a/n: I feel like Zuko might be out of character in this, maybe just a little. I should sleep more at night and then maybe I'd be able to think well enough to get the character right. (:

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The first time Toph ever punched me was during the intermission of the awful play that we saw on Ember Island, she told me that's how she showed affection.

I didn't think that Toph was very affectionate.

Then I crowned Fire Lord. Everyone out of our little Team Avatar group came, that was the last time I saw Toph.

Then years later Toph showed up.

She was different. More grown up then before, her voice had changed and she'd gotten taller. She was still covered in dirt and her attitude was mostly the same, I guess somethings never change.

"Hey Sparky."

I glanced up. "Toph?" surprised that she still remembered her nickname for me.

"Yup. Came to see how you were doing, it's been a while, had to make sure you were still alive and all."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "of course I'm still alive, where have you been all this time?"

Three years.

Three years since I had last seen Toph, I felt like I didn't know anything about her anymore, she wasn't the little girl that she had been.

"Oh I didn't do anything much, chucked rocks at a few people, drank some horrible tea -your uncle is really the only person that can make it right- and mostly I just stayed with The Duke and Pipsqueak. I thought they might be getting tired of me though, so I came here."

I thought for a moment, The Duke and Pipsqueak, did I know them. I couldn't think of anything. Wait, The Duke, the kid with the helmet from the temple when I joined the Avatar. I couldn't think of Pipsqueak.

"So have you gone to see your parents yet?" I asked suddenly.

She cast her eye's down, "No."

Nothing witty.

No joke.

Nothing.

"They would just try to make me into a lady again, I don't need that you know." She looked up again, staring at nothing.

"You don't know that, maybe they'll accept you now, you did teach the Avatar earthbending, that has to mean something to them."

Toph laughed bitterly, "You don't know my parents, that would only give them a reason to think that they've given me too much freedom." She laughed her bitter laugh again. "They'd only pretend I didn't exist anymore, just like they did before. Did you know that before Aang only a few people knew I existed, I never had any friends, none. They thought that just because I was blind I couldn't do anything, they thought that they had to protect me. They didn't then and certainly don't now!"

"Toph it's okay if you don't want to go see them, but I think you should, you don't have to hold a grudge against them because of the past."

She just grunted.

"Besides, Toph, even if they didn't let the world know you existed, and because of that you didn't have any friends, you don't have to worry, you have friends now." I laughed, "even if they did manage to capture you while you were visiting them your friends would come and save you." Pausing I thought. "But seeing as you're a master earthbender I don't think that they would be able to capture you."

She laughed, but it sounded forced. "Thanks Sparky. I needed to hear that." She walked over and hugged my waist. "You're a great friend." Letting go she punched my arm and smiled.

"That's how I show affection."

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