"Zu-Zu, where did Uncle Iroh have to go on 'important business'?"
"None of our business. What he does in his spare time is something you'll have to ask him," Zuko replied with a calm stare, standing at the front of his war-cruiser with his hands folded behind his back.
Azula herself frowned at his blunt response, turning to Ty Lee who blinked.
"Do it," she mouthed, flicking her eyes to Zuko. Ty Lee's eyes widened before she smiled and gave a thumbs-up, but the prince in question spoke up before she could take that first step.
"Also, Ty-Lee, Mai, I'm not telling you two anything on the off-chance that you report it back to Mai."
"Urgh, you make this so boring~" Azula grumbled, crossing her arms with a huff. Zuko turned his head to look at her before turning back forward with a sigh.
"You are no longer a child that needs me to hold your hand, Azula."
"Fine. Then if you won't tell me that, then tell me how you and Toji Fushiguro know each other?"
"Why, are you perhaps interested in him?"
"She is," Ty Lee spoke in agreement before Azula could, the woman turning with a glare as Zuko chuckled.
"So, little Zula has a crush?"
"Don't call me that and it is not a crush. I simply wish to recruit him to our cause."
"You'd have an easier time getting father and uncle to smile happily at each other," Zuko replied with a scoff, making his sister frown as he continued. "Toji Fushiguro is a skilled man, but every attempt to recruit him has been met with extreme violence. He is not one to be reasoned with."
"Then, we should do it by force?"
"You do remember that Father has sent armies to try and force him into servitude, yes? Remind me again how those armies returned?" Zuko asked, shaking his head when Azula just frowned. "As sarcastic and easygoing as he is, Toji Fushiguro is a spear honed to large-scale slaughter."
"The two of you were fighting equally."
"He was focused on buying his friends time and I was focused on keeping his attention on me instead of the army currently invading. However, that does not mean for a moment that we were equal. If he was given the all-clear, our skulls would currently be mounted on stakes outside of Ba Sing Se."
"You are exaggerating."
"I am not. Azula, I have seen him walk across a barren field and with every step, a dozen of our army did not get back up."
"You sound almost impressed, brother," Azula replied even as she hid the hint of nervousness in her voice.
"I'm being realistic. If he wanted, Ba Sing Se would be anarchy, the Water Tribe's capital city would have melted into the cold seas and our own capital city would be nothing but ashes. We are simply not his problem and you will not make him one."
"So, we simply ignore him?"
"Yes."
"That's the issue, Zu-Zu. If what you say is true, then Toji Fushiguro is exactly the kind of man the Fire Nation needs as a deterrent."
"We will first attend the meeting with Father. Afterwards, do as you please, but there is one thing you should know, sister."
"And what's that?" Azula asked, narrowing her eyes as their cruiser pulled into the harbour and her brother turned to face her with a frown.
"The moment he finds out who tried to control him, I want you to remember these words when the Fire Nation capital ceases to be."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Katara! My lovely sister!"
"...Are you drunk?" Katara asked, catching Sokka's arms and sighing as her brother fell to his knees with a chuckle. "Yep, you're drunk. Let me guess, your doing?"
"She challenged me to a drinking competition and he didn't want to be left out," Toji replied, the atmosphere growing tense when he pointed at June.
"Hello~"
"We're not that friendly since the last time we saw you, you were going to to 'skin us alive' in your own exact words."
"Eh, that's the past. Now, I'm a noble lady of Gaoling~"
"No, you're not," Toph replied with a scoff, turning her gaze to Toji before narrowing her eyes at the smirk on his face. "What did you do?"
"She promised to help us find your guy Jeong Jeong in exchange for becoming a noble and considering that her shirshu here can track someone halfway across the world, it was the best option available."
"And I found him along with that old bastard Iroh, some sword guy and a guru."
"The guru found us and led us to them," Toji corrected, June waving her hand dismissively as the others blinked.
