To say Lao Beifong was livid was the understatement of the century. Lao Beifong was beyond livid and although he was angry, ashamed, and disappointed in his children the head of the Beifong clan remained deathly calm something both brother and sister knew was not a good sign. Seated next to his wife, who bore a look of sadness on her face, Lao stared first at his guests and then at his children. The guests could be dealt with easy enough as he could forbid them from ever stepping foot on his estate ever again. It was his rebellious and dishonorable children he would have trouble dealing with. At that moment, Lao wished to never see their faces again. He was going to make certain they were never going to be given the opportunity to shame him ever again.
Ranma knew it was coming. He knew one of them would have to speak sooner or later. The silence in the room was enough to drive a sane man crazy. He had expected his father to be the one to talk first by throwing Aang and his friends out of their house. What he had not expected was Toph breaking that silence before he had a chance to say anything.
"Dad, I know what you're thinking but I love Earthbending and I love fighting. No one put me up to competing in the rumbles. It was my choice. You see, the helpless little obedient blind girl, that isn't who I am. I'm an Earthbender and I'm good at it, real good. No one has been able to stop me in the arena. It's not Ranma's fault I'm this way. I've always been like this," Toph explained to their father.
Lao let out a long sigh as he knitted his hands together and placed his chin upon them before addressing his son, "And what do you have to say about this lying and deception my son? How could you have let this go on? How could you and your sister deliberately disobey my word?"
Ranma's gaze hardened as he looked upon his father. The man simply did not understand what was going on. His children were fighting so hard to get out from under his rule and all he saw was that his greatest shame was known to the people of Gaoling and paraded around as though she were some kind of circus freak. Toph's success in the rumbles had quickly become to Lao his great dishonor.
"You want to know how and why father. Because you treat her more like a shame and dishonor on the Beifong name than an actual person. You don't show her an ounce of love or truly know her because Toph doesn't fit in with your idea of the perfect family. You keep her locked behind the walls like some invalid prisoner who's a monster all because she's blind," Ranma spat back at his father with a deathly calm.
Ranma watched with hard eyes as his father removed his chin from his hands and knitted his eyebrows in anger. He had hoped his mother would step in and say something but she remained silent and still playing the role of the faithful and obedient wife. Ranma could tell his mother was using every last ounce of strength she had to not break down in tears before her family and guests.
"You have disobeyed me for the last time. From this day forth you are forbidden from ever speaking to or coming into contact with your sister. Toph shall be placed in her room under heavy guard twenty-four hours a day never to be let out again. As for you my son, you shall be under constant escort by the guards and forbidden from ever leaving this estate. You two make any efforts to contact each other and I won't hesitate to have Toph locked away in the tower of a far off nunnery while you get shipped off to war," Lao told his children.
Upon hearing the words of her father heavy tears began to fall down Toph's face as she could hear a small gasp escape from Katara's mouth. She could feel Ranma holding back with every ounce of strength he had the will to attack their father in that very parlor. Toph figured her father would just ask Aang to leave opening the door to the possibility he might be welcome in the estate at a later date. What she heard next nearly shattered her heart.
"As for the three of you. I want the Avatar and his friends to leave my home immediately. They are no longer welcome in my home and are no longer on friendly terms with this family. If I find they have tried to contact my children or step foot on my estate again I will order their deaths," Lao ordered.
From behind her Toph could hear Aang let out a breath of defeat. Toph now understood how important having her as his Earthbending teacher was. Through her tears Toph spoke a few parting words to the friends she would never have, "I'm sorry Aang."
"We're sorry too Toph," Katara apologized for them before the trio turned to leave.
In the course of a single night Aang's chances of having the perfect Earthbending master were gone. Dejected and defeated the trio slowly began packing their belongings on Appa as they began to think of their next move. Bumi was prisoner of the Fire Nation and his city under siege. And now, the teacher he told Aang to find was being held prisoner in her own home locked away from the world. At the current rate things were going the trio might never find a teacher before the comet returned that summer.
Back inside the Beifong home Ranma had come to a decision the moment his father had handed him his fate. If Lao Beifong did not consider his son to be true Beifong material anymore then Ranma was going to leave. If he was lucky enough he'd be able to catch the Avatar and his friends before they left Gaoling. Ranma was not certain what help he could be to the trio but anything was better than staying under his father's rule. He regretted that he would have to leave Toph behind.
