IT'S TOKKA WEEK! Here's the first day's prompt, 'Bending the Rules.' Hide and explode was in the actual series, but the rules were never clarified. Enjoy!

Tokka Week 2012

Day One: Bending the Rules

Sokka groaned, flopping back on the ground. "I am so bored!"

Aang, Katara, and Toph nodded their assent. The four had finally received a day off from their stressful responsibilities, but they had no idea how to spend it. It was already mid-morning, and sitting was the only thing they had accomplished so far.

"This is worse than the time Sokka left to go swordfight," Toph whined. Her comment earned an answering nod from Katara, but Aang wasn't paying attention. He had a gleam in his eyes that could only signal one thing; an idea.

"Remember when I went to the Fire Nation school? Some kids showed me a game called hide and explode. Everyone hides instead of one person, who covers their eyes. Once everyone's found a hiding spot, the 'Exploder' tries to shoot fire at where they think the players are. If a player is hit, they have to help the Exploder find the others. Last person standing wins," Aang finished up.

"That sounds a little dangerous," stated Katara nervously, "Besides, you're the only firebender."

"Come on, Sugar Queen. It'll be fun," Toph pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess, but what if someone gets burned?" Katara shot back, her voice rising.

"Guys, stop," Aang interjected. "I don't want anyone to get hurt, but this is a fun game. Why don't we take out the fire; you would just have to find the other people instead of exploding them."

Both girls harrumphed. Sokka, however, seemed delighted at the idea. "Who's going to be the Exploder first?"

Katara immediately volunteered. "I will," she snapped with a threatening look at Toph. It seemed that she didn't want to take any chances. "How long should I wait?"

Aang stated, "About a minute. That should give us enough time to find places to hide."

Katara nodded, covered her eyes, and started counting. The three remaining players scattered. Aang ran straight toward a forest, probably to climb a tree. Sokka bolted toward a nearby stream, intent on finding the best spot. His competitive nature was dragged out no matter what game they were playing. The Water Tribe warrior was determined to win.

Sokka was so focused on choosing the best place, he didn't notice Toph running toward him until she crashed into his back. They tumbled down the riverbank with a loud "Oof."

"Toph, go find your own spot. I was here first," Sokka complained in a whisper.

"No," replied Toph, just as quietly. "I have an idea." She grabbed Sokka's arm and stomped hard on the ground. At once, the two found themselves in a hole about twenty feet deep. Toph punched her hand against a wall, and the space opened up to form a nice, cozy chamber. To complete the task, she used earthbending to cover the top of the hole.

"Isn't that cheating?" Sokka asked. He liked to win a game fair and square.

"Of course not. It's just…bending the rules," his friend replied. Sokka could picture her smirking at him. Even though it was pitch black, he could tell that she was smiling deviously.

"Toph, couldn't you have left a little light?" Sokka protested.

"No," stated the girl in question. "They would be able to find us."

"What do you mean, they?" question Sokka.

Toph replied, "Well, your sister isn't going to be able to find us. So, she'll definitely find Aang first, however long it takes. Hopefully, Twinkle Toes will remember his earthbending training, and he'll find us right away."

Sokka stroked his chin. "Right, but why did you drag me here? You could have won with that strategy."

Toph sighed with exasperation. "Did you not just hear me? It'll take them ages to find us. This is just boredom in another place. I needed someone to come down here with me. Katara was counting, and if I took Aang, you and your sister would never find us in a million years. What's the fun in that?" It sounded like she wanted to say something else, but Sokka noticed that she cut herself off.

"Well, what should we do?" asked the Water Tribe boy. "The game isn't worth winning if we'll be bored."

"Exactly," stated Toph. "We should play another game. A game within a game. I have an idea."

Sokka jumped as he felt her hand on his arm. In the darkness, he couldn't tell where Toph was until she touched him. Now he understood – at least partially – how she felt living blind.

"Okay. Here's the deal," Toph started. She took Sokka's hand and placed it on the wall of their hiding place. As she talked, they walked around the enclosure. "I'm showing you how small this place is. I'll walk around, trying to avoid you. You have to try and tag me. If you can, we'll switch. Then, you try and stay out of my way, and I'll try to find you. Got it?"

Sokka nodded, then realized that they were in a dark hole. And that Toph was blind. "Yeah. But this time, no earthbending." He let Toph get a head start, straining his ears to hear a footstep or breath. However, Sokka couldn't hear anything different. The pounding of his own heart was loud in his ears, and, for some reason, his breath seemed to be louder than usual. Concentrating hard, Sokka told his lungs to slow down. Gradually, the loud inhalation was reduced to nearly silent gulps of air. Once he accomplished this, Sokka turned his attention to finding Toph. Where would she go? he thought, trying to put himself in his friend's shoes. She was blind, so the darkness wouldn't affect her. She was small, so she would be easily unnoticeable. And she used vibrations in the earth to see. Vibrations in the earth…

"I'm an idiot," Sokka mumbled aloud. Then, a plan formed in his mind, and he was glad that Toph couldn't see the devilish grin on his face. "Toph, this is pointless. You know exactly where I am."

He heard Toph's laugh somewhere to his left. "That means I wi-"

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. Sokka had intentionally made Toph speak, only to jump clear across the room to tackle her. Sokka slammed straight into Toph, knocking her to the ground.

"Cheater!" she gasped.

"I'm just…bending the rules," he murmured close to Toph's ear.

Suddenly, light flooded the cavern. Sokka turned his head, catching a glimpse of Aang.

"Are we interrupting something?" he asked. By the airbender's cheeky grin, Sokka could tell he had opened the hatch right at that moment on purpose.

With a jolt, Sokka realized he was still sprawled on top of Toph. "No, not interrupting at all," he stammered. The Water Tribe boy heaved himself off, and then offered his hand to pull Toph to her feet. Both of their faces were beet red.

"Not interrupting?" asked Katara with a smile.

This time, Toph replied. "Nope. No. Nuh-uh."

Katara and Aang turned away, both calling, "You guys won!"

Toph sent herself and Sokka rocketing skyward to get out of the hole. No, Katara and Aang hadn't interrupted anything. But Sokka didn't let go of Toph's hand.