Childhood Friends

[beboots]

Yet another fanfic idea! This time, I was inspired for my love of platonic Toph-Zuko awesomeness, as well as alternate universes. A what-if story - what if Toph was adopted by Iroh at a relatively young age?

Childhood Friends

During the siege of Ba Sing Se, Fire Nation troops are running rampant all throughout the Earth Kingdom. One day, when Toph is about six or so, she is hiding with her friends the badgermoles (learning awesomesauce Earthbending) when the Fire Nation attacks her city. She emerges from the caves to find the Bei Fong estate ravaged and her parents and their servants fled – without her. The remaining Fire Nation soldiers try to attack her, too (because they have no honour and will attack little, blind Earth Kingdom girls), but to their surprise, she can create pillars of earth faster than they can punch fire. Their fight attracts more of the soldiers, though, and Toph is surrounded – and scared. Perhaps her bare feet get burned?

Meanwhile, Iroh has called off the siege after his son Lu Ten’s death, and is making his way back through the Earth Kingdom… and runs across this scene. He isn’t about to stand for the dishonourable actions of these Fire Nation soldiers… and ends up helping Toph. He takes her with him so that his physician can take care of her injuries… and over the course of the next several days and weeks, Toph becomes fond of Iroh. She’s a bit irritated by his protective streak at first, but she learns from the whispers of his men about what happened to his son, so she puts up with it a bit less grudgingly after that.

Iroh takes her all the way to the Fire Nation. She does not enjoy the journey by sea portion and was sick the entire way… and was absolutely miserable because she couldn’t “see”… at least until she forced herself to learn metalbending just to stop going insane. >:3 Toph is nothing if not resourceful, and determined, in her own way, to be fiercely independent, working around any limitations that she encounters.

Upon arrival in the Fire Nation, Toph meets Iroh’s dorky nephew, Zuko. Originally, Iroh had intended on having her be friends with his niece, Azula, who was only a few years older than Toph, but Toph takes an immediate dislike to the girl… probably because Azula is so good at lying. Toph doesn’t like not being able to tell if someone is sincere or not. Even if Zuko is a bit on the dorky side, he, at least, thinks lying is dishonourable. And he’s horrible at it, in any case. So… they kind of become friends, especially when Iroh leaves to go into a self-imposed exile/spirit journey which lasts months. The newly-crowned Fire Lord Ozai doesn’t particularly like having a powerful Earthbender around the palace, but seeing as she’s just a blind girl… Iroh had pitched the whole thing along the lines of “your children can learn how to fight Earthbenders, our enemies, from training with her! Also, she’s ‘blind’ and ‘helpless.’” (Zuko didn’t get his sucky lying skills from THAT side of the family.)

Toph and Zuko do spar, but Zuko never wins against her. Not even once. He does pick up a few sturdy Earthbending stances from her, though. At one point, after much practice, he actually manages to break her nose, but he’s so shocked at actually landing that hit that he immediately apologizes… and Toph immediately breaks HIS nose so they’re even. Toph then stops “going easy” on him.

Toph doesn’t like how flippantly people like Ozai state Zuko’s uselessness (and how Zuko just kind of ducks his head and looks ashamed when he hears these things, instead of standing up for himself). Toph also helps Zuko think a bit more like an Earthbender – sometimes you just have to face things head-on. Unfortunately, later on, this advice backfires spectacularly for Zuko when he stands up for what he believes in, forcefully, at that war meeting. Cue that fateful Agni Kai and horrific burn scar. Only, this time, Zuko tried to fight, but was failko and lost anyway, to even greater shame and defeat.

Toph isn’t about to stay in the Fire Nation capital now that the only two people who actually like her – Iroh and Zuko – are leaving. BUT they’re going to be spending a lot of time on a tiny metal boat over the next few years, or however long it would take to find the Avatar, and she didn’t exactly have a fun time with the week-long journey TO the Fire Nation… and although she tries to protest otherwise, after the first few days of being violently seasick and missing her element horribly (metal is still tough to use, and she can’t walk around with bare feet on sheet metal when it’s below freezing when they visit the poles during their search), they (well, Iroh – Zuko is still barely conscious most of the time) decide to make a detour to the Earth Kingdom to drop her off. Toph goes back home – the city rebuilt thanks to Earthbending – to grateful if overprotective parents. She sends word back (through an intermediary scribe?) to Iroh and Zuko that she’s okay – for now. She just hopes that they capture the Avatar soon, so she can get back to them. Who else could teach Sparky how to stand up for himself properly?

