A/N: Please be aware that while I like to think I'm a decent (if not good) author, this is my first Fanfic. It may suck, I just don't know. I am always happy for reviews and comments, criticism (constructive or otherwise, though the former is preferred), etc etc.

As of this first posting, I am finished up through Chapter 13, and will be adding more throughout the next week or so as I get it written/betaed.

First, final, and only warning: This is a Aang/Toph-centric, quite lemony, not-for-children fic. At least some of it. I will probably (if I remember) note before any lemon the same thing. If not... consider yourself warned.

Also... I don't own Avatar: The last Airbender, Aang, Toph, Zuko, or any other characters in this story. I don't even really want to- I believe this characters are better handled by the original creators than myself. This fic was written for fun, I am receiving no compensation for it, etc etc. Please don't sue my sorry butt back to... wherever it was I sprang from. I have no money anyway.

One last thing, then the story- Taang is not my favorite pairing, nor will it ever be. However, there is something about it that doesn't curl my toes in horror, and the idea doesn't work for Kataang, so... here we are. Enjoy, or whatnot.

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Fly like a Rock

Chap. 1 A new tale begins

The boy woke to the sound of his best friend's screaming.

"Toph? Toph, are you OK?" he asked, worried. But he knew what was wrong.

It had been six years since... since that day. Since the Fire Lord and his daughter fell. They'd had six years of 'peace', but for the heroes, the once who'd almost single-handedly saved the world, there wasn't any real peace to be had.

Sokka was dead. Zuko, the new Fire Lord, had turned the new Fire Nation into another version of Ba Sing Se, and claimed he wanted nothing to do with the outside world, that the Fire Nation had done too much harm and would withdraw for one hundred years to 'let the world heal', as he put it. With him were Mei and Ty Lee, and his Uncle Iroh. Katara, devastated by the loss of her older brother, had retreated to the South Pole and refused to see anyone outside of her tribe. Rumor had it that she was training a new generation of Benders alongside her old master.

That left... just Aang and Toph. Well, and Appa... and Momo. But as amazing as Aang's other friends were, they couldn't help the girl... no... she wasn't a girl anymore. Just like he wasn't a boy. They were eighteen now, most girls Toph's age would have been married years ago. Still... during the nights like this, she seemed so much more like the child she'd been than the strong, beautiful, and powerful woman she was now.

Aang looked over at the girl, wondering for the millionth time what it was that terrified her so. She'd fought against overwhelming odds right along with the rest of them, and shown no fear at all. She'd faced down against the two hundred Dai Li agents under Azula's control, and beaten ever single one. The sheer numbers had made her work for it, but she'd escaped injury, which is more than could be said for them. Most of them would never Bend again, if they ever woke up. He wasn't sure if she'd been cruel or merciful to them. On the one hand, killing them would certainly have been a harsh thing to do. Most of them simply didn't know they had a choice besides following orders. On the other... life without Bending for a Bender was... not easy. Aang had tried it for a year, just to see if he could. He'd lasted... what, three days?

Toph's thrashing was starting to calm, and Aang finally felt safe enough to scoot his bedroll over to lay beside her. He placed one tattooed hand on her forehead, running his fingers through her shaggy, black hair, and the other on her muscled stomach. He blushed a little at the action, but knew he had no choice. The first time he'd done it, he'd turned beet red, and Katara, even in the midst of her grief, had laughed. But Guru Patik had taught his student well. The Chakra flow throughout the young Earthbender's body began to even and straighten out under his care, his own steady energy reinforcing the desperate waverings of Toph's. A few minutes later, the last of her whimperings had faded, and she was dreaming about normal things, not whatever it was that terrified her so. With a sigh, Aang laid back in his bedroll, trying not to think of everything that had gone wrong.

We weren't supposed to lose Sokka. That changed everything. Suki retired, joined a monastary. Katara... Zuko... even Toph, no one's the same now that he's gone. And even the Avatar's helpless to bring back the dead. I could go find his Spirit in the Spirit World, but what good would that do? I still don't even know how to enter that world on my own. Some Avatar I turned out to be.

The string of self-loathing continued for hours, until he finally drifted off back to sleep just as the sky began to brighten with the early onset of dawn.

