPHH!" 

Aang shoved past the 14 year old and slammed right into Toph, throwing his arms over her shoulders, "We were so worried! I'm so happy you're okay!" Appa was with him too, stomping happily 

The boy squeezed her buring shoulders so tight it made her see fucking stars. A sharp pain stabbed through her shoulders and shook her entire being violently. Instinctively, she pushed him away. 

Sokka came over and patted her several times on the back, causing her to weakly stumble forward (and she already had enough of all this manhandling , it was painful!), "Toph! It's good to see you! I'm glad you're up and about, ready to annoy everyone again!"

Why was everyone talking like that? Like she has been gone or something for forever? She was only sleeping. What the fuck was happening, why were her friends speaking this way, why was her body completly wrecked, and most importantly, why were they on a fucking boat?!

Toph smiled at them but it quickly twisted into a painful wince, she took a step forward but nearly fell over it wasn't for Katara's arms that reached out and caught her. 

She leaned into the Waterbender for support, feeling her hands snake gently around her torso, "Let's go sit. You shouldn't be on your feet for too long"  

Toph found herself nodding almost eagerly, happy to try and relieve some of the pain that she has been biting her lip because of since she woke up not even ten minutes ago, "Can someone tell me what's happen-"

" Toph!" 

Her eyes widened at the voice. It was Dad-pher. Her dads were here?! Holy shit! A wave of relief washed over Toph at the comfort of knowing they were strong enough to handle themselves in Gaoling. 

"Dads!" She gritted her teeth at the pain that throbbed through her tiny body but smiled nonetheless

She took a step forward only to be met much more than half way by her parents. They enveloped her in a hug with six pairs of arms that nearly took her off her feet and she felt Dad-Ko and Bol-Dad shaking, they were crying. Why were they crying?

She weakly pushed them back, "What's wrong? Are you guys okay?" 

Fire Dad nodded, grinning wetly, "We're just really happy to see you. We're fine" His voice cracked near the end of it in a struggle to keep his composure 

That last part was a lie. They weren't fine. Why would they lie to her? Why weren't they fine? What the fuck happened?

Before Toph could say anything more they pulled her back into the hug, squeezing her tighter than even Aang did. She let them, biting through the throbbing and the stabbing and the pulsing and tried her hardest not to let it show. 

She missed them all so much since Gaoling and even though it was just a little more than a week since then, she was happy to see them again. When they squeezed harder, she did so back, uncaring of how her fathers' arms were unknowingly digging into her bandages and wounds (why did she have those anyway?)

Her parents seemed to miss her just as much as she missed them since their paths parted in their hometown because the hug went on for a long while. 

When she was finally able to tear herself away from them, Toph looked up at them, smiling weakly and pressing her eyebrows together from underneath her bangs, "Can someone please tell me what's happening now? Why're we on a ship? Where are we?"

Dad-Po laughed, "You're probably really confused," He ruffled her hair but his fingers got tangled in the strands, obviously not used to handling her with her hair down, "Don't worry we can explain everything" 

Toph sighed in relief as they stood up straight and tall, "That's good, I really feel like I'm missing a lot of things right now and-"

Holy fucking shit.

She stopped. 

Zuko was standing a couple meters away. 

Zuko.

He was staring right at her and he was here (with Momo on his shoulder) . Why was he here? Were they all captured by Fire Nation? Was this a Fire Nation ship? Did he want to attack her friends? Attack her?! 

He must have noticed her attention turned towards him because he began to walk over slowly, he opened his mouth to speak only to have Toph cut him off. 

 

"What the... FUCK!" She shouted before adrenaline coursed through her veins, giving her dads a push behind her as she jumped forward

Toph jerked her bandaged hands up, a gust of air bursting out from her and blowing the 16 year old back, " Wait! No- stop, what're you doing!?" He screamed as the lemur flew away from them

She didn't answer, the Avatar only responded by leaping forward and throwing her fist into him, which he caught with his right hand, shoving her hand back down. She twisted her body, throwing her other fist, it colliding right in his face.  

He grunted and doubled back. Toph went for another punch but he grabbed it this time, holding it and jamming his knee right into her elbow which made her yell loudly, " AAUGGH!"  

Huffing, the Avatar stomped on the floor and the metal flooring creaked and curled up, encasing his legs and plunging him backwards and slamming his back on the wall outside the steering room (thank you, Metalbending). 

BAM!

"Both of you! Stop it!" Someone called out but neither listened

"Did she just move the metal?"

She ran to him and kneed him right in the gut which made him groan out in pain, the metal tore off from his lower body and he firmly grabbed both of her shoulders and squeezed hard , digging his fingers into her wounds and tearing the bandages.

She gave a blood curdling scream and held his forearms, to which he placed a fiery foot on her chest and kicked her back, burning her chest. 

But Toph refused to fall, she stumbled and shook her head, trying not to focus on the burning of her chest or the palpitating in her shoulders.

"Is that all you... got..." Toph's words noticeably slurred as she felt the fresh wounds that were the reason she had the bandages on her shoulders open 

Warm blood was trickling down her shoulders and chest and she felt her head spin and senses begin to fuzz.

The Earthbender shook her head again and tried to blink away the sensations, uncaring of all the blood- she was going to protect her friends. And although it was proving to be a struggle to stay standing, Toph went back into a fighting stance, about to charge into the Firebender… 

Until she felt two hands on either of her bloody shoulders. She stopped. 

Iroh. 

What the fuck?

