Forgot it in the last chapter: DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN ATLA OR THE CHARACTERS!

This chapter was leaned more towards Toph than anyone else- next chapter will be more Kataang. R & R!


"APPA!" Toph squealed as she stepped outside. The Bison roared excitedly and lifted his head. Sokka laughed as the earth bender ran towards Appa. Toph threw herself onto the bison's head and rubbed her arms over his fur. "Missed yah' buddy!" She stepped back and smiled.

"He's got gray hair." Aang chuckled.

"No he doesn't." Sokka argued.

"Yah he does." Aang ran towards the bison and pointed to a place on his side. "Right here."

"A whole three hairs."

"Less than you have!" Katara teased.

"I don't have gray hair!" Sokka yelped, he ran his ringers threw his now grown out hair.

"Do I have gray hair?" Toph asked pulling her hair to the side.

"No!" Katara laughed, "You get it when you're old." Toph dropped her hair and let it fall to the low of her back.

"Your hair has gotten long." Sokka pointed out.

"I haven't cut it in a long time."

"Me either." Sokka smiled.

"C'mon ladies," Aang teased climbing up onto Appa, "Enough talk about your hair. You're both beautiful." Aang reached down and helped Katara up.

"I'll get her bag." Sokka said lifting the heavy back up onto the saddle.

"Thanks Snoozles." Toph smiled as she climbed onto the saddle. Sokka followed and soon the four friends were high in the air.

Toph sat in the rounded corner of the saddle. She held onto the side with a strong grip.

"I forgot how terrifying flying is." Toph said while she fiddled with the loosened braid on the side of her head.

"Why is it so scary for you?" Sokka asked looking at Toph, "It's not that bad."

"Imagine being asleep, but you can feel yourself being picked up, and when you wake up, you're floating… and you can't see where you are." Toph stuttered while trying to explain.

"That's interesting…" Aang laughed from on top of Appa's head.

"Well, yup, that would be terrifying." Sokka closed his eyes trying to imagine the feeling.

"Yah." Toph smirked.

"It looks like it's going to rain, we should land and go stay somewhere for the night." Katara said looking up.

"We're in the middle of the ocean…" Sokka said flatly.

"Let's land on that island over there. There's probably a cave."

"Like old times." Toph smiled. Sokka looked over at her and smiled.

"I agree, let's do it." Sokka said poking Aang's back. Aang sighed and reluctantly landed Appa. Toph was the first to jump of, she landed with a thud.

"Toss me the bag." She said holding her arms up.

"It's heavy." Sokka said looking over the edge of the saddle.

"And?"

"I'll get it." He said climbing down with one hand, the bag in the other.

"Did you pack my comb Katara?" Toph asked snatching her bag from Sokka.

"Yup." Katara said while she climbed down, Aang closely behind her. Toph pulled the comb out and sat on the damp grass. She started pulling the clips out of her hair. Sokka came and sat in front of her.

"Need help?" Sokka asked trying to muffle a laugh.

"No!" She said sternly;pulling at the tangled clip. She managed to completely tangle the clip in her thick black hair. She slammed her hands down in her lap and groaned. She went to work at getting the braid out, but a warm hand grabbed at her wrist.

"You're making a mess." Sokka said as he easily pulled the clip out of her hair.

"I'm used to only using hair ties." She chuckled.

"It's easier to get them out when you can see where they are." Sokka slammed his eyes shut, guilty for the words that just escaped his mouth, "Sorry."

"Why?" Toph asked running her fingers through her hair.

"I-I don't know." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I know I can't see, it's not like it's a surprise." Toph frowned.

"I've always wondered… what do you see? Like, do you see black?"

"I don't know what black looks like, so I wouldn't know." She closed her eyes, "What do you see?"

"Umm," Sokka bit his lip, he was taken aback by the question, "I see you, and Katara. Aang, and Appa. The world." He crossed his legs, "Everything I guess" He shrugged.

"What do I look like now?" Toph asked lifting her head, " Now that I'm older." Sokka studied her.

"Well, your hair is a lot longer. Still thick and black, but straight, and shiny. You're not much taller, and you've…" He blushed, "You've- you know… Filled out." Toph blushed and pulled her legs to her chest.

"Thanks."

"C'mon guys, we're going to set up a sleeping area." Katara yelled. Sokka jumped and turned around to face Katara. She was standing with an armful of blankets.

"Coming!" Toph yelled back as she stood up.

"What were you guys doing?" Aang asked spreading out a tan sheet.

"Talking." Sokka said quickly. Katara eyed her brother and giggled.

"What were you two doing?" Sokka asked raising his eyebrows.

"Talking." Aang said softly. Katara looked at the avatar from the corner of her eye.