"Wait, you found Jeong-Jeong?"
"Yep, and in his own words, Aang, 'Master the other elements before you come find me'," Toji repeated, smirking at the Avatar's dejected groan. "Oh, and you got a message from some monk at the Eastern Air Temple."
"An Air Bender?" Aang asked excitedly, his excitement turning to disappointment as Toji scoffed.
"No, but I'd say he's spiritually inclined. Just read the letter."
"What else have you been up to other than that?"
"Toji cut down a pillar."
"Yeah, that's not as important," Toph replied, feeling Sokka fall onto his face before she turned to Suki who cleared her throat. "Right. Hey, Toji. Got a sec?"
"Will you listen if I say no?"
"No."
"Yeah, I got time. What's up?" Toji replied, smirking as Toph snickered before raising an eyebrow when she pointed at Suki.
"She wants the fans back and I said I'd try to get them back."
"...You realize I'll say no, right?"
"What if I asked Dad personally to make June a noble on par with some of the older families in Gaoling?"
"What about me?"
"What, I'm not enough?" Toph asked, letting out a scoff as Toji raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't we already in a relationship?"
"Well, yes, but this just means we won't have to wait for our wedding night consummations."
"Toph!" Katara exclaimed with a bright red blush, Aang looking anywhere but at the cackling Toph as Suki and June shook their heads.
"You know, most people ease into negotiations."
"I'm not most people."
"That much is obvious," Toji muttered, palming his face with both hands before slowly dragging them down his face with a sigh.
He then paused and stared at Toph, who had stepped closer to the point that he could see the determined expression on her face. "You being serious?"
"I am. I'm not waiting around like the world isn't on fire."
"...Sixty thousand Earth Nation gold and that's with a 99.9999999% discount thanks to Toph's offer. Speaking of said offer, you and I are going to talk about that later."
"Oh, in private? Want to take it as soon as possible, hmm?" Toph asked with a teasing smirk, Toji rolling his eyes as he looked at the frowning Suki.
"Will you give me time to get the money?"
"Sure, I don't expect you to have it on you right now. Matter of fact, we'll talk more on that later."
"Good. Now that everyone's friends and we're no longer talking about that, can we please leave before the Fire Nation sends more scouts?"
"Wormy, shrink down," Toji called out, walking down to the shore as the spirit shrunk to his original size. The spirit spat out the Split Soul Katana before eating itself up. Toji then popped Wormy into his mouth before swallowing it, placing the katana inside its makeshift scabbard on Iron's saddle.
Hopping onto the komodo rhino, he smirked as Toph climbed onto Appa, Katara and Aang following after her while June helped Sokka onto her shirshu.
Suki on the other hand sat behind June on Nyla, sandwiching the woman in between her and Sokka.
"Say, Aang, where to now?" Toji asked and Aang blinked as they all looked to him.
"W-What?"
"Sokka's drunk and he only told you the plan so where are we heading to now?"
"Oh, right! Uh, we're going to the shore near Wulong Forest because we're meeting more fighters there that will help us move to the Fire Nation."
"And what did the letter say?"
"It said that the monk can help me unlock my chakras to access the Avatar State more easily," Aang replied, making Toji hum as mental map of the Earth Kingdom came up.
"...You guys go to the Air Temple. If you're lucky, Jeong-Jeong might still be there and with both Toph and Katara who are your Earthbending and Waterbending teachers, you could potentially master everything in time for the fight.
Suki, you, June and Sokka head over to Wulong Forest. Whoever is waiting there will most likely still be waiting for you guys so you should go and tell them the plan."
"Wait, we just got together and we're breaking up again?" Suki asked and Toji nodded as he crossed his arms.
"It's necessary. Aang needs to be as strong as he can while you guys need to prepare everything in time for the big fight."
"What about you?" Toph asked with a frown and Toji smiled as he heard the concern she tried to hide.
