AN: Thank you, again, for the reviews and favorites. This is my first writing for fanfiction. I've written stories before for creative writing classes. But I've held back from writing and publishing fanfiction. I really want to write a book someday and this is a way to start and be motivated to keep writing.

This gives Toph her revenge for the poor result that was her "field trip" with Zuko.

Chapter 2: Tough Talks

"Walk with me Sparky," Toph didn't bother to wait for a response. She walked right past the fire bender knowing that he would follow. She headed toward the back of the island palace, towards to the base of the dormant volcano.

Zuko raked his memory to see if he could figure out where she was taking him, but for the life of him he couldn't figure it out. The only thing that he could think of was the mineral hot springs at the base. Zuko highly doubted that the earth bender was going to ask him to take a dip with her. Although, he could never be sure with the blind earth bender. She wasn't predictable. He glanced at the blind earth bender with trepidation.

Toph didn't say a word as they walked.

He noticed that Toph never bothered to look back at him. She trusted him and was even able to forgive him, even after he burned her feet, for that, he was grateful. She wasn't the first one to trust him. No that was Katara, but unlike Katara, Toph didn't hold grudges. He didn't blame Katara. He probably would have reacted the same if someone was constantly to capture his best friend. That is if he had a best friend. Aang was able to forgive him for his betrayal. Yet, even when he explained that it was a ruse Katara still didn't trust him, not until after their field trip to confront Yon Rha.

Toph led him past the road that led to town, and now he knew they were definitely heading towards the mineral hot springs.

"Pick up your pace Scarface. " Toph demanded when she felt him slow behind her. If anyone other than Toph had called him that he would have shot a fire blast at them. Her playful banter toward him reminded him of the water tribe sibling's bouts of verbal abuse. He had wished his relationship with Azula could have been like that. He would have even liked to have a sister like Toph, but instead, life cursed him with one who constantly trying to kill him.

The truth was Toph wanted to Spar with Zuko, and she had been working on building an arena for them to spar in as well as train. Zuko had refused to fight her because of the time he accidentally burned her feet. This aggravated the blind earth bender to no end. She wasn't helpless and she didn't need or want that kind of protection. His behavior reminded her of how her parents tried to prevent her from learning earth bending. 'It was to keep you from injuring yourself.' She mimicked their voices in her head. She had told them, 'I am the Blind Bandit. I love to fight.' They still didn't listen. Not even when her earth bending sifu told them that she was amazing when she was fighting to free Aang.

Toph had only told Sweetness that she was going to talk to Zuko to get a rise out of her. She hadn't expected the water bender to try and stop her but Toph was prepared with the perfect move to subdue her. It also helped that she knew Aang was on his way to talk to her when she did. Toph loved Katara. She was more of a mother to her than her own mother, but sometimes when Sugar Queen turned into Madame Fussy Britches did Toph feel the need to give the water bender a good kick in the butt. Katara, she could tell, was going to be difficult about admitting her feelings for Sparky, but if it's one thing that Toph knows how to do it's bend stubborn elements.

This lead Toph to rethink her plan to get Sparky to spar with her. Instead of showing the gaang the arena all at once. She would interrogate and defeat Sparky, all-in-one,

They reached the base of the volcano. Toph took and earth bending stance and lowered a portion of the mouton side to reveal a shallow tunnel. Sunlight was visible on the other side. Toph walked through and Zuko followed. His eyes widened when he saw what she had done.

Zuko was looking at the inside of the volcano. Above them, light streamed in lighting up the entire place. In the middle of the volcano stood a platform that Toph was headed towards. Water flooded around the platform almost coming up to the edge of the platform. A bridge connected them from the opening of Toph's opening to the platform.

"Future Fire Lord Sparky," Toph started, "I welcome you to the first ever multi-bending arena created by yours truly."

Aang sat on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard of the Fire Lord's summer residence. His shoulders slumped with each look the water tribe warrior gave him. Sokka was pacing in front of the Avatar while muttering to himself and throwing glances at the boy.

Sokka had heard everything at the beach, and he knew he would eventually have to have a discussion with Aang regarding his sister, but he never thought it would be about his disrespectful behavior. He was shocked when he saw Aang plant a kiss on his sister's unsuspecting lips.

"Sokka, I'm sorry," Aang whined.

"Ugnk," was all Sokka managed to say in response. He stood and faced the avatar.

Aang waited quietly.

"Aang, how could you do that?" Sokka started, "Katara said she was confused and then you just kiss her! What's wrong with you?"

"I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry." The monk looked away from his crushes older brother.

