One Without a Second
by SMYGO4EVA
"To be honest, I didn't even think this would be possible," Toph said aloud, almost in a reflective tone, as the sun began to set from outside.
Katara turned from the window, though her gaze wasn't upon Toph until she looked up. She couldn't recall ever seeing the other girl deep in thought, which was plenty strange. Toph was usually loud and boisterous, but she knew that there was more to her than what met the eye.
It just didn't happen often.
"What do you mean, Toph?"
Toph shook her head and then lay back on the bed she sat upon, her hands behind her head. "Oh you know what I mean. The Eclipse, Sozin's comet, all of us, what we've just been through, everything."
Katara walked over and sat on the other side of the bed, thinking and listening closely. "I think I have an idea – you didn't think that ending the war would be possible."
"Exactly."
Katara nodded. "I understand, it wasn't always easy, and we all had to push ourselves, do things that we couldn't do otherwise. You did, and I did. We all had to."
Toph let out a sigh and smiled, closing her eyes for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. It wasn't easy, and heck, I didn't even help at times. I try to be tough, to be strong, but it doesn't work at times."
"Everyone wants to appear tougher than they really are; we all do. Even I tried to." Katara replied, lying down next to Toph. She turned her head to face the other girl.
One second and Toph's smile had grown familiar, familiar enough for her to say no more.
"We survived. We're bringing in an age of peace for the world; I think that says a lot about the both of us, more than you think."
"That's for sure."
Katara smiled back, nodding in assent. "Well, I'm glad you agree on that."
One without a second went by, in a moment, and they knew that they were on the same page.