2. Astrology

…

"You're a Tiger."

Toph blinked owlishly, brows furrowed. "Excuse me?" She harrumphed, looking at Aang with a hint of offense.

They were strolling amidst a relatively teeming market district in a Fire Nation suburban province. Katara and Sokka had taken to preparing a makeshift campsite outside the town in a forest that was inconspicuous and relatively uninhabited, and, hoping to avoid the tedious task of setting up camp, Toph had insisted she and Aang scavenge for food in the town close by.

Katara had been worried, of course, about trusting Aang with money. But Toph was slightly more frugal, and she had her own money from her parent's fortune, so they'd all agreed to allow them to go. Sokka didn't care so long as they brought back food.

Aang gestured to the yellowed parchment in his hand, grinning at her in a sort of controlled glee. "It says here that you're a Tiger."

Aang had wandered off beforehand and had promptly returned with a parcel, to which he quickly became engrossed in throughout the duration of their trek. Toph felt as if she was the only one actually bothering to shop for supplies. She threw him a blank, withering stare and Aang balked a little. "I'm not a Tiger. I'm Toph. Have you gone soft in the head or something, Twinkletoes?"

Aang shook his head vigorously, delighted that Toph took any interest at all despite her rude choice of words. "No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that your zodiac animal is the Tiger. I have a scroll here that tells us which of the twelve zodiacs suit us, it's an astrological map."

"A what? Let me see," Toph insisted, reaching her hand forward until her palm slapped Aang square in the face.

"Hey!" Aang yelped, messaging his nose with his free hand. "You did that on purpose!" He glared at her halfheartedly, but could never really stay mad at the smaller Earthbender.

"Did not," Toph dismissed, grabbing the paper out of his hand so quickly Aang didn't notice it was gone until he could clearly see her holding it. "So," she mumbled, "What is this thing?"

"A horoscope," Aang informed, a little petulantly, staring at the piece of parchment. The paper was thin and the black ink was thick and deeply set. Toph smoothed her fingertips over the dry papery surface, a curious frown on her lips as she lingered on the written letters and shapes. "Where'd you get this junk, Twinkletoes?"

"If you think it's junk, then give it back," Aang pouted, reaching for the scroll. Toph stomped her foot hard against the dirt and slid it over the ground, and in an instant Aang's own feet suddenly twisted forward until he landed on his rump. He let out a muffled cry and messaged the tender spot. Several passerbies watched him with curiosity and, in some cases, amusement.

"We're suppose to be shopping for food, not buying useless tourist junk." Toph informed.

"It's not useless!" Aang flushed, feeling increasingly embarrassed as people turned to watch the spectacle he was making of himself. He was quick to shoot to his feet, and then he whispered to her, "The monks use to tell me stuff like this all the time! The twelve zodiacs were the first ever animals to ever exist, since the beginning of time. And they each represented a human being's personality, according to when they were born. They even talk about the elements."

"What's the point in any of that?" Toph argued lamely.

"The monks use to say that they predicted our future…" Aang said, mentally recalling the debacle with Aunt Wu, but he dismissed it.

Toph harrumphed. "I don't believe in any of that," she announced flatly. Toph did not believe in something that she herself couldn't control.

"If I would just read it to you," Aang insisted, gently prying the scroll from Toph's surprisingly soft fingers. He held the horoscope to his face, and read, "You were born in the spring, which means you're the Tiger, the Power zodiac. Your power element is metal. You're fierce, tenacious, and outgoing, but you also tend to be short-tempered and obstinate."

"That doesn't sound like me at all!" Toph huffed stubbornly, folding her arms, face flushing.

"You're proving yourself wrong by doing that," Aang informed laughingly, and Toph punched him in the arm.

"What are you suppose to be?" Toph demanded, pouting at him.

Aang blinked, flushing. "Me?" He flustered, "Okay, let's see here…I was born by the end of winter…" He read through the horoscope, his face growing hotter. "I'm the—Boar."

Toph laughed uproariously. The irony was too laughable. A Bei Fong girl and her boar.

Aang suddenly remembered when he'd been lost in the Swamp months ago, when he'd saw a pretty little girl in a pale gown and a flying boar by her side, gently laughing at his attempts to attain her. For one unexplainable instant he imagined himself as the winged boar by her side, her soft hands stroking his head affectionately as he nuzzled his snout against her white skirt. Aang flushed in an odd mixture of humiliation and diffidence. He tucked his head between his shoulders, pouting deeply.

Cheeks burning with color, Aang went on to explain, "I'm the Boar, the Romance zodiac. My element is…water…" he smiled a little, "I'm suppose to be gallant, sociable, and peace-loving, though I tend to be…naive, over-reliant on others, and gullible!?" He was frowning hard at the parchment, brows furrowed indignantly.

"You know…" Toph conceded, sounding thoughtful, "I'm starting to think that this astrology thing is surprisingly accurate. It's kind of scary." She grinned in a sort of wicked glee, and somehow Aang had the feeling that she knew all too well that his face and ears were beet red, and she was enjoying it.

"This is all wrong! I'm not gullible or naive! And I'm certainly not over-reliant!" Aang insisted, pouting cutely, "this is just a dumb tourist junk!"

"Is not. The monks use to teach them to you, remember?" Toph smirked, rolled her eyes and scoffed. "And I could think of a number of things that could prove you're dead wrong." Aang opened his mouth indignantly, but couldn't think of a retort. He pursed his lips into a tight pout.

Toph swept the scroll from his hands and pocketed it, eager to show their little astrological horoscope to the Water Tribe Siblings. "Come on, my pet piglet, we've got shopping to do." She took his hand, and Aang suddenly didn't mind being her naïve little piglet at all.

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The END.

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NOTE: I usually write for the Sailor Moon X-over section, but this is a special occasion. A little something for Acrostic Taang Week back at DeviantART. :D Some of you may recognize me from my DA account also known as Moony92. This is for day 2's theme, Astrology. Which I am totally late for. XD

Another Chapter! A page shorter, too. D: And if you're wondering, the timeline takes place in Book 3: Fire, somewhere between The Awakening and The Day of Black Sun. And the Chinese zodiac may be a little off, I don't know when their birthdays are so I just made it so it would fit the animal that suited their personalities. I'm going to try my best to update everyday until September 9, 2008. We'll see…

I hope you enjoyed it! 8D

Peace out,

- Moony92