In Another World by Taiyo-Chan
Disclaimer: I forgot to put this on my other ones. I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I'm glad because it wouldn't be the awesome show it is now if that was me writing it. xD
Shippings in this chapter: Taang, Kataang, Tokka, Zujin, Soko, Tetoph (sort of), and slight Jetara
Week One: Breaking from Home
It was midnight and fifteen-year-old Toph Bei Fong couldn't sleep. School was going to start in seven hours. This would be Toph's first time going to the school. Ever since she was five, her parents had an "earthbending master" named Master Yu home schooled her with earthbending and other subjects. It wasn't until last week when she begged her parents to let her go to a regular school.
"I'm learning everything except social skills," she had pleaded with them. "It's the only way I'll learn."
That was only half of the reason she wanted to go to school. The other half was that everyone in her household was driving her nuts. On top of being forbidden to step outside of their yard, her parents would ask Master Yu for a progress report every hour during the day, everyday. If Toph hadn't known any better, she'd say it got on his nerves. Being the money man he is, however, he probably just kept his mouth shut.
The blind girl took a deep breath and stepped out of bed. She walked over to her window and opened it. The cool, late summer breeze brushed against her face. She smiled to herself. A small walk would calm her excited nerves.
She hadn't bothered to put anything on over her pajamas. Her bathrobe was good enough for her. The night was pretty quiet. It was just perfect for her to clear her head. With her sense of vibrations, she felt someone walking up her way down the sidewalk. She casually continued walking as the approaching person was no threat. He was too light on his feet to be threatening. The person didn't change his course either, but stopped when he was a couple of feet from her.
"Hello," he said.
"Hi," Toph said when she stopped walking herself.
"Are you new here?" he asked. "I've never seen you before."
Toph snorted and replied with sarcasm, "It's hard to miss me when I'm locked up in my own home."
The boy frowned. Toph knew that was what he was doing.
"Long story," she said. She sighed impassively. "But everything changes for me today."
"Oh," he said. He placed his hands in the pockets of his baggy pants. "I couldn't sleep."
"Me neither."
"How about that."
"AHHHH!" cried a voice in terror.
Both teens cringed at the high-pitched sound.
"Toph! Where are you?!" Poppy Bei Fong shrieked.
Everyone knew the voice of Poppy Bei Fong. The boy's eyes widened. "You're a Bei Fong?!"
Toph chuckled. "Yeah, but I gotta go." She ran back for her home. "Maybe I'll catch you later, Twinkle Toes!"
"Twinkle Toes" blinked and repeated to himself in half amusement, "Twinkle Toes?"
He shrugged and headed back home as well.
It was morning and Lao Bei Fong was still upset and worried about his daughter.
"Are you sure you want to go to school?" he asked. "You've only gotten less than seven hours of sleep."
Before Toph could reply, they heard the bus stop at their front yard.
Toph dashed for the door. "I'll be fine. See you later!"
Lao watched his daughter go and sighed. "Have a good day."
Toph was in an empty seat, sitting quietly. No one tried to talk to her and vice versa. For the first time in her life, she was beginning to feel doubt.
"Long time no see," said a familiar voice.
Toph turned around to "face" the person talking to her. She remembered his voice; it was "Twinkle Toes".
"No kidding," she said in relief.
The kid smiled at her. "Since we didn't get the chance to introduce ourselves...I'm Aang."
Toph smiled lightly. "And I'm Toph...Nice to meet you."
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked.
"Yeah?"
"How did I get the nickname Twinkle Toes?"
Throughout the day, she needed someone to direct her to her classes. Aang was able to tell her how to get to homeroom and first period, but she didn't see him again until fifth period. Fifth period was Sophomore Earthbending class. For the week, kids could just socialize for forty-five minutes. Next week would be when the merciless sparring takes place. Sifu Xin Fu was the teacher and he appeared careless. That would change after the week was up.
"What's your day so far?" Aang asked her.
"It's OK," Toph replied. "Beside you, I've only talked to one kid. His name is Teo."
Aang smiled. "Teo sits with me during lunch. When do you have lunch?"
Toph pulled out her schedule, written in Braille, and ran through it. "After this."
"Same here! Do you wanna sit with us?"
At lunch, Toph started to truly unwind as she talked to the guys, especially Teo.
"I knew you were blind when I saw your eyes," Teo said.
Toph laughed. "I can't believe it took Twinkle Toes five periods to figure that one out!"
Aang looked slightly flushed. "You carry yourself pretty well doing it. We have blind people here but..."
"They walk with canes?" Toph suggested. "I'm an Earthbender so I have an advantage."
She punched Aang in the arm. "I take your oblivion as a compliment though, Twinkle Toes."
"When are you gonna have a nickname for me?" Teo fake pouted.
"Trust me, you'll get one sooner or later," Toph replied with a wry smile.
"Excuse me," said a kind voice.
The trio looked over at the voice's direction. By the vibrations and the voice, Toph knew the person was a female. She also noticed Aang's heartbeat rising up as if he was scared or something, but not in a bad way. The girl smiled.
"Could I steal her from you two?" she asked them.