"Suuuuure." Sokka teased.

"Spread out a blanket you want to sleep on." Aang said spreading out a thick, orange quilt. Sokka grabbed a white, fur blanket from Katara's arms. He spread it out and sat down on the soft material.

"A quilt or a sheet Toph?" Katara asked holding up two blankets.

"The quilt." Toph said, she took the blanket and spread it out. She stepped back and bended a tent.

"Sleep out here." Aang said patting the earth. Toph looked over her shoulder and smiled. She bended the tent back into the earth and gathered her blanket. She stepped onto the tan sheet and laid her blanket down.

"I hate night!" Sokka whined.

"Why?" Aang said pulling Katara closer to him. She laid her head on his chest and smiled.

"It's so dark! There's no city, so it's all dark, and it's all cold!"

Katara reached over and thumped Sokka's leg. He looked over at her, she pointed towards Toph and scowled at him.

"Ignore him Toph." Katara said apologetically.

"Stop Katara." Toph said playing with a loose string on her blanket.

"What?" Katara lifted her head from Aang's chest.

"It's worse when you guys say sorry, than it is when you say the thing in the first place." Toph released the string and laid down on the blanket. She rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes. Katara didn't say anything, "Goodnight guys." Toph said softly.

"Goodnight Toph." Sokka said curling up and closing his eyes.

"Goodnight." Aang said, he kissed Katara's forehead and rolled back over.

-During the night—

"AAAAAAHH!"

Aang shot up in bed and looked around. He looked over at Sokka who was also sitting up. Sokka rubbed his eyes and looked at Aang.

"Who was that?" Sokka looked around. He noticed the two girls were missing, he jumped to his feet.

"KATARA! TOPH?" Sokka yelled, as he frantically looked around. Aang had already run off in the direction of the scream. Sokka ran off after him.

"GIRLS!" Aang yelled. He continued running until he reached the edge of the island. He stepped to the edge of the sand and let the water rush over his toes.

"Katara?" Sokka yelled. He saw the rippling of water and squinted to try to see where the yell was from.

"I'M FINE!" Katara yelled from behind them. Aang turned around to see Katara rubbing her eyes. "I saw a huge spider roach. I was using the bathroom."

"Was Toph with you?" Sokka asked looking back into the water.

"Huh?"

"She wasn't in her bed."

"She was when I got up."

Sokka looked at the water with wide eyes. He ran into the water and stopped when the water reached his knee.

"I highly doubt she's in the water." Katara said wading into the water behind Sokka.

"I saw something in the water." Sokka said looking around.

As if on cue, Toph's head emerged from the water. Sokka threw himself in front of her and lifted her up. She screamed and flailed her arms in legs.

"HELP! HELP!" She yelled. She punched her alleged attacker in the face and he let go of her. She dropped into the water. She shot her head back up and flipped her soaked hair back.

"IT'S ME!" Sokka yelled, splashing defensively at her. Katara stood next to Sokka, she smacked his arm for him to stop.

"God damn it!" Toph splashed her arms into the water, "You scared me!"

"What are you doing?" Sokka yelled back, he watched as Toph brushed the wet strands of hair from her face.

"Swimming!" She yelled again.

"Since when can you swim?" Aang asked from behind Sokka.

"I taught myself." Toph smiled, "After I almost drown in the creek behind my house… I decided to teach myself."

"Oh..." Sokka nodded, "But why are you swimming so late at night?"

"I don't know, I couldn't sleep." Toph shrugged. She started wading out of the shallow water. Sokka tried to look away when he noticed Toph was only wearing a small under skirt, and a bandeau. He looked away when she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Here." Aang took off the top layer of his robe and handed it to the shivering girl. She gratefully took it and wrapped it around her body. Aang walked next to Katara and put his arm around her.

"Tired now?" Katara asked.

"Yup." Toph nodded.

"How long had you been swimming for?"

"Umm… I don't know. I got up after Katara went to go use the bathroom. You must have been there for hours Sugar Queen."

"Yah," Katara blushed, "The fish I ate before bed must have been bad."

"Let's just go to sleep, I think we had enough scares for tonight." Sokka said reaching his blanket and collapsing onto the soft blanket.

"We'll leave in the morning. I think we're only about an hour away from the outskirts of the fire nation." Aang agreed laying down on the blanket.

"Good." Toph groaned falling onto her blanket.

"Goodnight guys." Aang said cuddling next to Katara.

"No swimming for the rest of the night, got it Toph?" Sokka teased.

"Got it Snoozles." Toph laughed.

"Love you guys!" Katara called out interrupting the chatter between the two.

"Love you guys too." Toph whispered before drifting off.