What You Said Ten Years Ago by Taiyo-Chan

A.N. This is my first time writing Tokka and I did 'cause I felt like it, I wanted to try something different, and I wanted to do something for the Tokka thread at Distant Horizon so ha.

Twenty-two-year-old Toph Bei Fong was pounding dirt in the vase. She was in the center of her training court, her home. To her right was the opening that compromised her home from the other parts of Gaoling. It had been ten years since she had seen her friends whom she considered a second family. They would be coming to that opening of her training court to visit her. "Family business" Aang called it in the letter (Iwa, a friend Toph was able to make when she first returned home, read it to her). Toph smiled to herself. Cruel as it sounded, Toph was preparing to play a little joke on them. Nothing against Aang or Katara, not even Sokka. She merely wanted to annoy her favorite guy whom she hadn't seen in a while.

That thoughtful smile turned into a solemn expression. Shucks, she even stopped pounding the dirt. Just like she thought earlier she hadn't seen him in ten years but yet what she told him before they dropped her off at home was still imprinted in her memory, as if it was only yesterday.

"I know I'll see you again someday but I'll miss you more than anyone else, Snoozles."

She even gave him a quick hug before leaving. She had never hugged the Gaang individually; it would always be a group hug and she normally wasn't the "softie affectionate" person. Therefore, Sokka knew there was something extra to her words. She knew he knew because of the change in his heartbeat during that hug. She never did look back at him when she broke away. She merely turned her back on him and headed for home. She felt empty when she returned home; empty because she was returning to an unwanted lifestyle, empty because she had gotten used to being with them, with him. She would miss him more than she'd ever know.

Now she was going to see them again. She was going to see him again. In the back of her mind, she wondered if he had ever given thought of her as well. A grin was plastered across her face when she felt the same old vibrations she felt ten years ago. She never forgot a voice but she never forgot one's vibrations. Aang and Sokka were walking next to each other; Katara on Appa. Toph briefly raised an eyebrow at a new vibration in Katara. It was small and gentle. She shook it off. She had a prank to pull.

She replaced her devious grin with a stern look. She walked over to the opening and waited for them to approach her. Aang waved to her. Same old light footsteps, same old cheerful attitude.

"Hey, Toph!" revealed a deep, manly voice.

Toph leaned against the wall and folded her arms. "Do I know you, stranger?"

Aang blinked, flabbergasted. "Toph; it's me, Aang."

"Aang," Toph repeated. She hummed to herself. "Where have I heard that name before?"

Sokka shook his head. "C'mon, Toph! Quit playing around!"

Toph faced him and frowned. "And who are you, Scrawny?"

Aang bit his lower lip to keep from smiling while Sokka exclaimed, "Scrawny?!" He flexed his arm at her and patted it with his hand. "That's not scrawny, my friend, that's ALL muscle!"

Toph lifted herself from the wall, walked over to him, and squeezed his arm. Sokka smiled with pride until she smirked. "Is that all?" Being the master of stoicism, it wasn't hard for Toph to hold in the laughter that threatened to blow her cover. Much to her pleasure, Sokka was getting annoyed big time.

"For the love of Tui and La, Toph, quit joking!" Katara scowled her from Appa's back with laughter. She hopped off Appa's back, much to her husband's distaste. "Don't even start, Aang," she told him warningly before he could say anything. He snapped his mouth shut.

Toph finally cracked a smile. She walked over to give Katara a hug first. "Great to see you, Sugar Queen."

The men's mouths hung over the fact that all it took was Katara to scold her for pulling their leg. Toph broke the hug and patted her friend's showing belly. "So this was the 'family business' Twinkle Toes was talking about, eh?"

Katara grinned. "Yes, this was exactly what Aang was talking about."

"And if it's okay, we wanted you to be a part of our baby's life," Aang added.

Toph faced Aang. "What? Be his godmother?"

Aang chuckled. "Yeah."

Katara wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder. "How about it, Toph?"

Toph looked away, humming again. Sokka groaned. "This isn't the time to be joking around." She ignored him while Aang looked as if he was going to explode from anxiety. Katara seemed to be the only one tolerant and patient enough to wait. The blind Earthbending master looked back at her and grinned. "I wonder what nickname I'll have in store for him." Smiling, Katara hugged her around the shoulders, Toph patting her on the back. When they broke apart she was met with an embrace from the Avatar. She patted him on the back. Her head, however, glanced over towards Sokka's way.

Sokka grinned at her. "Yep. We'll be the main godparents."

Toph let out a small laugh as Aang let her go. "I already feel sorry for the kid."

Sokka narrowed his eyes but shook his head this time in amusement. "Same old you."

"You better believe it," she retorted. She walked over to him and gave him a punch in the arm. The twenty-five-year-old warrior rubbed his arm though that amused smile did not vanish. Toph briefly smiled back at him. She looked back at the happily married couple. "As I had Iwa write to you, the rooms to this place are welcome to you for as long as you need it." Indeed Toph's training courtyard resembled a motel; the training center was where a pool or something would be.

Aang smiled. "We remember that. Thanks, Toph."

"No problem, Twinkle Toes."

