Thank you for reading my fanfic; this is my first one, so please review; constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Also, I have done my best to edit (and re-edit) this fanfic as much as possible, so there shouldn't be any mistakes, but if you do happen to come across any spelling or grammatical errors, if you could let me know, that would be greatly appreciated. There are absolutely no spoilers in this story as I have not read the spoilery book. Everything is based soley on speculation (and hope :D). I am also going to try to finish this before the new episodes air, so expect new chapters soon. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. The last time I checked my name was not Mike or Brian

"Toph, can you promise me something?"

"Sure, anything."

"I know I just met you not too long ago, but already I'm talking to you as if I've known you my whole life. I love how I can just say anything to you, and you'll listen. You're the best friend that I've ever had. Toph…"

"What is it Sokka?"

"Promise me…promise me that you won't let anything happen to yourself."

"I promise."

"Toph? Toph!" Katara's voice cut into her reverie.

"What is it now?" Toph was annoyed at being interrupted yet again. Couldn't anyone have some peace and quiet once in a while?

"Whoa, no need for the edginess. I was just coming to say that dinner's ready."

"Should I even bother asking if there's any meat, or are we just going to eat like vegetarians for the rest of our lives?" Toph asked sarcastically.

"No," Katara replied with an edge of irritation in her voice.

"No, I shouldn't bother asking or…no, we're not going to eat like vegetarians for the rest of our lives?"

"Both!" she snapped, irritation turning dangerously close into anger. Toph laughed. She was way too easy to annoy. That was one of the few things she shared in common with her brother. Toph sighed. Her brother. No matter how hard she tried to keep her mind off him, somehow, her thoughts kept on coming back to the young Water Tribe warrior. The loud, annoying, sarcastic Water Tribe warrior who had somehow managed to steal Toph's heart. She didn't know how really. They had started out as just friends. But as they had gotten to know each other better, it had grown into something more. It was like they had formed a special bond with each other. Or at least it had felt that way to her. Sokka was the only one that Toph could really talk to. The only one who really understood her. She began to like his sarcastic attitude, laugh at his unfunny jokes, and, although she still made fun of him for his constant blunders, she treasured that part of him too. And before she knew it, despite the fact that she had never seen his face, Toph began to think of him as more then just her best friend. He was everything to her. But she knew it could never end well.

"Toph! Are you coming, or do you really hate my cooking so badly that you would rather starve to death?"

Toph shook herself from her memories, and silently scolded herself for letting herself daydream yet again.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Toph smirked.

"Just, come on! Everyone's waiting!" the exasperated waterbender yelled back with a sigh.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming. The world, as we know it, is not coming to an end. Not yet, anyway," she joked.

Toph walked through the doorway onto the platform which they had officially dubbed their meeting place. It was suspended on pillars attached to the cliff face and gave a spectacular view of the entire Western Air Temple. Well, for everyone else anyway. From this location they could spot any intruders, and the fountain in the center gave Katara an easy access to water in case they were attacked. The platform was connected by a staircase to a bigger series of platforms attached to the roof of the cliff that they had decided to make into their temporary home.

Toph joined her friends who were circled around the fire. It was a lot quieter now that half their group had left. Toph liked it that way; it had started to get a little crowded. After Sokka and Zuko's little "fishing trip", Sokka's and Katara's dad decided to leave to see if he could find any evidence on the whereabouts of the other prisoners who had been captured after their failure on the Day of Black Sun which it had come to be known as. Haru, The Duke, and the random fire nation guy who had just shown up had gone with him to help. And after much persuasion, Teo convinced them to let him come too with the logic that he could encourage the rest of the Airwalkers to help with the second invasion that was inevitably going to take place.

So now, everything was back to normal again. Katara was busy stirring the, sigh, vegetable soup by the fire. Zuko was telling another one of his tea jokes to Aang who politely tried to laugh, but failed miserably, and Sokka was sitting beside Suki a bit separate from their little group. She could hear their voices and an occasional laugh. Toph sighed. Her heart nearly broke. She remembered when that had been her. She had always been the one that Sokka had chosen to laugh and share his problems with. And now it felt like she had been replaced. But she hadn't been. It was just that Suki's place was more important. She was his girlfriend. If Toph just thought of Sokka as her best friend, she wouldn't have minded so much, but in the position she was in, it almost made her sick.

"Toph? Are you okay? You've hardly touched your food." Katara asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. I'm just not hungry right now. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight." Katara could be so annoying sometimes. Toph stood up and started to walk towards her room. Maybe now she could get some time to think.

She lay in her bed that night trying to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. Too many thoughts were flying through her mind. He was everything to her, but she was just invisible to him. Did he know how much he meant to her? Did anyone? How had it all come to this? She remembered how she had used to be. You were the strong, independent earthbender who never let her feelings get in the way of anything, she thought. Where did you go? She knew she couldn't continue like this. But she couldn't possibly tell him. He was happy now, and it would only complicate everything. She knew she could never be with him; all she could do now was hope that Suki loved him as much as he loved her. But she knew that if she kept her feelings bottled up inside she would explode. But what was she supposed to do? She had never experienced anything like this before. And for the first time in her young life, Toph was afraid.