Toph opened her eyes. Blackness. She knew it was morning, by the birds singing, Appa yawning loudly, Sokka and Katara making breakfast, Aang practicing Earthbending a little ways off, Momo chattering as he tried to catch butterflies. Those were the usual sounds, but Toph only knew them by feeling the ground and listening. Yet many times lately, she couldn't help but want to be able to see the "beauty of nature," like her friends had said.

"Ahhhhhwwww…" She yawned. "Mornin' Aang, Sokka, Katara, Momo, Appa," She got up and walked to get the last of Sokka's polar seal jerky.

"Hey Toph."

"Hello."

"Good Morning!"

"Eeechachaeeeco!"

"Arghunmmmph!"

She sat down next to Aang, who just sat down before her and was stuffing his face with rice. Katara sat down next to her, Sokka across. "It's a nice morning," Katara sighed, looking up. "Just look at that blue sky, and the grass in this valley is so cool and green! And that waterfall! Crystal clear! I wish we could stay here forever!"

The others talked about their favorite sights, while Toph listened quietly. She didn't know what the color blue was, she didn't know what grass actually looked like. She didn't know what her friends looked like, heck, she didn't even know what her own face looked like!

"Guys," she said quietly, "can you stop? Please?"

The others stopped talking and stared at her. "Toph," Aang said, "is there something wrong? You only talk quietly when you got something on your mind…"

"No, I'm fine. I'm just going to explore a little." She got up and walked into the trees.

"Is it just me, or has she been awful quiet since the invasion?" Sokka said. "Like she's down about something. I made a joke last night, and she didn't even try to make fun of me for it. Her joking on me has kinda become a usual activity." "You're right," Katara added. "Something's up. We'd better check on her."

The threesome finished the rest of their breakfast, and followed Toph's trail that she had left dragging her feet in the grasses. She had walked such a long way, that they spent half of the day tracking her. Finally, they came into a clearing of the prairie, and stared at her. She was doing something none of them had ever seen. She was on her back on the ground, lying face up, and her eyes were the widest they had ever seen. She wasn't moving. And it didn't look like she was breathing.

"Toph?" Sokka silently whispered.

The kids wondered if she was alright. She looked like she was paralyzed, or worse.

"Is she…dead?" Aang's voice quivered to Katara for an answer. His eyes were wild and scared. Sokka was pale.

"I-I-I don't know," she whispered. "Toph!" She yelled, then ran to her side. Toph didn't move. Katara took out her bending water and moved it over the still body. Katara sighed.

"She's… fine…" Katara turned. "So why won't she move? Toph, can you hear me? You're all scaring us… please say something!"

"I'm fine," she answered.

"Well," Katara shot back angrily, "what were you thinking?"

"You scared us to death!" Aang yelled.

"Toph," Sokka said calmly and quietly, "what's wrong?"

Toph tried to look at the gang, and then burst into tears. She suddenly hurled herself onto a boulder, and bending it, slid away.

"Aang, Sokka, we'd better go after her. There's no telling what she's going to do." Katara said as her eyes followed the dust cloud moving swiftly away.

"No," Sokka replied. "I think I need to do this…" Katara caught a hint of something in her older brother's voice that she just couldn't quite put her finger on. Then he turned, jumped on Appa, and they flew after the blind earthbender.

"Well, what do we do?"

"I guess, Aang, we'll just have to stay here."

They sat down while storm clouds rumbled in the distance. Momo sat on Aang's lap, while the airbender stroked him. "Katara, do you think Toph is sensitive about being blind? Sometimes it doesn't seem to affect her, and then other times, she just falls apart. What caused her to do this now?"

"Maybe it was the invasion, maybe it was because we're growing up, maybe it's because Toph has been with us so long, she's finally opening up completely; I don't know Aang," Katara sighed sadly. "I just don't know. But why was Sokka so compassionate? I know he'd give up his life for any of us, but it just caught me how he only wanted to talk to her…"

"Do you think that we're all, you know, finally growing up?"

Aang said. Katara looked at the young Avatar. The face that was usually so full of fun and happiness was now serene and serious. He looked so much older and more mature. His eyes looked deeply into hers. She tried to hide some of the blush she felt rising in her cheeks, and it went away once she had remembered that this outburst from Toph had upset all of them.

"Maybe," she replied, "but let's just let it be. Things will come around as they should."

It was near dusk, and a sheet of rain started to descend on Sokka and Appa. "Great," he muttered. "Toph! Toph! Where are you?" he yelled as hard as he could into the rain. It was getting darker, and he could barely see. Appa landed and they continued on foot. The rain poured harder, and Appa was getting restless.

"AAARRRRGHHHUMMMPPPHHH!!"

