I'm back, and now that I'm getting closer to the end of the semester here at college, I think I'll soon be able to update more frequently.

Also, I just want to give a huge shout-out to abicho, a user who not only left a super sweet review on this fic, but also made some wicked cool fanart to go along with it! Seriously guys, it's awesome, so go check it out! ( imgur [period] c o m [slash] JqmsJl3)

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Avatar: The Last Airbender

Chapter 16: Spar to Channel

When Sokka had so dramatically revealed to Aang and Toph that he had found someone who could lead them to Appa, Aang had assumed that the aforementioned informant would be a Fire Nation officer of some sort; someone important, someone who the Fire Nation trusts with a lot of their classified information.

When Sokka finally leads the younger pair into the storage building, Aang immediately notices a man nearly identical to what he had expected. In the center of the building – tied tightly to one of the support pillars – is a man sporting a bright red coat, many sashes, and some of the most exuberant facial hair Aang has ever seen. There is a gag in his mouth and a blindfold around his eyes, but Aang still very easily recognizes him as the man who had led the Fire Nation soldiers against the rebels the night before.

A diverse collection of emotions plows through Aang's entire being, none of them as prominent as the red-hot anger that makes his body feel more aflame than any firebender ever could. His mind immediately fills with questions, and he has every intention of getting answers to all of them. Just as he furrows his eyebrows threateningly and starts marching towards the officer, though, Sokka grabs him by the shoulder and shakes his head, motioning across the room to a man that Aang had not even noticed when he walked in.

The man Sokka pointed to is unbound his stout body wrapped in a simple tunic, patched pants and an apron. There's a small cap upon his head and hi holds a broom in his right hand, his chubby fingers gripping the handle so tightly that the entire broom is shaking. When Aang catches his gaze, the older man bows humbly, nearly losing his hat in the process.

Aang turns back to Sokka, a questioning look in his eyes. "This man is a maintenance worker who works in this building," Sokka explains. "He saw Appa with his own eyes."

"Aye sir, I did," the janitor says respectfully before Aang can barrage him with endless questions. "He was here for little more than a day. His owners were tryin' to hid him from the soldiers."

Aang's grimace grows more intense. "Owners?" He seethes, his blood beginning to boil as it runs faster through his veins. Who are these people who claim to own his best friend? Appa isn't a pet! Especially not a pet of whatever horrible people these "owners" are likely to be.

The maintenance man nods quickly, and it's only then that Aang notices that he's begun to shake so furiously that nearly his entire body is trembling. "Aye; three of them, one much older than the other two," he elaborates. "They wore fabric that covered their faces up to the eyes." He looks down at his feet, Aang's intense stare becoming too much for him to handle. "They paid me to keep my mouth shut, but once the owner of this building found out he told everyone who would listen. The three of 'em left quickly after that. Not wanting to get thrown in jail, I suspect."

Aang narrows his eyes, deciding in that moment that he would ensure that those three "owners" would come to wish that they were thrown in jail. "Where did they go?" He asks, his hands clenching into fists so tight that his fingernails nearly rip into the skin of his palms.

The man shakes his head slowly, a sincerely apologetic look upon his face. "I don't know for certain, sir, but I did hear them makin' quite a bit of ruckus about some kind of fort near Omashu."

Aang opens his mouth to continue his questioning, but Sokka steps between him and the janitor quicker than he can comprehend. "A fort – !" He exclaims, lowering himself down so he can look the old man in the eyes. The man shrinks down at Sokka's approach, a wheeze of fear escaping his lips as he moves. "Are you certain you heard them mention a fort?"

As much as he can manage with his head stuck between his tremulous shoulders, the man nods. "Yes, sir. They were headed for a fort near Omashu, and were in a bit of a hurry to get there from what I heard."

Sokka takes a sharp step backwards, cursing and running a hand through his hair. "How on Earth could they know about that?!" He exhales sharply through his mouth, nostrils flaring and eyes ablaze.

Toph, after a surprisingly long period of silence, finally pipes into the conversation. "What the hell is this geezer talking about, Snoozles, and why is it making you bug out so much?"