The fifteen-year-old Airbender blushed and nodded, "Sure."
Toph restrained herself from rolling her eyes at him and picked up her tray. "I'm all yours."
The girl led Toph to her table where two other girls were sitting.
"I'm Katara," Katara told Toph. "And these two are my friends Song and Jin."
Both girls smiled and waved at her.
"We saw you being the only girl over there," Katara explained.
"And we didn't want them to corrupt your mind," Jin added with laughter in her voice.
"They're nice guys though," Song concluded.
Toph only nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they are. I'm Toph."
Katara and Toph sat down.
"So...how do you like this school so far?"...
Week Two: Sleepover
It was Friday afternoon, more than a week since school started and Toph was packing her things. At first, it seemed like an OK idea but now Toph was feeling sick to her stomach. She couldn't tell if she was excited or nervous or a little bit of both. She kept that to herself of course or else her parents would've forced her to stay at home. This was her chance to make strong friendships that she had longed for since the day she could even remember thinking. Last Monday when Katara "stole" her away from Aang and Teo, they asked her all sorts of questions.
"You mean you've never been outside of your own yard?!" Jin exclaimed in disbelief.
"I said I wasn't allowed to," Toph corrected her. "I would sneak off whenever I could and battle some Earthbending kiddos at the nearby field."
"Wow," Song said in awe. "We're talking to a rebel."
"Based on what you've told us, it's a miracle you're even here," Katara commented.
Toph snorted. "Tell me about it."
Katara seemed to be lost in thought for a little bit but then smiled. "There's a movie that all three of us wanted to check out next Friday and we decided to have a sleepover for the same night. Do you wanna go?"
Toph paused. Then Katara smacked herself in the forehead. "I'm sorry you've only known us for five minutes!"
Toph nodded in agreement. "I'll still think about it though."
Katara looked at her and smiled. "OK, whatever makes you comfortable."
After a week of sitting with the girls, Toph enjoyed listening to them talk about "girly stuff". Luckily with her and Jin in the mix, it was balanced out enough where Toph wouldn't puke from the feminist. Still, she liked them. They were kind people and they made her feel welcomed. By the past Monday, Toph informed them that she wouldn't mind coming. The three girls beamed.
"Great!" Katara exclaimed. "Plus we can take you shopping. My treat."
Toph grimaced. "I'll go Dutch, Sugar Queen. I have enough of people doing things for me at home."
Katara blinked but shrugged. "OK."
Toph sighed as she packed her pajamas in. There was a knock on the door. It didn't surprise Toph.
"The door's open, Mom," she said.
Poppy entered in with a, annoyingly for Toph, worrying expression on her face. "Are you sure you want to go, sweetie?"
"Positive, Mom," Toph said lightly. She closed the bag and placed it over her shoulders. "Besides, I'll be back in the morning."
And be teaching Twinkle Toes some stances, Toph secretly thought to herself. Why was she going to train Aang? Well, he was lacking in stances and Toph actually felt sorry for him.
That didn't change Poppy's expression. Their heads turned towards the window when a car's horn was getting honked. Toph gave Poppy a quick hug and dashed for the stairs. "I'll see you later!"
Outside Lao was talking to the driver, looking very serious.
"And what's your name?"
"Sokka."
"I thought my daughter is going to a girl named Katara's house, not yours."
"She is," Sokka replied. "Katara had to go to get something."
"What is that something?" Lao asked in a dangerous voice.
"She's getting tickets for the movie, Dad!" Toph piped in.
Lao jumped at his daughter's unexpected sound. By the sound in her voice, she was mortified. "You must be Sokka."
Sokka nodded to Toph. "Ready to go?"
Toph nodded, opened the door to the front seat, and climbed in. Lao frowned.
"I'm coming with you," he stated. Not asked. Stated.
Toph frowned. "Dad, you can-"
"Hop in, sir," Sokka interrupted.
On the way there, all Lao did was ask every question possible under the sun. Sokka answered all of them without hesitation, though his thinning voice told Toph that the questions were starting to get annoying. Toph blew at her bangs. She knew her dad was only doing it out of concern because Sokka was a guy...eighteen as a matter of fact. She understood that but it didn't stop Toph from hiding her face in one hand though. Arriving at the Water Tribe man's house's driveway, Sokka had to drive Lao back to his place. Toph had to wait on the porch since Hakoda, their father, wasn't home.
"Love Dad to death but that was terrible," Toph said to herself. She sighed as she patiently waited for someone to come back.
Fifteen minutes later, it was Sokka who came back. He looked like he was mentally drained.
"Wow, your dad is creative when it comes to questions," she said as he rubbed his head.
Toph smirked and nodded with a half-hearted, "Yeah."
Sokka noticed the tone in her "yeah" and groaned. "Don't tell me you think I'm a predator too!"
Toph's head shot up in alert. "That's not it. It's just the first time I met you."
Sokka paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, right. Sorry."
Toph shrugged. "It's fine."
Sokka walked around her and unlocked the door, then motioned for her to go on in. Toph quietly obeyed his gestures. "So, are you hungry?"
