A/N: This is my next chapter thing… if nothing comes up in a long time; I'm probably hella busy. I'll try to update on weekends and such, but I can't promise anything. Oh, this is an Alternate Universe, so Toph and the others can't really bend the Elements. But, in this story Toph, Katara and Zuko are loosely spiritual, and believe that people have the personality of any one element.
Summary: AU Toph is bored one day, so she decides to make up an alternate world. But then this world becomes… real? Taang, Zutara
Toph sat in her room, quietly listening to a book on tape. She smelled the good smells of dinner being made downstairs, and then she remembered that she has to do the dishes that night. Her mother had offered her rubber gloves one night, forgetting that Toph needed her hands to 'see'. Toph chuckled at the memory.
The tape ended, making the blind girl sigh loudly. The phone rang. She heard her stepmother pick up the ringing contraption and then yell, after quiet gasps at the person on the other end: "Toph, dear, it's for you!"
Toph ran down the stairs (This time not tripping over her dog, Momo, who could be sneaky and not make vibrations.) and grabbed the phone. She ran back up the stairs, nearly colliding with her other dog, Appa.
"Sorry, puppy!" Toph yelled, slamming her door and plopping back on her beanbag chair.
"Hey," she said into the phone, out of breathe.
"Let me guess, you stepped on Momo again…" Katara said in her ear.
"Not this time, Kat… so what's up?" Toph asked, smiling.
"Oh, I just got back from Hawaii with Zuko… his parents are so nice…"
Toph groaned, "I know this already… how many times have you talked about you and Zuko?"
"This would be the thousandth time… OH NO! Am I ignoring you again?" Katara asked.
"No, no… you aren't… so how was Hawaii?" Toph asked, sweating a bit.
"It was fantastic… how was Ellensburg?" Katara asked.
"It was okay… we went to Port Townsend for three days, though. My grandparents are totally boring!" Toph replied.
"Toph, dinner!" Toph's dad called.
"Oh, sorry, I have to eat dinner… see you tomorrow then?" Toph asked.
"I'll probably be late again, but I'll see you in Algebra."
The two friends hung up and Toph went downstairs, groaning again in her head about doing the dishes. At least she had her iPod Nano, complete with her favorite songs.
THE NEXT DAY:
"Darling!" Haru called, bounding up to Toph that morning.
"Morning, Haru dear… how was your break?" Toph said, flipping her black hair in his face. He caught it and began stroking it.
"No hot guys… none at all…" Haru replied. He let go of her hair, and then started in on Ty Lee's hair.
"Ty Lee… when have you ever not dressed fabulous?" Haru asked.
"I don't know, Haru-kins… where's Mai?" Ty Lee asked, looking behind first Toph, then Jet.
"I thought you two had broken up!" Jet said, his eye twitching.
"We have… but she called last night and sounded really, I don't know… but she wouldn't tell me what was wrong!"
Mai turned up right then and smacked both Ty Lee and Haru on the arms, "You didn't call… ALL break."
Jet giggled as the wrathful girl turned in on him, "You too," she growled.
"What the hell's the matter with you, Mai?" Toph growled back.
"I had a long night… I worried about all of you since you didn't call me, or e-mail me, or IM me…" Mai replied, looking down at the blind girl with a sudden sadness in her voice.
Aang suddenly came up from behind Toph and she turned to him.
"Darnit! I can't even sneak up on you you're so good!" Aang laughed.
"Don't start, Twinkle-Toes… I just woke up an hour ago…" Toph growled.
"Yeah… and you sleep like a rock," Haru replied, rolling his eyes.
"And you would know, how?" Toph asked.
"5th grade school lock-down, remember? Back when I was still straight as a nail?" Haru asked.
Toph and Aang shivered, "Don't I remember," they said at the same time.
They both giggled slightly and Aang turned to the clock, "Ooh… we better get to class, see you at Lunch, Toph!"
Toph nodded and rushed up the stairs, careful not to bump into any of the vibrations she felt, and the people who made them. Haru was right behind her.
ALGEBRA:
"Katara!"
"Toph!"
"You ready for another lesson from Mr. Pony Jock?"
"Did you just make that up?"
"Pretty much… let's hope he gets here late and we can leave in… 15 minutes…"
"So Sokka wouldn't leave for school? Or did your mom take the long route to his school?"
"Kinda both… Sokka forgot it was the first day back from break."
"Oooh… ten more minutes."
Just then Mr. Pony Jock entered the room.
"Dammit…" Katara and Toph muttered.
'Mr. Pony Jock' as Katara and Toph called him secretly from then on, was talking about the equations of lines. Katara laughed silently to her self.
Toph 'looked' over at her notes.
"What?" Toph asked, remembering she couldn't see.
