This is my first fanfiction for Avatar the Last Airbender.

This is mainly Taang but is also Toko and Zutara. This story takes place when Aang and Toph are 16, Katara is 18, and Suki, Sokka and Zuko are 19.

So anyway, hi I'm Lileeh and this is my first fanfiction ever. I'm really excited because I've been working on this for a while. So thanks for reading. I will hopefully continue this fanfiction and have lots of chapters because I like really long stories. Whether I continue or not also depends on the feedback so don't be afraid to review. For someone like me, reading reviews is the best part of writing a story. So enough chat let's get to the story.

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Three Years after "Sozin's Comet: Avatar Aang"…

She rushed through the trees at top speed. She breathed heavily, and in ragged and unsteady huffs. It was pointless now, this stupid game was over, soon she would be out of breath, and be forced to fight, or give up entirely. Her lungs burned and she longed to give up.

Although she was blind she could sense each tree and everything for miles. She sensed a clearing ahead, with some form of rock structure. That was where she needed to get to. The odds had changed and she listened closely for the rush of person behind her flying on flames.

He was close, but she thought she could make it.

She fell from exhaustion as she hit the clearing. It felt nice to be out of there, but her glory and happiness was short lived, because she heard him coming.

She wished Aang hadn't had to leave, that this was two on one instead of one on one, and one of those ones wouldn't be as frightened now.

She regained her normal breathing pattern and stood on her feet. She couldn't feel him since he was in the air, she hated that he had learned to do that. It didn't make it fair. But he did hit trees often; after all he was still perfecting it. Those bumped-into trees sent spinning vibrations through the ground quickly but not very far, by the time they reached her they were weak, only faint thuds against her bare feet. He was only seconds away, according to his last run in with a tree.

Then he landed in the clearing about two meters away from her. The air of tension was heavy and silent.

She swallowed and so did he.

She could feel him shaking, he was nervous. There was rock everywhere, this was definitely her turf.

He shattered the silence with a whip of fire shot right at her. She pulled rock from the ground to encase her self and lunged at him. She was overcome with joy that she had outsmarted him. She was basking in glory so much that she didn't notice that lack in vibration where he had been standing. When she didn't hit him she tripped and all of the rocks used as a defense collapsed to the ground around her.

Then he landed on her, and she knew it was over. This was it, he had won, and now it was over.

Zuko raised his hand to punch Toph and then burst out laughing.

He put his fist down and leaned in closer to her, "I win."

"Yea but I think you killed at least five trees", she chuckled with him. Then he placed his lips gracefully on hers.

Zuko got up quickly and then helped her up. They walked back conversing about their training. Most of their conversation centered around Zuko's flying. He also tried to convince Toph to climb on his back so he could show her what it was like.

"Appa style is the only kind of flying I will ever try. Besides I prefer it here on the ground where I can see", she moved her hand up and down in front of her face to emphasize her blindness.

"Speaking of Appa, where do you think Aang went?" Zuko kicked a small rock.

"I don't know. He just kinda took off. One of his Avatar things I guess," she smiled up at him, "But that's ok, he's usually not gone for long." She knew they both remembered the day Sozin's Comet had come and Aang had mysteriously disappeared.

"He never did tell us where he went exactly."

"Sometimes if you just hear 'I learned it from a giant lion turtle' it speaks for itself." They both laughed. These were the happy days. Although they had no idea where Sokka, Suki, Katara, or Aaang was, it was just nice not to be trying to save the world.

This was it Zuko was going to do it. He collected himself and left his tent. Aang had left two weeks ago, and although Toph and he had been together for six months, they hadn't really been too public about until now.

They would be in the Fire Nation tonight. Then he would do it.

He touched the tent with his index finger and put his backpack on. Then it set ablaze and he moved to Toph's tent.

"Toph", he called.

"Yes", the answer was less hoarse than it usually was.

"You done yet, we should get moving if we want to make it to the Fire Nation by sun down", he wanted to go in but he held himself back. At least she was answering him.

"I'm afraid that I can't go to the Fire Nation", her voice was wobbly and Zuko rushed in and saw the tears streaming down her face. He moved toward her and cradled her to his chest, and she let out loud sobs.

"Shh", he soothed, "tell me what's wrong."

She looked up at him and sobbed once more, "This is a letter from my parents", she offered him a crumpled piece of paper but he didn't take it, he just kept his eyes on her.

She sobbed again and tried to get the words out. "I got it four weeks ago and had Aang read it to me. It says that my parents are ordering me to come home by the Summer Solstice to pick an Earth Kingdom aristocrat to marry." She sobbed again, "I have to go. Someone needs to take my families fortune and I..."

He hugged her closer to him, "I'll come and we'll sort everything out. Everything will be okay."

"No", she said sharply, "I have to marry someone from the Earth Kingdom. You need to go back to the Fire Nation to run your country and I have to continue living like a regular Earth Kingdom girl", she looked up toward the sky, "It's times like this that I wish I knew where Katara and Suki were."

He hugged her closer still and she just sobbed. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours but couldn't have been more than ten minutes. Even though it was a sad moment Zuko wished that they could stay like that forever, because it was probably going to be one of the last moments they got together.

Soon the steady pitter patter of rain hit the top of the tent and Toph stopped crying and pulled away from Zuko.

She stared into his liquid gold eyes and asked, "Do you love me?"

A tear welled up in Zuko's scarred eye and ran down his cheek. He pulled her to chest again, "More than you'll ever know."

DISCLAIMER: This fanfiction belongs to me, Lileeh, so no stealing. I don't claim to own the show Avatar the Last Airbender because it belongs to Nickelodeon.