Simplicity

AN: This is a very quick and rather pointless oneshot that is dedicated with all my fondness to SwampFoxTheThird. Not only does she give me many great reviews, some much-needed criticism, lots of laughs and a large number of random yet fun PMs but she is also having a birthday today and thus deserves a present. That, and she practically challenged me that I couldn't get a fic done for her before her birthday.

I WON! ;) You never said it had to be a GOOD fic. Teeheehee.

Hope everybody enjoys it even a little bit. Review and criticize away. And check back in a few days for edits after SwampFoxTheThird has had her say about it. Lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Avatar at all. Only all the episodes and most of the shorts. Please don't sue: I finally have two cents to rub together and I need it for parties this December hols ;)

The sun had set a while ago and only a few strands of pink still battled against the inky blackness in the sky. From his vantage point on the mostly ruined wall Zuko could see the lights of Ba Sing Se appear sporadically as the people of the city lit up their night. The new Firelord, however, was content to lie in semi-darkness while the world continued at his feet and the party continued in his uncle's teashop behind him. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his friends and uncle, exactly. It was more that the need to be alone for the first time in days finally overcame him and drove him from the music, laughter and good-natured arguing.

Zuko breathed in deeply and shut his eyes, relaxed as the silence was broken only by sounds too distant to be of much annoyance. The Firebender had grown accustomed to being alone in his three-plus years of banishment and although he couldn't say he enjoyed the solitude or even worked through his thoughts better alone it was simply a matter of an old habit that would take time to break. And, anyway, the last thing he wanted was to start a fight because he started snapping at people.

Without warning there was a rush of air beside him and then a thud as whatever had fallen hit the ground. He was upright and alert at once, hands at the ready to bend. But the noise had only been Toph who had appeared with no warning and had set herself down beside him. He blinked at the little girl in surprise, growing more and more bewildered when she said nothing. The Earthbender was uncharacteristically still – she did not fidget or speak at all but instead only stared unwaveringly out over Ba Sing Se.

Suddenly awkward – they hadn't ever really spoken to each other – Zuko leaned back on his elbows and looked at the appearing lights too, waiting for Toph to speak. The part of wall they sat on was basically the only chunk that had survived when the three walls inside Ba Sing Se had been torn down after the war. They had started with the lower tier and had worked upwards, leaving the last wall somewhat intact as its demolition was the one that garnered the most resistance and thus even the Earthbenders had had trouble pulling it down completely in one day. But, come the next sunrise, the chunk beneath Zuko and Toph would be destroyed too, leaving the city of Ba Sing Se truly delivered.

Finally, the silence became too much for Zuko and he nervously cast around for some topic of small talk that he could latch onto. Finding one he saw as polite and completely trouble-free, he turned slightly to Toph and asked, "So… is your home near here?"

However, as with most things in Zuko's life, things didn't go according to plan.

Toph whirled to face him so fast all he saw was a blur in the near-darkness. "I'm not going home!" Toph shrieked at him. "I don't care what you all think! You know nothing!" Zuko, taken completely off guard, just stared at her. "And even when I try to explain you never listen! Especially you! You and your suckish field trip when I tried to find somebody who got it and all you did was make me feel handled again. I'm not. Going. shut up!"

There was the thud of her fists hitting the wall, and the stone beneath them shook ominously. Zuko sat up again, feeling defensive at being jumped on for no reason.

"Hey!" he snapped, interrupting her before she could continue in her tirade. His voice came out sharper than he intended but it got the job done so he pushed away any guilt. "First of all, we were looking for Aang – not having a buddy-buddy bonding session. In case you forgot, we were about to have the final battle of a hundred-year war. And sec-"

"Yeah, well, I thought we had time to speak seeing as I was with you and your track record says you never get Aang," Toph interjected spitefully, also on the defensive at Zuko's anger.

The Firelord's nostrils flared and he clenched his fists tightly. Taking a calming breath that didn't really help, the Firelord grit his teeth and continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "And secondly, I wasn't going to suggest anything about you going anywhere. It was polite small talk, seeing as we're in your home kingdom and everything. So I would appreciate it if you refrained from jumping down my throat while I'm trying to get some peace and freaking quiet for once."

He briefly considered storming away but then realized that it would be considered a retreat and beat back his limbs' desire to get up and move away. Besides, he had been there first. In an act of pure defiance Zuko lay right back down on the wall, crossing his arms on his chest stubbornly. Toph did not reply or get up but instead stared sightlessly at him in silence. Zuko continued to glare mulishly at the appearing stars.