So… pretty much all of season one happens in the exact same way. It’s season two that’s different – because Toph knows Zuko.

During The Chase, after Iroh is struck down, the hysterical Zuko tries to tell Katara and the Gaang to piss off, but Toph essentially slaps Zuko upside the head (WITH EARTHBENDING?!) and tells him he’s being a stubborn idiot and needs to accept the help of the only healer in the area. To everyone’s surprise but Toph’s, Zuko actually obeys, and stands aside. Nobody really notices at first how close Toph stands to Zuko.

Later on, Toph pretty much convinces the others to let Zuko and Iroh into their Gaang. She totally acts as a character reference. She’s like “Seriously, guys – you’ve only really talked to him when he was attacking you. I knew him for THREE years. I know that he sucks at Pai Sho, likes ginseng tea but only when his uncle makes it and loved feeding the turtleducks with his mom… I once broke his NOSE. I also know that he isn’t a bad guy.”

OR, ALTERNATIVELY

Zuko learning from Toph how to stand up for himself actually WORKS! His audacity – standing up for what he believes in – somehow gets through to someone… maybe not his father. Maybe it allows Iroh to convince his brother that Zuko, far from being a wishy-washy failure, is strong, but maybe just misguided? So Zuko doesn’t have a scar, but his trust in his father is kind of shaken because of the implicit threat during that Agni Kai, and dark glances and veiled statements thereafter.

Anyway, Toph was determined to have far too much of an influence on Zuko, so she was sent away, back to her parents. Zuko is fiercely lonely, but at least he still has his uncle… and he’s kept busy by a flock of tutors. He ISN’T sent out into the world to search for the Avatar, just given a lot of training and lessons. (Maybe, his father thinks, Zuko will become less useless, then.)
The first season happens at a lot slacker of a pace, without Zuko intensely chasing the Gaang. Eventually Zhao discovers that the avatar lives, so there is a villain, just one that isn’t as effective as Zuko was. Eventually, the Gaang stumbles upon the Earth Kingdom and Toph, so Aang has an Earthbending teacher.

Then, they really start to wonder who exactly they will get for Aang’s firebending teacher… Toph mentions that she thinks that she has a contact or two (well, just two), but it would be REALLY hard to get a message out to them.

Meanwhile, back in the Fire Nation. Zuko feels like he’s going stir-crazy, and finally convinces his father to let him go out and see the world. And by “world”, he means “colonies”. So essentially, Zuko gets a bit of an adventure – visiting some model Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom, with a small retinue in tow. He is the crown prince, so he gets way more respect (and pomp and ceremony) than he did in canon while in exile. Wherever he goes, he’s given feasts and celebrations. He eats very little at them, because it gets fattening and tiring after a while, eating at all of these feasts…

Finally, he visits a relatively strong fort on the coast… and coincidentally, the Gaang are visiting it, too! Only they didn’t realize how occupied it was by the Fire Nation… and after having snuck in, they find themselves trapped within the city’s walls: suddenly, security went WAY up (because of a certain royal visit). Their disguises aren’t that good (as usual), so they’re anxious about getting caught.

Then, Toph hears gossip about what’s going on in town… and this isn’t that much of a coincidence because I mean, hey, it’s a big deal for the son of the Fire Lord to come visiting, so EVERYONE is talking about it. She tries to figure out how to get a message to Sparky, but before she can, they are CAUGHT! … by some enterprising bandits who noticed Aang’s partially hidden tattoos and decides to take him in for the bounty… by turning him in to the crown prince himself for added prestige. In the struggle, Toph’s feet are burned by one of the firebenders among them, and trying to protect her, the other members of Aang’s posse are easily captured.

Sokka has an ‘oh shit oh shit’ moment as they’re dragged before the crown prince of the Fire Nation.

They’re dragged before Zuko’s palanquin. Meanwhile, Zuko had perhaps been entertained by some dancers, and/or shown goods from the market… including exotic paints made from rare Earth Kingdom stones like lapis lazuli, unavailable (or undesirable, because of their colour) in the Fire Nation. He is trying to look interested, but frankly, he’s see a lot of dancers and a lot of “exotic” goods these past few weeks/months and is kind of bored of it all.

At least this new development is INTERESTING.

Zuko sits stonily, as statue-like as possible, as the bandits gloat about having captured the Avatar and his companions. Finally, he asks them to bring the “Avatar” forward, so he can see “the Fire Nation’s greatest enemy” for himself. Thinking quickly, Zuko dipped his hand in the blue paint at his side and rubbed at Aang’s head tattoos. Then, he deliberately flares the fires and pumps anger into his voice.

