"They haven't found any sign of Azula or her friends," Toph said to Toji as they were back on the wall. The man in question simply let out a hum while staring at the Avatar group celebrating their win.
He did not miss though how Suki and Zhen Yi were whispering to each other nor how the wall's guards were surrounding them in a circle.
'Yeah, if I want to escape here, I'm going to have to be a bit rough.'
"Oi," Toph's voice drew his attention, making him look down to see her standing with a smirk and her arms crossed.
"If they try anything, we beat their ass."
"What about your friends?"
"Acquaintances, not friends."
"I don't need seismic sense like you to see a lie," Toji responded, Toph punching his arm with a grumble as he chuckled.
"Toji Fushiguro," Toji looked back up as Zhen Yi stopped in front of him, the two holding each other's gaze as the Avatar team finally noticed the tense atmosphere.
"Yes?"
"You understand what's about to happen, yes?"
"You and your men losing your lives? Oh yes," Toji responded, already holding Kuruk's spear tightly as he saw Zhen Yi narrow her eyes.
"Toji, what if you don't fight and just...go with them, you know? Who knows? You might even be forgiven," Aang spoke up, but Toji just raised an eyebrow at that.
"Aang, do you know what the punishment is for the murder of not only the Council of Five but also the Grand Secretarial of Ba Sing Se?" Toph asked with a frown, Aang blinking at her question before his eyes widened when Zhen Yi spoke.
"The first is death by a thousand cuts. The second is death by stoning. Both punishments are to be implemented immediately with the Earth King being judge, jury and executioner."
"Last I checked, he is not happy with me at all. So, still think I should surrender?" Toji asked, rolling his eyes when he saw Aang's conflicted look before Sokka spoke up.
"Well, you kind of did deserve it."
"You like your sister, yes? Want me to take her with me to the afterlife?"
"You'll die trying," Katara spoke with a frown, but she couldn't help her heart beating with nervousness when she saw Toji giving her an amused smile.
"I've taken down armies of 'masters' in waterbending, firebending, earthbending, archery, swordsmanship, etc. There are so many of you that claim to be masters, but when I fight you, you're little more than children trying to show off."
"Enough. Will you surrender or not?" Zhen Yi asked with a frown, holding her jian to him as Toji narrowed his eyes at her.
"Get that out of my face before you lose the hand."
"I will not," She spoke, Toji looking around to see the Ba Sing Se guards surrounding him with their gloves at the ready.
"Toph, step back," Toji spoke as he saw her frowning, the young woman turning her frown to him as he shook his head and smirked.
"No need to worry about this."
"You are still taking us for fools," Zhen Yi spoke as she swung her jian, Toji leaning back and stopping it from hitting Wormy. He didn't say anything as he pushed her away and looked at his curse.
"You try and hit him again and I'll show you why armies run away from me," Toji spoke with a frown, dropping Kuruk's spear to the ground. Wormy let out a rumble as the hilt of the Split Soul Katana appeared from its mouth.
Zhen Yi just narrowed her eyes as Toji took the blade out, but her eyes widened as he swung upwards. She tried to block the attack, but gasped as it went through her blade.
Toji stopped it as it came inches from her neck, her eyes wide as he called the spear to his free hand and held it out to stop the guards from getting closer.
"Now, do you understand that nothing you do is of use against me? Do you all still want to risk your lives?" he asked, waiting patiently as she gritted her teeth.
"Lower your hands!" She barked out, the guards being hesitant to do so as Toji let Wormy eat the Split Soul Katana again before resting Kuruk's spear on his shoulders.
"Now, I won't surrender to you, but I also don't plan on killing anymore of your people."
"You've slaughtered enough for several lifetimes already. You don't get to decide when the killing stops."
"Maybe not, but if I don't this entire wall will be nothing more than a graveyard. I think the Earth King wouldn't want that, right?" Toji said with a smirk, his gaze not leaving hers as she narrowed her eyes.
"Toji, if you fight, people are going to die-"
"No, Aang. If they fight, people are going to die. I've told you this many times in the short time we've known each other. I don't start fights, but I will make sure to finish them," Toji spoke, to which Aang frowned before the mercenary turned his head back to see Zhen and her men in their stances.
"You sure about this?"
"Damn near certain," Zhen Yi spoke with a frown before she punched forward, but her eyes widened as both her and her men sunk into the ground.
