Aang saw her and recognized what she was almost immediately. A short, dark-haired girl was sitting by a tall oak tree, her eyes pale and blank. They were so clouded he couldn't help but wonder if she saw the world through a haze of fog. Or if she even saw at all.

But what stood out the most was the faded glow that surrounded her.

Making sure no one was nearby, he walked over. She stared up him, and he second-guessed his assumption of blindness when she seemed to study him.

"Who are you," he asked.

Eyes widened, as expected. "You... You can see me?"

He nodded. "Can you see me?"

"Yeah."

So she wasn't blind... Well, onto the matter at hand.

"Who are you?" he asked again.

"Toph BeiFong."

"How'd you die?"

"Whoa. Don't leave much room for conversation, do ya?"

He shrugged. "My mentor says I shouldn't get attached to the Spirits I help."

"So, what? You're some kinda ghost-seeing freak who helps us poor dead souls 'move on'?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She leaned back, crossing her arms. "Sorry, not interested."

"But you have to!" he cried. "It's the-"

"Rules, I know. Unfortunately for you, I hate rules, and I like staying here."

"But-"

"Ah!" she held her hand up, palm facing him. "Zip it."

A bell rang in the distance. He was going to be late for class.

Annoyed he stomped back to school. He would just have to convince the girl later. Roku said there would be stubborn Spirits, and he would have to deal with them fairly.

But that didn't make Toph's refusal any less infuriating.

xXxXxXxX

"So some ghost chick doesn't want to move on – big deal," Sokka said at lunch, spearing his fork into his food. He stuffed into his mouth, chomping at it hungrily and noisily.

"It is a big deal!" Aang cried. He was more than used to his friend's eating habits. "And they're called Spirits."

Sokka shrugged. "I don't see the difference."

"Why don't you try a different approach," Katara suggested, trying to distract Aang from her brother's comment. "Maybe the direct method you're using isn't right for someone stubborn like her. Try giving her a gentle nudge in the right direction instead."

"I don't think a gentle nudge will work," Aang said. "Maybe a hard shove..."

Katara slumped slightly, and he could tell she was disappointed. "Well, you're the expert at this, so I guess you know best."

"Expert? You seem more like an idiot to me."

Aang jumped, crying out in surprise. His friends eyed him as though questioning his sanity, causing him to blush sheepishly and say, "The Spirit just appeared behind me."

Sokka shook his head, muttering about rudeness and disrespect for privacy.

"Hey, I wouldn't be talking," Toph said. "You eat like a savage and talk with your mouth full."

Aang glanced between the Spirit and the teen, trying to decide on a polite way to reword her statement.

"She said something about me, didn't she?" Sokka asked. "C'mon, let me hear it."

"Uh... She said you have bad table manners"

"Hey, I have great manners," he said around a mouthful of food. Beside him, Katara silently shook her head.

"Well, what are you doing here?" Aang asked, turning to face the Spirit. Then he perked up, a wide smile stretching across his face. "Have you changed your mind? Are you gonna let me help you?"

"No, I just wanted to make you look like a hallucinating freak."

The smile vanished.

"What is it?" Katara asked, noticing her friend's rapid-fire mood swings. "What did she say?"

"She just wants to annoy me," he grumbled.

"Hey, cut a dead girl some slack," Toph said. "It's been ten years since I've been able to talk to anyone – is it so wrong that I wanna poke fun at the only person who can see me?"

"Well, if you let me help you, maybe you'll get reincarnated and have a whole life time to bother anyone you meet."

She wrinkled her nose. "Nah." Then, with a wink and a smile, said, "See ya, Twinkle Toes!" and vanished without a trace.

Aang made a face. "Twinkle Toes?"

Sokka laughed so hard he choked on his food.

Author's Notes: Omg! I'm actualy writing a chapter story! o

Errr... Yeah. I have no idea what to title this. Advice? Suggestions? Dx And I'm sorry if they're out-of-character. I tried my best.

Disclaimer: Okay, if I owned 'Avatar', do you think I'd be writing fanfic about it? No.