"Why don't we all calm down?" He spoke wearily 

Toph fainted.

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"-Oh hey, I think she's waking up"

"Let's hope she doesn't go crazy again"

"Maybe we should've told her before she saw him, she didn't know" 

Toph woke to the sound of voices again, but instead of the mighty, all powerful Avatars from before, they were the voices of prepubescent, loud teenagers.

And everything fucking hurt. 

Again.

She felt a soft mattress under her, she was back in the same room she had woken up in before. The Avatar groaned and went to sit up but felt a hand on her thickly bandaged chest, it forced her back to laying down. 

"You need to lay down, Toph," Katara said slowly but firmly, she was sitting up right by her side on the bed, "You just lost a lot of blood and you'll reopen your wounds again"

She frowned her brow and hummed but said nothing. The 14 year old was hovering cool water over a not-so-bad injury on her stomach, healing it. Toph wanted to reach up and grab her hands, to tell her that it hurt most on her shoulders but she could barely even move.

Aang was sitting on her left on the bed, right by her side. Sokka and Suki were standing by the edge of the bed near Katara and Yue was sitting on the foot of the bed- 

Wait, Yue? 

" Princess?" Her voice was raspy and weak, she sounded like shit 

The princess smiled at her, "Long time no see, Toph. It's…" She paused, " Good to see you" 

"Ha, no it's not. You're all fucked up" 

"SOKKA!" 

" I'M SORRY! YOU KNOW I MAKE JOKES WHEN I'M NERVOUS!"

Katara's hands finally left her side and with her help, Toph was able to sit up with only a handful of pained gasps. The Waterbender sat more on the bed and closer to her so Toph was able to lean against her for support as they sat. 

The last thing Toph remembered was fighting Zuko and then Iroh was there? Was that a dream? Was this the first time she woke? Did those things not happen? Surely not, Iroh wouldn't be here, not to mention Zuko.

"I-... I'm so confused. Was Zuko here?" She asked hazily, leaning further into Katara, the back of her head rested in the crook of the Waterbender's neck, "Was he-was he here? Is he here?! Didn't he side with the Fire Nation or something?!" The details were blurry but she recalled something like that, she jogged her memory for more, "Back in… Omashu? It was Omashu, right? What the fuck!?"

"Uh actually…" Suki began, folding her arms, "He changed- surprising I know. He betrayed Azula for us and basically saved our skins back in Omashu"

"He WHAT!?" 

Aang nodded, "Yeah, he attacked her and got us out of there with his nice uncle after you… you know with Azula"

"No, I don't know!" Toph shouted, growing frustrated, "Because apparently Zuko betrayed Azula after she did something to me in… in Omashu…" 

It came back to her. 

Azula

She placed her hands on her shoulders and electrocuted her. Toph could still feel her searing hands on her, nails that dug into her skin as she sent a jolt of pure electricity down her spine. She remembered how her joints spasmed uncontrollably and her muscles tensed. 

Toph cupped her hands on her shoulders without realizing. What the fuck? Why did she do that back there? 

Azula was so scared and her heart gave such hopeful beats when she grabbed Toph's hand. But then it changed . It changed in such a heartbreaking fucking way. It was fast in all the wrong ways. It turned twisted and angry and sad, so fucking sad... 

Then it went quiet. 

Omashu! It was getting invaded right now! Why the fuck are they on ship aw ay from it!? They should be back there, fighting! Who fucking cared if she was injured, she was awake now , they need to go back! Now!

" Nononono, Azula she- We have to get to Omashu, the people -Kuo, Lee, Mushi- they're probably hurt and Bumi- where's Bumi!? We need to go!" 

Toph rubbed her face roughly and frantically tried to climb off the bed but Katara held her in place, arms folding around her, "Toph wait! You need to stop moving!"

"We…" Aang whispered, placing a hand on her arm, " Can't go back to Omashu…"

The Earthbender whipped her head around to the boy, angry and frustrated, " Why not!?"

"Toph, after Omashu fell- after you fell, we had to run, we were thankful to have Zuko and Iroh to help us get outta there," Sokka started to explain, "By the time we found this ship, we found out that Ba Sing Se and Gaoling were conquered at the same time Azula invaded Omashu. It was all planned, there was no way we could've stopped it..."

Toph ceased her struggle in Katara's arms.

What?

No, nononono. Toph was just there, they all were just there. She couldn't have been asleep for that long, maybe a couple hours? It was impossible that they conquered them all that quickly. They couldn't have. Because that meant if Ba Sing Se fell, the entire Earth Kingdom fell. And it was her fault. Her fault that the Fire Nation captured the hubs. 

It meant she failed and she wasn't strong enough to protect her own home . It meant that people were going to suffer because of her . It meant that the Fire Nation was just one step closer to taking over the entire world . Mastering the Avatar State was supposed to help her solve these conflicts, not create more .

"We'll leave you alone for now" Suki said, reaching over and grabbing Aang's hand 

"Huh? Oh, yeah. We'll see you later, Toph" He said, jumping over the bed and to the door 

Suki, Aang, Sokka, and Yue all quickly shuffled out the door and now it just left Toph and Katara alone. 

The war was still going and it was only going to get worse from here. Toph was going to get the Earth Kingdom back to defeat the Fire Nation, she had no choice but to do that- she never did but now the stakes are raised even higher.  