"I know Appa! It's okay, we just need to find Toph and some shelter," Sokka patted the ten-ton bison affectionately. They walked around and finally Sokka saw a cave. "Appa, come on!" he yelled as he started running towards the cave. He suddenly stopped when he felt a presence in the darkness of the opening. He cautiously took out his boomerang and prepared to aim. "Who's there? Show yourself now!" He heard crying, and he lowered his boomerang. "Toph?" He said quietly. "Is that you?" His eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw the tiny, wet, cold, blind girl curled up in a ball. "I'll start a fire," he said as he went to find some wood that was dry. It wasn't long before the cave was lit, and Sokka sat down next to Toph.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" He asked.

Toph was silent for a while, but then she started.

"I'm sorry I ran away."

"It's okay, but why?"

More silence. "I was sad and embarrassed."

"About what?"

"My…blindness."

"Why were you sad and embarrassed? I don't think we judge you on that. You're the most amazing Earthbender I've ever met. And you're a really great friend. And, we're alike. We seem not to care, and are sarcastic, but when it really matters, we just seem to…fit."

"Thanks Sokka," Toph replied. "And it's not you guys. It's just, I can't see like you can. I can't really imagine because I don't know what color things are or what they look like. When I feel with Earthbending, it's an outline, but still fuzzy. I just don't think it's fair. What did I do to deserve this? I can't fully take part in anything with you guys. I have just started feeling, well, empty. I want to see! I don't know what any of you guys, or even myself, look like. It's just hard when you have freedom, but you don't know what to do with it because you don't know how to use it." She started to cry, and tears rolled off of her cheeks.

"We had no idea you felt like that Toph," Sokka said. "We would have tried to make you feel better, or done something. You're our family, and we're always there to make you feel better." He moved to sit next to her against the cave wall. Appa was already snoring. "Listen. We're not getting out of this storm tonight, so just lean on me, because I'm, and Katara, and Aang, and even Appa and Momo, are always here for you."

"Thanks, Sokka," Toph cried as she leaned on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and she did the same. "You are such a great friend." She closed her blank eyes. Sokka looked at her and wondered how he would live his life if he was blind. "Toph, you are so strong. I don't think I could survive like you. I admire you for that. Now, rest, and try to get some sleep. I have a feeling you're going to catch a really bad cold." Sokka closed his eyes, falling asleep to the crackling of the fire, the bison's soft snores, the rain outside, and the thankful sigh of a tear-filled girl's content.

The sun was rising over the mountains as Katara got out of her tent. Aang seemed like he was still asleep in the tent next to her. She yawned, looked at the beautiful sunrise, then remembered; Sokka, Toph, and Appa weren't back yet.

"Aang. Wake up. They aren't back." She softly nudged her friend's tent. He moaned sleepily.

"Huh?"

"They aren't back yet. And it's morning. Should we go look for them?"

"No," Aang replied, fully awake. "If they come back, they can't find us if we're not here. Better to just wait."

Sure enough, Katara spotted Appa in the horizon's sunlight. She saw her brother, walking slowly toward the camp. And she couldn't help but feel that her brother was so inspiring to her as he walked. He looked like he truly had a sense of pride. And that moved Katara the most was seeing the compassion in her brother as he carried the sleeping Toph like a tiny child curled in his arms all the way to the camp.

Aang joined her as she watched the silent procession, neither of them saying anything. Sokka looked at both of them with his deep blue eyes, then gently laid Toph down on Katara's sleeping mat inside her tent. He covered the tent flap, then motioned Aang and Katara over to a farther part of the camp as to not wake Toph. He sat down, while Katara made him some tea and Aang sat across from him. Finally he spoke.

"I'm sorry we didn't come back last night. It was raining, and cold, and dark. We spent the night in a cave."

"It's okay Sokka," answered Aang. "We're just glad you're alright. Now what happened with Toph? Did she tell you?"

"Yea," Sokka sighed. "She pretty much told me everything."

"Like?" Katara tried to get him to answer.

"She's sick of being blind. She was kind of jealous that we could see beauty, while she saw darkness. Her earthbending helps, but she said it looked like grey forms in the blackness. She doesn't know what she looks like, or what any of us looks like. It must be hard, to live without imagining and seeing. She was scared. And I decided to help her through it. And now I have an idea to help her."

"What?" Aang and Katara said in unison.

"We are going to send Toph to "school." He did the quotation fingers around school.

"Huh?" They both said again.

"We are going to teach her about the world. We are going to describe colors, shapes, animals, and we are going to describe every physical and picture trait of each other, so she can form shapes in her head. She will get a picture of the world that she so badly wants to take part in, the regular way."

"But Sokka," Aang asked, "Wouldn't that affect her earthbending? Wouldn't she get worse because of the new way she's seeing her environment?"

"Maybe. But I think as long as we help her, she'll be fine. I want to give her a way that is now different to see. She wants to be like us. How about we start when she wakes up?"