Appa growled from behind them. Toph smirked. "Don't worry, Fuzz ball, I had them build a stable for you nearby." She headed for the large Sky bison and patted his front leg, head turning towards Aang. "Is it okay if I lead him to the stables?"

"Of course."

Toph turned back to Appa. "Okay you heard the monk; follow me."

Appa growled positively and followed her. Toph smiled at Aang and Katara, "It's great to see you three again." She then glanced at Sokka with a devious grin, though she had no more words for him. She passed by him with Appa, and Momo resting on his horns, following in right behind him. Sokka watched her walk away from her place and head for the corner.

"It's great to see you three again."

Sokka's expression turned serious.

It was nighttime, Toph Bei Fong was sitting on her bed in her room. She was already in her night robes complete with pants. She reached for the top of her hair and undid her trademark bun. Her long, ebony hair gracefully draped over her back and shoulders. She carelessly tossed her headband to the side and collapsed against her covers, back facing them. She closed her eyes and sighed in content.

I finally got to see them again. A smile curled on her lips. Him most of all.

She rolled over on her stomach, resting her head on one arm. "I wonder how long they're staying. I bet it's until Sweetness gives birth to their son." With her free hand she played around with the covers in thought. "That's most likely a couple of weeks."

There was a knock on the door. Since the bed was on the ground and Toph was on the bed, she was still able to discern who it was. She opened her eyes with curiosity. What did Snoozles want at this time of night?

"I'll be right there!" she told him.

She crawled off her bed and walked for the door. She slid it to the right to only to find Sokka still in the same clothes he had come to Gaoling in, not that she could tell that.

"Oh," he said at the sight of her in her night robes. "Sorry; I was going to ask if you wanted to go for a walk but-"

"At this time of night?" Toph questioned. She folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "You must really want to be alone to talk to me."

Sokka placed his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, but if another time-"

"It's fine," Toph assured him.

She unfolded her arms, stepped forward, and closed the door behind her. She faced Sokka and asked, "Where to?"

Sokka took his hand off his shoulder and shrugged. "Anywhere but here."

The two had left her home, walking down the quiet streets of Gaoling. Lanterns were turned out in each home they came across. Luckily they were coming into a section where late restaurants were still open. To be honest, Sokka wasn't hungry, but no one ever have interest in one's personal affairs. Sokka stopped at a small eat out only fitting for four people. He stared at the chairs for the wooden islander and strained his eyes to peek at the kitchen on the other side. It must be only two people working the place. Toph had stopped right along with him. She grinned at him.

"So you're hungry?" she questioned.

Sokka faced Toph and replied, "A little bite wouldn't hurt."

Toph shrugged. "Whatever, Snoozles." She felt her shoulders tense slightly when he wrapped an arm around them. She allowed him to lead her to the chairs. He lifted his arm off her shoulders and she sat herself down. He sat in a chair next to her. A man of middle age came from the small kitchen and greeted the duo warmly.

"What can I serve you night owls?" he asked.

"Whatever you have that is meat," Sokka said seriously.

Toph narrowed her eyes. Usually when it came to meat, the last time she saw him, he would be goofy about it. She had to smile to herself. He had matured somewhere after all.

"And for you, ma'am?"

Toph snapped out of her thoughts and replied, "Uh...whatever you serve him."

He nodded to her and said, "It'll be ready in fifteen minutes." He left the duo alone, free to talk.

Toph felt Sokka turn to look at her. Somehow, she didn't really want to face him. "So...what did you want to talk about?"

Sokka's face remained serious. "What you said ten years ago."

Now Toph faced with him with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah...and?"

"Did you mean it?"

Toph looked away from him and sighed deeply. "If I didn't I wouldn't have wasted my breath saying it." She faced him again. "I thought you could tell."

"The only thing I could tell was that you hugged me and only me," Sokka replied.

Toph turned her head straight ahead and hung her head low. "Yes, I did that." Her hands on the table curled into fists. "I didn't know how long it would be before I saw you guys again..." she lowered her voice a tiny bit, "especially you."

Sokka folded his arms on the table. He slowly eyed her curled fists tightening.

"It felt weird to be back at home at first," Toph resumed. "And to be honest, it still feels weird." Sokka blinked, listening intently as she continued to refuse to look at him while talking. "I thought about you more times than I could count-"

"What about Aang and Katara?" Sokka asked.

Toph let out a small laugh. "Of course I thought about them...I just thought of you more that's all. Like I told you ten years ago; I did miss you the most."

"You missed me the most because you were the closest to me, huh?" Sokka suggested.

Toph frowned and shook her head. "While that's part of it; that wasn't the main reason. It was because I had feelings for you. I still do."

Sokka turned his eyes to focus on his arms, unsure of what exactly to say. "So...it wasn't just my imagination that day."

Toph didn't say anything to him.

"Well...looks like we have something in common," he finished. Toph finally faced him again and he faced her, looking deep into her sea foam green eyes. The stare lasted for a couple of seconds. Just when Sokka was able to continue, he was cut off.

"Sorry to interrupt anything," the owner said, returning with one plate in each hand. "It was ready earlier than I thought."