The Waterbender shifted by her side, moving to get up, "I'll check up on you in a bit-" 

The Earthbender latched onto the sleeve of her shirt, preventing Katara from getting off the bed, "Don't leave me… Please"

The girl didn't say anything for a moment. She stayed still as her eyes bored right into her soul in that intense, overwhelming way she always looked at her with, and although Toph had never seen it, she knew exactly the feeling it gave her. 

She felt the 14 year old scoot back onto the bed, coming closer to Toph to which the Avatar graciously leaned back into her. Katara's legs were folded around the Earthbender and Toph rested her head on the girl's chest.

They stayed like that for a while. Not moving seemed to be the only thing that kept Toph's near constant pain at bay. And Katara was always the comfiest pillow. 

Toph felt Katara lace her long, cold fingers in her messy, thick hair. She didn't remember her ever seeing her with her hair down before, she wished this wasn't the reason she would be seeing it for the first time. Because she was hurting so bad that couldn't even lift her arms high or for long enough to put it up. 

Toph tried to focus on Katara's breathing, how her chest would move her up and down slowly with every breath. Or how she could hear her heart beat in a calm, repetitive rhythm. Concentrating on that distracted her from the too tight bandages all over her body and gnawing feelings of failure that resonated from deep within her bones. 

But no amount of attention or prioritizing could take her mind off a terrifying question that loomed over her head. Swallowing fear in a way she has done hundreds of times, Toph stayed in the same position with one ear laying against her chest, "How long was I out?" 

She heard the sharp inhale through Katara's nose as if she were surprised by the question. The Waterbender opened her mouth, only to close it, then to open it again and speak in the same whisper Toph spoke in, "It… It was a few weeks"

Toph's breath hitched.

A few weeks? She wasn't just asleep, she was in a fucking coma. Like an actual, injury induced coma. Is that why everyone had such intense reactions upon seeing her when she came to the deck of the ship? Is that why her parents were crying? Holy shit- did everyone think she wasn't going to wake up or something? She must have scared the shit out of them.

That's why everyone was so calm about the conquering of the Earth Kingdom, they've all had weeks to let it sink in, while she's only just finding out about it now. So the Earth Kingdom has been under Fire Nation control for a while now. 

People are probably saying they were right all along. Toph was the Cursed Avatar after all. She went into a coma, they think she won't be able to win this war, or get back the territory, or beat the Fire Nation before the comet. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Toph," Katara's voice was cracking, "I should've stepped in, I wasn't fucking thinking. When you had Azula, I should've done something. You got hurt, I'm so stupid . Af-after we got the ship, I spent so much time healing you- I just couldn't stop, you were hurt so bad I...-"

The Water Tribe girl cut herself off as she bit her lip, crying silently as Toph continued to rest on her. Toph lifted her head off her to face her and placed her hands on Katara's chest, "You did all you could and I'm thankful for that, you guys probably saved my life" 

If none of them were there when Azula electrocuted her, realistically, Toph would have probably died right then and there, or at least very soon after. It was a wonder that she was even alive now . It was thanks to her friends that she was here even having this conversation and she hoped they knew that. That they didn't blame themselves for this terrible travesty.

"When you were laying there after Azula electrocuted you and you didn't move, I… I thought you died- we all did. When I'd heal you, I used to keep thinking what if you never woke up? What would we do if you died- what the fuck would happen?" Katara spoke through sharp breaths and a river of tears 

She wrapped her arms around Toph and brought in even closer somehow, burying her face in the crook of her bandaged neck, " I'm just so fucking happy you're alive…"

The Avatar didn't move, she stayed unmoving with Katara, tied up in her hold with her face buried in her chest. And painfully, she wrapped her arms around the girl's waist, returning the embrace and mumbling, " I'm going anywhere anytime soon





Her and Katara talked for a while in the room alone, about guilt, the Earth Kingdom, what was next. Sokka supposedly had a plan and she said that he would explain it to her in a little bit, so she just had to be patient. Katara also gave her a proper healing session afterwards, unwrapping all the bandages that squeezed her body. 

She was also allowed to lightly feel the two largest scars on her shoulders- the skin there was tough and slightly numb, Katara said they were red and shaped like two hand prints.

Azula's hand prints.

The palms stretched from her collarbone to the back of her shoulders and the fingers were long and reached her wingbone. They were the same on both sides. 

But now Toph was back on the top of the deck, sitting alone on one of the wooden crates that littered the ship. It was near the edge of the giant boat and it overlooked the sea, not that she cared about that, the breeze was just nice. She had new bindings wrapped around her shoulders and chest and various other patches dotting her cut skin.

The wind began to pick up a while ago, it smelt like it was going to rain soon. Toph grew pale at the idea of a storm. The mere thought of the waves rocking the entire ship was enough to make her want to hurl her brains out.

Zuko was off on the opposite side of the deck, he was talking to Sokka. Everyone seemed a little on edge with him and Iroh, she could feel it in how they stepped and in their pulses but they looked like they were adjusting, they did have a couple weeks of time with them, which was much more than her. She woke up still believing he was the misguided enemy and she attacked him. 

She wondered what made him change his mind when he betrayed Azula, she wished she was awake during that time, maybe she would have been able to help Azula as well. The girl did send her into a coma and permanently scar her and maybe she would have been more angry at Azula if she didn't remember how her heart had changed its tune in a matter of seconds... 

She went from scared, to confused, to this mix of anger and sadness. Toph couldn't stop thinking about it. Right before she shocked her, Azula was angry, she was sad, she was so many things. Why did she feel sadness? Did she not want to hurt Toph anymore? Why had she felt those things? Did she regret doing it? 

