The air popped as a monstrous shockwave of wind shot in all directions, shattering the ground and making Toji grin as his muscles strained to push back the full brunt of the Avatar.
Aang had a snarl on his face as he got pushed back, flipping over midair before lunging back in as Toji twirled his spear. Thrusting it at the teen, Aang pushed it to the side while swinging it at Aang's leg, who blocked the strike with the bottom half of his own staff.
Spinning their strikes to the side, Aang spun and swung at Toji's legs, knocking them out from under him only for the man to catch himself with his spear.
Swinging a kick at Aang's head, it connected through his wind bubble and sent him sliding back, but Aang got himself before he twirled his staff and thrust it forward.
Wind shot out in a funnel and sent Toji flying back, but he spun through the air and landed in a crouch, slicing against the ground to kick up a storm of sand.
Launching himself to the side, Toji dashed across the ground as Aang swung down, unleashing a shockwave that dispersed the dust before he turned his glare as Toji appeared behind him.
Spinning the staff around, Toji aimed before heaving it forward, Aang barely dodging to the side as the spear grazed his side before stabbing into the ground behind Aang.
Unsheathing the Split Soul Katana with a flourish as Wormy spat it out, Toji rushed in while pulling the spear back from the other side.
Aang spun and parried the spear to the side while ducking under the katana swung at his head, the boy's glare aimed at Toji as he stomped on the ground and unleashed a storm of rock pellets in all directions.
Deflecting the rocks with the Split Soul Katana and slicing them apart, he flipped backwards as Aang swung an airblade at him, landing in a split when Aang fired a boulder before rolling to the side to avoid another wind bomb.
Flipping to his feet, Toji flipped with a corkscrew before landing and lunging at Aang, dodging in between the attacks before calling Kuruk's spear as Aang began to float.
With a grunt, he leapt into the air as rock pillars shot from the ground, flipping midair and landing on the spear before kicking it at the boy.
Aang grunted as he swung down and unleashed a storm of wind, but to his surprise, the spear cut right through it and into his side, Toji bracing himself as the storm crashed into him.
It crashed into him and sent him tumbling across the sand, Toji flipping over halfway and letting his boots carve trenches into the ground to halt his momentum.
Calling the Spear of Kuruk back to his hand as Wormy ate up the Split Soul Katana until only the hilt poked out, Toji tapped the spear staff against his shoulder while watching as blood trailed down the Avatar's side.
"Not bad, kid, but you're not going to win if you fight like that," Toji said as he cracked his neck, watching as Aang was heaving with rage while the winds around him began to intensify.
Snapping around and parrying Suki's swing to the side, Toji slammed the butt end of his spear into her stomach and sent her flying back, spinning back just as a rock pillar slowly drew closer.
The Split Soul Katana was back in his grasp as Wormy spat it out, Toji's arm a blur as he rapidly cut it to pieces before leaning back as a torrent of air missed him.
Spinning to the side with a flip, Toji narrowed his eyes as he watched Aang thrust his palms at him, grunting when the sand rose up in response and wrapped around his legs.
Flexing his legs, he could feel the sand trying to crush his ankles as the Avatar swung down, looking as the clouds gathered before a storm of hail rained down onto him.
Throwing both the spear of Kuruk and the Split Soul Katana into the air, Toji took a deep breath as Wormy spat out a wooden staff, Toji catching it before grunting as he slammed it butt first into the ground.
As he did, a pure shockwave of high-pitched sound erupted from Yangchen's staff and shattered not only the sand but also the hail coming down, Toji grinning as he saw Aang's eyes widen and blood dribble from his ears.
Pulling himself with a flourish, Toji first tossed Yangchen's staff and then Kuruk's spear, catching the Split Soul Katana before rushing in as Aang pushed the spear to the side.
As he did, the Avatar gasped in pain as another shockwave of sound erupted in his ear and disoriented him, his eyes widening as Kuruk's spear dug deep into his other side before Toji came to a stop in front of him with the Split Soul Katana held to his neck.
The Avatar State slowly bled away as Aang stared wide-eyed at Toji, who just smirked as he let Wormy eat the katana before walking over to Yangchen's staff back.
'Oh, it feels good to beat the chosen one of this world,' Toji thought with a pleased grin as Wormy ate Yangchen's staff and called Kuruk's spear to his grasp, twirling the weapon while Wormy climbed up to lay its head on his shoulder.
"What just...?...Did Aang just lose... while he's in the Avatar state?", Sokka asked, wanting to make sure he was not dreaming even as everyone else was still too stunned to speak.
"You want to know why you lost? It's because you were more focused on causing me harm than actually winning. If you had attacked to kill, I would be dead, but instead you attacked to harm.
