disclaimer: I don't own ATLA

author's notes: I just wanted to make a Tokka story cuz I've been obsessing over it lately. but yeah hope you all enjoy it. But I will tell you all now that the first chapter is kinda dry. And things don't start to happen until chapter 2.

Toph's memory

I believe I should start at the beginning oh our love, so you may understand the whole story. We first met threw choice of luck. He was the older brother of the Avatar's water bending teacher while I was the Avatar's Earth bending teacher. I never really realized it when I was younger, or maybe I did and just chose to deny it, but the goofy, sarcastic water tribe warrior was begging to grow on me. Time passed, untimely hiding my truest feeling for him, and The Day of Black Sun was upon us. The invasion went just as we had planed, and Aang had brought down the Fire Lord. The long awaited peace finally swept over the world. Sure we traveled around with each other for a little while long, to make sure the world was adjusting to peace, but it was finally time for us all to go our separate ways. I would miss twinkle-toes, sugerqueen, but I had to admit that I would miss Sokka more. All those long nights, long after his sister and the Avatar where dead asleep, he would tell me about the sky. How the blackness had so much sadness, fear, and mystery to it. Every different shade or hugh on the moon's rounded face. How each and every of the billions stars in the sky had there own individual name, though he only new a few of them himself. And how travelers and sailors would use the stars as a map to get threw the ocean or path. I believe I will miss thoughts times the most, where I had him only to myself and I knew he was talking only to me.

I went back to my parents and they where more than happy to see me still alive, after thinking the Avatar and his friends had kidnapped me. Thought they still scolded me with harsh words, I could still since the joy bubbling up within their bodies.

It had been three years since I had come back home, and it seemed that my rich life had returned to me. I had no real drive to do much of anything and my nameless, quite, prefect child face was all that anyone ever saw or knew.

I had gone with my father to a war meeting/party that night. I had run off from my father's side in my sad attempt to have someone notice that I was gone and come looking for me, when I herd a voice calling out my name. A voice so familiar but the distant, buried deep within my mind. A hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, and a female voice shrieked: "it is you Toph!" as she pulled me into a tight embrace. When it hit me, the woman was Katara! I wouldn't believe it, my past, the happiest times in my life had somehow found me once again. She pulled away, grabbed my hand, and led me threw the crowd of chattering voices and clanking feet. All the while saying: "I must tell him I found you." Him? I wondered. I had no idea who she was talking about but a small spark in my heart arose and clung to the hope that it was her older brother she was referring too.

I was in such a daze of thought that I nearly ran into sugerqueen when she came to a sudden stop. I felt that she had pulled on someone's sleeve and she said out: "look, look who I found!" I felt a bodyweight shift around, one that I was not familiar with. Did I even know this person? "Toph?!" came a shocked deep voice. I had an idea who it was, but I still didn't totally know. I reached out my hands and held them up to where his face, I assumed it, was. A faint chuckle was all I got, symbolizing that he knew what I wanted. he took my hands in his, and imminently got my answer by the texture and touch of his hands, and I knew that I was once again in Sokka's presents.

As I wondered why his voice was different, I found that it wasn't the only thing that had changed. His cheeks and the groves of his face where now bonier and more muscular. A goatee was forming where his bare chine used to be, and his always shortened hair was now long enough to sit on his shoulders. "It's been a while..." I said as a warm heat began to pump threw my veins. "yes it has..." He answered, his deep voice sending chills down my spin. He took my hands in his, and as I assume nodded to his sister for she just started to walk off. "So what are you doing here?" I finally asked when I was sure Katara was out of our hearing range.

"Our father had died soon after at attack on the Fire Lord and i had been made the Southern Water Tribe's new chief. The first year was chaos, for I had no idea what I was doing. But I learned quickly and got my country under control, and I'm here to talk about a peace treaty with many of the Earth Kingdom governments. "

I lowered my eyes from Sokka's voice, sad that Hakoda had passed on. I was about to say something when a young man yelled out that the meeting was about to begin. my heart sank, knowing that Sokka would have to leave me. But he held fast to my hands and said quickly : "will you wait for me?" I looked up with my sightless eyes with a "hu?"
"will you wait for me...until after the meeting? I would really like to catch up with you."
My heart leapt from it's cobwebbed fortress with his last sentence. So much that I could do was nod my head in reply. He gave me a weak laugh of gratitude before running off to the meeting.