"Hey, Avatar! Spirits , you look like shit!" 

Jet? He was here too? 

He came up from behind her and hugged her gently, minding her bandages and grinned at her. She smiled, "Jet! It's been a while," She leaned forward on the box she was on slightly, he stood in front of her, "I didn't think you'd be here"

"And miss stopping the Fire Nation with you? No way! Me, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak were all picked up by the others a couple weeks ago" He said 

Wow, Jet and some of the Freedom Fighters plus Princess Yue? How many other people did they pick up already while she was out? "That's great! And what about you? How've you been? Did you ever manage to talk with Smellerbee and Longshot?" 

Toph genuinely cared for Jet and his slow climb of progress with his problems. It has certainly been a while and he definitely changed, she could feel it in the way he walked, how he carried himself without that weight of anger- it was still there, but not nearly as much as when they last saw each other. 

He looked to be changing for the better and she was proud

 

Jet was thrown slightly off by her questions, "Uh… I've been fine?" It was the truth, so why did he sound so confused? He scratched his shaggy hair, "Why are you asking me how I am when you were the one who was shot with lightning and just woke up from a two month coma?"  

"Because I'm not the one who had to work through his issues with Firebending while there are two Firebenders living in the same ship as me" She folded her arms 

He chuckled and leaned against the box, closings eyes and cocking his head up to the sky, "I'm working on it, I've had a lot of time to think about Firebending," He playfully nudged at her with his shoulder, "I heard that Zuko guy chased you all around the world trying to kill you and I saw your fight this morning, you can't be exactly happy he's here. Come on, talk to me"

"No, I am happy he's here. I'm glad he's on our side, he's gone through a lot and I'm happy that he realized that what he was doing was wrong. I was just… thrown off when I saw him. I didn't expect it, you know?" 

"Yeah, I get it. Everyone's a little weird about having him and the old man around"

"Which is understandable"

"Oh of course, of course," He nodded, giggling a little, "Sokka told me you keep trying to make people talk through their feelings, don't tell me I'll have to start sharing my favorite therapist"

Toph howled at that and it felt good to laugh, "Everyone needs to have someone to listen to them sometimes," She said and it automatically reminded her of Azula. If Zuko was… good or something now, what about her? How did she react when her brother betrayed her? Toph should have tried to reach her more, "I think I really screwed up…" She pushed her bangs back only for them to fall in front of her face again

"The Earth Kingdom can always be won back and we'll be able to do this when we end the war. I dunno how comforting that sounds right now but it's the truth," He grabbed her hand, "If anyone can change the Fire Nation, it's you," He shrugged, smile picking up, "You helped me and frankly, I was worse than them. I believe in you... Me and my flower"

Toph smiled, Jet believed in her. She had helped Jet and he had given her comforting words, he cares for her. He and his flower-

Wait, flower? 

" Flower?" She repeated, had she heard him right? 

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, not too long ago I switched from chewing on wheat to chewing on a flower," He took the long flower out of his mouth and held it out to her, allowing her to feel it, "I dunno, I was tired of the taste of wheat. I think I needed a little change" 

Toph handed it back to him, smiling, "Well I think it's a nice change"

"Thanks! Hey, where's your banjo?" Jet asked, "I think this is the first time I've seen you without it"

"My banjo..?" Where was her banjo- Oh holy shit, she fucking broke it when she hit Azula with it. She doubted that anyone picked it up when they ran from Omashu, she sighed, "Gone…" 

" Hey Toph! Over here! Ready to hear our plan!?" Sokka shouted from the middle of the deck before Jet could respond, Sokka was standing next to a tall, strong man and another slightly skinner man 

The Earthbender turned to her friend and smiled, "I gotta go there, wanna come and hear a plan that I bet Sokka's repeated over a million times, Flower?" 

"Of course" He chuckled and when she hopped off the box, he ruffled her hair

The two made their way to Sokka, the man closest to him had a build similar to Bol-Dad and was only a little shorter. The other one was skinny like Dad-Ko and was taller than the broader man. Katara was standing by their side, with Yue, Aang and Suki sitting on the floor and Iroh was there too and… Oh boy, Zuko . He was sitting there as well.

She hesitated when they were a few feet away and Jet gave her a curious look and bent down slightly to meet her face and whispered, "What's up?" 

"It's gonna be so awkward being there while Zuko's there" She whispered back 

He snorted, "He's been trying to kill you for months, I think you don't need to be worried about things being 'awkward"

Spirits she hoped he was right.

Toph made a noise between a whine and a hum before trudging the last steps forward. Iroh smiled at her, "Hello Toph, it is good to see you up once again"

"Oh, thanks Iroh," She smiled before turning towards the Water Tribe boy, "Alright! So what's the plan, Ponytail?" 

She felt Jet sit down next to Yue, they were already talking- they probably became friends during her coma (and holy shit, she still can't believe she was in a coma) . Katara was grinning, "Wait Sokka, before you start. Toph, this is me and Sokka's dad" 

Their dad? The fucking Chief of the Southern Water Tribe? The guy who Sokka and Katara said that he had bravely went to fight off in the war that she was supposed to finish? The guy who's daughter she was dating?  

"I'm Hakoda, it's an honor to meet you, Avatar Toph" He raised his arm out and he and Toph grabbed each other's forearms and shook, the signature Water Tribe greeting 

"Same here, I've heard a lot about you, Chief Hakoda" She grinned 

Sokka smiled excitedly, "Oh! And this is Bato, dad's boyfriend. He's been a family friend since before me and Katara were even born!" 