Sokka runs his hands over his face, rubbing his temples with his fingers as he sighs heavily. He opens his mouth to respond, but closes it once again when he remembers that there's an enemy officer sitting not twenty feet away. "We can't talk about this in here," he reminds them in a steely tone, his blue eyes growing harsh as they glare at the red-clad man who has suddenly become very interested in their conversation.

Toph scoffs. "Sure we can," she insists, beginning to walk towards the officer. The man hears her footsteps approaching him and sits up straighter, trying to say something from behind his gag. Before he can, though, Toph's small foot flies through the air and connects with his jaw with a loud crack, making the man fall unconscious instantly. Toph grins at her handiwork, turning away from the Fire Nation officer and back towards Sokka. "See?"

Sokka looks like he's about ready to scold her, but before he can he chortles in amusement. "That works too," he says around his laughter. Quickly, though, he regains his composure, turning on the old maintenance man with a look more serious than Aang had ever though Sokka capable of.

"I'm going to need you to leave now," he says slowly, suddenly becoming aware of how much he's managed to frighten the older man in a span of barely ten minutes. "Thank you for your help and cooperation."

The janitor nods enthusiastically, relief bringing a slight color back to his face as he races out of the storage facility, broom in hand.

Once the door closes behind him, Sokka takes one last look at the Fire Nation officer to confirm his unconscious state. With yet another heavy sigh, he beckons Toph and Aang towards him.

"The rebels have a few forts scattered around the Earth Kingdom," he begins hesitantly. "They're not much; they're actually nothing, really, compared to the military facilities that the Fire Nation has been known to build." He runs his tongue over his lips and peers over at the red-clad officer once more before continuing, his voice quieter. "Our most powerful and well-hidden fort rests about three leagues from Omashu, which is – at this point – still very much under Fire Nation control." Sokka raises one of his hands to his chin, touching his beard in absentminded thought. "If the people who have Appa know about that fort, it could mean either of two things. One: Appa has been found by rebel soldiers who are trying to bring him to our army's most secure safe house. Two: Appa has been found by very bad people who have somehow discovered our fort and plan to try and use Appa as a bargaining piece for getting what they want from the soldiers at our fort."

That idea alone makes Aang so angry he nearly explodes from the internal pressure of his own emotions. He feels a rush of passion flow through him, stronger than anything he's felt in a long time. "I don't care which possible scenario is the case; I need to get Appa back from those people before they do any harm to him."

Sokka raises a hand to calm him, his expression turning empathetic. "Aang, I need you to calm down; those three people are more than likely not friendly, and I'm willing to bet they have backup." He steps forward and places his extended hand onto Aang's shoulder, a sad smile forming on his lips. "I feel your pain, buddy; I know what it's like to be separated from those you care about." His eyebrows lower slightly. "Which is why I can't let you make such a hasty, anger-driven decision. The world we live in now is dangerous, and we can't afford to lose you."

Aang stays still for a moment, tense as he searches Sokka's expression. After a few moments, though, he sighs and lowers his head, his expression strained. "I understand," he mumbles.

"Of course," Sokka continues quickly, "That doesn't mean that we're going to stop looking for Appa; it just means that we're going to plan ahead a bit more so we don't end up on the wrong side of the flames."

Aang brightens at that, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Thanks, Sokka."

Toph crosses her arms, impatient. "But what are we to do in the meantime?" She asks, her expression calculating. "We can't just sit around forever, and you know that the Fire Nation will send reinforcements to run our sorry asses out of town before too long."

Sokka turns his attention towards her, his tone firm. "We've prepared for that; just this morning we sent out messenger hawks to other battalions to request help holding the town." He grimaces. "That, and now we need to figure out the army's next course of action, especially now that we've discovered that the enemy may know the whereabouts of one of our strongholds." With a sigh, he runs a hand through his hair. "Until some of the other battalions do arrive, though, the only thing we can do is wait."

Aang doesn't really like the sound of that, and Sokka's tone doesn't make him feel any better. "For how long?" He asks, his voice incredulous.

