Air
A new update! Woohoo! Okay since this chapter also took long to write and post, the next will be up in a few days. (Probably five) (This is also a little 'thank you' to all of you that had to wait so long for previous chapters.) So going to 'story business', I'd like to say that this chapter is that last of Toph's flashbacks. I felt a little bad for making Toph having such rotten luck, that I thought I owed it to her to make this chapter a little sweeter. The rest of the story will press forward with the upcoming dilemmas, which I won't spoil. And thanks for the reviews everyone! I love to read them so much and even though I don't have time to answer them, I appreciate your responses. It makes me believe in the story. Enough with the rambling, enjoy this chapter!
(Four months earlier)
Lately, on lonely nights when she was feeling particularly down, Toph would trace her face. From her fingers she could feel smooth skin, a broad jaw line, and slightly slanted eyes. The rest she had to imagine. Her friends had told her that her face was pale making her green eyes stand out, and that her hair was thick and black. Sometimes, in moments of frustration, Toph would restrains sobs and sprouting tears. Everything was dark but her world was filled with other things. The vibrations, the sounds, but never the color. Maybe she wouldn't be a master earth bender if she were not born blind, maybe it was a gift in disguise. However, it was a hefty price to pay. Earth bending made her special, and she wondered if she were just a blind girl and did not posses her skill, would Aang and the gang even have noticed her. Katara had once said she admired her because of her confidence, self assurance. At this point of her life, Toph had never felt more less self assured as now.
The last month had been nothing but agony. Avoiding both the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation, Toph had no excuse why she shouldn't visit her parents. She owed it to them for running away long ago when she still thought it was exciting to have a secret identity and fight in earth bending scuffles. But of course, naturally, they thought it was their 'duty' as parents to make her happy, and by doing so making themselves happy. By that they meant to settle down and get married. Well, get married to someone rich and handsome and boring. 'It's every mother's wish to have pretty grand kids," her mother had said.
She stayed until she could stand it no longer, and then Aang came and she finally could make her escape. It was really good to see him. He hadn't been around all that much, and could never be found in the same place for more than three days. The last time she had really talked to him was at Katara and Zuko's wedding. If he had been mad at Katara then, he never let it show. And then he simply disappeared, occupying his time elsewhere. Toph wondered if he was ever lonely, lonely like she was.
The forest was quiet and she heard Appa yawn. It was times like these, able to crack her toes with no disapproving grunts or spit without being reprimanded, that made her miss the old gang days. Days when Aang's voice was still annoyingly high or when Sokka would crack a joke and make her snort. A time when Katara wasn't too busy to get all up in your business or when Zuko and her would compete in a yelling match. When had everyone gotten so old? When had she?
"Hey Toph you okay? Your quiet. I can bend a fire if you want."
"I'm fine Twinkle Toes." Good thing she was a damn good liar, most of the time anyway.
"You don't look it, you look cold."
"I'm fiiinnne."She gave him her best 'lay off' glare, and rolled over so that her back was facing his. It was a bit of a cold gesture, she had to admit, but she just wanted a little quiet from all the chaos.
Aang rolled and then twisted around to look at her. "You sure?"
She was glad to hear the concern, especially since she had been worried about him too. It wasn't often that Toph felt anything for anybody, but Aang was a special case. With Katara, his true love, married and happier than ever, she couldn't help feel this took a major blow on the avatar. Toph supposed it was because back then they had been on the same ship. Wasting years on a person that had no interest in them. Sokka. Toph shook him forcefully out of her head. It was hard, especially since the long time crush was not wearing off.
"Hey Toph, you sure?" Aang asked again.
Of course she had to mask these feelings using her usual charms. "Since when are you Sugar Queen? You know I hate when you do that."
"Do what?"
She sighed and pursed her lips. "I'm not helpless Twinkle Toes, I can take care of myself."
Aang threw up his hands, clearly frustrated "Toph you are the most defiant person in the world!"
Pulling out an unshelled peanut from her pocket and munching on it, she grinned. "Why thank you."
"You never let anybody help you. Not your parents, not any of us," he said angrily. "Well guess what, maybe we want to help. Your so reserved Toph, you are too proud to admit that sometimes even you, even the greatest earth bender in the world needs someone."
"I don't need someone and neither do I want someone." Not that someone would want me. Certain people have made that painfully obvious.
"It's because your blind isn't it? But sometimes I think you really do want pity." He was breathing hard, but almost a moment later his gray eyes cleared of its clouds. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Toph didn't let him.
Now that ticked her off just the slightest bit and she knew she was visibly trembling. "Pity? You think I'm glad I can't see?"
"I never said that. I just think you use it as an excuse. Because your blind, your not in titled to a little concern. We worry about each other equally, we're like a family. We pay a little more attention to you, even though you don't need it, because we care. But sometimes you just are plain rude when all we're doing is helping you out."
"Oh yeah," she yelled right back. "What about you! I don't remember seeing you around for a couple years. Still running away from her? Ever wondered if any of us were worried about you?" She thought of something truly nasty to say and spit it out before she could bite it back. "Well we weren't, and she didn't notice either!"
There was a painful silence for some time, and Toph spent that time trying not to do something rash. Like unleash a bunch of boulders to chase Aang's sorry butt back to the Spirit World. Or rather, unleash the boulders on herself. She was just so frustrated, at herself and constrained from clawing at her hair.
After finally the silence had become too unbearable, Toph raised her eyes.
