The Last Woodbender Chapter 45 (The Last Happy Day) (Patreon)

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"How long will this take?" Naruto asked as they all walked into Jet's office. It had taken hours for them to rest, and they all thought they would be ready to start their counterattack, but twenty minutes ago, 'Frog-Boy' informed them that Jet and their group needed more time and their attack needed to be postponed.

"Naruto, Aang. I understand we are on a time clock, but the people you see here right now. They are not all that are part of this revolution. There are more out there around Ba Sing Se, and forgive me for not preparing them earlier for your arrival since I had no idea that you would come here." Jet said with his usual sass, and Naruto groaned, but he could understand where he was coming from; they found out this place existed about ten hours ago.

Aang stepped forward with a determined look in his eyes. Naruto couldn't help but feel that Aang seemed different somehow. He didn't know what had happened to him, but he knew there was something new with him. Perhaps their Avatar had finally decided to step up and do what needed to be done for the future of this world. Naruto didn't know, and only time would tell.

"Jet, I understand that not all your troops are ready, but as Naruto said, the day of the Black Sun won't wait for us, so we will give you one whole day to communicate with your troops; we will wait that much, but once that one day passes. My friends and I will attack the castle with or without you." Jet looked surprised to hear such a tone from the Avatar, and even his friends were, but Katara was the one who was caught the most off guard.

Naruto smiled triumphantly, but as he looked down at Aang, he turned into two, then four, then eight Aangs'.

Naruto swallowed thickly as he squinted his eyes. The shapes had all disappeared; it was getting too blurry. He looked around, his hand right in front of him, but it started disappearing. It was no longer a hand, just a mash of blurs that he couldn't make out.

No, no, no, no, not yet. I'm not ready, Naruto thought in panic. Feeling the sweat rolling down his face, he clenched his teeth as he squinted his eyes even more. A lump formed in his throat. He didn't know where he was, and he felt like falling, but he reached around, grabbing a chair and using it as support.

After one minute, the shapes slowly returned, and he was no longer seeing in double anymore. He stopped using the chair as support. He could stand on his legs once again.

Naruto rubbed his eyes with his forearm and focused back on the conversation his friends were having, but he didn't notice Toph's worried look.

"So it's settled then, Avatar Aang. You return after twenty four hours. I promise you, the entire might of the Revolution will be there, and together." Jet extended his hand towards Aang, and the Avatar shook his hand in agreement. "Together we will make sure Ba Sing Se will forever be safe."

Naruto thought his choice of words at the end was a little strange, but he decided to ignore him as they walked out of his office, using the secret tunnels. Soon, they were outside of the Undertown.

"Ahhh!! I feel like I'm going blind!!" Sokka complained as they walked out, the bright sun above them. Walking outside felt strange after spending so many hours below ground without sunlight.

Naruto felt his eyes water and quickly looked away; his eyes burned like hot coal.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Toph asked with a hushed tone, looking worried.

Yes, I am, Naruto wanted to say as usual, but the words didn't come out of his mouth. Instead, he said something else. "We will talk later," he said dismissively.

Toph looked saddened but still accepted his answer... for now.

"Shut up, Sokka," Katara said with a shake of her head before turning to face Aang. "What should we do now?"

"You four can do whatever you want, I will go and find Iroh and Zuko. I need to talk with them about my firebending training." Aang said with a final tone. The four of them didn't even have time to say anything as he opened his staff and took to the skies.

"Does Aang seem different to you all?" Katara asked the moment he was out of earshot. She looked at the others, and she appeared concerned.

"By different, you mean he sounds more grown up, then yeah. I think we all have noticed it," Sokka said sarcastically as he put down his backpack and opened it. From inside, he pulled out a notebook.

"I agree with Sokka on this one. Aang is just changing, it is expected. This war needs someone who is more serious, someone who is more willing to do what needs to be done." Naruto said, and from his tone and words, he clearly supported this change.