"Yeah," Toph replied, "but I'm saving my appetite for the movie."
Sokka waved off her statement. "A light snack won't ruin it."
"Guess not."
"Do you like fillet mignon and steak?"
Toph raised an eyebrow. "Your idea of a light snack is fillet mignon and steak?" She shook her head with a smile. "I'll pass."
Sokka shrugged. "More for me."
For the next ten minutes, all Sokka did was eat his meat and ask Toph how she liked school and everyone there.
"You go to school?" Toph replied after his mini interview. "I thought you might have graduated since I don't see you there."
"Being a senior, you won't see me much," Sokka replied. "The only time you might see me is if you need a tutor for science."
"Expert at science, huh?" Toph commented. "Mind if we switch brains?"
Sokka laughed. "Sounds like someone doesn't appreciate the beauty of science."
Toph rolled her eyes. "I would if I actually cared."
Before Sokka could retort, Katara, Jin, and Song came in. They all looked apologetic.
"Sorry, Toph," Katara said. "Apparently more people wanted to see the movie than we thought."
"Oh, they sold out?"
Katara shook her head. "We got them; the line just took so darn long...Are you ready?"
Toph nodded. She smiled lightly at Sokka before leaving. "See ya later."
He returned the gesture. "OK."
Toph headed for the car, Jin and Song following her. Before Katara closed the door behind her, she asked Sokka, "What time is Dad coming home?"
"He's having an overnight shift," Sokka replied. "We're home alone...again."
Katara sighed. "Figures. We'll bring you something back, big brother."
"OK."
At the movies, Toph zoned in and out. The movie was a romantic comedy. Toph was never the romantic type. Also the fact that she can't see the screen, only hear the words Not that the movie was boring. It made her think about things. About someone. Sokka. Whenever she zoned back in, she wondered why she was even thinking about him. He was too old for her and he would never be interested in her. A part of her felt heavy from the thought. Katara noticed her behavior too.
"Aw, you didn't like it," Song teased Toph.
"I didn't hate it, I just was thinking about something," Toph replied.
Jin gave Toph a slap on the back. "Don't feel bad, Toph. I-"
"Who said I felt bad?" Toph replied.
They laughed at her sudden outburst. Toph had to laugh herself.
In the mall, they shopped for God knows how many hours. Toph felt for any pants or jeans that matched the bagginess of what she wore and a simple T-shirt. Katara helped her find the T-shirts. Jin and Song found some purses and hats while Katara found make-up, for her and the other two.
"You're not the make-up of person, are you?" she asked Toph.
Toph grimaced. "Only if my parents are having some fancy family reunion...No, I'm not."
She still had fun shopping, to her surprise. She was able to find chains for her baggy pants and cut-off gloves. She wondered how Sokka would feel if she wore this the next time he sees her. Really, she wondered how everyone would react. Sokka's reaction was what she daydreamed about the most. Of course, she kept this to herself. After shopping, they returned home to find that Sokka invited two of his pals over.
"Zuko!" Katara exclaimed in surprise. "Haru!"
Both guys waved at the four girls. Song and Jin smiled shyly at Zuko with rose pink cheeks. Toph felt their heartbeats racing against their chest and smiled wryly in amusement. She stopped smiling though when Sokka came out from the kitchen. She joined them in the racing heartbeat club. Besides the sounding of her heart ringing in her ears, she realized that Katara's didn't change at all.
I wish I could trade hearts with her, Toph thought to herself.
Katara broke the silence by giving them both platonic hugs. "We haven't seen you guys in weeks!"
Zuko and Haru laughed slightly. "We don't start college for a week, so we figured we'd visit before we are gone for months at a time."
Katara smiled. "Glad you came."
Song and Jin only nodded. Toph just stood there until Katara realized she didn't introduce her to the boys. After she did, all four of them walked upstairs to try on all the new clothes they got. Toph, again, didn't expect to have fun with this but she did. She was sorry that she couldn't give the girls the compliments that they gave her when she tried her clothes on. They didn't seem to mind. All it seem to matter to them was that she was having fun with them.
After the mini fashion show, the girls decided to talk about guys.
"You still like Zuko too, don't ya Song?" Jin teased her.
Song blushed furiously and threw a pillow at her. "Shut up! You do too!"
Jin laughed when the pillow hit her in the face. "I know I do!"
Toph shook her head. "I guess Katara and I are the only ones who aren't interested in nobody."
Her heart reacted after she had started with "I", but ignored that feeling. They wouldn't be able to tell if she was lying. Only she could. Katara shook her head solemnly.
"Actually, I still miss Jet," she admitted.
Song and Jin groaned. "It's been a year, Katara! He's in a whole 'nother area and he's not coming back!"
Katara smiled with a light blush. "Well, at least I'm not depressed about it anymore!"
Jin rubbed her chin in thought. "I suppose that's true."
Song smiled at Toph. "You're the only one who isn't interested in someone. I'm jealous of you."
Toph turned her head to another direction. "How about that."
Katara raised an eyebrow at Toph's tone in her voice, but smiled knowingly. "You would match with Aang, Toph."