“You would dare to attempt to trick me?”

“Y-your highness, of c-course we wouldn’t-“

“Then what is this?” Zuko thrust his blue-painted hand out at them, and they flinched. “The Avatar is an old man – a master of all four elements. You clearly painted this poor child blue with the barbaric symbols of an extinct culture and attempted to hand him in for ransom money. Despicable. Dishonourable.”

“But your highness! This girl, at least is an Earthbender!”

Zuko looked her over with a casual eye, forcing any recognition out of his expression. “And? This is the Earth Kingdom. Earthbenders are known to exist here, I imagine. And she is just a child – a blind little girl. And you burned her feet.” Toph tried to look blind and pathetic and in pain, and there were hisses of sympathy in the crowd. “I have heard enough. Guards! Arrest these men. We will take this so-called “Avatar” and his companions into custody to have them treated. It is the least we can do.” Zuko offered a small smile and gestured dismissively at the bandits. “These children may ride in my palanquin. Have some extra men on duty,” He ordered, in his best imperious voice. The crowd recognizes this extreme demonstration of respect and honour, and bow to the Gaang.

Katara, Sokka and Aang have an extra “oh shit oh shit” moment as they’re loaded into the palanquin alongside the FIRE LORD’S SON. It’s rather cramped in there, and there is a very awkward silence as the palanquin is lifted up and they begin moving. Then Toph bursts into laughter. “DAMN, Sparky, that was some quick thinking back there.”

The teen cracked a small smile. “Do you think so? You were just lucky I happened to have that paint right there, you know.” His expression sobered, and for a moment, all was silent within the palanquin – just the footsteps of the palanquin-bearers and the sounds of the city outside came through the curtains. “So do you mind telling me why I’m betraying my country?” He asked blandly.

“You KNOW he’s the Ava-“ Sokka burst out, only to be interrupted as Toph elbowed him in the side.

“It’s kind of a long story,” Toph replied.

“So?” Zuko responded airily. “Entertain me. I’m a prince.”

Toph punched him in the shoulder, and he winced in pain. “Don’t push it, Sparky.”

“Yeah, yeah. To think that I actually MISSED you. Now come here, I need to take a look at your feet.”

After they get back to Zuko’s ship, the Gaang are properly introduced to Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai and Lady Ursa. Aang, at least, knows that he has to bow (he’s just not sure of how low), but Katara and Sokka don’t bow at all. Zuko doesn’t berate them for their rudeness – they’re foreigners, after all, and can’t be expected to bow before the son of a monarch who hasn’t really conquered them yet.

Zuko’s never seen a Water Tribesman before, and is kind of naively curious. He makes them all tea (with firebending to heat up the water) while the royal physician treats Toph’s feet (with Katara’s help?).

Toph pretty much serves as a character reference this time around as well – pretty much painting Zuko as the only SANE member of his immediate family (aside from his Uncle Iroh, but even Uncle is pretty eccentric.)

At one point, Zuko totally blows a bit of playful fire Toph’s way, totally freaking out the water tribe members of the group. Toph reacts with more playful violence. In fact, Zuko doesn’t leave the encounter unscathed, acquiring several bruises. If he makes mention of them at all, Toph just rolls her eyes and goes “Ooh, sorry Sparky. I didn’t mean to bruise your lily-white delicate royal skin,” cuing more verbal teasing. Toph is very comfortable around this prickly Fire Nation prince.

And of course, Toph is the only one who can eventually end up convincing the FIRE NATION prince to abandon his country and fight alongside (and train) the Avatar. I presume it would be an epic discussion, and Zuko probably wouldn’t get converted all at once, just like that. But being in close proximity to his father for the last several years – and facing the brunt of his wrath, or the threat of it – many times, Zuko has slowly figured out that his father’s mental state isn’t exactly, well… good. You might even call him “evil”. And Toph, for one, has always been honest, open, and affectionate with him, in her own bruising way. Eventually, Zuko can be brought to see that his father’s love isn’t everything. Eventually.

Comments

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Ack! I'm sorry. I didn't realize that there weren't spaces between paragraphs. D: I could change that right now, actually. Be right back.

(I totally sympathize, because I am half-blind myself. And I only say that half in jest. I have relatively thick glasses (but stylish ones!), and I can be charged with impaired driving without corrective lenses. I think I'm only a few steps away from being legally blind without glasses. D: As such, my vision... could be better. ;) )