"I'm not sure." Katara started with a hushed tone, sounding worried, and the others looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Aang is Aang. He's innocent, playful, and sees the good in everyone. That's who Aang is," Katara explained as she rubbed her shoulder with her hand, looked down at her feet, and looked worried.

"Katara." Sokka approached her with a comforting voice. "We all have changed, you know that. Aang will change too. You need to accept that." Sokka said, giving her a side hug.

Katara didn't seem like she wanted to accept this as she looked up at Naruto. "What will happen to us if Aang becomes like...becomes like..." "Like me?" Naruto finished for her, sounding a little hurt and bitter about it.

"No. I didn't mean to say that." Katara quickly defended herself, looking apologetic, but Naruto wasn't in the mood to hear that.

"Katara, don't worry. I understand where you are coming from. You like Aang how he is right now, and you are scared that this small change might lead to bigger changes in the future, to the point that you cannot even recognize him by the time everything is said and done." Naruto said with a sympathetic look, but that look quickly changed into one of anger. "But if he does change, then you need to accept that. You cannot force people to stay the same their entire lives. Katara, this war has already changed us and will continue for many months, if not years. You need to be prepared for the future, and you need to be there for Aang." Naruto said his piece and was ready to leave with Toph.

Since they had one free day, he wouldn't mind spending it with Toph. Perhaps this could be a date of some sort. It didn't sound bad.

"Naruto, I understand. But I'm worried that Aang might lose himself."

"We all might lose ourselves, Katara. It's part of this cursed world we live in. But at the end of the day. We should do what we must for the future of everyone else." Naruto said sympathetically before grabbing Toph's hand, ready to go somewhere with her.

"Alright. I will go to the Blacksmith. I need better weapons," Sokka said with a wave before walking away, leaving Katara alone. Naruto and Toph were already walking away from her.

"Wait, Naruto." He turned around right as Katara handed something in his hand.

Naruto squinted at the list Katara had just handed over. Why did she have to write so damn small?

"Does that say 'lentils'?"

"Yeah." She looked at him strangely for not being able to read such large letters. "You should be able to find everything in the market, about a fifteen-minute walk from the docks. And please hurry."

"Yes, Your Highness," Naruto said with a mocking bow and a mischievous grin, which was met with rolled eyes.

"I said please. What more do you want from me?"

It seemed like a rhetorical question, and he left instead of answering.

He and Toph chose a shop that looked promising, though it was only an educated guess. This was the first time she'd sent him grocery shopping, and only because of the ticking time cloak above everyone's head.

"Excuse me," Naruto said to the man at the register. "Do you have–" After a quick glance at the list, he just held it out. "Any of this?"

"Hm... Yeah, some of it. Mostly on aisles two and three. If you're having trouble finding anything specific, just ask the boy that's stocking the shelves."

"Thanks."

He and Toph set off in the indicated direction. They went to another shop and bought what else Katara wanted from them. But Toph noticed that he bought many other things that weren't on the list—at least, she was sure they weren't.

"What have you got there?" she asked. "What are you carrying?"

"Food. I bought us many ingredients. I will make you the best dish ever."

"I'm actually kind of starving, but I didn't know you could cook."

"Were you waiting for me?" That teasing note was back in his voice. The two soon found a motel to rest. The house they used in Ba Sing Se was probably not the best place to go right now. After paying for a room, the two entered, and Naruto looked around the room. He quite liked the simplicity of the place and Toph's smile. He figured she was enjoying the moment as much as he was.

"So what will you make for this date?" Toph asked, feeling funny as she said it.

"It's a surprise." Naruto said with a charming smile as he kissed her cheek and walked past her.

Toph followed more sedately, resting her arms on the counter while he organized everything and rifled through her cupboards for what he needed.

"How do you know how to cook bread?"

"Before we met you. A guy in a bar was from the Water Tribes. He said this is a family recipe for milk bread rolls. It doesn't look too complicated. Half the work's already done because one of the ingredients is this....uh...'starter' that he gave me some of."