Toph turned her head towards Katara's way. "Good one, Katara."
"I'm serious."
Toph shook her head with a smile. "So was I. Twinkle Toes and I are only friends. Nothing more, nothing less."
Katara shrugged. "Suit yourself."
With a wry smile, Toph replied, "I will."
At one in the morning, the girls were finally asleep. At seven in the morning, she would get up and prepare herself to help Aang with his amateurish earthbending. Since the girls were still asleep, Sokka drove her home.
"You'll tell them why I'm not there, right?" she asked him after arriving at a few feet away from her house.
Sokka nodded. "I'll see you again sometime."
Toph nodded. "See ya."
Sokka drove off and Toph walked to the door. She sighed as she knocked on the door. "Back to old life," she said to herself. She reminded herself that she'll sneak off after breakfast to go teach Aang. The door opened for her to come in. When she finished breakfast, she told her parents that she would be in her room doing homework. So it wouldn't be a lie, she did some of her science homework in Braille. She put her books back into her backpack and snuck out of the window.
"Here I come, Twinkle Toes," Toph said.
He had given her directions earlier, so she knew where to run. He smiled when she arrived.
"Hello, Sifu Toph," he greeted.
Toph frowned at the formality, but greeted him all the same. "Just call me Toph." She smiled to lighten her tone and continued, "I haven't even started yet."
Week Three: Aang's Most Prized Possession
Fifteen-year-old Aang Cibi dreaded his way to fifth period class. It was a Monday. For a cheery teen, he felt like leaving his physical body on this Earth and to mentally get away from this. Fifth period was Sophomore Earthbending Class. He hated that class. For one, he couldn't really earthbend but they still passed him because he was the Avatar. Another, Xin Fu wasn't the most patient teacher anyone could find. Lastly, his friend Toph Bei Fong is in that class with him. After school, she would come to help train him. She had more patience than Xin Fu but that didn't make her soft either! She always watched for improvement.
"If you wanna be optimistic, at least you have more feel in the stances," Toph said truthfully. "But you still have to face things head on. Not to mention you're still being all pacifist about this. When it comes to earthbending, you can't be like that. You have to show a backbone."
Aang sighed at the flashback. "Show some backbone," he said to himself.
"Hey, Aang," Katara greeted. "How was training with Toph?"
"She's as tough as Sifu Xin Fu, no, she's tougher than Xin Fu," Aang replied. "But...she is a little more patient than him." He smiled. "She said I have the stances right."
Katara smiled at her sophomore friend. "Glad to hear. You'll do fine, Aang. I know you will."
Aang only listened. "Yeah, I hope so."
"Aang Cibi!" Xin Fu screamed. "You are the worst Earthbender I ever had to train! If it weren't for the principal, I'd flunk you and send you back to Freshman Earthbending Class!"
Everyone, except Toph, whispered among themselves. Some expressed sympathy. Others snickered. Toph was impassive. Aang was actually grateful that she wasn't showing any emotions. He held his head low. "I'm sorry, Sifu Xin Fu."
"Sorry doesn't cut it, Cibi!" Xin Fu retorted. "Ask Toph Bei Fong to teach you some time! She's an exceptional Earthbender. Maybe she can teach you a thing or two. Hopefully she'll have more patience for you because you're wearing mine thin!"
Without looking up, Aang said quietly, "Yes, Sifu."
"Cheer up, man," Teo told Aang. "You said Toph said your stances are perfect. That's a start. Besides, it's pretty peaceful around here so you can take your time."
Aang glared at Teo. "Just because nothing's happening doesn't mean I go as slow as a turtle seal about it!"
"One, take a chill pill," Teo replied. "And two, Toph appeared slightly annoyed but she's not as worried as you are."
Only knowing Toph for two weeks, Aang knew he should be prepared for some kind of torture. "That so did not make me feel better, Teo."
"Hey, guys," Toph greeted.
Aang jumped a few feet, literally, at the sound of her voice. Toph chuckled lightly.
"Being extra light on your feet, huh Twinkle Toes?" She sat next to him. She gave Teo a quick smile so he wouldn't feel excluded and faced Aang, who closed his eyes. He was waiting for her to berate him at this very moment. "When I come to your home today, I want you to have your prized possession with you."
Aang opened his eyes and looked at her with apprehension. "Are you planning to do to my staff?!"
Toph gave him a grin with her eyes closed. "You'll see. I'll see you later, Twinkle Toes. Bye, Teo."
"See ya," Teo replied.
Toph walked back to the table with the trio she was sitting with. Aang groaned. Teo, sick of the drama, let him groan and finished his lunch. "That's karma for teasing me for not being an actual Airbender."
Aang looked up. "I was kidding that day."
"Karma still bit ya in the butt. It's a mean, mean thing, isn't it?"
Aang waited for the fifteen-year-old blind girl to arrive. He held his precious staff close to his chest. He couldn't hear anything but the beating of his heart. He debated within himself whether he should call it off or stick through with this. He felt like doing option A, no matter what Toph might yell into his face. He could have died from fright when Toph came from the front yard into the back. She was dressed in what was suitable for a gym class.
