Toph woke and found herself not in her bed room but on the familiar furry back of Appa. Her head was resting on Suki's lap who had an arm wrapped around Toph in an affectionate manner. Suki was dosing off herself. Toph gingerly removed Suki's arm and sat up pulling the blanket around her. "Whatsgoingon?" She asked sleepily holding on to the saddle. "Why are we on Appa?"
"Oh! You are finally awake." Katara said turning her head towards her. She had the bison's reigns. Sokka was snoozing loudly on Appa's saddle. "We tried to wake you up early in the morning, but you wouldn't wake. So we took off." Katara lied but Toph could not tell as they were not on earth.
"Where are we going all of a sudden?" She asked frowning. "Is everything alright? Did Zuko call?"
"No Toph, we are going to the swamp?" Katara replied as she looked at the front and prepare herself for an angry outburst.
"TO WHAT?" There it came. Toph shouted trying to get up in her bewilderment and falling on Suki. Who yelped awoke. Suki hastily pulled herself together and straightened Toph up who barked "BUT WHY?"
"Geez, man needs his sleep, you know!" Sokka said who woke up hearing Toph yell. "A note came from Aang yesterday asking us to come to swamp." Katara said as if she did not notice the anger in Toph's voice. "He needs help there."
"Yeah? With what?" Toph asked pulling her long wavy hair back in to a bun. Her forehead hidden beneath the hair bangs were wrinkled in anger.
"He thinks he has found a way to figure out what happened. And you know Toph that we need to figure this out." Katara said not looking back.
"I don't believe this!" Toph spat. "Not WE Katara, YOU TWO need to figure this out. Do not get me involved. I don't know what happened and I don't care. I don't understand why you dragged me in to this!"
"Gee! Let me have a wild guess!" Said sokka, mockingly. "May be Toph, because YOU were the girl Aang kissed in his trance."
"Shut it Snoozels!" Toph said aiming a blind kick at the direction of his voice. "Like I could help it.! And now you guys are just kidnapping me to some mud hole. It would have been so much nicer for you to discuss this with me first." Toph said, now her voice dry. "You are no better than my parents once were. I hate that."
Katara's head turned in a flash and she signaled Sokka, who himself looked much taken aback by Toph's say, to take the reigns. Suki gave a shocked look to Toph who were now looking at the spread sky which she obviously did not see.
"Toph don't say that." She said. "It was wrong for us to take off while you were still in sleep, but.. but.." She stammered knowing nothing good to say. Katara sat right in front of Toph. A relief rose to Suki's pale face together with some color.
"But what Suki?" Asked Toph not turning to face her. "But you thought it's not my decision to make if I want to go or not?"
"Leave them out of this Toph." Katara said grabbing Toph's upper arm. "This was truly and completely my idea." She sighed. Toph who tried to snatch her arm out of Katara's grasp, heard her sigh and 'looked' right in to her eyes. "I am sorry Toph!" Katara said in a small voice. "I was there; I saw how he kissed you. I heard the sincerity in his voice when he said, he'll always love you. I know he was in a trance and it was out of your control. But those words came out of Avatar Kuruk, who became Aang in this life time. That means some how Aang meant what he said. That's why we need to understand what it means. I will be stuck in uncertainty forever if we don't. So will Aang. We are as much as confused as you Toph. Please think of this as a help to us."
Toph, though she was still angry, felt sorry for Katara. Though she was not sure how this would end and to what state it would shove her, what will she go through, Toph could not bare to see her two best friends troubled like this. "I'll let you use me for just this once." She said in the same dry voice. Katara hung her head as a look of guilt replaced the pleading in her eyes. "But I can't believe you people are this pathetic. I would not let my past haunt me and make decisions in my present day life."
Katara who was still holding Toph's arm, gave her a little squeeze. "Thanks! And sometimes Toph, revealing past is a great way to understand the present."
For another good three, four hours none on Appa spoke to break the uneasy silence. Toph kept to her corner and stared blankly at the sky. Suki kept practicing wrist movements with the Kyoshi fans and Katara kept glancing at Toph with looks of apology, curiosity, thankfulness and unease while Sokka flew them closer to the swamp.
It was nearly twilight when they finally arrived at the swamp. Aang leaded them to the camp they were staying that night. Toph became extremely grumpy 'seeing' that swamp consisted of very little solid earth. The frown on her face did not leave until they had dinner and finally went to sleep. Aang came to Toph's tent and sat outside.
"Hey! Thanks for agreeing to go through this." He said doing a simple gesture with his palm and sinking a tent plate back in to the ground. Toph who sat up hastily as the wall plate went down put a fist hard on the ground and making Aang yelp as he fell flat on the face.
"Don't you have any regard for personal space?" She spat. "And don't get used to me going through pathetic events like this for you two. I am only doing this because sugar queen is been a wimp."
Aang looked at his blind friend as he sat up brushing off the dirt from his robes. She looked beautiful in the moon lit night. The now familiar fragrance of Jasmine filled his nosetrills as he took a deep breath. He could not help feeling very affectionate towards her. She is ready to risk her mental sanity for him and Katara just like she risked her life for them in fighting. Aang wanted to give her a 'thank you' hug but fought back the urge. "Toph! Will you kill me if I try to give you a thank you hug?" He asked.
"Yes!" She answered simply. "Go sleep twinkle toes, we have to… what exactly are you planning to do tomorrow? And what are you trying to accomplish?"
