I do not own the characters of Avatar the last Airbender, or the manga Naruto.

Toph wasn't born into the wealthy Bei Fong family, but adopted at the age of eight. This is her story before she became Toph Bei Fong.

THE HEALER'S GIFT

PROLOUGE

The sound of the crackling flames and the men's laughing had faded a long time ago, but the young girl couldn't do anything about the screaming. The screaming in her head. On and on it went, like a kettle over the flames everyone had forgotten.

She stumbled after the small group of silent survivors, exerting pressure on her ears, trying to stop the sound of screaming. The sound of death.

There were only eleven people, she had counted. Only eleven people to escape the massacre, the sea of flames.

The girl turned to look back to where she knew the town to be, and thought she could see a gigantic cloud of black smoke billowing above her old home. But it was only her imagination, of course. The tall dark trees of the forest almost hid the entire sky. And all she could see was blackness.

Her father was calling her, with her little baby brother in his arms, wide eyed and fearful, for even a toddler could sense the danger they were still in.

The girl ran to her father, who stroked her black hair affectionately, then took her by her slightly sweaty hand. He would not lose anyone again.

So they walked on in that fashion, along with the other survivors, a silent procession in the dark forest, and the girl wondered vaguely, whether the men at the front had any idea where they were headed. Or were they just walking for the same reason as the rest of them? Purely for the purpose of pretending that by walking, they would be safe.

Soon people began to falter and stumble, and it was deemed best to set up camp for a while. The girl sank to her knees gratefully. She was so weary. But why was it still dark? They had been walking for hours. Surely, surely, the morning sun should have risen by now.. But she didn't ponder long, for the moment she closed her eyes, she was fast asleep.

The girl's eyes flew open, and she sat up, shaking, looking around to see what had caused her to wake up so suddenly. But everything was still. Her father lay beside her, still with her brother in his arms, whose mouth was slightly open in his sleep. All the other villagers were either lying, or sitting hunched over their bodies. All of them were asleep. Even the man they had appointed for guard duty.

And then, for no reason at all, the girl's gaze left the snoring man, to fall on something waiting behind the trees. Waiting patiently, for her to notice him.

A young boy, only a few years older than herself gazed back at her, but he didn't look solid, more like the ghost of his former self. He was bleeding openly from his mouth and wounds in his chest, blood seeping throw his whitish shirt. The bright scarlet was made all the more vivid by the boy's pale complexion and had the girl been able to think clearly, she might have wondered why she didn't feel any fear at all. She wasn't even surprised.

The moment the boy saw her looking at him, he turned and vanished into the darkness of the forest.

Without thinking the girl stood up.

She followed the the ghost as if in a trance. All thoughts of her family, of her burning town, of the war, forgotten, as she brushed leafy twigs out of her face, her eyes never leaving the boy.

Suddenly, the moon was visible above, shining silvery light all around the clearing she had followed him to.

The girl blinked. For the first time since she had laid eyes on the creature, she seemed to come out of her trance. Her heart lurched horribly as she saw what the boy had wanted her to see. Something was lying there, wounded. A spirit, in the shape of a white dragon, although its matter was already dissolving, even as the girl looked. It was covered in blood, dark crimson, that looked almost black against its white scales and the darkness of the night.

It looked at the girl and opened its mouth.

''Help me.''

The words were barely audible.

The girl swallowed, then nodded.

With its last bit of strength the spirit forced itself off the ground and flew, flew towards the girl, its thin body twisted in pain, and she screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the collision, which did not come.

Instead of crashing into her, the great spirit went right through her, and then was gone.

Almost instantly, the girl felt a warm strength surge through her whole body, as her dark hair turned blonde. A voice in the back of her head whispered:

''Thank you.''