Since this was just a battle for me to test how strong you truly are, I can tell you right now that I would kill you with ease if I wanted to pursue your bounty," Toji spoke while swinging the spear to the side, stabbing through the water whip swung at him while raising an eyebrow as Katara simply reformed it with a frown.
"What makes you think that you aren't here to do that right now?"
"Because if he wanted to, Twinkle Toes would have been shot from a location and at a time where we were completely exhausted," Toph spoke up and Toji grinned as Wormy spat out the crossbow that he waved around with a grin.
"I can shoot an accurate headshot from about a few hundred yards away in this weather condition we have. If you give me enough time to plan out your route and how you move, that increases to a mile away with a rock.
The only reason I'm not doing that is because I'm waiting until your bounty becomes too big to ignore."
"How much is it now?"
"Six thousand Fire Nation gold coins."
"...That's chump change compared to what we paid you over the years," Toph spoke with a scoff and Toji shrugged as the others were just confused and cautious of their conversation.
"I know, but I'm a greedy bastard. That and there is not much to bet on nowadays so now I'm just getting as much money as I can."
"So, you're greedy? The best 'bounty hunter' in the world is little more than a selfish, greedy, arrogant guy?", Sokka asked with a raised eyebrow and Toji smirked as he nodded.
"You forgot to add in lazy there. Anyway, Toph, you know that your dad put a bounty on your head, right?"
"How much?"
"Eighty thousand Earth Nation gold."
"...Your family is that rich?!", Katara hissed, but Toph didn't answer as she looked at Toji who looked back with a stoic look.
"And?"
"...I never liked your old man anyway. Also, I took care of the two bounty hunters he sent after you."
"Who?"
"Uh, Yu and that guy from the Underground Earthbending wrestling thing they got going on in Gaoling."
"Xin Fu? Man, I wanted to win that championship belt first~", Toph whined, Toji just rolling his eyes before he glanced at Suki who was still glaring at him.
"You still mad at me for tricking you?"
"I will only rest once I know you are dead."
"Okay, still mad."
"What did you do?"
"Stole the fans of Avatar Kyoshi," Toji answered with a simple shrug as he sat down on the sand, everyone relaxing as they saw him place the spear down and lean back on his hands.
"Wait, what?", Aang asked in surprise, snapping out of his stunned state before his eyes widened as he rushed over to Appa with Katara swiftly behind.
"Appa!"
"Don't worry. It looks like a lot of bleeding, but it was simply a minor cut on his second line of veins on the back of his neck. You know that air bisons have three times as many veins and arteries throughout their body compared to a human, right? I've studied which ones to cut and for it to still be harmless."
"W-Wait, then that fight...?"
"I just wanted to see how strong the Avatar is and sorry to say, but you'll get your ass handed to you by either the Fire Lord or his brother Iroh," Toji answered with a shrug, not surprised at Aang's surprised look before he turned to Sokka as the guy knelt beside him.
"That spear looks of Water Nation origin."
"Yeah, and that staff you used looked very similar to Twinkle Toes' one."
"Oi, not Twinkle Toes."
"You float around like a bitch and walk softly. You're Twinkle Toes," Toph doubled down with a shrug, making Toji laugh as Aang just grumbled while Katara continued her healing of Appa's neck.
"Seriously, though, where did you get this...and why does it feel wrong?"
"That's because this is Avatar Kuruk's spear and the staff is Avatar Yangchen's staff. Oh, and the ring right here is Avatar Szeto's ring."
"...So, you've just been going around and stealing ancient artifacts because you can?"
"Well, I did talk to the spirit of Yangchen and she said I could take her staff and Kuruk's spear. Szeto's ring was going to be given to the Fire Lord's daughter so I just took it for myself and as for the fans..."
"I still want them back. I care little for the reasoning you have."
"Oh, there is no reasoning. I'm not giving them back," Toji spoke bluntly with a shrug and Sokka held out an arm to stop Suki before the two guys looked at each other.
"And why won't you return them?"
"Because they'd just be placed away on a high pedestal where they'd never see use again. With me, at least, they get to be used like they're meant to be used. They are tools of war, not museum decorations."
"They're not yours! The fans are sacred and belong to Kyoshi Island because it's our legacy, not your trophy!"
"Sacred? You know what Kyoshi did with these fans?", Toji asked as Wormy spat them out, the young man stabbing them into the ground while looking directly into Suki's eyes.
"She cut people down, brutally and without hesitation. I do the same. The only difference is that I don't try to pretend that I'm better than what I am."
"You're a thief."
