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Toph is blind. But out of all her friends she is the most observant. The earth is a 3D image printed onto her brain. It lacks all the distracting color, light, darkness, and unnecessary insignificant stuff that normal people see. Her senses are delicate yet thorough –and always accurate.
When she can’t sleep, she’ll lay awake and listen to nature’s serene orchestra. The creatures slithering, scraping, and scurrying in blades of grass. Life though sometimes dormant is never permanently stagnant. It is a restless beast.
Her fingers rake through the earth. It cakes her intricate fingerprints, smelling of fresh rain that recently departed. From ant colonies to mice to screeching hawks, Toph can tell the entire ecosystem is upset. The animals feel the tides changing, the rumbling of a great facture, of a war approaching.
Grumbling at the loss of her ticket to dream land, Toph huffs, turns over, and focuses on hearing. For the most part, it’s been calm.
Camping at the Southern Air Temple is surreal. She feels suspended and upside-down in the air –it’s dizzying to her critical senses. And though her brain tells her that yes, she is safely anchored thanks to the marble underneath her attached to strong cliffs, her gut tell her she could fall at any moment into the endless chasm below.
In this hollow, sacred temple the air is accompanied by an eerie, whistling din. Loss. Emptiness. Toph can hear the winds wailing, yearning for the cheerful and peaceful Air Nomads to come back.
Toph sighed. At least for now, no danger is lurking around.
The earthbender can also glean a lot of information from sound. She can discern lies from truth in a person’s voice. Health is also something Toph can gauge. Everyone is sleeping soundly. And the sun is rising, because she can feel the sun’s warmth slowly travel across her body.
Zuko is the newest addition to the gang. The others are uneasy because they think the ex-Fire Nation prince will betray them. But Toph? She knows they can rely on him. He’s a terrible liar, and he did free Appa from the Dai Li’s dungeons.
It’s strange though. For such an agile and strong guy, his breathing is strenuous. It almost sounds like he’s wounded. But how can that be? He wakes up every morning at the same time, does a workout routine, and then helps Aang learn firebending.
With the burns still mending, Toph shuffles over to the pool, yawns, and dunks her legs into soothing waters. Zuko is up before everyone else and like usual, starts his morning workout (does he ever quit?)
But this time, he staggers and coughs. Coughs like he’s dying. The prideful firebender tries to recover seamlessly, but it’s clear he’s hurt. Something is in his chest, Toph observed. It’s faint but it’s there. Zuko’s sturdy heartbeat almost drowns out the sound.
“Hey Fireworks,”
Zuko bobs his head up. “What?”
Toph lifts her legs from the pool and plants them on dusty earth. “You sick?”
“No.”
Zuko’s not making it easy, is he? I’d applaud his stubbornness but everyone needs to be in top shape for the fight against the Fire Lord.
“Then help me get some herbs so Katara can make some more medicine for my wounds.”
“Okay,” he doesn’t want them to think he can’t pull his weight. He wants to turn a new leaf and show them that he too, is a useful part of the gang. “Where should we go?”
“The herbs are down by the ravine.”
Zuko inhales sharply –not from anger. It’s subtle but Toph can sense that he’s in pain.
“We can take Appa, because you’re injured.”
Toph waves a hand. “Nah.”
Zuko circles by, his voice hesitant. He’s seen Toph take down opponents twice and three times her size. “Do you want me to carry you?”
He’s hard on himself isn’t he? Toph shook her head. “Some burns aren’t going to stop me. Besides, I need to stretch my legs.”
They slowly descend down some winding paths into the ravine. Zuko scratches around for herbs and Toph gives him a smile. “You know which ones to gather?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to be useless.”
“So you were listening to Katara talk about the herbs she uses to help with healing?”
Zuko’s body tensed and a blush sweeps across his face. He goes back to searching for the needed herbs only to start coughing.
“What’s wrong, Fireworks?”
“Nothing. I’m fi-” Violent coughs plague Zuko. Toph leans in to support him from falling, and is stunned when she feels something soft hit her hand.