"Sounds like you two really hit it off. You sure you don't want to spend the rest of your night with him?"

Toph couldn't see Naruto's eyes roll, but she was sure they did based on the faintly annoyed sigh she got from him.

"Okay..." he mused. "Let's see. It says to just...mix everything together and knead the dough, then let it rise, roll it into balls, and bake it in the pan."

"Sounds easy enough."

"I'm not going to do it for you, though. I want to teach you how to make this yourself in case you ever need it."

"Fine," Toph said with a shrug. She came around the counter and began to run her hands over everything laid out. "Tell me what to measure."

And thus began her first disastrous foray into the world of baking. The first cup of flour made her sneeze so violently that most of it ended up everywhere but the bowl. Naruto laughed so hard he fell to his knees; Toph retaliated by slapping his backside, which was conveniently pointed at her in his current position.

His reaction was a satisfying girlish squeal, but he went back to laughing almost immediately. "You've left your mark on me now. Your tiny little white handprint has claimed my asscheek."

They calmed down a tiny bit after that while Toph focused on trying to measure properly. As much fun as she was having with Naruto, she actually wanted these rolls to be edible.

"Okay, now crack an egg into the bowl," he instructed.

She felt around on the counter for the carton and carefully pulled out an egg. It was the first time she'd ever held a raw one. So delicate, more than expected. It wouldn't take much to break the thin shell.

With her hand hovering over the bowl, she clenched it into a fist with minimal pressure and felt the whole egg shatter and ooze through her fingers. It was disgusting, the slimy wetness making the shell fragments stick to her skin as it all dripped off slowly.

"What–" Naruto stammered. "What did you– Whydid you do that??"

"What do you mean? You told me to crack it into the bowl!" It was obvious by his choked-back laughter that she'd done something wrong.

"Look, I'm no expert," he managed, "but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to eat the shell."

"Doesn't it all just mix together and soften when you bake it?"

"Mmm...no. Hold on, I'll try to pick out the pieces."

A few grumbled remarks later ('Did you have to pulverize it?'), he took up a position right behind her with his body pressed against hers. Toph could barely breathe, overwhelmed by his familiar scent swirling all around her.

What is he doing??

But the question was soon answered when he gently placed another egg in her hand. His own much larger, warmer hands wrapped around hers and directed her movement like she was a puppet, and he was the strings that controlled her. She couldn't have resisted if she had tried.

The hand that held the egg tapped it lightly against the corner of the counter. Toph couldn't believe Naruto could be so gentle and precise. Then he brought both hands up to hover over the bowl and pressed her thumbs into the weakened part of the shell. The whole thing finally split in half when he pulled their hands apart.

"Oops," he said with a soft chuckle, his warm breath tickling her ear. "Got a few bits of shell in there, anyway."

But he didn't let go of her hands. She was still holding the shell pieces, one side of it still dripping slimy liquid onto her fingers in an almost lewd way. But all of that was just a faint buzzing in the background. It couldn't compare to his hot skin against hers, his heart pounding against her back.

The moment lingered, on and on until Toph couldn't stand it anymore. She moved her hands to drop the shell pieces on the counter, which seemed to give Naruto the impression that she wanted him to let go.

But it wasn't true at all. The second his hands pulled away, she was filled with regret. That feeling spurred an impulsive spin that put her back to the counter so she could wipe her hands on his shirt with a mischievous grin. And then she left them there, pressed flat against his chest. It was as bold as she'd ever dared to be with him.

"You got egg all over my shirt," he said.

"I thought it would match the flour on your ass nicely."

"Guess I'm just about ready to go in the oven, then."

"Didn't the recipe say something about greasing with oil first?" Toph countered with a smirk.

That expression was wiped off her face in an instant, though, when his thumb brushed across her cheekbone. She very nearly sighed audibly at the unexpected contact, her heart beating so hard now that it drowned out whatever he was doing.

"You had a bit of flour there," he explained. "Well, it's everywhere, but there was a big spot there. His thumb traveled down to her lower lip. "Little bit there, too."

