[[ Hi guys! This is a new story, I hope you enjoy! ~ Snyder. ]]
Chapter One: Realization.
It was a Sunday evening, the sunset leaving blue and orange streaks in the sky. They were having a campfire, something that they hadn't have had in years.
"..And then, the dragon moose attacked me!" Sokka's voice brought Toph out of her own thoughts, and she forced a chuckle while everyone else was laughing, "Its head rammed into me," He threw his arms up in the air for effect, "But I eventually got the huge animal off of me, and that's how I got those marshmallows." He preened and sat back down on the log.
"..Something's here." Toph muttered and got up, "Hey, Snoozles, great story, but something big and dangerous is coming at us."
"What, how?" Katara stood up, "Zuko said that no one would even find us here. It's completely secluded."
"Not completely, but we are far away from anyone," Zuko responded.
"I can go and handle it," Aang offered and that earned him an eye roll.
"No offense, but people still want to kill you for bringing peace," Toph snorted, "I'll go, everyone stays here. Twinkletoes, look out for vibrations and… try not to get spotted."
"I should go with you," Sokka offered, "For protection."
"I can protect myself perfectly, Meathead." She scoffed and walked away.
Sokka jogged up to her, following. They were absolutely quiet as Toph led the way to the person who was coming at them. Hopefully, not for them. Sokka squinted his eyes and spotted a Fire messenger. The duo waited until the runner came up to them.
"You...you two are. Are with the Avatar… Yes?" He panted and Toph crossed her arms with a firm nod.
"Yes, we are," Sokka spoke, eyebrow raised.
"The Fire Council needs you all now." He said and the Beifong turned around. She inhaled and Sokka covered his ears.
"TWINKLETOES! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE, NOW!" She screeched, and the team came sprinting.
"Yes?" Aang panted.
"The Council needs us, apparently, let's go," Sokka said, and the group followed the messenger to the Fire Council.
..-..
"The Earth Kingdom is attacking us, we don't have the army to defend ourselves. We are asking you to defend us." One man spoke.
"What happened to letting me know?" Zuko asked but Toph shoved him out of her way.
"Shut it, Sparky," Toph snarked, "My nation is doing what?"
"Attacking us!" A Councilman loudly said and walked to Toph, towering over the small woman, "And you can't stop them, you are just a civilian."
"...Actually, I know - Shut it, Avatar!" The Councilman yelled and Toph pushes him back down with a finger, manipulating the earth to shove him down.
Everyone winced as Toph began yelling back at the Councilman, scolding him. Her finger jabbing the strong shoulder rather hard, "And you will let my friend speak. Twinkletoes, go for it."
Aang gave a couple of disbelief blinks then quickly remembered, this is Toph Beifong that we're talking about, "Well, I know a couple things about the Earth Kingdom and what they believed it. Mother Earth, the Mother of all Earth."
Katara popped in, "And Toph would dress up like I did for the Painted Lady!"
"And if anything were to convince them to stop fighting," Aang trailed off.
"It would be Queeny," Toph blinked, "My people are… very protective of her, to say the least. As a child, my parents would talk so highly about her and say that she blessed me to be an Earthbender," The Beifong paused.
"Ms. Beifong," An elderly man stood up, and hobbled over to Toph, and grasped her hand, "If you want to help the Fire Nation, now would be the time to stand."
Toph went quiet, is this what it felt like? To either go against her friends and everything she's known or go against her own nation that practically gave little to no cares about her friend's nation. She knew which one was right and which one was wrong. "..Yeah, sure," Toph shook his hand firmly, she never was one for hugs, "I'll stop my nation."
..-..
They were in the Fire Nation, Toph describing every little single detail she could muster from her childhood about Mother Earth. "Uh, she wore this lace, like black and white lace as my parents described it. She had paint, three colors… Probably green, white, and black." Katara picked out the three colors. Sokka was gathering the outfit, while Aang was trying to connect with the Spirit. Perhaps it was only just a child's myth, he couldn't find anything. He huffed and tried again outside. His fists connected to each other and Aang focused on the earth. How rough it was formed, how elegant it was while it was rough and wouldn't just crack, how it would go through years of torture and pressure, yet only change very little.