"Nice to meet you too, Bato" Okay so far so good, she was doing fine considering she was asleep for two months and dealing with severe jet lag

They shook arms and Bato smiled at her, "I met Avatar Kuruk once in my 20's you know" 

"You can't tell everyone you meet how you met him once, it's not a proper greeting" Hakoda rolled his eyes with a smile 

"You met Hero- I mean, Kuruk!?" She beamed. Where? Was it at the Northern Water Tribe or maybe he met him when the Avatar was traveling the world?

Bato elbowed Hakoda in the ribs, "She gets it" He whispered 

"Alright, now that you met Katara's girlfriend-" 

"They're dating?" 

"-We can move onto the invasion plan!" Sokka shouted. Oh fucking shit, they didn't know? Well she's definitely not going to be the one to tell the men. She quickly sat down, sitting in between Katara and Aang

Sokka pulled up a wooden crate and sat on it. Toph heard the sound of crinkling paper and she guessed he was holding a map, most likely for the visual explanation that he forgot she didn't need, she said nothing. 

"After what happened in Omashu, we had to get you to safety. Iroh led us into the mountains by the sea where we found my dad and the other Water Tribe men," He explained, his fingers pointing to various spots on the paper map, "Soon, the bay was overrun by Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise. Since then we've been traveling west. We passed the Abbey a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us so far"

"Okay so… What now?" She asked 

Hakoda spoke this time, he cleared his throat in an effort to recover from his apparently new discovery, "We've been working on a modified version of Sokka's invasion plan. We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth Kingdom's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable"

"So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the world," Sokka added, "We already ran into a lot of people; Jet, Yue, Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak and The Duke"

"Woo-hoo, team Earth Kingdom!" Jet punched the air, then he nudged Yue who was by his side and whispered, " Yue, your turn" 

"Huh? Oh! And team Water Tribe!" Yue then shouted after him 

Aang giggled and patted Toph's leg, "But we still have a lot more to go! We're planning on getting Teo and Manchu too!"

"Yep, and the best part is the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage!" He spoke excitedly and leaned down, whispering, "We have a secret!... You!"  

"Me?" 

How was she their secret advantage? The world already knew about her and the Earth Kingdom. Did he mean the Avatar State? She did master it and she can go in and out of it at will now, it was a very incredible asset to have. 

"Yes! The whole world thinks you're dead!" He grins and raises his fists triumphantly, "Isn't that great?"

The world thinks she's… dead? People believed she died? How is that an advantage?! Her face dropped and her eyes widened.

"Sokka! We said we weren't gonna tell her today!" Suki shouted, "We were supposed to wait a few days"

Aang nodded, "That news sucks, we agreed on that. It sucks when everyone thinks you're dead… Not that I would know or anything…"

"I don't get it, this is great! You guys dunno what you're talking about," Sokka shook his head before kneeling down on the floor in front of Toph, he placed a hand on her shoulder lightly but took it off when he remembered her wounds, "This means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore. They think the next Avatar was born into the Fire Nation. They won't be expecting you on the Day of Black Sun"

Toph stared blankly ahead, still processing. 

If everyone thought she died at Omashu, that meant exactly what Sokka said, that the next Avatar was born into the next cycle: Fire. The people have probably given up hope that this world will be saved if the Fire Nation has the Avatar on their side. 

Spirits, she's going to be sick.

She couldn't have people giving up, it was bad enough she let the Earth Kingdom fall under the enemy's control, she couldn't have them thinking she died as well! 

But they'll have the upper hand on the day of the invasion in their surprise. 

But people think she's dead! But-

Toph shook her head, her voice higher than normal, "I-I think this is fucking insane. I…" She struggled to stand up and immediately three or four hands were extended to her but she denied them all, the metal on the deck's floor hoisted her up to standing before going back into its previous, flat spot, "I gotta go. I need to think this over" 

Before anyone could stop her, Toph made haste to her room. What the fuck was she going to do? This was fucking crazy. 

She stepped inside the room and walked in, gaze fixed on the floor as she absentmindedly waved a limp hand, causing the heavy door to slam shut behind her with Metalbending. 

Toph tripped to the bed and sat down on it, keeping her feet firmly on the floor and she buried her face in her hands.

Alright, cons of this fucked up predicament she basically killed herself to get into: 

She hated it, everyone thought she was dead, the people of the world have lost hope in the Avatar, and they'll have to basically go undercover and be careful again just like how they were in the beginning of their adventure when they were still getting to the Northern Water Tribe. 

And pros: everyone thought she was dead, the Fire Nation won't be expecting her during the invasion, they won't be hunting her down, and they'll be busy in their search for their next baby, Firebending Avatar (who doesn't exist).  

Okay, there's four in the cons but one of her reasons was that she hates it so that doesn't count. So there were three in each and one reason was the same on both: Everyone thinks she's dead. But it made sense! Everyone thinking she was dead is good and bad! 

It would make sense to go with this plan but it sucked . It sucked so much and did she really have a choice honestly? It seemed like Sokka and the rest had already come up with the entire thing while she was in a coma, is there any time to really change it? 

Toph gave a muffled groan from behind her hands, "This is fucked uppp… " She was really living up to that stupid Cursed Avatar title. And she needed to focus on training- there was still Water and Air to master.