"You… weren't gonna tell me to go home?" Zuko doubted he'd ever heard Toph's voice so small before.

"No." His voice was still snappish and harsh, but he was still fuming and unable to get a grip on his temper as of yet. "Why on earth would I suddenly pull that out of the air?"

"Well, I'm sorry." The Earthbender crossed her arms too, glowering. Then she sighed and tried again. "Sorry. It's just… they've been hounding me about it ever since we decided to come to Ba Sing Se. And tonight… None of them would listen." Zuko's anger was quelled by the sudden realization that he hadn't heard his uncle playing in a while. So they'd been arguing instead of dancing. Well, that sure explained a lot. "I came out here for peace and allegiance and when you immediately asked me about home… I just thought you were on their side."

Zuko snorted. "Since when have I ever been an ally of the Avatar?"

He could see her grin slightly in appreciation to his joke. Silence settled again, but the Firelord's conscience niggled at him. He really wanted to leave things as they were – he was terrible at the mushy bonding and motivational speeches – but a part of him could not let it end like that. Finally, frustrated, he unclenched his jaw and turned his head toward the lounging Earthbender.

"So…" Zuko dragged out the word uncertainly. "Everybody's saying you should go home?" Toph nodded curtly. "And… you don't wanna go back?" She gave a sarcastic snort that told him he was being an idiot for even asking after her earlier tirade. "Okay…" Zuko furrowed his brow. "So then I suppose I gotta ask why not? I mean, the war's over and all…"

"Just because the war has ended does not mean my parents have changed their outlook on things," Toph told him, still in that unnaturally quiet voice of hers. "No matter what I did and what I faced in these past months… they're still gonna take one look at me and try and wrap me up in cotton wool. To them I'm… I'm a prized vase, not a living, breathing person. And I hate it!" Her tone became vicious. "I hate living like that. I don't want to live like that!"

Zuko was silent for a few heartbeats. "At least… at least you're a prized something to them," he pointed out quietly, looking away from her even though she could not see.

And, instead of biting back, Toph squirmed a little guiltily beside him. "I know. That's what makes it harder. I know they love me. Which means I can't hate them. And I… I do wanna see them again. Make sure they're okay. Try and make them accept me. But I'm sc-" She broke off at once, before the word 'scared' could fully defile her mouth. Suddenly she rounded on Zuko again. "If you tell anybody any of this…!"

"Who am I gonna tell?" Zuko asked her wearily, not in the mood to be threatened. "And, besides, I'll bet you've told them all this already. Weren't you just complaining that they don't listen?"

"Well…" The Earthbender picked at her toes, suddenly seeming shy. "I didn't… exactly… put it that way to them. But… you… you understand."

In one fluid movement he was sitting again, frowning at his companion. "Why? Why do you keep saying that? Why do you keep wanting to have bonding moments and revealing fieldtrips with me?" He was frustrated, but it was only because he truly did not understand her reasoning. The concept of him being wanted – needed, even – was foreign and bewildering. "Surely somebody else is better at this than me? Aang? Sokka? Suki? Katara? Katara's about as much of a mother as you can get!"

"I don't need another mother," Toph snapped, embarrassed and equally as frustrated to explain her feelings. "I just need somebody who understands what it's like to have a screwed-up family. I need somebody who understands what it's like to hate and love your parents at the same time. I need…" Her voice dropped into a tiny whisper, and suddenly Zuko seemed to remember how young she actually was. "I need you."

Both benders felt completely disarmed at this last revelation from Toph's lips. Zuko opened his mouth but closed it again without a sound, feeling uncomfortably hot around the neck and cheeks. Toph had her face turned resolutely to the wall as she picked at the rough surface, but Zuko was sure she was blushing too. Awkward silence filled the night and it was deep enough for them to hear a man and wife quarreling some streets away.

"What… what do you need me to do?" Zuko was getting rather desperate and wishing for his uncle.

Toph shrugged. "I don't actually know. I was hoping you'd have some bright thing to tell me that would make sense of everything in my head."

Zuko laughed humourlessly. "I think you have the wrong Firebender. Uncle's in the Jasmine Dragon."