Unknowingly, though she had no way of discovering this, Aang had been quietly staring at her, a new expression crossing his face. And when her eyes sunk into his, something radiated through his veins and pulsed stronger than a drum. Wow. They were beautiful. The eyes, he meant, so ghostly like the greenest of seas. So earthy, almost like they were alive. Aang felt no shame in just swimming in them, and Toph could never know. Why had he never noticed before? He had always looked in Katara's watery blue eyes and felt a flutter, but never something this powerful. Toph's eyes made his whole body tense, made it hurt to breathe.
"I'm sorry Aang." It was such a soft reply, it made Aang have to lean in closer. "I didn't mean it like that. We all cared, honest, I even tried to look for you myself once. We- I- was worried." This is so unlike her, Aang thought to himself. Its scary. He found himself wishing she turn around and sock him in the stomach with her stone fist. And when he would double over, she would insult him about having no muscle endurance. That was the Toph he knew.
He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he barely heard the sniffle. And Aang's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Toph was literally chocking on her own tears, and willing them to go away which only made her sob harder. She was obviously embarrassed by her moment of weakness, and turned her back to him. He felt downright awful. Once he hurt Katara, burned her hands and caused her physical pain. That had hurt him more than her. Now he had made Toph cry. It felt even worse.
"Toph," he said approaching he cautiously. He dared to put a hand on her shoulder. At this point he was pretty certain boulders might go flying, so he took it slow.
Go away, she wanted to scream, I hate sympathy and I don't need yours. But she could move, her limbs felt heavier than metal. She tried to stop crying, but failed miserably which made more tears squeeze there way out of her. Hell, what was up with all these tears?
She felt an arm wrap around her middle, and a hand rub her back. A sort of warmth spread through her cheeks. Surely after all she'd done, such a simple gesture wouldn't embarrass her. And it wasn't like Aang hadn't hugged her before. But all the same it felt foreign, but nice and comforting. Then she felt a finger play with her hair and then gently move over to her neck. It slid down her into her shirt, tracing something on her bare shoulder and making her inhale sharply. The finger immediately withdrew itself as if it touched a fire's flames.
"Sorry," Aang muttered. His voice shook a little.
"No," Toph said. "It felt-nice."
Both teens blushed, though Toph's was a faint pink and Aang's was a deep scarlet. Tears were still coursing down, and as they dropped to the ground they generated the same kind of vibrations raindrops made. Small and watery.
Aang, his mind still amazed at how smooth Toph's skin was, broke the silence and unknowingly added some tension. "Toph, I saw Sokka last week. He said you were there in the South Tribe. He doesn't seem well Toph, and Katara thought maybe you can stay with him."
A dizziness made her suddenly feel weak. She clenched her fist. "But I can't see there, curtsy of my blindness. What about you, your both guys."
"But you two were closer in a way. I was too busy with Katara to really try to bond with Sokka. And I could tell he was kind of glad when you joined up. I guess he felt like a third party."
Toph rolled her eyes. "Yeah, let me tell you Twinkle Toes, you and Katara weren't exactly an easy picnic back then. Sokka may be a retard, but you and Sugar Queen can go psycho."
Aang smiled, she sounded slightly more 'Tophish.' "Toph, please. Suki's death was pretty harsh on him." Aang sighed heavily, and watched her face. It was blank and unreadable. "He was going to propose to her. Did you know that?"
Toph's heart stung as she reflect back. Last year Suki came up to visit Sokka in the Southern Pole. It was a one mile walk to the village, and the ice was thinning. She was travailing alone. When she didn't arrive that evening Sokka and a group from the tribe went searching. They found her golden fan sticking out of the ice right next to the large break in the ground. Water black as much as blue lay below. 'She's a good swimmer,' Sokka insisted. 'She might have made it.' He searched for her everyday for a month, calling her name until his voice went hoarse. Her body was never retrieved.
"Oh, I think I get it now." Aang said slowly. How could he have never noticed this before.
"What do you mean?"
Aang thought of the best way to put it gently. "You liked him too didn't you? I mean more than in a friendly way."
Rolling over on her back, too tired to hide her cover, she sighed. "Yeah, I did. A lot. Maybe almost as much as you loved Sugar Queen."
"I highly doubt that," Aang said smiling. "But I think I've moved on. I think I'm in love with someone else." He took a moment for her expression to change to disbelief, and her eyes turned to look at him. Aang felt a great hammering racking his insides, but pressed forward. "You."
"Oh." Toph was utterly confused now, and couldn't think of anything else to say. This was all too weird, too dangerous. "I need to change." Capturing her hair in a bun, Toph then began to unbutton her blouse. She could almost hear Aang's heart thumping.
"Er, I can leave if you want," he said. It was almost a plead, and his voice hitched in the back of his throat.
"That's okay. Nothing you haven't seen before Twinkle Toes." It was obvious Aang still had sensitive eyes. They were spiraling, which was very strange.
They both acted at the same time. Aang rushed over to Toph's side and she immediately brought her lips up to his. It was a little hard to reach, but Aang sank half way to meet her. He his hands slowly into her hair, and let go of her lips. She wanted more. He wanted more. So he kissed her again, and then one more time each a bit bolder than the last.
I can't do this, she thought. Aang circled her waist, taking his time to get what they both really wanted. He kisses her and her heart matches his pounding. Stop, her mind screamed, you can't. Oh but she discovers she can.
He took it much slower than Sokka, and she couldn't quite remember what the hell happened between her and Zuko. Each kiss was precise and burned her lips rather than leave spit on them. In return she gave back, too caught up to realize simple things like Appa and Momo had departed. It was just her and Aang. And her heart was full.
Aang left the next morning, due to Avatar stuff, but not before promising her he would come back for her. That he would meet her at her pavilion in Earth Nation country. And that's why Toph waited and waited. But he never came. One month passed and blended with another. And for the third time, her heart broke.
Please Review and thank you all!! Tune in for the next chapter very soon.