… 

And possibly Fire? Both Zuko and Iroh are technically on their side, could they teach her? Fucking shit, another thing she needed to think about-

Her thoughts were cut short with her door creaking open, her dads hesitantly stepped in, "Your friends said you ran away pretty quickly" Dad-Po said

"I didn't run away!" She cried out before realizing that they meant just now, she hummed frustratingly and clasped her hands on her face again

Toph didn't move even as they shuffled over to her, Dad-Ko sat on her right and rested a hand on her back as a comfort while the rest stayed standing near or found a spot close to her to sit on the bed.

"Did you guys know?" She asked, not bearing to lift her head. She had to know if her parents knew. How did they feel about this plan? Did they like it? Hate it? Were they as torn as she was about it? 

Dad-Ko sucked his teeth in a way he always did when he didn't wanna talk about something but was going to anyway. Gently holding her bandaged hands and moving them away from her face, he spoke, "When… When your friends came to us on this giant, Fire Nation ship- we assumed the worst, that something happened to you. That you were hurt or… worse. Then when we got to see you," He inhaled shakily, "No one was able to give us a straight answer on if you were gonna be okay, Toph"

"It was scary and we didn't want you to die- not even because the next Avatar will be Fire Nation or for the fate of this war, but because you're our daughter. We love you and it hurt to see you hurt, in a literal coma for two months," Fire Dad said, standing by the edge of the bed, "We didn't know if you were gonna wake up or not and then Sokka told us about this plan for when you do… I personally don't like the plan but I'm not the one who's ' dead"

Bol-Dad nodded, "Yeah. I don't think any of us like it but it isn't our decision to make on whether to change it or not, it's yours" 

"I… I dunno. I mean, if I stay 'dead' it takes the heat - literally- off us all but if I don't then we'll lose our element of surprise! People probably think that the Fire Nation won, but they didn't- because I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere!" Toph shouted 

If she stayed dead then they'll be sneaking around for who knows how long but if she stayed alive and lets the world know that she's alive, that puts everyone in danger...

"Pretending to be dead sounds like a lot of waiting and you're good at that," Dad-Pher said, "Not to say that I agree with the plan, I don't like you having to be dead. But I'm just saying" 

What was she gonna fucking do?

____________________

It was late, really late. The sky was dark and it had rained for a good part of the day, it had only just stopped a couple hours ago, now the moon was able to be visible in the cold of night. Everyone had gone to sleep a long while ago but Zuko was still up, wandering around the ship like a lost soul. 

Today had been more than eventful. The Avatar, whose name he had learned was Toph (after all these months chasing her, he had never bothered to learn her name even though she knew his), had finally woken up today after a two month coma after her battle with Azula which ended in her getting electrocuted by that monster

Zuko remembered it like it was yesterday, after Toph's body hit the floor- he realized something. He realized what he was doing- siding with Azula, siding with the Fire Nation was wrong . His life in Omashu with Uncle, that was what he wanted. He wanted to be good , he wanted to change and not for the worse. 

So he attacked her, he attacked Azula and Toph's friends had joined in. Azula shot him with lightning which he managed to redirect with the technique his uncle taught him, it was probably the first time he ever saw Azula actually surprised (it felt good).

After that, they found Uncle and got the fuck out of there. They've been on this boat ever since and needless to say, he still had a long way to go before anyone here trusted him but he was willing to keep trying. Uncle said that gaining trust after wrongdoing takes time, he suggested taking a page out of the Avatar's book and learning some patience. 

But there has been some progress. Sokka liked cracking jokes with him and getting him upset, Aang didn't seem to have that much of a problem with him and would really just hang out with anyone, especially since his best friend was in a deep sleep until today, Katara sometimes grew angry and frustrated at his attempts but most of the time, she was neutral which he was lucky for.

That Suki girl swore that he burned her village once before but he's burned down a lot of villages before. But she's okay with him, she wasn't wearing her Kyoshi Warrior uniform or makeup because they couldn't risk being spotted but she did say she would teach him how to apply it if she ever had the time- to which he had to deny (boys don't makeup, he's learned that from a young age).

He was outside on the deck now, the wet floor made many sounds under his feet as he walked and his face still ached from the Avata-... Toph's punch from earlier today. Even after she was severely injured and in a two month long coma, she was still incredibly strong. 

She reminded him of Azula in that way. 

And- Oh shit, speak of the devil, Toph was here . She was standing by the ledge of the boat, leaning on the short gates and looking over the ocean (or not? She was blind). Fuck

Alright Zuko, just slowly back away. She won't hear you and you'll keep your face for another day and- 

"You don't need to leave just for me, you know" 

Fucking shit. 

"I wasn't" 

"Right, you were just coincidentally heading to bed after wandering around for hours right as you saw me" She hadn't turned to him while she spoke, all he saw of her was her small frame and long black hair, it wasn't in her usual large bun that she had always kept it in, it was down still- it was like that all day. It reminded him of a lion's mane or the coat of a wild badgermole

He walked over to her and stood by her side, hands resting on the gate and looking out at the calm ocean, the moonlight twinkled against the water in a way that made it look like it was glowing. It reminded him of the way the girl by his side's eyes glowed when she was last in the Avatar State in Omashu. 

They stood in silence for a long while which made Zuko uncomfortable, he liked yelling and he knew that Toph did too. Nearly every time their paths would cross, they would yell so much that by the time he lost her, his voice was sore and throat was raw. 

The deck was damp, after Sokka told Toph the plan, it began to rain incredibly hard. They were sailing through a storm for a couple hours the rest of the day and it only just eased up a while ago. And apparently the Avatar gets terribly motion sick, if the others' jokes about her were any true. Toph was in one of the ship's rooms, vomiting her brains out supposedly. He never knew she could get so sick like that. 

