Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or any other copy righted material that may appear in this fic

A/N: This is my first avatar fic and I hope you enjoy. Also leave me a review whether you enjoy it or not. I welcome all feed back even if it's negative. I can't do better if I don't know what I did wrong.

The Legend of the Lost Benders

Chapter One: Expedition

Aang sat perched at the edge of a large cliff over looking the ocean. He was meditating enjoying the sound of the waves permeating the rock formations below. It was just passed noon and he figured he had some time before she'd be there so he had decided to meditate. Something his duties as the Avatar didn't allow him to do as often as he would like. He took a deep breath and listened to the ambient sounds of the birds chirping. He could hear distant sounds of movement but dismissed it as an animal stirring. It became apparent a moment later that this was not the case. A small hole opened up behind him and a young woman jumped out.

"ROCK LIKE!" Toph yelled straight into Aang's ear as loud as she could. Aang jumped in surprise falling off the cliff in the process. He plummeted towards the rocks spinning in mid air and sending a blast of wind downward. He then turned and ran back up the wall using his Air Bending to push himself up.

"What's the big idea?" Aang asked annoyed watching Toph laugh hysterically at him.

"You've gotten soft Twinkle Toes... Well more soft" Toph replied shaking her raven hair out of her eye's. "Thought you could use a refresher coarse."

Aang was about to reply until he started to notice Toph's appearance. Her hair was still pulled up in the same style, with what he suspected might be the same headband. However instead of her typical earth nation clothes she was wearing a suit of midnight blue armor. The armor it self was pretty simple looking with plates that covered her chest and abdomen as well as shoulders but instead of plates covering her limbs, they seemed to be encased in metal that wrapped all the way around and only broke at her joints which seemed to be covered in a metal mesh. In addition there was an emblem on the center of her armor and shoulder protectors. Aang recognized it as the symbol of the earth kingdom. He also saw that she had some kind of cape hanging behind her. "Nice threads" he said after staring at her for a moment.

"Pretty cool aren't they?" Toph said smugly, folding her arms.

"Yeah I... What are they?" Aang asked bewildered. "I've never seen any set of armor like that."

"That's because I made this set personally" Toph replied. "Oh and check this out." She flicker her wrist and a long silver blade appeared from underneath the tube of metal covering her right arm. She made a quick swing toward Aang who leaned back to avoid it. He could tell by the sound of it that is was incredibly sharp. "Aand this" She swung her opposite arm and a long metal chain flew out this time. It wrapped around a nearby tree and tightened until the chain cut into the tree, leaving a mark. Aang eyed both of the apparatus as Toph swung her arm and the chain began to swing back around and the blade retracted.

"How did you do that?" Aang asked amazed.

"I've been working on trying to use metal bending to conceal weapons" Toph explained holding up her right arm. "This armor is made of a new type of metal that's very strong but also quite lite. So I can bend it into things like that... Though so far I'm the only one who can bend it at all" she finished proudly.

"That's incredible Toph!" Aang said excitedly. He stepped forward and pulled his once earth bending teacher into a tight hug.

"Ah it's nothin'" Toph said laughing as Aang let go. "So what have you been up to... Katara said you were to busy to come to the seventh anniversary of the fire lords defeat"

"That's right... I guess I haven't seen you since mine and Katara's wedding summer before last... I had to help quell the nationalist movement in the fire nation." Aang explained. "I actually went to your parents house to visit you... but they said-" Aang broke off, realizing the dangerous waters he had steered himself into.

"Said what?" Toph asked, cocking her smile to one side. "That I haven't been back there in over three years?"

"Yeah pretty much" Aang replied as Toph sighed.

"Truth is I haven't had much free time either these passed few years" Toph said, with a twinge of what sounded like regret.

"Yeah I heard the Earth King made you a high ranking member of the Dai Li so you could teach them metal bending" Aang said, glad the topic had changed.

