Setting: 6th day on Kyoshi Island. 10th day of a world free from war.

Hello Readers! You should be expecting updates regularly (within the range of 3 days to 1 week from latest chapter). This chapter is relatively dark, but the story will have comedy and those happy, fluffy moments you all love later on. It's rated T for now (earlier chapters are more K-ish, but that changes). Caution younger readers! I appreciate comments and such, though they're not required. I SUGGEST YOU MAKE YOUR OPINION KNOWN! It's my motivation… have the most fun you can while reading.

Your Fearless Leader,
Fox Face

Chapter 1: Never Alone

"Take me with you," she begged. When she came here she had already promised herself she wouldn't. She was strong. She didn't need pity. Not from him. All promises were erased from her mind, though, when she saw his face, stubborn and prideful. She taught him well.

They had had this conversation earlier, but she couldn't go down without a fight. The thought of going back home made her sick, and, no matter how many times he denied it, he needed her almost as much as she needed him.

As if begging wasn't enough out of character for her, the tears that followed were worse. It was like her to try to cover up the raving emotions that swirled uncontrollably inside her, but, though she fought it, they found their way out often. It was so unlike her that, for only an instant, his eyes showed sympathy, and he looked as If he was swayed… only for instant.

"No," he said sternly, turning his back towards her. Crying? That's not fair. It was hard enough when she WASN'T crying! he thought to himself, Stay strong, Aang. Roku's orders were specific. By yourself. Alone.

"But Aang I can help! You know I can!" she said toughening up and slightly raising her voice to commence the argument that was sure to follow. She wiped the tears away, regaining control of herself. She walked up behind him and wrapped her small, pale hand around his upper arm gently. Not that it was as easy as it was when they first met.

His muscles weren't the only things that have changed in the months since he came to save her from her prison-like home. Like, she struggled to find the right words for her incoming thought, Like a knight in shining armor coming to rescue the beautiful princess to live their "happily ever after" …NO! she argued with herself, I don't need a happily ever after. Katara's the real princess. No wait. She was the queen. Sugar Queen. And she got the brave knight, not me. Never me... Never. Her heart clenched in pain. "Never," she whispered her voice cracking. Accidently stuck in her trance, she was still trying to convince herself of the painfully obvious truth.

"Never what?" Aang asked with genuine confusion. Grasping her petite hand in his own, he turned around to face her with one eyebrow raised suspiciously.

Not wanting to tell him the actual reason for her random outburst (being jealous of Katara), she took a step closer, his radiating heat making her shiver with pleasure that she tried so hard to ignore whenever he was around. She then placed her hands on opposite sides of his face and pulled him down to her lips. Her original plan was to give him a peck on the cheek, but, due to her blindness, it landed on his warm lips. Light and sweet.

Instantly his heart rate quickened, and she, unaware of her slight slip-up, noticed. Shit, I scared him! Of course I did. I'm not good at this emotion-into-action thing. Just look at what happened when I tried to do the same thing to Sokka! It turned out to be Suki. Ugh! One kiss on the cheek and he's already running for the hills? Jelly-boned wimp.

She silently waited for him to say something while her hands stayed in their place. When that moment didn't come she choked out a simple but heart-felt, "Please?"

"I-I'm so sorry, Toph. I have to do this… o-on my own," he stuttered, still in shock from her unexpected kiss. He, too, could feel her heart rate and was a little hurt at what he analyzed. Slow and steady. Did she not like it? Maybe if I had another chance I could change her mi-WHAT AM I THINKING? He mentally slapped himself. Why do I even care?

He paused to actually come up with a reasonable answer. After a moment of deep thought, he admitted it to himself. Maybe I do care. Why? I have no clue. Could it be her smile? Her laughter? Her sense of humor, strength, or pride? Or are all those things what I desire in a friend?

Temporarily setting aside his confusion, he noticed the fresh tears coming back to her gorgeously glazed-over eyes. They streamed out stronger this time though. Much stronger, and it made tears come to his own grey ones.

"Toph," he said cupping her face in his hands, mimicking what she was still doing to him. He then brought his head down to rest against hers. Forehead to forehead. "Toph, I know you don't understand. But I can do this alone. I have to. It's my duty as the Avatar."

There was no response came from the small, blind girl. It was torture for him to see her like this. So much so that his heart felt like it would collapse under the intense pressure of seeing her in pain caused him. But he would willingly accept that pain times ten to see those tears disappear from her sea foam green eyes.

He hated saying good bye probably as much as she did. Why couldn't she see that? Or feel it. Or… whatever!

