A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! For those I couldn't respond to, thank you! And JC, that is a good idea, but I don't know the naruto world well enough to do a crossover. Maybe you could write it. Well, Day 2! And don't forget to Review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

Day 2: Burned

She was still mad at him. He had burned her feet, her way of seeing the world, but he was doing everything in his power to make it up to her. Since he had returned with Aang from seeing the dragons and finding his fire again, he seemed more confident, and Toph loved watching him any way she could. He wasn't as mean as everyone had made him out to be, but it seemed he had changed a lot since they had all met.

"Hey Princess!" she called and smiled as she felt him wince at the nickname. "Bring me a glass of water!"

She heard him sigh and then a glass was in her hand.

"Can you please stop that?" he growled in a low tone.

"Nope," she replied, smiling sweetly up towards his voice. She took a sip and sighed at how cool and crisp the water was. He always got the best for her. "Now sit down and give me a backrub," Toph ordered.

She heard him give a frustrated sigh before she felt him move behind her and then his large, warm hands started rubbing her back expertly. She became more comfortable and leaned into his touch as he worked on a few knots.

"How long am I going to have to do this?" he asked.

"Until I say for you to stop. You're the one who burned me, remember?"

She heard him nod and she placed a hand on the ground, feeling his pulse and was sure he was sad about being reminded about that.

"I heard you were burned too," Toph said when he shifted to rub her lower back.

He stopped for a second before his hands continued again. "Yeah," he whispered.

"Bet you'd love them to do for you what you have to do for me," Toph teased.

He was silent for a minute, but continued to rub her back and moved back up to her shoulders. "No, I wouldn't," he finally said.

"Why not?" Toph asked, curious.

"It was worse," Zuko stated. "And he only wants to see me dead. The only thing I want from him is for Aang to stop him."

"Oh," Toph said, realizing Zuko was talking about his father, the dreaded Fire Lord Ozai.

"What happened?" she asked and he seemed to get confused. "I mean, how did you get burned?"

"I spoke out against him," Zuko said in a low tone. "Against his general's plan in his war room. And so I had to fight in an Agni Kai, a fire duel."

He drifted off into silence and his hands stopped and Toph just leaned back against him as she waited for him to continue. Zuko was so tense, and she also felt him trembling slightly. She reached to either side of him and picked up his hands with hers, feeling the calluses on them and placing them against her hands, comparing the sizes.

Zuko sighed before continuing. "I didn't know I had to face him, and when he appeared, I tried to beg forgiveness."

"It didn't work," Toph stated sadly and heard and felt Zuko nod, some of his hair brushing against her head.

"He told me that I needed to learn respect and suffering would be my teacher. As I looked up into his face, he blasted it."

"Can I see it?" Toph asked.

She felt him stiffen. "I guess," he said hesitantly.

Toph placed her left hand in his, palm up and he lifted his hand to his face and Toph felt the scar. She moved her fingers around gently and traced his scar, finding that it went to his ear. She felt him shift uncomfortably as her fingers moved behind his ear and she played with some of his hair before dropping her hand.

"Thanks," she sighed and just leaned back against him.

"Ok…uh, anything else you need?" Zuko asked her awkwardly.

"Nope, just stay where you are," Toph sighed, happy that he had let her feel his scar. "You're nice and warm. I like this."

He nodded and then seemed to relax as she leaned against his chest.

"You know, scars aren't something to be ashamed of," Toph said after a while. Zuko tensed and she laughed lightly. "I'll be proud to show off my feet as soon as they heal, saying to my kids one day, 'Look, I stood up to the prince of the Fire Nation, and now I have these scars from where he burned me'."

"Yeah, and I have the bruise and a scar from where your rock hit me in my chest," Zuko said with a small smile. "I'll be able to show that I stood up to the great Toph Bei Fong, master earthbender."

She was shocked that he was starting to smile and joke with her and relaxed further into him, enjoying getting to know the moody firebender. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, let alone him, but she was starting to like him. As she leaned against him and they talked more, Toph found she liked being burned by Zuko. The pain had been worth it to get to know him as she was. And it was nice to confide in someone who understood her as much as she understood him.