AN: This is my first ATLA fic. I have to say I think ATLA has to be my favorite to write by far.

Well I hope you enjoy this first chapter! Let me know what you think!


CHAPTER ONE: Confinement


Toph sat quietly with her head down as her body involuntarily shivered from her head to her toes; her arms wrapped tightly around herself trying to keep as warm as possible. Her nails dug painfully into her skin, but she didn't even notice, she couldn't even feel it. It was quiet, dead quiet, only her poor attempt to breath being the only thing letting her know she hadn't gone deaf. Her breath was shaky and shallow; it always was as of late. Toph stuck her tongue out to feel her bottom lip, feeling the busted lip that was there. She felt it just like she felt the pain of a bruise on her cheek and her leg. Toph was, "damaged" as they always said; she knew someone would come to help her. They always did. What she never seemed to know though, was when she ever got these bruises, and how she got them.

Toph's eyes began to well up with tears. She let out a shaky breath, either from the cold or her own misery, but she didn't let her tears fall. Toph was in the vilest of situation but she had to say strong, she knew she did, but day-by-day it became almost impossible too. Toph squeezed her eyes shut hoping for a moment, just a moment that bliss would diminish this terrible nightmare she was stuck in and that it would fade away into the most pleasant of dreams. To just block everything out.

Toph suddenly heard something and on instinct she opened her eyes and lifted her head and listened intently. Toph scooted up and reached her hands out so it came in contact with wood. The smooth wood that seemed so harmless and vulnerable, though it's sole purpose being to keep the girl contained in it's clutches just that, harmless and vulnerable. Toph sat in her wooden cage, and leaned forward to make out how many people were coming, since she could feel slight vibrations of footsteps just as anyone one would, but she tried to remember the faint ripples as she did with earth. It was hard however, to ever know how many people were coming and who, when she didn't have her earthbending to help her.

By close observation over time Toph discovered not only was her cell wooden, but that absolutely everything, from the hallway floors and walls outside her cell, to the doors, and to the utensils the people used to give her food was all wooden.

Toph heard the door at the end of the hall, away from her cell, open and heard two heavy sets of footsteps precede forward. With a jump to her heart, Toph backed away to the very corner of her small cell. Her breaths starting to come out heavier and faster.

Toph heard the footsteps halt in front of her cell.

"Hello muffin, we have some dinner for you. If you cooperate you may actually get to eat it this time." Said a horrible, grimy voice that Toph has come to learn belongs to a man named, Shou he always has the same partner down here with him, Jiao. So no doubt he was there too.

Toph glared ahead of her, hoping she caught Shou's eye, as she kept her arms huddled around her knees. Toph's stomach growled uncontrollably, showing signs that she did not in fact get to eat her previous meal.

Toph heard them open her cell, and she heard one come in, making her incline back against the wall. She felt a thick hand on her leg and she immediately smacked it away.

"Always so hostile." Judging by his voice and the noise she heard, Toph was sure he licked his lips and was smiling at her. All she did was snarl at him and shove him away from her hard.

"Never can just stop being a little bitch and cooperate for once." The guard grabbed Toph's leg and pulled her forward harshly, making her yell out in pain as she hit her head on the wall behind her. Toph felt him grab at her and she tried to push his hands away, but he overpowered her and grabbed both her small wrist with one of his large hands. Toph hacked her spit back in her throat then spat in his face, and on instinct he slapped her across the face on the same side as her already bruised check. Toph shut her eyes from the sting, but knew she had to endure it for her own well-being. The guards never tried anything serious if she fought back. So Toph made sure to fight back every time.

"You need to calm down, muffin." He said quietly, as he ran his finger from the crown of her head, to her chin, to her neck, to between her breast and to her navel. "The most powerful earthbender in the World is not so power when she's trapped amongst wood is she." Shou taunted. The other guard snickered at the taunt, throwing in his own snide remarks.

"Yes, I wonder what the world would think of the famous Master and General, if they saw her now...oh wait they have." Jiao said.

