Dawn of a New Prince (Star Wars/Avatar Crossover)

Toph arrived at her own truth. She was tough and strong, but there was nothing wrong with accepting help from her friends. It did not make her less capable, less of a warrior. Everyone needed help sometimes.

Katara's thoughts had been revolving around her father. She had thought she was angry with him, that she hated him for leaving she and Sokka behind, alone. Hadn't he known how much they needed him? But she realized that he had no choice, and that she loved him, very much so, and that she missed him so much.

Pathik grinned, pleased that they were progressing so far. Now there were only two more chakras left. He spoke, "Good. You've opened the Sound Chakra. The sixth pool of energy is the Light chakra, located in the center of the forehead. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same."

Sokka frowned, this time trying to process what the Guru meant. There was water and earth making mud, but he wasn't sure that was what Pathik meant.

Katara thought of the Fire Nation, trying to take over the world. They thought themselves above and beyond the rest of the world, when in reality no one was better than anyone else. There was supposed to be balance amongst all.

Toph couldn't help but remember her own triumph with metal. Most earthbenders did not realize that it was still a part of the earth, and so they were trapped by their own perceived shortcomings.

Aang

"Sorta like the Four Nations." Aang thought aloud in response to what the Guru said.

"Yes. We are all one people, but we live as if divided," the Guru told the Avatar with a smile while Sokka grunted.

"So, you're telling us that we're like the scum in the Fire Nation," Sokka frowned, not too happy at the thought.

Pathik sighed, "You must keep in mind that, for the most part, the Fire Nation is filled with misguided men and women. It is their leaders that are to blame. Separation is an illusion and hatred fuels this. Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion."

Sokka sighed, closed his eyes again. This was hard to swallow, but ti made sense. His head tilted towards Toph absentmindedly. Being one people wasn't such a bad thing, he supposed, but he wouldn't be hugging any Fire Nation soldiers any time soon.

"That's why I was able to bend metal," said Toph.

"You were what?" Katara glanced at the younger girl. "You didn't tell me. Or Aang, I think."

Toph shrugged. "We were kind of running for our lives. And I've only done it once."

It didn't really end well, either, she thought. She absentmindedly rubbed her maimed arm.

Sokka opened his eyes, excited at the new possibilities of Toph's new bending talent, but frowning when he saw her rub her maimed arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked her quietly.

"I'm fine," she said. But even as she said it, Toph didn't know if it was the truth or not. Her heartbeat was steady enough, but she just didn't feel whole-hearted about the declaration either. "It just feels... weird."

"Makes sense," Sokka told her, frowning a little. He stared at her arm; he was sad about her losing her hand, though he didn't blame himself for it anymore. He still wished he could have done something to prevent it.

"We'll make Vader pay for it," he told her, "I promise."

"No, no. Forget about my arm. It's not important," said Toph. "There's better reasons to stop Vader." She offered Sokka a smile, a real smile, and wiggled her toes. "He didn't take my feet, at least."

"Stil, I can't forgive him for what he did," Sokka told her, smiling back, "You're very important to me."

He blushed, feeling awkward again, scratching the back of his head. He said quietly, "I guess I didn't realize it until this whole Vader mess."

Toph blushed despite herself. She did not know how to respond to such a thing. She was half-hoping and half-fearful, and altogether confused.

"We're best friends," she said, at last. "And, well, it's like they say. You don't know what you have until you almost lose it."

Zareal

Zareal looked at the wall for a moment and muttered, "I hope I live to regret this." He stuck his arms out forward, and used the force to pull the walls apart. They started to budge slowly, and soon a space was there large enough for him to walk through. He walked inside at a quick pace, hoping to get in and out with the princess before Vader's spies found out. He expected that he'd be found out once he got past this outer wall.

"Yeah," he agreed, blushing a bit, but smiling a little when he saw that he wasn't the only one. He only hoped that Katara or Aang wouldn't tease them later about this, "I wouldn't have forgiven myself about losing you."

He looked away and muttered, "It wasn't Suki I saw when Guru did his love chakra magic."

Katara could not help but listen in. She wondered if this was the right time and place to be discussing such a delicate topic. But, then again, if not now, when? She remained silent, trusting her brother and Toph to work this out for themselves.

Toph was silent for a moment herself.

"Then your moon princess," she said, slowly, unwilling and afraid to admit what she thought he was saying. "You saw her."