"I guess we could try it," Katara answered. "We might all learn to see in a new way."

Sokka took a wet rag from a bowl of cold water Katara had given him. He rung it out and gently placed it on Toph's forehead. She hadn't moved for four days, being too sick with a cold from being in that terrible storm to get up. She was coughing, sneezing, and had a terrible fever. She was delirious and was always sweating and shivering. But Sokka just looked at her with sadness. She looked so weak as if she might die. Yet still she looked calmer than she did than when the trouble started. Of course, he had stayed up watching her, so he was exhausted, but wasn't about to leave her side.

"Hey," Katara said, pulling open the tent flap, letting in a lot of light. "Why don't you take a break? I'll give her another healing session, while you get some rest. You need it, and besides, Aang and I will take care of her. I promise."

"Okay," he answered, yawning. He tried to stand, but couldn't. He was way too tired. He plopped over.

Katara smiled a bit, aware that her brother could always make her laugh, even if he didn't mean it.

"Aang, can you help me lift Sokka into his sleeping bag? He can't get up." Katara motioned for him to come over. "Sure," he replied, putting one of Sokka's arms over his shoulder, while Katara did the same. They stood him up, and walked him to his sleeping bag. They gently laid him down.

"Thanks, guys, I…Ahhhoooww." He yawned and fell asleep. Katara looked at her brother, and then at her best friend. "Hey, why don't you watch Toph for awhile while I make breakfast? Momo found us some fruit, so we have more for breakfast today!"

"Okay," Aang said.

He walked into Toph's tent and sat down next to her. She was shivering, but when Aang felt her head, she was burning. "Oh, Toph," he sighed, wiping her head with the damp cloth. "Please get better. We all need you. Don't leave us…" he whispered. He looked at her, one of his best friends, with tears in his eyes. He wiped them away then continued to cool her down. Twenty minutes passed by. Then, all of a sudden, he had an idea to help her breathe better.

He heated some water, and then waterbended and airbended together, creating steam. Instantly, Toph looked as if she felt peaceful and calm. She finally slipped into a peaceful sleep. Aang felt her a few minutes later and her fever had broken. He decided to slip out quietly and let her rest.

"Hey, how is she?" Katara asked as Aang walked toward her. "Great!" he replied. "I filled the tent with hot steam, and her fever broke. She is now sleeping. How's Sokka?" "Sitting by himself." She answered. "He'll join us in a little bit when he gets up. He couldn't sleep."

Sure enough, Sokka walked around Appa, sleepily coming toward them. He plopped down and grabbed a bowl of rice and fruit. "Is she okay?" he asked them between bites of food. "She'll be fine." Katara said. "Her fever broke, and I'll give her a healing session when she feels well enough to."

"Can I get it now?" A shallow voice replied hoarsely. They turned and saw Toph leaning on her tent pole. She looked tired and weak, like she was about to fall over. "Toph!" they all yelled, getting up to run and hug her. "You're alright!" "Yeah, but I still feel and sound awful. But Katara, can I get the healing session now, to my throat? I want to talk to you guys personally, and normally."

A little while later, Toph sat down among them around the campfire. She was handed a cup of broth and was covered in blankets. "Thanks, Katara, for healing me. My cold is gone, but I still am weak. But I wanted to thank all of you guys for being so watchful over me. I really appreciate it. And I should have come right out and told you what was wrong. I was just bothered about being blind. But while Katara was healing me, I thought popped into my head, and it won't go away." "What?" The other three asked attentively.

"Well, I'll tell you later, but today, teach me every color, every shape, everything. I want to see with imagination. So tell me everything about everything!"

Fifteen minutes later, they were ready to start. "Okay, Toph, let's start with shapes," Katara said as she motioned Aang to next to her. "I'll say a shape, and Aang will earthbend the shape. Then, you can feel it with your hands. Okay?" "Okay," she answered, and Katara motioned to Aang. "Toph, this is a circle." Aang made the shape, and then handed it to Toph. "Notice, it has no edges. This is what wheels on carts are shaped like. The next is a square. It has four even sides, with edges. This is usually what houses are shaped like."

The kids spent hours with Toph, teaching her shapes, describing colors, and putting images to objects. It was finally night, but Toph didn't want to stop. "Please, tell me more!" She said, her blind eyes wide with excitement. "Oh, I can't get enough! If only my parents had taught me these things when I was little, I would have been so much happier!" She said, her smile going all the way to her ears. Aang and Katara were resting, because they were the ones who had been teaching her all day long. But Sokka just smiled at her while he made dinner and started the fire. "I'm so happy for you Toph," he said, then was quiet.

"Hey…Sokka?" Toph asked, suddenly stopping her excitement. "Yea?" he answered.
"Thanks for always being there for me and believing in me."