"Answer the question Aang."

The avatar looked at him confused.

"Let me rephrase my question. Why. did. you. kiss. katara?"

"I wanted-"

Aang tried to continue but was interpreted by Sokka, "Exactly! You wanted. Not you and Katara, but you. You forced yourself on her Aang. I thought you would have more honor than that."

Aang sucked in a sharp breath.

That was a low blow and Sokka knew it. Suki had told him on the walk back home from the play about her suspicions with Toph. After his initial shock, he couldn't say that he was really surprised, the fighting, the teasing, the hostility. The play showed him that not only was something between the two possible but that it was likely. They way they blushed at their counterparts in the catacombs. They way that Zuko didn't deny kissing Katara. Katara never talked about the catacombs in Ba Sing Se, or why she made it her personal mission to torment Zuko. Sokka had noticed the tension between the two shifted when they returned from facing their mother's killer. Katara had said that they came to some understanding, whatever that means.

"Sokka, I do have honor."

"It didn't look that way to me. I bet it didn't feel that way for Katara either."

Aang looked down at his lap. Blood rushed to his face as shame filled him.

"I'm not against you Aang," the boy smiled weakly but faltered as Sokka continued, "I'm not against Zuko either. It's Katara's choice, and right now she doesn't know how to feel. All you did is make it worse for her. Let her come to you when she's ready to talk to you about it Aang. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the Avatar sulked, "they don't even have anything in common." He mumbled more to himself than Sokka, but Sokka heard him.

"They have more in common than you think Aang."

Sokka wanted to end the conversation there but Aang stood up flustered, "Like what Sokka? They're opposites? So what! Their mothers?"

"Watch it Aang!"

Aang sat deflated.

A blast of fire shot from the exiled prince's fist.

Toph blocked it with a vertical wall of rock, "C'mon Sparky, you're fighting like Snoozles."

Zuko grunted. He was remembering his fight against the earth kingdom terrorists when he was traveling on his own. He had to hide his bending and only use his dual swords. It was one of his most difficult fights, especially against the earth bending leader. He was eventually forced to use his bending to protect himself. It became easier to defeat them when they were afraid of him. However, Toph was significantly more difficult to spar with because she wasn't afraid of him. Break his roots, Zuko could hear his uncle's voice clear as day from the time he battled Zhao in an Agni Kai. It was just the advice he needed.

Zuko was grateful for his Uncle's lessons of the other nations. Zuko was focusing too much on his power to defeat the earth bending master. Zuko needed to use the earth bender's strength against her like a water bender. He remembered when Katara was training Aang to use the pull of the water to push.

Toph felt his heart skip a beat; not knowing the cause it put Toph on high alert, "What are you up to Sparky?"

He couldn't lie to her, so he said "Defeating you!"

The earth bender laughed, "I would like to see you try."

Zuko smirked. He placed his feet in familiar patterns that would allow him to jump. While jumping it allowed him to shift his arms, so that she would no longer be able to see him.

He made one move with his feet and changed it while he was in the air. He saw her smile dim, as he landed a blast next to her. She was not expecting him to land his target so close.

"Nice trick, Sparky," She coughed and spit across the arena. "Let's see if you can do it again."

They continued like this for the next hour. Blow after blow. Zuko was able to push her back towards the arena's outer ring. Toph's ferocity didn't surprise surprised him, exactly but it did lead him to question her behavior. Toph was getting frustrated, as Zuko was able to match her blow for blow. Toph did manage to hit Zuko several times while he was in the air. He couldn't float through the air like Twinkle Toes. This allowed her to regain ground and make her way towards the middle ring.

"How about we call it a draw?" Zuko hated to quit but this match wouldn't be over anytime soon.

"No way, this is payback Sparky!"

"I already apologized for your feet!" Zuko said lunging under an incoming boulder.

"This isn't about my feet," Toph grunted as she twisted right hand and tried to have the rocks snake around Zuko like when she was fighting The Boulder.

"Then what?" Zuko heaved as sweat dripped down his back. He used his fire bending to jump over the rock.

"My field trip, Sparky, my field trip."

Dumbfounded, Zuko let out an exasperated groan. "Those were spur of the moment trips!"

"Not my problem!"

"Toph," Zuko warned his patience was thinning. It was one thing to spar, but another one to exact revenge under the pretense of sparring. "I'm sorry!" He yelled.

Toph lowered the rock she was intending to throw on to the ground. Zuko stumbled with the force of the impact. "You will accept defeat from your Melon Lord and you will tell me about you and Sweetness," She put her hands on her hips.