Toph sighed. "You really need to relax, Aang."
Usually she would've said Twinkle Toes. Apparently this was sincere.
"Then tell me what you intend to do to my staff," Aang demanded.
"First we're going to train the same way we did yesterday," Toph said. "Then we're going to try something different and it won't include your staff."
"Then why did you want me to have my staff with me?" Aang asked half-annoyed.
Toph's expression was starting to match his slightly. "Only time will tell, Aang. Only time will tell."
She kept her word. For thirty minutes they did the same stuff they did yesterday. She surrounded them with walls made from the earth and covered herself with rocks. She earthbended a line before her and then slid down towards Aang's way at lightning speed. Aang waited for her to bump into him. When she was a foot away, he pushed forward. She pushed towards him sending him back a couple of feet. Determined, Aang strained himself to push her back and past the line she drew. As soon as that was over, Aang collapsed on the ground and took some deep breaths.
Toph earthbended the rocks off her and sat next to Aang. "At least you didn't run off screaming for your life like you did the last time."
Aang actually laughed. "Where's the praise coming from?"
Toph rolled her eyes. "Sugar Queen."
"Who?" Aang asked, unaware of Katara's nickname.
"Sugar Queen...Katara," Toph repeated. "She said she trained you until you mastered waterbending. She suggested I give you lots of praise and "gentle nudges" in the right direction. If it weren't for you having close to a heart attack, I'd probably ignored the suggestion."
"Thank God for Katara," Aang said none too quietly.
"Yeah, suck it up Champ 'cause you have another half-hour with me," Toph retorted.
Aang obeyed and they trained for twenty minutes with earth weights and stances. Then Toph earthbended a boulder out from the ground and placed it a few feet away from its original place. With a stomp of her foot and rise of her arms, she earthbended a somewhat steep hill right before it and a wall ten feet behind it. Aang started to have sweat drops.
"I don't think Gyatso is going to be happy about all this," he said weakly.
"Don't worry, we can earthbend it back to normal," Toph waved him off.
She earthbended the boulder up the steep, girl-made hill and allowed it to rest on the flat part of the hill.
"Stand before the hill," she instructed him.
Aang reluctantly obeyed. He already knew what she was planning to do. Toph smiled.
"You already know what I'm about to do, don't you?"
Aang nodded. "And you're crazy."
Toph bit at a fingernail unfazed. "I've gotten that before for the past two weeks." She stopped biting for a minute. "All you have to do is directly stop it...like this..."
She positioned pushing forward to show him what she was talking about. "That's all."
"What if I-"
"You'll get it," Toph interrupted authoritatively.
She ran up the hill and stood behind the boulder. "Get into your stance!"
Aang did that with no problem. Toph nodded in approval and pushed the boulder down. "Here's goes nothing, Twinkle Toes!"
Each second the boulder came down, the faster it rolled. Aang's eyes grew wide in fear as it tumbled closer to him. He closed his eyes and pushed his hands forward. The boulder crashed into his hands. It then rolled over him. It was a miracle that he was still alive. Toph came running down to see if he was OK. When he showed signs of only minor injuries, such as his sprained wrists, she went into impassive mode. Aang sighed as he lied on the ground.
"I can't do this," he said. "No matter what, I just can't earthbend. I'm sorry that I wasted your time."
Toph blew at her bangs. "Apparently I gave you too much credit, Twinkle Toes."
She stood up and left. Aang closed his eyes and stayed where he was. He didn't care right then what she felt about him. It was over...or so he thought. Toph came back with something. That something was his staff. Aang opened his eyes in time enough to see that. He sat up in alertness. She had a serious look on her face.
"I thought you were that kind of kid that never gave up easily, Aang," she said.
She lightly tapped the staff in her hand. "And I'm not entirely wrong. You have potential. All weekend and today, you did something important. You tried. As long as you do that, you'll get somewhere." She circled around him. "And we...just have to bring it out of you."
Aang stood up, still apprehensive. Toph earthbended a cylinder-like structure from the ground and swung the staff back. Aang's eyes augmented in realization.
"Toph, don't-"
WHAM! She struck the structure with his staff. Aang flinched.
"It was a gift!"
WHAM! Aang flinched again, growing frustrated. "From my parents!"
WHAM!
"Before they died!"
Toph was about to strike again but paused and bit her lower lip. Aang didn't know what to do. He hoped she would give him the staff back. Toph tightened her grip on the staff and closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Aang," she apologized sincerely.
She whacked it against the structure. The deed was done with extra force. Horrorstricken and shocked, anger rose in Aang. Toph swung back again, preparing another blow to his staff. Aang sprung into action and grabbed it before she could do more damage. His wrist hurt him. He ignored it. Anger was towards the girl who was mercilessly chipping his staff.
"I said don't," he said dangerously and firmly.
Toph merely smiled and allowed him to have his staff back. Her smiling only made him angrier.
"What are you smiling about?" he ranted. "You kept on hitting with it despite me telling you that my parents gave it to me before they died!"
Toph's smile didn't wear off. She earthbended another boulder from the ground without saying a word.