Toph sighed, sounding frustrated again. "Yeah, but you just faced your family. You… well, no offense, but you screwed up pretty badly. And yet you made it right with your uncle. And you somehow managed to sort out your emotions in your head enough that you could face your father and your sister. So I was hoping…"

"You're under the impression that I had a clue what I was doing." Zuko's voice was atypically gentle. He hesitated for a while and then spoke again, voice slow as though he was thinking deeply. "All I knew was that I had to stop running away from life and toward my own fantasies of what life 'should be'. No amount of wishing or planning or capturing anybody would make life turn into the image I had in my head. All we have is one reality. And we have to learn to deal with it."

"So… What do you think I should do?"

"You're the Earth Rumble Champ. Conqueror of the Fire Nation's war balloons. Earthbending teacher to the Avatar." A smile ghosted at his lips. "The Melon Lord. Are you really gonna run away from this?"

A determined inhale was the first part to his answer. "No. I guess not."

"They" – both benders knew he was speaking of the rest of their clan inside the Dragon – "thought the same. That's why they pushed you on this."

"I know," she mumbled back. "I guess… I guess I just needed…"

"Everybody to say it so there was no way you could pretend it wasn't true," Zuko finished for her quietly.

He felt rather than saw Toph look in his direction. "Yeah. Exactly." The stillness this time was complete but not nearly as tense. "So what do I do?"

This time, Zuko was really at a loss. "Uhm… I don't know… What do you feel like doing?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah…"

"I feel like calling in favours from everybody I know and everybody Aang's influence can sway so that I get a convoy so big it will scare the living daylights out of my parents when they see it approaching. And I'll be right in the middle of all of the big, scary men and I'll command them all with barely a wave of my hand. And when they see that they will know that I'm a master and they can't contain or lock up or… or… handle me any longer."

Her impassioned speech was met by silence once more. All of a sudden she felt exposed and vulnerable. Why wasn't Zuko saying anything? But even as she rallied her wit and harsh words Zuko's voice broke the stillness.

"I understand why you want that." His tone was such that Toph knew she could not contradict him. He really, honestly did know – probably more than she could really imagine. "But… you know what that whole plan just screams?"

"What?"

"Immaturity."

Toph's jaw nearly unhinged. "What? You-!"

"Listen!" Zuko cut her off quickly. "I know that you feel the only way they're going to take you seriously is if you display so much might and power they… tremble before you and bow at your feet." The impassioned note that entered his voice kept Toph silent – the Firelord was not only talking about her fantasies any more. "You think that if you shove in their faces how powerful you are that they will grovel and plead that they never knew and they're so, so sorry and-" He seemed to realize what he was actually saying and broke off, clearing his throat awkwardly. "But it doesn't work like that."

"Why the hell not?"

"Toph…" Zuko sighed. "What's their reaction gonna be when they see that convoy of yours?"

"They're probably going to nearly wet themselves in fright." She couldn't keep the note of satisfaction from her voice.

"Exactly. And then they're going to see you in the middle. And first they're going to think you're kidnapped by this horde – or worse. From what you've told me they think you will fall apart if somebody touches you too roughly. So they'll probably send guards to 'save' you. Resulting in more fighting. And even if they don't they're still going to imagine all the other dangerous things you've done with dangerous men and they're going to be even more frightened and more determined to keep you completely enclosed."

The young woman's first instinct was to prove him wrong and do so in such a strong way that he would not question her on the subject ever again. But as her instincts kicked in, so did her common sense. And her common sense told her that what Zuko was saying was very, very true. Still she warred with herself: reality and fantasy battling it out in her heart fiercely. Her companion seemed to understand this for he said nothing as she grappled, hating the conclusion she was inevitably heading toward. Finally, she slumped.

"You suck," she hissed at him.

Zuko just smiled. "Simplicity is one of those things that is most difficult to let lead and yet most rewarding when it is victorious in your life."

Toph grinned. "Uncle Iroh wisdom?"

Zuko grinned back, hearing the smile in her voice but not seeing it in the nearly complete darkness. "He actually says smart things that are not tea related sometimes."

And, finally, Toph laughed. The sound seemed to break the remains of the tension surrounding them. All of a sudden, they felt completely at ease even though the same conversation was still in place. Toph wondered, mildly, if that subtle change had happened to the others on their fieldtrips with the Firebender. It would certainly explain a lot.

"So no convoy?"

"No. No convoy."

"What should I take instead?"

"Your best manners. Your best hairdo and the prettiest dress you can buy. Also your humility: you'll have to apologize."