I sat and waited...and waited...and waited...and...yeah you get the idea. The other people playing the waiting game, who I had come to rely on for willpower, slow began to leave. My mind began to drift off and I wondered how my parents where holding up without me there. Where they worried, did they notice that I was gone,...did they...even care?
My eyes lids grew heavy and my head begin to bob, and I will admit, I fell asleep a few time while I was waiting for him. Only to startled of jolted awake with the echoing chimes on the clock in the center of the ballroom where we waited. The clock only chimed once now, as the doors of the meeting swung open. finally I huffed in my mind as I stood in a tired excitement. Only to realize that that I had no idea who he was. His body weight and voice had changed, making me blind and helpless to find without know what he actually looked like. I shifted my head around in some cruel attempt to locate him, when someone placed their hand on my shoulder. Making me whip around in a fighting stance. "whoa!" came Sokka's deep new voice, making me drop the stance.
"I didn't mean to startle you . But, ummmm thanks for waiting." He began to fade in the sound of his voice. Soddy life has made me soft I suspected. "I also wanted to say sorry that I kept you so late-" was the last thing I herd before falling into his plush parka and drifting off.

the next morning I woke in a bed. I groggily remembered what happened last night before jumping up and getting out of the security of the pillows. I felt my body and realized that I was still in my evening gown. I ran down the hall, also realizing that I was back in my own house, to the front door and swung it open. Just as someone could almost hit me in the forehead. "Oh crap!" came a man's voice as they stopped their hand only centimeters from my face. "you really getting good at that hu?" Sokka said as his hand fell limp to his side. "So I was wondering-" was all he could say before I covered his mouth then quietly checked to see if he had risen my parents. And when I sensed that he had not I pushed his back, my hand still fully a gaping his mouth, and silently shut my front door. I lead him a good distance away from the house before take my hand away and letting him speak.
"You know, the way you prowl around someone my come to suspect that you've snuck out before."
"one or twice. so what do you want Snoozles?"
He let out a laugh before saying, "wow, I had almost forgot what your little nickname for me."
"yeah, haha, real funny. Now what do you want?!" I didn't mean for it to come out so harsh and now looking back, I wish I had chosen different words. Then there was a long pause, making my heart pound uncontrollably with worry. Then he told me that he was going to be staying in the Earth Kingdom for the next few weeks, because of the meetings, and he wanted to know if I would like accompany him in his free time. I was shocked that he had asked me that, that I felt my face flush as I told him 'yes'.

The next couple f weeks I had spent entirely with Sokka, very rarely leavening each other. Now that I think about it we where only apart when he went to his meetings. I waited for him patiently though, and cursed the Earth Kingdom Lords and generals for keeping Sokka from me. I remember how he would randomly pick up things from the side of the road and try to give them to me as gifts. Anything from small flowers to barrowing guitars and trying to sing to me. I had grown up in a wealthy family, so I was used to people trying to buy my pleasure. But this way was simple and sweet, and showed that he actually cared about me, and not trying to buy me like some glass doll in a pretty shop. He even tried to flex for me, but since I'm blind I didn't get the full gettyness from that attempt to show off. Life seemed to speed up and whip pass me, but then at the same time go extra slow as if my mind didn't want to miss a thing. And, for once, I could honestly say that I was...happy.

Sokka started that day like any other. By claiming up the side for my house and coming in threw my unlocked bedroom window. My parents had caught him on the second day when he knocked on my front door...then he got the good ol' "well call the Earth Benders if you don't get off our property!" speech. So he now had to climbed up and down the side of my house to get me.

He shook my slumbering body and my whitened eyes blinked slowly open. "what...?" I asked wearily. "It's to early to do anything in town..." i said still half asleep. I rolled over but he just rolled me back to himself.
"There here.." he whispered.
I gowned and the jolted up, realizing what he had said, and yelled, "My parents?!" Thinking that was who he was talking about.

"no. not your parents, the boats..." he kind of tried off with the last word.

" Boats?"

"Yes. Boats back to Southern Water Tribe. The last meeting was last night and it time fore me to leave the Earth Kingdom. "

My hearts sank, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. The day that I had been dreading was finally here...Sokka was leavening me. I was seriously on the brink of tears now as my heart felt as if it was begging ripped out and stomped on, when he added, "-and I want to come with me." I was so in awe of his last sentence that I just sat there dumbstruck. "so...?" he asked after a while. I wanted to answer, but it would get caught in my throat every time I tried. I couldn't even move my head for my neck would not respond. I could feel his heart beat slow with sadness, obviously taking the answer that I didn't want to give. I stood and began to step backwards, when I jumped up and clung to his tunic. Preventing him from leavening...when my father walked into my room.

"hun, breakfast will be-...YOU!!!" my father snarled as he gazed upon the water tribe swordsmen. My father approached him in a threatening manner when Sokka yelled to me in a rush, " do you want to come with me?!"

I wasted no time as I blurted out "yes".

Sokka then grabbed my wrist and threw me next to him as if I where nothing be a small child. He swept up my feet with his other arm, so he was now held him in his arms. "Hold on!" he yelled as I immediately grabbed his tunic in a tight grip and ducked my head low. I felt him spin around, while my father yelled random curses at the man who was taking his daughter. But Sokka paid no mind and took action before my father could do anything more. And he took the only way out...by jumped threw my window, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. He landed two stories below with grace and control, his new muscular legs cushioning our fall. He broke out into a run with me still clung to his shirt, and realized that I could never return there, even if I wanted to, as my father yelled to never come back and how I would not be welcomed if i tried to. Sokka was my only home now.