A/N: Okay, guys, this is 1) Maybe a little gross, if you're young, and 2) Not supposed to be taken totally seriously :) Hence, why it's in the humor category. Enjoy!
It had barely been a year since the "Gaang" had saved the world, and things had returned to relatively normal. Katara was sure Sokka and Suki were going to be engaged any day now (when Suki had more time off from her Kyoshi duties), Zuko had proved to be a kind and just Fire Lord, Aang had begun scouting the world for any potential airbenders to train within the three remaining nations, and Toph, now thirteen and as confident as ever, had opened her own Metalbending Academy.
Katara had decided to follow in Aang and Toph's footsteps. She knew Pakku had left the Northern Water Tribe to travel to the Southern Water Tribe in order to be with Gran Gran, and so she had moved to the North to train young waterbenders (both male and female, she was pleased to offer). She didn't know how long she would stay there, whether it would be permanent or not (she did miss her dad and Gran Gran a lot), or whether she would make being a bending teacher her career, but for right now, it was what felt right to her.
Sokka had insisted on moving with her ("There are lots of creeps out there, Katara. Believe me. And you, being almost sixteen? And alone? Yeah... Not happening."), and as she knew he had nothing else to really do while Suki was away, training new warriors, she had agreed.
She hadn't seen some of her friends for a few months, and while that made her a bit sad and lonely at times, she understood, and knew that it wouldn't be permanent. Going through so much with them, and finally saving the world together, she knew nothing could break their bonds.
It was therefore a pleasant surprise when, on one of the days she wasn't teaching, there came a loud knock at the door. "I'll get it! It better not be a boy, missy," Sokka said, eyeing Katara with a comically stern expression, though she was sure he felt he was being dead serious. She rolled her eyes in amusement. People called her motherly, but sometimes she wondered if their dad being away for so long hadn't effected Sokka's behavior the way losing their mother had effected her's.
"Toph?" Katara heard her brother ask, then, "Toph!" She jumped up excitedly and ran to the door, joining in on Sokka and Toph's hug. "Hey, Snoozles. Hey, Sweetness." Katara was immediately concerned when she heard the feigned enthusiasm in Toph's voice. She wasn't stupid; she knew that Toph had liked her brother at one point, and even excluding that fact, it wasn't like Toph to do or say anything halfheartedly.
"Sweetness, I really need to talk to you. In private," she said pointedly to Sokka. He sniffed in offense and muttered, "Nice seeing you, too...better not be any boys..." before marching out the door, probably heading to the market.
"What's wrong, Toph? Take a seat." Both of them sat, and Toph crossed her legs, responding, "You mean, other than having to specially request one of those metal ships directly from Sparky so that I wouldn't be totally blind the whole trip here, because his idiot soldiers wouldn't give me one 'without express permission from the Fire Lord', and then coming here and nearly having my feet fall off from the cold, and not being able to see because of all the stupid snow, and so having to ask someone where you lived like a helpless child?"
Katara smiled. "Yes, other than that." Toph suddenly got very quiet for a moment, before responding, "Well... I want you to know that I came to you because I trust you, Sweetness, more than any other woman in the world, even my own mother. You were always there for me when she wasn't; you never treated me like I was incapable of doing the simplest things. In fact, even if it was annoying at times, you expected me to do things without complaining."
Katara waited silently. She knew there was more. Toph finally sighed. "Aright, fine." She was silent again, before continuing, "So... it's been happening for the past few months, and it only lasts a few days, a week at the most. It happened again on the ship, and it hasn't stopped yet. I'm blind though, so..." Katara looked at the young teen with concern. Toph had an anxious look on her face.
"Katara... I'm really nervous... I can't see it, and it's... Well, you see... It's... kind of... coming from me, a lot of it, and I was wondering... Oh, this is so embarrassing... Will you take a look at it for me and tell me if I should be worried?" Toph was now blushing furiously, and her head was turned partially away from Katara.
"Oh, Toph, of course! I understand, and I hope you know that you can always come to me for help with anything, anything at all." "Yeah, well... thanks," the younger girl replied lamely, scratching the back of her neck. Then, she stood up and cleared her throat.
"I guess we should get this over with then, huh?" Still blushing, she pulled down her pants slightly and showed Katara the inner lining of them, covered with the source of the problem. As soon as the older girl caught a flash of red, understanding swept over her, and she had to really concentrate on swallowing the laugh that bubbled up within her.
"Ah, I see. Of course you didn't know, I'm sure your mother never explained. Alright, miss Toph, first let's get you properly cleaned up, and then I'll explain your 'problem'." With that, Katara gently took Toph by the arm and led her deeper into the house.
**O**o**O**o**O**o**O**o**O**o**O**o**O**o**O**o**O**
"It's hard to believe you're actually a woman! Who would've thought?" Katara joked to Toph later. Toph turned a little red and punched her in the arm. She let out a small gasp and swiftly rubbed it, sure it was going to bruise, as Toph replied, "Yeah, yeah. Well... Thanks, Sweetness." "Of course, Toph. Like I said, if there's ever anything you need, you can always come to me for help." "That's a relief. But, if I ever hear that you've mentioned this to Snoozles, or Sparky, or Twinkletoes..." The earthbender cracked her knuckles.
Katara laughed. "Come on. Even on my meanest days, I'm not that mean. Your secret's safe with me." She hugged Toph. "Will you stay for a few days? Keep me and Sokka company? It's been awhile, and we've both really missed you." "I suppose I could manage that," Toph said, a little grin forming on her face. "Although, I guess I'm going to be confined to this little house, because there is no way I'm going back out into that snow barefoot... I don't know how you people do it..."
Just then, Sokka barged through the door. "Okay, private time over! If I find out anyone other than Toph was here-" "Calm down, Snoozles. We were just discussing a little, ah... 'problem' Suki thinks she might have, and the probability of her having this... 'problem'... I mean, it's not like you guys are married yet..." Toph interrupted. Sokka froze, and his face went pale. Katara giggled a little, and Toph let out a cackle. "Oh... This is going to be a fun little vacation."
So what'd you think? I'm usually good about using "affect" and "effect" the right way, but I sometimes get confused: like, in my story, Sokka and Katara's personalities were influenced by certain events; in effect to a circumstance, or cause. So it would be "effected", and not "affected", right? Bah, anyway. Other than a little Sukka, I tried not to bring a lot of shipping into this, including my own preferred ships, so that it could (potentially) be enjoyed by all fans. Please be considerate and don't bring shipping into the reviews either! Do review, though :)