"You're welcome, Toph." Sokka said, smiling.

"Hey, it smells good!" Aang said as he and Katara sat down next to the fire. "Can I have a big bowl? Toph make me hungry today!" "Sure," said Sokka. "Help yourself."

They all sat down to eat, and in the middle of the meal, Toph spoke up. "I just wanted to thank you guys for all that you did for me. You saved me, and you're my family. But, I want to learn one more thing; can each of you go around, telling about the physical characteristics of one another? I don't even know what I look like!"

"Sure, Toph," Katara said as she got a little more comfortable. "Let's start with Aang. He's a little taller than you. He is young, has brownish-grey eyes, his skin is fair, and wears orange, yellow, and brown clothing. He has a sky blue arrow that starts in the middle of his forehead, and travels all of the way down his back, and at his upper legs, there are two lines down his legs, turns to the front of his calves, and stops at two arrows on his feet. It's the same for his hands. And his face…" she said dreamily. Her heart started to beat quickly. She stopped when she saw everyone looking at her "…is, uh,… cute!" She quickly said other than what she was going to say, yet Toph felt the truth in the ground. She didn't say anything though. "And, his head is like everyone else's, except no hair." Katara finished, glad to be done.

Toph turned to Aang. "Okay, twinkle toes, now I know what you 'look' like, describe Katara." "Uh, ok," Aang replied, blushing a bit as he tried to swallow his food. He didn't want to say what he thought of her. Toph could feel his reaction too, but he started. "Katara is sort of tall, with long, straight, and curly brown hair. Her eyes are the color of the ocean, a deep blue, her skin is dark, and she has a motherly, caring love around her. She's a fantastic waterbending teacher and goes all out when she has to. When wearing her hair up like she used to, she had it pulled back into a braid, with two parts of her hair in loops, which were connected to her braid and bun. Now she wears the hair loops with the bun, but her hair is down. Her clothing is blue, dark blue, and white, and her mother's necklace is ribbon with the pendant on it. The pendant has the design of the water spirals, three of them, and waves coming out from one. She is…" he stopped. "…very pretty." "Thanks Aang," Toph said, "I'm imagining Katara as a very beautiful waterbender." He blushed again.

"Okay, Katara, since you're his sister, describe Sokka." Toph said. "My brother," she started, "is taller than me, has a narrower head than me, but has the same color eyes and a little bit darker hair. His hair is pulled back into a small half ponytail, with the hair on either side a bit shorter. His skin is dark, like mine. He is a muscular, well built guy, with clothing that matches mine, has an animal bone necklace that goes all the way around his neck, and if I can say so, he's a very handsome young man." She smiled at her brother, who, instead of looking on with pride, just stared and smiled at his sister, with love for her in his eyes. He then snapped out of it.

"What about Appa and Momo?" "Well, let's see," Aang said. "Appa is white, with a brown belly, feet, snout, and arrow. Momo is brown and white too, with a cute little face and green eyes. Yep!" "Thanks Aang." she answered.

"Toph," Sokka said, "Do you want us to describe you?" "Yes!" She yelled. "Oh yes please!" "Okay," he started. "You are a little shorter than Aang. You have black hair, and grey-blue eyes. Your skin is fair. You know what your hair style is like, and your clothes are green and yellow. You are very tough, yet are very loving and caring too. And, um, very pretty." He stuttered, and Toph couldn't help but blush.

Toph then yawned, wanting to think about all they had taught her on her own. She got up. "Thanks everyone for this amazing gift you've given me. And now, I'm going to bed. I think you all should do the same, being such great teachers. Goodnight."

"Toph, wait!" Katara scrambled to get up after her.

"I, um, need to talk to you."

"Sure," Toph said, waiting for her.

"Hey, um, did you notice me talking rather quickly, about Aang, with my heart beating fast? Well, I guess you know what that's about, huh?" Katara let it all out once the tent flap had been shut.

"Yeah," Toph said, "but I'm not going to bother you two. You'll have to deal with that on your own. And Aang feels the same. I can feel it." Katara blushed. "and I can feel that too. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Besides that, there's something that I have wanted to try. Don't get freaked out, just listen…what if you could heal my blindness with waterbending?"

"WHAT??"

Katara yelled in surprise. Toph jumped on Katara to keep her quiet. "Shut up! Don't scare Sokka and Aang. I thought about it, and there could be, some hope, from you, to let me see the world as others see it. Could you try it? Please?"

"Toph, you have a gift! Why would you want to get rid of it? You can see and hear things long before they're supposed to happen. You've saved us so many times. That is your gift for earthbending…you're the greatest! Why give all of that up just to see?"

"Because if you can heal me, I think I'll still be able to close my eyes and feel the vibrations and still listen and wait when attacking. Please?"

