So, this has been one heck of a battle with myself. I fought with myself over this so much, I just finally handed over to my awesome beta, Liselle129, to see if she could find any hope for it. Thankfully, she did just that and now it's turned out almost how I tried to write it. Well, I'll let you guys read it for yourselves and let you be the judges.
Disclaimer: I would really like to know why ANYONE would think that I owned Avatar: The Last Airbender…honestly….
"Are you ready to fight yet, Twinkletoes? Or are you going to splash around all day?"
Toph's dig about waterbending made Katara flinch. Not that it was anything new – it was a common tease – but Aang knew she hated being thought of as inferior in any way.
Aang dropped the stream of water he had been messing around with and looked at Katara with a sheepish grin. She put her hands on her hips and stared at him. It took him awhile to figure out what she wanted, but when he did, he looked embarrassed.
"Are we done?"
"Can I come watch?" she countered.
"Sure," he said with a slight hesitation.
"Then yes, we are done." Aang jumped out of the shallow stream and airbended himself dry. He looked around.
"Just a minute, Toph!" he shouted as he stuck his head in a bush. Katara climbed out leisurely and drew the water from her body and hair. She pulled her robe on over her white underclothes and turned to face Aang. He was currently in the process of crawling beneath a prickly shrub.
"What are you doing, Aang?" He removed his head from the plants with only a small struggle. Standing up, he looked at her with an unreadable expression.
"Umm… I can't find my shirt." Katara said nothing, only pointed at the rumpled piece of clothing at her feet.
"Oh. Thanks," was Aang's response. He walked over to it slowly and picked it up. He stared at his bright shirt for a moment before shoving his head through the hole.
"Is something wrong, Aang? You're acting a little… strange," Katara asked.
"No, I'm fine." Aang couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes while he lied to her. The truth was, he was a little nervous. Okay, a lot nervous. He was just trying to postpone the inevitable as long as possible. Katara nodded, but she looked like she didn't believe him. Somehow, she always seemed to read him like a scroll.
"Uh… Are you sure you want to watch? It will probably be boring," he stalled, his foot digging a hole in the sandy bank.
"Of course I want to watch! And it won't be boring – I was there when you challenged Toph to a mock battle last night."
Aang cringed. He hadn't meant to do it, but his head had only been thinking one thing: I've got to impress Katara. It had paid off at the time and it was worth getting pounded into the ground by his teacher to see the look on Katara's face. He knew he couldn't win against Toph – she was a master for spirit's sake! But his favorite waterbender had smiled at him and looked impressed.
And now she wanted to watch him flail around, trying not to get killed by his own friend? This was not how he had wanted things to happen. She was supposed to stay back at camp with Sokka.
He tried one more time.
"I… uh… I think I forgot to feed Appa. Could you do that for me, pleeease?" He dragged out the last word and hoped she would fall for his pathetic attempt to maintain some dignity. But she just looked hurt.
"Do you not want me to come, Aang?" she asked, a frown on her face. Aang caught a small spark of… something in her eyes, but was unsure how to take it.
"No! Of course I want you there! I just… thought… Appa…" His excuse died in his throat. He sighed. "Come on. Toph is probably waiting."
I mean, who really cares if the girl I love sees me as a complete idiot? he thought sarcastically.
You do, his mind answered.
You got that right.
Katara grinned and took his hand. It felt warm and comforting to hold her hand, but he forced himself to remain calm. They headed towards the source of the miniature earthquakes and rumbling sounds. Toph was obviously preparing to kick his butt. Oh spirits, what had he gotten himself into?
When they reached the rock field, Katara dropped his hand and looked at him.
"Aang, are you sure you want to do this?" He couldn't decide if she was worried about him or not, so he just nodded. Might as well try to look brave.
"Come on, you lovebirds! Twinkletoes! Go stand over there!" She pointed to a spot across the field.
"Shut up, Toph!" Katara shouted, apparently goaded by the 'lovebirds' comment. At least, that's why he hoped she was annoyed. Aang only shrugged and moved to stand where Toph indicated. A hand grabbed his and pulled him around. Katara planted a soft kiss on his cheek and murmured "Good luck" before going to sit on a rock at the edge of the field. Aang looked at Toph, who was popping her knuckles. He was going to need luck. Hopefully the kiss had given him just that. He drew a breath, then stepped into his place, marked by Toph with a big X.
The moment he did, the earth jutted up under his feet, sending him flying. He managed to land relatively softly with a little airbending.
"Earthbending only, genius," Toph remarked, never dropping her stance. Aang looked up from the ground with a frustrated expression.
"You caught me by surprise. What was I supposed to do? Just fall?"
"You're supposed to be ready. You think firebenders are going to just wait for you and politely ask you when you're ready? You have to be alert!" She stressed the last word – and her point – with a heel to the ground, causing her student to bounce back to his feet. He glared at his teacher. How could her impress Katara if he was humiliated this early in the fight?
Toph didn't wait for him to figure it out. She shot a trio of rocks and he barely brought his attention back in time to disintegrate them. His teacher stomped a foot, rumbling the earth beneath them. She slammed a hand into the ground, as if chopping it open. A gap opened between Aang's legs. He shouted in surprise and jumped out of the way. Toph took advantage of his confusion by bonking him in the head with a pebble.