Toph didn't say anything as she clenched her fists before pushing forward, sending both the General and her men flying back.
However, she narrowed her eyes when Zhen Yi twisted midair, landing with a spin before the woman lunged forward. As she did, Toji held his spear behind him, blocking Suki's slash as Toph raised a stone wall to block Zhen Yi's approach.
"Suki, could you-!"
"No! I told you all that I'm simply travelling with you to get to him!" Suki spoke with a growl as she strained to try and hit Toji, who heaved and sent her sliding back with a simple push.
"The fans are now mine. How many times do I have to tell you?" Toji asked as he threw Kuruk's spear into the air, catching her swing before pulling her in and lashing out with a kick.
Letting go of her sword, she ducked under the kick while grabbing at her fans, flicking them open. With a grunt, she swung the sharp edges at Toji's head, who simply smirked as he moved.
Grabbing onto her wrists while pushing down the kick she tried to throw, Kuruk's spear sliced through the air as Toji called it to him. Yet, he let go of her and turned at the last second, a scream escaping Suki's lips when the spear pierced through her thigh and into the wall.
"Stay," He spoke before turning around, letting her struggle with the wound while rushing past Toph towards Zhen Yi.
The Ba Sing Se wall-guards rushed in front of her and stomped in unison, lifting up a wall of cubes that they punched and sent flying towards him.
Yet, Toji smiled as he slid and dove around them, slipping through the gaps as he vaulted over one and spun under another.
Using the last stone as a springboard, Zhen Yi barely had time to block before Toji's fist crashed down onto her blade. She held it out with both hands, but it was still an even struggle as Toji pushed his hand down with a smirk.
"Move!" She commanded and her guards moved immediately, the mercenary narrowing his eyes as stone spikes erupted from the wall below their feet.
However, another stomp shattered the spikes before they could hit them, a flurry of metal marbles flying through the air and impacting the guards.
"Toph!"
"Aang, you better stop shouting and start talking if you want me to be your teacher!" Toph spoke with a frown as she punched the ground, unleashing a wave of stone that pushed the guards to the side.
She then turned and swung a fist forward, Suki's eyes widening as the ground under her erupted and sent her back first into a guard tower.
Another scream came from her lips as Kuruk's spear tore itself free and flew to Toji's grasp, who caught it with ease to parry Zhen Yi's slash.
The woman stomped on the ground to shift his footing, but he moved with it and swung at her neck. Parrying the attack before sliding her blade along the spear, she swung at his neck only for Toji to flip back from it.
As he landed, Zhen Yi twisted her foot, catching one of his before she clenched her fist and crushed the stone. Her eyes then widened as Toji flexed his foot and pulled it free.
The man stared at the stones that managed to pierce his skin and flesh, turning his gaze back to Zhen Yi as she held her jian in the traditional stance.
Toji didn't say anything as he twirled his spear, slowly walking around in a circle with the woman following his lead. Neither said anything as Toph kept the guards at bay, a tense silence hanging in the air as the two stopped.
"Wait!" However, Toji rolled his eyes with a disappointed sigh as Aang hopped in between him and Zhen Yi, the boy holding his hands out to stop them.
"Can't you two go and talk about this with the Earth King?"
"Did he miss the part about how there is no mercy for me or did he just not listen?" Toji asked as he looked at Sokka and Katara, the latter frowning as the former just gave a shrug.
"It's Aang. You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that to stop him."
"Can't you two just talk this out?"
"He killed my father."
"...True, but I'm sure he didn't mean it."
"The guy was a paycheck. I didn't really care for him as a person."
"Not helping!" Aang hissed before holding out his staff as Zhen Yi went to advance.
"Lower your weapon, Avatar, and move out of the way."
"...I can't. Toji might be a bit of a bastard and a monster, but he is the boyfriend to my friend, which means he is kind of an acquaintance. If anything happened to him, Toph would get mad and you guys would get mad at her, which means we'd have to help her.
That would just lead to a whole other fight between us and Ba Sing Se, one we can't afford when the Fire Nation is this close to winning the war."
"What do you mean by that? The Earth Kingdom still has Ba Sing Se and Omashu, two of our central powerhouses."
"Actually, Omashu was taken over not too long ago," Sokka spoke up, Zhen Yi's eyes widening as Toji caught the shift in her demeanour.
"What?"
