Part One: A strange Reunion
"…From the love ten thousand years ago that the Fire Lord showed, this awakened new passion in the dragons. They were the original fire benders but what most do not know is what they conceived. Together the great ones created an egg. One that would soon hatch into the bird of eternal flame, the protector of the Fire Nation and its people, the Phoenix. Three years ago when the undoing Ozai falsely accused himself as the Phoenix King, the great bird of eternal flame hid herself away until one day, they say, she will reopen the eyes of the nation and return to the heavens from wince she came. But in order for this to happen she must be shown compassion and love from humans."
The female earthbender sat uninterested by the story the old man across the tea shop table was weaving her. She yawned, punching the table slightly while blinking her strange green-colored eyes as her straight brown hair swayed slightly picking up the tea. She looked to be around seventeen with large whisker-like scars indenting each cheek but this did not ruin the natural beauty that surrounded her perfectly proportioned body. She was well rounded in the bosom and hips. Her hair fell over the headband she wore on the forehead and she blew it up slightly in a sleepy daze. She was in a traditional warrior's outfit for the Earth Nation but just for show. A creature, the mix of a weasel and an ocelot slept like a necklace around her shoulders, its striped tail swaying like a ponytail for the girl. It was an ocelweasel named Kon-Kon, a favored pet of hers. She opened her palm after setting the tea down and cocked her head, "What does this have to do with my journey again Bakun?"
"Ah, you might come face to face with such a creature." The old man smiled slightly, patting his long beard growing gray in age with a large dark-skinned hand. He was a waterbender who hailed from the North wearing the traditional robes with long nearly gray brown hair. "Just remember young one, if you do…approach one of the spirit realm with great dignity and courage. Don't fear them, they are just there to help."
"So you really think that my friend is going to recognize me after all those years? It's been three or four…ever since I was let out of that crazy metal mining place I've been worried about it."
"If I knew her well, and I just might, I know that she will instantly be happy upon the first knock of the door. Go with confidence and hold your head high Aki. It's been the driving force of your adventure so far and it will be again."
"Master will become student." She stood up and left a tip on the table. Before she turned away she held Bakun close and smiled, kissing his forehead. "Thanks dad. I promise I'll make you proud." She smiled widely with tears entering her eyes. For such a long time she's been away from her adopted father and the last few months she had spent with him were traveling to the Earth Nation in order to meet a lost friend of Aki's. She stepped outside in the warm afternoon air with confidence pumping through her veins. Kon-Kon awakened and wagged her tail, sensing that her master was excited. She started to dash towards the huge mansion a few blocks away shadowing the tiny houses and shops below it. A smile spread across her face, heart racing in the feelings she was experiencing.
Toph at the meanwhile was busy being bored out of her mind. Her hair had grown out to a longer length, bosoms now starting to show through her baggy clothes. She sighed while lying upside-down on her large bed still pampered and still babied. Every other day she would fight in the underground arena hoping for some sign of her crush Sokka but he was never there and as always she won the fights with a broken heart. She bent the metal in the floor just to entertain herself but each creation she made was in the shape of Sokka, his perfect body always shaped correctly.
She crushed the statue and stood in anger, knowing that he was happier with Suki. She was mad at herself for never confessing her feelings and mad at him for leaving her side. Now alone she sat humbled by only darkness and servants. Suddenly a huge thumping came on the door and her father beckoned up the stairs, "Sweetie you have company!" Her ears perked up and she smiled the famous huge smirk, rushing down the stairs. Each stomp felt like an earthquake through the building. Her mind was racing with anticipation, thinking that it might be him. But better yet when she began to feel the image through the floor she gasped shocked. She opened the door and fully tackled her friend to the ground, the two laughing playfully as they hit the dirt making dust rise up. Aki squeezed Toph in a sisterly fashion, giving her a hard noogie. She looked into her student and friend's blind eyes, smiling at how she had changed so much. "See I was worried about nothing. You are so beautiful. You've changed a lot since we were separated like four years ago. God, I am so sorry for not have coming to see you."
"Aki its fine. I'm just…so happy you came!" Her eyes became full of tears. Aki had been the one that made Toph the person she was, rebellious and a tomboy.
