A/N: My first Avatar fic, with my favorite pairing, be sure to review and tell me if you is likin' what you is seein'.
As Toph made her way to where she felt Zukos camp, she couldn't help but wonder, why? Why was their supposed enemy trying to help them? Sure, it could all be an elaborate ruse... but Zuko felt utterly sincere. She knew when Azula lied, she had an unwavering pulse, steady, no emotion. That was the exact opposite of Zuko, he was trembling with emotion. Azula may be able to lie, but she can't act, and Zuko can't do either. His words were dripping with sincerity, and she doubted the ears of her friends when they rejected his help. That's why she was off to find Zuko, because even though no one believed him, in time they would, and Toph knew so.
As she neared the camp, she could hear his deep even breathing. She thought how she should approach him, and it had her stumped. If she was going to wake up Sokka she would just earthbend him straight up and hope he didn't get too badly hurt on the fall down. The thing was, Zuko was not at all like Sokka, or at least as far as Toph could see.
She finally came up with a decent idea, a way to minimize damage to her if she spooked him, and the camp. As she walked closer to the camp, she could 'see' a metal contraption, which she believed he came here on. She knew about where the fire was, due to the rocks around it and the wood within it. As quietly and a subtly as she could, she earthbended this feet and hands into the ground, while still keeping herself out of his line of fire. As expected, at the first sign of movement, Zuko woke up abruptly. He tried to move, but Top was too fast.
"Who's there!" he shouted with a gruff voice, trying to keep his cool, but Toph could feel his heart fluttering like a Pigeon-Rat confronted with a sling-shot.
"Just me, Sparky. If I let you go are you gonna fry me up and serve me to all your fire bending pals?" Toph asked sarcastically as she stepped out from behind the dense bushes. She figured Zuko wouldn't hurt her, he wanted to help them, but she didn't want to be wrong.
"Right now, I don't have any friends," he spat, "and no, I won't burn you." Zuko chose his words carefully, and then Toph 'looked' more closely and realized he had two swords in the bag he was sleeping on.
"Don't try and hack me up with those fancy over-sized knives of yours either," Toph shot, she didn't want him to find any loop-holes.
"They're Duel Sword! It's a fine art I wouldn't expect you to know." He spat, then realized what she had said, and choked in surprise, "How... d..do you even know?" He asked, perplexed and stuttering, Toph found this hilarious as she bended a seat to sit in, keeping the camp fire between them.
"I may be blind, but I see like you wouldn't believe," Toph drawled sarcastically, causing Zuko to blush slightly and sit up a little straighter.
"Well, what do you want." He said defensivley, finally remembering who he was talking to.
"Don't get your hackles all raised with me, I came in peace man," she said, holding back a laugh from his obvious discomfort. Apparently Zuko didn't normally sit and talk with blind girls who just happen to be buddy-buddy with the Avatar.
"Hancuffing my hands and feet isn't exactly my definition of peaceful," Zuko said dryly, as she released his hands and feet from her earthen grip, "You guys kicked me out, threw my apology in my face, and-" Zuko said, but was quickly cut off by Tophs sharp tounge.
"Woah there Sparky, settle down, I didn't shoot you down. In fact, I'm pretty sure I barely spoke two words. When you left, I was the one who spoke up and tried to get those dunderheads to see reason." Toph defended.
All Zuko could come up with was a very un-princely "Oh..."
"Yeah, Twinkle Toes and his hero-worshipping companions from Cuckoo Land will get over everything you've done to them soon enough, and they might even like you someday. I mean, it took Sugar Queen long enough to back off enough to let me breathe, but I can almost see her eye twitching when I roll in the dirt, ya see, it's the funniest thing when-"
"Hold on," Zuko said as he unceremoniously cut the babbling girl off, "You mean you expect me to go back there after I was rejected by a near fully trained Avatar, angry-overprotective waterbender, and a water tribe warrior? You're either crazy or stupid. I think it might be an unfortunate combination..." He spoke panicky and quickly mumbled his last sentence more to himself than her, but he was still rewarded with a small rock pillar in his side. It would defiantly bruise.
"Hey, I'm not crazy or stupid. You'll have me to protect you. None of them are stupid enough to come against the worlds greatest earthbender and her new friend. Even though Twinkle Toes is about as airy in the brain as his element, he'll stop Sugar Queen and Snoozles when he sees me with you." Toph spoke matter-of-factly.
"Well... uh... alright..." Zuko said, not really believeing what he was hearing.
"Hurry up and pack! We don't have a lot of time before dawn, and if they realize I'm not back they'll think you've kidnapped me and they'll need to save me like the damasl in distress I'm not." Toph said as she bended him in into a standing position, none too gently. As Zuko stumbled putting his possessions into his sack, he spoke faux-casually.
"Did you really mean what you meant... you know, about us being... friends?" Zuko said, as he mentally kicked himself for asking such a stupid question. He turned around to see Toph already standing, and bending the dirt off of her clothes.
"Sparky, you'll learn that I never say anything I don't mean," she said, than snorted, "Unless you got the same grades as Snoozles in school." she said, and was rewarded in a low chuckle from Zuko. As they walked back the the Temple, she knew things would be alright eventually, they always were.