If he knew this while he was still trying to kill her, all he would have had to do was get her on his ship and she would probably kill herself for him.

"So where's your mom?" He asked finally, just honestly wishing to break this silence 

She turned to look at him, her hair blowing in the breeze, "Huh?" 

"Your mom, where's she?" He repeated but when he gained no response, he decided to explain it again, "One of those guys is your dad, right? So where's your mom, you know, his wife?"

"Oh," She then spoke the next part calmly, why was she so calm? Zuko suspected that she would be tearing his eyes out after the hell he had put her through these months, "I don't have a mom, those guys are my parents"

"All of them!?" He knew he should have just counted his blessings and left it at that but his exclamation came out of his mouth faster than he realized 

The Avatar giggled, " Yes, all of them"

All of them were her parents? How is that even possible? Not only were there six of them, they were all… men. Big, strong, handsome men.

"And they're all… together? Like they," He swallowed and he couldn't believe he was going to say this, " Love… each other?"

"Just as any other couple," Toph couldn't help a smile crawling on her face, "It's not weird or strange, it's love. They're like any other couple, just with a few more people," He gave her a strange look and she asked, "You don't have poly in the Fire Nation, do you?" 

" Poly…? I have no idea what you're talking about so probably not" 

What the fuck is a poly? Is that some kinda thing that's allowed in the Earth Kingdom or something? Where you can have six dads or maybe the Avatar is only allowed? No, that's stupid and it doesn't make sense. 

"Hey uh… I'm sorry for today, for fighting you and then kinda passing out," Toph said, she kept her gaze locked ahead on the water, "That wasn't cool and I'm sorry. Everyone told me what you did back in Omashu after I passed out, you saved them" 

He saved them? No, all he did was get them out of there and away from Azula to get to Uncle. Well, maybe that counts. If it weren't for him, they would have all probably been captured by the Fire Nation. 

Zuko shrugged, "Don't worry about it. If I were you, I'd probably beat me up too. I was a pain in your ass for months, I deserved it"

"Yeah, maybe you did," She grinned, "I always wanted you to come to realize what you were doing wrong, I'm happy you're finally finding peace" 

She sounded like Uncle Iroh now, he scoffed, "You shouldn't have to be happy, I should've known since the beginning" 

"You can't control what you do and don't know, all you can do is learn and grow from it. And you grew, I think there's plenty to be happy about, even if we're new to being friends" 

Friends? They were already considered friends? What the fuck, they were just fighting this morning and the last time she was awake, they were killing each other. But now they're friends and she's… happy for him? She's happy that he chose the right side, that he was learning

Maybe Toph wasn't some stupid, Earth Kingdom hick who was too naive because of her age. Maybe she was actually a really smart kid who was able to understand right from wrong and wanted to help others not because she was an idiot, but because she was kind . She was showing him kindness with this... forgiveness? Spirits, she's already been through so much today: waking up, fighting him thinking he was the enemy, passing out again, finding out she was in a coma and then that everyone thought she was dead, and sea sickness to top it all off. And now she was forgiving him? 

And not just that, she wanted to be friends . Or well, she just claimed him as a friend. She trusted him enough to be friends. Why? How was she so sure he wouldn't betray her or attack her right now? He certainly could, she was still weak from her injuries. What made her know that he was alright, that he was trustworthy? 

They were so different . Toph never had to push down her true feelings in order to appease those around her, she never had to hide who she was in fear of not being what everyone always wanted her to be. She could never understand. She knew the right thing to say and when to say it, she was patient and strong in a way he could never be. 

The way he compared himself to her, it reminded Zuko of how he would compare himself to his sister. Because Azula was the prodigy Firebender, because Azula was smarter, because Azula had all the brightest ideas, because Azula was loved more, because Azula was better. And Toph was 12, four years younger than him. And he was comparing her to his perfect sister. 

They were so similar.  

"I… I'm not as good of a Firebender as my sister or something but I'm pretty good… I can be your Firebending Sensi, Avat- Toph..." He said, hands tightening around the cold, metal bars of the gates, "You're right, I am learning. And I realized that my destiny isn't to be the Prince of the Fire Nation, it's to help play my part in ending this war, to help you restore balance to this world"

And now it's all said. He had told her what he had wanted to tell her for two months. He wants to be her Sensi, he wants to teach her. He even used her real name.

Toph turned her head to him, her large eyes staring at where his chest met his neck, stone faced. What was wrong with here? Why wasn't she saying anything? Was she… thinking? Was there something to consider? Did she want a better Firebending teacher? They were friends right? So what's wrong with him?!

Then, 

She bowed. Well, it wasn't really a bow. She pressed her knuckles together over her chest and bowed her head slightly (He swore it was an Earth Kingdom thing, he's seen so many people do it in Omashu), "Thank you" 

"Huh?" 

"You just said you're gonna teach me Firebending," She stood up straight, "I need a teacher and you're offering, I'm taking it obviously . So thank you" 

Oh. 

"Oh" 

That was easy, and quick. Honestly, he pictured this taking much longer. He felt… neutral, he imagined feeling very good about doing this but he didn't feel so happy. It just felt like something he had to do. Not to say this wasn't big, he was going to teach the Avatar, someone he has spent three years hunting, Firebending. He would say he is working with the enemy but in actuality, he was working against the enemy now. 