Chap. 2 Jumping to the wrong conclusion

The girl woke earlier than usual, something warm, almost hot, pressed against her on all sides. She opened her eyes- she could feel it- but only saw the same blackness she always did. She took a deep breath, and the echoes from the world around here came back, filling in the information she'd been looking for. Aang was in her bedroll!

No, that's not it. His roll was longer than hers. And she could feel hers... over there? What had happened? She had climbed into his? It seemed impossible... but there was no way the slight young man could have pulled her out of her bag without waking her, no way at all. Her face crimson, she tried to disentangle herself from her last friend without waking him, but he stirred slightly and then woke. She couldn't see his blush, but she could hear his heart begin to race, his breathing catch and then pick up at a faster, shallower pace as well. He was blushing. But why? Aang liked Katara, not her. And... why was she blushing too? She liked... no... she couldn't even think his name.

"What do you think you're doing, Twinkletoes? How'd you get me out of my bed and into yours, you jerk!" she ended with a yell and a punch to his ribs that sent him flying. He ripped straight through the bindings in his bedroll and slammed into the earth tent's wall. Jumping to her feet, she pushed the walls of the tent back into the ground and got into her combat stance, expecting him to retaliate. But he didn't get up. He didn't stir at all.

"Aang?"

"Aang!"

There wasn't any reply, no response at all. And she could hear his breath slowing, his heartbeat was fading fast.

"Aang! Dammit Aang, don't do this! Don't die on me!" she screamed, running toward him as fast as the earth could carry her. Appa, awake now, lowed with is deep rumbling voice, and began walking toward them, Momo still asleep on his head.

When she reached him, Toph knelt over the boy and began to feel around for any damage. She couldn't feel any major breaks in his bones, they echoed as firm as they ever had, but on the back of his head... her fingers came back wet. And she could smell copper... blood. What had she done? "Oh Aang, I'm so sorry..." as tenderly as she could, she lifted the young man onto the platform on Appa's back and climbed aboard his head where Aang usually sat.

We aren't too far from the Misty Swamp. Maybe Yu can heal him. Yu has to heal him. I hope Appa can find him.

"Appa, yip yip!"

At first, Aang watched Toph's reaction to the fact that he wasn't moving with amusement. Then it hit him... he wasn't in his body. His own features had taken on the bluish tint he'd come to associate with himself in the Spirit World. He could hear Toph's worried calls, but she sounded distant, tinny, like she would through one of Sokka's crazy wire-talkers. He watched her call out his name over and over, heard the girl command him not to die, but couldn't make himself heard. Desperately, he tried to climb back into his body, but found the way blocked. Something... was keeping him out. Unable to do anything but watch, Aang watched Toph gently pick him up, place him on Appa's back and climb aboard, her empty eyes staring vaguely to the west. He heard her call out "Yip yip!" and the Bison took off, with one last glance at the spirit of the boy he'd grown up with.

There was nothing else to do, he supposed, he'd have to go after her. But he couldn't Bend in the Spirit World, so he'd have to go on foot. Even if she hadn't taken his body with her, Aang knew he'd have to follow wherever Toph went. She needed him. No one else could calm the nightmares.

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A/N 2: Please don't forget to respond/review if you enjoyed it. My biggest problem as an author, I believe, is that I can't get anyone to give me an honest opinion. If I suck, tell me so. (And suggest ways to get better). If I'm awesome, tell me what in particular is good. Thanks for reading, and the rest will be up shortly, I will be posting all chapters I have written tonight.

Also: For those that believe it unlikely for Toph to be able to severely injure Aang, let me posit this: Firstly, Aang trusts Toph implicitly, and would not anticipate an attack from her. Secondly, Toph is quite powerful (both in physical strength and Bending) and when lashing out in anger/fear/etc, could quite easily knock an unprepared person a few feet. Lastly, accidents happen. No, she didn't intend to knock him silly, but she DID hit him and send him flying, he simply struck his head on a rock on the way by. And as I said in the end, thanks for the input, I happen to agree. If I get a couple more notes mentioning the same thing, I will tone down the speed. I just need a bigger reason to do the work. :D