"I don't know," said Katara. "You aren't sick. I don't know if I can heal someone with something their born with."

"Please? You can try. Whatever is making me blind is obviously a 'sickness.' You can take the bad things out of my eyes, and let me see! Please try it?"

"Shouldn't I get Sokka and Aang's permission?" Katara asked warily.

"No, this will be a surprise. I'm ready…" Toph said as she closed her eyes.

Katara took her water and, bending it with a wary sigh, moved it in a circular motion as it started to glow. She placed it over Toph's eyes, and began to breathe deeply. She decided to see if anything could be taken out of her eyes. She made a fist, and ugly grey liquid came out of Toph's eyes. Toph felt terrible, agonizing pain tear through her head and eyes. She screamed. The pain was too much, and she lost consciousness. She swayed and hit the ground, moving into darkness and silence, and only heard Katara scream "TOPH!!" and heard Sokka's voice come in, saying, "What did you do, Katara? TOPH, can you hear me? Please!!..."

"Nooo….Topphhhhh…." Toph woke up to Sokka whispering in his sleep. He was slouched over next to her. Toph sighed. She had a terrible headache, along with her eyes that ached too. "What happened to me?" she asked herself as she felt her eyes. They felt hot and swollen. "What did Katara do?" she wondered. And she opened her eyes slowly. She saw light. She saw colors. Everything went from fuzzy and dull-shaped to clear and vivid. She blinked a few times, and then looked at her hands. She could see every finger, every detail of her skin. Her heart started beating wildly. "She did it…" Toph whispered. She started smiling. She didn't even see Sokka as she ran outside. "KATARA!! AANG!! SOKKA!!" She screamed as she looked at everything around her. Everything was more beautiful than her family said it was.

Katara and Aang got out of their tents as fast as they could. "What Toph? I'm so sorry about last night! I didn't mean to. Are you oka…?" Katara stopped as she looked at Toph, who was looking at her hands again. "What's wrong?"

Toph looked up. She saw Katara and Aang. They looked exactly as they were described: a young beautiful waterbender and a young bald monk. She stared at the beauty of her friends, then looked back down for a while.

"You….you…did it…" She whispered as she looked up. Katara and Aang then both noticed: her eyes weren't blurry anymore; they were a vivid blue-grey-green. Her hands were shaking. "You mean, I…I…" Katara stammered, her mouth wide open.

"You healed me. I can see!" Toph said, her new eyes filling with tears. "Katara, you did it!"

"What's going on?" Sokka's voice was behind her shoulder. "Toph, are you okay? Tell me!" Toph turned around to see Sokka. She didn't expect the young man staring at her to be so… amazing. He was so handsome, and he was the one who believed in her. Now she could see her friend, and perhaps more, looking at her with care and love, and worry. She looked him up and down. "What are you looking at?" he asked without understanding.

"Exactly," she whispered.

His eyes widened. His mouth dropped. "You mean, that, you can…you can…"

"See," Toph answered, tears running down her face as the three ran toward her and gave a loving, familiar hug.

"You don't know what this means to me. I can… see…" She still couldn't believe it. Appa and Momo were looking around at all of the excitement going on, and Toph could see them. Appa was huge, and Momo was so adorable! But they were exactly as described. She looked all around her. She saw grass, and trees, and the sky. She could see the sun, and she could feel the rays. She loved this feeling. She kept crying with tears of happiness. She never wanted to lose this feeling.

They all sat down to breakfast together, and Toph could actually see her breakfast. She looked at her friends. They kept staring at her. Then, she asked, "Katara, can you make me a mirror, so I can see my own self?"

"Sure." Katara bended the water from her pouch into a thin glass sheet. Toph took it, and, breathing in deeply, opened her eyes. She knew from her own character inside that she was a fighter, a bit of a tomboy, and has an untamed spirit. But she also didn't expect the young pretty face of a real girl in the mirror to stare back at her. She looked at her hair, her eyes, her skin, her body. "This is what I look like to you guys?" she asked.

"Yep!"

"Sure do!"

Uhh… yeah…" Sokka said, the last and the quietest. Toph could feel the uncertainty in his voice, but didn't know why. She just stayed quiet about it, and then got up. "I think I'm going to go walk around. Sokka, come on." She walked into the trees. Sokka just looked at the rest of the gang. "Uh, should I?"

"Go ahead! She wants you to," Aang said, wondering why she did though. Sokka got up and ran into the trees. "Toph! Wait!" he yelled as he ran after her.

Katara took this time to think about what Toph had said the night before about Aang.

I'm not going to bother you two. You'll have to deal with that on your own. And Aang feels the same. I can feel it.

