Nickelodeon owns all rights to Avatar: the Last Airbender. I don't claim to own them. This work is not intended for any form of profit and has been written without permission.
First of all, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of you who so enthusiastically reviewed my first chapter. You guys were a big, big motivation for me to actually get this done and up on the site, so thanks a bunch for the kind and encouraging words. Also, I do apologize for the length of time it took for me to get this finished; I've just been incredibly busy with schoolwork lately, and yes, I know that's a horrible excuse. So to anyone who's still reading: Thanks for sticking it out with me!
Moving right along, here's the second chapter of the story, more or less picking up where the previous one left off. I was going to make a comment about the blatant Tokka-ness running rampant through Sokka's Master (I started writing this chapter around the time of its premier), but that's old news by now. So anyways, here's a belated Turkey Day present for all of you! I know, it's almost exclusively a Toph/Sokka chapter, but hey, that's more or less what I set out to do in the first place. I hope you enjoy reading as I did writing.
--------
Chapter 2: The Gift
"…And he starts complaining about his dinner," the blind earthbender was saying. "So I slapped him!"
Sokka laughed easily, not really able to remember the last time he'd had a chance to exchange stories with Toph. In truth, however, he didn't think he'd ever done it. Nevertheless, it provided an interesting trek back to camp as she began talking about one instance when she'd passed herself off as a senior citizen for a day and had entered Earth Rumble IV under the guise.
"There it is," Sokka interrupted, pointing ahead as their clearing came into view.
"Oh, right." Toph broke off her story long enough to concentrate for a moment. "Not a lot of vibrations though—it seems quiet."
Sokka paused. "I don't see Aang or my sister anywhere."
Toph shook her head. "Oh, they're around—I can feel them, at least."
The moment the two entered the clearing, though, the place erupted into a commotion. Aang and Katara—more so Katara—leapt out in front of the two, big grins plastered across both their faces.
"Surprise!" they cried, shocking the daylights out of both Sokka and Toph. They parted to reveal a wondrous scene behind them—a roaring campfire had been lit, along with several makeshift lanterns strung across the clearing from some nearby trees, putting the starlight to shame. "Happy birthday, Toph!"
"Wha-?" Sokka was just as confused as Toph was. Oh, blubber…it's her birthday? I completely forgot! Nice going, genius…
Toph said nothing for the longest time. For a moment Sokka thought that she would reject them, calling them all idiots and storming off to find solitude in the form of her handcrafted earth tent. But to everyone's surprise, even Aang and Katara's, she was lost for words. She simply stood there, taking it all in, searching for the right words to express herself, to tell how she felt.
She didn't need to.
Her smile and her embrace did it all for her.
--------
What an odd feeling, Sokka mused as he lay on his back, gazing up toward the heavens. Not too long ago he'd been in a death grip struggling for his life. But now, as night had fallen, the stars had seemed to have aligned themselves in that ever-so-perfect perfect arrangement, mapping out the cosmos in a manner that would have made Professor Zei jealous. The absurd contrast in mood almost made him laugh. That incident seemed so long ago, so distant now, like a nightmare forgotten upon one's awakening. I wonder what I've awoken to, the warrior thought. He continued to gaze toward the stars, searching for the answer he knew they held. But they were agonizingly silent, like they always were. They didn't give up their secrets easily; one had to take a long, eternal journey to hear all they had to say, and once you got there, you didn't come back very readily. It was a journey Sokka didn't plan on taking for a long time. One day, he figured, he'd know the answer. But right now all he had were the stars. And even though they remained silent as ever, they were good enough for him.
Is this what I've learned from this adventure? he wondered. He realized now that he'd never have paid any attention to something like the stars before Aang came along. Insignificant points of light, millions of miles out of any man's reach. Who really cared? But maybe that's exactly what he'd learned. He now listened to the world, his surroundings. And the world spoke to him, in a way he'd never before fathomed.
"Hey there, Snoozles."
Sokka didn't stir for a moment; Toph's greeting barely hitting him. But after a few seconds he got up, pulling himself into a cross-legged sitting position. He smiled as the small earthbender sat down next to him. "What's on your mind, Toph?"
The girl shrugged passively as a warm breeze blew gently through. "I guess I wanted to say thank you."
Sokka cocked his head a little bit in curiosity, though he knew Toph couldn't see it. "Really? For what? I should be the one thanking you, you know."
Toph dismissed that thought with a wave of her tiny hand. "That was nothing. I didn't even break a sweat with that guy, though I could see the same couldn't be said for you."
The warrior grinned sheepishly. "Yeah well…"
Toph continued. "I just wanted to say thank you for being my friend. For everything. For this celebration. You guys didn't have to, you know."
Sokka was going to tell her how he hadn't had anything to do with it and that he'd been as surprised as she, but he decided against it. But something else bothered him. "You don't need to thank anyone Toph…but why are you telling me this?"
The girl fell silent for a long while, and Sokka started to wonder if perhaps he'd said something offensive. He was just about to change the subject and ask what she thought about stars when Toph spoke up just as he realized that it would have been an incredibly stupid question. "You're the only one I can talk to."
That one took him by surprise. Even the trees seemed confused by this statement; their voices had gone silent as the wind died down. Now the long, awkward silence hung over them like a healthy coating of Appa's fur, threatening to suffocate the both of them if they let it. Sokka cleared his throat. "What do you mean? You can talk to Aang or—"
"No, I can't." Toph sighed. "What I mean is you're the only one who really listens to me. I mean, they listen, but not really. They're too wrapped up in staring into each others eyes. You listen to me the same way I listen to the earth."