"Earthbend this boulder, Twinkle Toes," she said unabashed.
Aang grew red from her not taking him seriously. He obeyed, blind with fury. He stomped his foot and pushed his hand forward. The boulder moved and hit the many walls Toph created throughout the day. Toph laughed with excitement.
"I think I pissed you off just a little too far, Twinkle Toes!" she laughed. "That was the most feeling I've ever seen you put into it."
Part of the anger that was in him left with the boulder. Aang raised an eyebrow at her. "Putting feeling into what?"
Toph pointed at the wall which the boulder was smashed into. "That! You did that!"
Aang looked at her, then at the wall, and back at her. She folded her arms.
"OK, I can be cold blooded but I'm not that cruel!" Toph said. "You're officially an Earthbender."
Aang stared at the ground. He couldn't believe it. He had earthbended for the first time in his life. When it finally sunk in, Aang had a goofy smile. "I can't believe it...OW!"
"Well, believe it!" Toph said after punching him in the arm. "I told you before, Aang, you had potential. We just had to bring that out of you"
Aang rubbed his arm. "Easy on the punching, will ya?"
Toph rolled her eyes. "I'll try."
Abruptly, Aang hugged her. "Thanks, Toph! You always believed I could do it, huh?"
Toph was tense from the hugging. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Lay off. We have to fix this place back up."
Aang let go of her, chuckling. "OK."
Together, they earthbended the place back to normal with ease. Toph prepared herself for leaving for she knew her parents would be breaking down her door soon to see why she was so "quiet".
"Toph?"
"Hmm?"
"Will you still teach me?"
Toph appeared shocked that he still wanted to learn from her, even after she done man handled his staff. "Uh...sure."
Aang beamed. "Great! I'll see you tomorrow then."
"OK. See ya."
Aang watched Toph run for home and headed towards the stable to go check on his beloved bison Appa. He rested against the sleeping flying bison's middle leg.
"She tough, but I got it now," he told his sleeping buddy. He closed his eyes. "I'm glad I met her."
Appa roared in his sleep. Aang chuckled and seconds later fell asleep himself. Gyatso came home from work four hours later and found Aang still sleeping in the stables. The elder guardian smiled. "He must have finally gotten it."
He closed the door behind him, "Sweet dreams, Aang."
Aang didn't stir. That night he dreamt about the day and replayed the abuse his staff took over and over in his mind. Truly, besides Appa, his staff was his most prized possession.
Week Four: The Amusement Park
This time, Katara, Song, Jin, and Toph sat with Aang and Teo at lunch.
"Did you guys hear about the amusement park?" Jin asked excitedly.
Everyone shook their head. Then Jin hit herself in the forehead. "I forgot it's in a different town. Never mind. Still, it sounds like it's going to be awesome!"
She placed her backpack on her lap, unzipped it, and searched for the advertisement paper about the amusement park. Song whistled at the untidiness in Jin's backpack. "How did you pass freshman and sophomore year?" she asked in disbelief.
Jin narrowed her eyes at her. "This is how I naturally function, thank you very much. You wreck my programming and it'll be worse than this, trust me."
Song still shook her head at the mess. Everyone else, except Toph, had the same expression as Song. They were amused though.
"Found it!"
She handed it to Song. "Grand opening too! They said first week will be half off the original price planned for this place."
"Half-price, huh?" Aang commented. "That sounds like a good deal. When is its first opening night?"
"This Friday," Song replied as she passed the paper to Katara.
"Perfect day too," Teo said with a small smile.
Toph turned her head to him. "You think there'd be something there that Teo could have fun doing?"
"As a matter of fact, there are some," Katara answered. She passed the paper to Aang. "You have one in Braille for Toph, Jin?"
Jin shook her head. "I looked but they didn't have any."
Aang skimmed through it and passed it to Teo. When he finished reading it, he shrugged. Toph knew by his gestures that there was something he could do to have fun there. "So, are you suggesting we all go?"
"Yep," Jin said. "It'll be fun."
Katara, Song, and Aang all nodded in agreement.
"I'm only going if Toph's going," Teo stated.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "And why are you letting me affect your decision?"
"Everyone is agreeing but you haven't said anything. If you're not going, I won't go. That way you won't be left out alone."
"That was sweet of you, T, but I'll go," Toph replied. "I've never been to an amusement park."
"Great!" Jin exclaimed. She turned to Katara. "By any chance do you think Sokka, Zuko, and Haru can make it?"
"I'm sure Sokka would love to," she replied. "But Zuko and Haru don't have any vacations until their Homecoming. This is next week or so."
Jin looked crestfallen but she smiled. "Well, Sokka is still fun."
Toph played with her straw as Sokka's name was mentioned twice. She secretly felt excited to go but Sokka was mentioned. She felt so happy about the possibility of him coming that she could drop dead and go to Heaven.
Toph readied herself in some nice blue jeans and a random T-shirt. That was the number one thing she loved about blue-jeans. Anything could go with them. She came downstairs where her parents were waiting for her. Poppy had another worried expression. Toph gritted her teeth lightly.