She took a deep breath and stood. "Aang, can I talk to you about something, personal?" "Sure," he answered, wondering what this would lead to, even though he had a pretty good idea. He rose too, and, on seeing the blush rise in Katara's cheeks, felt the heat and color rise in his own. He took a deep breath, put his hand in hers, and smiled. "Let's go for a walk."

Sokka finally caught up with Toph. He straightened and walked next to her. "What's this all about?" he asked. Toph looked at her friend. "Why were you uncertain when you were talking back there, Sokka? I felt like you couldn't say the truth. What is the truth?"

Sokka was quiet for a moment. He looked back at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. "Well, I'm happy for you that you can see, Toph, I really am," he started, "but now that you can see yourself, I'm worried. I'm worried that you'll become like most all of the other girls I've ever met. You'll worry about looks and appearances. You'll worry about what you look like to everyone else, wondering on how they'll judge you. But I'm thinking that you'll change, and you won't be the girl…" he stopped.

I fell in love with.

Toph knew, from the bottom of her heart, that that's what he meant to say.

"Sokka," she answered. "I might change like that, but it's only because I care about what you think of me. I won't let this go to my head, because I know that all of us, as the gang, have to look after each other. And I want you to know, I will always care for you as I always have; the same with Aang and Katara. But you, a little more."

She looked deeply into his eyes.

"I love you, Sokka," she whispered.

He took her hand in his. "I love you, too Toph," he smiled. "I guess I always have."

He stopped and she stepped into his arms. He hugged her tightly, and she never wanted to let him go. Toph looked at him, Sokka looked at her, and they slowly came together, and their lips touched. They both stepped back for a second, like it shocked them, but it didn't matter. They just leaned deeply into one another's kiss again, knowing that this is where they belonged; to each other's hearts.

Toph parted them. "Sorry, but there's something I want to see. I think Katara and Aang are talking together. I want to make sure everything is alright between them." "What do you mean?" Sokka replied. "Just follow me. You'll find out."

The other pair just walked for a while in silence. Aang didn't know what to say, and Katara didn't either. She just felt like she needed to walk alone with her friend. And strangely, it felt like the war was far away when they were both together. "Aang," Katara finally started, "truthfully, what do you feel inside when we're both together?" Aang widened his eyes. So this was the idea Katara was going to talk about. "Um, are you going to share, too?" he asked her. She nodded. "Well," he started, "I think you're…"

Then it hit him: Katara wanted the real truth. She was his best friend, and he knew, in his heart, whatever he said about his feelings for her was the truth, and that he didn't have to be nervous about it. He loved her. She ought to know, and he wanted to know if she felt the same.

"I'm going to come out and say it. I think you are the most wonderful, beautiful amazing person in the world. You are smart and funny, and always protected me, and I have loved you ever since that day when I stared at you when you held me in your arms when I fell out of the iceberg. You are the best friend I could ever ask for, because you are always there for me, and always will be. I know you would give your life for me, and I would do the same. You just always inspire me and keep me going on. I feel I can share anything, and you won't laugh. Every time I've kissed you, or looked at you, I can feel that we were meant to be.

Katara, I love you."

He breathed deeply in and out. He had turned away from her while saying that, and he didn't know what to expect when he turned around. But he did, and saw Katara, with tears of happiness in her eyes, looking at him with love and care, and blush in her cheeks. She smiled at her friend. "Wow," she whispered, and that was all she could say. How could she top that, when she was feeling the same?

"Aang, I feel exactly the same way. I thought of you as only a friend when I met you, but now I feel our friendship is more than that. Over time, I feel like I've fallen for you, and towards you, for support, and I saw how we just seem to 'fit.' The truth is, Aang, I can't say it all in one breath, maybe not even an hour. The things I need to say to you are here;

I love you too, Aang."

She breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked at the young Avatar. He was so handsome, and grown-up, and caring, and full of love, she thought. She was so beautiful, and wonderful, and caring, and full of love, he thought. They took each others' hands, and they stared into each others' eyes. Their lips came together, and for the first time since Aang's daydream before the Invasion, and before he left her on the submarine, they kissed and their love revealed itself to the other, each never wanting to part.

Toph and Sokka, hand in hand, walked silently back to camp. Katara and Aang, also hand in hand, walked back. It was already past noon, and the sun was getting hotter. They all came to the clearing where the camp was. But it was silent. Too silent. They all got back at the same time, and Aang suddenly asked worriedly, "Where are Appa and Momo?"

The giant bison and the tiny lemur were no where to be seen. "Maybe they went to look for us?" Sokka asked, looking around. Toph closed her eyes and put her hand on the ground. "Wow, everything's gone fuzzy in my listening. I can't feel them anywhere, yet I think someone's coming-- to ambush us!"

