Change Your Mind

Day 4

It Takes Two to Tango

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Toph woke up to a particularly loud crack of thunder. The rain had not let up through the night and still fell in great sheets, pummeling the ground. Stretching, Toph slide out of bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

The door swung open and she jumped as Katara burst into the room. Toph could tell that Katara was excited. "Toph! Guess what?" Toph yawned, unable to muster the effort to mirror Katara's excitement. Since Toph was not speaking, Katara answered her own question, "I'm teaching you how to dance today!"

"WHAT!?"

"C'mon! Get your clothes on and meet me in the living room." Katara said, ignoring Toph's outrage and she twirled away from the room gracefully.

Toph was grumbling under her breath as she pulled clothes on, "Stupid Katara… stupid dancing…stupid wedding… stupid Sokka…. Getting us married…. What an idiot…I mean how thick can you be?"

"How thick can who be?" Toph jumped for the second time that morning. Sokka was leaning in her doorway.

"Good morning." She said, causally avoiding the question by punching him in the arm. "You coming for dance lessons too?"

"Yeah." He slipped his arms behind his head, his classic thinking position, "What do think it's going to be like?"

As they rounded the corner and Toph sensed what was waiting she said, "A total gong show." Inside the living room turned dance studio was a small group of musicians, tuning their instruments while Zuko and Katara stood beside each other, talking quietly.

Katara lit up when she saw them. she was wearing loose pants while her tunic had been abandoned for a much lighter top. Zuko was standing shirtless as if he did it everyday. "Sokka! Toph! You came! That means we can get started." She turned to Zuko and looked at him expectantly.

"Why can't Aang be doing this?" Zuko said, approaching her.

Katara looked a little guilty. "He hurt his foot."

"So I'm doing this because Aang hurt his foot?"

"Yes. Now, shut up and dance."

The small band struck up a tune, strong beats and silky violins flow together. Katara steps around Zuko, her steps light and graceful. They begin to circle, looking so fixedly into the others eyes it was like Toph and Sokka weren't even in the room.

A hand reaches out and touches Zuko's chest. As soon as the contact is made, it is broken, they hurry away from each other, stopping in sync as though a thread connects them.

Almost at once they are back together, their arms loop, Katara leans back while Zuko supports her. Again they pull away but this time Katara's hand tugs back his sleeve, revealing his pale forearm.

With almost no effort at all, or so it seems, Zuko spins her, once, twice, three times. They are now closer than ever, the thread loose and gaze intimate. Zuko's hand rests on her side while his other is intertwined with hers; Katara's free arm lies lifelessly on his shoulder.

Their foreheads meet as they rotate, each step completely in time with the harmony and their partner. The music peaks and Katara's leg hooks around Zuko and he spins, not once letting her fall.

Sokka shifts his weight beside Toph, embarrassed by the intimacy of the dance.

Zuko dips her, she bends almost in half, giving Toph and Sokka a quick smile before she is brought up again by Zuko. Ge spins her around, now cradling her in his arms. They step across the floor, their hands resting on Katara's front. She kicks one leg high and then begins to spiral. The contact with Zuko has been broken, he waits as his partner spins, the thread becoming tangled.

She is back in his arms in an instant and again they stride, gaze never broken. Katara spins away from him and the thread becomes taunt as Zuko barely holds onto her arm. For a moment they hold the pose. Katara desperately trying to get away, Zuko desperately holding on.

She twists back to him, only connected by their tangled fingers and a ragged thread, but the minute she turns, as does Zuko. Their hands break contact as she stares at his hunched back.

Katara reaches out, grabbing him from behind, one hand dragging on his chest, the other dancing across his scar. Her leg slides up his as she presses into him.

At this point Sokka makes a move forward as if to stop the dace but Toph's arm shoots out, catching him in the stomach. She won't have him ruin this for her. The delicate steps, the contact everything about the dance was entrancing her.

As soon as Zuko goes to touch her hand she dashes away, feet moving swiftly while Zuko storms after her, strides purposeful and crazed. She is pulling him using only the thread. She seems to trip, now resting on one knee. Zuko reaches out an arm and hers slides up it so one again they are together.

The musics climaxes and as the last notes are hit, Katara falls back, Zuko goes with her and as the notes fades she is held only a hairsbreadth away from the ground.

He pulls her back into a standing position and they let go of each other and the thread is cut. They are both panting and are covered in a light coating of sweat.

Katara presses her fist into her upright hand and bows. "Thank you Zuko."

He copies the motion before walking over to a small table where a pitcher of water was and pouring himself a glass.

Katara now focused her attention on Toph and Sokka. "Ready to try?"

Sokka just stared at her but Toph had enough sense to say, "Are you serious? Katara, Sokka has got to be one of the most uncoordinated people on the planet! I like my feet not squished thank you very much."

"Are you saying that I can't dance?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Is that a challenge?"

"What are you talking about? There is no challenge, it's just a fact, YOU CAN'T DANCE."

Sokka glared at Toph and then walked over to her, placed a hand on her hip, put her hand on his should grabbed her other with his. "I accapt your challenge." He looked at the band pointedly and they immediately started to play.

Toph and Sokka did not go anywhere. They were not fluid like Katara and Zuko had been. They were not graceful like Katara and Zuko had been. They were nothing like Zuko and Katara had been for one, only one reason.

Both Sokka and Toph were trying to lead. As they both tried to force the other to move a a whispered conversation started, "C;mon Toph, let me lead."

"No way! You'll make us look like idiots. Let me lead! I know what to do!"

"How would you know? You're blind!"

"That doesn't matter! I've already proven that I'm a way better fighter than you and I," Sokka's took a forward halfway through her sentence. This threw her oof balance and she fel to the ground, taking Sokka with her.

As the initial shock worn off Sokka blinked to find Toph under him. He waited for her to push him off or to say something along the lines of, "Get off me you stupid oaf!" or "Snoozles! You idiot!" but she didn't.

She stared and he could only stare right back. The next thirty seconds were spent in complete silence in which Zuko grinned, Katara was torn between exciment for the romantic scene and a want to get more dancing done and Sokka's face drifted closer to Toph's

"Looks like your relationship is getting pretty close." Zuko muttered. Katara whacked the side of his head.


Author's Note

Yes I realize that the tense switches from past to present in the middle. I was too lazy to fix it and anyway, the dance is better in present tense. XD