ATLA Shorts

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“Wow, camping. It really seems like old times again, doesn’t it?” 

“If you really want it to feel like old times I could... uh..” Zuko broke a piece of bread, tilting his head thoughtfully. “...chase you around awhile and try to capture you.” Everyone laughed--well, almost everyone. Toph frowned to herself when she noticed, and then Katara did laugh.

“Ha. Ha.” It was low and no one else seemed to notice, but it made Toph’s frown deepen. Katara had been this way for days, and despite Toph’s outward harshness, she was worried about the Sugar Queen.

“To Zuko!” Sokka raised his cup in a toast, grinning. “Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today, he’d be our hero.”

“Hear hear!” Laughing with the rest of them, Toph punched Zuko’s shoulder playfully, but inside, her worry escalated.

Again, Katara was the only one who said nothing.

“I’m touched. I don’t deserve this.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” After those random words, Katara got up and stalked away. 

“What’s with her?” Toph wanted to know the answer to that, too.

“I wish I knew.” Zuko stood and followed after Katara, disappearing into the darkness. Sokka’s voice became even more confused as he said, “what’s with him?”

But still, Toph didn’t have an answer. She placed a palm to the ground, listening as Zuko and Katara walked further and further away, toward the edge of the cliff. She closed her eyes and focused on the vibrations that echoed through the earth, and smiled when she found what she was looking for: the sound vibrations.

“This isn’t fair. Everyone else seems to trust me now. What is it with you?”

“Oh, everyone trusts you now?! I was the first person to trust you, remember, back in Ba Sing Se! And you turned around and betrayed me. Betrayed all of us!”

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

“You really wanna know? Hmm. Maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King, or, I know! You could bring my mother back!”

Toph frowned again, waving goodnight to everyone before she bended an earth tent for herself and flopped onto her back. So that was it. Something had to be done--this was getting ridiculous. If Zuko and Katara didn’t make up soon, it could jeopardize everything. Toph wasn’t one to get involved in other people’s issues, but this time... this time, she might just make an exception.

~~~

When Toph woke up, she did her usual stretch and scratch routine, and then checked the surroundings with a palm to the ground. Everything was as it should be--and just her luck, Zuko and Katara were together, standing outside Katara’s tent! Toph stood up and dropped into a stance, breathing in and out slowly. Then, she moved, her feet sliding forward as her hands made quick jabs at the air, and then she brought them down on an exhale, opening a hole in the earth and then closing it again.

Where Zuko and Katara had stood, there was nothing--and deep beneath the ground, Toph could feel the reverberations of their confusion and panic. She grinned. If this didn’t take care of the problem, nothing would.

**__**

“What’s going on?!”

“Katara?”

“Zuko?! What by La...? Hey! Stop touching me! Let go!”

“I’m sorry! Don’t act like this is my fault!” Zuko wiggled around, trying to get as far away from her as possible, but they were wedged into the earth with barely enough room to breathe, let alone wiggle. Maybe if they could see... “Hold on, stop moving.”