"Assassin, mercenary, thief, bounty hunter and killer. When you want to classify me, you make sure you add in all of my titles, not just the one," Toji spoke bluntly as he picked up the fans, letting Wormy eat them again before he was on his feet and in front of Suki before any of them could blink.
"You Kyoshi Warriors march around with steel blades when your whole island worships the 'way of Kyoshi's life' and yet, you hate the first actual warrior that carries out her true legacy. Nothing more than a weapon and a deterrent that points itself at anyone that tested her."
"Okay, but then why go around stealing the other Avatar relics? What's the point?"
"Because I can."
"You do not care for the balance of the world, do you?", Aang said with a frown and Toji gave a mocking smile as he raised an eyebrow.
"And who was the one that ran away and left the world of the balance to become askew? Please, do remind me," Toji spoke with a waiting look, not surprised when Aang glanced away while Sokka frowned.
"Low blow, man."
"I'm not the one that ran away when the world needed him most. If no one's going to tell him that, I will."
"And would you have been so brave to do what he couldn't?", Katara asked and Toji just raised an eyebrow as Toph cut in with a scoff.
"Katara, the guy you're talking to killed hundreds to thousands of soldiers before his thirteenth birthday. Believe me when I say that if he was Aang at sixteen, we'd be looking at a peaceful world right now.
With that said, though, you don't come into my life after six goddamn years and then start fights with my friends. You understand me, dipshit?", Toph spoke with a frown as she repeatedly jabbed her finger against his chest and everyone was surprised as Toji just chuckled.
"Still the bossy girl that ordered me around. Guess something's never cha-", Toji blinked as he got pulled down and felt a pair of lips locking onto his own, his eyes wide as Toji kissed him before she pulled back with a wet smack and a grin.
"There! I've done what I've wanted to do for a long time! I'm happy."
"...Did she...did she just...?", It was not only Toji that was stunned as everyone else looked just as surprised as he was, the young man slowly looking at Toph as she hopped onto Iron's back with a grin.
"Well, I had to shut him up somehow before he went off on one of his condescending speeches and since he wanted a fight, smacking him around wouldn't have worked out."
"Did Toph just kiss a guy?!", Sokka finally got it out and Aang just nodded as he was still in a daze while Toph rubbed Iron's horn with a smirk as the beast snorted approvingly.
"I did. What about it?"
'...Hana, I'm sorry,' Toji had kissed many women after the passing of his wife in his past life, but that kiss right now had a spark to it he had only felt with his wife and that...that terrified him.
He was younger in this life and just four years older than Toph so a relationship between the two of them was not out of the question, but still, his jaw tightened as he took a deep breath.
He had spent years burying his past life, but that damn spark brought everything back and remembering it all made him afraid. It made him so afraid of what would happen should he open the gates once more.
'No, Toji. Force it back and think of it once you're alone.'
"Oi, you think that's enough to shut me up?", Toji asked, forcing his tone back into his cocky, dismissive tone as Toph's smirk widened.
"I'll give you another one if you don't."
"Uh, Toph, you going to tell us why you kissed the guy that just fought Aang?", Katara asked and Toph shrugged as Toji hopped onto Iron's back behind her.
"No, I've wanted to do that since I was twelve and now I can. Also, we'll be going ahead of the group to Ba Sing Se."
"No, we'll meet them at Ba Sing Se. I told you that your parents want to talk to you."
"And I thought you said that you won't bring me back?", Toph asked with a raised eyebrow and Toji scoffed as Iron rumbled and turned around.
"Yeah, right. Oi, if you want, you can follow us back to the Misty Palms and then we'll continue heading past to Gaoling."
"Suki, this is all you. We're happy with any choice, right guys?", Aang asked as he looked to Katara and Sokka, Toji raising an eyebrow as he watched the flying lemur floating around before tuning back to the discussion.
"I want to say no, but at the same time, we have no clue on how to navigate through the place. I regret saying this, but...we need his help."
"Glad to hear it! Looks like we're following you...against our better judgement," Sokka murmured and Toji smirked as he shrugged.
"Sure. Hop onto the bison and let's get going. The sun's going down and sand benders like hunting at a time where no one can see them coming."
A/N: And we end it off here~! Sorry for the late upload and this is going to be the only upload for the day as I've been stuck in meetings for most of the day today.
The chapters for both He Who is Death and The Second Son are all about two-thirds done, but I will finish those as I will be leaving for the day tomorrow to attend a seminar and that'll be the entire day up until Sunday afternoon.
Anyway, a bit more of a talkative chapter with the fight being quick and fast-paced, but next chapter: Talking and heading back to the first mass-assassination.
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~!