Both young adults had blunt looks on their face from the interruption. Sokka looked at the food. There was no way the food was cooked within that short amount of time. He sniffed it. There was a way with this man.

How much Celsius did he cook this food?! Sokka thought to himself. He faked a smile and told the man, "Thanks."

He smiled at them and set the plates on the wooden islander. The duo was about to dig in until they looked up and saw the man wasn't leaving. Sokka reached into his pocket and handed him some Water Tribe money. "Here you go."

The owner chuckled and accepted the money. "It's been a long day for me...if you don't mind; I wanted to chat with you two."

Sokka's eyes ventured towards Toph's way. He could tell she had preferred to hear what he had to say before the owner interrupted him. He sighed and shrugged at the guy. "Sure we can provide some company."

"Man he seems to be a lonely guy," Toph yawned.

They had stayed with the man longer than they expected. Forty-five if you wanted to be exact. Toph was resting her head on Sokka's shoulder while clinging to his other one. Sokka held her by one arm to support her. He led her to an open area. There sat a huge boulder. Sokka gently had her sit against it like a chair and he sat next to her.

"I know you're wondering what I was going to say before the guy came back with the food," Sokka told her. Toph nodded, eyes threatening to close. He took a deep breath. "I meant who have something in common in the fact that...we missed each other. Greatly."

Toph's eyes shot open and she faced him. He smiled lightly at her, slowly lifting a finger to brush through her bangs. "I thought a lot about you too. Like the first few months I'd wake up expecting an earth tent only to find flat ground." His hand rested on her cheek. "It hurt too."

Toph's face melted to an expression of melancholy, reminiscing the times she'd wake up as well expecting him and Aang and Katara. It hurt her too. She lowered her face but Sokka's hand remained on her cheek. "Heh...I know how you felt." She felt him lean closer, his breath embracing her lips. "I felt that way too." His lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss. Sokka wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Seconds later Toph broke the kiss and told him quietly, "You were my best friend, Sokka." She smiled at him. "You still are."

Sokka caressed her cheek, smiling back at her. "You too, Toph. You, too."

Toph pulled his head towards her and kissed him again. He didn't let go of his strong grip around her waist and returned the kiss. Above them, the moon was brighter than normal like a sparkling smile.

On the walk back to her home, Sokka held Toph around the shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling contently, and his head resting atop hers. They hadn't said anything since their second kiss. Though, it didn't matter to them. They were with each other and they were satisfied with each other's company. When they arrived at the opening on her home and walked straight into the center of the training court. Sokka released his arm from around her shoulders and she lifted her weight off his side.

"There's one more thing I want to ask," Sokka said.

Toph faced him. "And what would that be?"

"When Katara gives birth to her baby and we leave a little after," Sokka started out hesitantly. "Do you have any idea when we'll see you again?"

Toph blinked. She placed a curled finger against her lips in thought. They were probably staying no more than a month then if they were staying a little bit more after the baby was born. Then they'd continue with the life they had for ten years and the life she had for ten years. She couldn't just simply leave either. She taught young Earthbenders here and there and made a solid friend in Gaoling. Usually she wasn't the attached type of person but she wasn't sure how she'd feel if she left Iwa behind.

"I'm not asking for you to leave with us," Sokka assured her, obviously had read her expression correctly. "I only wonder when it'll be the next time we'll see each other."

Toph rested her hand to the side and sighed with a small smile. "I don't know but with the kid around, I doubt it's going to be another ten years."

Sokka lifted her chin up and smiled at her. "I hope it won't be that long again."

Toph nodded. "It'll be sooner than we think. You watch."

Satiated, Sokka moved his finger from her chin and kissed her on the forehead. "You bet I will. Good night, Toph."

Toph walked closer to him and kissed him on the chin. "Good night to you too."

Without another word, the adults headed to their respective rooms. Toph fell against her bed with a small smile upon her face. She turned her head to the side and slowly brought her curled fingers to her lips, closing her eyes and replaying tonight in her head.

Two months later

Toph extended her arms out slightly as Sokka handed her their godson Yen. The young, dark haired boy, more than comfortable with his godmother, clung unto her shirt. Katara and Aang had to leave briefly to check on the other areas of Gaoling and Sokka just now left to feed Momo. Toph made sure her arms secured "Thu" just right. Tight enough to make sure he didn't fall and loose enough to where he could move freely. She sat on the stairs and smiled lightly at him.

When she held Yen in her arms, she could tell someday she would have a future like this and she was going to share it with the very man coming back with a full lemur.

Someday.

The End

A.N. Thanks with some help from Mom I decided to give Katara and Aang's son "Yen". It's Vietnamese for "peace". I couldn't think of anything nickname to get him so I just had Toph call him "Thu" 'cause he reminds her of Aang (I don't feel like going into detail I'll just like draw a picture of him someday or something XD). It means "autumn" in Vietnamese.

Also I'm thankful that I read Meowmaddess "the Dookster" at Distant Horizon's post about being a best friends forever shipper. It really helped me in writing that one scene I had trouble planning; so thanks!

As always, constructive criticism is welcomed and/or appreciated. I just hope I didn't overdo any cheesy parts. If I did, just let me know. XD