Flower petals. “Hanahaki…”
Zuko’s heart sinks. Hearing the toughest member of the gang be shaken isn’t a good sign. Coughing up flowers is terrifying. Zuko doesn’t want to be weak, and this is clearly chipping at his overall health.
Toph’s heard of Hanahaki. It’s rare. So rare that many people dismiss its existence. But being around snobby aristocrats her whole life, Toph has heard of many nobles getting Hanahaki, especially in arranged marriages. “Zuko, this is bad.”
“I’m fine. It’s just a cold,” he snapped but he didn’t sound so confident.
Toph wonders if Katara could heal Zuko. She’s an extraordinary healer but there are ailments that even she can’t fix.
The firebender turns to leave but only gets three steps before Toph uses her earth bending to turn the slope to sand. Zuko slides backwards and eventually swerves his golden gaze to opaque crystal.
“Do you know what Hanahaki is?”
“No.”
The two sit forlornly by the small rivulet. Toph senses a desperate, panicked nervousness compressing inside Zuko.
“Hanahaki started in the Earth Kingdom. It only appears in people who are deeply in love. I heard it can be fatal.”
“Deeply in love?” Zuko’s despair is tangible. “Can’t Katara hea-“
Toph shook her head.
“When did you start coughing?” The earthbender asked.
Zuko scratched his head, thinking hard. “When I was in Ba Sing Se.” The firebender thought he loved Mai. Hell, she turned against Azula to save him. But even Zuko could tell their relationship was fraying. Mai should be the perfect match for him, should’ve been his one true love, but maybe he just wanted the perfect life so badly, being a loyal Fire Nation soldier, that Zuko was blind to what he really wanted.
“What color are the flowers?”
“Blue, purple, and white.”
“What kind?” Toph asks while winding them in her fingers. She has a guess, but she can’t be sure. She’s a strong earthbender, but flowers weren’t part of her wheelhouse.
“I don’t know.”
“Then I’ll ask Sokka. He’s pretty smart when he needs to be.”
The weak flicker of hope dies in Zuko’s chest. He’s faced countless hurdles in his life but this one can’t be solved by wit or brute strength. “Can people survive Hanahaki?”
“If the love is true and if both people love each other.”
“There’s no other way to cure it?”
“I don’t know.”
Zuko stares at his stern, wounded reflection in the water. “I can’t die yet,” grief and pain tints his voice. “I have to help Aang defeat the Fire Lord to restore peace to the world and see Uncle again. I have to fix all the damage I’ve done, to set my path right this time.”
“For your honor?” Humor rings in Toph’s voice.
Zuko’s frown cracks into a smile.
The blind earthbender gives him a hearty punch to his arm and says, “I’ll help you. If it’s one thing I learned, it’s that some problems are too big to tackle alone.”
“Thanks, Toph.”
Toph amusedly wonders if Zuko had fallen for Sokka (hah! Now that’d be interesting). She diligently analyzed the gang, wondering who the firebender could have fallen for. Sokka said that the flowers were Water Tribe white begonias and Earth Kingdom blue irises.
After mulling over all the clues, the contender was obviously Katara. Zuko’s heart races when he’s by her, and whenever he talks about the waterbender his voice is floaty and happy. And after the trip, Toph senses Katara’s initial hatred fade. The frost melts to warmth.
The earthbender lounges on the ground, and hears Zuko walking by. “It’s Katara.”
Zuko sits cross-legged and chews on this. He clutches his chest and smiles warmly. But it quickly turned into self-doubt. “What if she doesn’t like me back? She’s sweet, smart, badass and I’m just…Zuko.”
Toph scoffed. She sat up and gave a pep talk, like the one she gave to Aang when he gave up on earthbending. “How can people with sight be so blind?”
“Listen, Fireworks. We might not make it out of this fight alive. Are you going to let your fears guide you? Your dumb ‘honor’ and Ozai got in the way of letting you find your true self. And I thought firebenders were supposed to be fearless!” For such a short girl her ferocity is scary. Zuko sits up straight and nodded.