"You go out too much, Toph," Poppy said.
"Agreed," Lao piped in.
"The last time I went out somewhere was when I went to Katara's sleepover and that was two weeks ago," Toph protested. "Don't tell me you're changing your mind. You'll be having Sokka and Katara coming this way for nothing."
Lao looked down at his lap and sighed. "Just...have fun."
Toph beamed and, for the first time she remembered, hugged her father. "Thank you! I promise I'll bring you something from the place."
"Wait," Lao said. "How long will you be gone?"
Toph shrugged. "We planned to get back before ten at night."
Ten was Toph's curfew so Lao relaxed. "OK."
They all heard a car beep. It was Katara and Sokka. Toph opened the door but faced her parents, "I'll see you two again tonight!"
Before they could respond, she was already opening the back door to the back passenger seat.
It was an hour drive to the town where the amusement park was held. During the ride, Aang and Toph argued over what rides they were gonna ride. Katara chuckled at their petty bickering. "Guys, we're gonna arrive there at ten o'clock, we'll have plenty of time to try out all the rides you want to try."
For the first time Toph had ever heard, Aang disagreed with Katara. "I doubt it, I'm sure it'll be crowded."
Katara shook her head. "You two are arguing over four rides. It won't take eleven hours to ride four rides."
Aang was then stumped. Jin was driving behind them with Song and Teo in the back. Jin was bored out of her wits. Both teens she was driving were sleeping. "You two make great company."
When they arrived there, everyone was perked and acting like excited five-year-olds. There was a mix of everything in this place. As Aang had predicted, it was crowded but like Katara said, they had at no more than eleven hours to enjoy themselves. It was agreed that they do a mix. Since Aang was the Avatar, he got to pick first.
"How about the Screeching Scream?" he said.
Toph rolled her eyes since it was one of the rides they were arguing about. "You still have yet to tell me who came up with these names."
Teo whistled when he saw the ride for himself. "I'll watch you guys. I don't think they'd let a handicapped teen on that anyway."
"Then you get to pick something after this," Katara said sympathetically.
He could hear the sympathetic nature in her voice. "No worries, Katara. I'll just laugh my head off when you guys return."
"Oh come on," Toph said unconvincingly. "The Screeching Scream can't be that bad...is it?"
They got in line. Katara chose to ride with Jin while Song practically clung to Sokka.
"You know, you don't have to ride it if you don't want to," Sokka said, trying to pry Song off him.
Song shook her head. "Where's the fun in that?"
"Me not being snapped in half."
"Funny."
Toph was next to Aang, who was grinning from ear to ear. She shook her head.
"You so love this, Twinkle Toes," she muttered.
Aang laughed. "More than you know."
All six of them were strapped in. Aang was almost laughing with excitement. Toph was trying to keep her breathing level at its normal pace.
"Mark my words, you are gonna pay tomorrow during training," she threatened him.
He was too excited to even hear her. Actually, she was glad he didn't. It would be twice the karma. The roller coaster slowly went up the steep ramp. Toph sighed in relief. If that's all this thing was going to do, why were people screaming their heads off?
"This isn't so bad," Toph said to calm herself down.
That, Aang did hear. "This is just the beginning."
Toph was about to reply but paused when the coast stopped at the tip. Now she had a good idea what this ride was going to do. "Oh...my..."
The coaster dropped back at incredible speed. "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDD!"
When the ride was over, everyone had a roller coaster version of bed hair. Song was dizzy. Katara and Jin were laughing. Toph...Toph was shaking and clinging onto Aang tightly.
"Toph," Aang said as he tried to pry her arms off around him. "The ride is over."
She glared at him. "You don't think I know that?!...So...many...twists."
Her head collapsed on his shoulder.
"This is not how I imagined dying a peaceful death," Teo teased Toph with a laugh.
They were on those rides where one would drive the car on the tracks. Toph didn't look at him. She was too focused on the wheel, not mention she and he wanted to try this out.
"Just be glad they have it where you can't go off track," she shot back in the same manner.
BUM! Toph and Teo jerked to side. Luckily they had on their seatbelts. From that point on, he told her when to turn the wheel. She was happy to get it right. She paused and punched Teo in the arm.
"What was that for?!"
"You could've told me the directions from Jump Street!" she growled. Then she faked a sweet smile to tease. "But thanks."
Teo shook his head at her in disbelief and continued to rub his sore arm. Aang was driving with Katara as the passenger. He was driving at a perfect rate and with accuracy.
"You should try getting your permit this year, Aang," Katara said impressed.
Aang blushed. Inside, he was really happy that she was impressed. "Legal age is sixteen though."
Katara sat back. "I know but still."
Sokka wanted to drive by himself therefore; Song sat with Jin as she drove the car. This was something they actually all enjoyed. Toph left to get Teo's wheelchair as the gang decided who got to pick next.
Katara chose the next ride. She wanted to ride the Water Canyon. Toph stated firmly she'll laugh when they come back soaked. Teo agreed with her.
"Also," Toph continued truthfully. "I'm hungry. I'll go to the food court."
"OK," Katara said.
