Afterward Adventures (ATLA Zuko X OC)

Chapter Fifteen - The Rift Pt. 4

This is your lucky day! I'll update three chapters today and I really hope you'll like them!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Heed my words, students of the Beifong Metal Bending Academy! Chi clings to your very being like a heavy, suffocating cloak! Take hold of its many dark folds, and keep guard against the impish breath of distraction!" The Dark One instructed.

No one of the students understood a thing of what he said and they stared at the Dark One blankly.

"Uh... what the Dark One is trying to say is concentrate. Gather your chi deep in the pit of your gut. Then use it to metal bend," Ho Tun explained.

"Ho Tun! Penga! The Dark One!" Sokka's voice heard from behind as he passed from all the students to meet with the young metal benders. "I need you! Come with me!" he shouted.

They ran outside the building and back on Appa who as waiting outside at the yard of the Metal Bending School.

"O dreadful haste! How you fill my heart with dreadful questions!" The Dark One said dramatically as they all ran towards Appa hastily.

"I'll explain more on the way, Dark One. But it's Sifu Toph... and Iris... they need you!"

~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~

Aang looked once again to the sky to check once again if Appa was there. When he saw nothing he just leaned back on the ground and he asked...

"Katara?"

"Sokka's back?" Katara asked.

"No, not yet. I just wanted to hear your voice," Aang answered "Tell everybody down there to hang on just a while longer. The Metal Benders will be here in no time, I'm sure of it!" Aang said trying to be optimistic. "How are Iris and Toph holding up?"

"As good as can be expected, I guess. Considering they're literally carrying the weight of our world," Katara answered.

"Tell Aang... to move away from that soil. We... can't handle bearing his weight too!" Iris said breathlessly. She felt her feet slipping from the huge weight she'd been keeping the last hour.

"Aang! Move out of the way! You're an extra weight!" Katara shouted back to the surface.

"Oh, okay," Aang said.

Iris felt the vibrations of her brother walking away and a few pounds leaving. She sighed in relief and then she gritted her teeth again at the intense pain on her muscles. Iris looked at Toph in front of her. Sweat streaming down her forehead, eyes opened with determination. Toph was stronger than her, Iris could see the girl standing in her solid stance without her feet slipping like hers did.

Katara took her pouch off her waist and she handed it over to Satoru "Satoru, bring this to Toph,"

"Isn't this the last of your water?" Satoru asked "What about Iris?"

"Iris has her own pouch I'll give it to her. If any of them fall, me running out of water won't bother that much," Katara answered. She walked towards Iris, taking the water pouch off Iris's waist and she placed it on her lips to drink some.

"Thanks... Katara," Iris said breathlessly taking a sip of water.

"You don't have to," Katara said staying beside her in case she'd need any more water. But their attention fell on Satoru and Toph.

"Satoru... stay with me... talk to me," Toph said breathlessly.

"Really? Won't that make it harder for you to concentrate?" Satoru asked.