Very First Story...

So be easy on me. LOL

SHIP- Tokka

What if sokka hadn't had the cactus juice affect him for so long and was there for toph when she was struggling with guilt and the inability to see in the desert.

The Desert

It is like a giant bowl of grainy pudding. I couldn't see beyond the edges of my toes, they wiggled constantly, searching and searching. My whole body was racked with an inexplicable amount of guilt. Toph Beifong was never guilty, except for now. Luckily, no one seemed to notice, and if they did frankly they didn't care. Surviving the desert was far more important. Only one person kept turning there head to me staring peculiarly. Sokka had been acting weird all day which he's weird all the time, but this was different. Katara explained to me that the cactus seemed to have some sort of chemical in it that caused hallucinations and made him feel at ease and out of it. I wouldn't mind some of that right now. Twinkle toes has been gone all day looking for Appa only to return a few hours ago furious and alone. It was my fault Appa was gone, I may not have been able to see but that was never an excuse for me before so, it wasn't now. I was ripped from my train of thought when suddenly I tripped and landed on the scorching sand. It sent a familiar and welcome jolt of sight up my spine but hurt my toe none the less. I stood up angrily, slightly bumping into a still delirious Sokka.

"Why the heck is there a boat in the middle of a desert." I yelled in exhausted anger.

"A BOAT! That means there must be water! Momo go and get me the water." Sokka said pointing accusingly at Momo who just chirped angrily in response.

Katara still hadn't made a sound. She was obviously thinking but I had no patience at this point.

"Did you not hear me Sugar Queen?! A BOAT! What does that mean!"

Katara responded surprisingly calm and pensive. "Toph i think it is one of the sand benders boats. Is there anyway that you could bend it out of the sand so we could take a look at it?"

I felt bad Katara was the only one trying to keep everyone alive. "No. I don't know how to bend sand." I replied sadly looking down.

Suddenly a sullen Aang stepped forward. Without a word he air bent the boat free and stepped back away from the group again.

"Thanks Aang," Katara said meekly, clearly Aangs current mood was concerning Katara but I didn't think that any apologies would help right now. So I stayed quite.

##########

After we made it off the buzzard wasp hill and Aang had confronted the sand benders Sokka had seemed to be coming back from his cactus juice. We were ridding on one of the sand benders boats and moving out of the desert. Aang and Katara were above deck talking to the crew of the boat about some "Important Appa business" while Sokka and I were sent below deck to rest. I was laying on one of the small hard beds thinking about all the different ways i could say sorry to everyone for causing such a mess. I tried thinking I could blame the sand benders or the supposed owl that was in the library but I knew ultimately it was only my fault. I Couldn't help but let a tear fall from my sightless eye, but i quickly swiped it away. Sokka was sitting on the identical bed next to mine and i knew he was staring at me with a concerned scowl. I just couldn't let him see me cry, i'm too strong to cry.

Timidly Sokka questioned "Toph whats wrong? I-I Mean I know your tough and all but i can tell something is up."

"Nothing" I replied coolly, like that tear had never happened.

"Toph, please."

I could feel my walls collapsing. For some reason Sokka had a knack for pushing right through my defenses. If Sokka pleaded with me I couldn't say no, ever. This was too personal though i didn't want to talk, not even to him so i decided to push him away. Just make it so he didn't want to talk to me either.

"Just leave me Alone, There is NOTHING wrong Sokka." I shouted still laying curled on the little sand bender bed.

The wood of the boat made it so i couldn't see but i was also laying down so when Sokka went completely quite i quickly lost track of exactly where he was. I couldn't even hear his breathing to get a vague idea of his location in the tiny room. Shockingly I felt him lay beside me and put his strong arms around me. He turned me over to face him. His soft warm breath on my forehead.

"Please." I heard him whimper, barely audible even to me.

What i had left of walls against sharing my emotions immediately collapsed and i shoved my face into his chest and cried. When my whimpers had quit and i had gained a bit of composure i pushed away very slightly so my face wasn't on his shirt now moist with tears.

Sokka spoke with a concerned tone that made me want to cry again. "Whatever is wrong Toph I want to be here for you. I wasn't here all day, and i am sorry, but I am here for you now."

"I-I, I lost Appa, I almost got us all killed. I am a terrible person." I said in a whisper

"Toph, absolutely none of this is your fault. Your the one that saved our life from suffocating in a sand filled library." Sokka said with a certainty i didn't know he had.

"I never tho (sniff)thought about it that way."

"You are the bravest, strongest, prettiest and smartest person I know. So what you did was obviously the right thing."

"Do you really mean that Sokka, about being brave and strong and pretty, when i'm sitting here blubbering like a baby lion seal."

"Yes, I really do" he said sternly as he gazed into my mint green eyes.

Then he bent slightly and kissed my forehead with extreme kindness. I tilted my head into the kiss and when he reluctantly pulled away I snuggled into his chest again suddenly swept by exhaustion.

"Toph i'm really tired. Would you mind if I just sleep with you. You make me feel much better."

"I don't mind at all" I replied with a feeling of contentment washing over me.

##########

When I woke up I was in a big plushy sleeping bag. 'Where am I' i thought to myself. Suddenly rushed with panic i went to sit up but notice something that restricted my movements. Just then i noticed the boy laying next to me sleeping while softly snoring. The previous day came rushing back to me and I calmed instantly. 'wherever we are I trust Sokka knows whats going on' so i snuggled back into him. Unfortunately, my snuggling woke Sokka up. He shifted closer to me and groggily opened his eyes. As soon as his eyes adjusted he smiled widely at the young girl awake next to him. He kissed her forehead again.

"Good morning beautiful" She grinned and moaned happily in response.

"Sokka where are we, I thought we fell asleep in the sand bender boat."

"Well when we reached Ba Sing Se I didn't want to wake you up so I carried you off the boat."

"Okay well thanks that was sweet. But, were are we exactly meat head?"

"Oh ha-ha yea. We're camped near Ba Sing Se."

"Did twinkle toes find Appa" I said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm.

"No." Sokka said quietly making sure to let me down easily.

"Oh"

"Don't feel bad though" Sokka said "Aang has actually calmed down a lot, and he knows its not your fault. He actually never blamed you."

"Huh, Well i guess that's good."

Thank the spirits Aang isn't mad anymore. That doesn't mean Appa isn't still missing though.

"We have a lot of work to do then to find Appa." I said confidently.

"Well we will do it together." Sokka said pushing my bangs away from my eyes and kissing me gently on the cheek I blushed violently.

"Sokka you are so cheesy" Then i pulled him by his shirt the short distance between us and kissed him on the lips.

At first he was shocked and seemed hesitant but before i could pull away embarrassed he deepened the kiss.

"Toph I absolutely love you" I was shocked by his words. I knew he liked me after last night but love.

Do I love Sokka? Well of course I do. I always would and I knew that but- but. Wait but what? Why was I even contemplating that?

"I-I i'm sorry if i said that too soon." Sokka stumbled but before he could continue I interrupted.

"Sokka I love you too." He looked a little stunned at first but then hugged me tightly and whispered into my ear.

"You have no idea how long i have wanted to tell you that" When he said that all I could do was giggle until he pulled me into another kiss.