He went still. "Girls are crazy," Zuko muttered under his breath.

Toph choosing to ignore his words, continued "I can feel your heartbeat."

"Shove it, Toph." He knew what his uncle would say if he heard him talk that way to a woman. Zuko, it's not polite to speak this way to a young lady. You should apologize to her. Zuko chose to ignore what he thought his uncle's advice would be because he has heard worse from this particular young lady.

"What Sparky? Afraid to man up?" She pushed.

"I'm leaving." Zuko gritted his teeth and walked towards the opening she had created. He felt the earth rumble and she closed off the doorway. He spun towards her, "What are you doing? Open the door!"

"Hmm," She pretended to think about it. "No. The only way you're getting out of here is you face yourself." Toph had a sense of déjà vu as she had said similar words to Aang when he first started earth bending.

A blast of fire released itself from between Zuko's teeth. He stalked off to the nearest wall and began to climb.

Toph smoothed out the rock so Zuko had nothing to grab on to. He fell to earth with a solid thud. "That sounded like a hard fall. Maybe you could get Sugar Queen to heal your backside," She cackled with laughter.

"Toph!"

"Zuko!"

Zuko hung his head. He wasn't getting out of here without talking to her. He whispered, "Toph, stop it."

"Why Sparky? Afraid to admit how you feel?"

Zuko heard the taunt in Toph's voice. He pictured Azula when she stole the knife that uncle had sent him from the war front. "Leave it alone, Toph." His voice dangerously quiet.

Toph's satisfied smile faltered. Something was wrong. She knew from Zuko's avoidance of her questions that feelings must exist between the two. She made quick movements with her hands and feet and pulled Zuko towards her so that he was within her grasp. Even though she was unable to see him she narrowed her eyes at the fire bender, who flinched at her sightless gaze.

"Did something already happen between you two?"

Zuko didn't have to reply to her. The earth bender would hear his heart race.

"On her revenge field trip to find her mother's killer?"

Zuko lowered his head and sighed, "It doesn't matter."

Toph took that as a confirmation. "How can you say that?" She probed.

"She almost killed him, Yon Rha." Zuko started, ignoring her question. "I saw this look in her eyes. It reminded me of myself when I first started chasing after Aang. Nothing mattered more than capturing the avatar. To her, nothing mattered more than capturing her mother's killer. I understood her mission." He looked up at her a fire in his eyes that she couldn't see, "She used blood bending, Toph."

Toph let a gasp slip from her lips. She remembered their rather unfortunate encounter with Hama, "She said she would never use that again."

Zuko continued as if he had never been interrupted, "I stopped her. Before she could take his life. I reminded her that she controls her own destiny. At first, I thought she didn't hear me, but after a few seconds, she changed her stance. Once Yon Rha saw her lower her stance he couldn't contain himself. He had seen my scar and called me out. Told me I was a disgrace to the Fire Nation for taking up with a water bender. I barely saw her move. She shifted into a different stance so quickly I thought she had been blocking an attack." Zuko paused preparing himself, "She used blood bending to make him lie at her feet. She let him know that she held his life in her hands."

"Is he still alive, Yon Rha?"

Zuko's jaw strained to say the words, "He's still alive." But when I'm Fire Lord he will be sent to the Boiling Rock.

Toph, not one to stray away from the point of their conversation, said: "this doesn't explain how something happened between you two."

"We were on our way back to camp on Appa," Zuko, sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "You know Katara wasn't lying when she said that we came to an understanding." Releasing his nose he continued, "She realized that I had a better understanding of what she needed better than anyone else, Aang included. After that, she told me that she understood me better and my relentless pursuit of the Avatar. She forgave me for my betrayal in Ba Sing Se. I hugged her, and I meant to give her a kiss on the check, as friends do," Zuko's face grew as red as his scar, he thanked the Agni that Toph couldn't see him, "but Appa shifted during the flight and my lips landed on hers, but we didn't pull back right away."

"Sparky, I don't put much stock into fate, or that spirit world mumbo-jumbo that Aang is always spouting. All I know for sure is that spirits don't allow coincidences to exist."

Zuko awkwardly shuffled his feet and repeated, "It doesn't matter Toph."

Toph held back a sigh as she realized that Sparky and Madame Fussy Britches weren't going to act on their affection for the other. She and Suki would have a lot of work to do. She cracked her fingers and walked out of the arena leaving Zuko behind.