"I can't tell if my line is straight or gay," Katara whispered, trying not to burst out laughing.
Toph shrugged, "I wouldn't know… you know, can't see, but it can't be more gay than Haru."
"True."
"What's true, Miz Katara?" Mr. Pony Jock asked.
"Nothing sir…" Katara replied, all seriousness.
When the man's back was turned again, Katara giggled, causing Toph to join her.
AFTER SCHOOL:
"Whoa… how is it that I don't have homework on the first day back?" Toph asked herself, remembering that she had done all her homework in her Study Hall, which was at the end of the day… at least for today. She laughed as she remembered Haru randomly singing into her microphone when she was dictating her English essay on her laptop. She had had to have him delete using his excellent eyesight and fingers… along with the magic of the delete button. She sighed and sat down at her desk, she then opened her book bag and took out her tape-recorder, which she used to take notes. She thought back to her first day of school, when her father had explained to all her teachers that she had to use a tape recorder for her notes, have her test taken orally, and she had to use her own laptop for the things she needed on the computer. She wondered if her dad would get sick of explaining things by the time she was in college. She clicked on the tape recorder. It was her German class.
"Also, Klasse, wie war Ihre Brechung?" the teacher asked.
(So, class, how was your break?)
"Fein, Frau Hutmen." The students told her, in bore tones.
(Fine, Ms. Hutmen.)
Outside the voices of her memory… and the tape, Toph giggled, remembering that Haru and Sokka were in that class, along with Katara, which always made things better. Zuko was two years older then them, a Junior to their lowly Freshman status, but Katara, Haru, Sokka and her always made jokes in German class when the teacher let them loose. She fast-forwarded to the funniest tidbit.
(This next bit is in German, but I'm too lazy to do the translation, so it's in English, so just pretend it's in German.)
"Freak!" Haru said, doing his Drama Queen talk-to-the-hand-flip-his-non-existent-long-locks gesture.
"Look who's talking, Haru," Sokka growled.
Katara and Toph cracked up.
"Sokka, Haru, stop!" Toph panted through fits of giggles.
"I… Can't… BREATHE!" Katara giggled, pounding the table.
"You could try desperately to sing Hannah Montana in German," Sokka replied, smiling mischievously.
"Wenn wir ein Film waren
Sie würden der richtige Kerl sein
Und ich würde der beste Freund sein
Dass Sie sich darin verlieben würden
Am Ende
Wir würden laughin' sein
Watchin' der Sonnenuntergang
Verwelken Sie zu schwarz
Zeigen Sie die Namen
Spiel dass glückliches Lied…" Haru and Sokka began, ignoring the looks they were getting.
(If we were a movie
You'd be the right guy
And I'd be the best friend
That you'd fall in love with
In the end
We'd be laughin'
Watchin' the sunset
Fade to black
Show the names
Play that happy song…)
Katara and Toph continued laughing.
Toph stopped the tape and hummed the song that was sung earlier. She heard the gongs of the grandfather clock downstairs. Only 4 o' clock.
"Well then… now what do I do?"
And then she began to daydream…
Toph was near an old castle. She was wearing slaves clothes, nothing more than a dirty frock and peasant's skirt. She was throwing out a pitcher of what looked like rotten milk. She twisted her face at the smell and went back inside. A bell rang.
"Toph! Are you deaf too? The prince is calling for you!" Zuko's voice rang in her ear. She smiled, he was the cook, and Katara was in charge of laundry, she herself was the servant to Prince Aang.
She walked the halls she remembered from all the recurring dreams of this place until she found the chamber where Prince Aang usually stayed in.
"There you are, Earth Kingdom Peasant… I require a feast for my friends. Can you tell that Fire Kingdom Cook to throw something together?"
Toph nodded as Momo crawled up to her.
"And get that filthy mutt out of my chambers! If I see him again I'm going to throw him out!"
Momo whined and jumped into Toph's arms.
She curtsied, "Yes, your Highness."
"And get your walking shoes together, we're going for a walk," Aang put in quietly, blushing. He held up a Luna Moth green dress, "I want you to… ummm… wear this."
Toph curtsied and took the dress. She turned around and went back to the kitchen. Katara and Zuko were waiting for her.
"The Prince is having company… he wants you to make a feast for them…" Toph said, 'looking' at Zuko, who nodded and got straight to work.
Toph 'looked' at Katara, "I'll need help getting into this dress…" she said, holding it up, "I might need some help with my hair, too."
Katara nodded and led her to the closet that served as Zuko, Katara and Toph's room.
Toph was whisked away from her daydream when the phone rang. She listened quietly as her father answered it this time. She heard footsteps on the stairs and a knock on her door.
"Honey, it's Katara!"