“If you want something, you go for it! Be a champion! If you don’t tell Katara that you like her, then you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering.” Toph’s voice becomes somber. “You shouldn’t give up on something beautiful right in front of you, Fireworks. If it’s something or someone you love, then fighting until the end for it, is honorable.”
Zuko smiled. She sounds like Uncle.
“You’re right. I should make my own destiny. Even if I fail, at least I fought for what I wanted. For what I believe in.”
Destined to be a failure. That was the mold in life he was to fulfill since birth. Since he couldn’t replicate his sister or father’s success, people believed that Zuko was lesser. A weakling. Nothing. He tried so hard to live up to their standards, to belong, that he was blind to what was really important. And it took Uncle Iroh and a blind earthbender to show him that being the Fire Nation prince wasn’t the path for him. That that life was a façade to control him.
He lies on the ground, his body stunned from a blast of electricity. It wracks his nerves, and the charred scent of scorched flesh drowns out all other senses. Zuko commands his body to stand up, because the fight isn’t over, and Katara is facing Azula alone. But he can’t move.
Stems and flowers eagerly drain his life-force. The ongoing battle rages on but it sounds muffled and distant. Azula’s deranged laughter rattles in his brain and angers Zuko. The world goes dark as he hears the sound of water turning into ice.
Katara runs over to Zuko. He’s waxy and pale. His breath is shallow and hoarse. She quickly uses her waterbending to heal his wounds, hoping he’d make it. Blood trickles down his chin. She looks down, seeing the smoking hole in his chest slowly heal. Azula’s lightning should’ve been fatal, should’ve struck his heart, but Katara feels no serious damage to the organ.
Instead, there’s a bouquet that shielded Zuko’s heart. Stems, leaves, and flowers shoot out from his mouth and wrap around his scar. The waterbender’s brows scrunch; she’s never seen flowers inhabiting a body before.
Tears sting her eyes. “What is this?”
“Katara,” Zuko’s voice is so faint she almost didn’t hear him. She leans close when he grabs her wrist. “S’ Hana…Hanahaki,” he wheezed. “I…I want to tell you-”
“Save your strength,” Katara said. “I have to heal you.” Her urgent tone contradicts her worry. She loves Zuko –and losing him now would be unbelievable. Why isn’t he healing? Is my waterbending-
“I love you, Katara.”
Shock clouds her face. Then, a big smile.
Zuko thought that he was becoming delusional thanks to the wound and to the Hanahaki. But for once, the universe was smiling down on him.
Katara kisses him on the lips, a sweet and loving kiss, and the flowers decay. They wither and turn into a lifeless grey before becoming ash. Zuko inhales deeply, his lungs cured of the botanic bane.
Everyone gathers at Iroh’s tea shop to celebrate their victory. There’s an endless serving of tea and sweets. The night is a peaceful one. Sozin’s Comet is gone and so are the world-ending fires from Ozai and his army. The earth is rejoicing too, Toph senses. Now they can all live a life free from war.
“How are the lovebirds?” The earthbender asked when she hears them come up to the table.
“Thanks to you? Wonderful.”
Katara kisses Zuko and departs saying, “I’m going shopping with Ty Lee, Suki, and Mai. Want to go, Toph?”
“No thanks,” she smiles and takes a sip of tea.
Zuko sits across from the earthbender, his chair scraping against the wooden floor. “The Hanahaki is gone. Thanks for your help, Toph. Without you I’d be-”
She waves a hand. “No problem, Fireworks. You guys are a cute couple. Save me an invitation to your wedding, will you?”
Zuko laughed. “You’ll be the maid of honor.”
“I will?” Toph usually hates fancy parties, but she felt happy to be Katara’s maid of honor. It’s an important job. “I’ll be the best one ever.”
Zuko left to help Iroh, leaving Toph is peaceful silence. She hears Aang and Sokka talking. The Water Tribe warrior is drawing, his brush gliding across paper, as Aang happily ate some sweets. Their laughter is music to Toph’s ears. Her heart flutters.
A scratchy scorching feeling claws her throat. She coughs, and stunned, feels flower petals leave her mouth and fall onto the table surface.