Sokka looks at him, his expression neutral. "Being that the closet battalions to ours are currently working towards capturing towns of their own, I'd say we're likely to get a reply in about a week, and that reinforcements will arrive a little over a week after that." He meets Aang's gaze straight on. "I know that may be more time than you'd like to wait, but it really is out best optio-"

Aang's eyes cuts him off short, his heart sinking in disbelief. "Two weeks?" He's almost yelling now, his chest clenching at the thought of leaving his oldest friend in the hands of those kidnappers. "Sokka, I can't leave Appa with those people for two weeks!" Aang shakes his head repeatedly, slowly beginning to step away from Sokka and towards the door of the building. Sokka calls out to him as he walks briskly out of the building and down the street, but Aang's ears are ringing too loudly and he can't hear him anymore.

Blinded by emotion, Aang stomps through the town, ignoring anyone who calls to him or stands in his way. He moves quickly, his feelings of anger and worry bubbling within him and threatening to make him explode. Before he even realizes how far he's traveled, he's already reached the forests surrounding town, the closest building more than a quarter mile away.

It's only then that he finally allows himself to stop, leaning against a tree for support and holding his head in his hands. His back slides against the tree and he lands in a sitting position on the ground, his face cradled in his palms and his elbows resting on his knees. He sits in silence for a while, his thoughts mostly incoherent due to both the feelings flooding his mind as well as the heavy blow he took the day before.

"Hey."

The voice is soft, but it reaches just far enough into his mind to yank him out of his frustrated stupor. Taking a moment to gather himself, Aang lifts his head and peers around for the source of the voice. He hears some leaves rustle to his left, and when he turns towards the noise he sees Toph standing a few feet from him, arms crossed. Her expression gives him no inkling of why she followed him out here, so he just lowers his head back into his hands and frowns.

"What do you want?" He asks, his voice muffled by his current position.

Toph shifts her position, resting her hands on her hips. "To make sure you don't run off and do something stupid," she replies flatly, her voice both concerned and annoyed. "You're kind of known to do that, Twinkletoes."

Perturbed, Aang looks up at her with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean?"

She snorts, her indifferent expression breaking as her mouth forms a smirk. "Do you not remember the time you tried to go off and fight Ozai by yourself? Because I certainly remember finding you washed up on a beach after the fact."

Aang watches her for a moment, unable to reciprocate the light humor she's found in this situation. "I'm not going anywhere, Toph," he replies flatly, his voice barbed. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

To her credit, Toph only sighs in response. "So you can wallow in your own self-pity again?" She asks, her voice growing harsh and her eyebrows narrowing. "No, I can't." Aang hears shuffling, and when he looks up again, Toph is standing right in front of him with her hand extended. "Get up," she commands, beckoning him with her slim fingers. He raises his gaze to her face, but her stern countenance reveals nothing about what she's thinking.

Knowing that Toph won't take no for an answer, Aang just sighs and reaches for her hand, grasping it tightly enough that he can use her to help himself rise to his feet.

"Good," Toph says, releasing his hand and taking a step forward. "And now that you're up – "

Quicker than Aang can comprehend, Toph's other hand shoots forward and the heel of it connects with his chest, making him choke on his breath and nearly fall back onto the ground. He catches himself just before he collapses, though, and sends a glare in Toph's direction. Her hand is still raised, her fingers curled forward like claws.

"Toph! What the – "

She cuts him off again, stepping forward and kicking towards his head with one smooth motion. Aang ducks just as her foot cuts through the air where his head had been, and before he's regained his composure, Toph punches forward with her opposite hand. Aang catches her wrist, but not before her knuckles have come within centimeters of his nose.

Toph chuckles at that, a look of genuine surprise on her face. "You're faster than I thought," she says, something like pride in her tone. She moves to pull her wrist from his grip but he holds on tightly, hoping to slow her flurry of attacks so he can at least find out what's going on. "Stronger, too," she adds as an afterthought.

"Care to tell me what exactly you're trying to do?" Aang asks, unable to deny the smile her absentminded praise brings to his lips.

In lieu of a response, she raises her knee up sharply and slams it into his stomach, making him curl over and release her wrist.

"I'm helping you," she says matter-of-factly, backing up to give him a moment to catch his breath.

Aang rests one hand on his knee, craning his neck up to look at her incredulously as he is not yet able to stand up straight. "Helping me?" He asks, unable to prevent himself from snorting at that. "How on Earth is you beating me up the same as you helping me?"