"I have a friend here who says he can sort this out. He knows a way." Aang said getting up. He did not know the answer to the latter question himself. "I guess I just want to figure out my own feelings. I promise this will be over tomorrow. Good night!"
Toph frowned at the departing Avatar. "Figure out his feelings?" She asked herself. "Rwarr.. Of all people, why did this weirdo kissed me? He could have kissed Suki. That would have been so much fun" She smirked at the thought as she fell on her sleeping bag.
Next day Toph was shaken awake by Suki from whom she sleepily asked "Sooo, how was it?"
"How was what?" Suki wondered.
"Nothing! Nothing!" Toph mumbled giving herself a mental face palm. "So what's for breakfast?"
After they all got ready for the day and done with the breakfast-(Possum chicken)- they went to meet Huu.
"You dragged me here to meet me up with the almost naked sea-weed fatso? Again?" Toph hissed to Katara as Huu walked towards them.
"Relax! He is enlightened you know!" Aang said in an undertone to which Toph rolled her eyes.
Huu bid them good morning as they approached. "Nice to see you all again! So shall we begin?"
Aang nodded and Katara gulped. Toph just sighed.
"Before we start I want you two to drink this." Huu said offering two steaming bowls of some potion to Aang and Toph. Aang felt like puking just by seeing the potion but drank it in one gulp. Toph wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Gross! This smells like Sokka's old sleeping bag."
"Well then consider yourself lucky." Sokka made a face and said as Toph forced the potion down her throat.
"Sit here and hold hands." Huu said taking hold of each of their hands and guiding them on to the huge root of the giant tree in the center of the swamp. Aang gingerly took Toph's hand in to his and they sat down. The potion had made them feel extremely relaxed and dozed. Their minds were becoming clearer and feathery.
Huu started chanting some strange mantra and slowly sending them back along the memory lane. Others watch as the Avatar and the Blind Bandit got hypnotized. Their eyes closed their features peaceful. Aang's ginger grip on Toph's hand was loosing.
Aang was out side of his body. Just like the time Roku gave him a history lesson. He was watching a well built young man surfing energetically through gigantic sea waves who he recognized to be Kuruk.
"Kuruk common!" A voice called from the shore and both the men turned their heads. A beautiful brown haired lady stood tall on the ice. She was waving at him.
"In a minute" Kuruk replied as Aang watched.
The young woman shook her head and went away saying "Don't be long." Aang decided to follow her.
Toph was experiencing this differently. As Huu started to chant mantra she became extremely oblivious to her surroundings. When her senses came back it was rather cold and shivery. She was walking on ice. And her eyes… they could see. She called a man 'Kuruk' and said him not to be long as she marched towards the house. The scene dissolved in to thin air and different environment popped up.
Suki, Katara and Sokka watched as Toph sighed slightly and a knowing smile graced her lips.
Aang was now watching the lady who finished some house hold duties and stared at the ocean. "He's late as always." She muttered. A rustle was heard, a clattering noise out side the home. Shivers ran down Aang's spine. He knew the sound so well. But the lady seemed alarmed. She walked out of the house and looked around. She saw nothing, but Aang did. A giant snake like creature was slithering in circles. His evil face twisted with a smirk. Koh had decided it's time he came out of his boredom and had a little fun. Who would be a greater victim than the Avatar's wife? Aang shouted "NO! Run in to the house" But neither Koh, no Kummi heard him. Koh slithered around Kummi who looked confused by the noise coming out of nothing and the rattled breaths she had started to feel around her. She decided to call Kuruk again and started towards the sea. Koh raced her and slithered right between her feet making her fall on ice. Now fear was overtaking Kummi's confused expressions. "Who's there?" She asked sitting up and crawling backwards.
Gang saw how Toph's facial expression switched from annoyance to confusion and then to fear. Her lips barely moved as she said something which they could not catch.
Aang was frozen in fear. He did see what was coming. He did not want to witness that. Before he knew it he was shrieking his lungs out. "NOOO Leave her be. NOOOO!. KURUK HELP!" But he was not heard, not by anyone.
Koh towered Kummi who was looking frantically around trying to getting up. "Well helloo there…" He hissed to her ear. Kummi's eyes widen in shock. "Who's there? Show your self you covered!" She, though very scared, spat rather like Toph.
Now Toph was twisting in her place. Her face was confronted by fear and rage. She was crawling backwards slightly.
"We should stop this," Katara said scared. Toph is getting uncomfortable. But Sokka stopped her saying; "it could be dangerous to interfere now. Something bad could happen."
"Oooh'!" Koh sneered. "You want to see me? Very well!" He laughed a menacing laugh and slithered around Kummi and towered her from behind. Aang frantically ran towards him only to run right through him. He could not let this happened to Kummi. Where the heck is Kuruk?
Koh came out of his spirit form and rose behind Kummi like some gigantic snake. "You have a beautiful face." He said. "My collection will be more attractive with it."
A sweat broke from Kummi's forehead as she felt a gigantic shadow on her. The rotten smell emitted from behind was sickening. Without warning Koh shot in front of Kmmi and she shrieked seeing it. Her last call for this life time rang on the ice burgs surrounding them. "KURUK!"
Toph's face suddenly gave a look of utmost terror and a shriek escaped her lips as she fell on her back with a nosebleed, a word that shook everyone. "KURUK!"
