Inner Fire - ATLA fanfic

General Old Iron

Zira had lost track of how long she and the others had been trapped. It felt like hours. Sokka had left with Appa to get Toph's metalbending students in hopes they could help get them out. 

"Zira?" She heard Aang's voice from above her. 

"Is Sokka back?" She replied anxiously. 

"No, not yet. I just wanted to hear your voice" Aang sighed "Tell everybody down there to hang on just a while longer. The metalbenders will be here in no time, I'm sure of it. How's Toph holding up?" 

"As good as can be expected, I guess..."Zira glanced over at her best friend standing in the middle of the group with her arms up, keeping them from being crushed." ... Considering she's literally carrying the weight of the world" 

The support beams around them began to creak under the pressure, making Zira gasp in fear and grab Katara's arm. 

"Satoru, bring this to her" Katara held up her water pouch

"Isn't this the last of your water?"

"Yeah, but if Toph fails, me running out of water won't matter all that much" 

Satoru nodded and took the water from her, walking over to Toph offering her the water. 

The two talked quietly to each other for a moment before Toph's dad came over to them, wanting to apologise to his daughter. 

Katara placed a comforting hand on Zira's shoulder "How are you holding up?" 

"I'm okay. Just wanna get out of here" Zira glanced wearily at the weak support beams and earth surrounding them. 

"We will. Don't worry" Katara brought the younger girl in for a side hug "And once we do, you are going to go see your mom, right?" 

"I will...eventually "Zira muttered, resting her head on Katara's shoulder. 

"The longer you put it off, the more awkward it's gonna be, Zi" 

"It's gonna be awkward either way. I know what I want to say just not how to say it" Zira sighed 

"Well, if you don't want your mom to freak out, you might not want to mention being trapped under here" Katara smiled and Zira giggled slightly 

"Yeah, you're right" 

"Zira!" Aang's voice came again from above making them all lookup 

"They're here! Toph's students are here!" 

"Oh thank goodness!" Zira sighed in relief  "I'll tell Toph" 

*

Up above, Appa landed allowing Sokka and Toph's students to get off, quickly running over to Aang. 

"Metalbenders! Are we glad to see you guys!" Aang smiled with relief. "Sifu Toph and a bunch of other people are buried underground, in a collapsed mine! I can't dig them out because they're under these giant iron ore deposits!" 

"So you want us to dig them out with our bending?" 

"That's the plan" 

"Aang!" Zira's voice came from below" Toph says to tell her students that this is just like spider-ants beneath stomping feet, only flipped!" 

"That mean something to you guys?" Aang asked, looking lost. 

"Spider-ants beneath stomping feet?!" The Dark One gasped "My soul is ablaze with ebon anxiousness!" 

"It's an exercise where Sifu Toph blindfolds us and makes us stand in a sandpit!" Ho Tun covered his eyes with his hands. 

"Then we have to throw these giant metal plates back and forth over our heads!" Penga explained "And I mean giant. Bigger than Ho Tun!"