Toph opened the door and took the phone. She thanked her dad as he started down the stairs. She closed her door again.
"Aren't you jazzed that YOU finished your homework in study hall? On the first day back?" Katara asked immediately.
"Thrilled," Toph replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"What's wrong?"
"I was just in a trance."
"Were you having that castle daydream again?"
"Yeah, and Aang and I were about to go on a romantic walk together! You even needed to help me with the dress he gave me!"
"Oh, goodie… Air and Earth… wait, what about Zuko?"
"He had to cook dinner for a bunch of Aang's friends."
"And me?"
"… Just to help me with my dress… I guess."
"Anyway… " she paused, getting her thoughts back on track, "Is it just me, or is Mr. C really mad at us?"
"It's because we had a power outage right on the day we had his Final, he'll get over it."
"Yeah… but what about Biology… was that fun or what?"
"Yeah, Katara, looking at DNA under a microscope is really appealing," Toph replied, the sarcasm again in her voice.
"I thought Biology was your favorite subject!"
"It is, its just labs aren't really my forte."
"But your lab partner was Sokka! Didn't he drink cactus juice right before hand?"
"No… he does that before Lunch Improv, it wore off before Biology. How about that German class?"
"I died and was resurrected by my Prince Charming." Katara replied.
"I can almost HEAR you sticking your tongue out at me…"
"Oh… I forgot… your knight in shining armor hasn't exactly said he's totally in love with you…" Katara replied.
"It's okay… he's really only my best friend…"
Katara softly began to sing, "Wish I could tell you there's a twist
Some kind of hero in disguise
When we're together
It's for real
No playin'
Wish I could tell you there's a kiss
Like somethin' more than in my mind
I see it
Could be amazing…"
"Oh… shut up…" Toph growled, "Like I could ever tell him."
"But I could, and Haru could, and Ty Lee, or Mai, or Jet, or even Sokka could tell him… and then you could be whisked off to that little castle in you fantasies..."
"No."
"Too bad… listen, I've got to get ready for a date with Zuko, so you get back to that daydream."
"Thank you!" Toph cried, pretending to be relieved.
Katara chuckled as both girls hung up, and Toph once again began staring off into space.
When Katara and Toph came out of the closet sized room again, Toph was sure by the sound of Zuko gasping that she was, at last, beautiful.
"Is it just me, or does Aang seem to dote on you?" Zuko asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Toph replied, "I'm his servant, end of story."
"Then why does he want you to look nice for a walk in the gardens?" Katara asked.
Toph shrugged just as the bell rang again. Toph sighed and handed Momo to Katara. She then walked carefully up the stairs to Aang chamber again.
"You look breathtaking, Toph," Aang commented.
Toph felt her self flush, and she curtsied, 'looking' at her feet so he wouldn't see her red face.
"Well… shall we?" he asked, walking up to her and taking her arm.
The air outside the castle was warm and damp. Toph kept her eyes dead ahead, even though she could not see. Katara had taken her out one early morning before the Prince had woken and picked flowers with her. As Toph handled each flower her friend picked, Katara would tell her the name, while Toph delicately touched it all over. Toph knew her way around the garden like she knew her own name: Perfectly. She silently thanked her Daydream Katara.
"So… it's beautiful out, today, isn't it?" Aang asked, trying to make conversation.
"It would be, if I could see," Toph replied, a growl underneath her words.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put it that way,' Aang said, as Toph began to turn and walk away. He grabbed her hand. It was warm against her cold fingertips.
She blushed again as he turned her forward again.
"It's… it's okay," Toph said with difficulty.
"I'm glad you came with me out here," Aang said.
"Like I had a choice," Toph growled again.
Toph felt him look at her, "You did…"
"Your Highness… I am a slave and you are my master. I have no choice."
"I'm sorry I'm so mean to you and your friends… it's really just an act."
"But… your parents died, you don't have to act anymore!"
"But I am not King yet, I have to play by my father's rules until I am King, and that means I have to be mean to you, and that Fire Kingdom cook, and that Water Kingdom washer woman… and your Earth Kingdom gardener friend… and the two Fire Kingdom entertainers-- " Aang replied.
"You mean, when you come of age you'll stop this charade?" Toph interrupted.
"No… when I marry," he said. She didn't know how, but she felt him look at her with a look of longing.
Toph blushed.
"Prince Aang! Toph!" Haru's voice shrieked. He was the gardener in this daydream.
"Toph!" Toph was jolted out of her daydream again by her father's voice from downstairs, "I need you to look at something!"
Toph sighed and started down the stairs, yelling, "Can't see, knucklehead!"
"Fine! HEAR something! It's another song for the musical I'm writing…"
Oh, great… Toph thought, rolling her non-seeing eyes.
A/N: And here we are! See you next time!
Riku