"Never should have taken that job" Toph said shaking her head. "Some days I think I'd rather be fighting the fire lord again then teach some of the idiots these guys scoop up out of the military." At that moment a man dressed in the Dai Li uniform emerged from the trees.

"Commander Toph we've swept the area... We're alone" the man said.

"Good... Then leave us" Toph said in an authoritative voice. The man turned and left. "He's one of my personal guards... Shin is his name." Toph added before Aang could ask.

"Say" Aang began as Toph pulled a piece of paper from under her armor. "What did you want to tell me anyway... All I got was an official paper you wrot... Had written" Aang corrected himself as Toph rolled her eyes. "Saying you wanted to meet".

"You ever heard of the legend of the lost benders?" Toph asked unfolding the piece of paper. Aang shook his head no and waited before slapping himself in the face. "I'll assume by your silence and that slap of the face that you shook your head then realized your mistake... Anyway supposedly a few hundred years ago a group of benders and non benders got together and wanted to break away and form their own nation... When the four nations wouldn't grant them a colony they set sail into the eastern sea and were never heard from again."

"Oh that story... When I was a kid that wasn't a legend it was just something that happened a few decades back." Aang said.

"Well somewhere in the midst of the war everyone kinda forgot about them... Every so often someone will wash up on shore claiming to have found them but it's always been a hoax." Toph said kneeling and laying the paper on the ground. Aang saw that it was a map as he dropped down to join her. There was a red circle on a small portion of it off the south eastern shore of the Earth Kingdom.

"I'm assuming someones turned up who actually might be from there?" Aang asked staring at the map.

"Some fishermen pulled him off a make shift raft about six weeks ago... He was unconscious... they brought him to a rural earth kingdom village and treated him... He didn't wake up until almost a week later. Then he said he was from the "United Republic of People"" Toph said air quoting the final words.

"What makes you think it's for real?" Aang asked.

"Well for one his skin is a color that apparently it would only be if his family had lived in a tropical area for several generations... Or that's what they tell me anyway" Toph said shrugging.

"That's it?" Aang asked skeptically.

"Well there is one more thing... Something I actually can confirm" Toph said shifting uncomfortably. The two sat in silence for several moments. Aang was on the verge of asking Toph what was wrong when she spoke. "Aang... he's an air bender."

Aang looked up his eye's widening. Suddenly it seemed like he was back the Air Temple with Katara telling him his people had been dead for over 100 years. He shook his head trying to clear it. "Co... Come again?"

"You heard me right Aang... He's used air bending in my presence... And he's either an exceptional liar or the nation is real" Toph said, wishing more then ever before that she could see the motion on his face.

"So... So" Aang struggled to form coherent thoughts as his mind raced a mile a minute. "So when can I meet him?"

"As soon as we're done here" Toph replied. "The reason you're here Aang is because he wants to return to the islands and attempt to convice his people to form a relationship with our nations... Problem is he can't tell us exactly how to get to the island."

"So you're planning an expedition?" Aang asked as his mind finally seemed to return to normal speed.

"Well 'I'm' not planning it but there is going to be one... And the Earth King wants you and me to be on it" Toph replied standing up. "Sorry about the while cloak and dagger routine but the nations leaders agree it will be best if we confirm this place exists before we let the word out."

"I understand... So who else knows?" Aang asked.

"You me, the captain of the ship and his crew, my personal guards, the heads of the water tribes and probably Sokka since he's his Dad's adviser, as well as the council of five, the Earth King and Zuko... I'm sure there are some other ranking intelligence officer like me in the other nations that know about it but that's everyone I know for sure" Toph rambled ticking off the people on her fingers as she went.

"How many people would be going with us?" Aang asked.

"Not entirely sure... This isn't my project... It's one of the Earth Generals leading this thing... I'm just along for the ride" Toph said folding her arms. "So what do you say Twinkle Toes... You wanna find another lost civilization?"

"You know it Toph!" Aang replied

A/N:Well that's chapter one! Review and let me know what you think!