[ "..Avatar..?" A voice echoed, it was actually very smooth and beautiful. "What in the name of Raava are you doing here?"
Aang turned to the voice, his blue form glowing, "Is it you?"
"..Who is you?" The woman's voice retorted from behind him.
Slowly and carefully, the monk turned on his heel. Only to see a woman, "..Mother. Uh.. Nature?" He was weak in his response, it was either Nature or Earth.
The woman wore a green dress, and it was similar to one that the group had first found Toph in. Except, it was all green and white. No additional colors. Black lace covered her pale face, and more would be found to be wrapped around her waist and trailing behind her. The lace that trailed behind her was white. Arms that were firm with muscle, but yet her body was formed femininely.
"..Everyone calls me that," Her tone was sharp and the blue arrowed male couldn't help it, he was scared, "But that is not my name. I am Mother Earth. Now, are you the Avatar or not?"
The frightened boy quickly nodded, "Yes, I am. Avatar Aang, it's a pleasure to meet you. Ms. Earth." It earned him light chuckles, and a nervous smile popped on his features, "I have a couple of questions that I would like you to answer; if you don't mind."
The woman shrugged and rose her left hand. Two earth chairs rose from the ground and she sat down first. Everything seemed actually rather similar to Toph. Both had ivory skin, both had hair that was ink black, firm muscles, body shape, and the accent was close, "Yeah, sure. I do have the time." Mother Earth sounded bored, which to an extent, she was.
"Can you visit my friend, Toph Beifong? Like in a dream..?" He asked, sitting down.
"..Toph Beifong," Her lips curved into a smile, "My greatest student. And, yes. Of what for through?" Her eyebrow rose.
"The Earth Kingdom is attacking the Fire Nation," Long story cut short, "To guide her. She is… dressing up as you because we know that you are very very busy, and she is just going to stop her nation."
That offended the Earth Queen, "How dare you?" Her voice was no higher than a low growl.
"W-What?!" Aang jumped back, terrified of what would happen next.
"She does not want too," She was grasping those arm rests rather tightly now, "Toph would not do something like this." The Queen was worried for her student, "She is the Earth's guardian, you cannot make her do something she doesn't want to do!"
"She's the guardian..?" Aang murmured to himself questioningly, "But she does want to do this!"
"No, she doesn't!" Mother yelled, and Aang nearly screamed. It was like Toph's yell, but scarier and echoing.
"Yes! Yes, she does!" The monk wasn't going to give up easily, "She agreed to this! And if she's the guardian, that means you have visited her before. You can do it again, and Ma'am, please. The Fire Nation is not as strong as the Earth Kingdom!"
But the Queen was much more hard-headed, "Yes, I have visited my student! She is like my daughter," So Toph did like Spirits, "And the Fire Nation. It's a weak nation, not nearly as weak as yours though." Mother Earth was worried but maintaining herself, "..Fine.."
"Really?" His eyes went starry, was the Queen agreeing?
"Before I change my mind, now leave." She commanded. ]
Aang came running into the store, seeing the brother and sister walk out with Toph, "I talked to her! I did it!" This excited child, he followed them down the block and into the area where the Kingdom was.
"Great, sweetie!" Katara chimed and kissed his cheek.
Sokka rolled his eyes and leaned into Toph's ear, "Oogie, am I right?"
His breath warmed up her neck, and she shivered slightly. "Yeah." She pursed her lips in a straight line, trying to think straight. Her crush was obvious and he was oblivious.
"But you know what's oogier?" He whispered.
"What?" She was curious, not going to lie.
"The bottoms of your feet." He grinned.
"Fuck you." She snickered.
"Fuck you too." He quietly laughed in her ear.
When Aang and Katara stopped being affectionate, they saw what they had theorized. Sokka was holding Toph's hand, his thumb running over her pale knuckles. He was smiling softly as if telling her how much he loved her (which is exactly what Katara thought) and how lovely she was (which is something along of the lines that Aang was thinking). But really, the Watertribe warrior was just telling her some really, really, awful jokes. She had a great smile lit upon her face until Sokka breathed down her neck. She shuddered and leaned on him for support. Trying to distract him and herself before she did something that would have been regretful upon her half.
