Ok. This is my first official story on ! Booyah!

Anywho, brief summary for the people who need another one: Katara and Sokka didn't release Aang from the iceberg (although they DO come in the story later); Aang got out by himself. Aang left the air temple when he was eight, not twelve. Toph is also eight. The Fire Nation had already overtaken Ba Sing Se and the North Pole, and Yue lives. Zuko has his scar, but wasn't banished. I THINK that's all the basic info…

AGES! Right now, Aang and Toph are eight, Katara, Azula, Ty lee, and Mai are ten, Sokka, Zuko, Yue, and Suki are twelve.

Coolness. Lights! *turns on flashlight*Camera! *turns on phone* Action!

Toph knew someone was down in the kitchen.

Even high up in her vast and finely decorated room, the fact was distinguishable enough to prod the young earthbender from her heavy sleep.

Now, due to the fact she had never left this prison of a home, she was able to mesmerize the foot patterns of each servant and maid in this house. Tai the cook walked with a limp. Kichu, Toph's personal maid, had feet as heavy as boulders. Her own mother had a little spring in the back of her heels with every step she took. Everyone was recognizable and accounted for. But not this pair of feet. They were light and agile, similar to a little girl. Was another stray breaking into her house?

Fully awake with only the company of her untamable adrenaline, the young child leapt from the warmth of her plush bed and onto the soft texture of her satin rug. Living in a world of wealth and grand décor, everything that Toph owned was encrusted with jewels or stitched with silk; even her pajamas alone had more value than most of the locals' income. Toph, too young to care about others, didn't find this fact odd. All she knew was that many people were jealous of her family's money, and some even tried to steal from them in the past.

Is this intruder a thief? Toph thought excitedly to herself. She had never encountered a thief before, but she had always expected one's footsteps to walk less like a rabbitmole. Puzzled, Toph concentrated intently on the light footsteps that danced around the kitchen before disappearing from her extraordinary, yet limited sight.

Wait, they disappeared?

It's not like the mysterious figure ran out of the house, for Toph would still be able to see him run away. But that was not the case; the feet that stood in her kitchen only moments ago had completely vanished. Almost as if they were washed away. Dumbstruck, Toph mulled over the possibilities. Maybe the intruder could fly? No, humans can't fly. Or, at least, the raven-haired girl had never met a human who could fly. Was the intruder a ghost? That couldn't possibly be true. Toph wasn't even sure that ghosts had legs.

Suddenly, Toph was ripped from her thoughts. The feet are back! Just a few paces away from where they stood before. Not wasting a moment longer, Toph spirited out of her room, cautious to avoid making a racket. Her eight-year-old legs carried through the series of hallways and miles of stairs. Toph had rarely gone into the kitchen, due to the fact that the cooks don't want a child running around, causing a rampage. They especially don't want a blind child inside. Aside from the servants needs, her mother and father try and keep her out of there as much as possible. "We don't want our child anywhere near knives or anything pointy!" her mother would say, looking faint, while her father nodded grimly in the background.

But no one would have to know about tonight. Just one peek at the stranger, and then she could go tell her parents that she heard a noise from the kitchen, and was scared. They always seemed to believe that.

Toph had reached the entrance of the kitchen, contemplating the situation at hand. The person stood at the opposite side of the kitchen, scurrying back and forth before pausing frequently. But now that Toph had arrived at the door, seeing the stranger was remarkably easier. The intruder was surprisingly small; describing both height and size. Not a very imposing figure. In fact, the more Toph studied this stranger, her nerves turned to anger. How did this boy break into my house?

The boy yelped in shock, resulting in the stolen food he carried to crash on the floor. He scrambled into an unusual fighting stance, as if he expected to be attacked. Now, Toph had participated in a few of Master Yu's earthbending lessons, much to her parents' horror, and she was very familiar with the wide, firm stance the use in the Earth Kingdom. But this position was odd. The boy's body faced forward, with both hands placed in front of his chest. His right arm hovered slightly higher and farther in comparison to his left; he stared at her, waiting for Toph to strike.

He doesn't want to fight, Toph realized. His stance is clearly for defense and avoidance; airy and loose, quite unlike an earthbenders' strong and powerful demeanor. This stranger was indeed, strange.

And he hardly appeared older than her. Even though Toph lacked the ability to discern facial appearances, she had taught herself how to read body for its age, demeanor, and physical aptitudes. And now that they faced each other, the young girl had no problem guessing why his footsteps were so light. His body was built almost like a bird; thin and scrawny, like you could almost blow him away if you tried. His feet seemed to barely be touching the ground, balancing on the tips of his toes, with his heels hovering in the air. He's almost like a fairy, she thought to herself before giggling spontaneously.

