Earth

Rigid and Hard

Solid and Sturdy

The element that supports the weight of thousands of beings.

And yet, despite its hard demeanor, it's soft and gentle

For it is earth that brings us life

And it is spring that brings us new beginnings.

Spring; it was a season that many enjoyed. The sun shines brilliantly, brightly over grass that is green and full, over flowers that are blooming. It truly is a beautiful time of the year, refreshing and new. Toph, however, never saw spring this way. Being born blind had prevented her from seeing anything, any of the joys that came with spring. But that didn't mean she couldn't feel it.

In her own way, she loved spring as well. She felt the warmth from the sun on her, breathed deeply the cool, crisp air. She could smell all the new plants wet from the newly fallen rain. She could hear all the life buzzing around her, and could feel them moving with the use of her earthbending. It was an extension of her senses and a way to help her see.

It was her earthbending that helped her move through the city of Gaoling, her hometown. If she could not feel the vibrations in the earth, she would not be able to move as easily as she did. But now, after having used this skill for so long, walking, fighting, anything was as easy to her now as breathing.

She exited the city, walking along the outskirts. It was a more secluded location, and since the city is located in the mountains, it was an almost dangerous one. But Toph knew she was a powerful earthbender, and she felt no fear, not even the slightest worry.

She had no intentions; there was no where she wanted to go. She just felt the need to get out, get into the open air. Why was it always such a chore to visit her parents? The war was over now; had been for quite some time. They had seen her bend, they had heard all the stories about how great she was, and still they found her weak…helpless. It was infuriating.

She knew they were her parents, they loved her, but she couldn't believe that they still didn't think she could take care of herself. She argued, she told them everything that happened during the war, everything that she could do. Yes there were some close calls, but she lived, and helped restore peace to the nation. She had explained this only moments ago, and they wanted to hear none of it. She stormed out of the palace in a rage, trembling the earth as she went. But now, after having some time to cool off, she was calm, and the only thing she was using earthbending for now, was to see. And she saw something.

She felt the earth moving, and a rapid heartbeat. Was someone in trouble? She raced toward the source, the vibrations hitting her harder, and a scream piercing through the air, confirming her thoughts. Someone did need help.

"Is someone there?" she called, trying to get an exact location.

"Help!" the voice was male, sounded young, but strained from pain. "Please!"

She followed her feet, and landed in the location feeling earth trapping a young man. He was pretty deep in the earth, and badly wounded. She could smell the blood.

"What happened?" she asked, raising her arms, ready to move the earth off of him.

"Hurry, go get someone who can help!" the man said.

Toph lowered her arms slightly. "…what? Someone is here to help you, I can get you out."

"Please lady," the man gasped. "Just go find someone strong, who can earthbend! The rocks are too heavy to lift!"

Toph hesitated, arms at her side now. This man was in trouble, almost dying, and yet he still didn't want the help that she could give. She had left the palace to escape from this kind of treatment, just to fall right back into it. She considered leaving him; after all, he did want someone stronger to save him. But this thought only lasted for a moment, no longer. After being involved in the war, she could never leave a person behind, no matter how rude they were. She turned back towards him and raised her arms in a familiar pattern, and motion, moving the rocks off of him with ease and throwing them back over the mountain where they once were.

She was surprised that the man had not said anything else, but then realized he had passed out. Toph could feel him lying motionless on the ground, yet the pulse was still clear. He was not dead; for now. But the smell of blood seemed to surround the air, thickening it. He must be hurt worse than she thought. She had to hurry and get him help. Using the patch of earth that he laid on, she lifted him up and started the path back to the palace.


A young man woke to darkness, and it took him a moment to realize that he simply had not opened his eyes yet. When he did, the world was brighter than he expected. He squinted in reaction to the light. As his vision cleared, he found himself in a white room, with large windows on the other side, opened to allow sunlight to creep in. He was lying on white, comfortable sheets and his whole body, he discovered, was bandaged. He suddenly noticed a woman near the opposite end of the room filling a glass with water. She appeared to be a nurse, and she walked over with the glass and a warm smile, making him believe his assumption to be correct.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently, handing him the glass. The water was cool and refreshing; the man didn't realize how much his throat had been burning until the water touched it.

"I'm okay." When he spoke, his voice was raspy; he cleared his throat and drank more water before trying again. "Where am I?" he asked the woman.

"You are in the hospital wing of the Bei Fong palace," the woman said simply, taking his glass and refilling it with water.

A palace? Bei Fong? Why does that name sound familiar?

He racked his brain, not just trying to figure out the familiarity of the name but also how he ended up here, how he got so wounded. And then it came back to him, his fall, the rock crushing his body, and the woman…it was fuzzy.

"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked the nurse, who placed gave the newly refilled glass back to him.

"Sure," she said, and then looked at him curiously. "You don't remember anything?"

"Not really…it's not that clear…" he furrowed his brows, trying to remember, but nothing would come. She he looked at the woman, waiting for her to speak.

"That's understandable; you were knocked out cold when Toph brought you here a few days ago."

"Toph?"

"Yes, she said she found you trapped underneath many great rocks. So she used earthbending to get you out and bring you here."

The realization slowly dawned on him. That was who had saved him? Toph Bei Fong? It was amazing how many in the earth kingdom thought the Bei Fong family to be childless. But over the years, this was greatly proved wrong. He had heard all kinds of stories about Toph, how she was a powerful earthbender, even capable of bending metal. He heard the stories about her helping to take down numerous fire nation air ships.