He could imagine her pulling a face. "Seriously? Why me?"

"Because it helps," he replied firmly. "It really, really helps. And somebody's gotta go first."

She let out a noise that told him she could find no way to disagree with his statement. Unconsciously, Toph shifted closer to him, as though they were planning some big mission that nobody else could know about.

"So I just walk up there – alone – looking like their perfect princess and say, 'Hey, I'm sorry for running away but I'm back now'?"

"Yes. And then you tell them everything you've ever wanted to. No pretenses. Explain to them exactly who you are and what you've done. Tell them that you lo… that you love them but tell them also that you will not be… 'handled'… any more. Tell them you want to have a relationship with them but that it must be on mutual terms."

Toph shifted even closer, her voice suddenly lowered. "What if they don't listen? What if they lock me up anyway?"

Zuko had to try not to smile. "Toph. You're the greatest Earthbender alive. You can bend metal. How are they going to keep you locked up?" He gave a moment or two for his words to sink in. "Listen, give them a few chances. Keep hammering the same things at them until they can't ignore what you're saying any more. Remember that they're going to want to resist you and your sense because it goes against what they've believed for more than twelve years."

"And if I can't get them to listen? If I can't get away because they keep me in… in water or something?" A part of her hated how weak and scared she sounded. But the worries weighed heavily on her and she knew of nobody else who could make them better.

"As if I would ever let you stay captured," the Firelord scoffed, his tone reminding Toph of the arrogant prince she had first met the time Azula had tracked them by Appa's falling fur. "You need to go alone so they don't feel threatened. But if you haven't written to us in three days to at least tell us you need longer then we'll come get you. And let them try to defy the will of the Firelord."

Toph looked away, her demeanor suddenly shy. "You'd do that for me?"

He scoffed again, but this time it was obviously hiding his embarrassment. "Despite your personality, you're one of us. You're important to me. Us. The group. As a whole."

She could almost feel the heat of his blush at his slip up. And maybe she could have found a million ways to tease him about it. And maybe she could have scoffed at the strange affection. And maybe she would have if the amusement was not drowned out by a curious warmth that spread throughout her chest.

x-x-x

They were all standing in a line, shoulder to shoulder, as the train shivered in anticipation. Toph, dressed up to the best of the ability of the shops and beauticians of Ba Sing Se, stood in the open carriage door, surveying her farewell party with sightless eyes. Now that she was actually going, doubt was beginning to crawl into the hearts and minds of those who had insisted it was a good idea for her to go.

"Maybe one of us should go with you…" Katara sounded very unsure and even a bit guilty.

Toph rolled her milky eyes. "Relax, Sweetness. I'm a freaking Metalbender. Nothing's gonna happen to me."

"Alright…" Katara still seemed unsure. "But if something does…"

"Then I won't dictate a letter to you and you can all come get me in three days. They're my parents, not ruthless Fire Nation tyrants."

She heard Zuko's snort and had to turn her face away to hide her grin. It seemed it would still be easy enough to get a rise out of the Firelord. Excellent. The train's whistle sounded and the open doors began to close. Her line of friends all took a step back to give the train room.

"Good luck!" Aang's voice chirped at her, warm and cheerful as usual.

"If all else fails, remember what I told you about the power of stroking a beard!" Sokka told her in a very wise voice. Suki sighed a little exasperatedly, but Toph grinned wider.

"Take care, Toph. And don't… steal anything, okay?" There was a note of laughter to Katara's voice that only Toph could pick up.

Mai and Zuko, the last two in the line, said nothing. This was no surprise as neither of them was very comfortable in such situations. The whistle sounded again and Toph grabbed onto the door, ready to close it. Then she hesitated, staring at the spot she judged Zuko to be. A sudden impulse made her leap from the train and fling herself directly at the utterly surprised and unsuspecting Firelord. The hug was uncomfortable – in more ways than one – but she held on regardless. And, after a few seconds, Zuko's body relaxed and the bit of arm she had not pinned to his side with her embrace circled around her back.

She wanted to tell him how much he'd helped. She wanted to tell him many more things than that. But she had no words. And then she remembered the lesson Iroh had taught him and he'd, in turn, taught her: simplicity.

"Thanks," she mumbled at him.

And then she rushed back to the train, nearly missing the thing as she leaped. And she was sure, as she closed the door behind her, that Zuko was blushing as hard as she was even though she couldn't see him.