That sparked Toph's interest. They always said things like that, saying the world already knew what she had become, but how could that be? If the world knew that she was sitting in a cell rotting day by day wouldn't her friends try to come and find her and rescue her...wouldn't Aang come and rescue her? At the thought of him, Toph's heart clenched, which made her wince. The guard smirked however, thinking his grip was hurting her, but it actually had been progressively lacking in grip.

"What's wrong? Thought you'd be used to having you hands bound," he said snidely...but then he leaned in and whispered, "Or do you only let that little airbender of yours play that gam—." Toph's eyes quickly widened at the insult and reacted instantly; quickly kneeing the guard in the groin, and when he was distracted punching him in his neck, and with her palm up hitting his nose in an upward vertical direction. Toph was instantly released from his grip and she leapt forward and out of her cell and turned left and ran blindly ahead, she only ran a few strides before she was tackled to the ground with a hard thud. Toph intaked a breath of air sharply as wooden cuffs was slammed to her forearms behind her back. Toph yelled out and screamed at the top of her lungs, as she was lifted up off the ground, she kicked her legs everywhere, trying desperately to be released.

"Feeble escape attempts never work and never will." The other guard stated in mockery, as he talked over her yelling. "You are surrounded by wood hundreds of feet all around you."

Toph tried so many times to escape but it was hopeless it never worked, but that didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying.

Toph was thrown back into her cell as her cuffs came off and heard the door slam close. Toph rolled around and shuffled forward until she touched the wooded gate, glaring at the guards she knew were still standing there. Most likely contemplating on whether or not to feed her. She didn't know why, but Toph knew for some reason these guards, these people, that always came down to talk to her or feed her, needed her alive and needed her healthy but she didn't know what for.

Toph stared straight ahead, hoping she looked intimidating enough.

"One of these days, " she said quietly, a result to almost never talking. "I'm going to get out of here. I am going to come find you. And I'm going to kill you."

The guards just snickered and she felt one come into eye level with her feeling nicely protected on the other side of the bars.

"And how will you ever conquer a feat like that when you are a blind little girl." He sneered in his grimy familiar tone.

"I never forget a voice." And with that Toph backed away from the bars and sat cross-legged. Being the image of poise and control.

Toph didn't know it, but as the guard walked away with his companion he had a frown set deeply upon his face.

Toph didn't have any essence of time; she never knew the hours, the days, the minutes, or the months, but she estimated by hearing the guards speak, that she had been here for about seven months now, though it felt like eternity. Toph estimated that she had turned 16 while here in confinement as well.

Toph had dosed off once she was left alone without food once more, by the two previous guard Officers. She had been in a dreamless sleep when she was violently shaken awake and pulled roughly out of her cell. Toph could barely stand since she was tired and so weak. She didn't know what was going on.

"Has she been fed?" Asked an older man, which Toph learned to be Commander Yuu.

"Um no sir." Shou said. Toph hear him instantly being shoved into a wall. She couldn't relish at the fact since she just wanted to pass out and never wake up. She just felt so weak.

"You know she must always be fed! She must always be healthy and she must always be strong! She is the key to everything! And look at her she is about to collapse at any moment!"

"Yes, sir" Shou said, in a strangled voice, most likely being choked.

Toph was lifted off her feet and carried, seeming to weigh nothing to her carrier. Her head sway a bit but she tried to stay coherent.

She could here many footsteps by the sound of it, it sounded to be approximately five or six people with her. Toph was use to this though. Once in s blue moon these ingrates came to fetch her, they would feed her, "fix" her, and clean her; but they also made her...not herself, and that was scary, it always happened before...the black outs.

The group walked a long distance, while Toph tried not to dose off. After a while of walking, everyone stopped.

"We're about to enter the stone halls, should we inject her now sir," said a guard who carried Toph.

"Yes, that'd be best." The Commander offered. As these words were exchanged, Toph immediately began to squirm in the Officers arms that she was being carried in.

"No, no, no." Toph mumbled weakly as she tried to get away from the approaching guard Officer.