Toph – 2. Aang – 0.
"I'm still here, Twinkletoes! I'm the one you need to worry about, not the crack. Focus on what I'm doing." Toph shouted the advice in a momentary lapse in the battle.
Aang gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew this was going to happen. What had he been thinking?
Stop it! he told himself. Focus on Toph. Anticipate her moves and watch for any holes in her defense. Just pretend you're airbending. With earth.
A boulder shot past his head. He dug his heel into the ground and shoved his hands forward. A tremor sped towards Toph, but it dissipated at her command.
She launched several rocks at him – any of which could easily do some serious damage. He quickly pulled two slabs of earth from the ground. They met above his head at an angle and formed a temporary shield from the barrage. It served its purpose as the rocks ricocheted harmlessly away.
The only problems with those strategies are that there are no holes in her defense. And she can anticipate my moves. No matter how much I concentrate, I never have any idea what she's going to do next!
A rock bounced off his barrier.
I guess I'll just have to play it by ear.
Aang brought the wall down and simultaneously threw a couple stones in Toph's direction. She blocked them and seemed slightly surprised by Aang's sudden aggressiveness. She grinned, as if this was what she had been waiting for.
She raised her arms and two walls appeared on either side of the airbender. She brought her palms together powerfully and the walls began closing. Aang looked back and forth between the two approaching crushers. He made a decision, ran headfirst at one of them, and came through the other side as they slammed into each other. He heard Katara gasp.
Yeah, he thought. I can't believe I did that either. So much for playing it by ear.
Before he could react, Toph pulled a move that looked suspiciously like a Dai Li tactic. She manipulated the earth into a thick glove on her hand and shot several pieces at Aang. He managed to bring a wall up in time, but it soon shattered. As his defense crumbled, he saw the entire glove come flying at him. With the speed of a master airbender, he shot a rock of his own to meet the projectile. Both were pulverized.
Aang saw his chance. Toph seemed completely unaware that her earthen glove was now dust. He kicked the ground twice and punched the two rocks at his opponent.
Time slowed down for Aang. The rocks flew at Toph and she still hadn't moved. Was she oblivious to his attack? He blinked and time regained its fast pace.
With perfect timing, Toph brought up her hands and smashed them together. The rocks were crushed between her palms. Dirt hung heavy in the air around her.
"Come on, Aang! A two-year-old could come up with better strategies!" She seemed to be getting frustrated. He could tell she wasn't taking him seriously.
So maybe she's not fully concentrating. He had noticed a few opportunities to assault him had not been taken. So the question was: Was she not paying attention or was she taking it easy on him?
Only seconds had passed, but it had been a moment the Blind Bandit hadn't wasted. Her hands were held out in front of her, trembling slightly. The earth twitched. Aang looked at his feet to see what she had done, but nothing had changed. Then she made her move. She pulled her arms in close to her body, elbows down and fists directly beneath her chin, and slammed her heel into the ground at the same time. A shock wave traveled in Aang's direction, throwing dust into the air behind it. He leaped to the side, but it passed inoffensively about a meter from where he had been.
Thoroughly nonplussed, Aang tried to think this seemingly useless move through while searching for Toph in the dust. He knew that she had missed him on purpose. So what was the purpose? He waved his hand in an ineffective attempt to clear the air.
That was it! It was a smoke screen!
Or a dust screen, he thought wryly. That knowledge did nothing to reassure him. Toph was still there somewhere. And she could see.
Two stones hit his back and he whirled around. But he saw nothing in the dirty air.
He decided he wouldn't just stand around waiting for her to crush him. He had to try something. Moving his arms in an imitation of Toph, he tried to force the dust to settle. He succeeded. Kind of. A small circle around him cleared and he caught a glimpse of a bare foot retreating into oblivion.
Well, he certainly wasn't going to make any progress that way. He thrust two fists over his head and a column lifted him above the swirling dust cloud. Looking down, he still couldn't see anything.
Except Katara.
She had been spared from the cloud and sat just outside of it. She was watching him. Aang smiled self-consciously and waved. Katara grinned and waved back. He opened his mouth to shout some witty, impressive remark.
The column shook and he stumbled. He saw the shock on Katara's face. He waved his arms and nearly regained his balance, but another tremor threw him off.
Aang almost airbended, but caught himself in time. He managed to turn himself right-side-up and somehow remembered to bend his knees before he landed. The earth dipped to lessen the impact and he bended it flat again. He shook his head.
I should've seen that one coming.
He gazed around, still unable to see.
"Alright, Toph, you can lower the dust now!" he shouted. He didn't even think about how it gave away his position. Obviously, she could sense where he was anyway.
"Come on, Twinkletoes. A real opponent wouldn't give up an advantage and neither will I." Her voice seemed to come from ever side. It was a little unnerving until a skidding noise reached his ears. The Blind Bandit was sliding on the earth around him. She was circling him just to play with his mind.
"But… you can see and I can't!" His pitiful argument made Toph laugh and come to a stop in front of him.
