Disclaimer- I don't own Avatar or Toph (Oh I wish I did, but noooo…). I do own Kenshi (OC). The Toph in this story is 18. See here for picture. This is a time-skip of 6 years that assumes that Aang beat the Firelord and the world is at peace once more… or is it?

2nd Disclaimer- I don't own that picture. It is solely attributed to moony92. Great artwork for Toph!

13+ Is it's rating. May go up later on.

-2 Years before the story of Avatar: The Last Airbender, in Tophs hometown of Gaoling-

"C'mon Toph, your falling behind!" shouted the small boy, running behind a tree. The boys name was Kenshi. He was shorter then the average height by about two inches was skinny and wore glasses. While other children called him weird, the thing that defined that was his eyes, which one of was green and the other blue.

"Wait up you big goof!" replied Toph, running along behind the boy. While she was blind, the vibrations running through the ground from Kenshi's pounding feet enabled her to follow him. With a burst of sudden speed, she tackled Kenshi to the ground where they rolled around. Kenshi immediately popped back up. They hit a small rock and bounced onto the ground.

"You ok Toph?" he said, grinning widely.

"Yeah, just a scratch, nothing too big as long as my parents don't see it." Toph said, picking herself back up. They immediately started racing again.

"I'll beat you this time!" Toph shouted, rushing downhill as fast as she could.

"Oh no you won't!" came Kenshi's reply, sprinting down past here. They were running around on the Bei Fong estate, playing in the warm sun. No other children where around; they avoided Toph and Kenshi, labeling them outcasts. Kenshi was shunned, for his oddly colored eyes, and Toph for her apparent weakness due to blindness. As such, they were the best of friends, having only each other to pass by the days of childhood. They passed age-worn trees, running down the path to the entrance to Tophs home, where the fun would end and the duties began. When they reached the door, Kenshi patted Toph on the back.

"I guess this is it then. Bye Toph!" With that, he turned to go and run back up the path to the small house he lived in with his mother. Before he could go though, the door swung open. In the doorway stood Tophs father, arms already crossed.

"And where have YOU been Toph?" his voice boomed. His eyes scanned Toph, and he roughly pulled her to him and stared at her arm. On it were the tiniest of scratches and some smudges of dirt surrounding it. He whipped around, his face a mask of rage.

"What have you been doing Toph!"

Toph looked down at where she presumed her feet where.

"Nothing Dad, I was just messing around." Tophs father stared directly at Kenshi.

"This is your fault, isn't it. My Toph has a scratch on her arm and it's your fault ISN'T IT!" Kenshi shrunk back as if bitten. Toph was his best and only friend, and here he was accused of purposely hurting her. He felt a little dizzy underneath the older mans onslaught. "I should have known you were no good for her! Toph, say good bye to your friend." The man continued. With that, he whirled about and stalked back into the home.

"Dad, you can't do that!" Toph shouted, attempting to defend her friend. "You're totally overreacting to this! It's just a scratch!"

Tophs father turned around slowly and sighed. "Toph, I'm doing this for your own good." He began to explain. "You shouldn't even associate with trash like that. It's below the Bei Fong name." Toph stamped her foot as hard as she could.

"You can't talk about my best friend like that!" Tophs father stared at her outburst before regaining his composure.

"You're coming with me. It is obvious he is a bad influence on you, and you shouldn't see him again." He said. "In fact," he continued, "Why is this ruffian still here? Guards! Remove him from the Bei Fong estate immediately."

"No!" cried Toph, scrabbling. She was dragged inside still shouting, until the door slammed, muffling the sounds. Meanwhile, Kenshi was being dragged away, shouting as well.

"Wait, my friend is in there! Don't do this!" Kenshi cried. "It's not fair!"

"I know it isn't fair kid, but it's my job to do what he says. My wife and kids rely on the money I make from this job to support them ever since my son ran away and got himself killed by the Fire Nation." Came the guards reply, dragging the boy away with a stone face. Still kicking and shouting, Kenshi was forcefully ejected from the estates grounds onto the street. He picked himself up and began walking back home, still sniffling over the unfairness of it all. Suddenly his path was impeded, surrounded by the villages other children who had shunned him from before.

"Well, if it isn't freak number one." said a boy standing on the path.

"What's the matter freak? Lost your friend?" said another one, cutting him off from behind.

"Aww poor baby lost his blind buddy." said another one, stopping him from running to the left of him.

"Maybe that's why she hangs out with him, because she can't see his FACE." laughed the fourth boy, cutting him off and forcing him into the center of them. They surrounded Kenshi, mocking him from all sides and jeering at him.

"Poor freak, now you're all alone without your blind girlfriend to help you." They said, continuing to taunt him.

"She's not my girlfriend!" shouted Kenshi, his face turning beet red.

"Look at him! He's blushing!" shouted the largest boy. The torment continued, without Kenshi being able to walk away or even run. "The freak with a blue and a green eye… Let's make them both black and blue!" shouted the larger one, continuing. They surrounded him, kicking him and punching him brutally. Finally, he had enough.

"Leave… me… ALONE!" he screamed, emphasizing the final word by slamming his fists into the ground. Suddenly, the ground seemed to erupt around him, and his tormentors were flying through the air. Kenshi stared at his hands, wondering what he had done. "Did I just… earthbend?" he muttered, continuing to stare. Then he looked at the boys who had mocked him so often. They were in pain, moaning and clutching their bodies where the explosions of rock had hit them. Kenshi stared… and began to run. He ran all the way home, passing worn-down trees, mossy rocks, a small bubbling brook, until he was home. At home, safe at last, he flopped onto the mat that was his bed and slept quietly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ever since that day, he began to teach himself. And in the six years when his dearest friend Toph taught the avatar how to Earthbend, and the world was saved, he was practicing. Throughout the years he began to travel, building up his knowledge. Throughout his travels, he perfected the art of Earthbending to its farthest degree. And through the six years, he read of the exploits of his childhood friend, never learning where she was, only what she did. And while Toph grew into a beautiful young woman, the skinny, myopic, weak boy she knew went through a metamorphosis. Where once there was a puny weakling, there was now a strong, handsome young man, forever thrusting off the advances of women in the effort to find his friend and tell her how he felt. Wherever he traveled, he worked to help the people, but he was always a wanderer, following small snippets of rumors to track down Toph. Then, one fateful day, he would meet her and ask her about that fateful day at the Bei Fong estate...

Sorry, this is my first ever fan-fiction. So I'm not sure if it's any good. Feel free to leave comments/reviews or suggestions. Re-edited by a kind suggestion  And who doesn't want to indulge a little in some fluffy romance . By: TophKenshi  Ah yes the name gives it away doesn't it.