Toph moved her hands forward trying to stop whomever was coming near her. Once she came in contact with someone's face she tried to push him away but her arms were moved to the side and her head was twisted side ways to expose her neck. Toph felt a not-so-kindly needle being injected that hurt like hell. And once whatever they stuck in her started to flow through her bloodstream, she felt like her insides were on fire, Toph always tried to restrain herself from screaming but sometimes the pain was to unbearable.

Toph screamed out, her eyes firmly shut, as she clawed at the wood below her. After a minute of pain, it subsided. Toph breathed fast and heavily as she felt the wood underneath her not remember being dropped at any point. Taking in a gulp of air and finally calming down her breathing, Toph slowly sat up and felt a prickle on her neck, noting all the faces that were most likely staring at her then decided she should stand up.

Everyone was silent apprehensive of her next movements.

"Aren't we going now?" Toph asked calmly, as she turned to face them all.

"Yes, Ms. Bei Fong." Commander Yuu said.

Toph turned around and looked at Commander Yuu, "Don't you mean General Bei Fong, Commander?" Toph's eyes were threatening, letting in no room for error, but her voice stayed repeatedly calm. Toph was half aware of what was going on. The voice in Toph's head told her to pay attention, that they released her and that she was about to enter a stone passage and it was her time to escape. But she always brushed the thought away, saying there was no need to escape, that she didn't care enough to escape. Toph knew these injections made her calm and careless, but what she didn't know was that they temporarily brainwashed her to the point that she couldn't recall any of her activity outside the cell.

Toph walked forward a few yards before she halted in front of a wooden door. Toph sensed a guard come up to her right and walk forward to open a door that sounded to be made out of wood. He then opened another door made out of wood, and lastly, Toph heard him hesitate, he opened the last door made out of metal. Toph's hair was blown back as the breeze from the proceeding hall was let out of its confinement.

Toph walked forward a few steps and her bare feet came in contact with the stone ground, with earth. Toph closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose and let a breath out through her mouth as she opened her eyes. Toph always did this when she was let out. She always remembered this part; she always remembered the events from being taken out of her cell to the black out. Toph hated the black outs because it seems a lot happens from when they occur to when she's waking up in her cell.

Toph could finally see everyone, she could feel everyone. She felt their rapid heartbeats and their quick shorts breaths of apprehensions.

Toph turned her head to the side, her profile the only part of her face in view. "You all are so nervous, you all are always so nervous." Toph turned her head completely to look towards them, "you need to calm down."

Toph turned forward and started walking down the hall, after minutes of silence. Toph came to a stop. She felt the vibrations of the earth and saw that the spiral staircases were before her as usual.

Toph turned around and looked in the direction of Commander Yuu. "I do not feel good, and I feel extremely weak. I do not wish to walk up these stairs."

Commander Yuu nodded, "Very well," Toph nodded and walked to the center space that the staircases circled around in its cylinder form, "one of the guards can carry you up—." But the Commander was cut off suddenly by Toph stomping her right foot to the ground then rotating her arms outward and lifting them up in one quick motion. The earth lifted up under Toph's feet quickly and in no time Toph hopped over to the top of the staircase in front of a door. Toph heard the guards yelling, some ran up the stairs and she heard some earthbend themselves up just as she had. Toph walked through the metal door and suddenly felt the heat of the sun on her face.

Toph only got to relish in the heat of the sun for only a moment, when she was hurriedly grasped by her arm harshly.

Toph yanked her arm violently from the grasp of the guard and sneered at him.

"I'm sorry General, but you can't just go off like that, what if you were captured." The Officer explained.

You're the one who has captured me. But Toph's subconscious was brushed off by the voice in her head that always came with the injection. That voice was always the strongest and always the loudest, and made the most sense. He is right, you must be careful. Anyone could snatch from the air at any moment; you can't see what's above you, now can you? As if trying to see if she could Toph lifted her head towards the sky, but saw nothing, she felt nothing. Toph looked towards the guard.

"You are right, Officer Gi." Toph looked back to the sky. "I must be more careful."


AN: So I hope you like the first chapter of my (first official) ATLA fic!