"No. I mean, I did love her, at least, I think I did," Sokka told the blind earthbender, "But I didn't see her. I saw you."

Pathik frowned. This was going to prove difficult for the next chakra they were going to open. It was hard enough to open it when he was a young Jedi with no romantic entanglements, but to ask young people to forsake that attachment? He prayed he would be able to convince at least the Avatar. The Avatar State was the only way Vader could be denied his ambitions.

"Me?"

She was not entirely surprised by the truth. She had almost expected it. That did not make it any less shocking, or frightening. Her heart yearned to reach out to him, but Toph was far too insecure, sometimes, to believe her own senses.

"That can't be right," she said. "I... I care for you, a lot. I do. But... I'm not what you want, Sokka. You've got that in Suki."

It hurt to admit that. It did.

"I-I don't know. I mean, my mind is unsure, but my instincts point to you," Sokka told her, frowning a bit. He thought for a bit, weighing his feelings for Suki vs Toph.

He spoke, "I-I feel more towards you, or for you. W-with Suki, I was excited, but I never got to know her before I started kissing her. But now, I feel protective of you and nervous and comfortable at the same time And, well... I think you're pretty and I guess I rushed things with Suki and didn't really think about what I was feeling."

He looked, away, blushing and frowning. He hated being confused and embarrassed like this, but something prompted him to stammer out everything awkwardly. The Universe just seemed to like to torture him that way.

Toph felt for him. It was hard, trying to explain what was on your heart and mind, especially when it could easily lead to being embarrassed or humiliated. In that way, Sokka was far braver than she ever was.

She had never had the guts to tell him she liked him, after all, and that out of all her new friends she cared about him the most.

There was no time like the present, then. All this chakra clearing... This had to fit in somewhere, right? And she couldn't just leave him hanging.

"I'm sorry you had to find out about me. Y'know, the way I feel, for you, from Vader," she said, awkwardly. She hated it. "It wasn't the way I wanted it to come out, but it's still the truth."

Sokka smiled at her, still blushing a little, but thankful that, at least, no one was making fun of him He spoke, "Yeah. It would have been nice to learn it some other way, but, to tell the truth, I think I'm glad of it."

"As if this isn't awkward enough," said Toph, thinking she would thrash Katara and Aang if they even dared poke fun of them later on. She sighed. "I don't think I ever would've told you otherwise, though... So maybe I'm a little glad too it's all out in the open."

"Yeah," Sokka told her with a nervous smile, "Better sooner than, later, right?"

Pathik sighed, shaking his head as he spoke up, "Unfortunately, this makes things difficult. The last chakra, the Thought chakra, is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachment."

He looked at the young teens seriously, "You must meditate on what attaches you to the world and let all the attachments go, flowed down the river, forgotten."

"W-wait! What?! That's unfair! How are supposed to save the world if we don't care about anyone or anybody!" Sokka objected.

"Attachment is not the same thing as caring. Attachment leads to jealousy and the Dark Side," Pathik told them calmly before turning to Aang and saying in a more gentle tone, "Detachment from the world is the only way to control the Avatar State."

Katara shared her brother's sentiments. How could detachment from the world possibly be a good thing? It sounded cold and impersonal, and that was not Aang at all.

And how could she ever give up her attachment, her love, for Aang? Power was not worth that!

"We can still love someone though, right?" That was Toph. She was frowning, thoughtful. "I mean... Attachment isn't love. Not really."

"Love is risky," Pathik told them with a sigh, frowning a bit, "It is unpredictable and often led to passion and possessiveness. That is why the Jedi Order forbade it for their members, at least, romantic love."

He closed his eyes, "I had a vision once. A young Jedi by the name of Anakin Skywalker disobeyed the Jedi Code and took a wife. Right before the fall of the Old Republic, he had a vision of his wife dying from childbirth. He pledged himself to a Sith Lord. I could not see his face in my vision, though. He desired to learn how to prevent those he loved from dying. Anakin killed his brothers and sisters and eventually, his wife as well, because of his acceptance of the Dark Side. In the end, he was destroyed in fire and reborn as more machine than man."

"That doesn't mean either of us will do the same thing! I mean, I can't even touch your "Force". Don't we learn from stuff like this!" Sokka objected.

(I took liberty with the Guru's powers. Sorry if that was too much. I'll edit it if it's too much.)

"We're not training to be Jedi, either," said Katara. Aang had yet to say anything, and that worried her. "Is it... fair to expect us to follow the same path?"