"You're wrong, Twinkles," she said with a calm anger staining her voice. She quickly removed her hands from Aang's strong face. He felt the cold sting of the night's sea breeze, but he didn't care. His hands only tightened against her cheeks as her soft fingers separated themselves from him. He was leaving the next day, and he didn't want the last words he hears from her to be spiteful.

Her voice turned from one of soft anger to loud and furious, and her tone only seemed to increase with each word as she continued. "I do understand! I understand your mission of isolation, I understand why I can't come, and I understand what's at stake!" she yelled enraged. "What I don't understand is why everyone here is affected by you being sent away for years except for YOU! Don't you care about who you're leaving behind? About me?" her voice grew quieter with the last two words, her emphasis recognizable.

Anger rose inside Aang, and his voice followed suit with Toph's. "You don't think I care?" he began. His hands left her face and immediately transformed into tight fists, and he squared his shoulders menacingly. "You don't think I tried? I did my best to persuade the spirits. I pleaded and argued for hours!"

"Aang, I-"

"I'm putting off starting a life and a family! I'm doing all of this for the sake of the world! I'm doing this for you! AND YOU DON'T THINK I CARE?"

Toph was taken aback by Aang's outburst. Fury and distress raged under her skin, but she didn't let it show. Her face was stiff and emotionless as she pondered Aang's words, one line sticking out to her the most. He's doing this for me? she thought …Or is he doing this for all of us? For Katara?

Aang stood there absorbing her reaction breathlessly. He observed her face; her expression showed she was deep in thought. Her features soon altered to display a combination of grief and horror. She dashed from his side to the house they were all sharing on Kyoshi Island.

Their gang landed there after Zuko's coronation to figure out where everyone was headed now that the war was over. Zuko stayed in the Fire Nation for obvious reasons. Katara, Sokka, And Suki were going to the South Pole to help rebuild the two siblings' home. Toph's parents wanted her back in their Earth Kingdom abode with them. If she was going back to them, she never mentioned it to anyone. As far as they were concerned she was undecided. Aang wasn't certain either, but before he could stop to think, the decision was made for him.

He was to travel to the Air Temples and restore them to their former glory alone.

Aang fell to his knees on the beach sand.

He had announced his departure from the gang already, and it did not go well. Let's just say that their dinner hall is in pieces. Destroyed by sudden earth bended stone scattered erratically in every direction. He decided to talk to each individually to sort out all issues with his unexpected parting. Suki and Sokka were upset but understood. And Toph, well… you know.

Aang hid his face in his hands praying that somehow they could hide him from what lies ahead. The next person he had to visit- Katara. She hadn't acted as disturbed by the troublesome situation as a certain emotionally confused earth bender. At first he dismissed this as a difference of maturity, but he couldn't stop his roaming mind from being curious. She doesn't lament what happened on that balcony in Ba Sing Se. Does she? It was almost a week ago and we haven't talked about it more than once. Maybe she's just too busy. We both are. Yeah, that's all. Busy schedules… But the thoughts of Katara regretting their kiss kept flooding his mind. They just kept coming. And coming. And coming.

He tried to replace these unhappy feelings with thoughts of Toph.

He lay down on the sand and drifted to sleep, cradled by the sound of the never-ending ocean. He dreamt of Toph and her smiling angelic face, her laugh that burrowed its way to your memory for life, her piercing, pale green eyes. Beautiful.

But his dreams turned to a nightmare when images of her eyes, brimming with new tears, her once striking smile morphing, and her laughter turning to cries only stopping for a brief moment. She mouthed a single word. Then her voice was heard, cracking and frail, as the mysterious word slipped past her stunning lips.

"Never."

Never- it echoed in Aang's unconscious mind over and over. Finally it was put to rest by a blood-curdling scream filled to the rim with anguish. It shook him to the core, and he felt tears stain his cheeks at the sound of Toph's pleas for a savior. For him. But he couldn't move. He was being held back. Paralyzed by an unseen force that prized the sound of pain and thrived on suffering of the innocent.

And then everything stopped. And she was gone. He was by himself in the darkness. He wondered if this was what it would be like on his mission. Solitude. Quiet. The all to familiar feeling of being completely alone.

The silence was broken for only a second before darkness overpowered his senses once more. Nothing more than a quick whisper filled his ears to answer his unspoken question.

"Never."

Looks like it's going to be a long night for Aangy. The morning ain't that great either, but you'll have to come back to find out why. What exactly was that "unspoken question" that's keeping Aang up all night anyway? We'll have to see.

1,808 words in this chapter NOT including A/N's. Hmm… Is that a lot? You know what? Don't tell me. I don't care! This was an ass-kicker anyway. But what I really want to know is what you thought of it. Review please!

Oh, yeah! And don't forget to feed your brothers ; )

Author of Your New Favorite Story,
Fox Face