For this first time in his life, Sokka found that he was without words. No sarcasm. No snappy comeback. Besides, he was pretty sure that wasn't what Toph was looking for. Instead, his head was screaming at him to do something else. Something impulsive, instinctive. The kind of thing that got you killed in a fight. So naturally, he reached into his tunic and pulled out the first thing that came to his mind.
"This is for you," Sokka said a little shakily. "I wanted you to have it. It's your birthday gift." And in his palm he held out the emerald bracelet. "I know you can't see it, but it goes with your shirt." Oh, that was good…
Slowly, tentatively, like a hibernating tiger-bear crawling cautiously out of its protective den for the first time in months, a small hand settled into the warrior's palm and grasped the object, feeling its smooth, cool edges and metallic exterior. And clear and bright as the sun on a cloudless spring morning, her face slowly but surely molded into a smile as she said, Is…is this a bracelet?" Truthfully, she wasn't much into jewelry. But for some reason, the fact that it came from Sokka made it better by an order of magnitude.
Sokka merely nodded, which he realized she couldn't see, but Toph took his silence as an affirmation. "Thank you," she stammered, slipping it onto her wrist. "I guess it'll go with that meteorite you gave me a while back."
He almost forgotten about that. The bracelet now sat upon her right wrist, while the space-earth was wrapped around her left arm, complimenting each other. He was about to shrug it off, say it was no problem, when he felt her little arms embrace his midsection in a tight hug.
And for the longest time, they sat there, connected by their newfound bond. They had been good friends before, but now there was more, a new level of understanding present, one that couldn't be described on any tangible level. One that no human could ever see.
Sokka wondered what had happened. Had it been the right thing to do? Toph's embrace seemed to argue in favor. The wind picked back up, and the trees resumed their gentle song.
He smiled. They didn't seem to mind either.
--------
"Where have you two been?" Katara's inquiry seemed like nails against a rough slate in contrast to the peaceful time Sokka and Toph had spent on the outskirts of camp.
For a moment Sokka pretended not to hear her, hoping she'd let this one go for once. No such luck.
"Well?" she demanded? "I was worried about you!"
"Give it a rest, Sweetness," Toph retorted. "It's my birthday, remember? Let's take it easy for once."
"I know that, but still—"
"And more to the point," Toph continued, cutting through Katara's tirade like Zuko through all barriers of common sense, "how did you know it was my birthday anyway?"
"They went through your stuff," Sokka blurted out, remembering a few days back when he'd seen Katara looking through the earthbender's belongings while she'd been out training. His sister had refused to reveal her intentions then, but now they were clear as Toph's eyes.
Wait…what? That was odd… He could have sworn a moment ago that he'd seen Toph's mischievous eyes clear as day, colored a deep emerald hue. But now that he looked again they were normal once more, cloudy as the sky in the midst of a thunderstorm.
"Sokka!" Katara protested, but Toph cut her off quickly. "Don't worry about it Katara. Just…don't do it again!" And quick as lightning, she flicked her heel and sent Katara sprawling face first onto the ground with a squeal.
Before Sokka could interject on his sister's behalf (which wasn't something he did very often), Toph cut in, "Just kidding Sweetness. Thanks." And in a move that stunned all of them, even Aang, who up until now had been sitting silent on a nearby boulder, she reached up on tip-toes and kissed Sokka on the cheek. "'Night Snoozles." And without another word, she crafted herself a tent and retired for the night.
Katara was so dumbstruck that she hadn't bothered to pick herself up off of the ground yet. She simply stared up at her brother in what appeared to be something in the area of horrified shock. "What was that all about?"
But Sokka wouldn't hear anymore. With an odd grin on his face, he excused himself and followed Toph's lead.
--------
The warrior ran. He wasn't quite sure why he ran; all he knew was that a great, powerful force pursued him. And all of a sudden, like a great, waking spirit, the earth shifted beneath him. He felt his foot catch as the earth swallowed it whole. Felt his ankle snap as momentum carried him forward and down on to the ground. He opened his mouth to scream in agony but no sound came out. The earth seemed to laugh at him as he struggled feebly, held down by his ruined appendage. He could feel the force draw closer. And that was when he knew he would die.
He turned his head just enough to see behind him. And then his vision was filled by a blinding flash of green light. And then the earth opened up entirely.
And he fell. He cried as he fell, not because of his inevitable death, but because of what he'd seen. Because of who he'd seen. He refused to believe it. But it was true.
This couldn't be the end. She wouldn't…
--------
Sokka awoke suddenly with a cold sweat. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he'd been to the Spirit World and back. His head spun as he tried to remember what sort of dream he'd had. It eluded him, like some crazy little kid who wanted to play tag. He was it. The dream was running from him.
Something caught his eye that made him glance upward. The light. The sun shone through the flaps of his tent, blinding him momentarily. It was morning.
He smiled as the sunlight embraced him and washed away his earlier apprehension. That was then. Now it was a new day.
Like a nightmare forgotten upon one's awakening.
--------
A/N: Yeah, I apologize for the length, but this was the logical ending point. I think the next chapter should be longer, so hopefully it'll be more satisfying to those of you who wanted a somewhat lengthier installment. Anyways, now I'm off to watch the Day of Black Sun premier. Extremely excited. Can't type in proper sentences anymore. Potential one-shot alert!