Sokka had left Aang shortly after he had yelled at him, and headed inside to raid the kitchens before he Katara served dinner. The bald monk was out of line bringing up their mother like that. As a native air bender, you would think that the kid would have mastered peace and tranquility.

Sokka walked in not expecting anyone to be there. He stopped when he saw Katara standing at the sink bending the water there while bending the food in the pot on the stove.

"Sokka!" Katara cried, "you can help me cook."

"Aw man," The water tribesman started to pout.

Katara's eyebrow twitched, "you eat more than any of us. The least you can do is help cook!"

"Okay, okay. I'll help."

The siblings worked in silence. Only speaking when Katara delegated tasks to him, and when he was unsure how to do them.

"I talked to Aang." Sokka was unsure how to start or if Katara wanted to talk about, but he thought he would mention it just in case she did. "I know it's none of my business, but I'm here for you if you want to talk." He looked at his sister. She turned around and continued working on the soup, but he saw her blush.

"Thanks, Sokka." She drummed her fingers on the countertop top. "I'll have to talk to Aang about his feelings. Although he hasn't been very understanding." Katara wondered if talking to Aang was a good idea.

"Talk to him when your ready, Sis." Sokka put his hand on her shoulder, "If he doesn't change and become more understanding let me know and I'll feed him to Foo Foo Cuddly Poops."

Katara started laughing.

"What's going on in here?" Toph said leaning against the doorjamb.

"Oh. I was just telling Katara that if Aang doesn't change that I'll feed him to Foo Foo Cuddly Poops."

"I'll feed him to the badger-moles," Toph offered, then asked, "is that the baby saber-toothed-moose-lion cub that sat with you while you were stuck in a hole?"

"Yes, yes it is," Sokka answered unapologetically.

"Snoozles go tell everyone else that dinner is ready," Toph ordered.

"And take the bowls and silverware to the table Sokka," Katara added. At each meal, Toph or Aang would bend a table and stools for everyone out in the courtyard. The group didn't feel comfortable using the dining room that Fire Lord Ozai once used.

Once they were alone some of Katara's earlier irritation slip towards the tiny earth bender, "Thanks Toph."

"C'mon Sugar Queen, don't you want to know what I talked to Sparky about?"

Katara's shoulders tensed at the reminder. "I'm tired, Toph. Here take this outside," she handed Toph a tray of Arctic bread to go with the fire nation stew she was making.

"Okay Sweetness," Toph resigned. She grabbed the tray from Katara's hands the countertop and took it to the table. Before she was out the door Katara heard her singing, "Sitting on Appa, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love." Katara bent a snowball at the blind girl, but it collided with the door instead.

Katara sat there stunned; she couldn't believe Zuko told her that. She was going to have a discussion a certain exiled prince.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Toph, Sokka, and Suki kept most of the conversation going. They made efforts to include Katara and Aang in conversation. They tried to probe Zuko, but they knew not to push him.

Zuko stiffened in his seat as Katara shot him icy glances. Perhaps he shouldn't have spoken with Toph. All though there wasn't much he could do. She had trapped him.

He watched the blind earth bender leave before he started shooting fire blasts in every which direction. He was unhappy with the earth bender's tactics. Katara had just accepted him into the group there's no way that she could ever think about him in a romantic way. Not mention Zuko had feelings for Mai, and here he was having a talk about his feelings for Katara.

"Had being the key word Zuzu," Azula's voice echoed in his head. "Poor Mai, what do you think she would do to your little water bender? I know. Slice her up."

He ground his teeth together, "Azula always lies. Azula always lies."

Having heard Zuko's mutterings Momo landed on his shoulder with a squawk.

"Hi Buddy," Zuko said scratching the lemur's ears. "Where is everyone?"

Momo pulled on Zuko's mouth.

"You're right. They're probably getting ready for dinner. C'mon lets go." Zuko reluctantly made his way back towards the summer residence. As the house came into view Momo leaped from Zuko's shoulder flying over the roof and into the courtyard. Zuko sighed as he watched the lemur go. He wished that his life could be as simple as an animal.

He didn't head back towards the summer home right away. Instead, he wanted some time to think, so he headed towards the cliff where his family used to play. He didn't understand why the earth bender pushed so hard. Zuko blamed the Ember Island Players and their stupid interpretation of their lives.

As Zuko looked out to the ocean he saw that sun was beginning to set. He looked down at the horizon where fire and water met. Something floating in the water caught his gaze. It was the water bender that pushed and pulled at his thoughts. She looked up at him. He couldn't read her facial expression as he was too far away, so instead, he looked back at the horizon. The sun was barely touching the water when he turned and walked away.