"Yeah, we tried to take it back, but Bumi's still too weak so we were told to find out a way to end this war. We did, but we have to bring this information to the Earth King himself," Aang spoke, Zhen Yi looking at him before he looked relieved as she sheathed her sword.
"Should you be lying, Avatar, you and your friends will be declared terrorists to the Earth Kingdom."
"R-Right. Wait, what about Toji?"
"Like I said, I'll stay here until you're done," Toji said with a shrug as he sat down, Iron dropping down beside him as the beast rested his head on his shoulder.
Toph just shrugged before she plopped down beside him, the three sitting peacefully as Aang shook his head before looking to a frowning Zhen Yi.
"Okay, take us to the King."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You really weren't bluffing there, were you?"
"Of course not. Bluffing's for people afraid to act."
"Right, you're the 'stab first, ask questions when I want' type."
"Exactly," Toji nodded, scratching Iron's horn as Toph giggled. The girl then smiled as she looked over the edge, staring at the Agrarian Zone of Ba Sing Se.
"How long do you think this will take?"
"Well, they went on Appa so it should take them only a few minutes to get there and then a few hours to work this entire battle-thing out.
After that, though, it all depends on whether or not the Earth King agrees to work with them."
"And why wouldn't he?"
"Because of me," Toji said with a shrug, Toji looking at him before shaking her head with a sigh.
"I hate when you make sense."
"So do I. In any case, if the King agrees, then you guys have the army you need to face the Fire Nation. If the King doesn't, then you guys are back to square one and are now also criminals with bounties on your head."
"I'd like to see him try. Wonder what he's going to feel like after I bring his castle down onto his head," Toph spoke with a huff, making Toji roll his eyes.
"I'll admit one thing though. You showed a lot of restraint today."
"What does that mean?"
"You like fighting," She spoke with a matter-of-fact look, making Toji scoff as he shook his head.
"Correction: I love dominating others. There is a difference."
"Sure, let's go with that. Anyway, what I mean is that you didn't try to just beat the crap out of everyone and then talk afterwards. In fact, you did the exact reverse of it."
"Well, would you want me to ruin the Avatar's chances of returning balance to the world?"
"If there is peace in the world, doesn't that mean no more criminals and no more bounties?" Toph asked before she reached up to pull Toji down.
"Nope! Stay!"
"I need to stop him! My paycheck! He'll get rid of my paychecks!"
"You work for a salary! Sit down!" Toph grunted, Toji rolling his eyes with a smirk as he sat back down and sighed.
"What's got you so down in the dumps?"
"Life."
"No, we are not having a melodramatic discussion right now. Wait until later or when we're alone."
"Alone?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at Toph as she laid her head down on his shoulder.
"Alone, yes. After all, we only have so many tents so you're going to have to share with me."
"Let me guess. It's your favourite tent called two walls and the ground, right?"
"It's actually four walls and the ground," She answered with a shrug, to which he turned and looked at her.
"How high are the walls?"
"Very."
"How spacious is the area?"
"It's small for me, but can be expanded."
"How strong are they?"
"Strong enough to take a punch from me."
"Ooh, nice. Okay, then. I suppose I'll share this tent with y-" Toji stopped talking as he heard rumbling, standing up and looking over the edge behind them.
"Oh, that is bad," he murmured, drawing Toph's attention as she stomped down onto the ground.
The next moment, her eyes widened slightly as she felt the hundreds of thundering footsteps, Toji staying silent as he stared at the army of thousands of firebenders approaching.
It was not just regular foot soldiers as he could see hundreds of tanks along with what appeared to be a dozen air balloons, making him grimace as he turned to the stunned Ba Sing Se guards.
He wanted to help them. Well, not really, but he knew Toph would want to help them. Unfortunately, they were not going to ward off this attack and he had someone to take care of.
Speaking of said someone...
"Iron!" Toji grunted as he picked up Toph and hopped onto the komodo rhino as Toph snapped out of it.
With a grunt, she pushed down, creating a stone slope that Iron charged down upon as Toji looked back to see waves of fire being shot down by the firebenders in the air balloons.
"Yeah, shit's about to hit the fan."
A/N: And we end it here! Of course the Ba Sing Se arc is not just going to end with them beating the drill group.
Nah, this is something that they have had in the works for a while and now, it's their first attack.
Next chapter: Welcome to War.
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Ba-Bye~!