And the things he said to her…he had no idea that it was her. He suddenly felt incredibly guilty, and foolish. He doubted one of the most powerful earthbenders in the world. But she didn't appear to be! How is it that he had only heard stories and never seen a picture, never heard a physical description. All this time, he imagined someone strong, not a woman who looked delicate, almost his own age. So absorbed in his guilt, he was slightly startled when the nurse spoke again.

"Well hope that helps."

The man regained composure, and smiled at her. "It does, thank you."

She bowed and turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" the man called, stopping her. She turned and faced him once more, with a polite, "Yes?"

"Where can I find Toph?" He had to apologize, to thank her. But this plan vanished when he saw the woman's face change.

"I'm sorry but I'm not sure if she's still here. She's leaving to go on a mission with the avatar."

The man looked down at his white sheets. "Okay, thank you," he murmured. He knew he should just give up, but there was just something about this girl. He wanted to see her…not just because she was "famous" but for another reason that he just couldn't quite place. With pain shooting through him, and his body greatly resisting, he slowly moved, trying to get himself out of bed.


Toph rummaged through the wreck that was her room. It wasn't until she lost things that she felt truly blind. Unlike people, her possessions didn't have a pulse, and sometimes it was almost impossible for her to locate them. She dug through her things, looking for her bracelet. It was one of the few things that she treasured most; not just because it was made from a meteorite, but also because someone she cared about gave it to her.

After what felt like an eternity, she felt the material that could only belong to that of her bracelet, and sighed with relief. Now, having everything she needed, she grabbed her bag and left the room, intending to go outside and wait for her friends. They had a mission to complete, and they graciously offered to pick her up.

She wandered through the halls, using her earthbending to sense any other form of life around her. She felt nothing until she made it outside, the vibrations of the animals that made their homes out there greeting her. She inhaled deeply; she couldn't see, but she could feel that it was a beautiful day.

Suddenly a sound interrupted it. It sounded as if a large stick was colliding with the ground, muffled slightly when it hit the grass. But that didn't stop her from hearing it, and the ragged breathing of the person supporting it. Someone must be using that stick to get around, and that someone was coming closer to her.

"Toph!"

The familiar voice of the person told her who it was. This was the man she rescued, and she couldn't help wondering why he was still here, and more so, why was he calling her? Blowing her bangs out of her face, her normal quirk, she halted, and could feel him approaching her.

"I'm glad I caught you," the man said, in a breathy voice. "The nurse said you might have already left."

"Yeah, here I am," Toph said with a slight shrug. "What do you want?" she asked in a blunt tone. The past couple days did not make her forget his initial rudeness.

As if reading her thoughts, the man said, "Well…I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you."

Toph frowned, remembering his words from that day. "From what I recall, you didn't want my help."

Toph couldn't see the man's expression, but she could feel the slight increase in his heart beat. He felt guilty, and she knew it. It softened her, but only slightly. Judging from her appearance on the outside, he never would have guessed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't realize who you were."

"What made you come to your senses?" she asked, folding her arms.

"A nurse told me. I couldn't believe it when I heard the amazing Toph Bei Fong saved my life!"

Toph smiled and raised an eyebrow. Amazing huh?

"Anyway, I just wanted to apologize…and to say thanks."

"No problem," she said more hesitantly than she intended. "So you seem to be moving around okay." She observed, changing the subject.

The man initially nodded, then noticing her eyes, spoke. "Yes. The injuries were not too bad."

"Why were you out there anyway?" Toph asked. Not too many people wandered to the outskirts of the earth kingdom, knowing the ground was so unsteady.

Instead of answering her, the man said something else, almost startling Toph with the suddenness of his voice.

"Look!"

She could feel him moving away now, using the stick almost clumsily. In a moment, he returned, with from what Toph guessed, something in his hand. "I mean, I know your blind, but this was what I was looking for on the day I fell."

He placed something in her hand. At first, all she could feel was the soft earth, but as her other hand explored, the felt the stem and the petals. It was a very rare flower, one that helps to cure diseases. Her parents, being rich, always had them growing around here. But anywhere else, it was nearly impossible to find.

"I saw a few of them over by where I was," the man continued. "But I couldn't reach it and I slipped. I wanted them for my father; he's…he's very ill."

Toph continued to touch the flower, almost mesmerized by the softness of it.

"I guess, now you've saved both my life and his. There's no way I can thank you enough."

She felt his hand cover hers, his fingers mixing with the earth just as hers did. She could feel the increase of his heart, and she hoped he couldn't feel hers increasing with his. What was happening?

"I love spring," he murmured. "Softens the earth just enough to create such beauty."

Toph stayed silent, and looked up, almost wanting to see him, yet still, somehow, she could feel him moving closer, the beating of his heart getting louder…

The sound of Appa's roar broke the two apart, and with a loud thud, he landed on the ground in front of them, her friends staring from up in the saddle. Toph backed up instantly.

"I gotta go," she said quickly, giving the flower back to the mysterious man and making a motion to leave. But then she stopped, the question burning in her. She turned back around towards him and asked, "What's your name?"

"Chang," he responded. Toph could hear the smile in his voice.

And with that, she turned and joined her friends on Appa. He waved as the bison soared into the sky, as that amazing woman disappeared. Yes, he always liked spring, he thought to himself, as he clutched the flower in his hand; full of all kinds of beginnings. He was not worried; he knew he would see her again. He just had a feeling.