"Nice job, genius,"

an all-too-familiar, snake-like voice came from behind them. Azula stepped out from behind a tree. "Don't worry, Avatar. You're pets are already on my ship. But I'm surprised you would rest this close to the fire nation. After all, your adult warriors are still waiting to be rescued, if I don't kill them first." She smiled wickedly.

"You aren't going to take another parent away from Sokka and me," Katara viciously hissed back, tears starting in her eyes, in a voice that even scared the rest of the gang. She bended her water and water whipped it towards the fire nation princess's head. Aang water, earth, and airbended towards her. Sokka threw his boomerang. Toph threw boulders. Azula ducked and dodged, and suddenly leaped behind Aang, a move that even he wasn't expecting. She held the Avatar hostage, and pointed her outstretched fingers deep into his neck.

"Guys, stop fighting," he whispered. Katara froze. Azula smiled. "Not so fast. You attack, and I'll kill him. I'm much too close this time, and I guess I just didn't finish him off quite enough last time. I'll make sure I do."

"Aang, run!" Sokka cried, as he threw his boomerang towards Azula. Toph earthbended a rock hurtling towards her. She easily dodged both. "How about I make a deal." Azula sneered. "You surrender, and I won't hurt or kill you until we reach my father's palace. You fight, and I'll kill the Avatar. Give up. You run, and you won't get far. My guards have this whole place surrounded. One hundred and fifty guards, to be exact. Surrender to me."

She hit Aang over the side of his head. Armor hit bone, and he fell forwards, unconscious. Katara gasped through tear-filled eyes, but she couldn't get to him in time to catch him. And if she ran towards him, Azula would probably kill them both.

Toph felt Aang hit the ground, and fury filled her for her friend. "We are NEVER giving up!" She screamed, and ran headlong towards the princess. Azula shot lightning from her fingertips, but they barely hit Toph as she felt them coming, but only at the last minute. She bended a rock cave in front of her, which the lightning took. She tried to feel Azula's movements, but surprisingly, she couldn't. She got mad at herself and started hurling boulders from inside her cave towards the lightning's starting point, but she knew she missed. She looked out from her cave. Katara and Sokka were already captured, and Aang was being carried away over a guard's shoulder. "NOOOOO!!" She yelled and earth bended an earthquake crack towards Azula, then pillars. But Toph couldn't hit her. Her earthbending was so different than when she was blind. It was like she was a beginner facing a master, a master from a different nation.

"Toph, stop fighting! She'll kill you!" Sokka yelled, his eyes watching Toph's bending. He could tell it was different. She heard him, but didn't listen. She had to bring Azula down, but in her heart, she knew her bending was gone in the way it was. But she couldn't give up. These were her friends. Her family.

"Toph, please, stop!" Katara screamed. "Please!" Toph looked. Her friends were being led away, and being beaten up along the way. Katara fell down and was kicked over and over until she was unconscious. Sokka was punched everywhere. When Toph heard him punched in the stomach, she stopped fighting. She looked at him with tears falling down her face. Sokka fell to his knees. He looked at her with pain in his eyes. Then they widened.

"Toph, look out!!"

Lightning, filling the air, cracked and hit the tiny earthbender from behind. She flew forwards and hit the already scorched grass with a hard thud. She just managed to roll over onto her back, before the pain actually overcame her. She felt the most pain she had ever had felt in her whole life. Her body felt like it was being ripped into tiny pieces. Every nerve, every muscle in her body was on fire, and she could feel the shocks of the electricity still moving within her, shocking her, shutting her down. She felt the deep mark in her back,

just like Aang's,

when he had gotten struck by the deadly blow by the same evil fire nation princess those long weeks ago;

Only this time, she was still awake, and she could feel the blood leaking out in gushes from her open wound. She noticed, in a matter of seconds, after she went numb from the electricity that she was within her own puddle.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't move.

She tried to move her head but couldn't, her energy suddenly gone, her body shaking, her life leaving her.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Sokka screamed, trying to fight the guards. His tears were flowing so hard, but he couldn't control them. "Toph, no! Please! Get up!" She looked at him from her place on the ground; and she looked at him upside down, her head unable to move. Her eyes, filled with unshed tears and defeat, were dimming.

Sokka managed to escape the guards for a second. He ran over and slid next to her. He picked her halfway up on the ground.

"No…" he whispered, his tears falling onto her body. He put his still-warm lips to her now-cold ones. He kissed her as if nothing could separate them. But as much as she loved him and wanted to with all of her heart, she couldn't embrace his kiss. She felt nothing, except in her slowly beating heart, she felt his love. He felt her love. It was the communication between their two hearts. And that feeling would always be with them. "Don't leave me, Toph. I love you." His tears flowed endlessly. He hugged her still form, rocking her back and forth, never wanting to leave her side. But it wasn't to last.