Dumbstruck, the boy lowered his arms by a fraction. Blushing, he asked, "What's so funny?"

"Your feet!" she spluttered before cracking up all over again at his expression. The boy in question was very confused, utterly baffled by her response. He peered down at his feet. They seemed normal to him; although his shoes were slightly beat up. But whatever was odd about his feet, the pale girl was making fun of him for it.

Embarrassed, the boy demanded, "What's wrong with my feet?"

"Are you kidding? You're so light and fluttery! How do you walk like that?" Toph asked innocently, oblivious to the boys' growing discomfort. "It's like you're a little, twinkling cloud."

While Toph's giggles transformed into unladylike snorts, the boy found that maintaining a straight face was growing harder. Grinning uncertainly, the boy said, "You're crazy."

"I'm crazy?" Toph laughed, "I'm not the one who breaks into other people's houses."

The boy's smile completely melted away, leaving only a look of shame. "I haven't broken into multiple houses," He muttered to his shoes, "just this one."

Toph rolled her sightless eyes, "You know, most normal people haven't stolen anything in their entire lives. What makes you special?"

"I wasn't stealing!" the boy cried indignantly, loud enough to wake the entire house. Toph shushed him impatiently, resulting in his voice to drop a dynamic. "I'm sorry I came here, this has been a big mistake." The child apologized. Spinning on his heel, he headed for the window above the sink. "It was nice meeting you."

"Where are you going?" Toph asked curiously.

The boy turned around and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know. I just need to find a place to sleep, I guess. It's not a problem." He claimed indifferently. Hoisting himself onto the counter, he faced the window, "I'm used to it."

But Tophs' acute hearing told otherwise. She heard the lack of sleep in his voice when he spoke, covered by layers of forced energy. She felt his stomach growling painstakingly, making Toph feel faint guilt. The majority of the people in the Earth Kingdom haven't eaten as well ever since Sozins Comet edged the Fire Nation into control. Yet the Bei Fong family never encountered this problem, being the wealthiest family in the world; they always had food on their plates. Toph never realized a kid her age would be in poverty. She could hardly imagine living all alone; having to rummage in the dumps for food and sleep in the rain. It must be awful for this kid. How long has it been since he had eaten real food?

Then again, why would she care? She could hardly say that she knows this boy; she doesn't even know his name. Her mother and father tell her that people who can't pull themselves up by their bootstraps aren't worth protecting. They never try to fix anything for themselves, even when they get the chance, so why should she help people like him?

And taking into consideration that he just broke into her house…

The boy's leg hovered halfway out of the window, about to disappear into the dark.

"Wait!" Toph blurted suddenly, surprising both the boy and herself. The boy cocked his head to glance at her, eyebrows raised hopefully and innocently.

Toph grumbled some unladylike words. Mother and Father are going to punish me for this. "You want something to eat?" she asked hesitantly, hoping that she didn't sound too grudging.

On the receiving end, however, the boy was dumbstruck. He couldn't believe that this girl found him inside her house and then wanted to feed him. He couldn't even define in words how much this meant to him. He shifted his leg inside and stared at her. She's definitely more than meets the eye. I didn't expect this at all.

Trying not to show his increasing desire for food, he tried to remember his manners, "If that's alright with you. I don't want to be a burden." He said quietly.

Toph waved her hand dismissively, "We have enough food to feed an army of gopher bears. I'm sure we can give some food to a scrawny kid."

The boy laughed cheekily, "I'm not scrawny!" he cried with false outrage. Suddenly, the boy vanished from Tophs vision for a heartbeat, only to reappear in front of her; clearly, he jumped of the counter.

Toph cocked an eyebrow, grinning. "Well, if you aren't scrawny, then what are you?"

"Hungry."

"Nice to meet you, Hungry."

"My names not hungry!" The boy laughed brightly. His laugh was childish and merry; almost contagious. Toph found herself liking this boy more by the minute. Then again, it's not like she had many kids her age to play with. Her parents were very keen on whom she had playdates with, and they were always supervised. Not only were the kids stiff and distant, they acted like they were still sitting at the dinner table. Not this kid, however. He was something Toph had never encountered before; someone with no rules or restrictions.

Graciously, the boy reached out his hand. "I'm Aang."

Hesitating for only a moment, Toph followed the suit, "I'm Toph."

Grinning, they let go of each other. "Come on," Toph said as she walked to the storage, "let's get that food."

And thus, it began.

Trust me, more will be revealed in later chapters. You'll see them grow and fight (as long as inspiration stays with me -_-)

Comments, Critism, Pointers; I don't care. Reviews boost confidence to write (and if you don't review, I'll shoot!)