"I'm going to go and cause some trouble along the coast, acting as a 'smoke-screen' for you all. We'll meet up in one month at the Eastern Air Temple, okay?"
"Okay, but I swear, if something happens..." Toph trailed off with a glare and Toji just smiled before shaking his head.
"I still have something to get from you that you promised, remember?"
"I remember. Aang, take off before I drag both Toji and Iron with us."
"Sure thing. Keep safe, Toji."
"Just make sure you learn all you need to, Avatar," Toji replied with a smirk, watching as Appa took off with a soft bellow. Turning his gaze back to the other group, he saw clarity returning to June's eyes as the alcohol faded.
She didn't say anything other than a hum, which he returned before Nyla took off into the forest.
Waiting a few more moments until they were all fully gone from his senses, he climbed off of Iron before patting the komodo rhino's backside with a grunt.
"Hide and seek," was all he said as he took out the Split Soul Katana, the rhino giving him a quick glance before Iron snorted and took off.
"Now then, you mind coming out?" Toji asked, turning his head slightly with a smirk as Combustion walked out of the forest. "You know, you're really silent for a guy with a metal leg and arm."
"Toji Fushiguro, do you remember me?"
"The face, yes, but I couldn't care less for the name. Mind giving it again?"
"I am the man you maimed for a price," Combustion replied and Toji raised an eyebrow as he swung his Split Soul Katana with a leisurely smile.
"Bud, I've killed people for a price. You're gonna have to be more specific," he responded and immediately dodged to the side as an explosion flew past. "Ooh, not bad. You've gotten better with your accuracy."
Toji smirked as his words drew a frown from the metallic assassin, who immediately sent out another explosion. He ducked away from it while rushing in, leaping over another before swinging down.
Instead of blocking it, he hummed as the man leapt back, firing an explosion at the ground to push them both back.
'Learned from your mistakes, have you?' Toji thought, narrowing his eyes before lunging forward while keeping low to the ground. The explosion sailed overhead as he swung upwards, Combustion punching out a burst of flames at the ground to push him back.
"You took my limbs for a pouch of gold!"
"I never did that. You were the one who took an assassination mission and then only maimed the target. Your client just wanted you to experience what they did."
"And yet, you also killed the client."
"Well, they tried to kill me. I'm just efficient," Toji replied with a shrug, immediately lunging to the side as an explosion tore through the air.
The ground trembled and the trees bent from the force as Toji landed, narrowing his eyes when Combustion fired another blast. It was too slow as Toji was already in front of him, the Split Soul Katana singing as Combustion's eyes widened.
As his metal arm fell to the ground, Toji turned and ducked under a torrent of fire punched at his head. Swinging up behind him, his flesh arm fell to the ground and before he could cry out in pain, he gagged as the Split Soul Katana pierced through the back of his skull.
Ripping the blade free, Toji leapt up as Iron barrelled in from behind, his horn impaling the explosion user before Toji cut his head clean off.
The body and head fell to the ground as Iron snorted, shaking his head to fling the blood from his horn.
The forest went quiet once more as Toji flicked the blood off, placing the blade back in its scabbard while shaking his head with a scoff.
"Predictable as shit," Iron huffed in agreement, Toji smirking as he hopped onto the rhino while rolling his neck.
'Well, with this, the Fire Nation are sure to investigate when reports from this place dries up and without company, Wormy and Iron can get me to the Eastern Air Temple in like a week,' Toji thought, taking out Kuruk's spear before tapping the side of Iron.
The beast snorted and took off, Toji laughing as he twirled the spear and held onto the reins. After all, he had three weeks to spare and lives to take.
Might as well enjoy it.
A/N: And we end it off here~! Once again, sorry for the very late upload, but as I said in the chapter for Second Son, power outages again.
Anyway, the GAang split up again, but this time to prepare for the final war.
Next chapter: Avatar State and War Plans.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye~!