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly before noticing the stares.
"I knew it," Katara smirked.
"Don't make assumptions." Aang chuckled slightly. If Toph was in a relationship, he didn't think that Mother Earth would be the happiest. Someone dating her soldier.
..-..
"We leave tonight." Sokka decided, rolling up the plans they had set down, "The sooner we can get to the borderline, the sooner we can end this. So, when we get there, Katara, you are going to do Toph's make-up and all that, and Toph, you'll be sent forward. End this. You know what you have to do."
Aang winced. Unlike himself, Toph wasn't afraid of blood being spilled and would do it, "I don't think you should kill anyone, Toph…"
"I won't kill anyone," She chuckled softly, "I have commands to not kill."
"From who?" Sokka asked.
"My mom."
And with this, Toph yawned and got on the back of Appa, "Come on, let's go." Her response left only Katara and Sokka clueless, Aang knew exactly what she was talking about.
The Gaang began riding through the night, and made it to the border just as five am was reaching. Everyone was tired, no one really wanted to be here. Toph had passed out in the back, huddled up in a ball. Sokka was curled around her, at some point, this had just happened. Platonic, they would swear up and down. Aang stumbled off Appa and fell asleep against the big bison. Katara was awake, a little worried. Sleep was overpowering her through and she fell asleep on the opposite side of the saddle.
[ "Toph. Darling. Child." Her voice was sweet, like honey, "Up. Get up."
"..Ma..?" She coughed and got up. But it wasn't in some earthly wonderland, it was in the saddle.
"Yes, Mom's here." Arms wrapped around Toph.
And her abrasiveness broke. Toph slumped in her arms, head resting on her chest.
"Your friend contacted me today."
"Yeah?"
"Mhm. I want you to know that everything is going to be okay. And instead of guessing what I look like, I want to connect with you."
"...What?"
"Similar to how Raava connected with the first avatar. But this is different. You would be normal, but you would have my looks."
"I can't even see."
"Yes you can, you know you can. Perhaps not the way everyone else can, but you can."
"...Can we just.. Connect?"
"Of course."
Toph stood up and put her hands out. Taking the form of an actual spirit, Mother Earth floated over. And grabbed her wrists.
"This is going to hurt."
"I'm ready for pain." ]
"Toph, what the fuck?" Sokka woke up to lace in his face.
"What?" She rolled away and got up.
"Woah-ho-ho." His eyes couldn't help but stare.
She was Mother Earth. What the fuck? When the fuck? How the fuck? Who the fuck? Why the fuck? Was literally all he could think. But, she did look beautiful. Rocking body, hot damn.
"Toph! When did you do the makeup?" Katara was already up, those two were the last to wake but that was normal, "And how did you get it so perfect..?" A hand reached out and touched a green spot. Expecting to smudge, it didn't. Just stood there.
"She didn't." Aang was smiling widely, "So, Sifu. How does it feel to have a spirit in you?"
"Weird." Toph grinned, "But I like the weird."
"A what?" Sokka blinked.
"A spirit. Mom contacted me and uh, we did that fusion thing." She wiggled her fingers, "Anyway, I gotta go tell my nation to fuck off."
This caused them to laugh, and Toph went over the side to go and start her day.
But Sokka was realizing something. This Toph wasn't the one he was used too. She was ethereal, had she always secretly been like this? He always loved her as a best friend, but now, he started to notice everything in the right places. Blinking, his blue eyes watched her. Ebony hair swaying back and forth as she walked, the tips all neatly symmetrical at the end of the tailbone. Small hands that probably felt like hell, but yet they looked smooth to the touch. Arms that were perfectly pale, yet they could lift up something that was fifty times the size, fifty times the weight and not struggle once. Everything about her was gorgeous, how was he just realizing this?
"Hey, Tara?" Sokka leaned over to his sister.
"Yes?" She chirped, knowing exactly what was going to happen.
"Has uh, Toph always been that pretty?" He murmured.
"Yes, she has. Shockingly." She teased, knowing Toph would say the same.
"Am I a fool?"
"Yes, yes you are."