"Hello! Advantage!" She chuckled. "Like I said, I'm using my advantage. Just like any other fighter."
"Using that logic, I should be able to use waterbending and airbending. Right, Sifu Toph?" He had her now. Her silence proved it. He heard Katara laugh and he smirked.
Toph – 5. Aang – 1.
"Fine. But don't expect any other favors." And the dust settled. Aang glanced at Katara before refocusing on his teacher. She stood in front of him, her stance perfectly balanced. They circled each other for a moment, the tension tangible.
Toph attacked first, raising a large earth wave and launching it at him. However, Aang was an airbender; he was agile and quick. He slid over it smoothly and threw a few rocks at her, but she easily grabbed them and threw them back at him. He was forced to dodge his own strike.
She can see what I'm going to do and how I'm going to do it. How am I supposed to touch her if she can sense my every move? He avoided another rock and almost fell when she shifted the earth beneath him.
I need to think like an earthbender. I've got to stop thinking like an airbender. He recognized the advice from something Toph told him once. Something about not coming at things from a different angle.
The idea struck him so suddenly, he almost didn't jump out of the way of a moving wall in time. It missed him by mere centimeters.
He launched another rock at Toph – just to confirm it. Yes. Toph saw where the projectile was going and stopped it with ease.
But what if they don't go where they're supposed to? What if they go somewhere else?
The concept seemed too insane to work. But maybe that's why it hadn't been tried before. Maybe it would be so unexpected that it would actually succeed.
Aang realized he'd been standing still for too long and jumped to escape the suspicious, moving ground. It was a good call, for the earth suddenly morphed into quicksand where he had been standing.
He knew Toph wasn't giving 100 to this battle; to her it was already won. Perhaps she wasn't paying as close attention as she should. That would certainly help.
After dodging a pillar that suddenly jutted from the ground, he took action. He kicked two boulders into the air and felt a sense of déjà vu. He had executed an attack similar to this only moments ago. He hoped this plan would work. He shoved one at his target, but bended the other to an open area on his right. He thought, in an odd moment of detachment from the battle, that they formed a sort of triangle. The boulder on his right, Toph, and he himself made the points, the lines between them almost equal.
It was difficult to hold the boulder in place from such a distance, but Aang strained to keep it steady. He couldn't let it touch the ground, or it all would be moot. He watched the other rock hurtle towards Toph. She was ready for it. She pushed out her fists, punching at the rock. One fist connected. Her face displayed unveiled shock when her left hand hit nothing but air. She stumbled, off-balance.
Now he acted. The levitating boulder swung as if on an invisible chain at Toph, who was looking around in a slight panic. She knew there was another one out there somewhere.
She doesn't realize what I'm doing.
He had been sure that she would figure it out. At the last moment, he slowed the boulder down until it hit the greatest earthbender in the world with a small thwump. If she had been confident and steady in her stance, she wouldn't even have flinched. As it was, she was confused and hesitant – the rock knocked her flat on her back.
No one moved.
Free from Aang's manipulation, the boulder tumbled to the ground.
Aang's eyes flitted over to Katara, whose mouth hung open, then he ran to his earthbending friend's side. He felt Katara arrive next to him, but he focused on Toph.
Toph looked frozen in shock, as if her brain couldn't process the fact that she'd been beaten. Both Aang and Katara could see that nothing was wrong with her. They looked at each other and shrugged.
Toph sat up and blinked her unseeing, brilliant green eyes. Aang couldn't decide whether to say something or run. He settled on keeping still and silent. The Blind Bandit just looked at him for a moment.
Then she punched him in the arm and grinned.
"You got me, Aang. You won."
After regaining his balance, it was Aang's turn to appear shocked.
"Close your mouth, Twinkletoes. I can see it vividly. It makes you look stupid." He narrowed his eyes and stood up. His two teachers followed.
"Great job, Aang. You did it." Katara pulled him into a hug.
Right. That's why I challenged Toph.
She released him, but her smile didn't fade from her face.
"Good job. You beat me fair and square." And she trudged off in the direction of camp.
"That was awkward," Katara said.
"Yeah…" Aang turned to face her and she did the same. She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. They both blushed.
"Great job, Aang."
"Yeah…" And she turned to head back to camp.
Now would be a good time, his mind whispered.
Yeah…
"Katara…" he said. She walked back to stand in front of him. Her eyes shone and he could tell she was expecting something. He only hoped it was what he was going to say.
"I just wanted you to tell you tha-"
The ground beneath one of his feet lifted as high as knee, pushing Aang's foot above it.
He tipped over.
And landed embarrassingly hard on his shoulder, a small grunt emitting from his mouth. Katara barely suppressed a giggle.
Aang looked up and saw Toph at the edge of the rock field, a smirk plastered on her face.
"Just don't expect it to happen again."
Fin
So, what did you think? I'm actually thinking about righting a secon chapter to it, but for now it's staying alone. Poor little oneshot. You know what would make him feel better, though? Reviews. Lots and lots of shiny reviews. He loves them. Eats them like candy. You do want my oneshot to be happy, don't you. Well, don't you?!
KD