"If you want to kiss me, just do it and stop trying to make bullshit excuses."

The space between them closed like a bedroom door being pushed to with soft finality. They were cut off from the world, and whatever happened next would be for them only. Curtains drawn. Bodies entwined.

Everything was forgotten. The baking lesson, the fire nation, the war, and Naruto's illness.

All of that was instantly chased away when his lips finally greeted hers in what felt like the culmination of every second they'd ever spent together.

His taste was rippling across her tongue, and she knew she'd never, ever forget it. Even if he decided this wasn't what he wanted and this was all she'd ever get, it was enough. Bodies pressed together, breath flowing between their mouths, fingers trailing across goosebumps. Eyes closed.

As all good things must, the kiss drew closer and closer to its end until, finally, their lips went still and parted ways. Toph could feel how fast his heart was beating, and knowing it was beating for her made her so happy. His breath was against her face, and she felt his lips against her forehead.

"Toph. I don't know what will happen in the future, and I am not sure about any of this. But I really like you a lot. I'm not sure if this is love, or maybe I'm just a moron, but I have very strong emotions for you." Naruto said sincerely, their forehead touching.

"Then we are both morons. Together. I feel the same for you." She confessed before kissing him again. They didn't know what would happen in the future and wanted to enjoy this moment to the fullest.

Nothing more happened between the two; Naruto and Toph shared kisses, but their clothes remained on their bodies. They enjoyed cuddling with one another in the bed.

Toph had never felt safer than she was at that moment.

Naruto prayed to God that his friends would survive this war—that Toph, Sokka, Katara, and Aang would survive in the end. He would do his part and become what he needed to become to end this War, but his friends—they needed to survive.

Night

"Psss, Avatar Aang. We are ready." Frog Boy said with a wide smile before jumping from the window. The Gang still found it strange that his legs were so long compared to his body.

They all followed him and soon walked into the back of an alley. Before them appeared a large group of people, all of them holding weapons, swords, pitchforks, crossbows, knives, and other weapons. Some of them were even Earthbenders, with their leader standing in front of them.

"I won't disappoint you again, Avatar Aang." Jet said sincerely, standing in front of his entire group; he turned to face his group and climbed on top of a barrel, looking at everyone who had gathered.

"Tonight, we take this city back from the people who forced us all to live a lie. Tonight we fight for everyone you see everyday that walks these roads. For the fathers, for the mothers, for the children, for our friends. We fight for all of them tonight. I won't lie to you my friends. Some of us might not return. We might lose friends, we might lose people we hold dear to us. I understand if you are all afraid to go on. I'm afraid too. I would be a liar if I said otherwise, but someone once told me that one should sacrifice for a better tomorrow. I'm willing to put my life on the line for this tomorrow. Will you all follow me for a Better Tomorrow?"

"FOR A BETTER TOMORROW!!"

"FOR A BETTER TOMORROW!!"

"FOR A BETTER TOMORROW!!"

"FOR A BETTER TOMORROW!!"

Aang and his group looked shocked and a little amazed by Jet's speech, especially Naruto, who remembered that he had wanted to kill him the last time after Jet's plan to flood the town was revealed.

Perhaps sometimes it's better to spare some lives, Naruto thought as their cheers for Jet were heard. Cries for Liberty.

Naruto placed his hand on Toph's shoulder and Aang's shoulder, hugging the entire group.

"We stay together?" He asked, looking at each one of them.

"We stay together." The group shouted as they broke away. Aang walked ahead toward Jet, followed by Sokka and Katara, but when Toph tried to follow them.

Naruto turned Toph around, and before she had the time to ask what he was doing, his lips found hers. The two shared a deep, passionate kiss. Toph couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good as Naruto held her close. Once they pulled away, he looked right at her moon-like eyes.

"You stay with me?"

"Always."

Chapter 46 (Broken Moon Eyes) will come out on 21-24 August.

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