Teo grinned. "To the food court!"
Sokka gave Toph some money. "Could you get whatever has meat in it?"
"Sure thing," she said amused at his obsession with meat.
As they waited in line, Toph and Teo went for the food court. There they got light eating such as a slice of pizza and a bottle of soda.
"This place is fun," Teo said.
Toph nodded. "Even though, The Screeching Scream scared the heck outta me."
Teo laughed. "You, scared? I saw you holding onto Aang for dear life! If it weren't for my legs, I would've tried it and be your knight in shining armor."
Toph raised an eyebrow at him. "OK. Now you're being weird."
Teo shrugged with a grin on his face. Toph finished her pizza and soda and gathered all the trash. "I'm to buy Sokka's meat quickly before they come back and bend the water off them."
"OK."
Luckily for the two, they arrived back just in time. Every single one of them was soaked. Katara laughed.
"I'm glad you didn't try it, Toph," she said. "You would've drowned in there."
Toph smirked. "I know."
Song chose the Swing-Go-Round. This time, even Teo joined them on this ride. The man in charge just guarded his high-tech wheelchair. It was one of those rides like a swing and one goes round and round. Jin chose the Bumper Ride. Now that was a wreck. Toph was driving in every direction possible. Every person riding was bumped. Sokka was with her and he had fun.
"If we ever come here again, you're my permanent partner for this one!" Sokka declared.
In the inside, Toph could've melted. On the outside, she merely smiled. "That's only because you're the only one who can handle me!"
Everyone was waiting with apprehension if she was going to go for another round. Toph casually hopped out of the bumper car and exited out. The gang followed her. Aang had to carry Teo. Everyone agreed that they would part ways to check out other rides after Sokka chose. His pick was the Floor Dropper.
Toph raised an eyebrow. "What the heck is the Floor Dropper?"
"I don't know," Sokka replied. "That's why I want to go check it out."
"Count me out," Teo stated. "If you need me, I'll be at the Glider Line."
Toph debated with herself whether she should join Teo or go along with this one. She sighed. "After this ride I'll catch up with you, Teo."
Teo smiled. "Great with me."
He wheeled off for the Glider Line. When the wait was over for them, the man strapped them to the wall. They all waited for the ride to begin. Slowly the wall ascended up the pole. So far so good...until the floor dropped from their feet.
"OK...what's going on?!" Toph was freaking.
Suddenly the wall collapsed midway and began to spin around. Everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs, but Toph was the loudest. At the end, none of them could walk straight. Sokka was holding his sister, Toph was holding Aang, and Jin was holding Song.
"Let's go find Teo," Katara said half dazed.
Everyone agreed.
For the last six hours, they did simple things such as petting animals in the petting section and playing carnival-like games. Toph won a lemur in an arm wrestling tournament. The lemur cuddled in her arms, but it took a special liking to Aang as well. So she let him have him. Aang hugged Toph, who pinched him in his sides.
"I told you to lay off the hugging, Twinkle Toes," she said.
Aang pondered but then grinned. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Toph, shocked, could only place her hand on her cheek where he kissed her. "Which one you prefer now?"
"Hug."
"Thought so."
At eight thirty in the evening, everyone was tired. "Back to hometown or else we're gonna collapse," Sokka said. "Since Katara and I are the most alert, we'll drive the cars."
Jin nodded half-asleep. She groggily gave Katara the keys. "Don't ruin her. I paid half for her."
Katara chuckled. "Trust me, Jin. I know how to drive."
With Sokka rode Toph, Aang, and Teo. Toph was in the front seat and fighting against her drowsiness. Aang and Teo already gave in. They slept towards the window of their side. Sokka chuckled at Toph. "Aang and Teo already sleep. You go ahead too."
Not having enough energy to protest, Toph nodded slowly and fell asleep in a few seconds. Katara was the only person awake. Well, of course since she's driving. Song was sleeping in sitting position in the front seat. Jin was lying in the backseat snoring in her sleep. Katara found duct tape and placed it over her mouth. She almost crashed into Sokka's car doing so though.
Sokka beeped an angry signal at her.
"Sorry!" Katara retorted. "You're not in here listening to Jin's snore!"
Sokka had to carry Toph to the front porch and knock on the door with his feet. Lao answered it and took his precious daughter out of Sokka's arms. He gave Sokka a dangerous look, causing Sokka to get sweat drops. He didn't say anything to him and closed the door with his foot.
Lao placed Toph delicately in her bed and tucked her in, something she would hate if she was up. He smiled when there was a smile on Toph's face. "Karma," she said lowly.
At that, Lao frowned. "Karma?"
Toph was dreaming about whooping Aang's butt during training for the Screeching Scream incident.
The End
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A.N.: I hope that didn't bore you to death. I actually had fun writing this and will continue whether this gets reviews or not. Like I said in my other ones, constructive criticism is definitely appreciated especially for this one. Trust me; you'll be saving brains if you let me know if this is tedious before I start on Chapter Two. I give credit to Mom for some of the scenes and you all know that Week Three is practically a modern version of Bitter Work with some differences. Anyways, thanks for reading.