Toph releases a small chortle of her own. "Please, Twinkles; if I actually wanted to beat you up, I'd have done it already." She runs forward after that, curling her elbow back so she can ram it into his head once she makes her way over to him. Aang realizes her plan, though, and raises his forearm to parry her blow just before it lands.

"If you're not beating me up," he says, ending his sentence with a grunt as he pushes her arm away. "Then what, exactly, is happening right now?"

Toph whips around, kicking one of her legs forward. When Aang catches her ankle and throws her foot back to the ground, she spins around again to ram her fist into his jaw. He sees her plan, though, and lowers his head, kicking forward in an attempt to knock her off her feet. Toph feels his vibrations, though, and jumps out of the way at the last moment. She lands a few feet away, her feet making small dirt clouds erupt from the ground.

When she raises her head towards him again, she has to blow her bangs out of her face with a sharp exhale. "Well, now that you're actually fighting back," she begins, assuming another threatening position, "we're sparring."

Aang raises his fists, preparing for her next onslaught. "And how is this helping?"

"Because," she starts, breaking off to slam a well-aimed jab into his side and pulling a loud oof! out of him. "Right now, you're full of all kinds of dangerous emotions: anger, fear, frustration, hurt." She stops, taking a moment to breathe, just as Aang flies forward, his fist coming so close to her head that her hair flies up from the wind created by the blow. "I've learned the hard way, Twinkles, that if you don't channel such dangerous emotions, you're only going to end up hurt."

Aang, as crazy as he feels for agreeing with the woman who just started attacking him out of nowhere, cannot deny the truth behind her words. After just a few minutes of this, a feeling of rejuvenation has replaced his anger, and his mind has become clear. He cannot help but wonder what she means by learning "the hard way," but if he is ever to discover what she means, he knows the information will come when she wants to tell him, not when he asks her to.

As such, he restricts his response. "And this is how you channel them?" Aang asks, his breath coming in short gasps due to their tussle. He attacks her first this time, running forward and launching a spinning kick.

"Usually? No," she replies, easily sidestepping his blow. "I typically find a big, empty quarry and throw some boulders around until I feel better." Aang chuckles at that, easily able to picture her doing so in his mind. "But I know Suki and the nurse-lady would kill me if I tried to earthbend at you, what with my ankle and your head," she continues, her breath also beginning to become haggard. "So until you and I are better, this is the best I can manage."

Toph thrusts her fist forward, but Aang catches her hand mid-swing. "And once we're healed?" He inquires, holding her still.

Her arm is shaking from the effort it's taking her to try and rip her hand from his grasp, but she smiles wide at his question. "Once we're healed," she parrots, pulling her hand away and sweeping his feet out from under him with a low kick, making him fall onto his behind. Before Aang can move she puts her fist right between his eyes, marking her momentary victory. "I'm going to earthbend your poorly-practiced butt into shape so fast that your not-so-bald head will spin."

Aang grins despite his position, sliding himself away from her fist and summersaulting himself back to his feet. He rises to his full height, bringing his fists up to protect his face just as Toph raises her hands, a mischievous look on her face.

Mirroring her smirk, Aang exhales, his muscles tensing in anticipation and his heart shedding the weight of his worries; sure, it may just be for now, but helping him be able to forget his stress even for just the length of a short sparring match is perhaps one of the best gifts Toph could give him.

"Bring it," he says confidently, his mind focused solely on the dangerous woman before him.

Toph laughs, the sound predictably snarky yet surprisingly brilliant. She brings her hands together just long enough to crack her knuckles.

"With pleasure."

Chapter 17 will be up soon. Remember, if you have any Taang oneshot ideas floating around your head, just let me know! I'd love to write some short drabbles for you guys, and I think that doing so would really help me stay on the creative streak I've been riding these past few days.

Also, before I forget, I just want to let you all know that I'm considering starting a second Taang fanfiction that is a much lighter read than this one. I think it may be good for me to have two different stories to work on so that I don't get stuck trying to write for the same one all the time. What do you guys think? If you agree, let me know via review and I'll post some possible second story plots when I upload chapter 17. Until then, don't forget to review, follow, and favorite!

Thanks so much for your support!

~Katiebunchesofoats