Meanwhile, in her own room Toph quickly packed a few belongings in a small bag she owned while putting on her costume from the Rumbles. She had enough of her parents treating her like an invalid and a shame on the world. Her mother never once stood up for her and Ranma was now in trouble because he did. If she was not around then maybe things would go better between her brother and their parents. If she was quick enough through her secret passage out of the house Toph would be able to catch Aang and the others and be able to help him learn Earthbending. It was an offer and an opportunity she was not about to let pass her by.
What neither Beifong sibling knew was that the other was planning their escape from their parents' home.
"Aang, I'm sorry it didn't work out. But, there are a lot of amazing Earthbenders out there. We'll find a teacher for you eventually," a sympathetic sounding Katara told the younger looking boy.
Aang sighed and spoke for the first time since leaving the Beifong home, "But she was the perfect one."
From his position in Aapa's saddle tying down their meager supplies Sokka added in his own view on the situation, "Look, I don't know about you two but I'd like to get going before Toph's dad sends the guards after us."
Toph emerged from her secret tunnel feeling the ground for the Avatar's location. As she did so two things stood out, a very large and heavy animal and the all too familiar feel of her brother not too far from her. She could feel that he too was running from their parents as his steps were waited slightly by a light pack. With a smile on her face Toph quickly adjusted her escape plans.
"Toph what are you doing?" Ranma questioned in a loud whisper.
"Look just follow my lead," Toph whispered back.
With that Ranma watched as his sister put whatever plan she had into action.
"Wait! Don't go just yet," Toph called out to the trio.
"Toph!" Katara called back excited to see her.
The look on Aang's face changed from sadness to one of hope and joy when he spotted the siblings. Everything looked to be going right for the Avatar for the first time since leaving the North Pole and Master Paku.
"Toph, you can come now?" Aang asked the blind Earthbender.
"Yeah, my dad changed his mind but only if Ranma comes with," Toph lied.
"It's the only way he'd let her out of the compound," Ranma quickly added to the fabricated story.
Aang smiled brightly, a gesture that was lost on the blind girl but not her brother. He was overjoyed that he would be able to learn from an amazing bender like Toph. To top it off there would be someone Sokka's age for him to pal around with during Aang's bending lessons. Aang wasn't certain what the older Beifong would be able to add to the group but he knew whatever skills the pigtailed addition to the group possessed they would be a welcomed asset in the fight to end the war.
"That's great. You're going to make an amazing teacher Toph," Katara commented.
"Yep and I'd like to give you your first lesson right now Aang," Toph said with a bit of a chuckle.
Brimming with excitement and anticipation Aang bobbed up and down like a four-year-old being told they were receiving a birthday surprise, "Really, what is it?"
In one swift motion Toph raised her foot and slammed it onto the ground causing a small column of stone and dirt to catapult Aang into the air. The Avatar landed with a thud on the back of Aapa's saddle next to Sokka. Not looking in any general direction Toph held out her hand as she called up to the Water Tribe warrior.
"Um, I'll be taking my belt back belt back now," Toph said moments before the heavy metal belt was dropped onto her head.
Appa flew through the air slightly slower than the day before. The extra weight of the two new passengers did not seem to bother the large Sky Bison as Aang had told the gentle natured giant they were friends. Looking back towards the saddle Aang caught sight of his friends old and new half of the remaining members of the now quintet were falling asleep while the other pair both sported two identical smiles on their faces. Toph's was a smile of pure joy as she held onto the side of the saddle for dear life. Ranma's smile, on the other hand, was one that spoke of just how happy he was for his sister to finally be able to experience what life was really like.
Back at the Beifong estate Lao sat in his throne like chair before Xin Fu and Master Yu, the two most influential men in his daughter's life after his son. The two men may not see eye to eye on bending practices but Lao knew they both spoke the same language, the language of money. Money drove their actions and money was going to get Lao what he wanted most, his children.
"The Avatar has kidnapped my children. I know you two don't see things the same but if you bring them back to me you will be rewarded handsomely," Lao told them as he opened a small chest to reveal rows of small rounded oblong shaped gold coins.
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(Posted Sat, 15 Sep 2012 16:34)
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