He was suddenly wrenched away from her. Her arms and upper body, which he had held, dropped painfully onto the ground. She saw his clothing, which used to be a bright blue, now stained with her blood. It was on his arms where he held her. It was on his face where he wiped his tears. She saw him dragged away, still screaming her name, and then silhouette of Azula standing over her. "I've learned from my spies that you have been healed and that you can see now. I guess this is the last view you'll ever see." She laughed menacingly. She pointed her fingertips toward Toph's body. It was in shock, and she was slowly growing paler and fainter in breath with each heartbeat that pumped blood out onto the earth;

her element, that was supposed to give her life.

She stared at Azula. "Any regrets, last words?" The evil form said. Toph tried to open her mouth and speak, but she couldn't. "Hmmm…too bad." The firebender smiled wickedly. Azula let the lightning hit its target, and then darkness.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Toph screamed, the loudest she had ever screamed. She sat up, covered in sweat and tears that she couldn't control. She was shaking so badly that she couldn't do anything but cry. She heard whimpering, but she didn't know that it was her own. Someone grabbed her and pulled her into a tight, protective hug, but she still screamed. "Toph, it's okay, it's okay," she heard a soothing voice, but didn't know who it was, or whose arms were around her. "It's okay, calm down, calm down. I'm here for you, shhh…" Toph finally realized that the person talking to her and hugging her was Sokka. She quieted down, her tears stopped flowing, and she opened her eyes.

Blackness.

How was this right? Toph thought. Had it all been a dream? "Sokka?" she whispered. "Toph! You're okay!" He pulled her into a harder hug. She felt him shaking. No, he was crying. "What's wrong?" she asked, puzzled, but finally calming down. He let her go from his hug. "What's wrong? You've been out cold for two days since Katara tried to heal you. Yeah, she told me. How could you do that Toph? Why?"

"Because I wanted to see like you guys see. I wanted to be a part of that world. I wanted to see that beauty. And in my dream, I saw it."

"I know."

"I saw…wait, you know?

"Yes"

"How?"

"You said everything out loud in your dream. About everything. You were screaming and yelling so much, that we were worried. Aang tried to feel what you were thinking. He went into the Avatar state, and put his hand on your forehead, and he told us to grab hands. We were all in your dream. Aang and Katara let go after the part about them. But I held on, and surprisingly, with probably all that Avatar-mumbo-jumbo stuff, I was still part of the dream even though Aang wasn't. I'm sorry about invading your privacy, but you wouldn't wake up, and you wouldn't stop screaming sometimes."

"So, you know what I felt, about, you know, us?

"Yeah. And that part in your dream, well, that was exactly what I felt, too. I guess we are all connected, just like that one guy, Hue, in the swamp said. Everything is connected. But, I wanted to say, Toph, I care about you."

"Sokka, I wanted to say, from my dream, and this is from my heart:

I love you."

"Toph, I love you too." He answered back.

She felt his arms around her, and feeling her hands up to his face, found his lips. She looked at him with blind eyes, and she leaned up to him. Their lips touched, and they kissed again passionately. They ended, and Toph sighed. "So are you, as the big brother, okay with Aang and Katara's love?"

Sokka was silent for a minute. "Yes," he replied. "Aang's my best friend, like a brother, besides you and Katara as sisters, and I know he'd never do anything to hurt her. He loves her, and all I'd ever want is my sister to get a great guy. I think she found him. And I'd think she'd want the same for me. And I'd think she'd agree with who I picked." He kissed her again. "Let's go outside and plan our next move with the others. The final battle is only a few months away."

"Sokka?" Toph asked before he stepped out of the tent.

"Yeah?"

"In my dream, did you look like you were described?"

"Yeah… We were all about how we look now."

She laughed. "Good."

He smiled, grabbed her hand, and they stepped out of the tent into the afternoon weather. Katara and Aang were sitting close to each other, leaning against Appa, and they were sleeping peacefully, as they hadn't gotten any sleep from the past two days either. Aang's arm was around Katara, and her head was resting on his chest and shoulder.

"They look so happy," Sokka whispered.

"So in love," Toph replied.

She could feel their vibrations, of their happiness. She was glad to have her bending back. "Let's start dinner," Sokka said. He started a fire, and cooked the rice, and then Aang and Katara joined them. They all sat silently, watching the fire. Then Toph started. "Guys, you were right. Being blind is a good thing for me. It's made me who I am, and it's how I fight, and it's how I live. But keeping my blindness, though learning in life, is how I'll see in the way you do. You guys are awesome. Thanks for everything."

They all grouped together for a hug, and stayed in that way for a while. They became silent for a while, and then suddenly, Toph yelled,

"Now, let's make plans for the Final Battle!"

They looked at each other and laughed.

Sokka looked as his family and the girl he loved. "I guess we got the old Toph back."

Toph smiled, glad to be blind again, and to see in her own way.

End Credits