The two girls had met after Toph ran away and emerged from the dank caverns. Aki was standing just before the entrance that the badger-moles had created recently so that the tiny Toph could come crawling out. Amazed by such a sight as the great creators of the martial art she was practicing she was intrigued by this girl just a year younger coming out with the same powers as she did. She approached and the two introduced and that shot off their soon to be long friendship ahead. As the weeks passed, Aki started to help Toph sneak away from her home so she could go out and steal food from the stalls and make fun of tourists in the city. The two had a blast getting in trouble and whenever they were about to get caught it was Aki who helped them to escape. Aki had taught Toph proper bending techniques and even wore a blindfold while training her to help the two bond closer in feelings rather than in strength itself. A few years later, Aki introduced Toph to the underground brawling arena. She had been guarded by The Boulder as a child and affectionately referred to him as her brother. Aki had been orphaned and raised by an older waterbender and a earthbender woman that helped run the arena. After a few fights with the older guys Aki came up with their nicknames. Toph would be the Blind Bandit and she would be called Power Flower for her use of art in her fighting style.
Unfortunately that same year after the fire nation took over, Aki was sent to the iron mines. There she learned about refining earth from the metal but could never bend it in entirety. This was one of the reasons she returned to Toph. The two began to walk down to the grassy cliff sides where wildflowers bloomed in the summer breezes. After hearing all about her tales and adventures Aki felt pride enter her body, swelling in her chest. "Well there's a couple things I've got to say. Your legs have taken you farther than where I have roamed. I am so happy that you helped save this world. Toph, you've matured quite a bit. And as your teacher and your friend I am so proud of you."
"Thanks…" she said, blushing while rubbing her nose slightly embarrassed. "But it really was Aang who finished the job."
"And you were one of his supporters. You have proven to the world that you cannot be called impaired just for your lack of sight. But if you ask me, you see clearer than most others do." They paused and she looked at the colors of the sunset. She patted Toph's shoulders as Kon-Kon played with the dandelion puffs, "As for this Sokka, it sounds like you have quite the heartache for him. Things do change though and one day he may come to realize how much you care. But if he returns you must let him know bluntly."
"You think that's going to work?"
"Trust me, it will."
"So there's gotta be another reason you're here right now Aki. Remember if you lie I can feel it and fling you off this cliff in three seconds."
Aki chuckled and rubbed her own head slightly embarrassed. "Oh yes, there is. While in the iron mines I discovered something inside the metal had properties of earth as well. I told my ideas to the others but they thought I was crazy. But sure enough every time I pounded a hammer against it I could feel the vibrations and almost perceive a way into bending them to my will. So I started to practice and I think I still have the bruises to prove it!" The two laughed, standing close in the twilight of evening sunrays. "So when I started out it was hard for me to figure out how exactly to do it. But look."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crude metallic art piece shaped like a flower and placed it in Toph's hands. The master earthbender smiled, punching her teacher lightly. "Even when you're in a prison you can't resist art can you?"
"No I guess not. But I was wondering…Toph…" She bowed down slightly and placed her knuckles on the ground below. "Will you teach me how to metal bend?"
After a famous smirk and a blink of her blind eyes, she pet the fuzzy pet on the head and nodded, "Yep. No problem power flower. There's a ditch where the scrap old metal from the war machines. Let's go practice with that stuff."
As they began to head towards the direction Toph was leading them in Aki noticed something strange in the way the tree branches above the path were situated. As if something was lying in them…but what? She cocked her head and stared at it for a while until she realized an eye was poking out of the thickening leaves. She paused and said, "Hang on buddy. I've got to check something out." She lightly tapped her foot making the whole tree shake down to the roots. What came crashing down head-first was the beat-up body of a slightly older looking Sokka. His hair was still in the famous ponytail with some hairs sticking out in a strangely handsome way. Toph blushed instantly upon feeling that he was there and almost jumped up for joy.
"Sokka! What are you doing and why were you in a tree?"
"I was nervous alright? I haven't seen you in a long time." Toph wanted to mention it had been three years but she shut her loud mouth and ran over to him. It was like something out of a romance novel, boy returns to the girl that has a crush on him after two long years. The two embraced and she held one shoulder feeling his heartbeat. "What's wrong…your heart sounds sad…"
"Suki passed away. It was in an accident with the boats and she was hurt really bad. Her lungs were punctured badly and eventually collapsed. It was a couple months ago today."
Aki smirked, crossing her arms, "Well, well, well. Who's ponytail here?"
Toph twitched…it was the start of a complicated relationship between the two….