She smiled at him and after realizing he had nothing to say, she spoke, "I was thinking a lot about the plan, about me being… dead. My dads helped talk me through it" 

Zuko knew her parents loved her. If Katara wasn't in her room healing her when Toph was in her coma, it was her dads. They were so worried about their (shared?) daughter and she was all they talked about. He had gotten most of his knowledge of the Avatar from them. And even though he knew of the amount of love they held for her, it still surprised him to hear that they helped her through it. They listened to her concerns and talked her through it as she said.

"Oh," He blinked and stepped closer to her, "And?" 

"And we're doing it. I'm gonna stay dead, it's what's best for now. We'll be able to surprise the Fire Nation during The Day of Black Sun. And even though I hate having to make the rest of the world lose hope in winning the war, it won't be forever," Toph smiled a little, "All I have to do is be patient"

All she has to be is patient, Uncle Iroh always said the Avatar's biggest virtue was her patience. He said that is what a true Earthbender should have but he used to believe that was posterous, what makes an Earthbender strong is how big the rocks they could throw were. But now, Zuko was starting to think otherwise. 

How many times had he lost a battle against her because she waited for her perfect moment while he rushed in with no rhyme or reason like a Firebender? 

Maybe he won't just be teaching her Firebending, maybe she could teach him patience. 

"I think that's what's best" He said 

Zuko watched her nod in agreement before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a… headband? That metal headband she always wears with her bun, he was wondering where it had gone. It was in her pocket this entire time? 

Toph turned back towards the gate, facing the sea and clasping the metal headband tightly in her hands. In an instant, the edge of the left part of the band sharpened into something matching a blade. 

Okay, now he was a little worried. Was she gonna kill him? He took a couple steps back, "Earlier today, when you trapped my legs with the floor. Uncle said it was…" 

"Metalbending," She finished for him, not turning her head to face him, "I invented it before I got back to Omashu"

Holy fucking shit. Bending metal was possible for Earthbenders? The Fire Nation has been trapping Earthbenders in metal work camps for a century, they could have invented that and destroyed them. 

This girl was a fucking monster. 

"If no one can know I'm alive, I gotta do it right" She said to him

Toph grabbed the back of her hair and…

Sliced it off with the blade. 

She stretched her bandaged arm out forward in the pale moonlight and dropped the hair, letting it blow away in the wind. 

"Holy shit" He whispered, did the Earth Kingdom have their hair tied to their honor as well or was that just the Fire Nation? He wasn't sure if he was overreacting

Toph turned to him, her messy hair now sloppily cut and reached just past her chin. She was grinning at him and cackled at his reaction, bending the metal headband around her right upper arm, securing it in place she laughed again, 

"Holy shit is right"

Notes:

BAM PLOT TWIST!!!! ZUKO'S HERE!!!!

I bet you didn't see THAT coming!!!! I LOVE in canon that Zuko sided with the Fire Nation at the end of Book 2, it shows that growth isn't linear and that even though Zuko got everything he could have ever wanted, he still wasn't happy because he knew it was wrong, it was important to his redemption and to his character. I LOVE LOVE LOVED that!!!! But I didn't do it here.

I wanted to but I didn't, I didn't want this story to get boring by being too similar to canon so I changed it. All those times Toph tried to reach out to him (and Azula) finally caught up with and knocked some sense into him. Her stupid words and (arguably) deadly attempts to get ii into his skull that he WAS capable of change.

SO YEAH!!! Zuko is part of the gaang, they all are still weary so it'll take some time obviously to get used to him!!!

Okay, notes time!!!

I have a couple things to say about the scene towards the end of this chapter. First things first, the part about Zuko saying that boys don't wear makeup. Obviously I don't think that (I'm a boy and I love the occasional wing and lipstick even if I'm not that good at it lmao). It's Fire Nation bullshit.

AND SPEAKING OF FIRE NATION BULLSHIT!!!! Zuko doesn't know SHIT about polyamory. If the Fire Nation had banned same sex relationships/marriage than I think it's safe to say that they do NOT have polyamorous relationships. That's why he assumed that only one of Toph's dads were her "actual" dad and asked where he mom was. But Toph calmly told him otherwise and explained it to him.

OKAY LAST THING!!! This line here: 'They were so different. Toph never had to push down her true feelings in order to appease those around her, she never had to hide who she was in fear of not being what everyone always wanted her to be. She could never understand'

This happened at the end. This is what Zuko was thinking of Toph. Zuko thinks that Toph was just,, always sorta like this. That she had a relatively normal life. That she was born a prodigy bender and didn't face any problems, like Azula (which is wrong, he and Azula both were victims of abuse, just different kinds, he'll learn).

But the thing is, Toph DID have to face those things. Toph DID have to push down her true feelings to appease others with her ableist birth parents, she DID have to hide who she was with them and even the entire WORLD at one point. She DOES understand what he's going though because she has been there!!! That's why she wants to help him, BECAUSE she understands. She wants to help Zuko and Azula because she GETS abuse, she's been there, she GETS that it SUCKS and that you might not even consider it abuse until someone opens your eyes about it!!!

Toph has been trying SO HARD with both Zuko and Azula because she understands. That's why she understood Jet's anger with the Fire Nation after they killed his family. That's why she understood Aang's want to leave the Airbending village, or Sokka and Katara's desperation to hold onto each other because they are the little family they have left. Toph understands that because she can relate to it. I hope that makes sense.

Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!!! Be sure to leave a comment and check out thecursedavatar on Tumblr!!!